“Something happened the instant I touched that weapon. A layer of darkness consumed me, and I couldn’t push through it. I was aware that I was unconscious but conscious within my own mind at the same time.”
I look over at Beck. “I … I saw flashbacks, of the day out on the road with the first Herassan.” I look up at Dane and Maddox. “I don’t think that creepy creature in Jack’s body was the one who infected me with a curse. I think it was the Herassan. I was so freaked out over all the changes happening to me that I didn’t give any thought to the stuff he was spouting that day, but the words just came back to me.”
I don’t know how to explain that I know I’m right, but it’s like all the other stuff that’s come instinctually. I know what I’ve just said is the truth, even if I’ve no way to prove it.
That thing in Jack’s body didn’t infect me; it happened during my very first alien encounter.
Beck’s eyes sharpen, and he taps a button on his tablet. “Do you think you could repeat any of the words? It could help identify the curse, and we might be able to use that to trace the origins and find out who did this to you.”
I rub at my temples. “I don’t know, but I’ll try.” I pause, closing my eyes and taking deep breaths. “Just give me a minute.” My mind conjures up the memory almost unaided. The words float clearly through my mind, and I repeat them out loud, ad verbatim. I’m too busy concentrating on repeating them to actually listen to what I’m saying, but when I finish, and I open my eyes, all four boys are gawking at me with their mouths open. I shift uncomfortably on Coop’s lap. “What?” I ask Dane through hooded eyes.
Beck presses a button on his laptop and the recording plays. My lilting tone fills the room, and I gasp. It barely even sounds like me, and the alien words glide off my tongue like a native speaker. I’ve shocked even myself. Holy crap. “How were you able to repeat that?” Beck’s tone is a mix of shock and awe.
I shrug. “How have I been able to do any of the weird shit I’ve done? I don’t know.” I tap a finger off the side of my head. “I know the answers are embedded in here, and it just comes naturally on occasions.”
“Always at times of stress or trauma,” Beck muses.
“Which isn’t good,” Coop adds. “I can’t believe her parents would’ve meant for it to work like that.”
“I’m sure they didn’t,” Beck agrees. “But whatever this curse is, it’s messing with the natural order of things. I’m guessing the knowledge is trying to work around the curse, to find an outlet, and times of heightened emotion give it an edge.” His brow creases in concentration. “It’s all supposition though.”
“Do you have any idea what language that was?” Dane asks Beck.
“Not a clue. I’ve already trawled my mind, and I can’t find any mention of it, but it seems obvious it’s part of the same old magic, like the curse itself and the strange symbol on the knife. It’s got to be connected.”
“I agree, but I can’t understand why no one knows anything about it.”
“What about Zorc?” Coop asks. “Did you ask him?”
“He doesn’t have a clue,” Dane says, but I notice how he doesn’t look Coop in the eye. A sixth sense tells me he’s lying, and I wonder what he’s hiding. A tiny nugget of suspicion buries its way inside me. Dane promised he wouldn’t keep me in the dark again, and I gave him—gave all of them—my trust. If I find out he’s concealing stuff from me again, I won’t be as forgiving a second time around.
And I know how hypocritical that sounds coming from the girl hiding a dark premonition, but my fear is driving the need to keep that secret, and I don’t think the same emotion is the motivating factor in Dane’s case.
“I’ll send that recording to my contact. He might be able to shed some light on it,” Beck says, and Dane nods.
“Good idea. Let me know if he has any intel.” He looks thoughtful as he turns to me. “I was planning on requesting a language translator for you while we were here, but perhaps you don’t need it.”
“What’s a language translator?” I ask the obvious question even if I could take an educated guess.
“We all have one,” Maddox says, stretching his head back and pressing his fingers to the base of his throat.
“It automatically translates foreign languages so we can understand and communicate with a wide host of species,” Beck adds.
“It enables us to hear them in our language, and when we speak, it translates it into their language,” Coop supplies.
“Wow. I can see how that would come in handy.” I look up at Dane. “You don’t think I need that now?”
