Lucien nodded.
Addy went on, “A bunch of them died. Then one or more of them got to ride in the Grays’ spaceships. They went up to space, above the sky, and traveled to new nests. They got to see new skies and meet new peoples. Then they returned to Mokar and the Grays made all of the Mokari immortal—that’s what the chorus means: death no more, life forever, life for all.”
“I guess that makes sense,” Lucien said. “If you’re right, then the Mokari weren’t always immortals. I bet that’s even news to Katawa.”
“I don’t see how any of this helps us,” Garek said, shaking his head. “Katawa basically told us all of this already, and he didn’t need to spend half an hour singing about it,” he said, jerking his chin at the alien a cappella group. They were busy still singing the Grays’ praises.
“Maybe we’ll get some kind of clue if we keep listening,” Addy said.
“Yeah, or we’ll go deaf,” Garek replied, wincing at the growing volume of the Mokari’s voices.
They were starting to sound shrill.
Lucien gave his attention to the lyrics once more, hoping Addy was right. They were singing something about magical keys and blue devils, which Lucien could only assume were the Faros.
He listened for a while longer, then turned to Addy. “Translation?”
“They’re talking about how the Grays suddenly left them after the blue devils came, but they left a... magical key to open a doorway to a new nest—another world. The key was hidden in the underworld to keep it safe. The Mokari were supposed to find it after the blue devils left....”
Addy stopped to listen some more, then continued with her summary, “The key was supposed to open the doorway to bring the Grays back, but none of the Mokari who went into the underworld to find it returned, and the key was never found. They say that Death found them, and the underworld is where Death went after the Gray Gods sent it away.”
“So all we have to do is go into their underworld and find this key?” Lucien asked. “I’m assuming their underworld must be a physical place. Maybe a network of underground caves or caverns?”
“Must be,” Addy said.
“So why haven’t the Faros gone down there themselves and found the key?” Lucien asked.
“Who says they haven’t?” Garek asked. “That magical key probably leads the way to a quantum junction that goes to whatever planet the Grays went to next, but Katawa told us that the Grays became slaves of the Faros, so the Faros obviously found them there.”
Lucien frowned. “I guess so.”
“Like I said, this trail is colder than space,” Garek said.
The songs ended, and several Mokari came in carrying shadowy, foul-smelling burdens. One after another they dropped their burdens in the center of the room, piling them high. A sound like swarms of flies buzzing filled the silence, and one of the Mokari chittered: “Eat!”
At that, the Mokari bounded out of their chairs and fell upon the shadowy pile with enthusiastic chittering and screeching. Wet tearing noises followed.
The foul smell grew fouler, and Lucien’s guts clenched. The smell was so bad that he grew dizzy and had to stumble outside before he added to the stench with the contents of his stomach.
Addy burst out after him. “Whew!” She fell on her hands and knees outside, gasping for air. Then her body heaved, and she did throw up. Lucien stumbled over to hold her hair—but then he remembered she didn’t have any.
It was dark outside, and the air was cooler now. The warmer sun had sunk below the horizon, while the more distant one still hung high overhead, a dim orange eye, casting everything in a flat, reddish gloom. It was hard to see more than a few dozen meters, and only a handful of stars were visible. Mokar’s twilight had begun.
Lucien heard feet trampling the grassy floor of the Mokari dwelling, and he turned to see Garek and Katawa emerge from one of the circular doorways.
“Well?” Lucien asked, his eyes on Katawa. “You ready to go chasing the next rumor?”
“Not until we go to the underworld and find the key,” Katawa said.
Addy s and wiped her mouth on her sleeve. “You didn’t hear us talking in there? The Faros must have already found the key. How else did they find and enslave your people?”
“You do not understand—the key leads to the lost fleet, not to my people. My people were found and enslaved, but the fleet was never found. Only the caretaker knew where it was hidden, and he has made himself to forget.”
“How do you know that?” Addy asked.
“Because I am the caretaker.”
