by S. E. Weir
“And alarming.”
The awareness shot toward Link. “Yes, of course. However, as it has grown increasingly rare for our people to come across an unknown in the universe, the possibility is intriguing.”
Phina spoke, diverting their attention. “Anyone have a thought as to how we will be able to find this thing, whatever it is? Braeden, you said you could feel the pull. Does that mean you can follow it back to the source?”
“Yes, I believe I could if we descended into the atmosphere enough to feel it but not pull as much out of me.”
His piercing eyes turned to Phina, giving Link the sense that he had asked her something privately. What would it be like to be able to speak mind to mind? Would it be similar to the implant with a private channel or different? Phina apparently agreed with his request since she nodded, though she looked concerned. That didn’t bode well. What the hell were they up to?
Link cleared his throat and decided he would stick close to Phina for the time being. No telling what new danger she would rush into if he wasn’t there to help. “Stark, could you go into the atmosphere and continue down gradually until Braeden tells you to stop?”
“You got it.”
Link felt the slight press of inertia as Stark moved.
“ADAM, any thoughts or insights?”
“Not yet. Once we reach the area, I would like to be involved in the discussion about the next step.”
“Stop.” The word came out roughly. Braeden appeared to be trying to breathe through what he was feeling. The ship halted.
“Which direction, Braeden?” Phina asked softly.
“It feels half a world away. That way.” Braeden pointed.
Stark acknowledged the direction, and the ship began to move again.
“What direction is that, Stark?” Link wondered if the location would be familiar to the Aurians.
“Northeast.”
He-Who-Acts looked confused by the terms. “Toward the dark sun or toward the bright?”
“If you are referring to where they are in the sky, we are moving toward the dark sun. As Braeden said, it’s half the world away from where we started. Braeden, tell me any change in direction or speed if you will.” Link looked at the ceiling in surprise. Stark sounded different today, personable without hamming it up. Huh.
A camera view from the front of the ship was displayed on a wall screen.
“I will.” Braeden closed his eyes, and his face drew in with concentration. He was breathing more heavily, and his chest was moving with greater frequency. Phina frowned in concern, placed her hands on Braeden’s chest, and closed her eyes as she had in the Pod.
Not wanting to stare, Link turned to the Aurians, wondering if they knew anything about where they were headed. He-Who-Listens stared at the screen, not blinking, his face impassive. He-Who-Moves tapped his fingers on his palms, his face reflecting his feelings about what he was seeing. He-Who-Acts clenched and unclenched his hands, his eyes not leaving a spot on the table in front of him. She-Who-Mourns sat frozen in her chair, her face turned to the screen. Her expression was one of horror and fear.
She knew.
Phina opened her eyes and turned away from the landscape on the screen, which seemed to go on in endless desolation. Just knowing that all the life had been sucked out of this planet caused pangs of heartache. Better to occupy herself with the people in the room.
Braeden, having been replenished by Phina, sat with his eyes shut, listening to and feeling that tug of energy. If Gleeks sweated, he would be profusely perspiring since his face showed signs of strain and his body shook as they drew closer. Some unknown object sucked the life out of people and planets. Not that she was feeling depressed or bitter or angry about it.
Nope, no.
Her hands kept clenching and her jaw twitched, showing just how coolly and calmly she had taken everything so far.
With a shudder, Phina closed her eyes for a brief moment, then turned to Link so Braeden and the screen were behind her. Less to tempt her to rage.
Link hadn’t changed clothes since their fight with the Skaines earlier, so they still bore dust and blood. This was the most disheveled she had seen the man since they met. She realized she had been staring at the man’s torso for far too long, and just then Link’s muscles visibly tensed. She glanced at his face.
As usual, the man showed little expression, though he was staring across the table. Phina followed his gaze to She-Who-Mourns. Phina thought the Aurians’ names were intriguing, though unwieldy. The female wore an expression of dread and terror as she stared at the screen. A quick glance showed nothing they hadn’t seen in the last ten minutes, so the strong feelings emanating from the female were puzzling.
Since Phina’s energy was back to its usual level, she opened her mind toward Link and She-Who-Mourns to get a sense of what was wrong.
Link’s thoughts were elusive and chaotic, allowing her little understanding of the problem since there was no one thought or emotion that popped out. Instead of his emotions being rigidly controlled as she had learned to do, Link had apparently learned to feel all the emotions but show very little on his face. Phina hadn’t thought it possible.
Yet, through the chaos, a phrase kept popping up just out of her mental sight. Straining, she could just barely manage to understand it. “She knows. She knows.”
Who knew, and what did she know?
Remembering that his gaze had been locked on She-Who-Mourns, she reached out for her and let go of all but a small awareness of Link. The female’s mind had less chaotic thoughts, but that marked the end of her scan being easy. Her mind was filled with terror, reluctance, and shame. She didn’t hear any words, but her emotions projected something along the lines of, “It’s all my fault.”
