by Trevor Scott
His voice was deep and cutting at the same time. He was calm as he spoke but maintained an air of dominance and authority. Nix pulled on the strap of his breathing apparatus and twisted the copper knob on his chin. The mask came off and rested in his clawed hand. “I am told it is a wonder that has the power to transport the bearer to a far-off land.”
Liam remembered different language being used in The Sand’s Edge, but kept quiet despite his usual inclination to speak first. He wasn’t used to sitting in the passenger seat and traveling across the galaxy seemed to have taken him down a peg. He was a stranger in a new land with no concept of Dinari and Ansaran customs but what little the chip in his head could decipher for him. For instance, he knew Xara’s sloped nose was indicative of his high position, that genetics played a role in his selection, but he wouldn’t have known that if he hadn’t seen Xara’s nose in the first place. It was a strange feeling for him to know so little about what was going on around him.
The further they delved into unknown territory the more he felt adrift. Despite Nix’s knowledge of the area, Liam was still in charge of his crew. He watched Nix closely as he spoke to Xara, listening for any hint of betrayal. It wasn’t like him to be so paranoid, but he had his crew to look after and their lives were more important than anything else.
Xara’s pale hands clenched together in front of his cloak, the cracks from his knuckles resounding off the walls. His frown deepened and his blue eyes shifted between each of the crew. With his deep voice he said, “So you do know of it.”
Xara turned his back to them and walked up to the pedestal where the orb was left hovering. When he was in front of it, Liam could only see his sturdy outline. The Ansaran bowed his head and placed his hands on top of the small stone pedestal, his shoulders hunched over it as his small claws dug into the rock.
“Two months ago, in Ansaran standard days, we received a shipment of goods from the High Council on Ansara. Ours is not the most visible temple in the colonies, but the council rarely forgets we are here. In this shipment, placed among the containers of food and water, was a small box. No matter the measure of strength, we could not open it as there were no seams and the material from which it was carved stronger than Ansaran steel. The box remained in storage for a month while we decided what to do with it.”
Xara’s booming voice grew softer and he turned around to face the crew, hands clenched together in front of him.
“The answer came to Brother Fayn during his prayers. He placed it on this pedestal as he spoke to the Disciples. Fayn said that Re had spoken to him. Re told him that the box would open when all the brothers were together in this room and when a true test of their faith was performed. The contents of the box would be His gift.”
Liam took a step toward Xara and asked, “Were you able to open it?”
“We were,” Xara replied, coming back to the moment. “Much to my dismay.”
“I thought you said it was a gift.” Ju-Long interjected.
Xara’s face was solemn, his perpetual frown evened out for the first time and he stared up at the ceiling with a tear welling up in his eye. The orb spun around above him, the light pounding down on the room, though no heat reached Liam. Xara regarded Ju-Long for a moment before replying, “Everything is a gift, really. All that you see.”
“You speak now in riddles,” Nix said out of frustration. “What happened with the box?”
Xara grimaced, pacing around the pedestal as though examining it for a reason for it to exist. He spread his hands and gestured at the floor around them.
“We stood around the pedestal here, fourteen of us in all. Together we chanted the words of the Book of Re until His spirit filled all of us. The black box shivered with our sound, resonating along with the words. Soon, the box cracked, blue light pouring out into the room, just a sliver at first. A hidden seal revealed itself and the box transformed, a thousand cubes collapsing outward until there was nothing but a flat black surface on top of the pedestal. But the orb! That blue orb of light hidden inside was too powerful to regard. Soon, it too changed. The light swirled above the pedestal, flattening out before us and creating a passageway, ever larger, ever more powerful.”
“The wormhole,” Liam suggested.
Xara appeared offended, dropping his outstretched hands before correcting Liam, “The Gift of Re.”
Liam didn’t want to get into an argument over semantics. Instead, he replied with his tinny voice obstructed by his mask, “Do you know where the passage led?”
