The room fell silent. The only person not staring at him incredulously was the guy with the strange eyes in the back of the room. He was nodding, a slight smile on his face.
"I was on the ship that blew up. I escaped just before it exploded." Torsten knew he sounded like a raging maniac. Or like someone who believed in the Menelewen Dored.
"There is a way to get to the ships,” Torsten continued, “and it’s underground. I don’t fully understand it. It’s not any kind of technology we can produce. It’s something unique to the dragzhi, but we can use it. We can go up there!"
He knew it all to be true. Just like Rell had with her faith. Sometimes there were things out there that couldn't be explained without experiencing them. Torsten had gotten onto a dragzhi ship once. He could do it again.
"I think you've had one too many hits to the head, Torsten. Go underground to get into space? It doesn’t make any sense." The redhead retook the podium, shoving him in Leila's direction. "Now, back to our plan."
Leila grabbed Torsten's arm, pulling him out of the room. "What was that? Are you trying to turn them against us? You weren't on a dragzhi ship. If you had been, you would have told me, Tor. It didn't happen. It must have been a dream. Or a hallucination. Maybe I wasn’t the only one who got poisoned meat that night underground."
Torsten sighed. He hadn't told Leila because if he'd started the story, he would have told her he'd seen their mother—and what she’d done. Leila would have been devastated. "I'm not lying, Lei. It wasn't a dream, either. It happened. You just have to trust me."
Leila shook her head, backing away. "No. Something happened to you when we were separated. You were alone with Rell, and who knows what she did to you. The Torsten I knew wouldn't make up such wild stories. He would have been angry at Mellok's death, not sympathetic to his killer. You've changed, Torsten." Leila stomped back into the conference room. As the door closed, Torsten saw tears slip from Leila's eyes.
He hauled off, punching the wall. Damn it. Even his own sister wouldn't take him seriously. They were all going to head out into the city and try to kill the dragzhi. Even if they succeeded, more dragzhi would follow. The dragzhi had worn down the humans for years, and they had finally won.
Unless Torsten could gain access to one of the dragzhi ships, the humans were doomed to failure. He stalked back to the lift, taking it to the floor with his room. Once he reached his room, he fell to his knees, praying like Rell had taught him when they'd been running from the volcano’s tremors. It had worked then. Whether it was prayer, or some kind of magic, Torsten knew he had to try.
He folded his hands, bowed his head, and wished with all his might he would be transported onto another dragzhi ship.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Rell's body ached as if she'd been pounded flat by rocks. Maybe she had. Her memories were fuzzy. She and Torsten had been outside the tower, but the door was locked. It opened and they dragged him in, leaving her outside. She'd looked up at the dragzhi monster standing over her, his arm lowering slowly. Then everything went black.
She forced her eyes open against the blinding, bright lights. Rell squinted, attempting to focus on something, anything. Everything remained blurry. Lying back on the bed, Rell closed her eyes and let her hands rest at her side.
The light began to dim, and finally, she could see everything in the room.
Four sterile white walls surrounded her bed. Rell sat up, her head surprisingly clear, the pain gone. She wore a robe just like the one she’d worn most of her life underground. Swinging her legs over the side, she plopped down, her bare feet hitting the warm, white floor. She walked around the room, waving her hand over the walls, just as Torsten had done when they were on the dragzhi ship. Unfortunately, if there were doors, she couldn't find them. Or they weren't programmed to obey her. She and the bed were the only things in the room.
"Where am I?" she said aloud to herself.
"You are here," a kind voice responded.
Rell jumped backward, her bottom hitting the side of the bed. Her hands grasped the edge as she steadied herself. Her eyes swept the small room. Still empty. "Who are you?" She made a futile attempt to keep her voice steady.
"You know where you are. You know who I am. You must ask the right questions, Rell."
Biting her lip, Rell forced herself to focus. "When did I arrive?"
"The sun has risen five times. The moons will complete their cycle soon." One of the walls burst into color, the moons hanging in space... above Phoenix.
