by Lisa Lace
I smiled bitterly to myself, recalling Aunt Meredith’s lecture about safety. She might not like what I did, but she couldn’t see me out here. I took every possible precaution to protect myself.
A manual crank gave me control of the speed of my descent into the pit. Most of the water from the stream had already slid off the protective outer layer of my clothes, but it was still chilly in the dark passage. Even with my headlamp, I could only see rugged, rocky walls and tufts of moss sticking out of fissures.
Despite my preparation, I was starting to feel regret. The occasional drips of water and soft scuttling of insects were constant reminders that I was completely alone. What if the rope on my harness snapped? I wondered how long it would take for anyone to miss me. Would they even find me at all?
This was no time to fret. I had come this far, and I wasn’t about to turn back. I took a deep breath, stowed the stray thoughts in the back of my mind, and forged ahead.
After fifteen minutes, I finally hit the ground. I landed on my feet and unfastened the harness. Brushing off the dirt on my arms and legs, I looked around me. My eyes fell on a circular, knee-high tunnel on the rocky wall opposite me. It looked promising, but I didn’t want to crawl.
I crouched down in front of the opening and withdrew a probe from my backpack. The mechanical device could report on the dimensions and length of the passage. It woke from slumber when I pressed a button under its flat belly. Eight metal legs and an antenna with a bulb attached to it extended from the palm-sized robot. I turned the key on its back and set it loose. The probe scampered into the darkness, legs moving so quickly that they looked like a cloud of cicadas.
The bot soon returned, climbing up my arm and jumping into the backpack. It seemed safe to explore, so I put on some elbow and knee guards, got down on all fours, and slid through the tunnel opening. Unfortunately the robot didn’t tell me that the air smelled like sulfur and old pickles. Knowing better than to dawdle or look around me, I crawled as quickly as I could, staring straight ahead.
The farther I went, the heavier my backpack felt. My knees were starting to get raw despite the protection. I didn’t even want to think about the cold goop accumulating on my elbows.
When I saw the subtle shades of blue light scattered across the cave walls, I immediately knew that everything had been worth it. I turned off my headlamp. The natural light emanating from thousands of maddeus crystals was enough to illuminate the whole cavern.
Even better, the wretched smell was gone.
As I gave myself a tour of the cavern, I noticed that the only sounds I heard were the echoes of my footsteps. I had seen many pictures of this legendary place, but none of them prepared me for the reality. I removed my gloves so I could feel the smooth, cold minerals in the walls with my hands.
I could smell the sweet scent of credits in the air.
A single maddeus tree grew in the middle of the cavern. Even though the trunk of the twenty-foot tree was gnarly and twisted, it looked sturdy. Bright orbs of light floated over its silver branches. When I approached the tree, I noticed that the orbs were small clusters of crystals. The limbs of the trees intrigued me. They steadily rose and fell as if the tree were breathing.
After taking pictures and jotting down a couple of measurements, I slung my backpack over my shoulder and walked up to the tree. It was time to get to work. I put my gloves on again and took out a vial. Inspecting the trunk carefully, I squeezed an arm through the branches and started to fill the container with maddeus sap. I managed to fill three vials full of the sticky silver liquid before moving on.
The next thing I needed was a sample of maddeus crystal. I started working on the biggest cluster, going to one knee and pulling out a portable blowtorch and hacksaw. After I had pulled my visor down, I turned on the blowtorch and started working on the edge of the crystals.
Sparks flew out from the flames of the blowtorch, flying in all directions. The heat cracked the polished edge of the clump. Reluctant to permanently damage the growing cluster, I put the torch aside and reached for the hacksaw, which would give me more control. I cut through an ember-red crack with the serrated edge of the blade and started slowly slicing through the cluster.
As I dragged the hacksaw back and forth, the sounds of crunching mineral filled the cavern. The crystals began to glow in a repeating cycle of white, blue, and green. The combination of soothing sensations must have sent me into a daze because I failed to hear the footsteps creeping up behind me.
