by Raine Thomas
Ty felt Kyr’s heart sink more with every word. Neither of them felt comfortable with the idea of influencing Peryl to help them. That would make them no better than Vycor. Unfortunately, their options for pilots were slim.
“Of course I’ll help,” Peryl said at last. “How could I not?”
Kyr breathed an audible sigh of relief. “Thank you, Peryl.”
Ty nodded. “Thanks. We need to figure out how to get an Alametrian ship out of the hangar and off-planet without it being able to be tracked.”
Peryl looked thoughtful. “If there are V’larian ships entering our fly space, we’ve got bigger issues than just disabling a tracker. V’larian ships are faster than even our fastest ship, which is still off-planet. I imagine it wouldn’t be hard for Vycor to order their ships to blast any stolen Alametrian vessels out of the sky.”
Despair flowed from Kyr into Ty over the news. He exchanged a look with her as they considered their options. Could they risk it?
“‘Course,” Peryl continued, still lost in his own thoughts, “if the V’larian ambassadors never left, as you said, then I imagine their ship is still around here somewhere, too.”
Ty’s posture straightened. The pilot was right. The hangar for visiting dignitaries was kept top secret for their safety and to establish trust. Sem wouldn’t have even known about it, and it hadn’t occurred to Ty to mention it.
“Can you pilot a V’larian ship?” Kyr asked.
Peryl smiled. “Ma’jah, I have yet to encounter a vessel on or off-planet that I can’t fly.”
His confidence had Kyr returning the smile. “Then I hope the ship is here. I doubt Vycor would expect us to take it.”
“You’re right,” Ty said. “And that gives me an idea. I think we’ll need to call on EyraRowe for help, after all.”
* * *
A while later, Ty and Kyr hid with Peryl in the secret hangar. Much as Ty had expected, the hangar was under guard, but only lightly. Two bored-looking Mynders stood near the V’larian vessel, chatting with each other about unimportant things. Ty recognized them as younger Mynders and shook his head over the fact that they had been assigned this duty. Vycor obviously intended to wipe their memories once their shift was up rather than following protocol and assigning veteran Mynders who knew how to control their thoughts and keep secrets.
Judging by the Mynders’ lackadaisical attitudes, it seemed that the action from inside the palace earlier that day either hadn’t reached them or didn’t concern them. If Ty had still been the Dem-Shyr, he would never have assigned such green guards to this hangar. These two would have had their asses kicked for such sloppy work. At the moment, he was just grateful for their obvious ineptitude and the fact that Vycor was assigning his more skilled Mynders elsewhere.
This hangar was near the other ones for the sake of convenience for visitors, but it was disguised as an inactive maintenance shed. On the outside, it looked old and neglected, drawing no interest. Inside, however, it was every bit as outfitted as the hangars for Alametrian vessels. Underground passageways led directly from this hangar into the palace.
In the hangar closest to this one, six Mynders guarded an Alametrian intergalactic ship. Ty could see them through a series of windows that had been treated with chemicals so they appeared reflective on the outside while being transparent on the other. Those six Mynders at least looked more alert than these two.
I wish they were as unobservant as these two, Kyr mused, her gaze also on the adjoining hangar.
On the contrary, we want them to observe. Just not over here.
As if on cue, a commotion arose in the other hangar. Kyr took Ty’s hand. They knew it was Brunyr causing the distraction, as it was part of the plan they had devised. The timber of the Guardian’s voice carried from the other hangar, but the exact words were muffled.
Stopping their conversation, the two guards in their hangar turned and looked out the window. Seeing the group of Mynders surrounding Brunyr, they hurried over to the door leading outside. It was part of the building’s disguise and not meant to be used, but in the event of an emergency, it allowed outside access.
The guards paused before leaving their posts, Ty would give them that much. Even they knew to look for distractions. His attention returned to the other hangar when even more noise erupted. All six guards in the other hangar surged towards the Mynders surrounding Brunyr.
