Scattered Ashes

by Megg Jensen

  Torsten stepped out of the tower. Tall grass swayed back and forth in the field outside. Scant weeks ago, the ground had been littered with the bodies of the rock dragzhi and their reptilian pets, the charka. And more humans than Torsten wanted to remember.

  At first, they dug individual graves for the humans, trying to honor each, but eventually, time and decomposition won. A mass grave was dug; the bodies heaved one by one into the hole. Thousands had died, leaving no more than a couple hundred survivors to carry on.

  History was repeating itself. When their ship fell to Phoenix two centuries ago, they numbered only in the hundreds. Now, after generations had worked so hard to propagate their species, they were again left with so few.

  Defenders had died. Scientists had died. Townspeople had died.

  As for the buried, they were unaccounted for. They'd evacuated their underground tunnels and spirited themselves away during the battle. Torsten wasn't sure how many of them there were, and Rell had been vague about numbers. Just as she'd been vague about so many other things.

  Fingers snapped in front of Torsten's eyes. He blinked and shook his head.

  "Phoenix to Torsten. Come in, Torsten." Rutger snapped his fingers once more.

  Torsten pushed Rutger's hand away. "Sorry. I'm here."

  Travis whirled around. "Are you two going to act like idiots the whole time? If so, you can stay back. I don't need to deal with this."

  "We're fine," Torsten said, clapping Travis on the shoulder. "Let's move."

  Travis turned his back on them again, taking off in a jog toward the wreckage of the dragzhi ship.

  Rutger made a face and gesticulated rudely toward Travis' back.

  "I saw that!" Travis yelled, without so much as turning his head.

  Rutger stopped, stunned. Torsten tugged on his friend's arm.

  "Give it a rest. Just for a bit, okay? I could really use you. I think you'll have a lot of insight to share. It's important if we're ever going to go back up there." Torsten pointed at the sky.

  "Too bad we can't use that teleportation thing again," Rutger said. "Has Rell even tried to explain it?"

  Torsten shook his head. "I'm pretty sure she doesn’t understand it either. At first, she thought it was some kind of rapture. She believed her gods were taking her somewhere glorious."

  "And all you got was the dragzhi." Rutger rolled his eyes. "What a disappointment."

  "You have no idea," Torsten said.

  "What did you see up there when you and Rell went the first time? When Malia and I went with the two of you, we didn't see anything more than the inside of the ship. Just the one liquid dragzhi. How did the two of you survive?"

  Torsten thought of his mother. He thought of her every day since the battle ended. Had she gone to another dragzhi ship? Was she still out there? And what of his father? And Mellok and Andessa's parents? He still hadn't spoken of them to anyone, and whenever he tried to talk to Rell about it, she changed the subject.

  "If I told you, you wouldn't believe me." Torsten jumped over a fallen tree. His feet slipped slightly on the dewy ground.

  Rutger steadied Torsten. "Tell me. Have I ever judged you or said you're crazy?"

  Rutger was the only one who hadn't ignored Torsten when he'd tried to convince the others he knew of a way to get on a dragzhi ship. No matter what apparent madness he'd spouted, Rutger had trusted his word.

  "Okay." Torsten glanced at Travis, who was far enough ahead that he wouldn't be able to hear their conversation. "My mother was on that ship the first time Rell and I landed on it."

  "No shit?" Rutger said, letting out a puff of breath as he skirted another fallen tree. "So... where is she now?"

  "I don't know," Torsten said. "When Rell and I were on the ship, it was under attack. One of our ships blew it up in retaliation for what was happening on the ground. Rell and I barely escaped before it exploded. The ship’s computer said my mother was already gone. That she'd left the ship. So, I think she's alive. Maybe?"

  "And your father?" Rutger pressed. "What about him?"

  "I didn't see him, but I have a feeling he was close. He and my mother were inseparable."

  Rutger whistled softly. "Does this mean they were aligned with the dragzhi?"

  It was a question Torsten had asked himself a million times. Were they? And, if so, what did it mean for the rest of the humans stuck on Phoenix? Would his parents come to their rescue, or would they be a factor in their eventual demise?

  "Hey, you two! Over here! I think I found something!" Travis called from ahead, interrupting their conversation.

