To Touch the Stars

by Tess Mallory

  "I know about Kell," he said. "And Sky is no fool. She'll figure it out."

  "But not in time." He nodded at the guard next to him and Eagle felt himself once more being shoved along, down a path that cut through the heart of what seemed a wilderness of pinks and blues and lavenders. Strange, strange world. Strange people so unconcerned. Or was it that they had no reason to be concerned? Was their power that great? Could it stand against Zarn's army? If so, then why had they not saved Andromeda from his grasp?

  Eagle looked up to find Shahala next to him. Zarn was several yards ahead, and how she could have slipped past him he didn't understand. He turned and found his guard was nowhere to be seen.

  "It was the time of Mon Ser-iah and we could not reach them."

  Eagle stared. "You're reading my mind."

  "Yes, my child. Do you object?"

  "Yes, strenuously."

  "I apologize." She inclined her head. "All of your questions will be answered, in time." She turned to go.

  "Wait. What did you say? What is the—the Mon—"

  "The Mon Ser-iah is a time of renewal, when all Cezans must, in a sense, shut down their powers and allow the Creator to restore them. They expend so much energy throughout their lifetimes that once every year they must have a time of rest. Unfortunately, at this time they are vulnerable to attack."

  Eagle considered her words for a long moment, his gaze on the ground. "Then Zarn must have known—but how could he?"

  "No, I doubt Zarn knew. He was just extremely lucky in his timing." Shahala. sighed and smoothed one silvery strand of hair back from her face. "If there is such a thing as luck in our universe. Or perhaps he did know, for his timing is, once again, unfortunate."

  "You mean it's time for this Mon Ser-iah. When?"

  "Before the next sunrise."

  "Tomorrow?" Eagle stared at her, aghast. Zarn's words echoed through his mind: They are not as all-powerful as they would like us to think, not for long anyhow. He strained against the energy shackles, feeling the frustration mounting inside of him. "Shahala, I warn you not to underestimate Zarn. I think he does know—and I'm not sure you are aware of what he is capable."

  Her lavender eyes turned toward him. "I am aware, last of the Seekers. He killed my sister, Pelana."

  Understanding bloomed inside Eagle's mind. No wonder she looked familiar to him. "Sky's mother—she was your sister. Then where have you been? Why haven't you helped Sky?"

  She held up one hand. "All will be explained. All has come about as it was intended."

  "Soldier!"

  Eagle glanced away from Shahala to the furious face of the leader of the prisoners, who was striding toward him, hands balled into fists. Eagle turned back to warn Shahala, but she was gone, the guard standing in her place looking stunned and dizzy.

  "What seems to be the problem, soldier?"

  The man opened and shut his mouth several times before shaking his head wordlessly.

  "Then come along," he ordered. "And no fraternizing with the prisoners."

  Eagle didn't resist this time as the guard pushed him forward. There was more to this planet than met the eye, and, he believed, more to the Cezans than what the gentle people would have them understand. But whatever their powers, if tomorrow they entered their "time of rest," then that was when Zarn would strike, and the Cezans could kiss their Utopia on Nandafar good-bye forever.

  "Kell, you've got to help me," Sky said to her first officer. They stood on the bridge, the first place she had headed after she had arrived at the ship and been brought back aboard. Sky had known the odds were slim that the Dominion goons hadn't already found the Defiant in its sheltered landing place, and it was with some trepidation that she had approached the ship where it hovered just above the ground. Eagle had expertly piloted the ship into a clearing in the middle of the forest, then he and Telles had rigged their dragon image again, to be triggered when and if the ship detected its surface being probed by sensors.

  She had hidden behind a bush and observed the ship, keeping a sharp lookout for soldiers or any indication Zarn and his men had been in the area. She searched for footprints, broken plants, but as far as she could tell the perimeter around the ship was just as they had left it, and finally she decided to approach. Kell had his sensors sweeping the area constantly and had immediately identified her and brought her aboard. Still clad only in Eagle's shirt, she immediately headed for her quarters, ignoring the questions in Kell's gaze.

