Maia and the Secrets of Zagran (The Lightbound Saga Book 2)

by S. G. Basu

  “Miir?” she started hesitantly.

  Miir flinched. He shifted, just a little, in Maia’s direction.

  “The Gnelexians . . . who are they?”

  He turned sharply, his eyes smoldering as they scanned her face. Maia could not fathom why he was so cross, nor did she have a clue about how to calm him. She held his gaze however, and waited patiently for him to answer her question. After what seemed like eternity, Miir let out a long sigh. Suddenly the darkness passed, and his face softened.

  “They are mind readers,” he stated simply, before pausing as if to deliberate. “Gnelexians can penetrate a person’s mind. The most powerful of them can sift through years’ worth of the target's memories within moments. They can do that with or without direct contact—some breach the subject through thought waves, some through eye contact and some simply by touching the target’s head. No one can stop a Gnelexian mind probe, not even by learning blocking techniques and putting up mental barriers to shield information.”

  Maia let out a sigh when he stopped. The Gnelexians surely seemed formidable already and Miir had even more to tell.

  “No one has survived a full probe of the Gnelexians. Their scans, along with the information they seek, sucks out consciousness from the mind. A subject won’t necessarily die but will exist like a mindless corpse.”

  “Have you met a Gnelexian?” Maia asked, curious.

  Miir chuckled. “Of course,” he said. “You would have as well. They don’t have a sign that says ‘Gnelexian’ plastered across their foreheads, in case you are wondering.”

  “I might’ve met one?”

  “Sure. Most Gnelexians are non-practicing and they mingle freely among the population. Also, it is illegal to practice mind-reading outside of the Gnelexian sector. If someone were to be caught using any mind-reading techniques outside the sector without the explicit consent of the subject, they can be accused of an intrusion which is a punishable offence.”

  “What’s the Gnelexian sector?”

  “It is a penal colony, a massive prison basically,” Miir replied. “It is rumored to be an underground structure, twenty floors deep. I have never been near it, only heard horror stories of the torture chambers in there.”

  Breathlessness. A rush of fear. A dark curtain swayed before Maia’s eyes. She inhaled. As hard as she could. The air felt stale, and strangely inadequate. She could not believe that the chancellor would have sent her to these terrifying Gnelexians if he had known about Yoome’s true intent. Questions spun around in Maia’s mind at a dizzying speed.

  Clearly, the Xifarians are bothered by the R’armimon’s presence. But why? And why do I matter to the R’armimon?

  Maia cast a sidelong glance at Miir again.

  Does Miir know something that he isn’t telling me?

  “I don’t understand. What could the R’armimon have wanted from me?”

  “They must think you have something,” he blurted, “something that might help their cause.”

  Thoughts raced in an indistinct rush. It has to be about Sophie. Then again, she had known next to nothing about her mother at the time Yoome had attacked.

  Did the R’armimon know about my mother even before I did? But how?

  Maia rested her throbbing forehead on her palms and took in a long breath. “I wish I could run away somewhere . . . disappear.”

  Miir shifted uneasily on his feet. For a moment, it seemed to Maia that he would simply walk away, but then he sat down next to her, his movement slow and posture stiff, his gaze fixed on the window ahead.

  “You really need to be careful,” he whispered, staring at the dark waters.

  “Why is the R’armimon here? Why did your father believe they were out to hurt him?” Questions spilled out of Maia like a gushing spring.

  Miir did not reply. He either did not know or did not want to tell her.

  “All I can tell you, and all I know, is that we have a shared past,” he said finally. “Old scores that are yet to be settled . . . ancient feuds that call for bloodshed.”

  “So, the R’armimon think I have something that would help them in this feud.” Maia tried to piece the puzzle together. “That makes me a threat to—”

  “To us,” Miir completed the sentence Maia was afraid to finish.

  “Then why . . . ?” She could not comprehend why Miir chose to help her that day. “Why did you still help me?”

