by Kyle West
I nodded. That’s both of us, then. The Novans are attacking the Makai, Quietus. We believe they’re working with Isaru. Isaru plans on attacking Colonia while the Novans attack the Makai. We have no way of stopping Isaru in time.
I see, Quietus said. So, you want us to intercept Isaru’s forces?
It was too much to ask. If it came to open battle, many Elder Dragons would die.
Harry them, I said. Slow them down however you can. If you can pick a good fight, then take it. But right now, it’s best to delay Isaru’s army, if possible.
Quietus immediately saw my intent. You believe he can still be saved.
I nodded. Yes.
I’ll do this for you, Quietus said. As wise as we are, the Elder Dragons failed to see his threat. Rakhim Shal made fools of us all. This is our chance to correct the mistake. Quietus’s white eyes blinked. And what will you do in the meantime, Anna?
Do you have any suggestions? Fiona and I have talked about reaching the Hyperfold through dreams. But Isaru was there, guarding the way in . . .
I don’t doubt that, Quietus said. You must try again, Shanti. If you can reach the Hyperfold’s Point of Origin in your dream, then there may be hope.
I did do that, I said. Is that important?
Have you felt different lately? Quietus asked.
Her question triggered my memory of feeling curiously empty following that dream.
I have, I said. It’s felt like a part of me is missing.
Have you heard from Anna lately? Has her voice spoken to you?
Now that I thought about it, she hadn’t. What are you saying, Quietus?
In your dream, Quietus said, a part of you left and entered the Hyperfold to join Isandru. You couldn’t do it yourself, but Anna could have.
So, what you’re saying is . . . Anna is there now?
A part of her might be there, or perhaps the whole of her, Quietus said. In either case, her power inside you has diminished. I sensed it in you as soon as we met.
Anna was gone, then. I had wished for such a thing ever since I discovered who I was, but the possibility of it being actually true made me feel queasy. Anna was my shield, giving me abilities far beyond myself. Something told me some of her abilities remained, or perhaps a part of herself, but I felt the truth of it from Quietus’ explanation. She was gone.
If I didn’t have her, what did I have?
You are strong in your own right, Quietus said. And this is only temporary. Anna is calling you, Shanti, to return to the Hyperfold. She has gone where you could not go yourself, since she is only spirit.
Why did she go? I asked. Is she helping Isandru?
I can’t say, Quietus said. She lowered her head, moving her snout forward until it was nearly touching my nose. I felt the power resonating from her presence, and a great tenderness. I am sorry for your friend. I felt your story as we rode to the lake today.
It’s been hard, I said. But Isandru may still be alive. I can only hope that Anna is doing something to save him. You’ve given me new hope, Quietus.
In time, you will return, too, Quietus said.
I have to go back, then, I said, almost shuddering at the mere thought. If Anna has gone to do something, to prepare the way perhaps, then I need to go, too. I just don’t know when, or how we’re going to defeat all those Mindless guarding the entrance . . .
You will know the right time, Quietus said. As I said, some of Anna remains in you. She’ll let you know when the time is right.
How will I know? Will it be a feeling?
But Quietus only backed away, staring at me with a sadness that said she didn’t know, and that was for me alone to discover.
“Quietus!” I cried.
Be strong, Shanti, she said, before turning and gliding off the cliff.
Her roar resonated in the midmorning air as we stood watching, until her form was small against the mountainside.
“She says that the dragons following her are going to slow down Isaru,” I said.
“That’s good,” Isa said. “Did you learn something? You seem scared.”
I gathered myself before telling them. “Anna may be gone from inside me, now. That means a lot of her abilities, if not all of them, will also be gone. During that dream I had where I entered the Hyperfold, Quietus said Anna left, to go where I could not. Inside the Hyperfold. After that dream . . . I’ve felt empty. Like a part of me was missing.” I paused to think things through. “It means, someday soon, I’ll have to return to rejoin her. Quietus said I’d know when the time was right.”
Everyone was quiet, considering what I said. They didn’t ask when that time would be, thankfully. I didn’t want to think about that.
“You are strong in your own right,” Fiona said. “As strong as any of us. It was the reason you were admitted to the Sanctum in the first place.”
“I may not be able to do some of the things I could before,” I said. “Hopefully, it won’t come to a point where I need her abilities.”
“We can return to Shenshi in the meantime,” Pallos offered. “It’s worth asking Shen if he has any forces available.”
“Forces with strings attached,” Shara said distastefully.
Well, there was little I could do about that. If I was going to Shenshi to beg for reinforcements, I’d have to take the strings, too.
Besides, I might be able to learn something new from Shen. It had been a while since we talked.
“We’ll head that way,” I said. “Since there is little else we can do in the meantime. The only way we have of stopping an army is getting one ourselves. Shen might be our only way of getting it.”
We boarded the ship, lifted off, and then flew west toward Shenshi, leaving Dragonspire behind.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
OUR NEXT STOP WAS SHENSHI. It had been several months since my first and only audience with Shen, the artificially intelligent ruler of the empire that bore his name. I had a few hours to prepare what I would say, assuming I even got the chance to speak with him.
