Within Ash and Stardust

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Within Ash and Stardust Page 23

by Chani Lynn Feener


  Ones in English.

  Delaney? It’s Fawna. Where are the others?

  She sagged forward, the relief hitting her hard enough that she had to rest her palms on her knees. She couldn’t believe that’d actually worked.

  Taken, she thought, hoping it would send. Can you help me find them?

  A moment passed where she assumed Fawna was attempting to try, then:

  Can’t. Can only access the gorud from this distance, not the computer’s mainframe in the castle.

  Delaney sighed, then ordered, Do that then.

  Another pause, followed by the message: Done. I can now see everything you do.

  Great. At least she wasn’t alone, but still. The hope had been that Fawna could use the gorud the same way Trystan had. She’d managed to figure out how to turn it on and type a message, but Delaney doubted she’d be able to learn how to hack into some high-tech supercomputer in time to help the others.

  Nope. She needed a new plan. But what?

  I’m going to go looking, she sent to Fawna, then started back the way she’d come. Stand by.

  Standing by, came the quick response.

  Delaney went silent and, aside from a small row of lights indicating it was still on at the top, the screen cleared. It was easy enough to backtrack to where she’d woken up, and she silently sped through the halls. Once she was at the turn where she’d lost them, she slowed a little, debating which way to go.

  The path forked to the right and left, and she had no idea where either way led.

  The gorud beeped quietly at her ear again, and then a message scrolled across.

  Blueprints Zane sent earlier indicate kitchens to the left, labs to the right.

  Unless they planned on cooking Ruckus and Verus dinner, she doubted that was the way they’d go.

  Sending a thanks to Fawna, she went right. At the end of that hall, she received another message, this one telling her which way led to the lab rooms. Apparently they were on the same page, both deciding that was the most likely place for them to be taken.

  Following Fawna’s leads, Delaney swiftly made her way through the castle, losing track of time as she did. She didn’t run into anyone as she traveled, though that could also mean she was going in the wrong direction. Wouldn’t they want to keep prisoners secure?

  She was about to turn the next corner when Fawna sent a message for her to stop. She halted, waiting for an explanation.

  Lab rooms are down that hall. Move with caution.

  She settled her nerves and then peered around the edge of the wall.

  A single Sutter was headed down the other direction, away from her. They went around the far corner, and after waiting to see if the person would return, Delaney entered the hall.

  Moving down the center, she kept low, noticing all the windows set into the doors lining either side. When she came to one, she popped her head up enough to catch a glance inside, and then kept going. All of them seemed to be empty.

  She’d come to the end, with only three rooms left, when she heard the sound of a chair scraping against the floor. It’d come from the room closest to her, and she eased up to it and took a quick peek.

  The room was rather large, with the first half by the door empty. On the other side, farther down, were two Sutters and three Tellers, all staring at the same man trapped between them.

  Gibus.

  * * *

  DELANEY WATCHED AS Gibus was roughly shaken by the closest Teller, then shoved toward the other two Sutters, who moved out of the way to avoid being bumped into. He hit the edge of a table with enough force that the metal clanked against the floor. It was hard not to notice him shaking when he righted himself.

  The door had to be soundproof, because they were talking to him now but she couldn’t hear a thing. Gibus was clearly agitated. He was waving his hand in the air, indicating something on the rectangular black device one of them was holding. It sort of reminded her of an old walkie-talkie.

  Which is when she noticed the cell in the way back of the room.

  It was hard to make out the people inside from this distance, but she didn’t have to get a good look to know who had to be in there.

  They must be threatening the others to get him to help them, she sent to Fawna. That would explain why he wasn’t in the cell with them.

  Delaney took another glance at the other occupants in the room, noting that none of them seemed to be watching the entrance—or even facing it, for that matter. She searched for a control panel on the wall, then blinked when she realized there wasn’t one.

