Queens of Wings & Storms

by Angela Sanders et al.

  “But only for a few jumps,” the robot piped up. “The power won’t last indefinitely.”

  “We only need to get there once,” Alazne said.

  “Why are they taking them to Helluman?” Zenon asked, afraid to know the answer.

  “Because the miners allow it,” Keia said.

  His stomach knotted. How could one of his worlds sanction torture and imprisonment?

  “So, what’s your story? Why are you dressed like that?” Keia’s eyes traveled up and down his body.

  “He thought a healer would come to him if he wore that disguise.” The mirth behind Alazne’s eyes made his lip twitch.

  “You thought Hunters were looking for healers?” Keia said in astonishment.

  “I was told that, yes,” he said, crossing his arms again.

  “So, they are looking for witches, but they do look for healers too, don’t they?” The tiny voice of the squirrel rose up from where it was now sitting on Alazne’s shoulder.

  Zenon never thought he’d find himself agreeing with some animate robot tech, especially for the third time. Nodding his head, he motioned towards the squirrel. “Even the robot knows what I’m talking about.”

  Keia started laughing, Alazne joining in.

  “He thinks your familiar is a robot?” He could feel the scowl on his face as Keia giggled.

  “He does! And why would a Hunter ‘hunt’ a healer? A healer would willingly help those in need. She wouldn’t have to be hunted.” Alazne giggled along with the other.

  “Think about it,” the younger witch said. “You think Healers are running away so much? True Healers don’t run away.”

  “Try to shake his hand,” Alazne said next. “See what happens.”

  If Zenon crossed his arms any tighter, his muscles would pop out of his skin. “So why are healers so hard to find?”

  All laughter stopped as the two witches seemed to sober up. He was pretty good at that.

  “They are hard to find because many do end up getting killed by the Hunters. Many witches are also Healers.” Alazne’s voice was soft as she looked him in the eyes. Glancing at the ground, she added. “What I don’t understand is what they want with Jessa. I know you said they’re catching witches for their abilities now, but Jessa is just a healer. If she’s still alive—”

  “She’s still alive,” Keia said a second time. “Their goal is the royal family of Adamar. Apparently, she knows someone.”

  Alazne choked.

  “Alazne, are you okay?” Zenon patted her back when she didn’t seem able to catch her breath.

  “Your name is Alazne? Alazne of Adamar? Jessa said she knew the Portal Wielder; she didn’t say it was Alazne. Oh no, they’re so close. I’m so sorry!” Keia broke into tears again.

  Zenon’s gaze swung between Alazne and Keia and back to Alazne. He was definitely missing something here.

  “It’s okay,” Alazne grasped the young witch’s hand. “It didn’t work. I’m still free and now you’re free.”

  “It’s only a matter of time,” the young witch sniffled. “No one has given away the location of the royal world, but they’re still searching for a witch that will.”

  Alazne looked up at Zenon. “We have to rescue them.”

  Zenon’s eyes widened. “From Hellumon? That’s impossible. It would take years of negotiation with those people to accomplish it. And we can’t just sneak in there.”

  “This is important, Zenon.” The portal wielding witch got to her feet, looking as if she might open one right then and take off.

  “Yes, I agree, but my mother doesn’t have time. I need a healer right now.” His right hand chopped the palm of his left. “I’ll go to Earth and get a doctor if I have to. I hear they’re a dime a dozen that world.”

  He thought he was good at pouring ice over fire, but the mention of Earth rendered everyone speechless. Even the forest grew quiet. The robot gasped.

  “You can’t go to Earth,” Alazne said.

  “That solar system is forbidden,” Keia said at the same time.

  “Your mother is going to be okay,” the squirrel said.

  Ire like he hadn’t felt in a very long time rose to the surface. “How would you know, robot?”

  He gestured at Alazne. “And if Earth is so forbidden, why do you have that ridiculous hand-shake greeting like they do?”

  “There are more healers on Adamar,” the young witch said. She looked at Alazne. “You could take him there. Then maybe get reinforcements to help free the witches.”

