Airwoman

by Zara Quentin

  About thirty degrees to her right, Jade felt the thinner atmosphere of another ‘passage’. She turned in that direction. She made several more turns before she came across another fresh scent. Jade peered around for another stamp, as well as feeling around the solid surface area of the ‘wall’. Her hand closed around a hard stamp.

  Jade knew this motif as well. A circle with various asymmetrical shapes contained within: Earth.

  She turned away and kept going, starting to tire. Every muscle ached from the effort. Even when she kept to the thinner atmosphere of the ‘passages’, it was still a struggle to make forward progress.

  Jade came to another dead end, turned twenty degrees to the left, traversed a little farther before turning about forty degrees to the right.

  As she rounded the corner she smelled something terrible. Something rotten. It made her stop in her tracks and start pulling back, covering her nose with her hand. Bile rose in her throat and Jade started to dry-retch. Before she could go too far, she saw something looming ahead of her.

  Jade winced as the terrible, screeching vibrations coursed through her, sending shivers down her spine. Jade pressed her hands over her ears, though it did little to quash the ‘sound.’

  The three-eyed Yrax loomed before her, appearing out of the ‘wall’ that had blocked Jade, though it was no impediment for the Yrax. Jade’s heart hammered and her shoulder throbbed, as though the still-healing wound sensed the sudden appearance of the monster.

  The Yrax screeched, and the sound ripped painfully through Jade’s mind. Then it lunged, all three eyes fixed on her. It snapped its sharp teeth in anticipation, and Jade saw the outer row of sharp teeth were so large they protruded from its mouth, making it impossible for the Yrax to close it properly. Jade freewheeled backwards, but was trapped by the ‘wall’ behind her. The Yrax slid through the grainy atmosphere effortlessly, its clawed tentacles rippling as it moved. It extended a tentacle towards her. It was still too far to grab Jade, but it would be only moments before she was caught. She flailed backwards desperately, panic rising in her throat, strangling her from the inside. The smell grew worse and as the Yrax approached, Jade saw more clearly the tiny scales that covered its body.

  Its gaping mouth opened and it screeched again, a yellow gas curled out of its mouth like smoke. Jade pinched her nose and mouth shut with one hand, gagging at the terrible rotten stench. Her mind swam as though she would pass out.

  Then, so quickly Jade barely registered it, one of the Yrax’s clawed tentacles snapped out to curl itself around her leg.

  Jade opened her mouth to scream, but the sound rattled in her head, going nowhere. Fear and pleas for help were useless here. The pressure tightened, threatening to crush the bones in her leg as it pulled her closer. The Yrax loomed over her. Her heart hammered as she uselessly wriggled, trying to tear herself out of its grasp.

  But it had her. This was it. She was stuck in the Yrax’s murky trap and couldn’t get away.

  She gave a moment’s thought to the bow and arrow that she’d left in Namaje’s room. Perhaps she could have used it; after all, could she really have missed at this range? Then her eyes widened as she remembered. The Yrax scuttled closer, now close enough to devour her. It opened its mouth and Jade saw her future reflected in the three rows of glittering teeth.

  Jade reached to her belt and drew out her knife. She held her breath and used all her energy to quieten herself. The tentacle around her leg started to draw her towards the Yrax. Every intuition told her to struggle, flee, escape. It took all her determination to reject it, and allow the Yrax to draw her closer.

  She held her breath, clenched her teeth and gripped her knife until her knuckles went white. The smell made her want to vomit, and the closer she came to the Yrax, the stronger the urge became. She was so close she saw the short course hair that grew between its ill-matched scales. She was so close, she could see the saliva that dripped from its fangs. Jade stifled a shiver of revulsion. Just a little further, she told herself as her heart threatened to break through her breastbone. She drew her knees up to her chest, tensed and ready.

  She waited.

  The Yrax drew her into its body until it was looking down on Jade, its three eyes watching her hungrily. When Jade could reach out and touch the Yrax’s foul body, she pushed out with her feet, slamming them into the Yrax’s body and propelled herself directly upwards, with as much force as she had in her legs.

