by J. J. Green
“This is a good shelter you built while Ferne and I were gone,” she said. With help from the children, Bryce had slung a long, straight branch between two small trees and then piled many more branches against it before covering the lean-to in dead plant material. The open side of the construction faced the fire and the ground beneath it was piled with more dead grass and ferns.
“It is, isn’t it?” said Parthenia. “If you can find more animals for us to eat, we can live here for days. Now that we have elixir a fire won’t be a problem. We only have to remember to keep our supply topped up so we don’t run out again.”
Darius and Nahla were already asleep, curled up like family pets next to the fire. Everyone else was looking sleepy too, but it seemed to Carina this was a good time to tell the others her decision.
She took a breath, knowing that Parthenia wasn’t going to like what she was about to hear. “Actually, I was thinking it was time we moved on.”
“You mean we should go back to the capital?” Parthenia asked. “I guess so. We aren’t likely to find Castiel around here. But—”
“No, I mean we should leave Ostillon. I think I need to face up to the fact that it’s too dangerous for you all here with Castiel around. I need to take you somewhere safe. Then maybe I’ll return to deal with him?”
“But we don’t have time for that,” Parthenia said. “We have to stop him now. He plans on taking over the Dirksen clan. When he’s in control of everything he’ll be untouchable, and who knows what horrible, evil things he’ll do? Imagine if Father had ever run the Sherrerrs. He would have treated everyone the same way he treated Mother. It would have been hell.”
“I understand what you’re saying,” Carina replied. “But is any of that your fault? The Sherrerrs turned a blind eye to how your father treated Ma, and the Dirksens worked hard to get their own mage. Well, now they have one. They’ll reap what they sowed.”
“I’m not talking about the Sherrerrs and Dirksens, I’m talking about the ordinary people. If Castiel gets any real power, they’ll suffer terribly.”
“She’s right,” said Bryce. “With Castiel running the show, it’s going to be a bloodbath.”
Carina thought back to her childhood and the cruelty she’d endured at the hands of the ‘ordinary people.’ She thought about the number of times she’d been beaten and tortured by non-mages. She had spent most of her short life viewing regular folk as a threat, yet she also hadn’t forgotten the help she’d received from Bryce and from the military on the Nightfall when she’d escaped with her family.
Carina’s shoulders sagged and she nodded. “You’re right. I have to prevent Castiel from doing his worst. But not here or now. You are all my responsibility, and we’re barely surviving day to day. When I know you’re safe I’ll find Castiel and try to stop him.”
“Do we get any say in this?” Parthenia asked.
“We’ll go outsystem,” said Carina, ignoring her sister. “We’ll find somewhere quiet and off the trade routes. When you’re settled I’ll hunt for Castiel and remove him from the scene.” Carina remained unsure of exactly what the latter entailed, but she would cross that bridge when she came to it.
“How can we leave Ostillon?” asked Ferne, chewing on a bone. “We don’t have a ship.”
“No,” Carina replied, “but maybe we can get one, especially now that everything’s in disarray due to the war.”
“Can you fly it too?” Bryce asked.
“I should be able to figure it out. I flew the Sherrerr shuttle, remember?”
Oriana said, “But where can we go? How do we know what planets are safe?”
“I’ll figure that out too. The first thing we need to do is find ourselves a ship.”
“You’ve sure got a lot of figuring out to do,” said Bryce.
***
Later on, Carina and Bryce were lying face to face inside the lean-to. Everyone was asleep except for them. Bryce had his back to the fire and Carina faced him. Darius lay behind her and the rest of the children occupied the remaining space.
“Are you sure about leaving Ostillon?” Bryce asked Carina softly.
She forced open her closing eyelids. “I’m sure. I know we need to do something about Castiel, but we’re too weak right now. When I was a merc I learned the hard way what happens when your enemy outclasses you. Our company owner put us in hard-to-win situations more than once. That woman has blood on her hands. I’m not going to make the same mistake with my family. I hate Castiel and fear what he might do, but going in weak and unprepared isn’t going to work. We could all end up dead.”