  "Where are your new friends?" Kell said, pacing across the bridge and back. "Why do you not ask them for help?"

  Sky had dismissed the other remaining crew members so she could talk to him privately. She noted the dark purplish shadows under his eyes and the way those same blue eyes darted furtively to the side every time she spoke to him. Something was wrong. She could feel it. Was he sick? Angry? What was going on? His words were filled with petulance, totally unlike the Altairian.

  She moved to block his next pass across the bridge and he stopped, again not meeting her gaze but shifting his line of vision to the left of her head. "Kell, what is wrong? You look terrible. Are you sick?"

  "No, Captain, I am quite well."

  "Come on, it's just us. You can drop the 'captain' for now." She moved toward him, frowning with concern. She placed one hand on his arm and he stiffened beneath her touch and moved back a step, allowing her hand to fall away from him. "You're still angry with me, because I followed them to the temple. But Kell, we found out so much!"

  For the first time he looked directly at her and one dark blue brow lifted in the old, familiar way. "Did you find Mayla?" he asked. "No, but she found me."

  "Indeed."

  She laughed self-consciously, feeling progressively more uncomfortable in his presence. He held himself so stiffly, so unnaturally. Kell on his most pompous day had never acted like this.

  "Yes, she appeared to me in the temple and warned me that Zarn was on the planet. We were very lucky he didn't find the Defiant." "Fortunate," Kell agreed, his voice a monotone. "Did Mayla say where she was?"

  "Yes, on the world of Nandafar. But Zarn heard too and he captured Telles and Eagle, and now he's on his way there. We have to reach Mayla before he does."

  "Eagle is his son."

  Sky shook her head, still feeling the amazement of what she knew. "No, he isn't. What Telles told us was true. Eagle is an Andromedan, mentally conditioned by Zarn to believe he was his son."

  Kell turned and began walking slowly around the bridge, his feet thumping methodically as he circled behind the chairs at each empty station. His fingers trailed across their backs. He seemed tired, distracted.

  "And how did you find this out?"

  Sky hesitated, but knew there was no way around the answer. "He allowed me inside his mind."

  "Ah. So, the truth comes at last," he said mildly. "And Zarn's reaction?"

  "He plans to make an example of Eagle to the rest of the quadrant. He figures if he shows them that he'll execute his own son for being a rebel, it will help deter the uprising."

  He nodded, coming to a stop behind the command chair, moving his arms to rest on its high back, his eyes downcast. "And you want me to help you save the man you love." He glanced up at her. "You do love the Colonel, do you not?"

  Sky bit her lower lip so hard she tasted blood. She didn't want to hurt him but it was inevitable that he know. "Yes," she admitted. "I love him, Kell. I'm going after them with or without you, but I'll have a better chance with you along."

  He didn't answer. He kept his gaze steadily on her and she met his eyes with difficulty. At last he spoke. "Then of course I must go with you, Sky. After all, I am your friend."

  Sky felt the relief rush over her. "Of course you are," she said, hurrying over and impulsively hugging him. He didn't respond except to pat her back almost absent-mindedly. She drew away from him.

  "Kell, are you sure you're all right?"

  "Of course, Captain." He pulled his attention back to her for a brief mo
ment and his mouth curved up slightly as he lifted one hand to her face. His thumb smoothed her cheek just for a second and his blue eyes kindled with something like their old concern before he moved away from her again. He turned and walked toward the helm. "Shall I program navigation?"

  "Yes," Sky said, taking her place in the captain's chair. "And call the rest of the crew to the bridge."

  "Of course."

  In just a few minutes, the crew was in place and Kell was finishing his computations. As he punched in the last of his equations, Sky suddenly realized he had not seemed surprised by her announcement that Mayla was on the mythical, heretofore imaginary world of Nandafar. He had not asked for coordinates, nor any kind of details on how to locate the planet. Sky sat back in her chair, puzzled, as he turned and calmly spoke.

  "Coordinates locked in, Captain. Warp?"

