Wildfire and Steel

by J. J. Green

  Darius. What was he doing on the plain?

  Carina woke up. Her covering had fallen off and the chill cabin air was invading her bones. Darius was hovering next to her, the same as he had been in her dream, though he was shadowy in the dim cabin, not brightly lit by a hot sun as he’d been a moment previously.

  “We’re going the wrong way,” Darius repeated. “I didn’t understand.”

  Bryce began to wake.

  Carina sat up. “Not so loud. Everyone’s trying to sleep.”

  “We have to turn around,” said Darius.

  “We can’t turn around. We…Come with me.” She took a cover and wrapped it around herself before going into the pilot’s cabin, bringing Darius along.

  “Did you have a bad dream?” she asked after closing the door.

  “No, I didn’t. I had a nice dream. I’m sorry, Carina. It's all my fault. I didn’t understand, and I kept forgetting. And then when we were talking about where to go next, I didn’t want to say anything because I wanted to do whatever you decided. But now they’re telling me I made a mistake.”

  “They’re telling you? Who are telling you?”

  “The people in the dream,” Darius explained, as if Carina was a little simple-minded.

  “What people? Wait.” Carina noticed Darius was shaking with cold. “Come here.” She wrapped her arms around him so that the blanket covered them both. “What have you been dreaming about?”

  Though Darius didn’t seem to have had a nightmare, he’d clearly dreamt something that had gotten him worked up and confused.

  “I can’t remember very well, but I’m in a new place. Outside in a field. There are people there talking to me. One of them’s an old lady. She talks to me a lot, but I can’t remember most of what she says. Only that we need to go to the planet with the numbers. I remembered that when we were deciding where to go, but I didn’t want to say anything. I thought it was just a dream. Then tonight she was cross with me. She said we’re going the wrong way and we have to turn around.”

  “Okay, I get it,” said Carina. Darius was worried and stressed and it was affecting his sleep. It wasn’t surprising, given everything that had happened. His anxiety was playing out in his dreams. She hugged her brother tightly. “I hear what you’re saying, sweetheart, but it’s too late for us to turn around now. We have to go to Goania because we don’t have enough fuel to get us anywhere else. But it’s going to be okay, Darius.”

  “No!” Her brother struggled free from her arms and faced her. “We have to go to the planet with the numbers.”

  “What do you mean? That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “The woman said we must go to the planet that has the numbers.”

  Numbers? Darius had been drawing numbers almost obsessively for weeks. Carina decided to humor him. “What numbers? Do you want to show me?” She opened the pilot’s interface and brought up the keyboard. “Type them here.”

  Darius tapped three sets of numbers onto the screen. Carina’s chest tightened. She hadn’t taken much notice of her brother’s scrawlings, but seeing the numbers on an interface made her realize immediately that they looked like galactic coordinates. What was more, the coordinates looked familiar. Her heart sinking, Carina looked up Pirine’s coordinates. They were the same.

  Noticing her expression, or perhaps absorbing her feeling, Darius’ chin trembled. “I was right, wasn’t I? The planet with the numbers is the one we were supposed to be going to. And I didn’t tell you.”

  “It’s okay. It’s okay.” Carina hugged her brother again while she thought things over. “Darius, who told you where we were supposed to go?” A tingling of familiarity was teasing her mind. She’d been dreaming too when Darius had woken her up. For a moment she’d thought he was part of her dream.

  “The old lady,” Darius replied. “But there were other people there too. I’m not sure how many.”

  “The old lady?” The thought of an older woman also rang a bell in Carina’s mind.

  The cabin door opened. Bryce was standing there, a blanket over his shoulders and his hair ruffed up. “Is everything all right?”

  “Yeah, we’re okay,” said Carina. “You can go back to sleep.”

  “But we have to turn around,” Darius almost yelled. His little body stiffened in Carina’s arms.

  “I told you,” she said, “we can’t. Maybe after we arrive at Goania we can refuel after a few weeks and then go to Pirine.”

