by Ford, Lizzy
“Across,” he said quietly.
It continued, crossing the fast, wide river and docking on the other side. He moved at the fastest pace his body was able to handle through the tunnels, following the faint energy of Anshan as it guided him. Quakes hit several times, and each tremble of the earth motivated him to push his body.
The energy from the planet grew weaker with each tremor as well, and he found himself sprinting, holding his hurt arm to his chest and gritting his teeth against the pain in his leg.
The tunnels turned from carefully carved and meticulously maintained over the years into the rudimentary canals created tens of thousands of cycles before by miners seeking to connect the underground caverns and mines. He passed through several caves and was forced to slow to a complete stop and crouch next to the ground to feel the ever-fading energy of Anshan.
At long last, he reached an ill-fitted door overlooked by those who fitted the palatial entryways with access pads several generations before. He pressed his hand to the central door, and it opened with a groan marking its age.
No lights came on beyond the door; this area of the caverns was too old for there to be light.
He stepped through and strained to feel the trickle of Anshan’s energy. It was gone, but he heard something else coming from the lit end of the tunnel a distance ahead. People. The air was stagnant here, the distant thrum of people drawing him forward. He had found the underground hiding spot of the Yirkin. As he approached, A’Ran braced himself to deal with his enemies. Out of everything he expected to feel facing the people who had stolen his planet from him, all he could think about was Kiera, Anshan and his sister surviving.
Before he emerged from the tunnel, he removed the sling and straightened his clothing. He could do nothing about the bloodstains – except pretend the wounds beneath them were minor enough not to impede him. Alerting his enemies as to his weakness was not an option.
He emerged into a massive cavern housing the thousands of Yirkin Kiera had told him about. This part of the cavern was sparsely populated. He expected to be recognized on sight and confronted by several hundred warriors.
Not only did no one look his way twice, but the people were running around frantically, snatching what they could carry of their meager belongings and headed to the far side of the cavern.
A’Ran’s guard lowered some as he waded through the throngs. Whatever was happening, the Yirkin were too occupied to pay attention to a stranger in their midst. Kiera’s description of the refugee camp was correct. Prepared to fight his way through Yirkin warriors, he would first have to find one. For nearly an hour, he wandered through families consisting of women and children too young to fight, the elderly and wounded men.
He saw no one to fight, no one to confront or negotiate with. He finally veered out of the pathways they had created and climbed on top of a fence corralling a pile of useless debris so he could see the layout of the sloping cavern.
The people were surging en masse towards one of two entrances leading deeper beneath the mountains while a tiny contingency of warriors was at the north side of the cavern, in front of a door they were bracing with pieces of spacecraft.
He caught a flash of blonde hair and recognized the distinctly Qatwali dress of the woman it belonged too.
Leaping down, A’Ran strode through the cavern against the flow of people, arriving to the cluster of Yirkin warriors and the man he knew was a commander by the sash tied around his arm. He stopped beneath the elevated entrance they stood before, assessing quickly what was going on.
The sound of laser fire hitting tough Anshan metal thumped, audible at the close distance where it hadn’t been before. Evelyn appeared shaken but unharmed and the warriors ready to die defending the people fleeing towards the tunnels under the cave.
Mansr had found them.
A’Ran scoured the area for a trail leading to the top of the small overhang and hurried up it. He slowed as he drew near, tension coiled in his belly as he considered how unlikely he was to be welcomed by the invaders.
Evelyn was the first to notice him. She gasped, growing pale.
One warrior turned then another. Shocked to see him in their midst, their reactions were slow enough for him to speak first.
“Turi,” he commanded sharply.
The warriors sprang into action and drew their weapons, the focus of the group shifting from whatever was trying to come through the door to him. A’Ran stood where he was, unwilling to back down or show any sign of weakness.
“I am Turi.” One of them ventured forward, his gaze sweeping quickly over the cavern, as if he sought the warrior force A’Ran would have brought with him.
“I am A’Ran, dhjan of Anshan.”