  Taking a chance, she lifted a hand to the doorknob, twisting slowly so as not to make any noise. When it clicked open, she held her breath, easing it toward her a crack. No one immediately sounded an alarm, and it didn’t sound like the ebb and flow of conversation within the room had altered in the least.

  Confidence growing, she opened it a little wider, so there was just enough room for her to slip inside. Then she eased the door shut at her back and, hunched over, rushed behind a large counter. There were some odd machines on top of it, but she didn’t bother inspecting them, all her attention riveted on the prisoners in the cell.

  It wasn’t just Ruckus and Verus, either. Sanzie was there, propped against the stone wall, breathing unevenly, as well as one other person who had his back to her.

  The Sworn looked terrible, and was clutching at her right side with a hand that had fingers bent at odd angles. There were bruises forming along her jaw and beneath her eyes, and a thin trail of blood had trickled and dried at the corner of her mouth. Whatever had happened, she hadn’t gone down easily.

  A quick perusal of the rest of the space showed there weren’t any others. No Trystan, and either no Julius or no Warran—assuming the man whose face she couldn’t see was one of them.

  On your right!

  Delaney had been so caught up trying to see if Ruckus was hurt, she hadn’t been paying enough attention to the others in the room. She sprang to the side, tucking herself out of sight against the counter just in time to avoid being seen by one of the Tellers.

  The man crossed the room, opened the door, and disappeared without once glancing back. Which was good, because if he had, he would have spotted her for sure.

  She sent a quick thank-you to Fawna for the heads-up, and then shifted back around to face the rest of the room again. Even with one fewer Teller to deal with, she doubted she could attack and take them all out before at least one managed to sound the alarm.

  Ideas? As she waited for Fawna to reply, she took stock of the rest of the supplies in the room. There were two computer systems set up at either side, each flashing and emitting strange noises. No one seemed to be paying any mind to them, so she figured they must be unimportant.

  Instead they were still talking around that weird walkie-talkie, one of them even vigorously shaking his head at something Gibus had just suggested.

  Get the Ander’s attention, Fawna suggested.

  Duh. In her rush to stay hidden, she’d completely forgotten that the gorud still allowed her to use her fitting the same way she usually would. The only remaining problem was it appeared as though Ruckus was still unconscious. If only she’d had her frequencies linked with Sanzie’s, this would all run so much smoother.

  She could either wait for him to wake up—which could be forever—or she could try to wake him herself.

  Settling on the latter, she began calling his name in her mind, directing the thought at him as loudly as possible. She was practically screaming it internally, and somehow hoped she wasn’t also sending it to Fawna and the ship. Though it probably would just come up as symbols on the pilot’s computer screen.

  After the third time calling him, she saw his leg twitch, and increased her efforts. Her head was actually starting to hurt from the strain by the time he shook himself and sat up. She watched him blink in confusion and then glance around himself. A second later panic filled his eyes and he scrambled to his feet.

  “Delaney?
” his voice sounded frantic in her mind, and he ran his gaze around first the cell and then the rest of the room.

  “I’m here,” she told him then, “but don’t look. They don’t know. We need to create a distraction. Can you do that?”

  He hesitated but then gave a swift nod. Realizing he didn’t know where she was or if she could see him, he sent back, “Yes.”

  “Good. In three … two … one!”

  Ruckus slammed himself against the front of the cell hard enough that the glass rattled. Before Delaney could ponder too long why they weren’t using an electric cell like the ones back on Inkwell, he began screaming at the Tellers.

  “What the hell is going on here?” He brought his palms up to the wall loudly. “Let me out of here! Gibus!”

  “Quiet,” one of the Tellers snapped. “As long as Sutter Gibus continues his work on the portable version of Clean Slate, none of you will be harmed.”

  “It was a trap,” Sanzie told the Ander. “They knew we were coming.”

  They’d hoped Trystan’s dad would assume—and smartly so—that Tilda wanted nothing to do with the Zane, considering the death of Olena was partially his fault. But he must have reconsidered the alliance when the Basilissa had called him to set the meeting so soon after Gibus had been freed by his son.

