Samiah dismounted and walked to the edge of what looked like a cliff. It wasn't a far drop, and she could see the path Lochiana and Chrysa had probably used to get down. But what made Samiah's eyes widen and her jaw drop was the wreckage of a spacecraft bigger than anything she had ever seen, half-buried in the rocky ground below. Even if Samiah hadn’t understood a thing about starships, she would have known the one she stared at wasn’t Arcadian.
"The Sacred Powers have mercy on us," Gary said.
Samiah didn't need to glance at her companions to know they were as excited and astonished as she was. Malachiax wrapped an arm around her shoulder and together they stared at the remnants of the alien spacecraft.
They made the trek down the path and joined Lochiana and Chrysa, who was the only one in their group without an ounce of surprise on her face.
"How did you know about this place?" Samiah asked.
She cocked her head and shrugged. "I didn't."
"But you said—"
"Chrysa has the sight. Sometimes the messages or visions are not clear," Femror interrupted.
"I've never met an Oracle before." Durgin stared at Chrysa in awe. "How does it work?"
Femror cut a glare in Durgin's direction. "That's a bit intrusive, don't you think? How does it feel to have your gift, whatever that may be?"
Durgin narrowed his eyes at Femror, and Samiah saw their antagonizing auras. Just fucking great. Another pair, she thought bitterly.
Malachiax placed himself between the duo.
"That's okay, Femror. I don't mind answering him.” Chrysa looked into Durgin’s eyes without fear. “It feels like a supercharged hunch or a compulsion, like today. I felt the pull and a single word popped into my head. Gattica. Unfortunately, I don't know what it means."
"Do you think this cave is called Gattica?" Samiah asked.
"Maybe."
"No, not the cave," Gary said from far ahead, very close to the wreckage already. "It's the name of the spacecraft."
They followed Gary, and when Samiah stood next to him, she was able to read the name Gattica painted in silver lettering on the side of the ship.
"How long do you think it has been here?" She stepped closer to it. Malachiax reached out and placed a hand on her forearm.
"Be careful. You don't know if it's stable."
She gave him a droll look. "It seems it hasn't moved in a hundred years."
Durgin kept staring at the spacecraft with a narrowed gaze, then turned to Chrysa. "Are you getting any new supercharged hunches about the ship?"
To Samiah's surprise, the young princess smirked at Durgin, much to Femror's displeasure, if Samiah were to guess by the deep frown on his forehead.
"I think we should investigate, see if there's a way in," Gary said.
"We should get moving," Lochiana replied, but the long glance the Morian gave the spacecraft told Samiah she was as curious about the alien intergalactic vessel as Gary was. Who was she kidding—she was dying to explore as well.
"The sandstorm still rages outside," Femror said.
"How do you know? Do you have the sight too?" Durgin asked, but the question felt more like a taunt than pure curiosity.
Femror rolled his eyes. "Arcadians, so out of touch with nature. I can feel it in my bones, in my blood."
Durgin merely harrumphed and broke eye contact first. "Let's find a way in."
They walked the perimeter of the massive ship, careful about where they stepped. The hull was a dull gray, with scars and scorch marks scattered along its massive body. The part that jutted out of the rock was as tall as the Argamanx castle, and Samiah could only guess how much of its body was buried in the ground. If she craned her neck, she could make out small windows in certain parts along the side. Samiah had a strong suspicion this gargantuan beast could have been perhaps a colonization starship. Her heartbeat accelerated at the idea.
“I believe I found it.” Gary had stopped in front of a ramp leading to a wide-open entrance. Nothing could be seen within the darkness that devoured its interior, and yet the Jackurian didn't hesitate as he went up.
Samiah searched inside her sack and found a couple of light orbs. She joined Gary and gave him one. "Here."
"Oh yes, thank you. I could use some light." He reached out with his right hand, having forgotten he no longer had it. He clenched his jaw before he picked up the light with his left hand. Samiah wanted to say something, but all words of encouragement she could think of felt hollow.