He shrugs. “I can’t be sure, but call it a hunch. I have a feeling once you awaken you will have that ability naturally.”
A shiver dances over my soul at the mention of “awakening.” I’m somewhat in denial about the whole process and kinda dreading my eighteenth birthday now. No one knows how the process works, or what I’ll turn into, and that freaks me out.
A siren wails from the control room, and Dane and Maddox spin around. “That’s the ninety-second warning. Strap in,” Dane instructs.
“Ninety-second warning of what?” I ask as Coop slides me into my own seat and buckles me in. Beck straps himself in on the other side of me. “Ninety seconds to warp speed.”
“What the what?”
Coop’s answering grin is wide. “You’ve watched Star Wars, right?”
“Well, duh. Of course. What self-respecting human on the planet hasn’t?”
Cooper kisses me quickly. “Stars, you’re so fucking cute and no more human than Jabba the Hut.”
“Are you comparing me to that gross, bloated, slimy piece of shit?” I pin him with a mock scowl.
“Not for a second, beautiful.” He tweaks my nose. “And you know it.”
I roll my eyes. “Are you saying we’re going to hit the hyper drive like the Millennium Falcon?”
“Yep. It’s pretty damn awesome.” Coop leans back, crossing his ankles leisurely, as if this isn’t that big of a deal, and grinning at me.
“Get ready.” Dane’s calm voice echoes through some hidden sound system in the cabin. “We’re entering hyperspace in three, two, one …”
I’m frozen in fear as the ship blasts forward like a streak of lightning, causing every organ in my body to shudder and shake, even if the trajectory of the ship is relatively smooth. Outside, the dark recesses of outer space are a blur as we move faster than the speed of light. I grip the armrests and hold my breath, vaguely aware of Coop’s amused chuckle. In a manner of minutes, we burst out of the blurry tunnel into the quiet, blank canvas of deep space. I crane my neck to see out the window. In the near distance, I see a vibrant orange planet beckoning us.
“That’s Cerlyon,” Beck says.
“Holy shit,” I exclaim. “This is so surreal.” It’s like I’ve transported into a Sci-Fi movie, because this stuff seems so farfetched, but I can’t avoid the truth. The magnitude of everything I’ve learned so far about myself, the boys, our heritage, and our destiny pales into insignificance in this moment. Nothing drives the point home more clearly than sitting in an alien spaceship, hovering above a strange planet, deep in outer space, waiting to land in the place where the boys grew up and to meet the mysterious handler, Zorc.
This is it. My new reality. The seriousness of the situation hits me like a ton of bricks.
I’ve been in denial ever since the guys explained about my destiny. In part, that’s down to my dad’s passing. I’ve been in a haze of grief and too overwhelmed to face up to anything else, but I can’t deflect this now. This is real. This is what my future entails, and I’m more petrified than I’ve ever been in my life.
How am I expected to do this? How can I lead an army into battle and bring peace to the galaxy? Especially if I can’t figure out how to use my powers. I’m suddenly suffocating under the weight of potential failure and the considerable pressure of the responsibility and the expectation on my shoulders.
Appro
aching footfall forces me to drop my dreary inner monologue.
“You doing okay, Alinthia?” Dane asks, scrutinizing my face.
“Peachy,” I lie.
Dane and Maddox drop into seats alongside us. “I want to discuss a few things before we land,” Dane says, and we all give him our undivided attention. “Zorc wants to keep our visit on the down-low, so we’re meeting him in his mountain retreat, far from prying eyes. He wants an opportunity to talk with Alinthia, and I know Alinthia has some questions for him”—he pins me with a curious look—“but we won’t extend our stay beyond that.”
“So, what you’re saying is this is a flying visit?” Coop quips, and his brothers groan. I titter, grateful that Cooper can always be counted on to lighten the mood.
“Asshat.” Dane playfully shoves his brother. “But yes. We need to maintain a low profile, stick together, get in and out without detection.”
I want to quiz him more, but he stands. “Beck, a word in private, please.”
Beck and Dane return to the cockpit to talk privately, and I wonder what it is he can’t say in front of all of us. “Any freaking out yet?” Maddox asks with a knowing smile.