  “Because I was supposed to,” he said without a moment’s hesitation. “My task was to guide you and protect you. And I thought you were innocent. You did not know anything that could be a threat to anyone.”

  The explanation was simple, honest, and effortless. And Maia did not have to try hard to believe.

  “Thank you,” she whispered. There was nothing but a stony silence from Miir.

  The stillness seemed to stretch forever. Maia fidgeted inside; there were a million questions that she still itched to ask and quite a few things she wanted to tell.

  “You should get back to your room now.” Miir broke the uneasy peace.

  The moment had passed.

  He walked with Maia to the base of the stairs. He offered no good-byes, but simply waited for her to walk up the stairs and into the safety of the corridor.

  19: Palak and Dill

  A rush hit early the next morning. Maia woke to a lot of shouting and yelling. As she sat up groggily, she found herself in the middle of a frenzy—clothes being thrown around, beds being made, satchels and books gathered, and to top it all off, words that bordered on civility being exchanged. She slowly crawled out of bed and made her way through the craziness. By the time she was done, only Dani and Nafi remained in the room waiting for her. They were already running late for their first day’s training session.

  It was not until they reached the RC that they had a little time for some decent conversation. In between the gulps of food, Maia related the incident of the previous night to the wide-eyed group.

  “That’s ridiculous,” Ren declared with a disbelieving shake of his head. “Why would the R’armimon pick you? I mean, what’s so special about you?”

  Maia sat tongue-tied. Sophie. Sophie was the reason. If only she could tell. If only she could find the courage. She looked around at the faces surrounding her, searching for that elusive strength. But she only found reasons to prolong her silence. Ren would never forgive Sophie’s actions; he was a Xifarian after all. Maia recalled a conversation they had had on Xif—travelling across galaxies in their planet was a way of life for Xifarians, their heritage, and a source of immense pride. Sophie had taken that away. Ren will hate me by extension. Of course he will. Swallowing the lump of hurt in her throat, Maia looked at the others. Dani would understand; she always did. She’ll handle the information steadily. Maybe Kusha will as well. But then there was Nafi. Nafi will probably get too excited. And then what? What if she tells someone? No, it’s too risky. I can’t . . .

  “Never mind the reason,” Dani said in a worried voice. “If Miir thinks you ought to be careful, then you really should be careful, Maia.”

  Kusha nodded. “Don’t walk about on your own like you did last night, okay?”

  “So, Miir is a high-flying apprentice now, huh?” Nafi asked.

  “Wonder what really brings the apprentices here,” Dani muttered absentmindedly. “I don’t see them around much, so what are they overseeing?”

  No one had an answer to that question. They concentrated instead on finishing their breakfast so they could reach the training room soon. Dani, an able and efficient guide, led the team to the designated room without too much trouble. Most of the other groups had already assembled when they reached the high-ceilinged and airy classroom. A tall dais was located at the front end, where a cluster of very large screens hung suspended from the ceiling. Trainer Palak stood near the podium, watching. Huge desks were strewn across the entire room in a seemingly random fashion. Each was stacked with stationary, books, and a lot of other strange-looking equipment. A high stoo
l that stood next to every desk had the name of the core printed on them.

  Maia and her friends walked along, trying to find their spot. They found the five seats with “Core 21” marked on them clustered toward the right side of the podium at the head of the room. Dani and Ren took the seats in the front, and Kusha sat right behind them followed by the two girls. The cluster behind Maia and Nafi was still empty.

  As they waited for the remaining groups to file in, Maia peeked at the mountain of books that towered on the two sides of the table. She read some of the titles: Water: A Treatise on the Beginnings of Life, Ocean Currents, Power of the Fluid, and Harnessing the Blue. Reaching out for the thinnest of the lot, she flipped the cover open. The pages were light green and the pale-grayish letters were hard to make out in places. The paper had a funny texture—it was coarse and grainy in areas. A conversation with Dani from the night before came to her mind; these were recycled kelp paper, she had said, and the ink was harvested from squid colonies.