  Great suggestion. And he wouldn’t have to resort to the last-ditch effort of going to Earth. Why didn’t Alazne just take him to Adamar sooner?

  “I cannot go back to Adamar.” As Alazne’s voice wavered, her stance drooping, Zenon could almost feel deep emotional pain emanating from her.

  “I don’t know what happened with your family, but—” Keia started.

  “You know I can’t go back.” The older witch snapped and even Zenon rocked back at the tone of her voice.

  Alazne’s shoulders felt heavy, like the weight of the sky was dragging down her entire body.

  “I was very young, but it was all very public. I remember my mom wondering what happened.” Keia studied her with a gimlet eye.

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” Alazne said. She’d put it all behind her.

  A breeze rustled the ferns and leaves in the trees.

  “Everyone still loves you,” the young witch said. “Your family will forgive you. The people want you to come back. Your family even asked for anyone that knew your whereabouts to please tell them.”

  “I said I don’t want to talk about it.” Alazne’s voice was sharp, even to her ears. And she doubted her family cared enough to ask for her whereabouts. What was done was done.

  What happened between her family was mute anyway. Talking about them brought up painful memories that she’d spent a great deal of her days shoving to the back of her mind.

  Even so, there was no way she would lead a pack of Hunters to her former world. She still didn’t exactly trust this girl.

  And even if Keia was telling the truth about not wanting to work for the Hunters, Alazne wouldn’t put any other witch in danger. She couldn’t go to Adamar for a healer that Zenon would take away. What if that healer got caught like Jessa did? What if that healer had a weaker mind and the Hunters broke her, getting the location of Adamar and accomplishing their goal?

  It’d be devastating. Never mind that she was a wayward child. She would not risk her family like that.

  “Alazne,” Zenon’s voice cut into her thoughts. “If there are more healers on Adamar, we must go.”

  “No,” she said. “We will get Jessa.”

  “We cannot get Jessa off that stars-forsaken planet,” Zenon growled. “It is a deadly place, covered in fire and lava. Even the residents have short life-spans. There is a volcano constantly erupting on every exposed piece of land.”

  “There has to be a way,” Alazne said.

  “There’s not!” Zenon’s hand chopped the air. “Forget it. I’ll just take my ship and go to Earth.”

  Keia’s hand flew over her mouth, stifling a squeak.

  “You have a ship?” Alazne said, eyes widening.

  “Not all of us can just waltz across space-bridges at will.” He paced the ground, agitated. “It’s back on Spice, so if you’ll just open a portal to that market where I first saw you, I’ll be on my way.”

  Alazne’s heart felt as if it were ripped from her chest. They couldn’t part like this. She understood he needed a healer desperately, but freeing those witches was paramount to the safety of Adamar. These damnable feelings for him weren’t helping either.

  Zenon’s wand suddenly flew from his jacket, moving against his chest vertically, repeatedly tapping him. “What the hell, Stick?”

  “I think it’s comforting you,” Keia said. “It’s a wand hug.”

  “I don’t need a hug, I need a healer.” Pushing it away, the wand was n
ot deterred. It simply moved to his back, patting him on the shoulder.

  “Stars-forsaken weird possessed branches,” Zenon muttered, pacing the ground again. His wand followed his paces, turning when he did.

  Talk him into staying, Alazne’s familiar said.

  How? He really does need a healer. I don’t want him to go, but maybe it’s for the best.

  It’s not for the best, Alazne. Talk to him.

  What could she possibly say to make him stay now?

  “Going to Earth isn’t going to get you a healer any faster,” she said. “You’ll have to sneak in. You don’t think they’ll detect your ship with all those satellites?”

  “At least I’ll be moving closer to the goal. Staying with you has been one delay after the other,” Zenon said.

  Saying nothing of the Earthlings detecting his ship, he had to know how unrealistic it was to go blaring in there, but whatever. Talking about time and satellites was definitely not the right thing to say.

  “Two days,” she blurted. “Give me two more days. I’ll get you a healer.”