Turi focused on him, eyes narrowing. “You did not come alone.”
“I did.”
“Where’s Kiera?” Evelyn exclaimed.
“Safe,” he replied.
“She survived the surface,” Turi said softly, satisfied.
“I am here to negotiate with the Qatwali and my uncle. To secure your safety and that of my people.” A’Ran managed to say the words he’d never dreamt of uttering without scowling.
Turi started to laugh then stopped, his scarred features confused. “You? Negotiate on our behalf?”
“My lifemate swore you an oath in my name,” A’Ran growled. “If she were not it danger, if my planet were not dying, if I did not need to save them both now, before it is too late, I would slaughter you where you stand. All of you and your people.”
“That is the dhjan of Anshan,” Turi said, anger flaring in his gaze.
“You have no rightful claim here. You should be exterminated like the vermin you are.”
“Your lifemate made me a promise.”
“And you cast her out into the storm.” A’Ran bristled. “I will spare your people but not you.”
“You are at a disadvantage, dhjan,” Turi reminded him, motioning to the men around them.
“You doubt the resolve of the warrior who destroyed his own planet to rid it of your kind?”
“Perhaps we should negotiate first, argue later?” Evelyn called anxiously. “Turi, A’Ran would not be here if the danger weren’t real.”
The earth quaked beneath them, a reminder of how little time he had. “We must hurry. No one will leave Anshan if we do not act now.” A’Ran shoved past the first few rows of men.
No one made a move to stop him, and the remaining warriors stepped aside as he approached Turi. “Do you have a communicator?”
For a long moment, the Yirkin commander stared at him. He shifted finally. “Yes. But we cannot reach anyone off planet because of the storms.”
“We don’t need to.” A’Ran motioned to the two warriors holding Evelyn. “Release her.” They obeyed without a word from their commander, and A’Ran turned to the door. “Take this down.” He motioned to the obstructions they’d placed to brace the entrance. “And bring me the communicator.”
“What is your plan?” Yuri asked warily. “Do you intend to keep the oath your lifemate gave to spare my people?”
A’Ran was quiet for a moment. If Kiera didn’t have the soft heart she did, he’d suspect she was forced into the oath. But she didn’t see war the way he did. She wasn’t going to let anyone, even her lifemate, harm the innocent. He knew this as well as he knew he would destroy every last Yirkin in the Five Galaxies, if he had the chance.
“She guaranteed your safety from me,” he replied in a hard voice. “But you also kidnapped the Qatwali nishani. I advise you to negotiate with her before you face her lifemate.”
A warrior handed Turi the portable communicator. A’Ran snatched it and strode to the blockaded door. Its signal was weak, and he waited for the master list of networks to populate. More laser fire drew his glance to the door. He ignored it, aware of how tough Anshan metal was, and waited for the frequency he needed to pop up. The secured network was accessible to three people: Mansr, Kiera as the supreme battle strategist resp
onsible for commanding his armies, and him.
A’Ran passed the communicator by his armband, which contained a record of his unique genetic code, and waited for the channel to open.
Mansr’s face appeared seconds later. “A’Ran! Where are you?”
“Behind the door you wish to knock down,” A’Ran said with rare mirth. “We have little time. I need you to listen to my instructions and execute immediately. Do not think twice, Mansr.”
“I await them eagerly.”
A’Ran slowly rolled out his orders about the Anshani population, Gage and bringing him a personal craft immediately, aware of the expression on his uncle’s features changing from grim determination to surprise. His reaction was mirrored by those around A’Ran as well as he instructed Mansr to utilize every available ship – cargo, carrier or personal – to bring back every Anshani within the solar system.
When he finished, he grated his teeth for a moment before reluctantly following through on Kiera’s promise to the Yirkin. “Once the people are safe, send the ships to my location. The Yirkin refugees are to be evacuated outside the Five Galaxies. Unharmed. Our war is no longer with them.”
Mansr outright stared at him, speechless, before his uncle quickly recovered. “As you command. Romas will not be convinced by me to cease what he is doing.”
