Fire erupted with a violent roar from the oily pits. Flames rose high, spreading across the floor between the pools. Tall shadows danced along the walls, appearing to march forward, closing in on Erynn.
Is there a form, someone approaching the portal, concealed in those shadows?
“Time to go.” Erynn unlocked her hold on the rungs and scrambled up the ladder. After only a couple of meters, she was at the wooden access. She pushed at the heavy hatch, throwing it open. A smile she hadn’t summoned turned her mouth. “I made it. Jaer! I made it.” An odd pulling, speeding sensation gripped her middle, making her head spin and her stomach jump and flutter. She took the peculiar feeling of movement as elation and clambered over the lip of the opening. Her vision swirled with her still-spinning head. Erynn pushed up and away from the opening and stumbled to a shaky but upright position. The hatch slammed behind her. She didn’t jump at the banging crash as the wooden door sealed and disappeared.
Her breath caught in her throat. What awaited her above the hatch demanded her full attention. Her head stopped its spinning, speeding sensation. Her stomach fluttered to keep up with the tempo of her heart. With trembling hands, she tugged the pack from her shoulders and rummaged for her warm clothes. Stone walls did not enclose her in a room with high slatted windows. No sturdy roof sheltered overhead. No curving battlement lay against the press of deep-green forest, a backdrop to the abandoned buildings. A layer of solid snow replaced the hard set of a dirt floor.
Massive boulders spotted the area, cutting some of the blowing snow. Above, churning gray clouds sprinted across the dreary sky, dumping large flakes that slanted across her vision in the gusting wind.
I am not in Deanaim.
Rocked by another gust, Erynn pulled her hood tighter. She stepped away from the boulders, surveying the storm and the bleak landscape. Except for an outcropping of rocks behind her, the land was flat, a vast expanse of firm packed snow in all directions. The ground was white. The sky was a dark gray. Time didn’t exist. She had no way to communicate with…anyone, and little food and water. She didn’t know where she was, which way to go, or how to find help. Of all the dangerous events in her recent history, this might be the one that finally killed her.
Erynn jerked the pack over one shoulder, tipped her face to the sky, and screamed, “I’m doing what you want! I’ve followed your instructions!” She spun toward the boulders. Her hands fisted. “So what now? A test? A trial of wills? I am not a plaything in your game.” Her tone dropped. She stared at the smooth white ground. The pack slipped off her arm and landed with a heavy thud on the hard snow. “I’ve lost everything. My mother. My father. My dad, Damon. Jaer is married, committed to another who does not intend to let him go. My life has been turned upside down. For what? To die here in the middle of nowhere—a failure.” She bit her lip, squeezed her eyes shut.
Visions played across the screen of her mind…Damon. Her childhood. Her time at the academy. The images flowed forward…The Anim Blath. The forest and the pond that hid the portal. Meeting the ghost of her biological father. The maejen. Jaer and their first kiss.
One image caught, stopping the progression of this short replay of her life. The possible future Zander had let her glimpse. Jaer smiled, hugging the giggling blue-eyed baby boy with tousled, curly black hair.
Erynn groaned.
Snow tapped with annoyance at the back of her head. Wind whistled across the bare land, prying at her hood and trying to expose her face, insistent in its effort.
The heat of anger balled and rolled in her gut. Heat spread a burning tingle to her fingertips. Erynn’s eyes snapped open, and she stared into the dark, swirling clouds. “No. You don’t win that easy. But understand me—I’m not doing this for you anymore. I’m doing this for me. Do you get it? Not for you. For me!” Her angry shout was picked up by the wind and slammed against the boulders, bouncing back with force.
Electricity flared and snapped in crackling arcs that reached high into the air. Not the familiar blue or even the angry purple. These were a bright, blazing yellow-white. The air buzzed and hummed with a wild energy. Her eardrums vibrated. The scent of ozone filled her nostrils. Zigzagging currents shot out and whipped back, absorbed only to blast forth again. An explosive light show displayed against a backdrop of roiling black sky.
