Alliance

by Aubrie Dionne

  “To tell you the truth, my stomach is growling like a recycling chute.” Leo passed by us, following the elder.

  “I’m staying here.” Tauren crossed his arms. “To keep watch. I’ve had enough of his cosmic ponderings.”

  I looked at Asteran, worried that having one of us stay behind would still insult the old man.

  Asteran nodded. “Acceptable.”

  We followed Telehedron down a small hallway to a room with a large, low circular table made out of the same porcelain stone as the rest of the tunnels.

  As we sat cross-legged on the ground around the table, Telehedron brought out long strings of dried meat and a yellow cube that resembled cheese. He poured water in small bowls and passed them to us.

  We copied Asteran’s movements as he drank from the bowl and cut pieces of the meat and yellow cheese with a small knife.

  Asteran’s perfect lips were turned down. He moved slowly, with resignation, like someone stuck in a nightmare. Blank shock stole the sparkle in his eyes. “What happened to the others?”

  “Twelve moons ago, they traveled to the surface to look for survivors and never came back.”

  As Telehedron spoke, I tried a bite of meat. It tasted salty and rough like jerky, with a sweet, spicy pungency that made me want more. The cheese smelled like Leo’s feet. Not wanting to offend Telehedron, I stuffed a small chunk in my mouth. It had a sour, creamy taste that melted on my tongue.

  “They may be still out there.” Nova held his gaze with her hopeful stare. “We can look for them.”

  “Do not waste your precious time. There is nothing up there now.”

  “We saw an animal. A”—she snapped her fingers—“megatron.”

  Asteran shook his head and corrected her gently. “A Magadon. But it was half starved and weak.”

  Telehedron chewed his meat deliberately. “The end will come for us all. Soon.” He spoke with calm reluctance.

  “Come with us,” I blurted out as instant embarrassment trickled through me. It wasn’t my place to order around alien village elders. My voice dropped to a hopeful plea. “We have room for you on our ship.”

  “You are kind, young one. There is much good in the world you can do.” He threaded his fingers together. “My path has already been chosen, and now it draws to a close. There is nothing more for me out there. I must travel to the silent land with my brethren.” He smiled and a sparkle lit his eyes. “They are waiting to see my light.”

  What? He’d rather die here than try to help us? I looked at Asteran for help, but he only nodded in acquiescence. Nova shrugged. I supposed it was his decision, but all I could think of was the waste of a chance at a longer life.

  What if everything and everyone I knew was gone? If I thought about it too much, I’d want to crawl into a ventilation pipe and sleep forever.

  Then a thought hit me like a megaton capacitor. Asteran probably has those same feelings. I couldn’t accept that from him. Telehedron was old. He’d lived his life. Asteran was young and strong. He had a life ahead of him, a life with my people. A life with me. If he wants it.

  A distant rumble caused unease to spread through my gut. Telehedron reached for his cane and stood like it was merely the sun disappearing behind the horizon as darkness fell. “Come, there is not much time left. Let me show you the crystals.”

  We stood and followed him to a pile of old rags and cracked pots. Even the shards looked beautiful, with elegant carvings reminding me of Asteran’s swirly tattoos. I wanted to take a piece with me, but I had too much respect for the temple to steal souvenirs. Let the remains stay where they belong, with Telehedron.

  Asteran helped him clear away a small chest made from reeds and some sort of bamboo material. He pulled a ribbon through a catch in the side and raised the lid. Jade crystals, like the one around Asteran’s neck, glittered in the pale light. There must have been ten of them, all shapes and sizes with a few as long and narrow as my finger, and some round like a grape.

  Another rumble sent us sprawling in all directions. Asteran caught Telehedron before he fell. A crashing noise reverberated from the room where Tauren had stayed behind.

  Asteran glanced at me, clutching the chest to his gut. “Stay with Telehedron. I’ll check it out.”

  As Leo and Nova followed Asteran, I took Telehedron’s arm. He wrapped his knobby, knuckled hand around my fingers and squeezed. “I have one more item for you.”

  As the ground thundered beneath us, he crouched and dug farther into the pile of broken pots. Had he lost his mind? Would he offer me a broken piece of one of the pots?