  Torsten and Rutger set off in a run.

  3

  Torsten struggled to keep up with Rutger as they sprinted toward Travis. "What is it?" Torsten called out between ragged breaths.

  "Just get your ass over here." Travis waited impatiently, his arms crossed over his chest.

  Torsten finally arrived at Travis’ spot, but couldn't figure out what was so important. There was grass. And more grass. And more grass, as high as their knees. Torsten squinted, then saw what Travis must have seen.

  He reached out, his fingertips grazing the tops of the blades. "These are wet."

  "So?" Rutger asked. He pulled out one of the knives he kept on his belt and twirled it nervously between his fingers.

  "It hasn't rained, and it's too late in the day for dew." Torsten pulled back and turned his hand over. It wasn't just damp; it was slimy. "What is that?"

  "You tell me." Travis pointed toward the ship in the distance.

  The sun's rays shone on the grass, illuminating a narrow path from the ship to the spot where they stood. Torsten turned, following the trail of slime. It disappeared in the shadows of the trees.

  "It's a dragzhi," Rutger said. "Damn. I thought there was only one on the ship. The one Torsten killed. This other one must have been hiding. We searched everywhere when we stripped the ship."

  "We need a patrol out, now." Travis turned back toward the tower.

  "One dragzhi isn't going to hurt us. It probably slithered away to die of starvation," Torsten said.

  Travis glared at him. "What do they eat?"

  "Krullers," Torsten said. "That's what they served on the ship I was on. There aren’t any krullers here. Those things are spaceship barnacles."

  "And how do you know that's all the dragzhi eat?" Travis asked.

  Torsten opened his mouth to answer, then closed it. He'd read everything in the library on the dragzhi, but he quickly learned how incomplete their intelligence was. The humans hadn't known about the third type of the dragzhi—the beings of fire who lived underground near Rell's buried community.

  "So it could be out there. In fact, there could be more than one." Travis rubbed his temples. "We could be gearing up for another battle."

  "The rock dragzhi have all been eliminated," Rutger said. "We used their remnants to build a wall, a reminder to any other dragzhi who try to attack."

  "That's another problem." Travis looked up at the sky. "They could come back at any time. We still don't know why they left. Maybe they are getting reinforcements."

  "And maybe they fear us, and they're gone for good." Torsten's words were empty. Two decades ago, when the humans had finally achieved space travel tech again, the dragzhi appeared, preventing them from leaving Phoenix's orbit. They had countless ships. He knew how ridiculous his theory sounded.

  "Yeah, I'm sure that's it," Rutger scoffed. He pulled another knife from his sheath on his thigh. "We need to hunt them down and kill them."

  "What we need is backup. We don't know how many there are." Travis pulled a gun from his hip.

  "Go," Torsten said. "Rutger and I will keep an eye on this area."

  Travis took off running toward the tower. When he was out of earshot, Torsten said, "Put away your knives."

  Rutger laughed nervously. "No way. If that thing is out there, I'm ready."

  "You know as well as I do that your knife will just go through the dragzhi. It won't kill
it." Torsten pushed gently on Rutger's hand, forcing it back toward the sheath.

  Reluctantly, Rutger sheathed his knives. "You're right. So, we just stand here and wait for Travis to return with more muscle?"

  "Absolutely not," Torsten said. "We follow the slime and find the dragzhi."

  Rutger's jaw dropped. "What? You're joking, right?"

  Torsten stared at his friend. "No, I'm not. If Travis comes back with more defenders, they'll hunt the dragzhi and kill it."

  "And the problem with that is?" Rutger asked.

  "We should try to communicate with it first. Imagine!" Torsten grabbed Rutger's shoulders. "If we could figure out how to talk to it, maybe we could get back into space. Maybe it can tell us how their tech works."

  "Oh, well, why didn't you say so?" Rutger plowed through the tall grass. "Hey, Mister Alien. Come out, come out wherever you are!"

  Torsten held back a sigh. He liked Rutger, but the man was a little too much to handle sometimes. "Stop. I'm serious."

  Rutger's arms fell to his sides. "I know you are. That's what worries me most."