“A little,” I admit. “Before, everything I’ve learned was a bit out there, you know? Now it’s front and center stage and it’s overwhelming.”
“We know how you feel,” Maddox says. “When we were first sent out on our mission, every new place freaked us out. The scale and sheer vastness of the universe is a lot to take in, and we’ve grown up knowing what we are and what’s expected of us.”
“But you won’t be doing this alone, Alinthia,” Cooper cuts in. “You have masses of support across the galaxy, so the greatest challenge is mobilizing your supporters and motivating your allies to stick by your side.”
“Oh, that’s all,” I deadpan. “And let’s not forget figuring out how to control my powers, and there’s still my awakening to deal with.”
Maddox takes my hand, lifting it to his face and kissing the tips of my fingers. “You’ll get there. We have complete faith in you.”
“We’ve all seen what you’re capable of, Alinthia,” Coop supplies. “We know you’ve got this.”
Their unrelenting loyalty bolsters me more than they can imagine. I reach out, threading my fingers in Cooper’s, so I’m holding both boys’ hands. “I don’t know what I’d do without you all,” I whisper. “I’m so lucky to have you.”
“We’re the lucky ones, beautiful. And you’ve no idea what you’ve done for us.”
The emotion of the moment is broken up when Beck steps back into the cabin. He shuffles awkwardly on his feet. “Eh, Maddox, Dane needs you for landing.”
Maddox kisses my cheek before rising. He slaps Beck on the shoulder as he passes, and Beck returns to his seat, avoiding eye contact.
The ship starts moving forward, tilting at a downward angle, descending toward the glowing orange planet in front of us. We’re about to breach the planetary surface when Beck takes my hand in his. His touch is tentative, like he’s scared he might break my bones if he holds my hand tight, but I don’t care. The fact he’s doing this means so much. My heart swells in my chest, and I turn to smile at him. His cheeks are a customary pinkish-red as he gives my hand a tiny squeeze.
Bracing myself for the next stage of our journey, I hold my boys’ hands firmly. Renewed confidence thrums through my veins—I know I can overcome any obstacle once I have these guys in my corner.
CHAPTER 13
My eyes are glued to the observation window as Dane navigates a path through Cerlyon. Vast mountains appear in all directions as Dane maneuvers the ship with skill through a cloudy layer. Vibrant reds and oranges streak across the vivid sky, and my eyes pop wide at the unbelievable sight. Coop urges me up, and I release my harness and follow him to the window. With my face pressed into the glass, I peer at the barren landscape below. Rugged, rust-colored terrain extends for miles and miles, unspoiled and unoccupied, surrounded on both sides by mammoth mountains that stretch high into the sky. “Where does everyone live?” I ask as we continue to glide smoothly over the empty landscape.
“This planet was sparsely occupied when the APGP moved in,” Beck explains, materializing on my other side. “That’s one of the main reasons why the elders selected it as the perfect location for the Academy. The searing heat, claustrophobic atmosphere, and lack of natural water doesn’t lend itself to habitation, but it suited the needs of the Academy perfectly. They’ve built a base between mountainous plains, created an artificial environment which makes the conditions more pleasant to live in, and cloaked the whole place in an invisibility shield. Those who are trained here swear solemn allegiance to protect its location, and we are all injected with an anti-truth serum which prevents us from ever divulging the whereabouts of the facility. Visitors are few and far between, and those that are permitted to visit are subject to a memory erase procedure before they leave. Protecting the work they do here is of vital importance, and they take no chances.”
“Is that why Zorc wants to keep my visit under wraps?”
Beck shrugs. “Most likely that’s a big part of it.”
“So, no one else lives here besides members of the Academy?”
“All the original occupants moved on once the Academy moved in, so, yes, it’s an exclusive community.”
I can’t imagine what it must’ve been like to grow up in such an environment, and my heart aches for the guys. I’ve had plenty of reason these last couple weeks to curse my birth parent’s decision to send me to Earth, frustrated at my failings and my lack of knowledge of my true heritage. But, standing here, scanning the dusty, barren, lonely landscape, I know I definitely drew the long straw. No matter what challenges the future brings, I wouldn’t change my past.