“I’ll handle him,” Evelyn said from behind A’Ran with the confidence that came natural to the women of her world.
A’Ran passed the communicator to her and stepped away, unwilling to eavesdrop on the conversation between a dhjan and his nishani, even if he had little respect for Romas.
His body was aching, but his mind was on Kiera, on the how he’d left her alone, and how little time Gage had left.
“Save my people and you can do what you wish to me.” Turi’s quiet voice was for his ears only.
“Your fate was never in question.”
“Kiera survived the storms?”
A’Ran bit back the snarled response he wanted to give. “She did.”
“Done!” Evelyn proclaimed and shut off the communicator. She returned it to A’Ran with a quick, if tight, smile.
The laser bolts ceased smashing into the door.
“He’s not happy with you,” she told A’Ran.
“I have never been concerned about his opinion of me or his good will,” he snapped.
“You’re welcome,” she said, raising her eyebrows. “He wanted to bury you both.”
“It is in his favor to do as I command,” A’Ran replied.
She rolled her eyes like Kiera often did when he was being unreasonable in her eyes. “I owed Kiera to try to make things right. You’ll tell her, won’t you? And ask her to visit when the baby’s born?”
Assuming we survive this. It was difficult for A’Ran to imagine tomorrow when the planet was dying at his feet. But he tried, for Kiera’s sake. “Yes,” he said.
“Good enough.” Evelyn shook her head and retreated from the door.
“Is irreverence common on their planet?” Even Yuri appeared uneasy with her level of candidness.
“It appears to be,” A’Ran replied. “Have your men get that door open now.” He stepped back. It took all his effort not to limp in front of them; he had no strength left to help with the heavy lifting and was sidelined, forced to watch the final hurdle between him and saving Kiera fall away.
Chapter Fourteen
The tremors came more frequently as the day progressed. Kiera lay on the ground next to the figure of Anshan, clutching its leg. Instead of sending her energy, the planet was soaking up hers. She didn’t realize how much time had passed until the coolness of twilight swept through the courtyard, and grass tickled her nose.
Kiera opened her eyes and swiped at her face. Her limbs were heavy as she propped herself up on her elbows to peer around. Glowing celery sticks had sprouted up nearby at the base of trees at least thirty feet tall. They were shaded by the interconnected canopy, rendering the dusky area darker.
She sat up with some effort. Her head was throbbing dully, her bruised body achy and stiff. The thick, lush forest was quiet, aside from the swaying trees and brush, and she peered through the trunks of the jungle to see the nearby corridors of the palace. She wasn’t surprised to see the moss covering the walls or that the grass extended down the center of the hallways for as far as she could make out in the dim light of evening.
“Hey. We’re doing it,” she said in a voice roughened by exhaustion to the figure whose ankle she had been gripping long enough for her hand to cramp in that position.
When she heard no response, she shuffled on her knees closer to the six-legged figure and rested her free hand on the cheek of the form with no face. The form was distinctly not human, even if it had human-like mannerisms. Unable to identify how to check it for a pulse or determine if it was breathing, Kiera finally shook it gently.
“Hello?” she murmured. “Can you hear me? Are you okay?”
The form shifted and then seemed to sigh and collapse in upon itself. The body went limp, and grass began to climb up on its clothing.
Horrified at the idea the planet was swallowing its own representative, Kiera released its ankle with effort and reached out to push the grass away as it began to devour the figure.
The moment both of her hands touched the figure, a shot of lightning originating from the ground tore through her, jarring her from toes to the top of her head and flinging her away. She landed in a heap at the base of a tree. Blinking to clear sunspots, Kiera righted herself and shook her head. She still felt the current of lightning running through her. The unsettling sensation was intense without being painful and seemed to connect her to everything around her. She felt the tree’s energy, the earth’s, the faint thrum of a current in the air. The planet’s life force ran through every part of the planet and through her, too. She felt it like she did her own heartbeat.