“No,” Xara said, disappointment gathering in his voice. “The vortex was strong. Fayn was the closest to the pedestal and was pulled through.”
“What happened to him?” Saturn asked, concerned.
“Re measured his faith and he was deemed worthy. Fayn was taken to the Realm of the Gods.”
Silence fell over the chamber as Xara’s words sunk in. The pale Ansaran seemed to be jealous of Fayn’s disappearance. Xara’s companion shook his head solemnly when Fayn’s name had come up. At least one of the Disciples wasn’t enthused over Fayn’s miraculous journey.
Liam scratched his head and thought hard. What little Liam knew about wormholes was being challenged. The vortex that took them across the galaxy was far larger than what could have fit in that room. But if the box could somehow be amplified, Liam thought.
“Where is the box now?” Liam asked, his voice betraying a sense of urgency.
“Gone. Stolen by a wretched thief; a blasphemer no less.”
Before Liam could get out the words, Nix asked, “A Disciple?”
Xara nodded. “Yes. Several disciples saw an unfamiliar man dressed in our garb enter the temple.”
“Sounds like you could use better security,” Ju-Long chimed in. “Did he just walk out with it?”
“This is a place of worship. All are welcome here. The thief came while most of us were asleep. Only when he was in the courtyard did the brothers see him flee with the box. The fact that someone would steal an artifact such as this is what baffles me. I do not know what purpose the thief could have for it. The bearer would surely be taken from this land like Fayn, though their destination could hardly be the same as our beloved brother.”
Liam adjusted his breathing apparatus, which was chafing his chin, and asked, “What else can you tell us about the thief?”
“Based on his build, I would say he was Ansaran. More than that, I could not say as he wore a mask of the Disciples.”
“Not an awful lot to go on,” Saturn mumbled under her breath.
“Careful outsider,” Xara’s deep voice boomed. “Mind your surroundings. An insult to the Disciples is an insult to Re as we are his vassals.”
Nix took Saturn’s arm and started leading her away, giving a slight bow to Xara as he did. His golden eyes reflected the orb’s light so his vertical pupils were hardly visible. Still, it was apparent to Liam that Nix was making for the door. They had found out all they were going to from the Disciples of Re and staying any longer might prove troublesome. Liam nodded to Ju-Long, who followed him as he started toward the passageway.
Nix waved a clawed hand to Xara and said, “We thank you for your hospitality and your insights. Until next time, old friend.”
When Nix turned, he was face-to-face with two disciples, barring his path from the antechamber to the passageway. He and Saturn took a few steps back, bumping into Liam and Ju-Long. Nix turned to confront Xara. “You would defy the laws of hospitality? We are guests in this temple.”
Xara smiled, revealing numerous pointed teeth like so many needles in his mouth. “The laws also state that a gift to the gods will be rendered upon entry to the temple. No one has ever brought outsiders. Surely our laws apply to them as well. What would Ragnar think if he knew you flaunted Re’s commandments?”
“Our ship,” Nix said quickly. “Zega sends his regards with supplies from Sector Seven. When we reach our ship, you’ll have them.”
Xara eyed Liam, Saturn, and Ju-Long. His long tongue
caressed the insides of his pointed teeth, peeking through the cracks with its slimy purple tip. Three more Disciples entered the chamber from the opposite side. They were surrounded. Xara shifted his gaze to Nix and spat, “For your arrogance, Re requires flesh. The outsiders for your life, rake.”
Nix released Saturn’s arm and looked to Liam as though appraising his options. Liam noticed Nix’s fingers slowly crawling down his leg to his energy weapon. His eyes communicated everything Liam needed to know. Several things happened all at once. Nix gripped his weapon and drew it on Xara, a ball of lightning forming at its tip. Liam drew his crescent-shaped gun and pointed it at the guards behind them. It took only a second for Saturn and Ju-Long to realize what was happening and have their weapons in hand as well. They stood there with their backs against one another, weapons pointed at the Disciples of Re, charged with enough energy to kill.