Rell walked closer to the wall, her arm outstretched. Her fingers danced along the image. Phoenix was so far away, just like when she and Torsten were on the dragzhi ship.
"I'm in space," she said.
"Among the gods," the voice answered. "Just as you wanted."
"I don't understand." Rell rubbed her hands over her suddenly shivering arms. "The last thing I remember was the dragzhi guards preparing to kill me."
"They would not kill you. They serve you." Now the voice really wasn't making sense.
"I want to see you," Rell demanded, tired of the game. She wanted answers and she wanted them immediately.
"As you wish."
Rell kept her eyes on the wall, waiting for a door to open. None did, but a small, steady stream of silver liquid dripped from the ceiling to the floor. Instead of spreading, it pooled, growing in height and volume until it was as tall as Rell.
The liquid flowed, in perpetual motion, as the figure took shape. It was a form similar to hers, with a face, arms, and legs, yet it was wholly unlike her. Rell reached out, one finger extended.
"You mustn't touch. The rules. You know the rules." The calm voice became panicked. "Hands to yourself. No physical contact is allowed. You have not been cleansed."
Rell snapped her hand back. It was just as she'd always been taught. Touch was not allowed unless wanted by both parties. It was one of the tenets of her religion.
"See, now isn't that better?" This time the liquid moved in the center of the face as if it had lips and tongue to form the words. "You are with us, Rell, just as you always desired. We have desired it, too, but we were not able to reach you. Only the one time, but you were ripped away from us before we had the chance to greet you. Unfortunately, our ship was destroyed before we could fully reveal ourselves to you. A few of us were able to evacuate to this ship."
Rell had been a fervent believer her entire life, but her mother shattered her beliefs. Yet, here she was now, among the gods. It was as she'd told Torsten. Her heart pounded against her ribs. He hadn't believed her. He'd said the gods weren't real.
"What are you?" she asked, not sure which answer she wanted. The one that validated her beliefs, or the one that proved Torsten right.
"We are what you named the dragzhi."
"No, the dragzhi are on Phoenix. They are giant rock creatures bent on destruction and death," Rell said.
"They are one of us. We are one of them. We are one being, with three forms." The voice spoke kindly, as a mother would when educating her child.
"Three?" Rell asked.
"Earth. Liquid." The voice paused, almost hesitant. "The third is lost to us. That is why you are here, Rell. You can help us find the third."
"Me?" Rell was taken aback.
"That is why you were chosen to protect the Key. Your mission was a great success. Now those who sought the Key are trapped in their tower. We will destroy them, and you will help us locate the third."
Rell's head hurt. She didn't want to destroy Torsten, even though his friends had saved him and left her for dead. She couldn't blame them. She'd killed Mellok, and even though it had been accidental, she knew the others didn't believe it. But she could never hurt Torsten.
The thing—the dragzhi—undulating in front of her knew about her mission. No one else knew, other than Rell and the council. They had said the order came directly from the Menelewen Dored.
"Are you..." Rell didn't finish the sentence. How could she? Days ago, she woul
d have enthusiastically believed, but now? The dragzhi couldn't be the benevolent gods they worshipped underground. The dragzhi were the aliens who had been hunting down her kind, keeping them from returning to Earth. How could they achieve long-distance space travel when a dragzhi ship was always there to shoot them down?
The liquid human nodded anyway. "We are, Rell. Are you pleased to finally lay eyes upon your gods? Your people, the ones aboveground who fight us, may call us the dragzhi. But those underground and keep the old ways know our true name. We are the Menelewen Dored."
Her gods weren't gods. They were vile aliens. Her mother had indoctrinated Rell with beliefs that had determined every decision she’d made since her father's death, and all of it was because these aliens had tricked the humans into worshipping them. It was all a lie. Torsten had been right all along.
Her head spun as she stumbled backward toward the bed. Her hands grasped for purchase.
