by Brandon Barr
“I don’t understand? Who took what?”
“Aven took Whisper. But I still saw something.”
Karience tried desperately to understand the girl. She appeared delusional. Feverish.
“You’re in danger,” said Winter. “I saw something. Something at your window.”
It suddenly occurred to Karience that the girl was talking about a vision. Chills crawled up Karience’s spine. It had only been a few days since her and Winter’s last experience, and the horrible memory returned fresh and vivid.
“What did you see?” said Karience.
“I saw a light at your window. And then your room. It turned into a bright fire. Brighter than the sun. You were standing there one moment, and the next, you were burned up. Gone.”
Karience could only think of one possibility. And this time, she had no doubts over the reality of Winter’s foresight.
“We have to get to the ship.”
_____
AVEN
“Aven, I’m so excited for you,” said Zoecara. “The hills here are just gorgeous. You couldn’t have picked a more beautiful farmland.”
“It is highly unlikely there are not other farms more beautiful,” said Arentiss. “Of course, it would be hard to measure something as subjective as beauty.”
Aven hid a smile.
“You know what else is highly unlikely?” said Rueik. “That you’ll ever understand nuance, Arentiss.”
Arentiss proceeded to provide Rueik with a definition of “nuance.” Aven couldn’t help but feel charmed by her literalness. Up to this point, he was glad she had refrained herself from taking his hand, but now, he had a strange urge to grab hers. Just to comfort her in someway. To let her know he understood her.
Aven placed his hand on her back and rubbed gently up and down for a moment. “Your definition of nuance was excellent,” he said.
Her intense brow softened and the corners of her lips turned upward.
“Thank you, Aven,” she said.
“It’s too bad your sister isn’t feeling well,” said Daeymara, coming up beside Aven. “I was really looking forward to spending more time with her.”
Aven smiled playfully in Daeymara’s direction, and she returned it with a wink.
He was glad to find her mood had lifted. He put a hand in his pocket and felt the braid she’d given him earlier that day. In the time since then, his hand had reached for it many times, and he had thought of her, and the growing feelings he had for her. The thought of her leaving for her mission saddened him.
Their large party had left the cobblestone roads of the city behind and were deep into rolling hills. The sun was close to slipping out of sight behind the horizon, and ahead, ten soldiers of the Royal Protectorate began to prepare torches for lighting. The soldiers were there because Karience had insisted they accompany Aven and the Missionaries while outside the safety of the Guardian Tower.
“You really want to do more farm work?” said Pike, his eyes taking in the land with a dour expression. “I see those crops and I say good riddance. Then I see you, with pride practically oozing out your ears. How did we end up so different?”
Aven avoided the truth. “Maybe I ate too much dirt as a kid and acquired a taste for it.”
Rueik and Zoecara laughed.
“I can see your farm from here,” said Daeymara as they crested another hill.
“Yes, there,” said Aven. “The hovel is on the other side of that thicket of trees.”
“That’s a lot of land,” said Hark. “What kind of crops are those?”
“Sape. The same that Winter and I have grown our entire lives.”
He wished his sister was with him. He longed to see her face as she looked upon their farm for the first time. He pressed a hand against his chest, where the glass jar with the butterfly inside hung. Had her burden lightened any? Were the dark questions slipping away, like the sun sinking into the earth?
A low thundering sounded from the sky. Aven glanced up at the scattered pink and purple clouds. Strange. There was no sign of a storm.
“That sounds like a starship,” said Hark.
“There,” said Arentiss pointing at a dot in the sky. The soldiers ahead stopped their torch preparation, turning their attention upward.
“Where are they going?” said Rueik, staring at two figures running in the distance, away from their group. “Zoecara! Pike!” he shouted.
Everyone turned as Rueik took off at a sprint after them.
Aven saw confusion on every face that remained, the roar of the ship growing louder. He looked up. The form of the starship was visible—and clearly different in shape than the Guardian’s craft.
“Go!” shouted Hark. “Everyone scatter!”
“Why?” Arentiss questioned.
“It’s a merc ship!” screamed Hark, already running. “They’re after the VOKKs.”
“Headhunters,” said Daeymara. “Run!”
The words hit Aven’s stomach like a fist. He found his feet and spun, turning off the dirt road to run down a grassy embankment. He reached the bottom and now the roar of the ship had changed to a pitched hum and the earth shook. He turned to see a mass of black metal jutting from the hilltop road he’d just left. It looked like a spider, only turned sideways with a half dozen legs pointing out like spears from the main hull.
“Get to the trees,” shouted Daeymara, who was running not far from him. “We have to find cover.”
In their desperation, they’d both chosen a poor route, finding themselves in a large barren field. It was a long run to reach a patch of woodland. But they had a good head start.