  “Maia,” Nafi whispered. She was poking at the enormous volumes. “You think we’ll need to get through all of these?”

  “Looks like that to me,” Maia sighed. “Not to mention the ones we have been lugging around in our satchels.”

  “Yes, those too,” Nafi inhaled noisily. “This is too much work.”

  Maia had the same feeling. If the Xifarian phase was demanding, then this would be grueling. A small commotion sounded behind them as stools were drawn, satchels thrown, and legs scrambled on the seats. Maia turned around to check out their new neighbors and immediately fought to suppress a scowl.

  Loriine was sitting right behind her. The grimace that Maia managed to hold back was splayed all across the girl’s face. Beside her was Karhann; he matched the impressive glare that Nafi threw in his direction.

  “This is so not going to be good,” Maia muttered to herself as she turned away quickly. Next to her, Nafi shook her head and fiercely flipped through the pages of the thickest book she could find on her table.

  “If I may have your attention please.” Trainer Palak had a rather arresting voice. “I shall begin with a few words for our friends from the land settlements. It is likely that you will find our curriculum rather challenging. You possibly have an intellectual handicap because of your underprivileged background. But that is nothing to be ashamed of. Do not be afraid to ask for help. We expect a need for supplemental lessons for you, and we are prepared to work with you. Just stop by and talk to us.”

  Maia felt her cheeks grow warm at the sound of a chuckle behind them. Her brows came together; she could not quite believe his words. Intellectual handicap? How can he simply assume that the Solianese are stupid?

  A painful silence gripped the assembly until Palak spoke again.

  “Now we start with the basics. My sessions will complement the practical lessons you will need to undertake with Trainer Dill.

  “It is always critical that we understand the nature of this world that we live in. So, we will study the waters—its properties, its powers, and most of all, its needs. Also, you will be expected to learn the geography of the under-ocean territories on your own.

  “You will be evaluated on a weekly basis. I will assign you reading tasks, and I will expect you to complete them. If you fail to obtain a passing grade in any of the evaluations we plan to start next week, you will earn a penalty against your team. And as Supervisor Aerika already said, you will be eliminated if you have five such strikes.”

  At this point, there was no stopping the murmurs and the turning of heads.

  “Nice,” Nafi said as she exchanged an anxious glance with Maia. “Weekly evaluations—this is just crazy.”

  “Yes, and they talk about this being fun,” Karhann commented from behind them.

  Nafi’s face scrunched up; it changed from surprise to annoyance to anger. Even before Maia understood the situation, let alone intervene, Nafi whirled around.

  “You think I spoke to you?” she hissed. Karhann sat up in surprise at the sudden offense. “I don’t want to hear you speak. I would rather not hear you breathe.”

  “You rude, nasty . . .” Loriine started, and Maia braced for the fireworks.

  “If I may have your attention back please,” Palak interrupted, and Maia breathed a sigh of relief. He directed everyone to a book containing maps of the oceans, and the large display screens lit up with complicated charts and measures. Books had to be opened and studied, and every head was soon buried deep in thick volumes.

  When the session ended well past midday, Maia was beyond exhausted. Palak’s opening address still sat heavily on her heart. Dani rounded up the team before they headed out for lunch.

  “Sorry,” she said in a hushed voice. “Palak probably just meant to help. But it sounded—”

  “Offensive,” Nafi declared.

  “Yes,” Dani agreed. “It wasn’t proper of him to speak that way.”

  “Your people think very lowly of us,” Kusha scoffed. “Like it or not, that’s the truth.”

  “I wish I could change how my people think,” Dani said. “But I’m just one person. And there’s so much prejudice around here.”

  “Forget about it, Dani.” Kusha waved a dismissal and marched away in the direction of the RC.

  Lunch was had in silence, but the food did a lot to refresh Maia. She trooped in optimistically to what was to be Dill’s instruction area and looking at her teammates’ lit-up faces, Maia knew they too felt revitalized. Dill stood smiling near the door. He greeted every person by name and ushered them through a turnstile into his training room.

