by Nick James
I bring my head down and meet the kid’s eyes. And I see it. Instantly. There’s a familiar expression in them—a warped curiosity. A slightly rattled look.
I turn back, heart in my throat. “Theo.”
The boy stands. I back away, scared that he heard me. I push Cassius to the doorway and we watch as Theo approaches Thamus. The red energy pulses behind the desk.
The dagger falls still in Theo’s hands. He sheathes it at his side and crosses his arms. He’s just a kid, but the way he stands—the look in his eyes—there’s nothing innocent about it.
“My son,” Matigo’s voice booms. “Soon you will undergo a journey. A test run. You may be lonely for some time, but I will not be far behind. They are using an energy transport system against us. We will use Ridium against them. It has already been set in motion on Earth. There’s only one thing standing in our way, and it belongs in the hands of the Resistance.” He pauses. “Sons. Children, like you. And once they are disposed of, there will be no stopping us.”
The words blast through me like an explosion. They echo, as thunderous as Matigo’s voice. Disposed of. I stare at the five-year-old Theo’s face, committing everything I’ve heard to memory. Ridium. Shifter. Herald. Submerged.
Disposed of.
Suddenly, everything collapses around us. The walls fragment and fold into each other. Theo’s body disintegrates right in front of me. The hypnotic carpet swirls so quickly that it becomes a starburst. We dive into the endless sea of lights. They begin to change, multiply, and spread apart until they’re stars.
It’s cold. Then windy.
I’m in the middle of the sky again. Free-fall.
Only I’m not falling anymore. Ryel’s cube tumbles from the air and lands in my hand. Something carries me.
Someone.
It takes me a moment to see him. My mind is so muddled. But then I notice the glow. Green, all around me. A cocoon of Pearl energy protects my body. If deflects the wind until I can’t feel anything.
A pair of arms support me, stronger than they look. The Drifter’s face comes into view as he gently holds me in the air. I meet his eyes, though I can’t speak. I let my body droop against his hold, confident that he won’t drop me. I’ve got no reason to be, but the Pearl energy makes everything feel better.
The Drifter speaks. “You saved me. Now, I shall save you.”
My shoulder jerks back as I hear his voice. “English?”
He nods. “English.”
“Wait.” I analyze his face, looking for markings, hair color, anything to identify him. “Are you—”
“You freed me,” he interrupts. “From a dark machine. There was a tunnel. Darkness, all around.”
“You’re the guy from the generator back at the Academy,” I say. “From three nights ago. I didn’t know if you’d lived.” A smile breaks out on my face. I don’t mean it too. It fades as soon as I remember the events of the night. “Hey … what about Cassius?”
“He is with my friend,” the Drifter replies, his voice calm and low. “You are both safe. It’s lucky you found a senso-cube. It bought you some time.”
“That’s what that thing is? A senso-cube?”
He nods. “You and your brother were suspended in the air for nearly thirty minutes. Frozen, like statues.”
The thought makes me cringe, not only for the sheer weirdness of it, but for the thought of what Theo could have done to us in that time.
I glance toward the stars. The vessel of Ridium is gone. Theo’s disappeared.
The Drifter’s grip loosens around my midsection. “We are nearly on the Surface, now. My transport energy is beginning to fade. I won’t have many more flights left in me.”
The sun begins to rise over the mountains. Not enough to kill the darkness, but the sight captivates me. It’s been so long since I’ve been this high in the air. I used to witness sunrises like this every morning out my dorm window. I’ve been on the Surface too long.
Before I know it, the Drifter’s feet touch ground and he places me in the dirt. I lie there, trying to get my bearings. Only when I’m sure the earth won’t collapse underneath me do I stand.
Cassius stands beside a second Drifter. I pivot to scan the stark landscape. We’re back outside Lenbrg, right where Theo conjured that vessel of Ridium. I crane my neck and search the stars, past Skyships to the darkest part of the sky. He’s up there. He wanted to kill us.
Matigo’s son.
We have to stop him.
