“What do you mean?” I asked, but he didn’t have to answer. Something pulled again. Unlike the voices, the pull had a direction. Kylesst and I followed it. I shared with him the memory segment I had experienced. There wasn’t too much to tell. But something about the boy bothered us both. But we were too focused on the tugging sensation. The voices that we couldn’t figure out where they were coming from we could begin to understand. We had heard about the battles raging throughout the empire between the Zar’dakens and the Spectral Empire. Battles made worse by the Movement rebels and the Soul Shadows ever widening territory. At hearing about the Soul Shadows, I glanced at my companion. We had seen the Key/ knife fall in the well. It must have connected now to have Soul Shadows raging across the empire. We had to get back to the others. We had to discover a way to fight the Shadows. No one stood a chance of surviving anything if the Soul Shadows were left to their own devices.
We had to do something — and waking up was where we needed to start.
Another tug of whatever was guiding us out pulled on me. And it felt sharper than the others. “I think we’re close,” I told Kylesst. As we traveled through the field of memories (without benefit of a lane), I had noticed that I recognized more of them. There was an equal amount of mine and Kylesst’s, with a few that I guess were from Caintallon. Why his memories were here, I had no idea. And I really didn’t have the time to puzzle it out.
THAT ONE IS DIFFERENT, Kylesst observed, tapping my shoulder with his snout and pointing with his tail. I looked to where he was pointing and saw an orb similar to the others, but instead of glowing with moving images it was black. Kind of like a blank slate that was barely noticeable against the onyx abyss we were trapped in. But the talkative voices that were pleading for us to come home emanated from it. And now that we were closer I could hear a faint plinking sound. I tilted my head, sure I had heard that melody before. I just couldn’t remember from where.
“Think this one is it?” I asked hopefully, once we were beside the strange orb.
Kylesst seemed to sniff at it before fixing me with one of those pretty eyes of his. THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY TO FIND OUT.
“Should I go first in case it’s a memory?”
Kylesst shook his head. NO. WE WILL BOTH GO. WHATEVER IT IS, WE WILL KNOW TOGETHER.
Nodding, I joined him next to the orb. Here goes nothing, I thought, reaching out to the orbs matt black surface. My Spectral and I fell through it at the same time.
It was piano music that I had heard. Where in the void it had been faint, now it was much stronger. I defiantly recognized the tune. I hadn’t heard it in a long time. Only in my memories of my aunt. It was one of the songs that she had made up, but had never written down … At least I hadn’t thought she had written it down. But how was I hearing it now? She was gone. Instead of leaving that void of memories for the waking world, had I died instead?
As Kylesst had said earlier — only one way to find out.
White sunshine washed in through the gauzy drapes over the window and spilled over honey golden wood and the empty chair facing me. Like a gentle wave, the light splashed up onto the bed I was in. The sheets were cool and the blankets warm, but it was a medical bed. There was medical equipment around me like ever watchful sentinels. The walls were painted a soft cream yellow that seemed to cling to the light, keeping it in the room. The room didn’t look like it had originally been a medical room. More like a converted bedroom that still had some of its original furnishings.
Despite its warmth, I didn’t recognize it at all.
The music continued to trickle about the room. I pushed myself up into a sitting position, being careful of the various IVs in my arms. I shivered at the sight and the faint tugging in my skin. But I forgot about the discomfort when I saw what was in the farthest corner of the room. An upright piano-forte occupied the corner. Sitting before it, her fingers tickling over the keys was … a ghost.
I admit it. I stared. I didn’t move until Kylesst rested his insubstantial head on my lap and asked, ARE YOU GOING TO SAY SOMETHING?
Are we dead?
Kylesst snorted. NO.
But —
SYLVIA, THEY ARE BACK. A soft, yet excited, voice said. I quickly glanced over and saw a nimbus of star-silver touched green. The silver formed the outline of a graceful doe. In two nimble bounds (that were more excited than anything else), it landed next to what had to be the ghost of Aunt Sylvie.