  I kinda did want one.

  Telehedron turned and slipped a cool, square item in my hand.

  I opened my fingers. A plastic, gray disc glistened in the dim light. When I looked closely, tiny scratch-like grooves scraped across the surface in complex patterns. “What is it?”

  “It is the most important cargo you can carry for me and everyone who has ever lived on Priavenus.”

  Great. No pressure. “Why?”

  “This contains all of our collective memories, our history and our technology. It has all of our dreams and our realities. Everything we accomplished in five thousand years.”

  Utter shock stole my breath away. I was afraid my sweaty hand would somehow damage the grooves or I’d drop it into the broken pots and lose it forever. “Why me? Shouldn’t you give this to Asteran?”

  Telehedron shook his head. “Asteran may sacrifice himself for his cause. If I give him this disc, all might be lost. You, on the other hand, possess a strong will. You want to live.” He closed my fingers around the disc. “You will survive to bring this to your people.”

  Reeling from his prediction for Asteran, I could hardly speak. Tears burned my eyes. “I’ll try.” I wanted to say I couldn’t promise him anything, but I didn’t have the heart.

  The rumbling grew louder, and my whole body shook until my teeth chattered. I gripped Telehedron’s arm harder, afraid the two of us would shatter to pieces, like the pots.

  Nova rushed in, her green eyes wild and alert. “Part of the ceiling fell in. Tauren is trapped. Asteran and Leo are removing debris. You must come with me.”

  Guilt zapped my chest. We’d left Tauren alone for too long.

  Taking advantage of my loosening grip, Telehedron slipped from my fingers and stepped back into the shadows. “Nothing is certain. You carve your own destiny, like those who travel with you.”

  I reached toward him just as a crack opened in the floor. Shards of broken pots tumbled into the darkness as a foul stench wafted up. “You can’t stay here. It’s not safe. Come with us.”

  Nova pulled me away from the crevice as it widened with every second. I could barely make out Telehedron in the shadows. “No. I have to get him.”

  “He’s made his choice! You can’t sacrifice yourself for him. We need you.” Nova’s arms gripped across my chest like a vise.

  Telehedron raised a hand and shouted over the rumbling. “He must heal before he loves. If you can heal him, there is hope.”

  Nova yanked me back. The ceiling cracked open, and rocks, dirt, and debris rained down. Nova and I tumbled backward. We fell into the corridor as dirt choked the portal and cascaded onto our legs.

  I became numb and deaf all at once, the world closing in until I could only focus on one truth. Telehedron is gone.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Maze

  The disc he gave me cut into my skin and tears blurred my vision. The rumbling increased until every bone in my body felt like jelly.

  Nova pulled me up. “Come on. We have to get out of here.”

  All I could think about was his frail body crushed by the pressure of a kilometer of rock and sand. For his own sake, I prayed his end had been quick and he wasn’t somehow still alive, trapped with a pocket of air.

  Nova practically ripped my arm out of its socket as she tugged me forward. We rounded the corner to the room where we’d found Telehedron, where Tauren was trapped.<
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  Asteran and Leo dug through rubble, tossing aside rocks the size of my head. Nova dove in, and I stood in shock. Asteran gazed back at me with watery eyes. “Telehedron?”

  I shook my head, feeling like the biggest failure in the universe. Why couldn’t I convince him to join us, if not for Asteran’s sake?

  Asteran only nodded solemnly and continued to dig.

  Would Tauren end up like the old man?

  Waves of guilt rolled over me. I should have told him long ago so he could have the freedom to let me go and choose another. My fear had made me selfish and self-centered. I dropped to my knees and began to dig, hoping I could somehow right my wrong.

  My hand closed on something smooth, like plastic, and round. I dusted the top off and my stomach clenched. “Here! It’s Tauren’s boot.”

  Nova, Leo, and Asteran joined me, tossing off pieces of the carved porcelain ceiling, wiring, and ventilation pipes. Tauren lay underneath, with a coat of dust covering him from head to toe. His eyes were closed.

  “Is he dead?” Leo shrieked. “What are we going to do? We can’t carry him all the way back to the ship. And we can’t leave him. Crophaven will have us all shot.”