“We’ll be allowed to fly in, given who we are,” Pallos said. “But don’t be surprised if the circumstances will be different this time.”
“Different, how?” I asked.
“Your first audience was an introduction,” Pallos said. “It was a way for Shen to share his ultimate vision for humanity with you.”
“Yes,” I said. “Complete domination.”
“Domination?” Pallos asked. “An extreme choice of words.”
“Isn’t that what he wants?”
Pallos pondered this. “It is . . . difficult to think from his perspective, so I can’t claim to know his mind. Indeed, his thoughts and even way of thinking are so complicated that he might as well be a god. His knowledge is vast, and in the hundreds of years of his life, if one were to call it a life, Shen has gained more experience in ruling than any human ever could, living or dead. His chief prerogative is to prevent violence, and to protect humanity. Sometimes, that means controlling and protecting us from ourselves.”
“And what if humanity doesn’t want to be protected?” I asked. “I told him that last time. The Elekai will not exchange their freedom for protection. If Shen truly wishes for us to be saved, he will do so unconditionally.”
“These are all things you’ll need to discuss with him, not me,” Pallos said. “A world under Shen’s protection wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Everywhere Shen has been allowed to rule, peace has reigned. This is most of the civilized world; America is the only exception. It’s . . . a special case, due to the Xenofold.”
“Elekim is here,” I said. “Shen’s competition.”
Pallos was silent on that point, at least while he thought of a response. “Not competition. I can’t say what Shen thinks about Elekim, but they are both similar in that they are godlike beings. A collection of knowledge; Shen from ancient humanity’s vast datastores, and Elekim from the collective memory of the Elekai. Both have a different vision for the world and humanity.”
“Which would bring about the end of the Hyperfold,” Pallos pointed out. “The Hyperfold will destroy the Xenofold eventually. Is it not better for both to not exist than just the Hyperfold?”
I had to admit that was probably the case, but Pallos was ignoring the most important point. “Without the Xenofold, we are defenseless against the Radaskim. I know Shen is powerful, but this coming invasion will be different, Pallos. It will make what happened last time seem like nothing. Earth is a battlefield of a far greater struggle. Perhaps the most important battlefield. Even if every power on Earth submitted to Shen, what does Shen have that can stop the Radaskim’s advance?”
Pallos shook his head. “I don’t know, Shanti. But you can ask him that when we get to Shenshi.”
Looking at the topographical display, we were due in thirty minutes. “Is it time to reach out to them?”
“Not yet,” Pallos said. “It’s best to just delay until they hail us.”
“You don’t want them to see us coming?”
“Likely, we’ve already been detected,” Pallos said.
“This ship can’t be detected by radar.”
“Shen has his ways,” Pallos said.
I didn’t bother to ask for clarification on that cryptic statement.
“I should brief the others on what to expect,” I said. “And try to get some idea of what to talk about with Shen.”
Pallos nodded. “Of course.” He turned to look at me, his eyes sincere behind his glasses. “Remember. We of the Shen are not the enemy. I care about everyone aboard this ship, Shanti. I’m not merely a spy, to put it indelicately. I openly serve Shen and the Collective, because I believe in its ideals . . . and I believe there is space for the Elekai’s ideals within its bounds. Come what may, we will need to work together to preserve this planet. If we can’t . . .”
Pallos didn’t need to finish his sentence. We all knew what would happen if everyone put their individual goals above the safety of humanity.
Assimilation and extinction at the hands of the Radaskim and Odium.
“I’ll keep that in mind, Pallos. And thank you for your honesty.”
Secretly, though, I was doubtful that Pallos and I would end up sharing the same long-term goals.
* * *
It wasn’t long before we reached the domed city of Shenshi. It was perfectly opaque on the outside, extending as much as two miles off the ground at its highest point, a giant pink bubble that was visible from miles away.
When no acknowledgement of our presence came from the city, Pallos cursed and reached for the radio. He took a minute to find the proper channel and spoke into his headset. “Command? This is Odin. Can you read me?”
It didn’t take long for a female voice to crackle out of the speakers. “Pallos Sarin. It’s been a while since your last update.”
The voice sounded vaguely familiar. I wondered who I possibly knew in Shenshi, but realized it could only be one person: the doctor who had treated me after the fight with the crawlers at Northold.
“Forgive me, Mareen. I’ve had nothing but bad news to report.”
“It’s your job to report the news, good or bad,” Mareen Xiao berated. “What could this bad news be? Is Shanti there with you?”
“Let me speak to her,” I said.
“Put me on with her, Pallos,” Mareen Xiao said.
“And my report?” Pallos asked.
Pallos’s question was met with an exasperated sigh, at which he rolled his eyes and passed his headset to me.
“Hello?” I asked, putting it on.
“Shanti. Are you all right? Any new injuries? Did the treatment take effectively?”
“Yeah, everything’s fine there,” I said. “You wanted to talk to me about something?”
