Shards of Eternity

by John Triptych

  “Because I will have the backing of the local people, and House Dragos prefers to retain peace in this cluster.”

  “How will you do that?”

  “I know where the fifth shard is,” Essala said. “I have my people in place at the palace to launch a coup. Once the archon and his family are eliminated along with the pirate, I’ll possess all the Shards of Eternity.”

  Nubnar shook his head in disappointment. “So all the years we spent fighting together, trying to free our kind, and it was all a lie? In the end, you’ll just become another lackey for another archon.”

  “I’ll offer you a position in my ruling house,” she said. “A lot of people still follow you, so if you throw your support behind me, I’ll spare your life.”

  “And be nothing more than your mouthpiece? No, you are a traitor to the cause.”

  Essala’s eyes narrowed. “I offered you your life to help me rule and you spurn it? You’d rather die then?”

  Nubnar nodded. “The movement will go on without me.”

  “No, it won’t,” she said. “With the leadership gone, I can destroy any remaining pockets of resistance. I know who the cell commanders are since I trained them all anyway.”

  “I never liked you, Essala. May the antecessors curse your soul.”

  She aimed the needler at him. “I never liked you either, Nubnar. Fare—”

  Essala’s speech was interrupted when the floating glow sphere suddenly went out, plunging the chamber into darkness. Nubnar quickly ducked down and began feeling his way back to the exit as the flechettes ricocheted where his head used to be.

  “Tunnel teams one through six, come in,” Essala said over her com-link. The sudden blackout hurt her eyes, and she needed some time to adjust her night vision in order to see around her. She wasn’t sure if she scored a hit against Nubnar, but she remained confident she could easily hunt him down.

  The lack of response from her audio queries began to dampen her once unassailable spirit as the shadowy outlines of the cavern chamber came into focus. Sensing movement in the tunnel where Nubnar had come from, she fired a burst of flechettes into the darkened hole. If her target was so foolish as to try to escape that way, she was certain he would be shot while doing so.

  Using her ears to pick up the sounds of his movements, she sensed he was hiding behind the long table. “Nubnar, there’s nowhere to run to. My needler is coated with neuro poison. I promise you, it won’t be a painful death.”

  A slight shimmering in the darkened tunnel to her right caught her eye and she turned. “Velos, is that you or your men? Give me the code. Right now.”

  Another voice answered her. “Velos is dead, along with his team.”

  Essala hissed and fired another burst into the tunnel. “Whoever you are, show yourself!”

  “Right behind you.”

  Essala turned, just in time to see a pair of silvery eyes in the darkness beside her. She tried to bring the needler to bear, but the intruder knocked the weapon from her hands. Essala reached for her knife as something hard and solid clamped down on her throat, choking the air from her breath. She tried stabbing with the knife, but the enemy used another hand to crush her own.

  The pain in her throat intensified, and Essala struggled mightily against it, just as she had done all her life. No matter how hard she tried, it was like fighting against a machine. There was a sickening crunch as her windpipe caved in, and the enemy threw her to the ground like a rag doll. Essala convulsed for a few seconds before she finally stiffened and died.

  Crouching behind a chair, Nubnar blinked several times as the lights suddenly went back on again. Slowly peering up from behind a tabletop scarred with flechette needles, he stared into the cybernetic eyes of a woman wearing a black jumpsuit, standing over Essala’s remains.

  The woman turned to look at him. “You’re Nubnar Palacios, right?”

  He nodded while standing fully upright. “I am. And who are you?”

  “Karana,” she said. “I’m sorry for not being able to save the rest of your committee members, but I just got here.”

  Nubnar nodded slowly in both appreciation and wariness. “I see. I thank you for saving my life … but I must ask, whose side are you on?”

  “My own,” she said, pointing towards Essala’s corpse. “I found out about one of her operatives inside the archon’s palace thanks to a good source, and I interrogated him to locate this place.”

  “That explains how you got here, but it doesn’t explain why you saved my life. What do you want from me?”