  “Why would we want to go to Pirine?” asked Bryce. He stepped into the cabin and closed the door.

  “Someone in Darius’ dreams is telling him to go there. He even knew the coordinates.” Carina nodded at the interface screen.

  Bryce peered at the numbers. “Holy shit. That’s weird.”

  “You’re telling me. And the weirdest thing is, I think I might have been having a similar dream.”

  “Well, that’s….” Bryce paused. He touched the cabin wall. “Hey, have we stopped?”

  “Huh?” Carina said. Then she noticed it too. The slight vibration of a spaceship in motion was absent. The shuttle’s engine had stopped. She wiped Pirine’s coordinates from the interface and brought up the operations display.

  The engine was offline. But why? They had enough fuel for another two weeks’ travel. Had something gone wrong somewhere? Carina ran a diagnostic. Everything was fine, except…. She groaned. The fuel level read one hundred percent. It was impossible considering the distance they’d traveled. The gauge was faulty. They shuttle must have been carrying far less fuel than she’d thought when they set out. They hadn’t had enough fuel to get them anywhere.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Bryce.

  The Dirksens had only been using the shuttle to transport troops to and from the planet surface. They hadn’t required the vessel to travel long distances. As long as the fuel was topped up, it didn’t matter that they didn’t know exactly how much the vessel was carrying. The mechanics were probably waiting until after the battle was over before fixing the fault.

  “Carina,” Bryce said, “why have we stopped?”

  “We’re out of fuel.”

  “What? How come?”

  Shit. Shit. Shit. “This ship’s a piece of junk, that’s how come.”

  She brought up their position. The display said exactly what she knew it would say. They were halfway to Goania, in deep space, and far from any trade routes.

  There was a click and the display flashed, Main fuel supply exhausted. Emergency backup supply activated. Minimal life support only. They were already running on minimal life support.

  Carina did the only thing possible in the situation. It was better to be picked up than to die in the loneliness of space, even if their rescuer was a Sherrerr or a Dirksen. The chances anyone would come within range to notice the signal were slim, but it was their only hope.

  She turned on the distress beacon.

  Chapter Twelve

  Castiel woke to a chilly atmosphere in his room in the Dirksens’ mountain castle. He had fallen asleep quickly after leaving Sable Dirksen, tired after the previous day’s events. He didn’t know how long he’d slept. The room had no windows and contained nothing to tell him the time.

  He turned on the light. The room’s walls were rough hewn from the pale gray mountain stone. A smaller version of the fireplace Castiel had seen in the great hall occupied the central spot on the wall opposite the bed, its grate bare. In a corner stood a wash-basin, also roughly cut from the mountain’s stone. A spigot overhung the basin. In another corner sat a clothes chest. A mirror hung on the wall. And that was it. Castiel concluded that Sable Dirksen rarely hosted guests, and that when she did she took little care to spoil them with luxury.

  He rose from his bed, dressed himself, and took his bottle of elixir out from underneath the covers where it had lain all night. The bottle was warmed by his body heat and he found it reassuring to hold. He would have to arrange the making of a plentiful supply soon. He had taught one of Langley’s servants the
method and he would do the same in his new habitation.

  Castiel suddenly halted on his way to the door. Should he tell Sable about his need for elixir? It seemed unavoidable. Anyone with half a brain would notice that he always took a sip of the liquid before he Cast. How much more about being a mage should he tell her, however? Whatever he told her could give her control over him, and that was the last thing he wanted. He wasn’t prepared to become another clan lackey, a tool to do their bidding. If the Dirksens wanted to make use of his services, they would have to show him the respect he deserved.

  Castiel shivered. The castle really was cold, as Sable had complained. He was surprised that the Dirksens, with their love of high-tech, had failed at adequately heating the place.

  He opened the door and nearly walked into the guard who was standing directly outside. For a few moments Castiel feared the man would try to prevent him from leaving, but the guard only offered to take him to Sable.