  Knowing they wouldn’t be able to stall for long, Delaney made sure the rest of the people in the room were also watching the cell, and then stood from her hiding place. Moving as quietly as possible, she darted past other counters and machines, making her way toward where the remaining two Tellers stood off to the side.

  They obviously weren’t part of the science party going on with the Sutters and were only there as guards. That worked out nicely for Delaney, because it meant they were already slightly separated from the herd.

  The room was large, but it was still just a room, so right when she was about to reach the Tellers, one of the Sutters on the other side turned his head and caught sight of her. He lifted an arm and let out a warning.

  Fortunately, she’d spotted him as well, and already had her fritz aimed. She took the first Teller down before he could get his weapon out, but the second sent off a round of zees that she only barely escaped from. She felt the heat sear her right arm as she dove out of the way, rolling on the ground toward the center of the room.

  Back on her feet, she fired again, taking the last Teller out. Not waiting for him to fall, she turned her weapon on the two Sutters, just in time to catch one of them headed toward a control panel on the wall.

  Delaney shot her in the back with a stun round, then hit the last remaining obstacle in the shoulder.

  Gibus let out a long, drawn-out breath, his shoulders slumping forward. “Thank the stars.”

  “Can you get this door unlocked?” she asked, motioning toward the cell.

  “It might take me a minute,” he said, rushing over to one of the computers. “Hold on.”

  “You don’t look very good.” She eyed Sanzie, biting her tongue when Ruckus immediately spun around and dropped to his knees next to the Sworn.

  The worry on his face was palpable.

  “You’re bleeding,” Ruckus said to Sanzie, reaching out to wipe a smear off her chin.

  “They’re just flesh wounds,” the Sworn grunted. But she didn’t pull away.

  Delaney forced herself to turn around, step closer to Gibus. “How much longer?”

  Gibus grunted something about not being sure, his fingers rushing over the keys as his eyes scanned the screen. More Tellers could arrive at any moment, and they needed to get out of there before they did.

  “There’s no use,” Sanzie told her. “Leave us. Go find the Zane.”

  “We have no idea what we’re dealing with here,” Ruckus argued.

  “All of us remaining in this room hardly helps anyone,” she snapped back.

  “Wait.” Gibus drew their attention his way and then slammed a button before grinning up at them. “Got it.”

  The door emitted a slight hiss and then clicked open, the Ander shoving it out of the way before Delaney could even think about reaching for the handle. A second later his arms were around her, holding her close as he breathed a sigh of relief against the side of her head.

  CHAPTER 22

  “What happened? Are you hurt?” Ruckus asked, his arms tightening around her.

  “I’m fine.” This was the most contact they’d had since they’d broken up, and selfishly she wanted the moment to last a little longer. Knowing she’d found him, that he was safe, was a relief, and she wanted them all to get the hell out of there before anything else bad happened.

  But not before they also found Trystan.

  Which meant, as nice as this was, they didn’t have time for it.

  Delaney pulled away and turned to help the others out of the cell, frowning when she realized the unconscious Teller facing the wall wasn’t Julius or Warran.

  Sanzie had thrown Verus’s arm around her shoulders and was in the process of hefting him up when she noticed Delaney’s look. She dropped her gaze and explained, “They didn’t make it. They died fighting back.”

  Verus was starting to come to, blinking rapidly.

  Leaving him to the Sworn, Delaney motioned at the single person still in the cell. “Who is that, then?”

  “Ezran,” Sanzie said, right before the man in question moaned and rolled onto his back. “Apparently he’s been in Carnage a long time. Like, since before we ever reached the Vakar palace. Presumably, he’s how the Rex found out about Olena’s death.”

  “Lot of good that did him,” Ruckus mused, “considering his current state. Some reward for being honest.”

