Deceit (The Stellar Series Book 1)

by Rebecca Clark

  Only moments later, he pulls back and sets me on the ground again. Lack of air, or change of mind? When I gaze up at him, I notice his eyes filling up. I decide not to ask him why he stopped, and follow him instead as he turns, grabs my hand tightly, and pulls me along with him through this underground world.

  Chapter Eleven

  “When are you going to tell me where we’re going?” My voice is raspy with exhaustion. We’ve been walking for hours. I try to keep my pace equal to Michael’s, but I’m struggling.

  “You’ll see. We’re almost there,” Michael says calmly, clearly not fazed by the intense exercise.

  I always wondered why people enjoyed hiking, but after this jaunt, I totally understand. Even though this pace is unbearable, I do appreciate the landscape and secretly wish we had time to bask in the quiet and enjoy the serenity. I haven’t seen any wildlife, which surprises me, but frequently I remind myself that we’re still underground. However, there are lovely waterfalls and rivers. The fact that this place is belowground still amazes me. The complexity of the flora is beyond belief. How does the artificial sunlight support all of this? I feel as if I’m experiencing something you would only read about in a science fiction novel.

  “Here we are,” Michael says with a pleased tone, raising his hands in triumph. “We did good, Alexa. I didn’t expect us to cover all that ground in six hours.”

  I smile, I’m proud of myself, though not completely sure why. “Now what?” A thick green forest surrounds us on all sides. Crisp air cleanses my nose and fills my lungs and I’m briefly transported back to Earth and reminded of my last camping trip a few years ago. Elena and I ventured to Saco River in Maine. We spent a weekend kayaking and camping out. It was an amazing adventure.

  “We stay here and get some sleep, then in the morning, we are off.”

  The silence between us is interrupted by an audible protest from my stomach. Michael’s brow furrows in response. “Why didn’t you tell me you were hungry?”

  “I wasn’t until right now.”

  “I’m going to catch us dinner. You stay here and set up camp.” Michael tosses his backpack to me and winks playfully.

  “What’re you going to catch, exactly? I didn’t see anything during our trek.” My mouth begins to water thinking about food. I’m starving.

  “I’m going down to the river—don’t you worry, there are plenty of fish-like animals to eat.” He grins. I’m too nervous to ask him to elaborate. Before I can think of a witty comeback, he is gone.

  Great, I need to set up camp. I glance to my right and spot a patch of moss, a soft place to camp, I think. I open the backpack to find our sleeping bags from the night before. I try to remember everything Michael had set out. Two bags, a thermos, an additional blanket, beside a campfire. I quickly spread the gear out and make it as inviting as I possibly can. Satisfied, I survey my work. Basically, I’ve recreated what I remember from yesterday.

  I pick up the backpack and make sure I laid out everything that was packed. All of the compartments are empty. I set the bag down at my feet and my eye glimpses a silver zipper on the side. Another compartment. This bag is a camper’s dream come true.

  I pick the bag up and peer inside the missed compartment. Seeing nothing, I stick my hand inside the cool nylon pouch and pull out a worn photograph. It’s a picture of an older man and a little boy. The little boy strongly resembles Michael. Why is this hidden? I’m pretty sure these people in the picture are members of his family. Maybe even his father and brother. I’ve never met or seen his father on Earth. He also said he was an only child. Who could this be?

  Hearing a noise nearby, I jam the photo back into its hidden pocket and zip it shut. Stumbling upon that picture makes me feel like I’m invading Michael’s privacy. Obviously, if he wants to share it with me, he will. But why didn’t he? He knows all this information about me and it leaves me vulnerable. The least he could do is let me in on something meaningful about him.

  “Wow, this place is set up perfectly,” Michael comments as he approaches the makeshift camp. I push the unresolved thoughts from my mind and concentrate on the now. He will share his story when he’s ready, I secretly hope.

  “So we have a few options for dinner.” Smiling proudly, Michael lifts a nylon rope with dinner attached. Clearly, there are two different types of fish, types I’ve never seen before.