  “You want peace with the archon, right? I can help you if you’re willing to help me go after Vega,” she said.

  31 Lady Luck

  Despite her middle age, Dilye remained fit and slim, for being a handmaiden to the archon’s daughter meant a daily routine of running up and down flights of endless stairs in the Scythian palace on Kurgan. Servants of the ruling house would dash around the long corridors and cavernous halls at all times to fulfill various duties, and the guards paid her no mind, despite the lateness of the evening.

  Standing at the door of her lady’s bedchambers, she knocked twice, paused, and knocked again before entering, giving Lady Ava the proper signal to identify herself. When she entered the inner rooms, her mistress was already waiting for her. Dilye bowed in respect as she regained her breath.

  Ava stood up. She wore traveling clothes, including heavy boots and a long, hooded cloak to conceal her identity. “Well, what happened?”

  “The pirate did show up, and your father received him in the throne room,” Dilye said.

  “And?”

  “There was … an argument.” Dilye paused before continuing. “Vega proclaimed the fifth shard was irrevocably lost in the battle on Pirindra, and the only thing to do now was to officially declare him as successor to the house of Maladore.”

  “What did my father say?”

  “The archon was hesitant. He wanted to send search teams to the battle site first to try and recover the shard again.”

  “And what did Vega say about that?”

  “The pirate flew into a rage,” Dilye said. “He demanded that your father officially declare him as the successor at that very moment, and he wanted no further delays.”

  “Did my father mention Vega’s collusion with the xtid?”

  Dilye looked down. “No, he didn’t.”

  Ava shrieked in despair. “No sooner had Karana told me, I immediately went to Father about it. And he didn’t even accuse that cutthroat Vega out in public? Why?”

  “Perhaps because the archon has no proof,” Dilye said softly, “and perhaps because there was nothing he could do about it.”

  Ava bit her lip. The self-pity she once had was replaced by a growing rage and frustration within the past few days, and she was ready to embark on a new, bold course of action. “What happened then?”

  “The archon told him to leave,” Dilye said. “Vega countered, saying he would appeal directly to the other ruling nobles in the cluster, and his claim was stronger than your father’s by virtue of the number of shards he possessed.”

  “Go on.”

  “The archon said he needed more time to think the situation through. He was clearly trying to stall Vega, and everyone in the throne room knew it. Nevertheless, he did reiterate that the pirate will have your hand in marriage, just not right away, perhaps in a few months time.”

  Ava sighed. “Anything else?”

  “That was it,” Dilye said. “Vega was still fuming as he turned and walked out.”

  Ava’s eyes narrowed. “If my own father is too weak to stand up against him, then it is time for me to leave this place.”

  “I know we’ve talked about this over the past few weeks, my lady,” Dilye said. “But are you sure your mind is made up?”

  “Yes,” Ava said with finality. “I choose exile with the man I love—with Orist.”

  Dilye nodded. “There is one other thing. I was going to give something to you a few da
ys back, but we were interrupted when we encountered Karana in the catacombs.”

  “What is it?”

  Dilye checked her timepiece. “I’ll show it to you on our way out of the palace. If we are to leave, then we must go now. Dawn will be upon us in a few hours, and I have arranged for transport to a distant part of the city. From there we will need to pay a merchant captain to take us out of the star system.”

  There was a travelling bag at the foot of the bed. Ava picked it up. “Let us go. I want to be away from this place forever.”

  Dilye peered out into the corridor to check if any of the guards were still wandering around. When the last pair of sentries and their droogs entered an adjoining passageway and walked out of sight, she gestured at her mistress to follow. Moving silently, darting from one shadowy alcove to the next, it took them close to an hour to finally make their way down into the crypts.

  Using a dim glow cube for illumination, Dilye quickly guided her mistress past the spot where they had encountered Karana days before. Minutes passed, and all they could hear were the slight echoes of their muffled footsteps as they continued on.