Lucien blinked in shock. “You?”
“Yes.”
“Well, you really frekked yourself over,” Garek said.
“That is anatomically impossible,” Katawa replied, his huge eyes blinking slowly.
“He means all of your precautions have made your life difficult,” Addy said.
“Oh. Yes. I thought you knew this.”
“I do... I was re-stating the problem for effect,” Garek said.
“Do humans all waste their air by repeating what is already known? Perhaps I am not the only one who has a problem remembering things.”
Garek’s eyes narrowed to slits, and he looked away. Lucien followed his gaze, out over the dark emerald river swishing through the Mokari village, past the black cliffs, and out to the hazy red sky.
“Come, we must rest,” Katawa said. “The Mokari will not take us to the underworld until morning.”
“Why not?” Addy asked. “Is it far from here?”
“Yes, but that is not why. Twilight is dangerous on Mokar, even for the Mokari. They live in the mountains for good reason.” Katawa left them on that note, heading back to the Specter.
“How do you know all of that if you’ve never been here?” Garek called after him, suspicious as ever.
“It is in the ship’s databanks!” Katawa called back, his voice muffled by the swishing of the river.
“You still don’t trust him,” Lucien said.
“I trust him about as far as I can fly by flapping my arms,” Garek replied, and started after the little alien.
Lucien turned to Addy. “Where’s Brak?”
She looked around. “I don’t know... Brak?” she called.
A moment later he emerged from the Mokari’s dwelling, rank with the smell of raw, gamy meat. Flies, or the Mokari equivalent, buzzed around him while he munched on a giant leg or arm of something.
“Uck!” Addy said as he stopped beside them. “I’ll see you back in our quarters, Lucien,” she said, and took off at a run.
“What did I say about sampling the local cuisine?” Lucien asked.
The leg fell dramatically from Brak’s mouth. “I could not resist. The smell was too much.”
“You can say that again,” Lucien said.
Brak grinned and held the leg out to him. “Try some. It is like nothing you’ve ever tasted.”
Lucien’s guts clenched in warning. “I’ll pass,” he said. He was starting to feel dizzy again. “I need to go,” he managed, and then turned and ran after Addy. To his horror, Brak came running up beside him, still munching.
“Throw that thing away!”
Brak grunted. “Fine.”
Something wet and noxious hit Lucien in the side of the head, almost knocking him over. “The frek...!”
“You say to throw it away,” Brak replied.
“Not at me!” His cheek itched maddeningly where the meat had hit him. He scratched it, and his fingers came away sticky and smelling like rotten krak.
Lucien’s head spun with the smell, and there was no getting away from it now. It was stuck to him. “You did that on purpose!” he accused, breathing hard through his mouth.
“Maybe, yes,” Brak admitted, and let loose a booming laugh.
“You’d better watch your back,” Lucien warned.
“I will watch my front, also,” Brak replied, and laughed again.
Chapter 25
Astralis<
br />
Lucien waited until late for Tyra to come home, watching holo-cartoons with the girls to pass the time. Theola succumbed to sleep first, sucking her thumb, her eyes slowly drifting shut. Seeing the glazed look in Atara’s eyes, Lucien realized she wasn’t far off, so he put them both to bed, carrying Theola, and taking Atara by the hand. He tucked Atara in and kissed her on the forehead. “Goodnight, Atty,” he whispered. “I love you.”
“Night, Daddy...” she mumbled back.
He shut the door softly behind him and went to the living room for a drink—his nightly ritual. It was almost midnight and Tyra still wasn’t home. He’d probably be in bed himself by the time she returned.
Lucien poured himself whiskey, neat, and went to sit in an armchair by the picture windows, in front of a crackling fireplace. He sat sipping his drink, allowing his stress to melt away. Orange tongues of electric-fueled flames danced over convincing metal logs, mesmerizing him. The window beside him seemed to radiate cold.