  The Yrax blinked its huge eyes one at a time, but that was all the reaction it could manage before Jade lurched into it and, with every ounce of energy she had, she thrust her knife into the Yrax.

  The knife made contact with the Yrax in the middle of its face. Jade felt the knife slide into the Yrax’s middle eye until her hand, still gripping the hilt, felt something gooey and hard. A black liquid spurted out from the wound she’d made, coating her in a sticky muck. Jade tried to pull the knife away but the Yrax started screaming, sending terrible vibrations racking through Jade’s body. She lost her grip on the knife, still buried in the Yrax’s eye as it reared back, lashing out with its tentacles. In its agony, the Yrax loosened its grip on Jade’s leg and, as its tentacles writhed, it sent her flying over the top of it.

  The murky suspension of the Betwixt slowed Jade’s motion until she stopped at one of the thick ‘walls’. She panted, and looked behind her. She thought a quick prayer to the Dragon-Gods that the Yrax wouldn’t seek her out in revenge. For once, They seemed to answer as the Yrax, still screaming and thrashing with its tentacles, scuttled sideways and disappeared through a ‘wall’.

  Jade’s throat was tight and her heart ricocheted inside her chest as she saw Axel struggling towards her. His eyes were wide and afraid and it seemed as though he moved in slow motion. Still holding Cajun, he reached towards her with his free hand. His mouth opened and shut, wordlessly. Jade panted and started towards him, reaching her hand out to his. It seemed like forever before their fingertips touched and they grasped for each other to close the distance between them. When they finally collided, Axel pressed his forehead against hers.

  Jade curled her fist into his shirt, flattening the other against his chest to feel the quick rhythm of his heart. They hovered there for a moment, while Jade tried to steady her breathing and stop her hands from shaking. She finally, reluctantly, pulled away and looked up to him. She held her hand up in a fist and moved away.

  Still leading, it was Jade who suddenly felt the air density in the ‘passage’ change and followed it. She didn’t go far before she inhaled a deep breath of fresh air.

  This time there was something familiar. A dusty smell.

  She knew where she was without even feeling for the stamp.

  They’d arrived at Taraqa.

  Home.

  * * *

  Jade gulped down a lungful of the fresh air, to rid her nostrils of the awful Yrax smell. The atmosphere became suddenly lighter and her wings found their rhythm again. She burst out of the Portal clouds and blinked her eyes as millions of tiny stars came into view. Jade rolled over at the sight and glided upside down, her face turned up, entranced by the vastness of the night sky. Jade hadn’t understood how much she’d missed the wide skies and distant horizons while she’d been in hilly, tree-covered Premye.

  She rolled over again and circled, waiting for Axel to emerge from the Portal. The night sky started to fade along The Fangs. Her hammering pulse slowed now that she had left the Betwixt, but remembered that she’d only conquered the first hurdle on the way to confronting Zorman. Her stomach twisted and tightened. It was no longer a distant proposition—she was really going to do this.

  Axel emerged from the tower of clouds that marked the Portal, still carrying the unconscious Cajun over his shoulder. Axel’s eyes lit up when he saw her. He flew directly over and Jade reached out as he approached. She clasped his free hand and pulled him toward her, pressing herself against his unencumbered side for a half-hug.

  “I thought I’d lost you there,” Axel
said, catching his breath. “It was like a nightmare, I could see the Yrax approaching you and I couldn’t move fast enough to help. He’s been like an anchor.” Axel jerked his head towards Cajun. “Though you didn’t need me. That was a pretty gutsy stunt you pulled there. I didn’t think you had it in you.”

  “It was you who taught me to handle a knife.” Jade said, playfully slapping his chest.

  “I should’ve known then.” Axel’s smile broadened and Jade squeezed his arm again, then forced herself to look away and scan the ground.

  The early morning sky was lightening, but it hadn’t yet obscured the stars. There was plenty of light to see, and they were clearly in the line of sight from Our Lady’s Court. That meant they’d probably already been seen by the guards below. Jade felt exposed as they hovered below the Portal.