“Okay, I hear you.”
They looked into each other’s eyes for a few moments without speaking. Carina recalled the first time she’d met Bryce. It had been months previously, when she’d been at the end of her hope of finding another mage. Bryce had followed her home while she was in a drunken haze.
They’d kissed. In all the time they’d spent together since then they’d never been so close again. He’d helped her aboard the Sherrerr flagship, nearly at the cost of his own life, and he’d searched for her on Ostillon for days. He’d said he wanted to be with her. But could a relationship between a mage and non-mage ever work out? Would Bryce be able to resist the desire to control her for his own gain?
Carina didn’t know. She couldn’t deny that he had proven his loyalty and trustworthiness several times over, but how long would that last? She feared becoming closer to him, knowing that her feelings would make her vulnerable.
“Good night,” she whispered.
“Good night.”
Long after Bryce fell asleep, Carina also began to drift off.
She was on a plain of tall grasses and wildflowers. A young, strong sun was scorching her exposed skin. The buzzing of insects filled her ears. Carina knew she’d been in that place before but she couldn’t remember when. Distant voices sounded behind her, and when she turned around she saw some people approaching, wading through the grass as if walking through a shallow sea.
She didn’t think she could have imagined a more dissimilar group of people. One of them was very old and swathed in robes, barely hobbling along and using a stick for support. Another was tall and broad with a beard that reached to his middle. A third wasn’t much more than a child, about Parthenia’s age, Carina guessed.
As she was watching the group, the oldest lifted her head and looked directly at Carina. She raised a hand in greeting, and for some reason Carina felt compelled to return the salute.
But before she could lift her hand, something drew her back to Ostillon.
Carina opened her eyes and immediately knew what had wakened her. Footsteps. They were drawing closer. The walker was doing his or her best to be silent, but the ground was littered with plant matter the children had dropped while gathering material to construct the shelter.
From her position next to Bryce, Carina could see only the night sky. She lifted her head a little to peer over her sleeping companion. The fire had died down but the embers glowed, making it difficult to see much, but she could make out a tall, black figure ten or twelve meters away from their camp, moving slowly toward them.
Carina had prepared for exactly such an event. Darius was sleeping against her back. She had told him what he had to do. She only hoped that grogginess from being woken from a deep sleep wouldn’t affect his Casts.
She reached behind her, groped for her brother’s shoulder, and sharply shook it.
“Darius, wake up,” she muttered. With relief she felt her brother stir. “Someone’s coming. Remember what I said? Do it now.”
Despite his young age, Darius quickly and silently responded to her request. Carina was proud of how fast her little brother had learned to react quickly in dangerous situations. Proud but also sad. She hoped he would be able to lead a more normal childhood one day.
He was moving, feeling for the elixir canister she’d given him. Carina fixed her eyes on the approaching dark stranger. Who was he? Was he the ranger
that Parthenia had mentioned? She guessed the man must have spotted the glow of their fire. She’d thought they weren’t in sight of his tower.
Was there nowhere on Ostillon where they could safely hide?
No. They had to escape the planet, providing this stranger didn’t catch them first.
Suddenly, Bryce was gone. Darius had made his first Cast. Bryce, Nahla, and Oriana would have an abrupt awakening after their Transport. No one now lay between Carina and the stranger.
The shadowy figure was at the fire. Carina heard Ferne or Parthenia stir, probably awoken by the abrupt disappearance of their sleeping companions. Then their movements turned to silence as Darius Transported them from the place.
The strange, large man stepped forward. He was standing above Carina, looking down into her open eyes. He was black-haired and his face was wreathed in a thick, black beard.
Hurry up, Darius!
“No! Wait,” the man exclaimed.
He disappeared along with the fire, the swampy wood, and the darkness.