They should have not bothered with the light orbs, for the moment they crossed into the spacecraft, automatic overhead lights turned on with a crackling noise, scaring the shit out of Samiah.
"Interesting," Gary said.
"Yes, it's almost as if they are—"
"Fluorescent," Femror completed Samiah's sentence. He caught her stare and gave her a sheepish grin. "I have memories of this."
"How is that possible? Have you been here before?"
He shook his head. "Nope."
“Then how can you have memories of something you’ve never seen before?”
Femror shrugged. “I don’t know.”
"Why am I not surprised?" Durgin muttered to himself.
"You better watch your tongue, royal prick spawn."
"Or what?" Durgin took a step toward Femror with fists closed by his sides.
"Ugh! Enough with this back-and-forth bickering. We're trapped in a cave, not knowing if we will ever make it to the portal, and you two idiots are trying to win a ‘who has the biggest dick’ contest. Get some perspective." Lochiana stomped ahead and left Femror and Durgin staring at her back, both speechless.
Gary whistled. “That got intense quickly.”
Malachiax chuckled, and just like that, the atmosphere became less tense.
The ramp ended on a grid pathway and underneath it, Samiah could see metal pipes running along its length. Sleek sliding doors were at the end, and when Lochiana stood in front of them, they parted automatically. Samiah wondered what was powering the spacecraft. She also noticed that, despite the film of dust that covered the spacecraft’s hull, its interior was fairly clean.
The doors opened to another corridor, much darker and narrower than the first. The walls were covered with some type of silver metal. The illumination wasn’t as bright, and it gave the narrow passage an eerie ambience. Samiah felt like anything could jump on them. At the end of the tunnel, they found a single door, but unlike the first, this one didn't open automatically. In fact, it looked Arcadian-made, and the metal didn't match the one from the walls. It had a crystal screen similar to the ones Samiah had seen in some high-level security buildings in Argamania. Gary touched the screen, and it lit up blue at first, then red with an “Access Denied” message flashing on it.
“Strange.” Gary took a step back.
Durgin took Gary’s spot and pressed his palm against it. The light turned green right before they heard a click.
“What in the world?” Gary said.
Durgin looked over his shoulder, and if it weren’t for his astonished expression, Samiah would have believed he had been lying to all of them.
“I smell something foul,” Femror said.
Okay, so not everyone believes Durgin’s innocence.
He pushed the heavy door forward and entered the room. Lights again turned on automatically, and Samiah could guess from the peek she got from the door that it was some sort of lab. She followed Durgin and took notice of the workstations, the carbonox scanners, and digital microscopes—all Arcadian technology as far as she could tell. The room was bright and sterile, and there was a sharp smell in the air she couldn’t place. Tall glass cylinders stood clustered on one side of the room filled almost to the top with milky water. Samiah thought she saw something move inside and got closer. When she stood near it, a blue light at the base of the cylinder switched on, revealing what was inside.
Samiah screamed.
Chapter 33
Durgin's mind was churning as he took stoc
k of his father’s top-secret project. He had been there before when he was an experiment himself, but the exact location had been scrubbed from his mind. No wonder the scan recognized his palm print; he had been allowed to explore the cave, for the scientists believed they had complete control over him. At some point, Durgin had believed the few memories he had of this place were nothing but a figment of his imagination, or worse, a result of his mutation. He couldn’t believe they had stumbled upon it almost by accident. No, not by accident, Durgin thought as he turned to stare at the beautiful Draki female. Chrysa led us here.
Samiah stood in front of a tall glass cylinder, petrified after screaming at the top of her lungs. Durgin had no interest in investigating what had spooked his cousin's mate; he knew what kind of grotesque creatures he would find inside the cylinders.
The strong smell of formalin irritated Durgin's nose and brought memories to the surface he’d worked hard to bury. All his companions were interested in the glass cylinders now, but Durgin ignored them and went straight to the main crystal table.