While they were focused on the melee, three figures—two male and one female—ran from another part of the hangar towards the Alametrian ship. Ty knew it was EyraRowe, LeoVawn, and ZashaWrym, but the two Mynders in their hangar saw only three cloaked individuals that they identified as a pilot, TaeDane, and KyrVawn.
“Dimwits,” one of the guards in their hangar scoffed. “Letting themselves get distracted. Come on. Let’s save their asses.”
Kyr’s grip intensified on Ty’s hand as the Mynders opened the door. Ty knew she feared for their three “stand ins.” Zasha had so valiantly offered to help, even mending the purple cloak in Kyr’s closet so she could wear it for the ruse. She had joked about how grand it made her feel.
If anything happens to them… Kyr thought.
Ty stopped her before she could finish. We’ll just see to it nothing does.
They had no more time to consider it. The door closed behind the two Mynders, who ran next door shouting for the three intruders to stop. Ty took Kyr’s hand and pulled her to her feet. She sprinted after Peryl, who opened a control panel and pressed a button to lower the ramp that doubled as the vessel’s door. As planned, Peryl ran onto the ship and powered it up. Kyr followed, but remained on the ramp to wait for Ty.
If they had been stealing an Alametrian ship, Peryl could have opened the hangar doors to allow the ship to launch using the ship’s control panel. Unfortunately, the doors had to be opened manually for visiting ships.
Ty stood at the control panel and worked the series of buttons and dials as Peryl had instructed him. The act of the hangar doors rattling open nearly brought the hangar’s ceiling down. The doors were actually in the ground in another effort to keep the hangar secret. Peryl would fly down the ramp that Ty had just revealed, then exit in another secret location to escape the planet’s gravitational pull.
The moment Ty finished at the control panel, he ran for the ship’s on-ramp. The satchels and canister he carried weighed him down, but he still managed a fast clip. He saw the two Mynder guards returning to their posts. They rushed back in through the side door, but they would never catch him.
He didn’t notice the projectile weapons in their hands until they lifted them and opened fire.
Dull pain struck him in the thigh and shoulder. Another shot whizzed by the side of his head. They weren’t shooting to immobilize, he realized. They were shooting to kill.
“Stop!”
Ty stumbled at the loud shout from Kyr. She stood in the ship’s doorway, her hand extended towards the two Mynders. Her eyes glowed brilliantly.
Dull thuds had Ty’s gaze swiveling back to the guards. They had dropped their weapons and now stood staring sightlessly at them.
He didn’t have time to process what she’d just done. She met him at the base of the ramp and helped him board. The pain was now screaming through his body, but they didn’t have time to see to his injuries.
Within seconds, they closed the door, buckled into their safety harnesses, and headed towards the unknown.
Chapter 41
Ty’s pain cycled through them both. Kyr was desperate to know the severity of his injuries. Leo and Zasha had smuggled them some clothing when they met up to plan the escape, so Ty now wore his black lightweight body armor. Had that been enough to prevent serious damage?
She closed her eyes, determined not to think of the fright she’d just gone through. They had enough to worry about with what was still to come.
How did you do that? Ty wondered.
He was talking about the thing with the guards. I don’t know. I just knew they were trying to ki
ll you, and I reacted.
The power that had blown through her had been unlike anything she’d consciously brought forth before. She didn’t even fully understand what she had done to their minds. All that had mattered was protecting Ty.
“We’re clear,” Peryl said over the ship’s engine noise.
Thank you, Kyr conveyed as she and Ty unfastened their safety harnesses. Do you know where the med lab is?
Sure. Here.
Peryl conveyed the image of the ship’s layout that he was viewing on a screen. Kyr and Ty stepped around their satchels and the canister of the Gift and followed the map until they reached the clear double doors of the med lab. All of the writing on the doors was in V’larian.
Why wasn’t I taught other languages? she silently bemoaned as they entered the lab. If I’m supposed to be negotiating with other worlds, I should know how to communicate with them.