Chapter Seven
The shuttle that had carried Castiel and Reyes from the space battle was landing, and Castiel’s excitement was mounting at the thought of the reception he was about to receive. Would Sable Dirksen be waiting at the spaceport to congratulate him? Or perhaps he would be conveyed to her residence for a private audience. After all, it might be too much to expect the head of the Dirksen clan to travel out to meet him, in spite of the significant service he had performed in striking a monumental blow against the Sherrerrs.
The pilot gave the signal that it was safe to disembark. Castiel immediately rose from his seat and almost collided with Reyes.
“I should be first onto the ramp, don’t you think?” Castiel asked the lanky Dirksen.
“Why? What difference does it make?”
Castiel only gave him a knowing smirk in response. Langley’s son had to be brimming with jealousy over Castiel’s achievements. It was no surprise, but Reyes couldn’t hope to live up to Castiel’s abilities. He had better accept it for his own peace of mind. Not that Castiel cared.
After pushing Reyes aside, Castiel strode the short distance to the shuttle’s ramp. It was dark outside though dawn was approaching. The lights at the capital’s domestic spaceport were not shining, no doubt as a safety measure. Castiel peered into the darkness, seeking in vain for the figures he expected to see. He’d thought Langley would be there at the very least to express her praise for his success.
But look as hard as he could, Castiel could see nothing except the dark shape of a hover vehicle near the end of the ramp.
Reyes took his turn to push Castiel out of the way before walking toward the vehicle. “What were you expecting? A welcoming committee?” he sneered. “They don’t care who you are. You’re only a tool to them.”
Castiel hesitated, shocked at the unexpectedly lackluster response to his achievement. He had destroyed the Sherrerr flagship, for stars’ sake. Or, rather, the Sherrerrs had destroyed it themselves, but he had incapacitated the vessel and turned the tide of the battle. He could hardly believe that no one had been sent out to congratulate him.
Ire simmering in his breast, Castiel stomped after Reyes. Langley’s son was likely to leave without him if he wasn’t quick. He climbed into the hover vehicle and then sat in furious silence as they were whisked from the spaceport.
From the corner of his eye he could see the amused look on Reyes’ face. An urge to punch the expression away rose up in Castiel. What would Langley do if he hit her son? What could she do? He had plenty of elixir. He would be able to inflict a lot of damage on her and other Dirksens before he ran out.
But what then? He didn’t have enough elixir to kill them all, and he didn’t want to. The clan was useful to him. Their networks of people, supplies, and military power spanned the regions under their control in the galactic sector. It would take him years to build a similar infrastructure. It made more sense to use the one that was already available.
Castiel purposely relaxed his clenched fists, recalling that his father had rarely reacted in haste. He should follow his parent’s example. The Dirksens were clearly too stupid to grasp his true worth. Demonstrating their error to them would take time. He had to be patient, and he had to concentrate his efforts on giving them explicit examples of his power. He had to impress them and, perhaps even more importantly, he had to intimidate them. Fear brought respect.
Father had controlled his family through fear. If it hadn’t been for that bitch Carina, he would have raised the family’s status to the top of the Sherrerr clan. Castiel wanted to follow his father’s lead and succeed where he had failed, albeit in a rival clan.
When they arrived at Langley’s mansion, the woman was waiting at the door, dressed in a shimmering gown. Castiel climbed out of their vehicle and walked to the entrance. Langley embraced Reyes first, Castiel was not slow to note. Then she hugged him, but he didn’t move his arms from his sides and remained stiff-backed.
Langley’s jubilant expression faltered and she looked a little afraid, presumably as she realized what she’d done wrong. “Come in, come in. I took the liberty of arranging a victory celebration. I hope you don’t mind. You must be tired. Would you like to freshen up and change before joining us?”
Somewhat mollified, Castiel replied, “No, it’s fine. I can go straight in.” So the Dirksens had organized a reception for him after all. Perhaps Castiel would not need to provide them with a potent demonstration of his abilities.
