I could feel him roll his eyes. WHEN DID YOU GIVE UP? I didn’t think I had, but I was so tired. Drained. Kylesst’s voice softened, though it was no less determined. STAY WITH ME, RYLYNN. STAY WITH ME... His voice seemed to trail off and I didn’t know if he was still there or not. I didn’t know much of anything at the moment.
Chapter 25 – Living Death
Betrayer
The young girl went completely limp in his arms. Gently he lowered her to the ground. Her blood pooled around her. It was on his hands. Betrayer knelt next to her. He wasn’t sure why he felt the need to be gentle or even tender, but he was, and it wasn’t costing him anything. Maybe it was because she was so young. He could feel youth’s vitality in her blood on his hands. Life is strong in this one, he thought. Stretching his senses, he could feel her life force still clinging to her soul. It was weakening, but the Basilisk Spectral was winding himself tightly about her. Betrayer raised an eyebrow at the lengths some Spectrals would go to protect their bond-mates. Why would something so strong waste itself on a creature so frail?
Betrayer shrugged before he stood up. Absently, he absorbed the energy coating his hands. The still-living cells in Rylynn’s blood shriveled.
His gazed travelled thoughtfully from the girl to the knife in his hand. Why did that ancient prophecy claim that such a little creature could hurt him, let alone kill him? She had hardly been a threat, just an annoyance. All well. She is dying now.
Pounding footsteps echoed closer, and Betrayer rolled his eyes. And the cavalry arrives… late as usual. Betrayer walked over to Knight’s corpse, kicking the handle of the Lous-eci’dalb into the oily silver pool. It was useless now, anyway. Channeling a bit of energy to the knife in his hand, Betrayer burned away any trace of himself on its handle. He then placed it in the dead man’s hand. He returned to kneeling beside Rylynn. Pulling her into his lap, Betrayer placed his hand over the wound, as if he was trying to staunch it.
A moment later, a boy he knew to be Gaelen Imperen—though he went by Jason—and a woman with jade eyes raced in. On their heels were two other boys, one of which Betrayer could sense to be a Shade, as was the newly-minted Admiral Wingstar who came in after them. Behind them was a Masailen trained doctor, Jack, Fydo, and Talis. Betrayer wondered if Dukio and Kifen were keeping watch at the entrance.
It was comical to see them all come to a halt as if they had run up against a wall. Their eyes were wide, and all their faces had gone pale as they took in the scene before them, especially the scene of Rylynn’s prone form in his arms. Of course, he didn’t let the amusement show. “Rylynn!” Jason cried out, breaking from shock’s iron hold. “What happened to her?” he asked, coming toward them a little stiffly.
“He stabbed her! I can’t stop the bleeding!” Betrayer said in a panicky voice.
“Move,” the doctor said, rushing forward. Betrayer moved out of the way. The admiral was by the doctor’s side providing the strength needed to stop the bleeding. “She is still alive, but only barely,” the doctor reported. She reached into her pack. “I’m putting her in stasis. Hopefully it will give us the time we need to save her,” the doctor said as she pulled out a stasis cube. She placed it over Rylynn’s collarbone. Once switched on, the little cube bloomed with light. A skin-tight shield flowed from it around Rylynn’s body.
Braeden carefully picked her up and carried her from the chamber. He didn’t spare a glance for anyone else or his surroundings. His entire focus appeared to be on the girl and getting her to safety. The doctor had to jog to keep pace with him. Two of the boys followed. The remaining boy, the Shade, walked over to Knight’s body.
Keen green eyes took in the scene and the Shade turned toward him. “How could Knight have stabbed her if she had already gotten him in the back?” he asked, pointing out the chromatic knife lodged in Knight’s spine.
Betrayer shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know. He was dead, and she was dying when I came in.” The Shade frowned and started searching the body. He ignored the knife in Knight’s hand. After all, it looked like a normal blade. “What are you looking for?” Betrayer asked, crouching near him.
“He had a stone blade, but I can’t find it now,” the Shade said in frustration.
“Why is that one important? This is the one that hurt Rylynn,” Betrayer said, pointing at the bloody knife.