Pale color erupted above her. Wispy vapors of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple ascended and joined. The colors twisted in a tangled dance. The pastel mist separated, once again distinct. They lined up, curving like a rainbow, spreading toward the horizon under the ceiling of iron-gray clouds.
Erynn watched the colorful beam arc over her head. Her breath fogged in quick puffs snatched by the wind. One tip of the column began above her. The other stretched out, touching the snow-covered land in the distance. The narrow base connected with the horizon. She reached down, grabbed the pack, threw it over one shoulder, and headed out at a trot under the course of the rainbow glowing softly above her.
Erynn trudged onward. She stared down at the tedious pass of white under her. Her boots landed with a repetitive crunch in the thin crust covering the snow pack. Her lungs worked in a cadence with the soft crackling shatter of icy crystals.
The ground vibrated beneath her.
Her tempo faltered. She frowned, pausing. A low rumble throbbed through the air. She raised her head, pulled the hood from her eyes, and surveyed the barren white landscape.
A line of transports, lights blazing through the gloom, tracks kicking up chunks of snow and ice, sped toward her. They slowed, lurched, and stopped in a chorused squeal of grinding metal. The hatch on the first hissed, popped, and flew open, slamming to the ground with a resounding crash.
A woman poked her head from the opening and frowned. She spoke in a low, gravely voice around a thick brown cidag held between her teeth. “What in the daheln are you doing out here?” She stared at Erynn and shook her head. Snow swirled around long light-brown hair. She pulled the unlit stub of the cidag from her lips and held it by her thumb and first two fingers. “Beirig din. How in the two worlds did you get here?”
Erynn stepped forward. “It’s a long story. Would you give me a lift to…somewhere? I need to get home.”
The woman nodded. “It’s a long way to somewhere. There’ll be plenty of time for a long story.” She grinned and motioned for Erynn to come inside the idling transport.
Erynn stripped off her pack and climbed the steep ramp. Wind pushed at her back.
The woman returned to the driver’s seat, glanced at Erynn, and gestured to the vacant passenger compartment next to her. “I’m Cera.”
Erynn wove between stacks of crates held by cargo straps. “Thanks, Cera. I’m Erynn.” Erynn plopped into the empty seat. Heat from the vents washed over her. Snow melted and dripped down her face. The faint scent of heated components filled the cab.
The hatch hummed closed and sealed with a whoosh. Cera put the soggy chewed end of the cidag back between her teeth. She tapped a spot above her ear. “Re-enter coordinates.” She brushed her fingers over a screen. The tattered, sodden end of the rolled tobac traveled from one corner of Cera’s mouth to the other.
Gridlines appeared in yellow on a glowing monitor. A wide, straight green line shot to the left of the transport, transecting the grid.
Cera turned the vehicle until the green line was positioned directly in front of her, parallel to the thicker yellow lines. With more grinding and screeching of metal, the transport bucked and jumped, smoothing into a quick, steady pace.
“Now let’s hear this story.”
Erynn glanced at Cera. “Wait. First, do you have a radio? I need to contact my…unit.
Cera barked out a laugh, the cidag clamped tight between her teeth. “I have a radio, but it won’t do you any good. We’re too far out to reach even the nearest outpost.” She glanced sideways at Erynn. “Just relax. We’ll get word to your…unit at some point.” Cera briefly raised her hands from the controls. “I’ve been in th
is transport since morning by myself. I’m looking forward to this story of yours.”
Erynn bit at her lower lip. “I’m not sure you’ll believe me.”
Cera chuckled around the cidag. “I already don’t believe you.” Her green-gray eyes narrowed and she glanced at Erynn. “You shouldn’t be here.”
Erynn sighed and nodded. “I know. I assumed I would come up in Deanaim.”
Cera frowned. “Deanaim? What’s in Deanaim?” Her gaze darted to Erynn. “Come up from where?”
Watery sunlight slipped across the horizon. The pale yellow glow crept under the uneven line of deep-gray clouds, where they faltered against snow-bound land.
“I should start at the beginning.” Erynn grimaced. “This will take a while.”
“We’ve got time.” Cera confirmed her position on the NAV screen and returned her attention to the clear forward panel.