“Christine Blackwood. Get on your feet!”
A loud foot stomping accompanied the strange gravelly voice. I froze. An unsettling prickling sensation pulsed down my body. My throat suddenly felt tight and dry.
“I said, get up, human. Don’t even think about reaching for your weapon. You’re outnumbered, and we’ve got you covered.”
I slowly withdrew my hand from my belt and stood up. Goosebumps budded out from my skin. My body might betray me, but I always tried to keep calm in the face of danger. I raised my hands over my head and turned around cautiously.
A group of five Urwanian men and women stood before me with weapons drawn. They all wore identical form-fitting combat suits. Silver detailed their black breastplates, and each had matching emblems on the top right corner of their armor. I narrowed my eyes at the spiral mark closest to me. I could make out the Urwanian ‘Mag’ syllable in the middle, but otherwise, it didn’t look familiar.
The Urwanian man with the long dark plait spoke up again, cocking his neutralizer threateningly.
“I don’t mean to be rude, but who are you people?”
“It doesn’t matter who we are. If you hand it over, there won’t be any trouble.”
“Hand what over?” I forced myself to look away from the neutralizer barrels pointed directly at me to frown at him. “I could be a lot more helpful if you explained yourselves.”
“The pillar of Galzen.”
To my surprise, I recognized the voice. The Urwanians made a path for the newcomer. A face I knew disturbingly well poked out from behind them. My heart skipped a beat. “You again.” I lowered my arms.
It was the cocky Urwanian from the temple. I widened the space between my legs slightly, putting my feet beneath my shoulders, and dug my heels into the ground. I was determined to match his steady gaze. He wore the same uniform as the others but the emblem on his armor was made of gold.
“Believe me. The sentiment is mutual.” The Urwanian motioned for the others to lower their weapons. “My name is Axl, and I’m from the Magnum Company in Urwan. These are some of my colleagues.” He took out a flashlight from his belt and shined it at me, raising an eyebrow. “What’s that on your head?”
“A multi-functional scavenger helmet.” I took off the protective covering and gas mask. As I set them down onto the ground, I could feel a pink blush start crawling across my cheeks. “You can laugh about it all you want, but I’ll have you know that it can be quite useful in the field.”
“No one’s laughing. Where is the pillar of Galzen?”
“Normally, when a man has a one-track mind, he’s thinking about something else. I still don’t have the slightest clue what pillar you’re talking about, or why I would be carrying one around. But I do have a question of my own. Why are you following me?”
An older Urwanian woman with a shock of short, apple-red hair approached me. She pulled out a scroll and unrolled it. When she spoke, her voice was softer than her male counterparts.
“My name is Natya. We apologize for what must feel like an ambush, Ms. Blackwood, but if you cooperate with us, we will be happy to leave you as you were.”
“I appreciate that, and you can call me Christine.” I glared in Axl’s direction. “Apparently some of you have manners.” I licked my lips, swallowing the rest of my words. The print on the scroll had faded with age, but it was impossible not to recognize the picture. It was the spitting image of the gold statue sitting in the safe back on my ship. “So what about this pillar?”
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br /> “Can we assume you have seen it, then?” Axl looked eager and took another step forward.
“I might have.” I scraped my thumbnails up and down the lengths of my middle fingers. “Let’s trade an answer for an answer. How did you find me and get down here so quickly?”
Axl took out a familiar-looking card from his back pocket and handed it to me. “We found this in Echiles. After we ran the license through the system, we discovered you recently applied for a new one. That was enough to locate you. We had to track down where you last used the new license and do a little bit of hunting, but here we are. As for your next question, we took the stairs. What did you do?”
I looked over Axl’s shoulder. My eyes landed on the primitive but now prominent staircase I had overlooked at the opposite end of the waterfall.
“So where is the pillar, Christine?” The burrow between Axl’s eyebrows deepened.
“That’s Ms. Blackwood to you.” My head started to buzz from the panic. “Why do you want this thing so badly, anyway?”