  “What kind of fish is that?” I kneel down to inspect it closer. I can’t believe my eyes. Not only does the slimy green creature have fins, it also has legs and arms! I peer into its black-saucer eyes and see the story of the creature’s life unfold: images of it swimming, walking through the forest, and interacting with other beings, all play through my mind like a movie. Dazed, I slowly reach out to touch it. The slimy skin is cool and then hot—so hot it burns me.

  Michael is screaming something, but I can’t hear what. My ears are buzzing. I fall back onto the ground. I know this scenario all too well. I’m passing out. Again.

  “Alexa, what’s happening? Where are you?”

  The voice rings loud in my head. I can only see darkness, but I know that voice.

  “Alexa, you’re in danger. Tell me where you’re. I’ll come to you.” Jax’s voice is strained and riddled with fear.

  “Jax?” I whisper.

  “Alexa, are you okay? I had a bad feeling that something happened to you.” I can tell Jax is sincerely worried.

  “I’m not sure what happened. I…I think I passed out. But I’m okay.”

  “Where are you? Who are you with?”

  “I’m with Michael, a friend. He’s protecting me.”

  “No, Alexa, he’s not who you think he is!” Jax’s anger and concern are palpable, even in my dreamlike state.

  “What do you mean?” I quickly retort.

  “He’s working for…” Jax’s voice fades and I know this means that I’m waking.

  “Jax, I can’t hear you. Michael is working for who?” I try to listen for a reply, but all that follows is dead silence and complete darkness.

  “Alexa, wake up!” Michael’s voice is rattling in my head, but I can’t move. “Alexa!”

  I try to blink in response to his words, but nothing is happening. I’m trapped in my own body. I can hear, think, smell, and sense what’s around me, but I can’t move. Why is this happening to me?

  “Alexa, if you can hear me, relax your body. Take in deep breaths and remain calm.” Michael doesn’t seem that concerned that I’m in a paralyzed state. Maybe he doesn’t know that’s what it is, but why else would he be saying this?

  I take a few deep breaths and consciously attempt to loosen up. I flutter my eyelashes, and instead of darkness, I see the faint outline of a body, all details in varying shades of gray. I close them again, trying to regroup.

  “The sooner you relax, the sooner you’ll be able to open your eyes and move.” Michael’s hand takes mine. His touch helps my body relax.

  A few minutes pass. I regain control of my arms and legs. Soon after that, my jaw relaxes enough that I can open and close my mouth. “What happened to me?” I whisper. I keep my eyes closed a few more minutes, almost too embarrassed to open them.

  Michael squeezes my hand, I assume in an attempt to make me feel better. “Alexa, I don’t know what Kasper has told you, but you’re very powerful. If you don’t wield the power within you, then the power has the potential to control you.”

  Tears sting the backs of my eyelids before they stream down my face.

  “I know you’re afraid,” Michael says gently. “This is all so much for you. But I’m here to help you.”

  His kind words slow the trickle of tears down my face. “Michael, what am I going to do?” I finally open my eyes to see him staring down at me.

  “You’re not going to do anything. We will get through this. As soon as we leave here, I’m taking you to a very powerful being. She will be able to help guide you. You may actually be from the same bloodline, so she’ll be able to tell you more than I can
.” Michael’s smile is reassuring. “We will find the answers.”

  I sit up, still dizzy, but better than before. “Okay, so what do we do now?”

  “We eat! While you were napping, I prepared dinner.”

  I look behind Michael to see a smoking hole in the ground with our dinner on a rock next to it. “Ha-ha,” I drawl. “I wasn’t napping.” I refocus on the object on the rock. “There’s no way I can eat that. What is that thing? It tried to kill me! It used my magic against me.”

  Michael is laughing so hard, his whole body is shaking. His laugh is contagious. I start to giggle, too.

  “Hmm,” he muses, frowning in mock concern. “It tastes just like chicken. But I guess I’ll have to eat it all myself.” He nods toward the fish. “Although if you don’t eat, you’ll become more susceptible to passing out. It’s important to remain well rested and nourished.”