Making a logical leap, Phina thought She-Who-Mourns believed she was to blame for what had happened to the planet. But how? Phina began a series of logical processes, mental calculations, and intuitive leaps that led her to a conclusion she wasn’t happy about.
Fudging. Pickled. Crumbs.
Lost in her thoughts, she almost missed it when Braeden stiffened. “Slow down. We are close.”
“How close is close?”
The ship jerked to a halt so quickly the others swayed in their chairs.
“A little farther.”
The ship moved forward slowly until Braeden called a halt. He shivered and trembled, his body straining. Phina felt his distress and leaned forward to place her hand on his arm in comfort. His body vibrated with effort, and she could feel the growing weakness within him. She glanced around and saw everyone else in the room growing alarmed and pale.
“Stark, take us straight up out of the atmosphere.”
After a moment, which Phina registered with a part of her brain that decided Stark must have calculated and come to a determination about why she had made the request, the ship swiftly moved higher. Braeden visibly eased the farther they moved away from the surface of the planet.
Looking around, Phina realized the Aurians were all looking paler, their dark skin gray. A swift glance at Link confirmed her earlier conclusion.
“This is going to suck.”
“What will suck?”
Link had swung around to face Phina, suspicion causing his eyes to lock on hers and his eyebrows to draw in with concern. The little she-devil was up to something again, and he knew he wasn’t going to like it.
“Oh.” She blinked her eyes twice, then casually looked around the room as if searching for a way out of explaining.
“Phina.”
Taking a deep breath, she straightened her shoulders and looked straight at him, stubbornness in her eyes and determination firming her mouth. “Someone needs to go down and see what can be done with whatever phenomenon is pulling the energy. Braeden would die. The Aurians can’t go as they are still weak from malnourishment and dehydration. Humans can’t go as their bodies wouldn’t withstand the energy pull this close to the source. You just had a taste of it and were
already having problems. So, it must be me.”
“You’re human, so you can’t go.”
Phina gave him a sad smile. “I think after the last few weeks, whatever I am, we can safely say I’m no longer a normal human.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Link saw the Aurians turn toward each other. Coincidence, or did they understand what was happening here?
“Still, that doesn’t mean you’re safe.” Why did he feel like he held water in his hands every time he tried to argue with her?
“I have the best chance. My body creates excess energy now, and that’s what this thing pulls.”
“All the more reason not to go!” Why couldn’t the stubborn woman see he was trying to protect her?
“Someone has to, and that someone is me!” Phina’s eyes flashed with determination and pain.
What was going on in that damned woman’s brain?
“It is the same. I didn’t want it to be, but it is. It is the same place and the same device.”
When the Aurian female spoke, Link jerked back and ran a shaky hand through his hair. Link tried to focus on She-Who-Mourns as she spoke; she was living up to her name. Her eyes appeared larger, and they were frightened and brimming with sorrow. She clutched her arms around herself, frail and delicate.
He-Who-Acts turned his head toward her in anger and disbelief. His arm pushed He-Who-Moves back into his chair so He-Who-Acts could see her face. “You are saying you knew about this? You are el’adron! Our last el’adron! Were you a part of this tragedy that destroyed our home?”
“No!”
She-Who-Mourns was shocked out of her private horror at his accusation. Her face showed dismay and shame. Link’s assessing eyes took it all in, then he spoke his conclusions.
“You knew about it.”
Closing her eyes, she nodded. Her confidence and poise had fallen away, revealing a regretful, haunted, shattered female.
“Yes,” she whispered. “I knew.”
He-Who-Acts blurted, “Why did you not say something? We could have fixed this, and our families and friends would not have died!”
The Aurian female flinched at his vehemence. Phina held up her hands. “Wait, please. Let’s listen to what happened before we judge the actions that were taken.”
“I agree. It’s easy to speak in hindsight.” Link nodded in approval while Braeden spoke, breathing and moving easier now that his body wasn’t stressed from the energy drain.
Tears shimmered in She-Who-Mourns’ eyes as she nodded before looking down, her white hair falling forward to cover her face. She spoke quietly but could still be heard.
“Before this began, I was pledged to one of the males in our town, which is a short distance from the place down below. He was named He-Who-Thinks because his mind never stopped. He always questioned and attempted to learn new things. He would travel to the surrounding towns and cities, looking for new devices or ideas for making them. He enjoyed figuring out what they could do, taking them apart, and making them better.”
Link sagged back in his chair. He could see where this story was headed. She-Who-Mourns twisted her fingers around each other as she continued.
“After a time, he brought home a large broken device he was very excited about. He never did explain how he got it and was secretive whenever the subject came up. One day I overheard him talking about the device with a friend. He had been able to fix part of it because his hands were much smaller than those who had made it and previously owned it. When the friend questioned him about the previous owners, he closed up, saying they were no longer around to claim ownership.”