  “It’s because I wasn’t honest enough.” Ezran’s voice was rough, and he coughed after speaking. Twisting onto his stomach, he groaned and painfully lifted himself onto his hands and knees. He was clearly injured, though aside from a few scrapes and bruises, it was hard to tell where or how badly.

  “What should we do about them?” Sanzie asked, pointing toward the Sutters and Tellers littering the ground. “We should do something before we start listening to Ezran’s excuses.”

  “They are not—”

  Delaney held up a hand, silencing him when he went to argue. “Tie them up, and make sure there’s no chance of any of them getting loose.”

  “Is that thing turned on?” Ruckus tapped his forehead, indicating the gorud Delaney still wore. “If so, I could try tapping into it from here, using one of these computers. Though”—he glanced around—“I doubt any of this constitutes actual evidence.”

  “All raw data is stored on the Clean Slate’s main computer,” Gibus told them. “However, some of the device’s blueprint was copied here so that work on the handheld version could be done. It’s protected behind a ton of passwords and firewalls, but I might be able to access it.”

  “First, get into the security feeds and find Trystan.” Delaney ignored the look Ruckus gave her. She understood how important uncovering this information was; she did. But so was finding the Zane.

  Gibus went about following that order, while the others began moving the bodies out of the way.

  Delaney guarded the door to the cell, making sure Ezran didn’t try to escape—not that he appeared physically capable of doing so—while the other three hurried to secure the Kints. As soon as it was done, she crossed her arms and glared down at him where he still sat on the ground.

  “Explain what you’re doing here, Teller,” she ordered, trying to emulate the cold way Trystan spoke whenever he wanted someone to spill their secrets as quickly as possible.

  “I was the one who informed the Rex of Olena Ond’s demise,” he acknowledged, “but only because his men were going to kill us otherwise. The group that’d been out delivering messages to the people to stay indoors survived, as well as those who’d boarded the Zane’s ship. But those of us within the castle walls …

  “I told the Rex what I could to avoid the same fate.” He at least had the decen
cy to sound ashamed by that fact. “Only, I kept the truth of the Lissa a secret. It was simple enough to convince the Rex’s Tellers that Delaney’s body had been destroyed by the elements. They’d arrived late in the day, and temperatures had already plummeted to dangerous levels. No one wanted to bother risking their life for a dead girl.”

  “So the Rex really does think I’m dead?” That was something.

  “He did.” He licked his lips and sighed. “But that’s why I’m in this cell now. One of his spies discovered otherwise. As soon as the Rex realized I’d lied to him, he had me beaten and tossed in here.”

  If his father knew that Delaney wasn’t dead, Trystan was in bigger trouble than she’d feared.

  “Why didn’t he just kill you?” Ruckus asked.

  “He hoped I still had information about your group, and the Zane. Especially with his forces currently on the way to Varasow.”

  Delaney stilled. “What do you mean by forces? He took the Tellers who are usually stationed in this castle—that’s it, right?”

  “Well, yes, but that’s not enough to stop the attack, so I assume he’s calling in more of the Kint army to provide backup.” He glanced between her and the Ander, clearly confused by their frowns. “You two do know about the Tar attack, correct? The Rex received word that they were planning to attack the Vakar capital.”

  “What?” Ruckus shot forward. “When?”

  “Now.”

  “The Tars are under the Rex’s influence,” Delaney explained to Ezran before he could say anything else. “Why send them to Varasow? And why bring his own men after them?”

  The Rex had demanded the meeting be at the Vakar palace; they should have guessed it was because he had something up his sleeve.

  Sanzie had been busily typing away at one of the main computers during their talk with Ezran, and now she let out an excited sound and tapped the screen in front of her hard enough that her nail made a clicking sound against the glass.

  “I’ve found him!”

  Delaney darted to her side, bending to stare at the screen herself. It was footage from a hallway security camera, and showed an unconscious Zane on a stretcher. Four Tellers were carrying him, and she watched as they turned a corner and disappeared.

 

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