  “Fine,” I concede. “Will it burn me again?” I ask as I move closer.

  “No. I tried to warn you, but you were almost in a trance, so you didn’t hear me until it was too late.” Michael replies. “It burned you because that’s how they protect themselves from predators. Green handfish are not only smart, but tasty, too. The trance was your magic’s doing.”

  “Handfish? I’ve never heard of handfish before—a fish that has not only fins, but arms and legs. Is it native to Pumalia?” My stomach growls as I study our dinner.

  “No, it actually once inhabited Mapu, as well, but like many other species, it has become nearly extinct.” Michael hands me a piece of the strange meat. I close my eyes and take a bite. “What do you think, do you like it?”

  “It’s actually not bad. It reminds me of haddock from home.” I take another bite and realize just how hungry I am.

  After we eat, we both lie on our sleeping bags, enjoying our full bellies and the downtime. Michael’s voice breaks the silence. “We should sleep a few hours, and then we’ll be off.” He shifts his sleeping bag directly next to me.

  I crawl into mine, laziness takes over my body. A blanket of fatigue weighs me down. Michael curls up behind me and rests his arm around my waist.

  “Goodnight, Alexa,” he whispers in my ear, and kisses the top of my head.

  “Goodnight, Michael.” I quickly fall into a deep, restless sleep. My dream replays Jax’s warning about Michael. I find myself confused even in my dream state.

  Waking up before Michael does seems odd, but it’s also great. Now I can freshen up in the stream before we leave. I get out of my sleeping bag as quietly as possible and take a few steps into the woods toward the last river I remember seeing on our journey here. I turn around to make sure Michael is still asleep. He appears to be. He looks so peaceful. I hold onto that image as I walk through the woods. This underground world is so peacefully quiet, it’s almost eerie.

  Just as I see the river ahead, I hear something behind me. I smile wide and turn around to yell at Michael for sneaking up on me. No one is there.

  I continue a few more steps and enter a clearing, its rocky surface confirming that I’m almost at the river. Rustling in the bushes startles me. I freeze. Something, or someone, is nearby.

  More rustling sounds from behind me.

  Great, I think, I’m surrounded.

  My lungs fill with air and I slowly release it telling myself not to panic. If I do, I’ll probably pass out.

  Maybe if I turn around, I can make it back to Michael before I’m attacked. I halt my strides. Fear paralyzes me. “You’re very powerful. Don’t be afraid,” I whisper to myself.

  “You shouldn’t be wandering around all by yourself.”

  The voice immobilizes me. I turn my head slowly to the right, then the left. I see no one.

  “For someone with so much power, you’re weak.”

  I close my eyes and try to diffuse my anger by imagining Elena. I refuse to pass out again.

  I slowly open my eyes to see a man standing only a foot away from me. He regards me with beady, black eyes that radiate wickedness. The hair on the back of my neck stands taut.

  I have nowhere to run.

  I gather my courage and study the man. His stature, his eyes, his gray-speckled, black hair remind me of someone.

  “Nothing to say, Alexa?” An evil smile splits his pale face.

  “What do you want with me?” Hearing my unwavering voice gives me a further sense of strength. I’m not going down without a fight.

  “Heh-heh.” His chuckle rolls out of his mouth as a low growl. “You clearly have no idea just how important your powers are. There’s no one in this galaxy that wouldn’t want you, whether to use you for their own gain, or as a bargaining chip. However, my reasons are far less self-centered. I’m here for your mother.” The malice drips off his last word.

  Why does she want me so badly? “She sent you to get me?”

  “No, she sent me,” a familiar voice says from behind me.

  I whip my head around to find Michael standing there. “Makin, why have you come here? I was bringing her to the palace today.”

  My knees wobble, and what strength I thought I might bring to bear against this man is sucked out of me. Michael’s face is uncharacteristically sinister. How can this be the same person that’s been taking care of me, kissing me, and holding me? Those thoughts now turn my stomach. I fall to my knees. I have no one to trust; everyone in my life lies and uses me. I don’t know who to believe or who I should suspect as a true enemy. I don’t want to show him emotion, but the reality of the situation nearly crushes me.