  Any Travellers coming through the Portal were required to sign into the Portal Log in the Temple directly after entering Taraqan airspace. If they went to the Office of Portal Records, news of their arrival would circulate before they left that room and they’d lose the advantage of surprise. But if they didn’t go, they would very likely be chased by the guards and arrested. Then they’d lose all their freedom.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Jade saw movement in the courtyard. She groaned. A Traveller on guard duty. They were being watched. Since there were few other Travellers coming and going at this time of the early morning, there was never much else for the guards to do.

  “We’ll need to take this one to the Healing Centre,” Axel said, by which Jade gathered his thoughts had tended in the same direction as her own. Jade nodded. Perhaps that could be their excuse for a detour.

  She started to spiral downwards like any other Traveller, brushing a hand over Our Lady Taraqa’s nose as she passed. Though she’d never been religious, Jade murmured words of gratitude to Our Lady for bringing her home and asked for help with her task to come. Still, her stomach was tight as a fist when she landed lightly on the cool mosaic tiles of the courtyard floor. Jade looked around for the guards, still hoping it would be possible to slip past them without being noticed.

  Axel landed next to her, lopsided under the weight he carried. Jade waved him in the direction of the Healing Centre, located in the Outer Ring of the Temple.

  “Hey!” a voice shouted from the other side of the courtyard. Jade stopped, cursing the attentiveness of the guard. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  Jade turned slowly. “We’ve just got to take—”

  “Go to the Office of Portal Records first. Everything else can wait. You know the rules,” the guard insisted.

  “But our friend—”

  “After.” The guard’s tone was firm. “I’ll make sure you get there.”

  Jade tensed but walked tall, as she followed the guard. Inwardly, she cursed. With an escort, they’d never manage to avoid notice now. She gave Axel a sideways glance, and saw his grim-set face.

  When the guard opened the door and ushered them into the Office of Portal Records, he spoke to another two guards inside, making it clear why they’d been brought here.

  “Fine. Thank you Airman Lunt. I’ll take it from here.”

  Jade’s head whipped around to see Kyssa standing in the corner. Jade’s eyes widened and she smiled at the presence of her friend.

  Kyssa didn’t return her smile. “Look who’s back.” She stood rigidly by the back wall, her eyes flicking from Jade to Axel and her lips pursed, as though she tasted something sour. “You’re both back, I see.” Kyssa took a step towards them and studied them, as though trying to work something out. “Where have you been? The rest of the Squadron got back yesterday.” There was a strange edge to Kyssa’s voice and Jade realised her friend had no idea what had happened off-world. Unfortunately, there was no time to bring her up to speed right now.

  “Are you on duty?” Jade asked Kyssa when Airman Lunt left the room. She eyed the two other guards standing opposite, behind the large table holding the Portal Record. Kyssa gave her a curt nod in response. Jade lowered her voice to a whisper, so that only Kyssa could hear. “I’m so glad it’s you! I can’t explain everything right now, but I have a huge favour to ask.” Then in a louder voice she said. “We need to get this man to the Healing Centre right away!”

  Kyssa’s mouth tightened, and a look of recognition passed over her face as she looked at Cajun. She hesitated, before giving Jade a curt nod. She flicked a glance at the two guards next to the Portal Record. “I’ll escort them, then bring them back to sign in.”

  The two guards looked at each other but said nothing in response to the order from their superior. Kyssa strode down the hallway, Jade hurried to stay at her shoulder and Axel, still carrying Cajun over his shoulder, followed close behind. The three of them walked down the Inner Ring, safely out of earshot of the guards in the Office of Portal Records.

  Jade stopped and put a hand on Kyssa’s shoulder to turn her friend back to face her.

  “I need to see Air Marshall Scosse,” Jade said. “In private. And I need to make sure no one else knows we’re here. Do you think you could just let us slip away from the Healing Centre without returning to the Office of Portal Records?”

  “Well…” Kyssa looked over her shoulder and chewed on her thumbnail. It was something Jade hadn’t seen her do since childhood.

  “It’s really important. I’ll fill you in after, I promise. Please?”

