Crystal Tomb (Starfire Angels: Dark Angel Chronicles Book 3)

by Melanie Nilles

  [No. When you touched the shield, I—they—sensed the presence of their own kind and tried to communicate. I was able to transfer to you…You must help them, Raea. They're trapped. Lantis succeeded beyond expectations, but they cannot escape, and they tried once.]

  Raea found that hard to believe. [Tried? Then they failed.]

  [Yes. They tried to return to their dimension, but the shield blocking their power redirected it…]

  A scene formed before her showing a city rising into the sky. It gleamed in the sunlight while Inari watched from the island across a small harbor.

  [HOME…] The entities' sentiment sharpened from Atia's emotions. She wanted to go home, but she could not. The entities also wished to return.

  In that moment, they tried to connect to their own dimension. Power crackled and flashed around a black ball forming in the sky. Screams reached them. Several Inari took flight.

  The portal grew out of control.

  [Stop it! Stop! You're killing them!] Atia was too late.

  [CANNOT. INTERFERENCE...]

  No! Rage burned through Atia's consciousness. [Murderers!] The black ball exploded outward briefly and imploded into nothingness. Ocean water lapped violently over the view, and after it settled, her worst fears were confirmed.

  The island and the city were gone.

  [It was as if the city never existed.] The images faded with the return of Atia's voice.

  All the theories of Atlantis were so off base—it was impossible to find Atlantis because it had disintegrated into the Starfire's home dimension, where matter was broken down into pure energy.

  Raea's stomach twisted. All those colonists had died, leaving their efforts at a new life in vain.

  Atia paused for a few seconds. [I thought our kind had disappeared from existence, until I touched your mind. That Inar'Ahben survived gives me hope.]

  [Don't get them up too fast,] Raea warned. [The Risaal want their crystal back after all this time, and the monolith with your crystal is in their possession.]

  [How is this possible? Their technology was limited.]

  [I don't know, but they killed my mate]. And she didn't want to go back to that hellish reminder of Elis's demise.

  [I am aware of that and am sorry. My partner was murdered for fathering a son and as punishment for my rebellion.] Sorrow carried in the words and the feelings of the Lady connected to Raea.

  That was wrong by everything Raea believed and so different from the Inar'Ahben she knew from her visit and from the Starfire visions. [They changed. The homeworld is different now.]

  [So I see through your memories. It survived. We survived…but another crystal almost destroyed us. How fortunate that yours blended with the Inari.]

  Fortunate? Not the word she would use. Raea wished it hadn't blended with Inari, but she couldn't change what she was or the past. She couldn't bring Elis back with the power of the Starfire. What good was it?

  [They blended with you rather than blending you with them…They are good. They are…different, but they learn. They wish no harm. It's hard to explain, but you will understand one day.]

  One day, but not that day. In Raea's experience, they brought only misery.

  [I'm sorry. It's not the Starfire but those who seek their power for control who create the misery. They have tried to prevent it. This I know from those attached to you. You've done well by it, Raea.]

  Okay. Fine. [What do you want?]

  [You must return to the monolith, the memorial, and free them.]

  How could she do that? She didn't know how to operate the shields housing the crystal. Returning would be the easy part. She would bet the Risaal were already on their way for her. But to reveal the crystal within it would be another matter.

  [There will be a way.]

  Easy for Atia to say. The monolith was covered in stone. How would she reach the controls?

  Wait. [How did the stone and writings get put on it?]

  [The details are blurry from the shielding, but I believe it's a composition much like cement. Lantis had them engrave the story of our arrival and the rise of our new civilization. I remember hearing him give instructions to leave markers within the stone where the controls are located.]

  Atia made it too easy to cooperate; Raea hated that. She didn't want to go back, but she couldn't let the Risaal reclaim the crystal. If she returned, she would risk her life but she could free the entities to return to their dimension. Why didn't they do so in the first place? Why did this crystal allow itself to be misused?

  What would happen to Atia?

  No answer.