  Zenon stopped pacing and turned a glare on her that could melt iron. “Going to Hellumon isn’t less risky than going to Earth.”

  Alazne watched as his wand tapped his chest again.

  “Dammit, Stick. Go back to the woods where you came from.” Pointing at the trees, the wand did as he told, slowly floating into the woods like a sad puppy.

  Shaking her head from the distraction of the wand, Alazne wondered if Zenon was right, if it was more risky going to Hellumon than Earth, but she had to try. For Jessa. For the witches imprisoned there. For Adamar.

  Keia got to her feet, a look of fearless determination crossing her features. “I can go.”

  Both Alazne and Zenon looked at her.

  “I can act like the Hunters are still controlling me. I can go.” Wringing her hands together, she added, “And you can go with me.”

  “Okay,” Zenon’s voice was condescending. “And how are we going to do that? We can’t take my ship to that world.”

  That got Alazne’s attention. Why couldn’t they? She couldn’t exactly just open a portal there. It would give Keia away, her presence without a ship meaning she must have found the Portal Wielder.

  “We’ll take my ship,” Keia said, a slight smile tugging her lips.

  If she wasn’t speechless herself, Alazne might have remarked at how Zenon was now speechless.

  “As you said,” her smile grew wider. “Not all of us can waltz across space bridges at will.”

  I like this Keia, Ariad’s happy voice filled her mind.

  Focus turning to Zenon, Alazne pleaded. “Please, Zenon, we must try. If one of them gives away the location of Adamar, an entire population will be at stake.”

  She left the unsaid ‘not just your mother’ hang in the air.

  Zenon coughed in his hand before crossing his arms, looking down at each of them in turn. She even saw his eyes dart to her familiar.

  “Two days,” he said. “But we do this my way.”

  Zenon’s wand zipped out from the trees, hovering next to him as if in agreement. If it had arms, Alazne imagined they’d be crossed too.

  Chapter 9

  If by ‘his way’ he meant ‘Keia’s way,’ mission accomplished. But Alazne did give Zenon credit for one major detail. Now they just had to figure out how to make that detail happen.

  The four of them stared at Zenon’s outstretched hand, a tiny glittery crumpled piece of metal presented there.

  “So, they controlled your mind with this?” Alazne asked, squinting at the metal.

  “Yes,” Keia said. “It transmits commands through the electrical impulses of the brain.”

  “And to convince the Hunters she is still in their control, we need to replicate it, at least the look of it,” Zenon added.

  Alazne glanced up at him, pursing her lips. “And you know a guy.”

  “Yup,” he said, no other explanation given. “He’s on Lern’s World.” Looking to Keia. “Your ship is on Quan?”

  She nodded her head and he continued. “Lern’s World is close, so we’ll make the detour from there.”

  “And we can’t take your ship because—” Alazne wasn’t that comfortable flying in Keia’s ship.

  “Because we can’t.”

  That didn’t sit well with her, but he seemed to be adamant.

  A colorful buzzing bee zipped between them, landing on a pink flower, likely the source of a sweet smell in the air.

  “When we find one, I need to use a communication array,” Zenon added, nonchalant.

  Looking at Zenon’s still outstretched hand with the crushed tech, something else came to mind. “What if they actually try to transmit commands?”

  He closed his fist. “Then we’re in trouble.”

  Keia tapped the paper she’d been drawing on. “That’s why I made a map. I’ll act like I’m reporting in and you can follow the map to the holding cells. You’ll only have a few minutes.”

  Mother Universe, no pressure or anything. Stars, could they pull this off?

  “This map is pretty rough,” Keia said, thoughtful as she studied her map. “I’ll draft up a better one. Oh, and I’ll get you some Mining Corps jackets so you can blend in a little better.”

  Alazne threw her a long-suffering look, pointing at Zenon. “This disguise isn’t good enough?”

  Keia’s eyes flicked in his direction as she added something to the map. “They’ll know he’s not one of them.”

  “They knew in the armory,” Zenon murmured, palm close to his face as he studied the tech.

  The Hunters would probably also know they weren’t miners, but Alazne kept it to herself. Her main concern—

  “If we end up outdoors?” Alazne asked.