Not for a split second.
I’m glad I grew up on Earth. That I had a happy childhood, and I got to live for seventeen, almost eighteen, years, carefree and ignorant. I will learn to control my abilities and assume the role mapped out for me, but the guys can never go back and change their history. The burden they’ve lived with their entire lives has stopped them from having a normal existence, and that makes me sad.
I plant a chaste kiss on Beck’s cheek before turning to Coop and doing the same. “I hate that we didn’t grow up together, that you guys didn’t have a normal childhood. It wasn’t right or fair.” My voice is choked with emotion.
“It wasn’t that bad,” Coop says, trying to shrug it off, but I know it was no picnic. Anytime I’ve tried to draw the guys out on their childhood, they clam up.
“We had each other, and we lived for the day when we’d be reunited with you,” Beck says softly, looking at me with flushed cheeks. “That kept us going when things got rough.”
I want to ask more, but I don’t. We’ll be landing shortly, and now isn’t the right time, but I’m determined to get the guys to open up while we’re here.
The ship dips between two triangular-shaped peaks, lowering slowly into the deep recesses sandwiched by rugged, mountainous plains on all sides. A large black circular-shaped platform awaits us, and the boys skillfully land the ship in one fluid move.
“We’re here,” Beck says, and I squash my nose into the glass, looking down. An impressive-looking structure rests a few feet below us, nestled along the side of the mountain. It extends over three levels, jutting out at various different angles on the side. It has a flat white roof, and the house is composed of a strange almost mirror-like substance. It’s all shiny and reflective and like nothing I’ve ever seen before.
“This is Zorc’s private residence. All the senior handlers have one on the planet. Everyone else lives in the main compound,” Cooper explains before I’ve even had time to pose the question. “I’ve only been here one other time. Dane is the main liaison.”
“Because of his role?”
“Yeah.”
“What nationality is Zorc? Is he a Verronian, like us?”
Beck shakes his head. �
�No. He’s from a small planet on the outskirts of the western galaxy.”
I frown, a little confused. “I thought the Academy was made up purely of Verronians? That’s not the case?”
Beck shakes his head again. “The prophecy is not unique to Verron. You remember when we spoke about Nantor and how it was once the hub of all political power in the galaxy?” I nod. “A large number of species were allied with Nantor, and when the prophecy was first discovered, most of those races supported it, and they have done since.”
“So you have a vast array of different species within the Academy, both within the trainee ranks and the elders,” Coop interjects. “It’s one big melting pot of diversity.”
“It’s an honor for any species to have a child selected to train in the Academy, and the highest honor is reserved for those who are chosen to join the elders,” Beck continues.
Dane and Maddox step into the cabin then. “Ready, princess?” Maddox elevates one eyebrow as he bends down to retrieve our bags.
“As I’ll ever be.” I’m grateful my voice appears confident even though I’m a quivery ball of nerves on the inside.
“Let’s rock and roll, boys and girl,” Coop drawls, taking my bag off my shoulder and swinging it over his own.
I’m pleasantly surprised when Beck slips his hand in mine again, and I let him guide me off the ship. Maddox glances over, acknowledging our conjoined hands with a subtle smile. We emerge outside onto the smooth platform, and a pleasant, warm, balmy breeze swirls around me. “I thought you said it was scorching hot here?”
“It is,” Dane confirms, striding forward. “Zorc has the whole place under a protective shield, so this is all artificial. If you were to go outside the boundaries of his residence, the heat would burn your skin upon impact.”
“Well, that’s reassuring,” I mumble under my breath.
Dane places his hand on the side of a clear plastic tubular shape resting at the edge of the platform. The doors glide open with a soft whirring sound, and we step into the chamber. The instant we’re all inside, the doors close and the chamber plummets downward at speed, along with my heart, but I stay quiet, channeling calmness. I don’t want the guys to think I’m freaking out at every step of the way.
The Secret Heir (Alinthia Series Book 2) Page 9