  “Well, you were taking your sweet time retrieving her,” Makin says. “It was decided that I join you for the journey back.”

  Michael tugs at my arm to get me up.

  “Leave me alone!” I yell.

  His once welcoming eyes are now dark and distant. The Michael I knew is gone. “Fine, do it yourself. Get up. We’re leaving.”

  His frosty reply only digs the knife deeper into my gut. How could I believe he was here for me? How stupid can I be? First Jax, and now Michael. I feel my heart crumbling inside me as I push myself to my feet.

  “Where’s the craft?” Michael asks Makin.

  Makin waves his hand upward. “It’s hidden above ground. No one will see it.”

  “Good. This doesn’t change the deal we’ve made, Makin. I’ve done everything you’ve asked. I was bringing her to you today.” Michael’s voice is stern, but there’s an edge of desperation in it.

  “Of course not, Michael. The queen will release them upon our arrival.” Makin sends me a diabolical glare. “She’ll be very pleased to see that you found her.” He tips his head back and lets out a menacing laugh.

  Michael grabs his bag and herds me toward the dark man. “Lead the way, Makin,” he commands.

  “It’s just this way.” Makin takes the lead, which leaves me in the middle.

  Chapter Twelve

  The artificial light is fading, and with each passing minute, the shadows grow larger. I know it’s close to the simulated nighttime when our true forms are revealed. Anxiety builds within me, boiling to the surface. What will this dark man look like in his true form?

  The nervous energy swirls around inside me, searching for a way out. My hands start to tingle, warning me that it’s only a matter of time before they do something I cannot control.

  The plant life suddenly comes alive and shifts, first moving in place, then coming toward us. As the mass gets closer, I realize it isn’t the plants that are moving. There are little green-winged men flying in our direction. The buzzing from their flapping wings is nearly deafening. The wind from their passage whips across my face, making it hard for me to keep my eyes open.

  “They know we’re here; we must move quickly,” Makin shouts over the buzzing.

  Michael grabs my arm and starts to run, towing me behind him like a rag doll. I know I don’t want to go with them, but a glance behind me confirms that there’s no way I want to stay and chat with these little green men.

  “M
ichael, I can’t keep up with you,” I cry, barely hearing my own voice over the humming in my ears.

  He glances over his shoulder and, for a moment, his eyes meet mine. I can’t hear him, but I can read his lips. “I’m sorry.” Then he turns his face away and pulls me harder as he picks up his pace.

  My head starts to throb. What does he mean, he’s sorry? He tricks me and is handing me over to the woman whom I’ve been protected from all these years, the woman he was just bashing for ruining the galaxy, and he’s sorry?

  Makin interrupts my train of thought when he shrieks, “We’re almost there! This way, hurry!”

  We come to a huge mountain of rock. It’s far too high to climb, and it has to be a dead end. But then Makin turns sideways and shimmies through an opening, disappearing into the crevasse in the rock.

  Michael gently pushes me in front of him and urges me to move quickly through the cleft. I close my eyes and slide through. I open my eyes only to see darkness, but I just keep moving toward a pinhole of light I finally see in front of me. The sharp rock walls nip at my back as I sidle along, but I stay focused.

  I sidestep through the crack for what seems forever. I can tell we’ve gone uphill a bit, but that’s all I know for sure.

  Taking the last few steps through the passage toward the light is a relief. We emerge into a giant clearing with a huge, round, metal object in its center.

  As we approach the object, a door opens and stairs extend down to the ground. Makin stops and ushers Michael and I up, then quickly follows us. The steps fold up and the metal door slams shut behind us. I immediately know that this is a flying saucer. I’ve heard of people claiming to have seen these back home, but I never believed they were real—until now.

  The inside is a light, shiny silver that’s almost blinding, but my eyes adjust quickly—too quickly. I assume this is a special alien power within me; if I were a human, this would probably blind me.