  She was already dead but not, her consciousness caught in limbo. All right, so Raea would have to go back, but she didn't want to go back alone.

  [I will assist you.]

  Great. Another "guide". Like the Starfire entities weren't bothersome enough in their interference in her life.

  Atia's exasperation radiated through Raea.

  All right. So she hadn't suffered nearly as much as the poor woman, but she had lost her soul mate, the one man who had ever truly loved her. After all they had survived together, it shouldn't have ended like that. God, she didn't want to think about it. She wanted to just be Atia or someone else, to forget how much it hurt.

  "I don't know if you can hear me, but please come back, Raea."

  Josh.

  [You know what must be done.]

  Yes, but she didn't like it. Of course, if she ended up dying at the hands of the Risaal, she wouldn't live on in suffering.

  [You're stronger than that.]

  Whatever.

  "I'm here for you. I've always cared for you…You've always been more than a friend to me."

  Josh?

  Had she just heard what she thought she heard? She'd suspected on occasion but blew it off. Hearing it now choked her on the tangle of emotions. She'd never seen Josh as more than a friend, but he'd been the best friend anyone could ask for. Why couldn't fate have made her fall for Josh? She wouldn't be grieving for Elis.

  Lazarus

  Dreams and whispers floated through his mind, memories obscured by the unconscious desires and fears and transformed in places into hideous shadowy creatures. They reached for him, their flat faces rippling like the grass in the wind. Mouths opened to blue-black teeth resembling spikes.

  He gasped, but a crushing feeling on his chest stopped him. The struggle for air caused an ache which chased away the remnants of dreams.

  Elis opened his eyes to a faint glow around him and a distorted face from his nightmares staring down. In seconds, it transformed into the human woman he'd seen in the chamber with the monolith.

  Something caught in his throat and he gagged. Crystal fire! He couldn't move, except to lift his hands, but something blocked him. Solid but clear. Panic swept through him and he struggled to pull out whatever they had shoved down his throat. What had they done to him?

  Ahben depths! He wanted to vomit with each slip of the tube but continued to pull it out. The gagging sensation had to end.

  Cool air rushed over him as the clear case lifted away.

  "Stop. Stop. You mustn't." Hands fumbled with his, but the end of the tube ended the trouble.

  Damn. The gag reflex took over and he rolled aside, coughing and gagging amid the pain in his chest. It hurt too much. Damn, it hurt.

  Elis quit coughing and lay back, trying to catch his breath without inhaling too deeply.

  "Easy. Yes, it will hurt. You're still healing…" The woman leaned over him, her face highlighted by the low light, revealing triple-pointed pupils. "Amazing."

  Whatever she thought was amazing could wait. He hurt. He was out of breath. And he was obviously still a prisoner of the Risaal, although his hands were still free.

  "Your healing abilities are remarkable." She held a device over his chest which he could only guess was a medical scanner, her eyes widening. "How is this possible?"

  Let her wonder. In his discomfort, Elis let out a groan and closed his eyes. O
bviously, she was a medic of some kind. That's all he needed. They were interested in keeping him alive. Him, but what about Raea? His heart gave a shudder. "Whe—where's Raea?" His voice croaked.

  "The female? She escaped. No matter. Kan Rikku Nakor Surik will send for her if he feels you are inadequate." She said that as if it were no more than a distraction.

  No surprise there. She seemed fascinated by his bare chest.

  His chest hurt.

  Their escape rushed to the forefront of his mind. No. He'd been shot.

  Elis lifted his head as far as he could amid the pain and lifted one hand to touch it, his muscles trembling with weakness. A gel of some kind covered the bloody wound. What had they done to him?

  "Leave it. The jola aids the regeneration of tissue."

  Fine with him. He lowered his head and hand, wincing at the pain. "How long?"

  "To heal? A few more days at most. As I said, your healing abilities are remarkable. I've never seen anything like it."

  Because of Raea. She had healed him; he'd felt it before he passed out.