He looked out that window, into the night. Just like their home in Fallside, this one was situated on the side of Hubble Mountain, looking out over the city. Giant snow flakes tumbled from a black sky, accumulating on the deck. Street lights shone intermittently through the falling snowflakes. The view was as mesmerizing as the fire.
Lucien reclined his chair and balanced his drink on his stomach, allowing the warmth of the fireplace and the crackling sound it made to lull him to sleep...
He awoke to desperate screaming.
The girls.
Lucien bolted out of his chair, sending his glass and drink flying. He ran down the hall to the bedrooms, his heart pounding in his chest. As he drew near, he recognized those cries.
It was Theola.
Lucien collided with the door, unable to stop in time. He turned the handle and opened the door. Theola’s cries became ten times louder.
The room was still dark. He couldn’t see a thing. “Lights!” he roared.
The overhead lights snapped on, and he blinked the spots from his eyes, searching desperately for his daughters. Atara was in bed. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. “Dad?”
Lucien hurried over to Theola’s crib. She was writhing on the mattress, making a mess of the sheets. Her face had flushed bright red, and tears streamed down her cheeks. He picked her up in shaking hands.
“She won’t go to sleep,” Atara explained.
“Shhh... it’s okay, it’s okay,” he said as he bounced Theola in his arms, but she refused to be comforted. He kissed her forehead—
And promptly recoiled from her. Theola’s skin was like ice. His heart leapt into his throat. He placed a hand on her forehead. “She’s freezing!” Lucien said, shaking his head in disbelief. The room was cold, too. He turned to Atara. “Did you mess with the temperature in here?”
She shook her head quickly.
Not buying it, Lucien stalked over to his eldest and felt her forehead, but she was warm.
Lucien’s brow furrowed in confusion.
Theola was calming down now. She had her face buried in his chest.
“Maybe she’s sick?” Atara suggested, her eyes wide and blinking. “Is she going to be okay?”
Lucien felt Theola’s forehead again. It was warmer now. “She’ll be fine...” he said, trailing off. He glanced at the window beside Atara’s bed and went to check it. The window was shut and locked, but looking closer he found greasy fingerprints around the latch.
“She might have a fever,” Atara suggested.
He rounded on her and pointed to the window. “Did you open this?” he demanded.
Atara’s bottom lip began quivering. “Why are you yelling?”
“Yes or no, Atara!”
“I was hot!” She cried, and dove under the covers.
Lucien felt a pang of regret for getting so mad. He went over and sat on the edge of her bed. He placed a hand on the sobbing lump under the covers.
“Atara,” he said in a gentle voice. “You could have made your sister sick. You can’t open the window again, do you understand me?”
“I was allowed in Fallside!”
“This isn’t Fallside, sweetheart. It’s too cold here for you to open the window. If you’re hot, then throw off one of your blankets, but don’t open the window, okay?”
Atara said nothing for a moment, but at least he could tell that she wasn’t sobbing anymore.
“Can you come out, please? I’m sorry for yelling.”
Atara popped her head out of the covers, and beamed up at him. “I forgive you.”
Lucien blinked, taken aback by Atara’s abrupt change of mood. Her eyes were dry, and so were her cheeks. Was she just pretending to be upset?
“I’m going to take Theola with me for a while...” he said.
Atara nodded. “Okay.”
He leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. “Good night, sweetheart.”
“Good night, Dad,” Atara said as he was leaving.
“Lights off,” he said, and closed the door behind him.
Theola sighed and snuggled into his chest, already asleep. Lucien walked carefully back to the living room with her, trying not to wake her.
He puzzled over what had just happened, and why he felt so troubled by it. Atara had opened the window because she was hot, and even if she hadn’t been genuinely sobbing, that wasn’t anything to worry about. Kids learned to manipulate their parents from a young age. Maybe Atara was learning how to fake her tears.
Lucien sat in his armchair by the fireplace once more. He reclined the chair with Theola on his chest. She stirred sleepily and popped her thumb in her mouth for a good suck. After a few moments her features relaxed in sleep and she stopped sucking. He smiled, watching her, and his thoughts turned idly back to the incident....