Erynn understood how easily one could get lost out here. “I’m an Interceptor fighter pilot from Korin.”
Cera’s eyes widened. She grinned around the thick stub poking from her lips, but remained quiet. Eager anticipation rolled from her.
“Deanaim is the oldest known settlement on Arranon.” Erynn bit her lip, unsure of how much to tell. This woman was going to want hard answers to difficult questions. Some Erynn didn’t have, and some she didn’t want to share. “I was in Deanaim with a companion, searching for information.” She took in a breath and hurried on. “I found a hatch in one of the buildings and opened it. Inside, a ladder led underground.”
Cera chuckled. “Let me guess. You climbed down?”
Erynn stared at Cera. “Yes. I did.”
“And what did you find?” Cera’s expression sobered. The cidag rolled.
“Socar Batahs and Shifters.” Erynn continued to study Cera’s face. “An entire village with families, homes, and businesses.”
Cera’s hands tightened on the controls. “Just what kind of information were you trying to find, Erynn?”
“I’m searching for the four portals that connect the two realms.”
Cera snorted and the grin returned. “Those portals don’t exist. The stories of Dhoran…they were only tales made up to frighten children into behaving.”
Sunlight stayed against the horizon. The sky never darkened. The sun climbed, rising again, hidden under thick clouds. This was the upper pole of the planet, and the season was mid to late summer.
Erynn opened her awareness to Cera’s emotions. “What if the stories aren’t made up? What if they’re real?” Fear eddied from Cera in a slow swirl and disappeared.
“Just because you found Socar Batahs and Shifters doesn’t mean Dhoran is real.” Cera shook her head. Her jaw muscles bunched. Her grip on the cidag tightened. She squinted in Erynn’s direction. “If Dhoran was ever real, he’s long dead by now.”
Erynn nodded. “I suppose you’re correct.” She wondered if Cera ever lit the cidag.
Cera frowned. “That doesn’t explain how you ended up here.”
“When I climbed back up the ladder and pushed through the hatch, I came out not far from where you found me.” Erynn shook her head. “I can’t explain how it happened.” Her brow creased. “How did you find me?”
Cera chuffed and pulled the cidag from between her teeth. “There was a daheln of an electrical storm, the likes of which I’ve never seen. Decided to check it out.” She stared at Erynn. The creases around Cera’s eyes deepened. Her tan face, toughened by years of harsh weather, was a map of fine crisscrossed lines. “The storm vanished when you appeared on my scanner. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?” She popped the mushy end of the cidag back between her teeth and chewed.
“No.” Erynn turned to fully face the forward panel. Heat burned up her neck and into her cheeks.
Ahead in the storm dark day, bright lights blinked on in the distance, a steady beacon to the approaching transports.
A settlement materialized beneath the bright glow. Curved roofs of sturdy metal huts reflected the radiance of the overhead lights. Passageways connected one massive structure with two smaller ones. A bay door to the larger building opened, and the transports lumbered into a long wide space. Hard packed snow formed an icy floor. The camp appeared temporary. Everything could be broken down into smaller components, stowed in transports, and moved as necessary. Engines grumbled in a disjointed chorus and one by one cut off until the resulting silence caused Erynn’s eardrums to thrum.
Erynn studied the steel tables lining one wall of the well-lighted building. Hoses suspended from the ceiling dripped on the frosty worktop. Drain pipes every two meters under the table emptied into an ice-encrusted trench. “What are you doing here, Cera?”
Cera smiled and released her restraining straps. “Braefin. The ocean lies just beyond our camp. My top cruiser, the Wind Dancer, and her crew will go out again after we’ve restocked provisions.” She pushed out of the seat and straightened with pride. “I’m the captain. That’s where we’ve been, selling the braefin and buying supplies so we can catch more.” She stared out the forward panel. “Braefin netting is a dangerous job. If you don’t stay alert—watch the wind and the sea—you’re dead. But it’s also exciting and extremely profitable.” Cera patted Erynn on the shoulder. “I wouldn’t trade it for any other profession. Not even flying an Interceptor.”