A pitched whir, like a hornet, sounded from behind. Against his good judgment, he turned his head again. In the red dusk behind him, lights sped from the ship, racing down the hill in their direction.
“We’re not going to make it,” screamed Daeymara, now much closer to him. “They have riders.” She stopped running, and he did as well, following her lead. Her short black hair was swept over her face. In the gathering darkness, he couldn’t see her eyes well, but he knew by the way her face was set on his that she was calculating something unpleasant.
“Don’t let them take you alive. It will be far worse.” She drew a knife from her belt. “Do you have a weapon?”
“No,” said Aven, her hopeless words echoing in his ears.
Daeymara turned to face the approaching lights.
“Then use your hands,” she shouted.
He looked at his open hands, then closed them into fists. The grinding noise of the riders was almost upon them.
CHAPTER 35
ZOECARA
Zoecara looked back and saw Rueik gaining on her and Pike. Behind Rueik was Dheeg Sar’s ship. She trusted the mercs to take out the Guardian’s Tower, but she didn’t trust them with the opportunity to collect one more VOKK.
Hers.
The Guardians had disrupted the mercenaries’ covert extortion of Loam’s resources. They needed the Guardians gone. Though unpredictable, the mercenaries could prove helpful in securing Loam for her master—as long as they remained ignorant of her ultimate goals. But would they leave her alone to finish her end of the bargain—to ensure the Guardians’ charter would be rejected by Loam’s quorums? If they were smart, they would.
But then, greed ran like blood through their veins, and a VOKK was a valuable prize.
Damn Rueik. Why was he chasing her?
Zoecara arrived at a barn that stood in the middle of the field. She darted inside the wide opening and found bales of dried crops stacked along the far wall. One corner contained a work bench, the wall behind adorned with tools hanging from hooks.
She hurried over and took a heavy metal blade from the wall. It was well sharpened, a tool for slaughtering animals.
She smirked at the thought of Rueik’s surprised look just before she cleaved him. If Rueik caused any trouble, Pike would be there to help her, as long as the farm boy wasn’t as lame as he was dumb. Either way, when th
e mercenaries arrived to claim their prizes, two heads would be ready and waiting.
_____
WINTER
The corridors of the underwater facility were cold. Winter did her best to keep pace with Karience, who had an arm propped under her shoulder for support. A sick churning gripped her stomach. It wasn’t the vision of Karience and the fiery light tearing through her that made her sick—she felt certain she had been able to prevent that fate—but the lingering fear that Aven was in imminent danger. The gory vision of the monster felt nearer and it filled her with dread as they hobbled along. The Empyrean had communicated to Nephitus through the walls by some means she did not know of, warning him of a suspected attack on the facility.
Nephitus had just returned to the Guardian Tower from some errand. His voice issued a reply from the facility walls, “The foreign ship has landed three clicks north of us in the Green Dune Territory. Readings show large amounts of capable weaponry. Our ship’s shields won’t be able to take that kind of beating for very long.”
“They’ll know it, too,” said Karience, entering the starship with Winter. “But if they’re here for VOKKs, they’ll be worried about their precious cargo.”
Nephitus’ voice came again from the wall, “How are you so certain they are after the VOKKs?”
“The Green Dunes,” said Karience, “That’s where all our Missionaries are.”
Nephitus swore.
“Strap yourself into that chair,” said Karience to Winter, as they entered the bridge.
Winter quickly obeyed.
“I’m afraid this is not going to be as smooth as your first ride. The gravity generator on this thing is ancient, and I expect we’ll take some nasty hits from them.”
Winter had a picture in her head of two starships ramming into each other like a pair of angry bulls. How else did starships battle?
_____
ZOECARA
Zoecara stood in the shadows, a large wooden beam keeping her out of sight. Footsteps sounded outside the barn.
“Zoecara, where are you?” came Rueik’s voice.
Then Pike’s, “We’ve got to hide! They’re coming this way!”
The whine of the mercenaries’ ground vehicles flared in the distance.
“Quick,” shouted Zoecara. “I’m in here.”
Two bodies entered the barn. The twilight had almost faded completely, and every shadow was deeper and darker within the large wood building, the space between the wood slats glowing dimly.
“Over here,” she called. “In the shadows on your left.”
They came closer, and she readied herself.
“I can’t see you,” said Rueik, stepping almost within range.
“Here,” she whispered.
He took two more steps. She wouldn’t get to see the look in his eyes, but it would be quicker this way. She took a step and swung the heavy blade with precision that had come from years of training.
The blade slashed the air where Rueik’s neck had been, but found only empty space, then crashed with a dull thud into the wood beam she’d hid behind.