  "Five," she answered. "Push it as hard as it will go."

  Her crew turned to their duties and Sky leaned forward, linking her hands together, her gaze fixed on her first officer. Kell was not himself, that much was certain, but the question was, when it came down to it, when her neck and that of Mayla and the others were on the line, would he come through? Would Kell still be loyal to his captain in spite of his personal feelings?

  "Locked in, Captain."

  Sky pushed herself back in the chair and felt the familiar mantle of command settle around her shoulders.

  It felt good, like a comfortable old pair of boots or a well-worn uniform. "Hit it, Lieutenant," she ordered, and closed her eyes as they jumped to a speed faster than light.

  The path ended at a large structure that resembled nothing so much as an upended bowl. As they grew closer to the building, Eagle noticed more of the silver-haired people. Their features were unmistakable—it was like looking at variations of Sky and Mayla.

  The guards stopped them several feet away from where Zarn and the representatives of Nandafar were gathered. His father—Eagle stopped the thought, feeling a quick rush of pain gather in his chest as he corrected the words in his mind—the Kalimar turned and began walking toward him, gesturing for the woman beside him to follow.

  He took out a small triangular piece of metal and passed it over Eagle's and Telles's hands. The energy shackles popped, then shut down, and the two men were free.

  "Shahala is about to explain what will take place during the ritual tonight," Zarn said companionably. "I thought you might find it interesting."

  "Why?" Eagle demanded, keeping his gaze on the silver-haired woman beside him.

  "So that you will know why we are here."

  Eagle fought the old reflex to speak to Zarn as his father. Instead he kept his voice cold, impersonal.

  "I know why you are here. To take over this world and subjugate these people." He shifted his eyes toward the man, allowing himself a brief, burning glance. "Remember, I used to lead the landing parties, the reconnaissance troops."

  A silence fell between them and the woman looked from one man to the other, then spread her hands apart. "Please, if you will all come with me, we will share the evening meal. Once we are in the great hall, I shall explain the ritual"—she glanced back at Eagle—"and other things as well."

  Eagle and Telles looked at one another and silently shared the same sentiment This was an odd group of people, willing to break bread with the man who was sending a battalion of soldiers streaming over their world in every direction. Eagle began to walk, following the procession in front of him, wondering who this Shahala was and why she seemed so unconcerned. But then, the others with her, obviously Cezans with their silver hair and pale blue robes, seemed equally at ease in the company of soldiers and the monarch of the quadrant known for his torturous practices. Strange, very strange.

  It didn't take long for them to reach what Shahala had referred to as the great hall, and Eagle was vastly relieved. He was exhausted and hungry, which wasn't good when you were about to have to fight for your life and the lives of those you loved. The great hall was the bowl-like building, all one level, built entirely of small, white stones, none of them bigger than a man's clenched fist. Windows stretched across the entire surface of the building, each one six feet long, with a space of no more than two feet between each one.

  A door made from pale ivory-colored wood led inside, and Eagle and Telles were pushed through it into a corridor that stretched farther than seemed possible. The hallway was adorned with wooden carvings and sculptures reminiscent of the one he'd seen in Sky's cabin. Each was set in a recessed niche in the wall.

  "Telles," he whispered as they continued, "there's something very odd about this place."

  "What do you mean?" Telles said, his long hair snapping against his back, the braids whipping against his shoulders.

  "I don't know. Just keep alert."

  They reached the end of the hallway just then and ducked through a low portal. When they straightened, they stood at last in a huge, circular room whose ceiling seemed to stretch up to the sky. "What the—this building wasn't this tall when we were outside."

  "Things are not always what they appear to be, son of N'chal." Eagle spun around at the use of his true father's name and found himself face to face with a man about the same age as Zarn, but whose lavender eyes looked centuries older. The silver-haired man smiled at him.

  "Remember that in the time to come."

  The man moved past him and Eagle watched him go, then turned his attention to the room beyond. There must have been more than a hundred people there, all silver-blond haired, all talking cheerfully at the small, round wooden tables dotting the room. In the very center of the hall the woman Shahala was seated at a larger table. Zarn sat beside her and as Eagle and Telles moved between the tables, the Kalimar stood and gestured to their guards.