  One question popped into his head at that thought. "How long…was I out?"

  She stood back and tapped a few keys on her scanner. "Two days."

  That explained the weakness. Two days without food or water, but they'd kept him strong enough to survive the healing process. He might have died if left only to the Starfire's healing; he'd been shot in the chest, close to piercing his heart. The fact that they'd stuck a tube down his throat to help him breathe meant he'd been on the verge of death without mechanical intervention. Strange how the Risaal seemed to understand the Inari body. Where had they gained their knowledge?

  "Your vital signs are good; not great, but good. You're going to live." Her lips slipped into a frown while she stared at the scanner. "You need to gain strength. You're not ready yet. We're not ready."

  They weren't ready? For what? They were the ones who wanted him alive to translate the monolith. Their leader wanted that as soon as possible.

  "Nevermind. Rest. I'll send someone with food and check back later." She disappeared into the darkness, the door clicking behind her.

  Alone, Elis noticed the soft padding beneath his wings and the darkness beyond the pod in which he rested. She'd left it open when she left, but the medic must have realized he had no strength to try to escape. With the wound deep and painful, it would be a while before he could move, much less fight.

  He lifted his hands again, testing his strength, but they trembled with weakness and he dropped his arms to his sides. He needed food to regain his strength now and to heal faster.

  In some ways he was glad to stay. The monolith held a secret. Of that he was certain. But what? Why would they have covered metal with stone, except to blend it with the level of human development twelve thousand years ago, when few human cultures had advanced beyond the Stone Age? What was important enough to hide?

  Aside from that, he missed Raea. At least she had escaped. In that he found some comfort, but it might be short-lived and he wished she was there with him.

  A worse thought sickened his stomach. What if the Shirukan came for her while he was stuck there? She would have no one to protect her. She would have to defend herself.

  He'd sworn never to let it happen, but he'd failed, again. He wasn't worthy to be her mate if he couldn't keep her safe. How could she love a failure like him? Maybe she'd been right to ignore him for nearly two years. Maybe she would be better off without him.

  While he had saved her, if only temporarily, from the Risaal, whatever happened while he was a prisoner was out of his control. He wouldn't allow it.

  He couldn't stay, ancient monument or not. When he was ready, he had to escape and return to her.

  Hopefully the Shirukan wouldn't return to her before he did.

  * * *

  Twenty-six. Out of a full crew of over two thousand, only twenty-six remained.

  Kalas gazed up at the array of stars appearing in the darkening sky. None of them was home. Ch'tor was in another galaxy across the universe.

  Finding the D'Nuvar was their goal, its power sufficient for a journey home, but after twelve thousand years, what would their world be like?

  The question plagued him, cracking through his plans to dethrone the Nakor. For all he knew, the Nakor were long gone, replaced by another clan, or perhaps the clans had found peace.

  Their world might be destroyed for that matter.

  No. It would be there. The Risaal were strong. They just had to find a way to return.

  One way or another, he would succeed. He would reclaim the D'Nuvar, and he would punish the Inari for the trouble they had caused. They would return home victorious after all that time, legends to their people.

  The rustle of movement through the grass froze him on instinct. He'd already camouflaged himself to his surroundings. Freezing came easy for the Risaal. Breathing came through a different system than humans or Inari so that their sides never moved while inhaling or exhaling.

  {"Rikku Ronur Kalas."} The voice came as a whisper.

  Lorel.

  He turned to face her and she stopped, her human form standing out from the shadows of the trees behind her.

  {"The Inari is awake."}

  {"Already? But you said—"}

  {"I know. I was monitoring him when he regained consciousness, but he is in too much pain to move. He won't be translating anything yet."}

  Then he wasn't a threat…yet.

  {"Have you informed Nakor Surik?"}

  The skin along her neck broke apart, darkening in the encroaching night. {"I came to you first."}

  Proof of her loyalty. Perfect. {"You did well. I'll see him now."} He would send another to replace him as the guard. To avoid suspicions by Nakor Surik, he'd have to report this, but after he questioned the Inari.