26
“Blasphemy,” Xara’s voice boomed throughout the chamber. “You would defile this house of the gods?”
“You’ve done a fine job of that yourself,” Liam remarked.
Liam and the crew began inching toward the exit, but the disciples wouldn’t budge. Xara stepped forward and released a bellow that shook the chamber. His long, pointed teeth were an afterthought as his muscles bulged under his cloak. Liam could see his body growing, filling out his robes until he no longer looked like an Ansaran at all, but rather some monstrous thing, an embodiment of all the frightening creatures carved into the stone of the temple.
“What did I say about pissing off the Disciples?” Nix asked Liam over the din.
The Disciples advanced, pouncing with the ferocity of so many predators. Nix shot first, a burst of energy cascading out of the tip of his weapon, scorching a hole clean through one of the Disciples. Liam and the rest of the crew fired their weapons and disabled three more. Xara’s two remaining brothers were on them, slashing Nix across his forearm as he blocked their attacks. Liam’s weapon wasn’t fully charged but he let a bolt go at the nearest disciple. The Ansaran fell to the ground, convulsing, a circle of charred cloth melted into his flesh.
Nix took the remaining Disciple to the ground, grappling with him as Ju-Long tried to pry the Disciple away. Saturn turned her weapon to Xara, the ball of energy at its tip swirling intensely. Xara’s pale eyes stared back at her, saliva dripping from his open mouth. His hands curled into fists and his forearms split the once loose-hanging cloth. Liam heard a sickening crack and turned his gaze to Nix, who’d just finished his fight with the disciple, the Ansaran’s neck twisted at a horrible angle.
Xara’s face was nearly unrecognizable. His purple veins pulsed under his translucent skin, blood pumping furiously. When the last disciple was taken out, he released a piercing scream. Saturn discharged her bolt of energy, hitting Xara square in the chest. His cloak was immediately charred and he stepped back to keep his balance. Though his skin was burned he was otherwise undisturbed.
“What the hell?” Saturn said to herself, readying another charge.
More disciples had heard Xara’s screams and entered from the far side of the chamber. Once they saw what was happening, they started toward them with surprising speed.
“Run!” Nix yelled.
They took off down the winding black corridor, lit only by the tips of their weapons, blue light swirling against the walls like a glut of jellyfish. Liam heard terrible noises behind him but he didn’t dare turn around for fear of losing momentum. There were crashes along the passage to his rear. Liam imagined Xara’s huge frame barreling down the corridor after them. For a moment, he wondered if all Ansarans were monsters under lanky facades or if Xara was somehow different than the others. It didn’t matter. They needed to get back to the ship and get the hell off that moon.
Liam took up the rear, blindly firing a shot backwards down the long hallway, which was promptly met with a scream and the sound of stumbling bodies. Liam didn’t wait for the weapon to charge completely. Instead, he just let a bolt go as soon as it was the size of his fist. Enough to stun a normal Ansaran.
Up ahead, Liam caught sight of the courtyard. Nix was ahead of him and struggling to put his mask back on before going outside. When he finally managed to pull the straps tight, he let out a large gust of air. Liam checked his own mask with his off hand, ensuring it was still secured in place.
The hallway funneled out into the collection of carved figures, the sun hanging over their heads along with the giant planet Surya, so large in the sky above. Nix fired his weapon ahead of them, taking out a disciple hiding among the ruins. Liam hadn’t even seen him, but the Ansaran had been in the perfect position for an ambush.
They passed through the courtyard quickly, reaching the far end just as more disciples, led by Xara, breached the corridor, pouring into the dilapidated ruins. Xara let loose a terrible roar that reverberated through the statues of unknown creatures, causing some of them to crumble around Liam and the crew. Liam avoided a shard of stone and shot a blast of energy behind him without bothering to aim. A high-pitched yelp told him that he’d somehow hit his mark.
