“I shall signal when I’ve secured the lab,” Ag’iazza said before stepping out of the room through a semi-transparent door on the far wall. Once outside, she donned her own goggles, along with what looked to be a robe made from heavy, rubberized armor. Once she was covered nearly head to toe, she flashed her diodes in an affirmative way. Reyessan opened the containment unit and tipped the blackened grounding stone into the sling between the three points of the pyramid. Almost instantly, the room filled with an even more blinding green light while a discordant noise threatened to overload everyone’s mental synapses.
Bethany collapsed, hands over her ears and eyes closed. Nothing in all her life, from her time in the military to anything she’d encountered since leaving Earth, had prepared her for such an assault. But as quickly as it came, a stillness settled over the scene. Bethany opened her eyes. The green glow still surrounded her, but not as intense. She glanced up, to see if the others were affected and noticed she was no longer in the same space.
All around her, pinpoints of light hovered like a billion fireflies. Shadowed figures stood in the distance, speaking, but she could hear nothing, as if her ears had been plugged with cotton. Something about the scene seemed wrong, but Bethany could not make heads or tails of it. Until, that is, she saw the dais in the middle of the room. She took a step closer and paused, noting the dark shadow against the stone was an inert body. She moved closer still, feeling drawn to the seemingly lifeless form. But just as a familiar face began to resolve from the shadows, light and sound rushed up to meet her and the vision was sucked away.
She tried to cry out, but found herself again lying on the floor of the laboratory. Not far from where she’d fallen, Reg was picking himself up.
“Well, that was unpleasant,” Ag’iazza said, reentering the room once the containment unit was again secured.
“I felt it,” Reyessan said with what was likely a little too much enthusiasm. “When El’iadrylline was here, I could sense the entity about her, but the draw was nothing like that. I’ve never felt anything like that. Such revulsion, yet I was irresistibly drawn.”
“Did you not see anything?” Bethany asked, pulling herself up off the floor.
“I saw only chaos,” Reyessan replied. “I have a theory. When she was last at the temple, I discovered Eidyn Master’s Abstractive Root was incomplete. I believe what we have here—”
“Is all of Ellie’s least wanted emotions,” Bethany cut in with a horrified expression. “My god… it makes sense. It makes sense, but… I think we’re too late…”
“Bethany? What is it you are saying?” Ag’iazza asked, removing her goggles and settling the Earthling with a curious glance.
“It’s Ellie,” she replied in a rushed voice, eyes darting to images only she seemed to be able to see. “Scholar Reyessan nailed it. This is a part of Ellie. A part she never wanted, but a part she needs. I saw something. In all that green, terrible haze, I saw Ellie. I know where she is. I know what she’s done. And I know that if we can’t get this part of her Abstractive Root back, something terrible is going to happen.”
“Where is she?” Ag’iazza asked. “What will happen, exactly? Bethany, I am not sure you are thinking rationally at the moment.”
But Bethany paid her no mind. Before anyone could object, she snatched the box containing the grounding stone and disappeared in a blinding flash, leaving three stunned Eidyssic behind.
Chapter 20
The light was blinding. For a moment, Ellie thought she’d again traveled to the realm of the Transcendent, but the sharp edges of broken rocks and withered scrub brush poking into her hands and knees brought into focus the fact that she was back on Helsyn, in the ruins of the Sower’s temple, though how she got back was a mystery. The last she remembered was the sudden realization of Julian’s true purpose for returning to Ia’na Eidyn.
Her stomach heaved and she fell forward, only slightly aware of the sound of footsteps rushing towards her.
“Ellie!”
“Eidyn Master!”
“Stay back, give her room.”
Ellie leaned back on her heels, sitting up fully, but grateful for Gri’s command. Mikk hovered, deep concern etched into her forehead. Beyond her, Vonsse and Nyessovor each looked equally worried.