  "Bring them over here."

  Eagle and Telles took their places beside each other on the smooth wooden benches at Zarn's table. As soon as they were seated, Shahala clapped her hands and a dozen young men and women appeared from the doorways, bearing great platters filled with wooden bowls containing some kind of liquid. Eagle sniffed at the creamy white mixture in his bowl, then quickly picked up the wooden spoon and began to eat. It was delicious, reminding him of a soup his mother used to make back when he was a child on Andromeda and—

  He stopped and put the spoon down. He'd had a mother. His memories from Zarn had not included a mother past the age of three. But in truth, he'd had a mother who had loved him and protected him—until she had died at the hand of the man sitting across from him. The man who had stolen his life. Hate flooded through him, killing his desire for food, but he forced himself to finish the nourishment. He would need his strength before this night was over. Still, there was one thing he had to know before he finished his meal.

  "Where is Sky's sister?" he asked.

  Shahala wiped her mouth carefully with the folded cloth from her lap, but did not answer. Instead she gazed around the table, her eyes seeming to measure each person, weighing them individually. When her lavender eyes stopped at him, Eagle felt a prickle of apprehension on the back of his neck. Her lips curved upward and all at once he realized she was probably reading his mind, could read all of their minds. Wasn't Zarn aware of this? She smiled as Eagle frowned, and moved on, skipping over her own people and finally arriving at Zarn. The lavender hue of her irises darkened perceptibly as she gazed at the man and he returned her stare undaunted. She smiled then and turned back to Eagle.

  "You shall have the answers to your questions, all in good time."

  "Where is Mayla?" he insisted.

  "You forget yourself, son," Zarn said in a steely voice. "You are in no position to demand a thing."

  Eagle turned to Shahala. "I confess I am confused, madame. Is not the child Mayla one of you? A Cezan?"

  She nodded.

  "And is this man not your enemy? Are you not aware of the fact that he wiped out the entire ruling family of Andromeda except for two?"

  Shahala looked down at her bowl
of soup, and when she lifted her gaze again, Eagle saw the shadow of pain in the depths of her eyes. "I am aware," she said.

  Zarn stood, pushing his chair back so hard that it fell over. "Enough." He gestured to one of his men standing near the door. "Take these two men out of here. They will not receive food again until I give the order. I want three guards with them at all times."

  The man ran forward and jerked Eagle to his feet. Eagle smiled smugly at the Kalimar. "What's wrong, Dad?" he said, a sneer in his voice. "Did I hit too close to home? Afraid I might tip your hand? But these people know about you. Hell, they know what you're thinking. Do you imagine they'll just sit here and let you do whatever you want? They have power—power you can't even begin to comprehend."

  "Why do you think I'm here?" Zarn said, his lips curling back from his teeth as he leaned toward the younger man, his hands flat on the table between them. "Did he tell you he brought the crystal from the temple of the Seekers?" Eagle blurted out as the guard seized him by the arm and jerked him away from the table. He resisted, leaning toward Shahala. "I'm sure he thinks it has something to do with your power, though what he intends to do with it is a secret inside his warped brain."

  "Silence!" Zarn clenched his fist and raised it, trembling in front of his face. "You will be silent!"

  "Gentlemen." Shahala's voice sent a wave of calm between the two of them and Eagle felt his tension immediately lessen. "Please. If you wish to hear of the ritual, you must both sit down and cease your hositilies. Otherwise, I shall retire until the evening."

  "Take him out."

  "Eagle must remain or I shall retire," Shahala said lightly.

  Eagle cocked one brow at Zarn. "Well, Dad? What'll it be?"

  The Kalimar spewed his breath out in frustration then jerked his head at the soldier holding Eagle. He released his prisoner and hurried away. Eagle resumed his seat, never taking his eyes from Zarn, the two sitting down simultaneously as Shahala began to speak.