  Kyssa glanced back along the Inner Ring towards the door to the Office of Portal Records. Jade followed her gaze, taking a quick look around. There was no one else in the hallway. Nobody but Kyssa, Axel, an unconscious Cajun and herself.

  Kyssa turned back, her face set in a determined look. She was no longer biting her thumbnail. “OK, we’ll take him to the Healing Centre,” she said. She turned a corner to lead the way through the narrow passage towards the Outer Ring and came to a stop outside the doorway to the Healing Centre. Jade motioned for Axel to carry Cajun inside, while she and Kyssa waited outside. Kyssa stared into the middle distance, waiting for Axel to return. Jade wished she had the time to apologise to Kyssa, to explain. There was so much to say but Jade couldn’t decide where to start. Instead, the silence lay thickly between them and Jade couldn’t find a way to reach out to her friend. As she tried to catch Kyssa’s eye, Axel returned. He nodded at Jade, rubbing his shoulder.

  “You were quick?” Kyssa pursed her lips, refusing to meet his eye.

  Axel shrugged. “I left him on a table before anyone could ask too many questions.” He snuck a sideways glance at Jade, who straightened her shoulders and turned her attention back to Kyssa. Without a word, she waited for Kyssa’s approval. Kyssa stared at her, then gave her a curt, quick nod, before diverting her eyes.

  “Scosse is here. He always prays in his private chapel at dawn. He’s already arrived.” Kyssa threw the last of the information over her shoulder as she turned to walk in the opposite direction along the Outer Ring. Jade noticed she wasn’t taking the way back towards the Office for Portal Records.

  “Thanks!” Jade called to Kyssa’s back, but Kyssa continued striding along the Outer Ring without acknowledging Jade’s words. Jade felt a twinge of guilt. Kyssa was obviously still smarting from the way the selections for Operation Grave Insult had turned out. She promised herself that once she’d seen Scosse, she’d make it up to her friend.

  After watching Kyssa for a moment as she walked away, Axel put a hand on her shoulder and Jade startled. He raised an eyebrow and Jade remembered the reason she was here. She nodded, turned in the opposite direction and started to move down the Outer Ring towards the staircase in the corner of the building that would take them up to the Lord Protector’s private chapel.

  “Let’s go.”

  29

  Jade rounded up the last flight of stairs, pausing just before she stepped out into the hallway that led to Scosse’s private chapel. She pressed her back against the wall and caught her breath, marshalling her thoughts. Axel was a step behind her and sh
e looked back at him, noticing again how he clenched a hand around the opening of his bag.

  Her brow furrowed, as her curiosity distracted her from her mission. “What’s in there?”

  Axel’s eyes widened and he gave her an exasperated shake of his head. “You’re asking me now?”

  “Why won’t you tell me?”

  Axel stiffened. He looked down at his bag, letting his hand fall away from it. “It’s a lucky charm, I suppose. Look, if I promise to tell you about it someday, will you please concentrate on the reason we’re here?”

  Jade nodded, stopping the questions in her mouth and tearing her eyes away from Axel to look back to the hallway. He was right. Now wasn’t the time. She forced herself to think about her meeting with Scosse. He could not have been privy to what had happened on Premye. She didn’t believe it—not Papa’s friend. Most likely, Denger had been running Operation Grave Insult without keeping Scosse informed of the details.

  Jade took a breath to steady herself. All she needed to do was inform Scosse of what really happened on Premye, she reminded herself. He would sort it out from there. It occurred to her that she could also ask him for help to deal with Zorman and get her company back. As an old friend of Papa’s, Jade felt no doubt that Scosse would feel honour-bound to help her. She brightened at the thought and stood a little taller.

  Jade peeped through the doorway that led from the stairwell to the hallway on the top floor of the Ingresston Temple. At this time of the morning, the Temple passages were virtually empty. Jade and Axel had only passed one priest on the way up the five flights of stairs towards the top floor. That priest had barely looked up as they’d gone past.

  Though she’d been here a few times on business, she was still disoriented as she stepped out of the doorway. On one side of the Temple was the private quarters of the High Priest. On the other side was the Air Marshall’s private chapel, but the hallways were identical mirror images of each other. Jade looked along one corridor and then the other.