  “The heat of the planet will fry us,” Zenon said.

  Going to Earth wasn’t looking like a bad option after all. And she wasn’t fully convinced Keia was trustworthy. Sure, the girl gave them a lot of info, but Alazne hadn’t survived this long by being naïve. And this plan wasn’t exactly seamless.

  She leaned into Zenon, the touch making him jump slightly. “May I speak to you a moment?” Avoiding his eyes, she added, “Privately.”

  “Oh,” he said. “Sure.”

  Zenon’s wand in the follow, they walked to the edge of the woods. Keia didn’t seem to notice as she drew a circle around something on the map.

  Zenon bent his head down as Alazne faced the woods, leaning towards him. When Ariad copied her movement, he moved back a little, but his wand got closer.

  “We are going to be with her on her ship,” Alazne glanced at the strange wand, voice low.

  “We need it to infiltrate the lava world,” he said. “The Hunters will be suspicious if she just shows up.”

  “Right,” she agreed. “But can we trust her? What if it’s a ploy to trap us?”

  “You’re very suspicious of everybody.” Giving her a sidelong glance, he brushed a beetle from his shoulder.

  “I have to be,” she said. “And you aren’t suspicious enough.”

  Zenon watched the young Hunter Witch a moment. “I don’t think she thinks that way. Besides, you were just comforting her.”

  It took a second, but Alazne realized he meant Keia likely wasn’t setting a trap. He was probably right; the young woman wasn’t wired like that.

  “I believe her tears were genuine,” she said, truly believing they were, but there was something.

  “See? It’s fine.”

  She couldn’t shake a nagging feeling. Hopefully it was unfounded, but—

  “Are you sure there are no other devices controlling her?”

  Studying the tips of his fingers, Zenon stilled, lips pursed.

  “I can’t guarantee it,” he said after a long pause. “But if they were still controlling her somehow, I don’t think she’d be so free with her thoughts. She wouldn’t be able to be.”

  Crossing her arms, she took a deep breath, letting it o
ut slowly. Ariad rubbed her shoulder and she felt a slight weight. That was a little heavy for a squirrel. Glancing at her familiar, she saw that it was Zenon’s hand. Warmth spread from where he touched her.

  “It’ll be okay. I have a lot more questions and if she’s being controlled, we’ll know,” he said, voice soft.

  “How?”

  “Because she won’t be able to answer them.”

  Not entirely satisfied, Alazne followed him back to the opening where Keia now had the map laid out, rocks holding it in place on the ground.

  Zenon leaned against a tree, arms crossed again, breeze ruffling his dark hair.

  “How many witches are being held hostage?” he asked.

  “There are five of us,” Keia said. “Now that I’m free, we need to rescue four.”

  “What are their abilities?”

  “Xia can conjure fire.”

  “That won’t be very useful on that planet.” Zenon blew out a breath. “There’s fire everywhere.”

  “Joan can manipulate water, but she can’t create it,” Keia continued.

  “As in she can’t conjure any up, but if it’s there then she can make it do whatever she wants?”

  “Yes,” the young witch said.

  “Can she expand it too?”

  “Yes. She can turn a drop into a tidal wave.”

  “I’ll bring the water.”

  “Will you excuse us for a second,” Alazne cut in, skin crawling with an itch called Zenon that she couldn’t scratch.

  Walking to the edge of the trees again, she crossed her arms. “Can you not make fun of magic for like two seconds?”

  “I’m serious, Alazne.” Calling over to Keia, he said, “Do you have a jar on your ship?”

  “Yes,” the young witch’s voice carried back.

  Head tilted back towards Alazne, he said, “I’m bringing water. That will be very useful.”

  Making to head back to the clearing, he stopped. “And I can say without doubt she’s not being controlled. She’s just too damn energetic. I’ve been watching for the signs. Mind control makes someone seem like a drone. She’s definitely not.”

  Flooding relief washed over her, because the thought of being in that girl’s ship, unable to defend themselves from a horde of Hunters—