They learned our language, Ty responded as he sat on an examination table and began removing his upper body armor. I guess the Guardians felt it unnecessary to learn theirs.
Kyr frowned. Well, that’s just ridiculous. I’ll have to change that.
Her thoughts turned as Ty bared the injury to his shoulder. The weapon had been a form of laser that had sheared through the armor, but sealed the wound. It looked like a deep, angry burn.
She swallowed hard, then hurried to find something in the lab that might help. Ty continued removing armor to get to his thigh wound. From the pain she felt through him, that was an even more severe injury.
Relief made her knees feel watery when she found an ointment with pictures and symbols alongside the V’larian words. The flames and image of a hand rubbing onto red skin told her it was meant to treat burns. She washed her hands in the sink, then grabbed the ointment and some bandages and turned back to Ty.
Her fingers weren’t quite steady as she squeezed ointment on them and reached out to apply it to Ty’s shoulder. He didn’t make a sound as she tended to his injuries. Tears blurred her eyes when she saw the damage to his thigh. She remembered watching the blast shoot towards his head, only to miss by a hair. She had never known as much terror as when she realized the next blast might kill him.
Her tears fell on his skin as she finished bandaging his injuries. Ty lifted a hand and cradled the side of her face until she met his gaze.
I’ll be fine. With our healing abilities, I’ll be fully healed by the time we return to Alametria.
She nodded, knowing he was right. But she couldn’t control her emotions, which continued to batter her. He drew her closer, bringing her lips to his. The kiss was gentle and full of love. It made her sigh and deepen the kiss. The distraction was more than welcome.
They both knew it wasn’t the time for passion, though, and soon got to work redressing Ty in his armor. Ty sent her the thought that they would soon have all the time in the world to be with each other. She decided to cling to that hope.
“Ma’jah, Ra’jah,” Peryl’s voice called over the intercom. “We’re being tailed by several Alametrian and V’larian vessels.”
Ty hurried to finish dressing before limping over to the intercom. “Does this ship have a cloaking mechanism or another way to evade detection?”
“Cloaking won’t do us any good. The V’larians have tracking devices on their ships. They can find us anywhere.”
“Can we disable the tracking device?”
“Not without space gear, and I don’t think the V’larians will wait for us to stop moving to disable it.”
Ty muttered a curse. Kyr tried to think of some kind of plan, but her mind was drawing a blank.
Peryl’s voice once again issued over the intercom, making Kyr jump. “Our only choice as I see it is to fly into Shelvak airspace. The V’larians and Alametrians wouldn’t dare follow us there.”
Ty met Kyr’s gaze. We just have to hope we don’t get blown to bits by the Shelvaks in the process, he thought.
I have to contact Shelvak before we get there and explain why we’re approaching. That’s the only way they won’t just shoot first and ask questions later.
Ty nodded. “We’re coming up to the bridge,” he said into the intercom.
Kyr ran to keep up with his long, uneven strides as they left the med lab. She had no idea how long it took to get from Alametria to any of their nearest neighbors, but judging from what she was picking up from Ty and Peryl, they didn’t have much time. Her stomach roiled unpleasantly as the reality of what they were doing really sank in. How had she ever thought this was a good idea?
Ty took her hand as they reached the bridge. She wasn’t sure if he was trying to reassure her or tell her to stop thinking the obvious.
She caught her breath when they reached the bridge. “Peryl, does this ship have a way to communicate with Shelvak from space?”
“Sure. All ships are equipped with communications consoles of some kind. This one has an RX-700, which was top of the line about—”
“I just need to know if it will allow me to contact Shelvak,” she interrupted, afraid he was about to launch into a technical breakdown of the machine.
“Sure it will. But the Shelvaks don’t speak, and they won’t trust a text message.”
She frowned. “Does it offer a video feed?”
“Yes. But since they don’t speak—”
“I understand,” she interrupted again. “But I have to try. Please tell us what to do.”
Shrugging, the pilot issued commands as he competently guided the vessel around some space debris. Soon, Kyr sat in a chair in front of the RX-700 with Ty sitting beside her.