Something clicked.
Theola’s crib was far from the window, tucked away in the corner of the room. Even with the window open, it would have taken a while for her to freeze like that. Atara’s bed, on the other hand, was right next to the window. If anyone should have been ice-cold with the window open, it was her.
Unless...
Unless Atara had taken Theola out of her crib and held her up to the open window. Or left her on the window sill...
Lucien shuddered at the thought. It was a long way down the mountain from their house. Anyone who fell out that window wouldn’t just fall one story to the ground, they’d fall more than two, because of the walk-out basement, and then they’d still roll a few hundred feet until a tree or another house stopped them. Not that a baby could survive a two-story fall to begin with.
Lucien shook his head. He was being crazy. Atara wouldn’t even be able to reach Theola to get her out of her crib. She wasn’t tall enough. She’d probably just opened the window and then pulled the covers over her head when she got cold. Later she must have got up to shut the window again when even the covers weren’t enough to keep her warm.
Being a baby, Theola hadn’t been able to adjust her blankets properly, so she’d frozen in a matter of minutes.
That was the most reasonable explanation. Nothing sinister. Just parental paranoia, he decided, and let out a sigh.
He wrapped both his arms around Theola, hugging her to his chest to keep her from rolling off, and then he lost himself in the warmth and rhythmic crackling of the fire. The flickering flames had him mesmerized before long, and his eyelids grew heavy with sleep. He let the warmth carry him away, and this time there weren’t any screams to wake him.
* * *
Mokar
“We’re wasting time chasing our asses like we have tails,” Garek said, picking through a plate of bland-looking food that he’d selected from the Specter’s meal fabricator.
“Colorful,” Lucien replied, picking at his own food with dismay. He’d chosen some kind of eggs with a side of meat strips, but the eggs tasted sour and the meat... Lucien’s stomach clenched and he set his fork down.
“Look, I’m all for being neighborly and helping a down-on-h
is-luck alien find his way home,” Garek said, shaking his fork at Lucien, “but this whole thing stinks, and you know it.”
“I’ve been feeling uneasy, too,” Addy admitted.
Lucien looked at her. “You didn’t say anything to me.”
“Because I know how much you want Katawa’s story to be true. I get that you want to go on some crusade against all the evil in the universe, but Garek’s right, why would anyone hand us a fleet of a thousand warships as payment just for finding them?”
Lucien shook his head. “It’s not about crusades. That fleet is our best chance to rescue our people. We can’t go in guns blazing and rescue them without any guns.”
“So we find or steal some guns along the way,” Garek said. “We can start by stealing Katawa’s ship.”
Lucien scowled. “I’m going to need proof that he’s planning to betray us before I agree to go along with a plan like that.”
“By the time we have proof, he’s going to have us over a barrel of antimatter,” Garek replied.
Lucien shook his head. “Let’s follow this Mokari rumor first. Go to their underworld and see what comes of it. If it’s a dead end, then we convince Katawa to take us somewhere that has a Faro slave market, so that we can do something to advance our goals. I’m sure he won’t say no to that.”
“And if he does?”
“We’ll cross that wormhole when we get there.”
“Fine,” Garek said. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you when the krak hits the turbines.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t,” Lucien replied.
Brak walked up, wearing all but the hood of his shadow robe, his plate piled high with foul-smelling raw meat.
“Ugh!” Garek said as Brak sat down. “What the... I’m done,” he said, and dropped his fork.
Lucien clapped a hand to his face and pinched his nose. “Where’d you get that?”
“Mokar breakfast,” Brak said, grinning as he picked up a foot-long bone and ripped off a giant chunk of bloody meat. “They agree to share with me.”
“Isn’t that the same krak they were eating last night?” Garek asked. He was leaning as far away from Brak as he could without falling out of his chair.
Dark Space Universe (Book 2): The Enemy Within Page 18