“I’m fine,” she said unsteadily. “But I need a ship. A fast—”
She cut off with a gag as yet another wave of pain hit her. But this was different. Panic, fear, impatience, and a myriad of other emotions bombarded her mind, but through it all, she heard her name, faint, but unmistakable.
“Dad?” Ellie gasped, putting a hand out to steady herself as she focused in on and tried to compartmentalize the strong emotions that flooded her mind.
“Oh Ellie, thank the stars! When I could not feel your presence, I feared the worst.”
Her father’s panicked and emotional state was overwhelming, even as she fought for control of her mind. “Dad, I can hear you, but your distress is overpowering. What’s happened? Where’s Jul… wait… Dad?” She pulled back, suddenly aware that what she was feeling was wrong, and wondered what she’d just invited into her mind. “I thought you couldn’t use the tether of Kyri because you’re dead.”
“I can’t,” he replied. A moment later, the emotions pulled back enough for her to again think clearly. “I’ve been able to patch into the flagship and use the recognition and submission hardware as something of a divining rod.”
“You’re on the flagship? You mean, you’re coming back? But I thought…”
“This is not my choice and there is not a lot of time to explain. Ellie, Julian plans to destroy the battalion. He tricked me into a stasis field and sent me and the ship on a course for T’al Eidyn. I’ve no ability to override what he’s done.”
Ellie’s blood froze in her veins. It wasn’t a confirmation, but it was enough to set her nerves on edge. That her father still lived was the only explanation as to why she still had a small measure of borrowed time.
“It was you.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, but Ellie knew her father heard her thoughts just fine. “You were the one keeping Julian from doing what had to be done. Dad, how long has it been since you left?”
“I don’t know,” he replied with a defeated sigh. “I’m sorry, Ellie. I think his plan is to destroy the planet, battalion, star, and himself in one final collision.”
“But…” Ellie’s breath came in short, labored puffs. No, she thought, not now. She can’t be too late. Not after finally discovering the truth. “No, Dad, can you turn the ship around? Can you stop him? Can you at least put him off until I get there?”
“I’m sorry, Ellie. When I discovered what he intended to do, I put off my ascension, hoping to reason with him, but Julian managed to trick me into a spot of vulnerability. I am unable to override the stasis containment field where he’s placed my stone. Just creating this connection is taxing.”
“Don’t wear yourself out then. I’ll see what I can do to get you out of there quickly, but Dad, I’ve got to go. There’s no time to explain, but I’ve got to get to Ia’na Eidyn.”
“I wish you every fortune, daughter. We’ve already said our final goodbyes, but I await your return.”
The sudden disconnection of the mental link left Ellie with a cold emptiness, but a clear mind. She stood abruptly, startling all who stood around her previously prone form. “I need the fastest ship available. I need something...”
There is no time. You can stop him, but you have to open your mind. You are the Transcendent.
Ellie gasped, speechless as a new voice echoed inside her head. A brilliant light wrapped around her. Mouth agape, her hand flew to her heart as the truth found its way into her head. Ia’na Eidyn was more than a day’s journey by the fastest ship imaginable. She was again reminded of her grandmother’s words of warning. She had to stop relying on a crutch. And yet, the concept was easier said than done. She turned to Mikk.
“Is Pounds with you?”
�
�Always,” Mikk said with a smile and poked at a lumpy pocket on her side. As if he understood he was being summoned—and Ellie wasn’t entirely sure he didn’t—Pouns poked his head out of Mikk’s pocket and gave a sleepy yawn before tumbling out, growing in size until he was about as big as a small dog.
Ellie dropped to her knees and held out her hand, palm up, with the diodes lit in an inquisitive pattern. She flinched, but didn’t pull away as a cold, wet nose pressed into her hand. Instead, she relayed to the best of her abilities her concerns and her request. For a long moment, Pouns seemed to consider her questions carefully before lowering his head so that her palm met the soft fur on the crown of his head. Images formed and she leaned forward in concentration.
Yes, it was possible to phase pulse all the way to Ia’na Eidyn.