  20: Saskawatching

  Maia froze the moment she stepped inside. They had walked into a massive forest—plants and trees of all shapes and sizes grew everywhere, and the musty smell of wet soil overwhelmed Maia’s senses. Such lushness was a rare sight on Tansi. The sound of birds twittering and insects chirping created a world of wilderness that Maia had only read of in books. In the middle of the room was a clearing, and a giant pool of water occupied its center. Built into nooks and corners of this gigantic greenery, and surrounding the central clearing, were rustic benches. On each bench sat a large glass bowl; within it was a miniature piece of the underwater world, not unlike the one surrounding Zagran.

  “Wow! I didn’t expect this,” Dani said as they walked toward the center. She rushed to the edge of the pool of water and gazed at it. “And a dive bay too.”

  The water was dark and it seemed deep. “Is this pool . . . dive bay connected to the outside?” Maia asked.

  “Yes, it is,” Dani replied. She went on to explain, “Dive bays are connected to the seas through chutes equipped with lock gates to equalize water pressure. You can swim all the way from this room to the reef outside if you want.”

  “All right. It’s all great. That’s enough about swimming. Now let’s grab some seats.” Ren quickly moved to a side where a few benches were still empty. He dropped his satchel and peeked at the glass bowl that sat on the bench.

  “This is amazing,” he declared after a moment. “I mean, look at this thing. It even has tiny fishes swimming in there.”

  “For real?” Kusha asked as he moved closer to investigate.

  “It’s sort of real,” Dani stated, drawing curious stares from her teammates. “This glass bowl is called a Saska. It’s a miniature replica of the world that surrounds us. Every Jjord child receives a personal Saska on their fifth birthday. It’s a symbol of the ties that bind us to our environment.”

  “And I will explain more if you will be patient for a little longer.” Dill had stepped closer, unnoticed. Dani flushed immediately, and the group hastened to take their seats. The trainer walked over to the area near the pool of water and addressed the assembly.

  “Dear friends,” he said cheerfully, “welcome to this corner of our city which we will call home for the next few months. Make yourselves comfortable and make yourselves happy, for that will be the key to what we will learn while we are here.”

&
nbsp; He cast an amused glance at Dani before resuming his speech.

  “Now, as some of you have already been told, that glass globe on your table is called a Saska. It is a replica of the world that surrounds us and a measure of how well we are attached to that world. It is not entirely real; it is more of a projection of your mind in the very real water that is contained within it. So, the more you adapt and embrace the life around you, the more your Saska will thrive. If you cannot adapt, I am sorry to say that your Saska is doomed. And from now until the day you leave this city, you will watch and tend to the tiny world you create, and thus learn the art of Saskawatching.”

  The trainer walked around the rim of the pool and stood in front of Jiri, who was sitting across from Maia and her friends.

  “Now, I want you all to touch the Saska with your hands like this,” Dill said, placing Jiri’s hands on the sides of the bowl of water. “And embrace it with your mind.”

  Dill looked at the somewhat hesitant faces around him. “Come on now. Give it a try, it won’t hurt you.”

  Maia carefully placed her hands on the sides of her Saska. The surface felt cold to the touch but comforting as well. She held her breath and looked intently at the colorful little creatures swimming around gaily. She closed her eyes. Wishing with all her might that she would have better luck with this bowl than she had with the L’miere crystal on Xif, she let her mind embrace the Saska.

  A chill tingled Maia’s spine, and her eyes fluttered open with a strange sensation. She let go of the bowl with a loud gasp. Swimming in the clear waters next to the tiny fishes was a gigantic black whale, with patches of white on its belly and sides. It stared intently at Maia from within its watery confines.

  “I have never seen this happen at first contact. That is most interesting,” Dill declared, squinting at Maia’s Saska. Everyone around had turned to look as well. Maia glanced at her friends’ globes—they all looked perfectly regular. No one had managed to create a life form yet.