“Best secure your safety harnesses,” Peryl warned them. “I’m going to have to attempt some evasive maneuvers. Our V’larian tails are closing in on us.”
Kyr shook off of a fresh bout of nerves over that news. It seemed that some reckless space travel was the least of her worries at that point. She and Ty simply followed the pilot’s instructions.
Once she was strapped in, Kyr entered the coordinates for Shelvak into the RX-700. Its screen flashed several different colors, then went dark.
She frowned. She couldn’t explain how, but she sensed a presence on the other end of the connection. Glancing at Ty, she received his nod. He sensed it, too.
“Attention, people of the planet Shelvak,” she said to the blank screen. “I’m KyrVawn, the Ascendant of Alametria. I request a temporary truce for a discussion with your planetary leaders. I travel alone with my amanti, TaeDane, and one pilot. My recent actions in sparing the lives of three of your people should add credence to my request. I seek safe passage for just me, my amanti, and our pilot.”
There was no response.
She felt Ty opening his senses even more, so she did the same. They both received the general impression of scrambling and haste, then nothing.
Kyr grasped Ty’s hand, unsure of what to do. She decided to continue making her plea, both verbally and with her mind, in hopes that someone was listening. The screen remained dark and silent, but she talked until her voice grew hoarse.
At long last, Peryl spoke. “We’re about to enter Shelvak airspace, Ma’jah.”
She and Ty turned to look through the vessel’s viewing shield. The closer they got to the enormous black planet, the more stars it blocked. It felt like the planet itself was extinguishing hope.
It took her a moment to notice the numerous Shelvak ships waiting for them. The ships blended almost seamlessly with the planet’s dark, cloudy atmosphere. Kyr’s heart fled into her throat. Were the Shelvaks going to blast them out of the sky? Were they there to protect them from their pursuers?
Uncertain if anyone other than Ty could hear her, she continued to send out a silent appeal for safe passage. Then the Shelvaks opened fire.
Ty instinctively tried to swivel to block her, though they both knew it was a futile gesture. Kyr waited for the rocking blow.
But it never came.
She peeked out from beneath Ty’s arm. Weapon fire shot past them, gr
azing the viewing shield. The Shelvaks were firing at their pursuers.
Although Kyr didn’t want her people harmed while under Vycor’s unholy influence, she was admittedly relieved to still be alive. When she caught Peryl’s eye, she saw that same relief. He lifted his hands from the console, causing her to lift a puzzled eyebrow.
“The Shelvaks are towing the ship to the planet’s surface,” he explained. “It’s out of my hands now.”
Kyr realized this was it. She would either manage to secure this truce and use it to help save her planet, or she had just led an innocent male and her amanti to their deaths.
Chapter 42
Fear took a backseat to Kyr’s curiosity for the length of time it took them to break through Shelvak’s atmosphere and land. She stared out the viewing shield, trying to see everything she could.
The planet was cloaked in darkness, but Kyr had expected that. The Shelvaks were so sensitive to light that she imagined there must be very little of it on their world. Still, she was able to make out the rough shapes of buildings looming in the distance and the subtle shimmer of moving water far below.
Peryl was scanning one of the many screens in front of him. After a moment, he unsecured his harness and said, “We’d better put on portable air ventilators and eye masks. I don’t like the readings I’m getting.”
Kyr wasn’t about to argue. The Shelvaks were able to breathe oxygenated air like humans did, but that didn’t necessarily mean humans could breathe theirs. Her hand drifted protectively down to her waist as she thought of their unborn child. There was so much at stake.
They had to succeed.
Ty reached over and covered her hand with his. We will.
Peryl dug out the equipment they needed and handed it to her and Ty. After all of their time in the Dark Lands, donning the safety equipment was practically second nature to them. Kyr and Ty were both ready and secured in their seats within a minute.
Finally, they entered a different kind of darkness. The vessel slowed, then settled with a loud clang and shudder.