“I believe you’d make a good Interceptor pilot.” Erynn unbuckled and followed Cera’s lead.
Cera nearly choked. “What? Me?” She shook her head and adjusted the cidag with her teeth. “I’m not the structured, order-taking, live-by-the-book type. I’m more the ‘face each day with a new set of rules and fly by the seat of my pants’ kind.” She wove through the crates to the hatch, entered a code on the number pad, and stepped back.
The door once again hissed and popped. The ramp flew open and slammed the ground with a solid crash on the packed snow.
“I gotta get that fixed one of these days,” Cera mumbled. She trotted down the steep grated metal of the ramp.
Erynn’s forward motion took her down the slope too quickly. She jumped to the level ground at the bottom. Her feet slid out from under her on the icy surface, and she landed on the hard, cold snowpack with her legs splayed in front of her.
Cera chuckled silently, her body shaking. “It’s a good thing walking isn’t a necessary skill for flying.”
Men and women, occupants of the other transports, gathered. Murmuring among themselves, they stared down at Erynn.
One moved forward, smiling. He held his hand out to help her up. “Erynn Yager. I never imagined finding you way out here.”
“Me neither.” Erynn took the offered assistance and was pulled upright. With her feet solidly under her, she gazed at the man who’d helped her. “Do I know you?”
He shook his head. His dark, uneven shoulder-length hair swung with his efforts. His grin faded. His blue eyes darkened. “You wouldn’t remember me. There was too much going on. I was on the last shuttle off the alien ship with you and Major Faylen. I owe more than I can ever repay to Major Faylen. And you.” The smile returned and his whole face brightened. “I have an incredible life now.”
The cidag was quickly plucked from Cera’s teeth. “This is her? The one they called Bakaron? The one you tell the stories about?” She laughed and clapped Erynn on the back. “You didn’t tell me this, Erynn Yager.” Cera glanced around at her crew. Her mood changed, and she sobered. “This is more than just a foolish quest to find some fictional portals isn’t it? What do you know that we don’t?”
Erynn took a step, tested her footing, and glanced up at Cera. “Another long story. I don’t suppose your communication equipment is strong enough for me to contact my, uh, unit?”
Cera shook her head. “There’s no communication past Tiatac, the village base where we get our supplies. I’m afraid you’re stuck here for a while. Quite a while.” She grinned. “Look at it this way, there’s plenty of time for lots of long stories.”
Chapt
er 25
CERA AND HER CREW TOOK the transports out beyond the camp to the coast, delivering the majority of the provisions to the ship.
Erynn tried her hand with the communication equipment, in an attempt to contact anyone who could deliver a message to the base, to Cale…to Jaer. Cera was right. Erynn was unable to reach even the closest outpost at Tiatac.
Now she waited alone, leaning on a short counter in the kitchen/dining hut. Peeling drab-green paint sprayed over old pitted insulation sapped the glow from the single overhead fixture. The heating unit cycled and the light dimmed, draining what color there was, leaving the interior of the room dreary, in restrained shades of gray-green.
In the center of the space stood a long metal table with chairs scattered in two uneven rows under the dull reflective surface. Shadows formed underneath and in the corners. Dark shapes, real or imagined, cowered and pressed their elusive misshapen bodies away from the meager light. They breathed in whispered respirations masked by the wind and watched from eyes hidden in folds of murky blackness.
Movement at the periphery of Erynn’s vision stilled when her gaze darted from one side of the room to the other. Phantom motions blended into solid matter—a ragged chair, a stack of disks next to the open leg space of a desk, a jacket discarded in a heap on the floor.
Water dripped with a ping, ping, ping in a deep metal sink behind her. The cloying scent of rotting food waiting for recycling drifted from a square receptacle. A stronger, more pleasant aroma from a large pot simmering on the cooktop ultimately prevailed.
Erynn bit her lower lip and glanced around. “Enough. It’s just a room.” She chuckled. “A dismal, creepy, spooky room, perfect for the telling of ghost stories.” Her chortle morphed into a barking chuff. “I have a few of those to pass along.”
Storm of Arranon Fire and Ice Page 20