35
It isn’t long before I see the others come over the hill toward us. They must have seen the glow from the Drifters. Avery takes off at a sprint toward me, then wraps my torso in a tight embrace.
The second Drifter helps Cassius to his feet. We stand in a bubble of dim green, which is already starting to fade.
The Drifters tell us their names are Talan and Sem. Sem’s the one who plucked me from the sky, and speaks better English than Talan. The language processors in their Pearls vary in structure, he says. Some are damaged during transport, and others move more slowly to cater to individual brain functioning.
“Where have you been?” Avery clutches my arm. “By the time we headed outside, you guys were gone.”
“Theo’s escaped.” Cassius steps past her. “He’s Matigo’s son. He wants to kill us.”
Eva follows him. “Matigo has a son?”
Sem looks down at his fingers, watching the last of the Pearl energy drain from his body. “The boy’s shifting powers have been unlocked. He’s in control of Ridium now, just like his father. But he’s young. Inexperienced. We may be able to strike before he has a chance to do any major damage.”
I turn to face him. “How are we supposed to do that?”
Sem stares directly into my eyes. He looks strikingly like Ryel. “Pearl energy is the most powerful force we have. If we can knock him off balance, we’ll attack when he’s most vulnerable.” He sighs. “Talan and I are nearly dissolved of our energy. We won’t be much help in this regard.”
“But you’re talking to the Pearlbreaker.” Skandar moves beside me. “Jesse can get more Drifters.”
Sem extends his fingers. “Let me see your arm.”
I hold up my right hand. He grabs hold and pulls me closer. “Ridium, I see. Your father gave this to you?”
Cassius kicks the dirt before turning to face us again. “It was in the form of a box, at first. It melted and … and now we can’t get them off.”
“These are a problem in the hands of a Shifter like Theo.” Sem glances at Talan. “Though they might be something more.”
I swallow. “Ryel said that it could be programmed.”
“A Shifter can do many things with Ridium,” Sem says. “Not the least of which is programming. It’s possible that your parents coerced a Shifter to imbue these bracelets with a purpose.” He drops my hand.
I stare down at the blackness. “Like what?”
“That isn’t clear, but once a chunk of Ridium is given a purpose, it will follow its programming until another Shifter tells it otherwise. This could be a problem, or a blessing. Only time will tell.”
Cassius rubs his wrist. “I don’t like the sound of that.”
I let my hand fall to my side, forgetting about the bracelet for a moment. “Drifters. We need Drifters.”
Sem nods. “We must attack the boy, and soon. But we need all of the artillery we can get.”
“Okay.” I turn and face the distant mountains. I close my eyes so that nothing can distract me and work through the events of the past few days, considering my options. Allies and enemies, and everything in between. When I open them again, a single vision fills my mind. “Okay. I think I know what to do.” I turn back. “What’s the nearest Skyship?”
Eva shrugs. “There are a couple storage ships just south of the Canadian border.”
“No.” I ball my fist. “It needs to be one of the larger ones, but nothing with a heavy Tribunal presence.”
“Then Altair,” she rep
lies. “Skyship Altair. Southeast of here.”
“What are you thinking, Jesse?” Avery’s eyes narrow.
Cassius smiles. “He’s thinking we need to steal some Pearls.”
“We’ve got two options,” I say. “Break into a Chosen or find a storage facility on one of the Skyships. We can’t just stand here waiting for Pearls to come to us. We need a lot of them, and quick.”
Eva frowns. “And what about Theo?”
Cassius curses under his breath. He clutches his bracelet and meets my eyes. “I’ll handle Theo. At least until you can break the Pearls.”
Sem moves to Talan’s side. “And we will do what we can to help. Unfortunately I don’t think I will be able to enjoy the benefits of flight for much longer. We’ll require use of your shuttle. But we can help organize any freed Drifters. We can make sure your efforts aren’t in vain.”
I nod. “Then let’s get this over with.”
Eva points back to the hill we’d come over. “Shuttle’s just past that point.”