A’Ran was right. All of Anshan was connected. All of Anshan was alive and for whatever reason, she belonged to a world she’d never known before two months ago. She marveled at the strange feelings and waved her hands through the air, able to see the trail of faint light each movement left in its wake.
Her gaze fell to where the figure had been, and she scrambled forward. Nothing remained of the form that brought her here, not clothing or a bump in the ground like a fallen tree covered in moss. Ribbons of grass tickled her fingers, each one sending a faint charge of energy into her that pooled in her core.
The figure was gone. She sat for a moment, taking in the magical world around her and concerned the disappearance of the six-armed person meant the worst for Anshan.
She rose. A wave of dizziness hit her. The planet was starting to pull some of the lightning from her, desperate for the energy it needed to grow and repair itself. She caught herself against the nearest tree, shaking from fatigue and fearful of what happened when she, too, ran out of strength. A small quake worked its way through the courtyard.
She made her way through the jungle to a corridor. Light wasn’t needed with the layer of glowing sunflowers that lined one wall, and she traced her fingers along them, shivering with the small spark of electricity each gave off.
Uncertain how long she’d been lying in the courtyard, she was shocked by how far the greenery had spread. Trees sprang up in cavernous rooms, courtyards and atriums while grass and moss coated walls, ceilings and floors where the trees were too large to grow.
The world was coming alive. She smiled faintly and paused to rest against a wall, amazed yet exhausted. Yellow lights turned on beneath the moss on the walls, washing the palace’s interior in a greenish glow wherever she went.
Kiera paused at an intersection, unable to recognize a familiar path now that everything was covered in moss. A warm thrum of energy came from behind her, and she turned, sensing the planet was taking her a different direction than she wanted to go. Her thoughts were on A’Ran, on finding him and learning whether Gage, Evey and Turi were safe.
But
she listened to Anshan and retreated back the way she’d come, past the jungle in the courtyard and down a combination of halls until she exited the back of the palace. The grass and moss had even reached here. She paused to watch it sweep a path through the draw leading to the side of the hill where she’d first met the figure from her dreams.
Kiera took a step to follow and faltered, smashing to the ground on her hurt knee. Dizziness swept through her once more. As if in response, the earth quaked and cracked as tremors raced away from her. She drew a steady breath and stood. She began walking once more, this time slower.
She followed the familiar path. The grass was moving fast now, enveloping everything it touched, climbing the sides of hills and covering the boulders in its path. She reached the massive rock blocking the trail and sighed. The energy of Anshan wanted her to return to the hill. She gritted her teeth and struggled up the slope once more. Another wave of dizziness hit her before she reached the top, and a corresponding quake spread outward from where she was.
Sensing her connection with Anshan was even greater now, Kiera forced herself up to the hill and rested on the small plateau. The grass followed her and raced by until it met the receding greenery on the hill.
Beat after the climb, Kiera gazed up at the dark sky, able to see the storms swirling far overhead. The area above the palace was free of dust and storms, and she imagined the ever growing trees pushing the clouds away as they grew and protecting the smaller plants beneath them.
“Take care of the Anshan people, too,” she murmured. She hadn’t thought to grab celery to eat and was too tired to retreat to the jungle and retrieve some. Her hands trembled with fatigue. She sank down onto her back and watched the sky above, wondering what it would look like to see the moon where she’d lived with A’Ran and his family.
Darkness fell, and she drifted into a restless sleep filled with images of the jungle, of the figure melting into the grass, of Anshan’s palace covered in moss.
When she opened her eyes again, the sky was light enough to be morning, the red storms swirling far above. Kiera tried to move and found herself too weak. Anshan was both tugging at her and tickling her with its energy. She lay still for a long time, too tired to be alarmed by the feel of the planet’s life force moving through her. Her thoughts fluttered from topic to topic, but always returned to A’Ran and how she prayed he’d been able to save Gage and Evey before it was too late. Darker thoughts moved through her mind. It was growing harder to breath, and she was starting to feel cold.