The apparition stopped playing and turned to smile at me. “Welcome to the land of the waking, Rylynn,” Aunt Sylvie said, standing and coming toward me. Her form blocked the light and I realized that I couldn’t see through her. She also walked around the chair instead of through it.
“Aunt Sylvie?” I croaked.
“Still here,” she said, touching my hand. “I’m so glad you’re awake. It has been a trying three cycles.” A distant look glazed over her moss green eyes for a second. I figured that she was talking to the deer Spectral because the creature nodded and bounded away. Aunt Sylvie handed me a glass of water.
I wet my dry throat, never once looking away. I guess I was afraid that she would disappear again. “You’re alive and a Shade?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said, sitting on the edge of the bed, still holding my hand. “It was a miracle two cycles back. All the unbounded Spectrals were able to find someone they could bond with. Its one of the only reasons many of us are still living since the Soul Shadows appeared. But enough dark talk for now. You just woke up, after all,” Aunt Sylvie said with a slight laugh.
“Who is your Spectral?” Of all the questions flying about my head, that was the first one to fall out.
“Her name is Bréyth. And yours?”
KYLESST, he replied for himself, as he curled into a coil. His red-limned, stardust-sprinkled black hide started to resemble a blob when he did that. He shot me a look, but decided to ignore my thought otherwise.
Something she had said earlier returned to haunt me. “Did you say that we were out of it for three cycles?”
Aunt Sylvie was nodding. Just then, Bréyth pranced back in. A moment later the door opened and Admiral Wingstar strode in. For the first time ever I saw him in something other than ship uniform. He wore a loose gray t-shirt and a pair of jeans. His black hair was touched with gray and there were bags under his gray eyes. I had never seen him like this before. Nevertheless, I tried to straighten and salute him, but I didn’t get that far. He hugged me. “Thank God you are awake,” he exclaimed.
I gasped and my mind blanked. What was going on? He didn’t let go for some time. Distantly, I was aware of Kylesst and another Spectral talking. HE LOOKS LIKE SHIT, Kylesst muttered.
YES, WELL, SO WOULD YOU IF YOU SAT WORRYING IN A CHAIR INSTEAD OF GETTING SOME PROPER REST FOR THREE CYCLES, the other snapped. Eventually, a lapis blue Spectral raven settled on his shoulder. MY FRIEND, YOU ARE GETTING A LITTLE AHEAD OF YOURSELF HERE.
“Right,” the admiral muttered and released me. He sat down in the chair and shot a glare at Aunt Sylvie. She was trying to hide her amusement behind a hand. But she wasn’t doing so well. I glanced between them, very confused.
“What is going on?” I asked.
“The answer to that is very simple. But it may take a while to explain and to sink in,” Aunt Sylvie replied. She shared a look with the admiral. “Will you do the taking, or shall I?”
“Did you two get married or something?” I asked, before he could reply. I know it was rude and I hadn’t intended to actually ask it. It just fell out before I even knew that it was going to.
The two of them shared a wide-eyed look before Aunt Sylvie barked a laugh. The admiral was shaking his head. I don’t think he knew what to think about the question. “Oh, no! we aren’t married,” my aunt managed, once she had calmed down a bit. “I didn’t mean to laugh so hard, it was just the expression on your face when you asked and on his …” She tried to stifle another round of laughter with limited success.
“I’m glad you find
the idea so ridiculous,” Admiral Wingstar muttered dryly.
“I’m sorry, Joseph, but that was the last thing I thought she would say,” Aunt Sylvie apologized. She turned back to my very confused self. Why did she call him Joseph? “Though he and I are not married, we are family. He is your father.”
I blinked at her. She was right. It was very easy to say, but the understanding bit was going to take a bit more. Oh, the words made sense. But the questions that flooded my brain were going to make it difficult to sink in. “You never talked about him,” I muttered. “I thought he was dead.” If he wasn’t dead, why didn’t he come back for me? Why didn’t he say something when we had first met? “Is my mother alive somewhere, too?” I asked, confused anger coloring my tone.