  She was sitting where he’d first seen her, next to a fire in the great hall of the castle. She was alone again, but this time she was dressed. Sable Dirksen’s dark tunic flared out at the shoulders and overhung narrow pants. She looked far more like the head of the Dirksen clan that morning than she had the previous night, though she still seemed ridiculously young for the position. Castiel judged it unwise to voice his impressions.

  Another armchair had been added opposite Sable’s as well as a small table on which breakfast dishes stood. Castiel sat down at the armchair without being invited, determined to maintain an attitude of confidence and control.

  “Good morning,” he said as he helped himself to breakfast.

  Sable’s dark-eyed gaze flicked at him. “How did you sleep?”

  “Well, thank you.” He was amusedly reminded of the conversational style of his father and mother. So much had passed unsaid between them. “Though my room was cold.”

  “Ah, yes. We’ve never been able to heat this older section of the castle adequately. The stone seems to suck all warmth out of the air no matter what heating devices we install. I keep a fire lit here all the time.”

  Castiel continued to eat while he considered how best to approach the subject of his desired role in the Dirksen clan.

  “I’m curious to learn more about the ability you demonstrated last night,” said Sable. “How did you kill that Sherrerr admiral?”

  “It’s just something I can do. Among many other things.”

  “Like what?”

  Castiel put down his plate. “I’d rather talk about your plans for me.”

  “It’s hard to make any plans unless I know how I can use you.”

  “If you tell me more about what the Dirksens intend to accomplish, I could explain how I can help.”

  “We intend many things. Apart from killing people in a rather horrible way, what else do you have to offer?”

  Castiel pursed his lips and stared at Sable. They were already at stalemate and they’d barely been talking for one minute.

  But then the Dirksen clan leader raised a finger to her ear and leaned slightly forward as if listening. “Send him in,” she said, adding, to Castiel, “You can stay.”

  This permission-giving irked Castiel. He felt his status was above being told when he could remain or leave, but he resigned himself to bearing the insult for the time being.

  A shaven-headed officer in a Dirksen uniform entered the hall. He took in Castiel’s presence with a brief glance as he strode to stand in front of Sable and saluted. “I am honored to formally convey the news that our forces have successfully repulsed the Sherrerr attack, ma’am. Shortly after the Nightfall self-destructed, the rest of the Sherrerr fleet departed. A thorough check of the system has discovered no enemy ships.”

  “Thank you, Commander Kee. That is good news.” Sable paused, then added. “Commander, I would like to introduce you to Castiel Sherrerr.”

  The man quickly suppressed his look of surprise and delivered a curt nod to Castiel.

  “He’s been on Ostillon for some time, staying at Langley Dirksen’s residence. I believe I’m correct in saying that he has renounced his affiliation with his clan?” Sable looked toward Castiel for confirmation.

  “Yes, of course,” Castiel blurted.

  “Perhaps you’re wondering if he’s connected to the young merc in the Sherrerr shuttle you picked up?” Sable asked the commander. “The answer is yes. From what I understand, the two are related. He gave me a demonstration of his strange power last night when I asked him to interrogate a prisoner. He killed her.”

  “Killed, ma’am?” Kee’s eyebrows lifted.

  “The commander is one of our top interrogators,” Sable explained to Castiel. “It seems he also disapproves of your methods.”

  “That was…hasty of me, I admit,” Castiel said. “But I have other things I can try, if you’ll give me a second chance.”

  “Uh…” said Commander Kee, clearly dying to object but unable to break protocol and speak without first being addressed. “Permission to—”

  “Don’t worry, Commander. I won’t be letting him loose on any more of our precious prisoners just yet. Not until I have a much better understanding of what he does. While you’re here, why don’t you go and see what you can find out from the remaining ones? When they hear their friends have departed and they’re alone without a hope of rescue they might feel more inclined to divulge something.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Kee saluted and left them, striding toward the exit that led to the lower level.

  “Castiel,” said Sable, “I feel like we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot. Why don’t we try again? Would you like me to show you around my abode? It’s quite an unusual residence, isn’t it?”