“Listen here, Ms. Blackwood.” Axl ran his thumb over the tip of his nose. “If you hand over the pillar now, I will personally ensure you will escape any punishment or fine. Better yet, I can guarantee our paths will never cross again. Don’t push me.”
“You talk a lot.” I folded my fingers and placed them on my stomach. I knew I had the upper hand. “But I still haven’t heard an answer to my question. What is so special about the pillar?”
Most of the Urwanians rolled their eyes and snorted among themselves, but Natya indulged me. “According to legend, our God, Zamos, placed a curse on Makroi over two thousand years ago. He directed the punishment at Varkos, a distant ancestor of their current ruler, Lord Silas. Varkos was singlehandedly responsible for a series of bloody conquests that saw many colonies obliterated. The death toll was in the millions.”
“You’re talking about the Galyon Wars,” I whispered, inhaling sharply.
“Precisely.” Natya paused, staring at me with glassy eyes. “Rather than erase Makroi from existence, they were confined to the cold, unforgiving planet and forced to live in eternal darkness.”
I didn’t have to take her word for it. I had experienced the depressing planet of Makroi firsthand. I was never going back.
“There is a second part to the legend. Zamos created three pillars of Galzen and entrusted these sacred artifacts to the empires of Urwan, Diltrove, and Jenkovin. The pillars are supposed to have the power to destroy the Makroid permanently in the event of a new uprising. A safety precaution, if you will. Over the years, the Makroid have hired mercenaries to dispose of them permanently. They have successfully eliminated two, leaving only one in existence.” Natya rubbed her hands together briskly. “We believe the sole remaining pillar is in your possession.”
“Okay, story time is over.” Axl took control of the conversation. “Hand it over, Ms. Blackwood. If you need compensation, we’re prepared to pay a generous sum. We can discuss specific numbers later, but we need the pillar as soon as possible.”
The lining of my gloves was growing damp with sweat. I lowered my eyes to the emblems on their chest. I knew what the official Urwanian insignia looked like. They didn’t look authentic. These Urwanians appeared to be mere acquirers. They were a business without any formal ties to the empire. For all I knew, the Urwanians could be Makroid mercenaries themselves.
“Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m no longer in possession of it.”
Before the throbbing vein on Axl’s forehead could burst, Natya’s body went rigid. She tilted her head back. A strange white film clouded over her amber eyes. For a moment, part of me debated whether or not I should step forward and help her. But the other Urwanians watched her with mild disinterest as if this event was a common occurrence.
“She’s lying,” Natya croaked.
Maybe I should have stepped forward. My heart started to pound against my chest. I watched in horror as Natya’s shoulders softened, the white disappearing from her eyes. “I don’t know what she’s talking about.”
“Are we waiting for something?” The Urwanian with the plait sounded nasty, and his face flushed crimson with fury. “Let’s shackle her and take her with us.”
Axl raised his hand, signaling for the Urwanian to stop talking. “Where is it, Ms. Blackwood? I will not ask you nicely again.”
I snuck a hand into a hidden compartment in my belt. I slowly withdrew a black pellet and smashed it onto the ground. The capsule exploded, generating a cloud of black smoke.
“Someone grab her!” the flustered Urwanians cried out angrily, tripping over each other behind the smoke. I knew I only had a few seconds and I was already on the move. In a single smooth motion, I grabbed my helmet and pulled down the visor, then grabbed my backpack. I didn’t need any additional motivation, but the sound of gunfire gave me an extra kick in the ass. I raced away, heading directly for the stairs.
“Weapons down! Hold your fire! Do not shoot. We need her alive!”
Chapter Twelve
AXL
Three Urwanian military spacecraft had set down on either side of our starship. The Urwanian vessels were so massive that they took up all the space behind the Neyonite restaurant. I watched the workers load the last of empty food crates onto trolleys, pushing them off the ramp of the Magnum spaceship and toward the restaurant.
The skies of Neyon were clear at midnight. Glowing red dots which could only be starships sped past the twinkling white stars. The odd spacecraft could be seen speeding past the restaurant and shooting up into the haze of clouds above us.