The Shade glanced at him but didn’t answer. Instead, he looked up at the whimpering crystal above the pool, then returned to searching the corpse. Faintly, Betrayer could see the Panther Spectral press against the Shade’s far side. Betrayer let his eyes glide over her like he was blind to her presence. Looking past her he saw Jack gazing at the mess in the room. Betrayer went over to him.
Jack was staring at Rylynn’s spilled blood. Betrayer put his hand comfortingly on Jack’s shoulder. Jack glanced at him. “Timothy, I don’t think I have ever been this afraid.” Shaking his head slowly he continued, “She is the Defender and yet she is dying…” The old man sounded so lost.
“Perhaps,” Betrayer said in his Timothy persona, “she has already defended us,” he suggested. When Jack stared at him he shrugged. “She kept that man from unlocking the prison.”
“But surely she isn’t supposed to die young.”
“Life doesn’t always follow our plans, and prophecies don’t always match up with what people claim they mean.” Betrayer patted Jack on the shoulder. “You should go and see if she will make it. I’ll clean up here.”
“Thank you, Timothy,” Jack said, and then left. Talis, Fydo, and the Shade left with him.
“You’re welcome,” Betrayer said with a small smirk after they were gone.
***
Marius
Where could the Lous-eci’dalb have gone? Marius wondered as he left the prison chamber.
I DON’T KNOW, Zara began, BUT WHEREVER IT IS, ITS HOLD ON THE SPECTRALS IS GONE. I SAW KYLESST FEEDING RYLYNN HIS ENERGY TO KEEP HER ALIVE. BUT HE WAS WEAK AND SHE WAS WEAKER. Zara’s voice was sad. THEY ARE BOTH BEYOND OUR REACH. LIVING, BUT LIKE THE DEAD.
Coma, Marius thought. He prayed that his friend and student would find her way back to them. There was hope, though dim, that lightened his step. Rylynn was still alive and the prophecy of the Defender said that she would survive if away from the ‘place of learning’. Well, she wasn’t at the Academy. She will pull through, he thought with more conviction. They just had to protect her till she figured out her way back.
Zara picked up on his lighter mood, and it made her feel hopeful. Not all was lost. Not yet.
Chapter 26 – Retreat!
Brel’toatalklen
The great prime city of Sage’tehti was at his mercy. He knew it was so. Their shields were thin and starting to resemble his daughter’s weavings. The poor thing couldn’t keep the weave tight no matter how his wife tried to correct her technique. The simple truth was, she couldn’t perform the basic task even if her life depended on it. Good thing it didn’t. As the daughter of a toatalklen, she did not need the skill to attract a worthy husband. Her pedigree took care of that. Once this campaign was done, he would need to turn his attention to that domestic matter.
Brel’toatalklen could feel a headache coming on already at the mere thought of such a task. In a bid to avoid the pain for another moment, he turned his thoughts back to the doomed city before him. From his position on the field, he could watch her ‘officers of order’ scurry about on the wall. They were desperate and too few.
He smiled. As soon as the shield went, they would be next, and the city would be his. Great wealth would be found, the wealth of a prime city spread before him like a feast. And that wasn’t counting the mines. Their wealth was incalculable. True, he had to give a share of the spoils to the Movement and the Zar’dakens, but he was still going to be a very wealthy mercenary. His clan and their followers would sing of his greatness for generations.
Riding the endorphins of guaranteed success, Brel’toatalklen ses-KGor walked through the ranks of his troops toward the besie
ged city. “They have done their best!” he shouted to the warriors around him, “and look at them now. They cower behind their walls and technology. They are exhausted and panicked. Their strength, their technology, is failing before us! We are Telmicks and are not tired.” He turned and gestured grandly, “in fact, we have barely begun!” His declaration was met by thunderous cheers. “I say it is time we put them out of their misery!” The cheers turned to battle cries as his troops charged the city.
Blasts from the Telmick laser cannons smashed against the shields. A few went through the holes in the shield and collided with the buildings beyond. Similar to glass, the shield came down. Whooping, the first of the Telmicks began the arduous task of scaling the walls.