"Your confusion is understandable, Rell." The liquid thing moved closer to her, slithering like a snake across the floor. "You have always wanted to meet us. Now all of your hopes and dreams have come true."
Until days ago, it was all she'd wanted. To meet the gods. To stand in their presence. To bask in their divinity. This wasn't what she thought they'd be. Not the dragzhi. Not the greatest enemy of her people, both above and underground. They all feared the dragzhi.
"You were brought here as a reward. Others have, too, in the past. But you, Rell, you are the one we have been waiting for. You are the Key."
"The key to what?" she asked, her heart skipping.
"Why, the Key." The liquid jiggled, as if it were laughing.
"I'm the... Key?" Confusion reigned. How could she be the Key? It was the greatest weapon, given to them by the Menelewen Dored. For years, people had sought it, wanting to use the Key against the dragzhi, believing it was the only way they would win the war.
But now, the dragzhi said she was the Key. This thing in front of her, whatever it was, was insane. It was using her religion against her, to confuse her.
"We do not lie. We can read your mind, yes, but we do not take your memories and bend them to our will. We tell you the truth, Rell. Because you are of us. Because we love you."
"The Key has been spoken of long before I was born," Rell spat at the dragzhi. "I can't be the Key."
"Oh, but you can, Rell. You are. Yes, others have known of the Key for many years. It is true." It cocked its watery head to the side. "Why do you think so many have searched, but failed to find it? Because the Key had not yet taken form. It has form now. It is inside you. It is you."
Rell wanted to yell that she knew who her parents were. But she didn't. She only knew who her mother was. Her father, her biological father, was an unknown.
"You are wondering about your father." The dragzhi, still in liquid flux, came closer until it was only inches away from her face. "Your father is of us. Your father is the third. You will lead us to the third."
Rell recoiled. Her father was not a part of these aliens. She was just as human as Torsten. Whatever they wanted, she couldn't give it to them. She wouldn’t.
She’d spent most of her life blindly carrying out everyone else's wishes. Torsten had taught her to look inside. To trust her own instincts. Every fiber of her being was screaming, insisting she shouldn’t believe the dragzhi.
"No." Rell leaned forward, the tip of her nose almost touching the dragzhi. "I won't do it."
A breeze drifted over her face as the alien pulled away. "I am sorry to hear that, Rell. Sorry. So sorry. You will help us, whether you intend to or not. I gave you a choice, but you chose poorly. No matter. We will get what we need. We will find the third, and with you as our Key, we will unlock the door he hides behind. Do not fight, or it will hurt, Rell. We do not wish to hurt you."
"What are you going to do?" Her bravery was quickly replaced with terror. The dragzhi undulated around the room, spinning in a dizzying, angry dance.
"You will help us find the third, Rell. Help us. You will help us." The voice rose to a fevered pitch.
Rell threw her hands over her ears. The noise was just as disconcerting as the grinding from the rock dragzhi on Phoenix. Her eyes focused on the dragzhi, Rell tried to ignore the high keening coming from it.
“You will listen. You will do as we say!”
The room began to spin, and Rell felt herself falling, just as she had when she traveled with Torsten before. She swallowed and closed her eyes, letting it take her away.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Rell hit the ground with a thud, her shoulder aching from the impact. For gods, or aliens, or whatever they were, the dragzhi had a horrible method of transportation.
Rell was underground again and back in the pod where she'd been with Torsten before they'd gone aboveground in their attempt to get to the tower. She could still see the imprints on the dirt floor where they'd sat talking. Rell smiled. It was the first time she'd truly connected with another person. Before then, she'd kept her distance from others. Afraid to get to closer for fear she'd hurt them like she had her father.
Rell sat up, pushing her brown hair out of her face. She had no idea how they'd done it. The pink hair was gone, replaced the long hair she'd had all of her life.
Your natural hair pleases us.