No, Pounds could not survive the alien atmosphere.
Before she had a chance to fully collapse under the profound disappointment in what was conveyed, Pouns nudged her again, this time with an admonishing message. The same her grandmother had imparted. The same the Iriani now tried to impress upon her. And yet, regardless of so many messages of confidence bombarding her at once, she still had one obstacle holding her back: Her own skepticism.
It was foolish, of course. She knew as soon as she sat down in the ship manifested by her grandmother that she’d been right about Ellie’s reliance on a crutch. It was exactly what she needed to hear, but it was also exactly what she didn’t want to hear. But the self-doubt clouding her mind was eating away at precious time and time was something she did not have.
“Ellie?” Mikk’s voice was soft and full of concern, but there was an underlying uncertainty that gave her pause.
“What is it?” she asked, noticing that everyone who had been crowded around her a few moments ago had taken several steps back. Even Pouns, who had grown to his full, bear-like size, stood away from her. She heard several gasps and Nyessovor whisper to Gri, “I heard the stories, but I thought that’s all they were.”
“Ellie, what is happening to your body?”
She barely heard Mikk’s words as she noticed the haze that surrounded her. She held up a hand and saw that waves of energy encased her in a protective layer. There was no more denying that this was her only chance. There was no room for doubt when the fate of all life in the galaxy hinged on this moment. She turned to Gri.
“In one day, my father returns to T’al Eidyn aboard the flagship of the Kyroibi master. If I have not returned, please make sure his grounding stone is taken from the stasis container and his wishes are fulfilled, no matter what they are.”
“You have my word,” Gri said with a solemn bow. “May the light of the gods be at your back, El’iadrylline.”
Without another word, Ellie jumped, allowing the energy around her to guide her through what should have been an impossible journey. There had been many questions her friends had wanted to ask, but anything that Gri couldn’t answer, she would when she returned.
If she returned.
Travelling across the galaxy through a series of trans-dimensional shifts was not easy. Keeping her mind from wandering into dangerous territory was proving even harder. The doubts crept at her peripheral, but Ellie fought back, concentrating all of her focus on Julian.
He was still alive. That much she knew, but his emotional state was unreadable. This was enough of a cause for concern that she lost focus for a moment, faltering, which threw her off course. There was nothing to which she could compare the feeling of flashing through infinite realities in the span of seconds, but she was certain it was nothing she ever wanted to feel again and she was grateful for the tether that kept her focused on Ia’na Eidyn.
While travelling by phase pulse, it was impossible to know how much real time had passed, but at last, Ellie’s feet met solid ground. The sudden and overwhelming silence told her she’d reached her destination. She opened her eyes and gazed out at the Temple Kyri looming in front of her. She’d made it.
And yet, something was off.
The dim twilight seemed too bright. She looked up, beyond the temple. The Eidyssic star seemed too large in the sky. She shook her head, chastising herself for the needless and distracting thoughts as she ran for the temple stairs. But as she pulsed to the summit, following the tether of Julian’s faint life sign, Ellie could not deny that the temperature was warmer. Too noticeably so to be a coincidence.
So this was the plan. Total annihilation of Ia’na Eidyn, Battalion and all.
Her heart squeezed in both pride and sorrow, understanding the machinations Julian set in motion, but angry, nonetheless, that he’d done so in a way that required his own sacrifice.
Again, she shook off her emotions and chastised herself for such time wasting indulgence. She wasn’t too late yet, but neither did she have a moment to spare. She would find Julian and take him back to T’al Eidyn, against his will if necessary.
She reached out, intending to go to him, but instead Ellie found herself suddenly pulled elsewhere. She ran, pulsing away against her will, until she stood on the parade ground, at the head of the battalion, behind the podium where Julian would have issued the final order for destruction of life.
A thrum of chatter nearly crippled her once again. As she looked out at the sea of blank faces and glowing eyes, she could not hold back the anguished cry that escaped.