“Bottoms up, comrades!” Barthan raised his goblet, toasting everyone aboard the starship. The Urwanians raised their cups and reciprocated with a spirited cheer. Not wanting to put a damper on the festivities, I joined them and took a long swig of my ale.
“May Zamos lead us on the path of nobility and eternal glory!”
When the goblets were empty, the crowd dispersed and went their separate ways. Some headed to a large table on one side of the briefing room, digging into a feast of rotisserie meats, fruit platters, and Echilean bread. The entire room smelled like an aromatic blend of herbs and spices, but it failed to whet my appetite. Others formed an impromptu band in the corner, jamming on instruments they had brought along with them. The ruckus they caused did little to appease my foul mood.
I flattened myself against the wall and stared out the window. I was irritated with both my team and myself. We had come breathtakingly close to the pillar, and it still managed to slip through our fingers. The professionals had allowed ourselves to get outwitted by a single Earthling.
It went without saying that Christine Blackwood was not your ordinary human. I had only encountered three before, but I consumed quite a bit of their media in my spare time. Christine illustrated all of humanity’s worst stereotypes: she was arrogant, insolent, and impulsive. On the other hand, the humans had an unrivaled affinity for showmanship. Reels of human advertisements and infomercials could keep me thoroughly entertained for hours.
It was impossible to guess what Christine would do with the pillar now that she knew everyone wanted it. She was a time bomb on the run, and we didn’t know if she had chosen a side. In any event, we would need to get to her before the Makroid discovered Christine was a threat. With luck, we had only spooked her, and she was currently in the process of selling the pillar to a third party for a lot of credits.
What I did know was that she was in over her head. I wondered if Christine had a clue what she was doing. She seemed quick on her feet but did not stand a chance against Lord Silas. None of us did alone.
Perhaps the lone ranger was simply self-serving and willing to put aside ethics for the sake of financial gain. Other than a few instances of speeding, Christine had a clean record in the intergalactic database. We were not allowed to access any of her records on Earth, and that was the only background check we could run on her. I wasn’t willing to let her beautiful face sway me from doing everyth
ing necessary to ensure the safety of all Urwanians.
“Hey, Axl!” Barthan threw an arm over my neck and spun me around. “I have a little rascal here who wants to say hi.” Barthan stretched out his other arm, holding his communicator in front of us. Bam-Bam, my godson, appeared on the screen.
He looked identical to his father, just smaller. He had the same bright almond eyes, a thick set of eyebrows, and a short black braid of hair.
“How’s it going, swanu?” I waved at the screen. “Bam-Bam, you get bigger every time I see you. I think we’re about the same height now, aren’t we?”
“Of course not, swan-moiru! You’re silly!” Bam-Bam chuckled, which put a grin on my face too. He held up a wooden figurine carved into the form of a small child wearing an acquirer’s uniform and walked it across the table. “Thank you for the toy.”
“He loves it,” Barthan added, shaking his head affectionately. “It never leaves his side. He tucks it into bed with him every night.”
“I’m glad to hear it. It was the least I could do after your father told me that you scored full marks on your last exam. Keep it up, swanu.”
“My son’s a genius,” Barthan exclaimed. At the same time, Bam-Bam stuck his little finger up his nose and started probing. “Isn’t that right?”
“He’s the most intelligent kid I know. He must have gotten it from his mother, Zamos rest her soul.”
Bam-Bam broke out into another fit of giggles.
“Well, that’s enough out of you.” Barthan twisted his knuckles against my shoulder. It’s time to sign off now, Bam-Bam. It is well past your bedtime.”
“Just another minute?”
“We had another minute ten minutes ago,” Barthan spoke sternly. “Off you go.”
“Okay. Be careful out there, and come home soon, papa. I love you.”
“I love you, too, little one. Give my regards to your grandmother.”
Barthan ended the transmission. “Your goblet is looking a little empty.” He peered into my drink. “Do you want me to top you off?”