He pressed his palm against the screen and the device turned to life with a series of low beeping sounds. The screen prompted Durgin to insert a password and he cursed under his breath. He hadn't the faintest idea what it could be. He wasn't foolish enough to believe his father had used his name or Drex's, so he typed Lochiana's name instead, but the crystal screen turned red. Then he typed his mother's name, Lini, thinking Lord Droom would be twisted enough to use the name of the woman he loathed. Still wrong. Durgin had one more attempt before the system shut down and an alert was sent to his father. As a matter of fact, he might have already known of their presence, which meant they couldn't linger.
"Try ‘sharra matrix,’ all lowercase," Chrysa said next to his ear, spooking Durgin. He hadn't even noticed her approach. Durgin spent a few seconds staring at her striking face, unable to tear his eyes away. She turned and their gazes collided. He had always thought he had an unusual eye color—deep purple, almost electric—but hers would win any contest. Her prism-colored eyes were brighter than normal; they almost glowed.
"I had another supercharged hunch." She grinned, mistaking his attention for a question.
He forced his gaze away and typed in the password Chrysa had provided. The crystal screen turned green and an array of icons with strange names and numbers appeared for them.
"I'm beginning to love your hunches," he said, almost to himself, but Chrysa heard him. She took a sharp intake of breath, and from the corner of his eye, Durgin caught her wringing her hands together. He cleared his throat and continued, "Any particular icon that catches your attention?"
She moved closer to the crystal screen, and consequently, closer to him. Durgin didn't move; he actually quite enjoyed the proximity. Chrysa squinted at the screen and let her delicate hand hover over it, not touching anything. Then she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Durgin watched, mesmerized, as her hand moved slowly over the screen before it dashed across in a swift movement and pressed on a small black dot in the bottom corner. Durgin hadn't even noticed it.
The image with the icons disappeared only to be replaced by a series of charts and data. They were scientific notes, Durgin realized. A surge of excitement went through him. He had no doubt that he must download the notes somehow. If only he had a com-slip with him.
"What's that?" Gary appeared on Durgin's other side.
"Clues to what my father is really up to and perhaps what he wants with the Spheres of Sharra. I need to find a way to download the data."
Gary pulled a strange apparatus from his sack and said, "Would images work?"
"What's that?" Durgin asked.
"A camera from before holograms and crystal tables existed."
"And does it still work?"
"It did before. I hope it didn’t sustain water damage when we faced the Seven Sisters."
Durgin moved so Gary could have a better angle to register the images with his camera. He sure hoped Gary's peculiar gadget proved useful.
"What the fuck is this place?" Femror asked as he joined the group, and Durgin was suddenly irritated. The Draki warrior rubbed him the wrong way.
"A lab. Isn't it obvious?" Durgin replied.
Femror growled, and Durgin regarded him with an innocent look, but the twist of his lips revealed his true feelings.
"The starship is not of Arcadian make, but this lab is. I don't understand," Samiah said, breaking the tension.
"What I want to know is why the scanner recognized your print, Durgin." Lochiana crossed her arms in front of her chest and watched him through slits.
Durgin clenched his jaw and avoided the woman’s scrutinizing gaze. He didn't wish to disclose the reasons why. He didn't want them to know he was just as freakish as those creatures inside the cylinders, even if he didn't look like a monster.
"Hello, everyone? You need to come look at this," Malachiax said from the other side of the room.
Durgin was glad for the interruption, and for that reason, he was the first to walk in his cousin's direction. He stopped abruptly when he saw what Malachiax had discovered. He stood in front of the biggest cylinder of all, thrice the size of the others. The only problem was that the glass was shattered; whatever had been inside was gone.
"Anyone have any idea what broke free of that?" Femror asked.
"Whatever it was, we can't stay here to find out," Durgin said. No sooner had his voice echoed in the room than they heard a low skittering sound.
"What was that?"
Gary had crouched in front of the cylinder’s base and read from the identification tag on it. "Specimen Kraken-3P.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” Femror muttered just before the far wall in the back of the lab exploded in a shower of twisted metal and torn cables. In the middle of the debris stood a creature the size of a hover transport. Eight legs protruded from its shelled body; and where the face should be, a four-lip mouth opened like a carnivorous flower. Its eyes were inside. It was the most grotesque thing Durgin had ever seen.