She-Who-Mourns finally looked up, her expression still troubled. “I should have taken that as the warning it was. After that conversation, he became even more withdrawn and secretive about everything, not just the device. We no longer had conversations, and any time I attempted one, he became impatient. After weeks of this, I woke up one morning feeling strange and having lost time. I finally went to visit his workshop. He barely acknowledged me, racing around the device to check readings and such. I told him our pledge was in danger of being compromised, that he hadn’t kept the promises he had made, and if things didn’t change, I would have to leave. I felt sick anytime I was home, and being closer to the device made it worse.” She hugged herself, rubbing her flesh as if to get warm.
“He said he had more important things to do, and if I couldn’t see that, then I wasn’t the female he thought I was. I got angry, but I was hurt that he placed higher importance on this device than he did for me, his pledge. I left the next day and returned to my family in a town not far away. A couple of weeks later, I had a sense of danger and foreboding. After the first people became ill, I suspected it was connected to the device that He-Who-Thinks had found. I knew this illness wasn’t going to go away, and we needed to leave.”
She looked up, her eyes streaming tears. “I tried to go back to break the device that had cursed us all, but illness overtook me, and I wasn’t able to continue. All I could do was run away with whoever would come with me. Some believed me, but even with the su’adon, very few followed me. They could not understand the danger.” She shook her head sadly.
“We had never experienced anything like it, so their belief that nothing like I described could affect them prevented them from accepting the truth. We stopped anywhere we found people and told them we needed to flee, usually only able to stay a few weeks before needing to leave again. We ran halfway across the world to escape from it.”
Her tale ended in a whisper. Link narrowed his eyes, certain there was more to the story. “And what makes you believe the illness is connected to this device?”
She turned to look at him, and chills raced down his spine. Damn it. Those shattered eyes were starting to get to him. “Aside from my illness, you mean? When I visited his workshop, he kept muttering about energy readings and drawing energy in while examining the plants he had placed around the edges of the room. They were all dying.”
Braeden made noises of intrigue and satisfaction as if his ideas had been confirmed. He-Who-Acts shook his head in confusion. “Why would you hide this? Were you afraid we would throw you out?”
She-Who-Mourns flinched but shook her head. “There was no point to knowing. It could not be changed, and the knowledge would do nothing but create a greater burden and make us lose hope.” She sighed sadly.
“If you had said something sooner, we could have gone and found the device and stopped all this!” His words were full of loss and frustration. She-Who-Mourns shuddered but fell silent.
“You would have died long before you got there.”
Everyone turned to face Braeden, whose eyes were fixed on the Aurians. They shrank back at that.
“She was right to keep silent. Once this device had been set in motion, I believe anyone approaching it would have died long before reaching the center where the device is located.”
“Which is why I have to go and see what we can do to fix this.”
Phina’s declaration dropped into the room like a stone in a pool. At the burst of fear that he would lose her, Link felt the darker part of himself, the part he strove to suppress whenever possible, surge forward.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Etheric Empire, Orbit around Planet Lyriem, QBS Stark
“Over my dead body.”
Phina turned to Link, too shocked to react. After a moment, she twitched her mouth into a smile. “That seems a little excessive, don’t you think?”
His tone was implacable. “No. I don’t see why anyone should go down there. We’ll find somewhere else for them to live.”
“Actually,” Stark cut in, “leaving this device or process in place is a bad idea. The amount of energy it’s amassed is huge since it’s the whole of the energy of the planet and its people. Without seeing the code, it’s difficult to say what will happen, but the readings on my scanners are not good for the health of this star system, and it could very well affect those living on the other t
hree planets. From the readings I’ve taken every hour, we have only days until it reaches a critical level.”
Phina jumped in. “Then it needs to be checked out immediately. Since I’m the only one who has a chance to make it through the energy drain, I need to go.”
Link groaned in frustration. “A chance. And that doesn’t concern you, that you might not make it back? Don’t we have a right to want you safe?”
Phina sat back in her chair, putting more distance between them. This was the argument in the bar all over again. She needed to understand what was driving him. Reaching out mentally, she found out. Though nothing showed on his face, his anger inundated her, but under that lay fear, pain, and regret. She stiffened and closed her eyes.
When she opened them a moment later, her voice, soft with compassion, barely reached Link’s ears.
“I know you want me to stay safe. I wish life allowed me to alleviate your concerns.” She knew he wouldn’t appreciate her commenting on his fear of losing her in front of the others. “The life we’ve chosen isn’t designed to be safe. None of us have chosen safe lives. On the contrary, we put ourselves in danger all the time for the Empire and anyone who needs help. This is no different.”
Link shook his head, his eyes stormy with emotion. “The hell it’s not! You would be alone and in danger, with no way for us to get you back without losing people! You haven’t the experience for a situation like this.”
“She won’t be alone.”
Drk-Vaen, with Sis’tael behind him, filled the doorway. Phina felt a combination of relief that she wouldn’t have to be alone and fear that they would die too. Her shoulders tensed. She couldn’t do it.