  "Have I led you astray yet?" Torsten asked.

  "Yeah, you have, and I think we're lucky we're still alive." Rutger grinned. "But, like the fool I am, I'll follow you anywhere. So, lead on."

  Torsten couldn't help smiling, too. "I've never had anyone who was willing to do what I told them. Not even Leila. She always thought she was smarter than me. What's wrong with you?"

  "Everything, trust me. Now go, before I change my mind."

  Torsten moved his focus from Rutger to the slime. He followed the trail leading under the tree canopy. The sun no longer illuminated the path the dragzhi had taken, so Torsten had to rely on his fingers to track it.

  The tips of his fingers skimmed over the blades of grass, the slime leaving a slick coating on his skin. Every time a dry blade of grass poked through the slime, Torsten knew he'd gone the wrong way.

  Eventually, the trail ended. Torsten wiped his hands dry on his pants. Then, carefully touching each blade of tall grass, he searched for the slightest bit of dampness. Nothing.

  "It's as if it disappeared." Torsten's shoulders fell. He was so certain he'd find it; it hadn't occurred to him that it might escape.

  "Is it possible it's not even a dragzhi? Could it be something else?" Rutger asked. "I've spent the majority of my life in the tower, so I'm not too familiar with the fauna on Phoenix. Maybe it's a slug?"

  Torsten wiped his hands on his pants again, coating them with the slime. Then he thrust a hand in Rutger's face. "This isn't animal slime. Look at it. Does this look like any slime you’ve ever seen?" The thick liquid glinted in a ray of sun breaking through the canopy.

  Rutger swiped a bit with his finger, then brought it to his nose. He took a big sniff and recoiled. "That's pretty rank."

  Torsten stepped carefully through the grass once more. "It's definitely alien slime...."

  "Making a lot of assumptions, here." Rutger leaned against the tree, his arms folded across his chest.

  "Maybe it's injured. And it's hiding." Torsten dropped to his knees.

  "I didn't bring any bandages," Rutger said.

  Torsten ignored the snark and closed his eyes. Running his hands over the ground, he hoped he'd find the dragzhi. If it was injured, it might be hiding nearby. Maybe it had given up its long trek from the damaged ship. Maybe...

  Torsten's hand landed on a wet blob. His eyes snapped open. He squinted in the darkness of the undergrowth. The blob pulsated on the ground. It trembled under Torsten's gentle touch. "I found it," he called out to Rutger.

  "Oh, joy. Just what I always wanted. An injured alien that's been trying to annihilate our people. Thanks, Torsten." Rutger shuffled through the grass until he was standing next to Torsten.

  "Take a look," Torsten said.

  With a sigh, Rutger knelt next to Torsten. "I guess it doesn't look too dangerous."

  Torsten glanced at his friend, his eyes wild with excitement. "Imagine what we could learn from it. All the answers we need are right here in this little guy."

  "Or girl. Don't be so sexist." Rutger poked the blob. It expanded, then contracted, as if letting out a deep breath.

  "How should we carry it? I don't want to hurt it." Torsten stood. He broke the tops of a few blades of grass, marking the spot where the dragzhi lay.

  Rutger sprang to his feet. "I have an idea."

  "What?" Torsten asked, glad his friend was finally taking this seriously.

  "You should take off your shirt and use it as a sling. You could carry the dragzhi in it like a baby." Rutger smiled, obviously pleased with his intellect.

  "Great idea." Torsten pulled his shirt over his head. He tied the sleeves at the wrist and slung it around his neck. The bulk of the shirt hung in front of his chest.

  "Why, Mr. Vikker," Rutger said in a high-pitched voice, "I do like the look of your muscles."

  "Do you ever stop?" Torsten asked.

  "No. I can't. It's a disease."

  Torsten cupped his hands and carefully slid his fingers under the dragzhi. It was cold, far colder than the trail it had left. Goosebumps raced up Torsten's arms as he nestled the dragzhi in the center of the shirt, then pulled a corner up, tying it to a sleeve, forming a little pouch for the alien.

  "There. Now we can take it back to the tower," Torsten said, relieved.

  "Not so fast," a voice said behind them.