  Lorel followed him through the door of the building and down the stairs into the underground installation. After ordering the first guard he encountered to take surface duty, he continued to the room where the two functioning health pods were connected.

  Behind Lorel, the door clicked shut. Kalas stopped at the side of the open pod where the Inari male lay with his hands on his abdomen, away from the shrinking area of jola gel. Black wings tucked close beside him. Open and free to move, yet he lay quietly. {"You left him free?"} Anger rose through him at her incompetence.

  {"He is too weak to sit up."}

  Yes, he supposed the Inari was too weak. At least he had stayed there in the minutes he was alone. That didn't excuse Lorel's foolishness, though. Until he held the D'Nuvar in his own hands, Kalas was—all of them were—subject to Nakor Surik's punishment. The numbers might work against the Nakor, but the others weren't ready to move against the dominant clan yet.

  He needed Lorel for that. Her punishment would come after he gained command.

  For that, he needed answers from the Inari. "Wake up."

  The Inari opened his eyes and looked up but said nothing.

  "How did you escape?" The guards who survived had reported the killing shots had come from the Inari's hands. "Tell me how you fired on us without weapons."

  The corner of Elis's lip twitched into an almost smirk but twisted into a grimace before Kalas could be sure. Elis lifted a hand and the marks glowed. Kalas stepped back, but the Inari dropped his hand again, his face pinching in pain as the glow faded.

  "Starfire…in us can be used." Elis's voice cracked and he swallowed. "I need water."

  "You withheld this information to use it against us."

  Silence, but a smirk definitely crooked up the Inari's lips. He knew it, a secret weapon.

  "Your species blended with the crystal?"

  Elis let out a heavy breath and closed his eyes. "May I have water and food?"

  "Not until you answer my questions." If the Inari wanted something so badly, he could suffer until Kalas had what he wanted.

  "I can't—" He coughed and swallowed. "I can't speak."

  From t
he sounds of it, the Inari spoke the truth. That didn't excuse him, though. Kalas wanted answers before Nakor Surik had a chance to learn what he wanted.

  {"Bring him some water."}

  The door opened behind him, the light from the corridor shining in until Lorel closed it again. Kalas's eyes never left the Inari, despite the peaceful appearance.

  "What do the marks mean?"

  "Keeper."

  "Keeper? What Keeper?"

  "Protector of the Starfire."

  Protector. The humans called themselves protectors too, but they had no marks.

  No, that wasn't true. They had marks, but theirs were artificial—tattoos of an Inari symbol. How were they connected? "What do you know of the 'protectors'?"

  * * *

  Elis swore his heart stopped. The protectors. How did the Risaal know about them, unless…

  It couldn't be! Were they the ones snatching the protectors of the Eye? Impossible. The Risaal must have meant his description of Keepers as protectors.

  "What do your marks mean? What are Keepers?" The Risaal stared at him, the light from the pad on which Elis laid giving the Risaal features a grotesque appearance.

  Damn, his throat was parched. Elis tried swallowing to moisten it again, but talking dried it. How could he keep this simple so the Risaal quit harassing him and brought him water?

  "What is your connection to the D'Nuvar, your 'Starfire'?"

  "DNA." To put it bluntly. Not what the Risaal wanted, but Elis needed water before he could explain.

  Good. The Risaal stepped away.

  Elis closed his eyes and pictured Raea a few weeks ago, the night she returned from Inar'Ahben. She'd worn an outfit from the homeworld which flattered her figure and made his breath catch in his throat, or maybe his breath had caught from her telling him she didn't care about bonding, or that she wanted to be with him, or from the kiss that followed. He could almost taste her kiss on his lips.

  The click of the door broke the illusions of his memory.

  He opened his eyes as the woman approached with a bottle of water in her hands.

  "Drink," the green Risaal said while handing the bottle to Elis. "Then tell me everything about Keepers and the Starfire."