“They know,” she moaned, realizing the terrible unrest in her head was the collective hive mind of the battalion. They were not just alert and ready to carry out the orders of their commander.
No, they were quite aware that something anomalous had happened, that the stability of the planet was in jeopardy. And they had but one collective thought: Leave and carry out their primary purpose.
“No!” Ellie shouted against the will that was threatening to drown out her rational thoughts. There had to be a way. She was, after all, the true master of the Kyroibi. The one with ultimate dominion over the battalion. “Stand down,” she said, pressing her hand against the podium so hard she feared the silicate structure would crack under the pressure. But nothing happened. She slid her hand more gently over the controls and found herself locked out. And yet, something was clearly keeping the battalion at bay. A heavy realization washed over her. She reached out again, feeling Julian’s life force, but now noticing what she hadn’t before.
“Oh, Julian, no…” she uttered and took off for the archive, locking in on his signal and pulsing to where he lay, catatonic, upon the dais in the center of the room. Over his prone form, Rhymallian stood sentinel, his stoic expression broken by a single tear that ran down his cheek.
“El’iadrylline!” Rhymallian said, snapping out of his trance at the sight of her. “You must leave here.”
“Not without Julian.”
Ellie was surprised by the strength of her own voice, but Rhymallian frowned.
“The orbit has been destabilized. The gravitational pull of the Star of Eidyn draws the planet in. It is only a matter of time before we are no more. Return to your people before it is too late.”
“I can’t let him die,” she plead, allowing her raw emotions to display across her diodes.
Rhymallian shook his head sadly. “Do you not see? This is Julian’s doing. His final sacrifice to right all the wrong that my machinations, while well intended, has wrought on the universe. When we are gone, when the battalion is gone, and the terrible truth buried alongside us, you and all peoples everywhere will be free to live your lives.”
“No,” Ellie said, shaking her head. “That’s where you and Julian are wrong. So very wrong. My father wove the Kyroibi into my very being. Because of that, I can feel them. The battalion is stirring. They sense danger, but from within. I know what he’s doing and I know what you both intend, but this does not need to be. There is hope. Allow me this one request before we all perish.”
“I am sorry, El’iadrylline. I do not understand what it is you are asking.”
Ellie allowed her armor to retract and sat down
on the dais next to Julian, taking his cold, limp hand in hers.
“I know what you did,” she said in a choked whisper. “I know what you sacrificed in order to keep the battalion at bay for all these ages. I know that inside of me is the part of Julian you took from him. I want to give it back.”
“El’iadrylline, what you propose is an impossibility. The Kyroibi was created from Julian’s abstraction. It is not something that can be dismantled and returned like a borrowed garment. What had been the life force of my son is no more.”
“No,” Ellie said through the tears that now blinded her. “That might have been true at one point, but no more. When my father thought to weave the Kyroibi into my genetic code, he gave me more than simply dominion over the knowledge and the false sense of control over the battalion. I have the ability. Not only that, but I have what was taken from you in an attempt to protect the galaxy from the warmongering half of my grandmother.”
Ellie closed her eyes and allowed all that she’d learned in the realm of the ascended to manifest into a pinpoint of light, no different than any other that surrounded them. She took it in hand and held it toward Rhymallian. The original master was hesitant, but opened himself to receiving the knowledge. After a long moment that seemed suspended in time, his eyes opened and he looked upon Ellie with hopeful surprise.
“Please,” she begged. “I’ll need someone to perform the transference and we’ve little time.”
Rhymallian said nothing, but nodded and indicated for Ellie to lay down on the dais next to Julian. She relaxed her body, allowing Rhymallian to position her arms so that the diodes on her fingers aligned with Julian’s. At last she felt the light brush of fingertips on her temples and a hum of energy awoke inside her.
It was not at all unlike the electric feeling that passed through her when Julian came under her command. She smiled inwardly. That seemed many years ago and not simply the months that had passed since that fateful night that intertwined their destinies in what they thought was an irrevocable bond.
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