  Torsten and Rutger turned around. Travis stood behind them, flanked by five others. All pointed guns at Torsten.

  "Put it down, Vikker," Travis said. "I know what you've got in there."

  Torsten raised his hands. He glanced down quickly to be sure the improvised sling was still holding up. "Don't be so hasty. It's injured. Maybe if we help it, it'll tell us how to use their tech. It could be the key to getting off of Phoenix."

  "Or you could bring it back to the tower, and it'll kill all of us. Then what?" Travis asked.

  "You're the one who wanted to go back to the ship and look for answers," Torsten said. "I think we may have found them here."

  "It's a threat." Travis pulled his gun from the holster on his leg.

  "Does it look like a threat?" Torsten slowly lowered a hand. He folded down the front of his shirt, exposing the limp blob to the others. "It hasn't tried to hurt me."

  "Maybe it's waiting for you to take it to the tower where it can wreak real damage." Travis squinted one eye and leveled his gun, Torsten in his sights. "Put it down and step aside."

  "No," Torsten said. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rutger back away. Torsten didn't blame him. "If you're going to shoot it, then you'll have to shoot me, too."

  Torsten stood firm, his arms around the bundle on his chest, holding it just as he would a human baby. He closed his eyes, hoping Travis wouldn't call his bluff. They wouldn't kill him. He'd done too much to help them. There was no way Travis would shoot him in front of all these witnesses. It would be murder.

  Travis released the safety on his gun.

  Torsten refused to back down. They wouldn't shoot.

  "One last chance, Vikker."

  Torsten's breath quickened. Sweat pooled on his forehead. He'd wait out their bluff.

  "On three," Travis ordered.

  "One."

  "Two."

  Something scuffled in the grass.

  "Wait!"

  Torsten's eyes popped open. His sister, Leila, stood in front of him, her arms spread wide.

  "I'm saving your butt again, big brother. You'd better not make me look like a fool.”

  4

  Klaxons blared. Defenders blew through the halls on their way to the armory. Rell snuck out of the tower during the scuffle. She’d peeked out her window and hadn’t seen an imminent attack. Instead of waiting to find out what had upset their otherwise dull community, she took the opportunity to leave.

  She wasn't sure, but she had a feeling Torsten had asked many of the defenders to keep an eye on her. No matter where sh
e went, someone was always watching.

  Today they were distracted, which she decided to use to her advantage.

  One group, including Torsten's sister, Leila, took off in a run, guns at the ready, heading deep into the rainforest. Rell went the opposite direction, toward the waterfall. She was headed underground to see her father. She wanted to, and so did the dragzhi inside her. For once they shared a common goal. Hopefully, with all of the chaos in the tower, Torsten wouldn't even know she was gone.

  Rell detested hiding the truth from him, but it was better this way. If he knew she had a dragzhi inside, controlling her, he wouldn't come near her again. He would be repulsed. She even feared for her life. If he told anyone, they would kill her.

  Wading through the water, Rell avoided the spot where the dragzhi had first found her. The memory of that day haunted her. Torsten's mother had risen from the river. The dragzhi had left Yasmin's body and entered Rell's, leaving Torsten's mother a crumpled shell.

  Her body lay somewhere under the delicate ripples.

  Would the same thing happen to Rell someday, when the dragzhi was finished with her? Or was there a way to be rid of it and survive? She wished she could read the dragzhi’s thoughts, the way it read hers.

  She stepped through the falls, the cool water streaming over her. When she had believed in the religion of the buried, water meant baptism, a new life.

  She was starting a new life, one she didn't want. One that had the potential to ruin everything good she'd found aboveground.

  As Rell stepped onto the rough-hewn staircase leading down to the tunnels, she opened up her palm, and a flicker of light burst forth.

  She was part dragzhi. Rell had yet to question her mother on the particulars, but she knew the truth of it. Rell had jumped into the volcano and lived to tell about it. The fire was part of her, inside and out.

  Communing with the gods meant communing with the very aliens who had been killing humans for decades.

  Traversing the empty tunnels, Rell walked past the common areas where the buried had lived without giving them a second glance. She didn't want to be reminded of her life here. It was too painful. Her entire childhood was a lie, perpetuated by her mother.