  Nice to know my brother worried about himself and not Tauren. But I had to admit, the thought of leaving him had crossed my mind.

  Asteran bent over Tauren’s head and held a finger to his neck. “He’s not breathing, but there’s a slim sliver of life.”

  The earth quaked around us. “Even if he’s breathing, we’ll never get him out of here in time.”

  “We can’t leave him.” I kneeled beside Asteran. He’d saved Leo. “Is there anything you can do?”

  Asteran nodded and placed his hand on Tauren’s forehead. He chanted in his language and closed his eyes. His eyelids fluttered out of control and I wondered if he’d die trying.

  Around us, the room filled with dust as the corridors began to cave in.

  Nova coughed. “If we don’t get out of here now, we’re done for.”

  I held up a finger. Asteran was a realist at heart. Telehedron had confirmed as much to me. He wouldn’t take on a task he didn’t think he could handle. Yes, but he’s failed before. I squashed my doubt aside. “Just give him one minute.”

  Nova grabbed my arm. “That’s one minute we don’t have.”

  Blue light emanated from Asteran’s hand, illuminating the hard ridges in Tauren’s face. His chest lifted from the floor, and he sucked in a long, gasping breath. His eyes opened wide as his body crashed back down to the floor.

  “What happened?”

  Asteran grabbed Tauren’s right hand, and I grabbed his left. We pulled him to his feet.

  “You died.” Leo helped us steady him.

  “What?” Tauren’s eyes widened as he took in his rumpled, dust-covered uniform. Usually he kept the fabric pristine and pressed to perfection.

  I pulled him forward. “There’s no time to explain. Come on.”

  Asteran picked up the chest, and we bolted to the corridor where we’d come in. Dim blue lights flickered in the dusty haze. Passageways crisscrossed in every direction, some clogged with sand and other half caved in.

  Images of us buried alive and choking on dirt bombarded my imagination. I fought a rising current of panic, swallowing my claustrophobic thoughts. “Do you know how to get out of here?”

  Asteran lead the way, taking a turn to the right. “Yes. I’ve been down here many times.”

  We stumbled over chunks of rock as shiny black bugs and other creepy crawlers spewed from cracks in the walls. We turned the corner to a wall of rock where the escape tunnel once stood.

  Asteran dug into hard, packed dirt. He freed a rock, and more dirt took its place, trickling down to our feet. “We have to double back.”

  “Go back?” Leo shrieked.

  I’d never heard him so frightened.

  Asteran pushed through us. “I know another way.” He disappeared around the corner.

  Tauren stood in the center of the corridor and held both arms out, blocking our way. “What if he’s leading us deeper into the tunnel system? What if he’s wrong?”

  Every heartbeat, Asteran ran farther ahead of us.

  I stood to face him, rising on my tiptoes. “Our best shot is to follow him.”

  “You’d follow him anywhere, wouldn’t you, Lyra?” Spittle flew from his lips, landing on my cheeks, but I didn’t back down. Now wasn’t the time for jealous accusations.

  “He’s trying to help us, which is more than you’ve done this whole time.”

  Pain wrinkled around his eyes and he backed up a centimeter. I took that opportunity to push by. Leo and Nova followed. Too worried about catching up with Asteran, I didn’t look back to see if Tauren trailed behind. I’ve already saved his butt once today.

  Thunderous cracks echoed. It sound like the whole planet had broken in half. “Asteran!”

  The corridor dimmed to only a few flickering blue lights. I couldn’t remember if we’d been here before. “Asteran!”

  A hand grabbed me from the side and I screamed and struggled to get away. “It’s okay, Lyra.” The scent of morning mist calmed me at once. Asteran hugged me against him. “I’ve found a way out.”

  Nova and Leo caught up, panting.

  I glanced behind them. “Where’s Tauren?”

  “I’m here.” Tauren emerged from the shadows, his shoulders slumped forward, whether because Asteran had proven himself correct yet again or from coming back from the brink of death, I had no idea. And I didn’t care.

  “Come with me.” Asteran led us underneath a beam that had given under the pressure, stuck to the side of the wall. He gestured to a hole in the rubble. The circumference was no wider than my outstretched arm. “It’s a tight fit.”