  Ava’s childhood fear of this place was evident, but her determination to leave gave her courage as they pressed on. Nevertheless, she could imagine horrid, misshapen things lurking in the darkened corners around them, and she nervously held on to Dilye’s arm as she kept moving.

  The subterranean hallways narrowed until they could see the linings of numerous vaults containing the tombs of Ava’s ancestors. Dilye continued to lead the way before stopping in front of a dusty alcove.

  Ava looked down at the shallow niche, and her eyes widened when she saw an ancient, dirt-encrusted toy figurine that had been placed on the stone top. “That’s one of Jurt’s old toys.”

  Dilye nodded. “This was your brother’s secret place. Just before he left to lead the Pirindra expedition, he took me down here.”

  “I remember that time,” Ava said. “I was looking for you, but the other handmaids said they didn’t know where you were either. Why did my brother bring you to this place?”

  “He told me that if anything ever happened to him, I was instructed to guide you here,” Dilye said. “When I asked him why, he simply told me there was a secret he kept hidden, and it would be useful to you should you ever need it.”

  Ava looked closer. The right side of the hole seemed to have a stone panel that had less dirt along its surface. When she rubbed it with her hand, the smooth rock began to open. “There’s a hidden compartment in here!”

  Dilye held the glow cube closer so they could both see. “What’s in there?”

  Ava kept sliding the panel back until it revealed an even smaller niche along its side. The shallow interior had a small cloth sack, and she gently picked it up. As she untied the simple knot, Ava’s eyes opened wide in astonishment as the pouch collapsed on her palm, revealing a glowing crystal shard.

  Both women looked at each other in astonishment. Jurt didn’t take the shard with him on the ill-fated expedition to Pirindra. The relic had been hidden in the family catacombs all this time.

  Ava wiped a single tear from her cheek as she thought of her lost brother. “I hope you are at peace now, Jurt.”

  Dilye could barely breathe. “My lady, do you know what this means? Your family is now in possession of two shards in total.”

  A multitude of possibilities entered Ava’s mind. “If I bring this back to my father, will he be in a position to deny Vega’s succession?”

  Dilye shook her head. “I’m afraid not, my lady. Vega still has three, and if you were to give this shard to your father, he would have to take it from you. Tradition states that only the men are allowed to possess these artifacts.”

  A hiss of disappointment came out of Ava’s mouth. “Then nothing has changed. Even though we have the fifth shard right here.”

  Dilye thought about the political implications for a minute before speaking again. “Perhaps this gives hope to our original plan, my lady.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Since it is only the males who can retain possession of the shard, if we give this to your beloved Orist, his standing will be equal to that of a noble.”

  Ava beamed at her. “Oh, Dilye! What a wonderful idea. My father would have to elevate Orist to a better standing when it happens, yes?”

  For the first time in days, Dilye grinned. “And Orist will be eligible to marry you, according to our customs.”

  Ava took the glowing shard and placed it beneath her cloak. “Let us hurry to Orist then. Once I give this to him, he can easily gain support from the other nobles. It seems we will not need to go into exile after all.”

  “Yes, my lady. There is a hidden exit not far from here. Follow me.”

  Moving past the crypt, both women made their way to an abandoned sewer tunnel. The stench was nauseating despite the passage’s disuse, but they stoically continued onwards, their efforts bolstered by a newfound hope for the future.

  It took them another hour, but they were able to emerge just a little worse for wear as they climbed out of an open sluiceway near the city’s old marketplace district. Dilye knew her contact’s house wasn’t far from the place, and they kept their hoods up, hoping no one would identify Lady Ava as they made their way through the slowly waking metropolis.

  The streets were still mostly deserted, and only the distant cries of the water sellers could be heard coming from the poorer areas. Both women quickly dusted off their cloaks and moved towards the suburbs.

  Holding her mistress by the hand, Dilye kept walking until they made it in front of a walled compound. There was an old stone knocker by the side of the gate, and the handmaiden pounded on it three times before standing back and waiting.