Rell shrank back, looking frantically around the room. Someone was in there with her. One of them. Rell ripped the blanket off the bed to reveal nothing more than a lumpy mattress. She lifted the mattress from the ground, found nothing, and let it fall back with a loud thump. There was nothing else to search. No chests, no wardrobes. It was an empty pod.
It is just us here.
Rell held in a scream, her eyes wide. The voice wasn't coming from the room. It was coming from inside her. Just as clear as her own thoughts, the voice lingered in the back of her head.
You will take us to the third.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Rell insisted. "I don't know what a third is. Or who. Or where. Leave me alone. Please."
Rell lurched out of the pod into the lit tunnel. It must have been daytime. She pulled up the hood on her robe, exactly like the one she'd worn when she arrived in Renata's home. The dragzhi had changed her back fully to her former self. To the girl who did nothing other than please the gods.
And you have pleased us, Rell. Now take us to the third.
Rell attempted to empty her mind, a practice she'd perfected after her father's death. It was meant to let the dragzhi in, but now it would serve to keep them from learning anything she didn't want them to know.
She wandered the tunnels, trying to appear aimless. She had a goal, one she’d only briefly thought of. Hopefully she'd discarded it before the dragzhi inside her had caught on. Rell’s eyes wandered the dirt-encrusted walls, lingering on the roots weaving in and out of view.
That is not the third. Take us to the third.
Rell winced as a jolt of pain stabbed inside her head.
You think you do not know the third. You are wrong. If you will not take us, we will search your memories. We will find the third and force you to take us.
Rell fell to her knees, blinded by the pain. She collapsed, her nails digging into the dirt. Her fingers screamed with pain as they burrowed deeper, past the soft ground at the top. Her stomach fell to the ground. Rell's neck turned as her cheek flattened just above her hands. The screams of pain wouldn't burst from her lips. Instead, Rell gurgled, choking on her own breath.
Images swirled through her mind, as if her life was unwinding. Torsten. Her father. The stars. All of it flew past her, twirling in mad fury until only one image remained.
The volcano. The being of fire who took their sacrifices each year.
Rell's fingers were released from the earth and the pain in her head subsided. She sat up, tears streaming down her cheeks.
The third has been found! We rejoice. Take us to him. If you do not do so of your own volition, we will force you. But we do not want to hurt you
again, Rell. Do as we say, just as you have your whole life, and all will be well.
With quivering legs, Rell stood. One hand pressed against the dirt wall, steading herself. They had read her memories, yes, but whether or not they realized it, Rell had read theirs at the same time.
So it was the fire in the volcano. That was what the dragzhi sought. Their third. Their kind had three states: liquid, solid, and fire. And their third state had been hiding underground on this planet since long before the humans had crash landed. The dragzhi had only been trying to come down and claim their third species. Rell's ancestors had stopped them at every turn, refusing to work with them. In retaliation, the dragzhi had blown up every rescue ship from Earth that had come to their aid. None of those ships reached Phoenix. The humans never knew their people had come for them.
That wasn't the worst of it. Once they discovered Rell’s existence, she became their greatest asset. Her mother had been human, but her father, her biological father, had been something very, very different. One of the dragzhi. When Rell had come to their ship with Torsten, they had realized what she was. Rell straddled both species—human and dragzhi.
Sick to her stomach, Rell stumbled forward, heading to the volcano. She had no other choice. If she didn't go, they would force her. The pain was too great to bear, and she knew if she fought, they would disable her again. And it wouldn't end well. Once they had what they wanted, they would kill her. She wasn't convinced they'd let her live, even if she cooperated.
Rell staggered down the tunnel, her eyes wet and her brow furrowed. Anger fought with sadness. Everything had been a lie, and it went much deeper than anyone knew. Even her mother hadn't a clue who’d impregnated her. The man had been brought to her, then spirited away. She had confided her night of fiery pleasure to the council of the Menelewen Dored, who had then forced her into a marriage with the man Rell had always believed was her father. A baby was born to them nine months later, and Rell was raised just like all the other children underground.
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