A thin rain of yellow blaster fire struck some of Brel’toatalklen’s men, but that pitiful counter attack couldn’t stem the tide. The Telmicks were coming, and there was little the city’s defenders could do about it. They would soon taste the stupidity of their arrogance.
While Sage’tehti had a shield that the colony cities did not, it depended heavily on aerial support from the Legion Fleet for defense. But that help was being taken care of by Brel’toatalklen’s allies.
In moments, his troops had cleared the wall. The officers up there were quickly dispatched. Brel’toatalklen grinned from atop the wall. Now there was nothing between them and the hunt for civilians and their treasures. “Go! Reap your rewards!” he ordered. The tide of Telmicks poured into the city. Brel’toatalklen listened for the music that would soon come to his ears—the crashes of doors being broken down, and the screams and desperate wails of the Citizenry would sing to him. His warriors would begin singing their favorite songs while they cut through the masses.
He heard the doors crashing open and the mocking calls of his men. But he heard no screams. No desperate pleading. Nothing. Frowning, Brel’toatalklen joined his men.
“No one is here,” one said to him. He had no choice but to agree with the man. He had walked the streets too, had peered into the buildings and overturned the beds. There was no one. The loot was still there, for the most part, but all the people were gone. Somehow Sage’tehti was empty and his men were cheated of the fun part of a raid.
At least there is still the wealth… It was a very small comfort, though.
***
Jack
What Brel and his Telmicks didn’t know was that the civilians they were hunting were beneath their feet in the tunnels. Jack and his Guardians were guiding the people through. Though, once they were out they had no idea where to go. What was the point of going to another prime city when they could fall so easily? Why had the Empire let this happen to them? Was there such a thing as safety anymore? Those were just some of the questions being asked in timid whispers and hushed sobbing.
Jack couldn’t answer any of them. He didn’t even try. He was too lost in his thoughts to even care. Worry was eating at him. All he could see before his mind’s eye was the moment when he had seen Rylynn bleeding out in Timothy’s arms. The last he seen of her, she was being brought, along with her shipmates, on board Talis’talklen’s ship. It had managed to land while the ses-KGor were occupied with conquering the city of Sage’tehti. Now they were on their way to meet up with the Hail Mary, which wasn’t doing so well against four opponents. Though the fact that she was still in one piece—mostly—was something of a miracle to Jack, based on what he had heard.
Jack could only pray that they would be able to leave Lenti space intact.
But that was all he could do for them, now that they had gone. Stricken by events, he had watched them leave. When he could no longer see them, he had returned to the city. There, he had found that his people were already guiding the civilians through the tunnels. Jack immediately began to help. It was something he could do, something useful and lifesaving. Once out, they could all try to figure out what to do next.
Truth to tell, he wasn’t looking forward to that.
***
Francesca
The Hail Mary must be cursed. That is the only explanation for why we always find her looking like a candidate for scrap metal, Admiral Francesca L’Seral thought wildly. It was the first intelligible thing her shocked brain had put out since the Terrenza had dropped out of hyperspace. The scene was hauntingly reminiscent of the last time they had come to the Hail Mary’s aid. A little more nightmarish this time, she amended. Instead of a single Zar’daken warship, there were two. Even worse, two of the Legion’s own ships had turned against the Hail Mary. No wonder Braeden never trusted Captain Benson, she thought viciously. Now she wished she had listened to him more when Braeden had first warned her against making the man a captain. Now, Braeden was paying for her lapse of judgment.
“I want those backstabbing bastards out of the sky. NOW!” she growled.
“Aye Ma’am! Firing lasers!” Lieutenant John said. Francesca wanted to add the SCF to the list, but the battling ships were too close to the colony world to use it. Too many innocents would be involved.
“Ma’am, I am receiving a transmission from the Hail Mary,” Kem reported.
“Put it through.”
It was audio only, but she didn’t need visual to hear the relief in Commander Quinn’s harried voice. “Thank God you’re here! Our people are back, but we can’t get our new friends to give us a break.”