Pain flashed across both of their faces and I remembered. My mother, Amber, had died on a mission while pregnant with me. According to the reports I had read, there had been evidence that the baby (me) had been cut out. A few weeks later, Joseph Raven, my father, had flown into a star. I turned to look at the Admiral “Why did you leave me with my aunt? Why did you fake your own death?”
“Amber and I had been ambushed on Coronaius. We had been discovered by what must have been a minor Soul Shadow working with the Movement. But at the time, I didn’t know. We had been discovered and I lost her. I couldn’t lose you. Not permanently. I knew your aunt would take care of you. I also made her promise to never tell you who your parents were in case our enemy was listening. To make them stop looking for me, Joseph had to die. I dipped close enough to the star to appear lost on sensors. The ship had been programmed to skim along that knife’s edge till it got to the other side before climbing to a safe distance.” The man sighed. “I couldn’t tell you who I was when I first saw you. It was still too dangerous. Admiral Knight, whom I had learned was the leader of the Movement, though I had no evidence against him, had power then. I couldn’t risk you getting into even more danger if you had known who your parents were. He had tended to hold a grudge for a long time, case-in-point, his hatred of Shades and Spectrals. Years before your mother and I were feeling out his organization, there had been a raid on the Movement’s headquarters. His brother had been one of the leaders who was killed.”
I digested his words for a moment. His reasoning made sense, if a little cruel. What child didn’t what to know who their parents had been? Not even getting their first names had been painful. Though he had tried to tell me about my mother and himself, but as a close friend that one time. Even so, the little girl in me was throwing a fit. But I couldn’t afford that right now. The sense of urgency that I had gotten since that vision of the knife/key was powerful now. Three cycles had passed since Kylesst and I had been trapped in that coma. I was, or was close to being, sixteen cycles now (which was a very weird thought, by the way). What chaos had occurred in that time? Yes, we had heard the voices, but I needed to know. I needed to do something.
“Two questions,” I began, and Aunt Sylvie raised an eyebrow.
“Only two?’
“For now,” I conceded. “What am I supposed to call you?” I asked the admiral, who was also my father. “And what has been happening for the last three cycles?”
The admiral raked his fingers through his hair, something he must have done a lot of recently. “I would be honored if you called me ‘dad,’ but I know I haven’t earned that right. Call me what you feel comfortable with.” I nodded and he continued “As for your second question — are you comfortable? This might take a bit.”
Chapter 12 – A Well-Deserved Vacation
Prime World Kinair
Kinair System
Spectral Empire
Alecbran Norighan, Alec for short, was one of the most powerful men on Kinair. It was a truth that not many knew, believing what they wanted to believe. A trait he often encouraged because the most potent power was often the one that went unseen. As most didn’t know the truth, those who lived on Kinair would never mention his name if asked who held power on the planet. Most would probably mention Minister Randalph Prestrin or some other politician. A member of the Pure Families would not be mentioned. They were good citizens of Kinair. Old money, perhaps, but they tended to keep out of manipulating politics. Each individual supported who they wanted.
There were, of course, conspiracy theorists who preached that the Pure Families were the puppet masters of the government. Not many paid such people much attention since they also claimed that the Government was spying on them and had somehow orchestrated natural disasters to wipe out their naysayers or some other such unbelievable nonsense. Especially those of the Pure Families like Alec. The truth was, Alec didn’t need to have ‘a-hand-in-politics’ or ‘more-credits-than-he-could-possibly-ever-need’ to be powerful. Though they did have their perks …
What Alec liked most about his state in life was the anonymity it let him have. Oh, people still gave him respect when they saw him. But mostly that was because they sensed his confidence, not his family ties. People rarely saw the heads of the Pure Families. Only those farther down the family hierarchy served as the faces and voices of the family. It was a tradition that he was very glad had been thought up and followed to this day. It let him relax at his favorite café without the media swamping him. He could just sit and indulge in a glass of ruby red Ferais and watch people come and go in the lobby of his favorite hotel in the city of Concordia: The Sapphire Waters Hotel and Resort.