  “I’m not going through that.” Leo hugged his arms around himself.

  I pushed my brother to the hole. “Oh yes you are.”

  I crawled in first, using my wrist locator to light the way. The dirt was cool underneath my arms, with soft spots full of wiggling things I didn’t want to see. Rocks scraped my skin, and the earth rumbled around me. I tried not to think about the tunnel collapsing and crushing me alive.

  Dim blue light emanated from up ahead. I reached forward, and my fingers found open air. Pulling myself out of the tunnel, I collapsed onto the floor. It felt so good to have room to extend my arms and legs. Part of me feared I’d be trapped in that hole forever.

  I glanced around and recognized the carvings in the walls from the original tunnel. Hope and relief brought tears to my eyes as I half sobbed, half laughed. I sat in front of the elevator we’d used to get down here. Asteran had been right.

  Leo called from the tunnel behind me, and I stuck my arms in. “You’re almost there.”

  His fingers threaded through mine, and I pulled him forward. Nova followed.

  I reached in the tunnel for the next set of hands, but no one came after Nova. A large quake brought us to our feet. We waited for it to pass on our hands and knees.

  “Who was behind you?” I shouted to Nova.

  “Tauren.” Nova’s face turned grim.

  “Great.” The width had seemed tight for me, so I couldn’t imagine someone with Tauren’s broad chest and shoulders fitting through. He’d trapped Asteran behind him, so we had to find a way to get him out.

  “I’m going back in.” As the shaking subsided, I crawled head first down the tunnel, shouting Tauren’s name.

  Nova stuck her head in after me. “I’m right here with you, Lyra.”

  My locator flashed on a mass up ahead. “I think I see him.”

  I climbed farther in. “Tauren, is that you?”

  “I’m stuck.” He sounded more angry than scared. Behind him, Asteran shouted something about pulling Tauren out. An image of the tunnel collapsing on all three of us flashed in my mind and I blinked it away.

  “Take my hands and exhale.”

  He did as I told, and I shouted back to Nova. “Pull me out!�
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  Nova wrapped her hands around my ankles. She pulled, and my arms stretched until the muscles hurt. Tauren didn’t budge.

  Another massive rumbling quake shook around us. Dirt rained on top of us, catching in my eyelashes. This is it. I’d die holding Tauren’s hands in an underground hole on a ruined planet.

  His gaze locked on mine, and something shone in his brown eyes I’d never seen before—desperation. I’d brought him here, at the end of this ruined world. As much as I hated him, I had to get him out.

  “Narrow your shoulders. We’re getting out of this.”

  Nova yanked my feet again, and my arms threatened to pop out of their sockets. Tauren scrunched his shoulders and slid forward. We both tumbled from the tunnel at Nova’s and Leo’s feet.

  “Get Asteran.” I rubbed my shoulders as Leo hugged his arms around me.

  Nova reached in. I thought she’d pull Asteran out, but instead she brought out the chest. The tunnel started to fill with dirt, and my throat constricted like I was in there with him. My heart seized and I couldn’t breathe.

  Nova dropped the chest and dove into the tunnel just as dirt rained down. Leo and I grabbed her boots.

  “Dammit, he’s the only one who can fly us out of here!” Tauren dug in the loose dirt as we pulled on Nova’s boots.

  I could only hope Nova had Asteran’s hands in hers.

  We heaved. Nova’s legs came first, followed by her waist then her shoulders. Her head cleared the tunnel and she gasped for breath. Her arms came through the dirt, bringing Asteran’s larger hands with her. I clasped my hands over his, willing him to hold his breath just one moment longer.

  Please, please, please be alive.

  We pulled him from the collapsed tunnel, and his eyes opened as he took in a deep breath.

  I wiped sand from his face and eyes. “I thought I’d lost you.”

  He held up his hand to stall my concerns. “I’m all right.”

  “I’ve got the chest.” Nova shouted as Asteran coughed up dirt.

  I had no time to think of how close we’d all come to death. Helping Asteran up, we bolted for the elevator. I hoped it still worked. It was the fastest way out. Thunderous cracks rippled throughout the tunnels as the entire temple crushed in upon itself.