Francesca’s smile was harsh with vengeance. “We have your back, Commander.”
“You have my thanks, Admiral,” he said, then ended the transmission.
Before Francesca could give her orders, Kem spoke up again. “Ma’am, I’m receiving another transmission, this time from a Telmick vessel,” he said with a hint of surprise coloring his usually calm voice.
“Telmick?” Francesca asked, turning toward him.
“Aye, Ma’am.”
Frowning, Francesca nodded for him to put it through. The forward view screen was filled with the visage of a Telmick in his prime, sitting in their version of a captain’s chair. His gray skin was heavily tattooed, but she didn’t think it was as heavy as a clan leader’s. “I am Saffa’tauta ses-Ky,” he introduced himself before continuing briskly, “whatever you are planning to do I suggest you do it now.”
Stepping up beside Saffa’tauta was crewman Marius Strausman. “Rylynn might not make it otherwise, Ma’am.” The transmission ended.
Francesca shoved all her questions away for later. She turned to John. “Spread the fire power across all enemy warships. I want them so busy that they don’t notice that we were leaving until we are long gone!”
“Yes Ma’am.”
“Charge the SCF, too.” At John’s concerned look she added, “Just to give them something to really worry about.” Relieved, John nodded.
Under the covering fire, the Hail Mary limped away from her attackers. Once near the Terrenza, she opened a hyper gate and slipped through. Beside her was the Telmick ship. Firing a final volley, the Terrenza followed after. Though she was glad to be underway with everyone still intact, Francesca still grumbled that they had left the enemy and traitors alive. Alive and near a colony world. She vowed to herself that once the Hail Mary was safe, she would return to Lenti space with a fleet of trusted ships and they would take back the colony. And, hopefully catch the traitors and bring them to justice.
She was looking forward to that part.
Chapter 27 – A Silvery Pool
Betrayer’s Station
Iceron System
Sylvia
Finally! After days of tedious work, Sylvia had managed to wedge the floor panel up. She hadn’t expected it to take so long, but then she hadn’t thought that each floor panel would be glued in like they were. Didn’t people just set them into a frame that was secured and call it a day? She was just lucky enough to be prisoner in the one place where they had taken more care. Did he fear that his ‘precious’ Pets would escape? she wondered, gently placing the panel on the floor beside her. But then, Betrayer was usually a careful sort. The only time she had seen
him slip up in the slightest was when he had left the shattered diamlass where his Pets could snatch it. But then, he might have been worried about Rylynn, Sylvia thought, padding over to the bundle of supplies she had managed to scavenge.
That was another reason why it had taken her so long to loosen the floor panel. She had to act like she didn’t have important things on her mind. Once made into a Pet, one didn’t have weighty concerns other than the next meal and how to fend off boredom. But she had something the others didn’t. She could See what was happening, or would be happening. She was tormented by the fact that she was receiving all the warnings, but had no way to warn anyone. Like those two Spectrals—Sylvia had no way of knowing if they were dead or alive. No idea. As for her niece… well that was why she was trying to escape now. Rylynn needed her.
Sylvia fished out a small pen flashlight that she had filched from one of the other Pets. They had a collection of the things. Betrayer seemed to think it cute, and would bring back another one once in a while. He did things like that for several of the others. Sylvia wouldn’t let him do it for her. It wasn’t that she expected him to treat her better, though she had been his wife, she just didn’t want him to treat her like an actual ‘Pet’. She was her own person, who just happened to be imprisoned by a megalomaniac control freak.
Shining the penlight into the floor, she was pleased to see that she had been right. There was a reasonably-sized crawl space down there. Sylvia tied her bundle shut and put it down the side of the opening so she would have room to come in after it. Then she slid in, feet first. The space left by the panel was a bit of a tight squeeze, but she managed it. Before she went on her way, she poked her hand back up and felt around for the panel. Finding it, she gently eased it back into the hole. It was little tricky in the tight, dark space, but with some creative maneuvering she managed it. Even better, the panel didn’t make much noise while she was setting it back in place.
Defender of the Empire 2: Facades Page 18