  Ava was exhausted, and she could barely stay awake as the coming dawn began to creep up over the city’s jagged horizon. She leaned against the side of a stone wall to try and ease her aching legs.

  The adjoining door to the gate opened with a rusty creek, and an old, grizzled man’s head poked out from the aperture. “Who is it?”

  Dilye made a slight bow. “It is I, the one who sends the letters out to you.”

  The old man eyed her cautiously before looking at Ava. “What are you doing here at this time of the morning?”

  “Please,” Dilye said. “Do you remember what I talked to you about a few days back? We need your help.”

  The old man shook his head. “I’m just a courier. I can bring letters back and forth, but that’s all I can do. Find someone else.” He started closing the door.

  Dilye rushed forward and placed her hand on the door to prevent it from being sealed. “Wait, would you know of someone who could help us?”

  He remained skeptical. “What you ask, I could get into real trouble for. It’s too risky. I have but one head on my shoulders, and I aim to keep it there.”

  Ava stepped up and stood beside her handmaiden as she held out a small bag. “We could pay you, handsomely.”

  The old man first looked at the pouch she held out, then stared deeply into her eyes. A sense of recognition could be read from his sagging face as he greedily took the bag of coins and gems from her hand before widening the doorway. “Step inside. Hurry.”

  After closing the door behind him, the old man led them up the fronted stairwell of a two-story stone house. The abode was old but kept in relatively good condition. A pudgy old woman carrying a basket of dirty clothing gave them an irked glance as they passed her going up the granite steps.

  Once they got to the upper landing, the elder took out some old keys dangling from his belt and opened the door to what looked like a storeroom. He held out his arm towards the opening. “Wait in there, I’ll get you some food and water.”

  Ava and Dilye obediently stepped inside the low-ceilinged room. There were stacked crates along the sides of the place, with a small table and a pair of chairs by the door. Ava sat down on a rickety chair with an exhausted sigh. The old man closed the
door behind him before they heard his footsteps moving away.

  Dilye unslung the traveling bag from her aching shoulder and placed it on the dusty table. “He is the one who handles the correspondence between you and Orist.”

  Ava was half-awake. Her body wanted to sleep, but her mind was still very active. The thought of being reunited with her old beloved kept her excited. “How did you meet him?”

  Dilye sat down on the other chair and offered a sheepish smile. “Almost everyone in the palace is part of a so-called network for bringing in exotic things from outside of the cluster. Sometimes it’s the only way to get the things we really cherish.”

  Ava gave a little giggle. Since her adolescence, she made use of her trusty handmaiden to buy items that would normally be impossible to get in the Concordance. Smuggling was both endemic and a lucrative black market. “I remember having my first taste of chocolate from Earth. My father told me stories about it, saying it was a luxury we could never eat, until one evening when you and Jurt came into my chambers and gave me a whole box of it.”

  “I remember that time,” Dilye said. “You ate the entire container in one go and became very sick. The lord chamberlain thought you had been poisoned, and your brother couldn’t stop laughing for days on end.”

  “That was when I knew if I ever desired something, I would just go to you to help me find it.”

  “There were times when I did fail though,” Dilye said. “Jurt wanted a wrist smartcom device, the most fashionable one found in the Union, and all I could get for him was the outdated model.”

  Ava laughed again. “Ah yes, I remember when he showed it to his friends and they all laughed at him.”

  “He was very angry at me at that time,” Dilye said softly. “I thought I would be dismissed.”

  “Jurt would never do that. He always told me you were the only palace servant he fully trusted. That’s why he had you transferred to my staff.”

  Dilye smiled and placed a reassuring hand over her mistress’s own. “When we meet with Orist, things will be well again.”

  The door opened, and the old man came inside, carrying an old tray with a plate of food and a crystalline carafe. Placing it on the table, he began pouring the wine into glasses. “I have made some inquiries, and I should get some replies before noon.”