Sem meets my eyes. “Lead the way, Pearlbreaker.”
––––
Two hours after dawn.
Skyship Altair hovers over the Idaho/Montana border. It’s far enough from either coast to be much of a government stronghold. Eva says she’s heard it’s mainly a recreation and business center. Not a lot of money stored onboard, but given its size, it’ll need a plentiful amount of Pearls to keep it airborne. This will be our target.
The sun beams in every window of our shuttle. The Fringes are bound to be baking, even this early in the morning.
Cassius sits in the pilot’s seat. “So that room we saw, with Matigo and his lieutenant. That was a memory?”
Sem nods. “A reconstruction. Important events are stored in senso-cubes on Haven. The Authority controls all of the planet’s history. I suspect that particular cube was stolen.”
“I found it in Ryel’s pocket,” I say.
Sem’s brows raise. “If he was indeed a pilot with the Authority, I suppose he would have had the opportunity to grab a cube before joining the Resistance. Usually they’re simple to trigger, but Matigo likely had security in place on that cube. You were lucky it managed to activate in the air. Perhaps due to the vast amount of Ridium above it.”
Cassius brings us back level. “Any tips on Theo?”
The Drifter frowns. “Don’t underestimate him.”
“Yeah,” Cassius says. “I think I’ve got that.” He turns to me. “As soon as the officials on Altair see this Academy shuttle land in the docking bay, they’ll likely send people after you.”
I grit my teeth. He’s right. Unless Alkine’s pulled off some sort of diplomatic miracle while I’ve been gone, everybody onboard the Academy are still fugitives from the Skyship Community.
“I won’t stay long,” Cassius continues. “Just a quick drop off. Use the others to create a distraction.”
“Yeah,” I say. “We’ll do what we can.”
Sem nods. “We need to be on the offensive. We can’t drag this out.”
“Good thing,” Cassius responds. “Because we’re almost there.”
––––
My knees shake with nervous energy. I think about last spring, when I was a simple Skyship trainee floundering in a program that, at the time, seemed too big and too difficult to bear. Now, only four months later, I’m planning an assault against a Skyship.
I think back to what Morse said in the Fringes before Theo killed him. I could be the trigger for this invasion. Has it already happened? If I would’ve stayed back at the Academy like Captain Alkine wanted, would we have had more time to prepare?
There’s no chance to second guess myself, now. We stand in the docking bay of Altair, watching the ship pull away. I don’t know what Cassius thinks he’s doing, going after Theo on his own. I’ve learned not to question him, but it doesn’t sit easy with me.
Before leaving the ship, I grabbed a pistol and tucked it in the waist of my pants. The cold metal is a constant reminder of the risk I’m about to take. It should raise my confidence. Maybe I’d feel better if I was a good aim.
“Find the main security center and keep watch.” I turn to the others. “If something happens, I’m counting on you guys to throw them off track. Create a diversion … or something.”
Eva crosses her arms. “That’s very vague, Jesse.” “I know,” I reply. “But if the Pearls are stored on the lower levels, I won’t be able to see what’s happening in the city. If they’ve got a security patrol after me, I’m blind against them.”
Avery shakes her head. “You’re not doing this alone, Jesse.”
“The fewer of us that go, the less obvious it will be.”
“You need a backup,” she says.
Sem nods. “The girl is right. Talan and I will scout. If necessary, we may be able to provide the distraction you need.”
I meet Avery’s eyes. I try not to let my heart make a stupid decision, but even weighing the pros and cons leads me to the same response. “Okay, Avery. You’re coming with me.”
Eva glances at a shuttle full of commuters in the distance. “Don’t feel too secure, people. Once Jesse starts breaking Pearls, it’s going to be like the Academy times a hundred. People will feel it. The entire ship will.”
I take a deep breath, turning to Avery and grabbing her hand. “You really wanna do this?”
“Do you?” She squeezes my fingers.
I don’t answer. Instead, I clutch the pistol under my shirt, say a few prayers, and hope for the best.