Liam sprinted past the entrance to the temple and through the many monolithic pillars lining the path before him. Saturn released a bolt of energy behind her, the shot missing and hitting a column. The bolt cracked the base of the pillar and it slowly began to tilt until all Liam could do was watch as it fell, obstructing the path behind them. Xara and three more disciples leapt over the fallen stone post with ease. Fortunately, Xara’s larger frame slowed him down and he was losing ground on the crew.
Liam was running out of breath. On the mine, he’d never had to run and he’d lost a lot of his stamina. Now he was wishing he’d joined Saturn for laps around the mine. She ran alongside him, her breathing silent. Even with the sun bearing down overhead and the temperatures rising she hadn’t broken a sweat. Ju-Long, on the other hand, looked far more winded than Liam. He’d spent most of his time lifting weights at the mine. Since coming through the wormhole Liam had spotted him lifting crates to stay in shape, which was hardly helpful in their current situation.
Nix jammed his hand inside the pocket of his cloak and pulled out a flat circular object with a brushed metallic look to it. With his weapon hand, he pressed a button in the center and the device chirped to life.
“I need a pickup,” Nix said with labored breath, voice tinny through his mask. “Bring it in hot.”
“Who are you talking to?” Liam managed to say in between strides.
Nix looked back over his shoulder, his eyes betraying a smile. He continued to surprise Liam. Everyone had their secrets. Some more than most. Being one of the latter, Liam could guess there was far more to the scrappy Dinari than he yet knew.
Before Nix could answer, the deafening sound of their ship’s engines filled the thin air around them. Liam’s eyes traveled up the ridge in front of him to the white searchlights scanning the ground around him. Liam chanced a peek over his shoulder. Xara’s disciples were twenty meters behind them and Xara was not much farther back.
Nix spoke into the circular object once more, but Liam’s ears must have deceived him. He thought Nix had said ‘fire.’
Out of the sky, a thousand blue pellets of light rained down behind them, cutting through the three disciples and eating holes into the black soil around them. Xara stopped in his tracks, releasing a howl that resounded against the jagged rocks around them. Liam and the crew stopped, their ship descending in front of them, dwarfing their presence among the rocks and creating a shadow only broken by the dual searchlights.
Xara’s translucent skin bubbled with the flow of his purple blood, which rushed to his head until he was violet in the face. He was breathing the limited air of the moon, undeterred by the low oxygen levels. Liam wondered if he’d needed the mask before at all. Could the disciples have adapted to the barren environment? Or was this an effect of his metamorphosis?
The ship’s copper gun barrel was spinning slowly, winding down after its barrage. Small puffs of
smoke floated up from the tip as the metal sizzled. Xara took one look at the weapon and his stance eased up. He stood up straight and retracted his teeth back to their normal length. His deep voice had no trouble reaching Liam and the crew. “I should have expected as much, rake.”
Nix holstered his energy weapon and adjusted his breathing mask, making it easier for him to speak. “It’s always a pleasure Xara. Until we meet again, then.”
“Pray we do not,” Xara replied with a sadistic tone.
Behind him, Liam heard the ship’s landing gear touch down and the ramp lower, cutting into the black soil as it did. Saturn returned her weapon to its holster and started off toward the ship. Nix turned his back to Xara and raised the hood of his cloak as though disrespecting the disciple by turning his back on him. The rough brown cloth quivered softly in the light breeze. Liam took another look at Xara before turning and following the crew up the ramp. Ju-Long hovered for a moment at the bottom of the incline.
“We made another enemy today,” Ju-Long said to Liam through his antiquated mask.
“It looks like this part of the galaxy is no different than ours after all.”
Ju-Long nodded and made his way up the ramp to the cargo hold. Liam took one last look at Xara, so stoic among the dark dust cloud rising from the bullet holes in the ground. His long purple tongue slimed its way through the gaps of his pointed teeth as he caressed them. His face had returned to its normal translucent state, but his eyes were angrier than ever. They hadn’t seen the last of Xara. Of that, Liam was sure.