"Everybody, run!" he commanded before his father's monster jumped.
The group broke apart when the monster landed in the middle where they had been. Durgin grabbed Chrysa's hand and dragged her with him out of the lab first.
"Head to the exit! We can't get trapped inside the ship," he screamed over his shoulder. He didn't dare slow down to see if the others had followed them.
There was a sound of metal being crushed right before an enraged roar.
"Femror!" Chrysa shouted and tried to pull away from Durgin.
"Keep going!" He dragged her along. He couldn’t let that monster get near her, no matter the cost. They emerged outside and Durgin practically threw Chrysa over her mount. The H5s, despite all the manipulation done to their brains, were anxious and ready to bolt. A common animal would have done that already, but these creatures had been engineered to suppress their most basic instincts of survival.
Gary, Samiah, and Malachiax practically flew out of the ship, breathing hard and scared shitless.
"Where are the others?" Durgin asked.
"I don't know. They were right behind us." Samiah looked over her shoulder and paused.
Without warning, Chrysa took off, charging up the ramp and back into the spacecraft before Durgin could stop her.
He cursed, then turned to Malachiax. "Take the spheres and get to the portal. Don't come after us." His voice had a different timbre to it, and Durgin recognized he had used his gift by accident. He should take the order back, but he wasn't thinking straight. Without a glance back, he went after Chrysa.
Chapter 34
Femror watched Durgin drag his sister out of the lab, and for the first time since he’d met the Arcadian, he was thankful to him. One less person for Femror to worry about. The nightmarish creature roared as it snapped its gargantuan claws up in the air. He had no doubt they would crush his bones as if they were made of sand. Unluckily for him, the beast stood in his way to the exit.<
br />
He pulled the small dagger from his belt, wishing he hadn't lost his spear in the Seven Sisters. He felt quite ridiculous facing the monster with such a feeble weapon, but he would have to make do. From the corner of his eye, he caught Lochiana standing up from where she had fallen. Damn it! What is she still doing here? She glanced at the way out before she shifted her gaze in Femror's direction and hesitated.
"What are you waiting for? Go!" he shouted at her, which was a mistake on his part.
The giant critter switched its attention to her. Probably thinking she was easier and more appetizing prey, it dashed in her direction faster than Femror could blink, its eight legs moving so fast they became a blur. Lochiana jumped out of the way just in time, only to crash against a metal table and fall with a loud crack.
Femror didn't think twice before he went after the beast, jumping high enough to land on its shelled back. He jammed the dagger with all his might right in the middle of the beast's head, hoping it would be a killing blow. All he managed to do was enrage the monster more. Using the embedded dagger as leverage, Femror ducked when those monstrous claws attempted to cut him in half. The creature began to thrash violently until Femror lost his grip on the dagger and fell to the floor, rolling out of the way right before the monster could spear him to the ground. Its claw broke right through solid metal in the spot Femror had been. He got back up again, but he wasn't fast enough to avoid the clawed back-blow to his midsection. The impact sent him careening across the room where he hit a metal shelf, pain shooting up his back.
The monster came at him again, and Femror realized he was trapped. He jumped to his feet and assumed a defensive position. He was positively crazy to attempt hand-to-claw combat, but what other choice did he have? The beast opened its freakish mouth to reveal rows of sharp teeth. Femror clenched his jaw as his body tensed with coiled energy, ready to unleash.
That was until his sister came back into the room, mounted on her H5 like a true warrior princess, and shifted Femror’s attention. Without fear, she charged against the beast and collided against its side. Her mount let out a loud shriek when the monster pierced its chest with its sharp claw. Chrysa had already jumped off, nimble as a catling, and out of the beast’s reach. Pride filled Femror's chest. He had no idea she was that agile.
Myths & Magic: A Science Fiction and Fantasy Collection Page 347