36
After ascending twelve levels, Avery and I arrive in a broad, low-ceilinged plaza just below the domed city at the very top of Skyship Altair. It’s an underground shopping center, reeking of perfume samples. The light overhead is impossibly bright, the faux-marble tiles polished and gleaming below our feet. Slow, hypnotic music plays softly in the background. It calms my rollicking heartbeat, if only for a moment.
I watch shoppers as they pass by. Even this early in the day, the wide plaza is crammed with activity. “The more people, the better chance we have of blending in.” I step forward. “We need to find a ship directory.”
We push through the crowd, past holographic advertisements and decorative fixtures. Fountains, indoor gardens, the latest gaming pavilions.
And then he catches my eye. He emerges from around the corner of an electronics store, still covered in his dark bodysuit. The red energy has completely faded, but I recognize his face immediately. It’s the face that I hoped was my father’s. The face in the swarm.
I grab Avery’s arm and pull her close. We flatten against the wall. “It’s the Drifter, from the red Pearl.”
She cranes her neck, but the Drifter’s quickly swallowed by the crowd. “Where?”
“Not far.” My bracelet buzzes. He’s getting closer. “This isn’t good.”
I scan the shopping center, searching for escape routes. I can’t see the Drifter anymore, but I’m sure it was him. The trembling of the Ridium confirms it.
“There!” Avery points to an exit on the other side of the plaza, in between a pair of clothing stores. We’ll have to cut through the crowd to reach it, and risk running right into the Drifter, but there aren’t any other options.
I stand on my toes and try to gauge the Drifter’s whereabouts. “Do you see him?”
“No, but it’s so crowded.”
“We’re gonna have to chance it. Follow me.”
We take off at a sprint across the plaza. The Drifter spots us immediately.
I watch his arm outstretch in the distance. People fall like dominoes around us, yanked sideways through the air before they land in a heap along the wall. Broken dolls. That’s what they look like after he’s done. They don’t even have time to scream.
Avery slams into my shoulder as I freeze, in awe of the Drifter’s power. She pushes me. “Come on!”
“How’s he—”
Floor tiles pull from the ground and explode in splin
ters around me. The Drifter’s hand glows red as he steps forward, eyes pinned onto mine.
I glance around the plaza, looking for something that I can use against him. Lights flicker overhead. The calm music continues to pour from speakers around us. Gaming pavilions function in the distance.
And then it occurs to me. It’s all electricity, everything around us. Energy. Pearl energy.
It’s a long shot, but I have to try.
I close my eyes and reach into the air with both hands. I was able to summon energy from the Drifter back on the island in Siberia. If I can do that, maybe I can rip it from the transformers and wiring inside this ship.
The mall continues to deconstruct around me, ripping violently apart at the red Drifter’s whim. Screams echo along the walls as the remaining crowd scatters in all directions. Benches fly into walls. Plants tear from their pots and shred into pieces. I don’t know how he’s doing this, but his shots have missed me so far. Other than a few small nicks, I’m fine.
My skin tingles. I pull down through the air and ball my fingers into fists at my side. I open my eyes. The lights shut off. The music dies and the pavilions fade to a stop. Thin streams of green energy fall from the ceiling like a fine rain. Inch-long slivers. Fragments. I push out and direct them toward the Drifter. They cut through the air like a thousand porcupine quills, puncturing his coat and lodging themselves in his skin. He stumbles back. This is hurting him. Good.
The red in his hand fades. Alarms start to blare in the distance. Bodies litter the ground. Those that weren’t hurt have escaped into the shops. They cower, watching us.
I grab Avery’s hand. “So much for keeping things calm.”
We dash through the darkness, past the exit, and arrive in an unadorned, concrete hallway—a claustrophobic underbelly to the mall’s hyper-lit, kinetic energy. These types of places are usually pretty empty. The alarms will draw any guards toward the shopping center, but we’ve got a few moments before they arrive.
Podlights flicker at equal intervals on either side of us. We rush around the nearest corner without a word.