“We hadn’t heard a report from Pallos, so we were assuming the worst. I thought it would be better for you to tell me what’s happened. In your own words.”
I knew I shouldn’t trust her, even if I wanted to. She was on the same side as Pallos, and anything I said would be taken straight to Shen. For all I knew, he was listening, too. I decided to just tell some of the truth. “We got held up in Ragnarok Crater, and were separated from Pallos during that time. Now, though, I need to speak to Shen. If that’s possible.”
“He’s been waiting for your arrival,” Dr. Xiao said. “Pallos will know where to land. I’ll be at the landing point to escort you to the Crystal Temple personally.”
“Okay,” I said. I was a little unnerved at how coordinated this all was. “I’ll see you soon.”
I handed the headset back to Pallos. When he put it on, he looked confused.
“She hung up on me,” he said.
“What?” I asked. I’d never heard that term before.
“Closed the channel,” he said, looking a bit miffed.
“Well, you hadn’t reported to her for a while. Is she your boss or something?”
“Err . . . something like that,” Pallos said. “She’s the head of the American Science Group, and unfortunately, engineers like myself also fall under her purview.”
“She has a direct line to Shen, then.”
Pallos shook her head. “No one goes to Shen directly except through the Guardians,” he said. “I imagine a few of them we’ll be at the landing site, too.”
Pallos input some commands on the display, bringing up a map with our flight path. “Less than half an hour out.”
Which meant I would be speaking to Shen very soon.
* * *
When we broke through the pink barrier of the dome, it was to the sight of Shenshi’s hundreds of black towers rising to needle points, spread against the backdrop of the blue Pacific Ocean. We flew high above the buildings, waiting until we reached the coordinates Dr. Xiao sent us. It was only then that we lowered the ship on the top of a tall skyscraper.
Everyone was up front with us, watching out the windshield and gawking at the towering buildings. Both above and between the edifices floated billowing airships, transporting passengers around the vast metropolis. In front of us directly rose the massive Crystal Temple, the tallest and widest building in Shenshi, its top jutting with dozens of wicked, bladelike spires.
On the landing pad below, about half a dozen people scurried to the sides to give way to Odin, while a couple dozen more waited in the wings to receive us. Within a couple of minutes, we had touched down and were powering off.
We went to the wardroom and exited the ship, walking onto the windy roof. Dr. Xiao was there to greet us, wearing the same slacks and lab coat as on our first meeting, her black hair done up in a proper bun.
“Shanti,” she said, offering a hand and a smile. “It’s good of you to come.” She gave no reaction to my shorter hair, or newly earned scar.
I forced the smile back, taking note of the group of old, robed men bearing swords on the edge of the building, all watching silently. Despite their attire, I did not make the mistake of thinking these were Seekers. They were the Collective’s equivalent: The Guardians, sworn to protect the Crystal Temple which housed Shen’s mind, or at least a part of it, here in America.
The one I noticed first was High Guardian Mian, who I’d spent a little over a week traveling with to Odin’s crash site in the California mountains. As he approached, he inclined his head, removing his hood and revealing a mass of gray hair. “Anna,” he said. “You have returned.”
I nodded my own response. “High Guardian Mian.”
“I will lead you personally to the Crystal Temple, taking over for Dr. Xiao. We shouldn’t keep Shen waiting.”
I turned to the others. “Stay with the ship. I’ll be back soon.”
I followed Mian to a waiting airship that was anchored to the end of the building.
I didn’t want to deliver the news, but I knew the High Guardian would want to know. “She passed away, High Guardian.”
“Oh,” he said, sadly. For the first time, something other than neutrality registered on his face. “I regret that very much.”
We said nothing more as we boarded the airship. I took a seat next to one of the back windows, waiting as the ship was unmoored and drifted into the open air. The furnace burned as it heated the air, the ship steering in the direction of the temple.
The passage was short and silent, only taking a few minutes. A few Guardian attendants were ready to grab the airship’s lines as it lowered toward the walkway leading into the Temple. As we waited for the ship to come to a stop, I remembered my last journey here, not too fondly. The Crystal Temple’s enormous size had hidden an interior labyrinth, filled with visions that didn’t seem to be part of reality. At some point inside, I had found Mia, and together, we had found a duplication of the Sea of Creation and the Xenofold’s Point of Origin. Only by entering that did I find myself speaking to Shen.
I didn’t know if I had to take that same journey again, but I knew I had to mentally prepare, just in case. A weak mind would go mad from the things seen inside the Temple.
Guardian Mian walked me out of the ship, and led me as far as the wide, open archway that led inside the cavernous space. Peering inside, I could see the long hallway, supported on either side by tall pillars. The configuration was different than the last time I was here, or else this was simply a different entrance.
“Follow the hallway,” Mian said, simply. “I leave you here.”
He merely waited, and something told me he had nothing more to say.
There was nothing left to do except enter the Temple. Trying to steady my pounding heart, I walked forward, my hand on the hilt of my blade. I couldn’t help but feel I was making a horrible mistake and that this might be the last time I ever saw sunlight.