The Sapphire sat on prized land right next to the beautiful waters of the Kesstella Sea. Boasting amazing views of the seascape and offering convenient access to both the shopping district and the largest marina in Concordia, the Sapphire was a favorite of tourists world over. It was also a prime destination for those from the rest of the empire, as well. Sitting in front of the café in the lobby of the Sapphire was like watching a world-plus interstellar visitor parade march by. It was entertaining watching the various people interact and make plans. It was easy to see who was from the countryside and who was a local of Concordia. Especially when someone from another system walked by. Leopard People and Avrens were some of the more exotic common sights in the city. But they always caught a country bumpkin’s fascinated gaze. Even with the war with the Zar’dakens, the Sapphire was bustling.
A fluttering group of Avrens on their way out of the hotel caught the dazzled gazes of four young women who had just entered Alec knew immediately that the four women were, like him, full Kina. Their three-toned hair was unique to the natives of Kinair. The three colors seemed to be random, not even genetic analysts in this day and age could predict what trio of colors would grace the head of a couple’s child. Very rarely did they have anything in common with the parents. Some hypothesized that it had something to do with the person’s character. Others didn’t really care one way or another. The colors you got were the colors you got. You were stuck with them, whether you like them or not. It was one of those strange facts of Kinair that surprised visitors — no matter what dye or formula, a Kina could not change the color of his or her hair. Only those who knew how to bend light could change it. But that was only for those who had … special talents.
It was a fact of life that some had tried desperately to change. These were the ones that had odd combinations like brown, pink, and pea-green, or something similar. Another fact of life, some got lucky, some … well … didn’t.
One of the girls, this one with fiery hair of red, gold, and orange, led the others to the front desk. And that was about when Alec got bored and began to look elsewhere for entertainment. Alec started to take a sip of his Ferais, his gaze settling on a group of humans, when a tingle of awareness trickled down his spine. It was like an electric current taunting his senses. The edge of the glass paused at his lips. Alec forced himself to act normal, to calmly sip his drink and put it back down as if everything was normal.
But it wasn’t. He scented prey. And he knew his boredom would be soon be sated for a time.
Alec’s emerald gaze slowly scanned the room. His senses unfu
rled, lightly tracing that faint brush of energy to its source. The electric taste of energy drew his gaze back to the group of young women checking into the hotel. One of them was the source of that wondrous gift. And luck was certainly with Alec, and not just in a good hair colors. They were just checking in.
Alec turned to the man behind the desk. The man caught Alec’s gaze over his computer screen. Alec smiled and nodded his head before raising his glass to his lips again. A tiny smile touched the waiting man’s expression. He let it grow into a polite, my-customers-will-be-very-pleased, smile. He said something to the young women and their surprised joy could be heard in Alec’s corner of the room. And indeed, there was reason to be joyful.
After all, tonight was going to be one of those exciting ones. The others were going to be thrilled.
***
Cassiana Quillion shoved her silver, gold, and light blue hair out of her face and over her shoulder as she and her friends entered the Sapphire Waters Hotel and Resort. The tricky wind had veiled her eyes to the fascinating sight on the other side of the doors. Thankfully, her position behind her three friends kept her from walking into the group of diminutive, fluttering Avrens. The size of an eight-year-old human child, but obviously adults with delicate features (even the men), one would think that they wouldn’t take up that much room. At least, that was what Cassiana had always thought when she heard about them. It was their four flapping wings that made people give them some extra room.
Unable to help staring at them, Cassiana wondered if they ever fell over. Those wings looked like they would tip them over if they ever walked. Something she figured they did at some point since their legs looked like they could support weight. Her gaze went back to those wings, unable to stay away from them for long. Feathered like a bird and a creamy white like the sand on the beaches, those wings were made to be admired. Cassiana wondered what it would be like to fly whenever you wanted to. Who cared if you fell over every time you tried to walk? You could fly. What kind of freedom did the Avrens know that the rest of them didn’t? Cassiana wondered.
Defender of the Empire: Chaos Page 9