  “I-I’d like that,” replied Castiel, somewhat taken aback by her sudden change of attitude.

  “Come with me. We’ll start at the peak.” Sable rose and led Castiel across the hall to a small elevator. “I had to have this put in when I arrived,” she said as the doors opened. “The castle floors rise to the very top of the mountain, but all there was to move between them was stairs. Can you believe it?”

  They stepped inside the elevator and the doors closed.

  “So what I was thinking was correct,” said Castiel. “The Dirksens didn’t build this place.”

  “That’s right. We squeezed the secret of its existence inadvertently from an Ostillonian official. I forget who it was. He thought the information might buy him some clemency. He was wrong. I found the castle perfect for my needs, however, so I moved in. I’ve added some sections since then.”

  Castiel surveyed Sable from the corners of his eyes. He knew the Dirksens had taken over the planet several years previously. How old had their leader been then? She had to be older than she looked.

  They rode the elevator to the top floor, and the doors opened to reveal a small, round room encircled by narrow, arched windows without glass. They stepped out and Castiel immediately walked to a window. A keen wind blew through it. The view was magnificent. They were at the very top of the mountain and he could see for miles all around.

  “It’s certainly something, right?” Sable said. “I come up here sometimes to think.”

  “But doesn’t this place give away the fact that there’s something inside the mountain? Aren’t you worried someone looking at the mountain range could spot it?”

  “It isn’t visible from the outside, the same as the entrance you flew in through.”

  “That’s amazing. I don’t think the Sherrerrs have that tech yet.”

  Sable gave a small chuckle. “We don’t have that tech either. It’s how the place was when we arrived. We needed precise directions from the Ostillonian to find it. He said the few locals who know about it don’t talk of it because they think the place is cursed. I have to say, considering the problems we have with heating it, sometimes I’m inclined to agree.”

  They spent a few minutes gazing at the view before descending to the level below. As the morning
progressed, Castiel saw most of the castle. Several of the rooms rose stories high. These were the coldest parts of the castle and they were entirely bare, as if Sable never used them. She also showed him many rooms and suites for sleeping and living, and the usual service areas. While they were walking the corridors they passed servants and people in rich clothes. Though Sable nodded greetings at the latter, she did not introduce Castiel to them. He guessed they were high-ranking Dirksens.

  He was impressed by the size and intricacy of the place, as well as mildly curious about who had constructed it. One thing he noticed was that all of the residential areas contained spigots, even though the restrooms were plentiful. In all, however, he found himself becoming bored. He imagined there were more exciting and influential things he could be doing if Sable would allow him.

  As they walked, Sable asked Castiel about his experiences at Langley Dirksen’s estate. He guessed that she was mining him for information on Langley’s behavior regarding him. Though she didn’t give much away, Castiel understood that Langley had misled Sable about how long he’d stayed at her mansion and what he’d done. He didn’t hesitate to set Sable right. He felt no loyalty to Langley whatsoever. She had stymied his attempts to rise in the Dirksen hierarchy.

  When they returned to the great hall, Commander Kee was awaiting them.

  “Commander,” said Sable, “did you find out anything useful?”

  “Not yet, ma’am,” he replied. “I hope you don’t mind, but I took the liberty of removing the remains of the dead prisoner. I’m afraid to say the death has probably set back my work for several weeks.” His face was rigid as he steadfastly refused to look at Castiel.

  “I’m sorry to hear it,” said Sable, “but it can’t be helped. Please continue to work with the officers this afternoon. In the meantime, would you join us for lunch?”

  “I would be delighted, ma’am.”

  “Castiel, please take a seat while I make the arrangements. Kee, come with me.” Sable left with the commander.

  Castiel sat down, wondering if the Dirksen leader had taken Kee into her room at night. As he watched her leave, he again hoped to be one of the chosen. He was young, but he was already growing a beard. Perhaps in time Sable would come to respect and desire him.