Reyes asked to be excused from attending the party, saying that he was tired and would go to bed. Castiel guessed that he hated the prospect of seeing someone else steal the limelight.
Reyes left them in the hall and Castiel went with Langley to her entertaining room. As he stepped through the open double doors, he scanned the space to see who was present to offer their congratulations. Dark displeasure settled over him again. Only seven or eight people were there, and Castiel had met them all previously at Langley’s soirees. They were minor figures in the Dirksen clan.
He figured that the head of the military division would probably be too busy to make the event, but where was Sable Dirksen? Didn’t she realize what he’d done for her clan?
Langley was watching him nervously. “Why don’t you come in and sit down? You must be exhausted. What would you like to drink?”
“You’re right,” said Castiel. “I am exhausted. I changed my mind. I think I’ll retire for the evening.” Without another glance at the assembled inconsequential Dirksens and hangers-on, Castiel spun around and left the room.
He strode to the staircase and climbed the steps two at a time. When he reached his room, he unlocked the door and marched inside, slamming the door closed. He carefully locked it. He had insisted on a new lock and that he held the only key to it. As the only mage the Dirksens had, he couldn’t be too careful.
Castiel paced the room, fuming. Who the hell did the Dirksens think they were? Did they really imagine that he would put up with their neglect and slights?
He halted, realizing he mustn’t allow their rudeness and stupidity to get to him. He didn’t want to do anything rash and jeopardize his current position, unfairly low though it was. Castiel sat down on his bed and pulled off his shoes as he considered his next step.
He returned to his earlier plan of giving a clear, intimidating demonstration of what he could do. There had to be something that would make the Dirksens sit up and take notice of him. They had to understand that he wasn’t some insignificant foot soldier who could perform convenient tricks for them.
Castiel picked up his interface and logged into the news network. Castiel scanned the information. It was sparse. The news of the defeat of the Nightfall had only just begun to filter through to the media.
He was curious about the fallout from the flagship’s destruction, wondering how he could exploit the event. The Dirksen ships and crews that had been boarding the Sherrerr flagship had all been destroyed, but the remainder
of the Sherrerr fleet had withdrawn from the field of battle. It looked like Ostillon was saved, for the time being.
Anger rose up in Castiel’s belly again. He had saved Ostillon, and the Dirksens had rewarded him with a lukewarm party with nobodies.
The news updated and the new information caught his attention. Several prisoners had been taken from the Sherrerr ship before it self-destructed. Castiel wondered who they might be. Father had introduced him to several of the higher-ranking officers. They had clearly been uninterested in him at the time and only condescending to his father, but that didn’t matter. This could be the opportunity he was looking for.
Castiel didn’t know what the Dirksen interrogation methods were, but he was confident he could Cast something that would be more effective. Spectacularly effective, in fact.
When Sable Dirksen saw what he could do, she was guaranteed to show him the respect he deserved.
Chapter Eight
Dawn was arriving at the spaceport. Darius had Transported Carina and the others to another remembered spot on Ostillon: outside the spaceport fence. It was the place where Ferne had almost died from a Dirksen crossbow bolt.
Reyes Dirksen’s star racer had sparked a fire in the forested area, but the undergrowth was beginning to grow back. Rain had fallen recently. The early morning air was chilly and humid and the new, young forest vegetation was sodden.
Carina crouched at the fence, surveying the take-off and landing zones and the hangars. Descending through the clouds high above was a shuttle coming in to land. The place had been taken over by Dirksen military, no doubt due to their own spaceport’s destruction. The presence of military vessels was a big impediment to Carina’s plans. Stealing a military craft would be way more difficult than sneaking onto a civilian vessel and ejecting the pilot.
The problem with Casting was the lag. A round fired from a gun was immensely faster than the operation of a Cast. Even slipping a knife under someone’s ribs was quicker. That was the reason Stefan Sherrerr had been able to control his mage wife and children. It also meant the ability to Cast wasn’t a sure-fire guarantee they could steal a ship.