An arm grabbed around her neck, squeezing with deadly power. She bent forward and swiveled her head, yanking it free from the choke hold, but her attacker grabbed a portion of her long hair and pulled painfully on it.
Zoecara’s heart pounded in her throat. Something was terribly wrong. Had a mercenary slipped in with them?
“Rueik!” screamed Zoecara. “Help me!”
Her attacker dragged her out of the shadows by her hair. She raked her legs against the ground, trying to gain balance, but the attacker held on to her hair like a rope, and by brute strength, spun her off the ground and began twirling her through the air.
Zoecara shrieked in agony, her skull on fire until her hair tore free from her head, sending her flailing through the air. She let out a whimper as her back and head struck the dirty floor, her body skidding to a stop on the dirty ground.
She gasped in pain, and tried to reorient herself. Willfully, she blocked the horrible pain just as she’d been trained, concentrating instead on the deadly action she needed to take. She sprang up in a ready stance, battling the shooting pain in her back.
Blood from the torn scalp ran down into her eyes, blinding her. She wiped quickly at it, straining to see in front of her.
A form came toward her. She lashed out with a fist and struck flesh. A grunt sounded, and then a laugh that chilled her. It was a friendly, familiar laugh.
“Is that as hard as you can hit?” Rueik said playfully. She could hear the smile on his lips. “You must have a weak master.”
Words escaped her. She stared, fighting the fear rising inside.
“You should see yourself right now,” continued Rueik. “You’re an ugly girl without your hair.”
Out of the corner of Zoecara’s eye, she saw another figure moving around to her side. Pike. In the confusion, she’d almost forgotten him. She had a weapon in Pike, thanks to the Mind Scries.
Rueik took a step closer. “Where’s that seductive face you always put on for me? I’m going to kiss you, like you always wanted me to. One to remember. The kiss of death. It won’t hurt, I promise.”
His hand sprang out to grab her uniform. She blocked, threw a punch at his face but he twisted out of the way.
“Come on, Pike,” said Rueik. “If you want Aven, you have to help me.”
She glanced at Pike, confused by Rueik’s words. Had Pike been tampered with? Had Rueik used the mind probe?
“Kill him.” she said, “Pike, help me kill Rueik!”
Pike stopped, then turned and moved toward Rueik.
Zoecara grinned through the pain and the blood running down her face. “I’m going to make you pay, Rueik.”
She heard Pike’s feet pivot on the loose dirt of the barn floor, then begin to run, but the scuffing of his feet was coming toward her, and not Rueik! She jerked toward Pike just as his hands came down hard on her shoulders.
“Pike!” she yelled. “Kill Rueik!” His grip did not relent, and she realized in that instant her suspicions were correct. He was no longer hers to command.
She twisted free of Pike’s hands and spun low, throwing a fist at his groin. She thrust her palm up hard, to drive his nose into his brain, but Rueik’s arms wrapped tight around her from behind. He hoisted her up against his chest, then thrust her forward, toward the ground, his weight diving down on top of her.
Her face slammed the floor with brutal force. Her nose shattered. Bits of teeth rolled loose in her mouth like pebbles.
With what little strength remained, she tried to lift her neck, but there was only shooting pain. She knew it was broken, and, just as certainly, she knew she was going to die.
“You are a Shadowman, too,” she mumbled, blood and spit spilling from her mouth onto the dirt floor.
“Yes. From Hearth,” said Rueik into her ear. “My master has deceived the Guardians and lives within The Triangle, if you know of such things.”
She coughed. “I’ve failed my master.”
“I take it you won’t reveal his name to me?”
“I will die with it in my mind.”
“That is fine. It will be retrieved by my own master’s Mind Scries once you reach Hearth.”
Questions formed through the fog of thoughts, but Rueik’s arm slipped up, around her neck, before she could voice them.
She could hear Pike moaning nearby, then Rueik placed his lips on her ear and began to constrict her throat with his bicep, the searing pain and the pressure on her broken neck dizzied her.
She blacked out for a moment, then awoke to his whisper.
“My master, Isolaug, thanks you for your service. You were the perfect cover. Your work strengthening the Guardian opposition on Loam was well done. Your master is weak, but you did well with what training you had…enjoy the quiet of forever.”
Zoecara gasped for one last trace of air, but the strong arm squeezed like a clamp and nothing would pass through. The pain
receded and she could only lay there. All she felt was anger, anger at her failure, anger at the thickening haze of darkness closing in on her.
Raith…Raith…I am weak, master. I failed you. I deserve the eternal silence.
Darkness slid over her eyes like a welcomed friend. The pain faded further away. The moment before she slipped into the void, she thought she felt lips on her cheek.
_____
RUEIK
“Pike, get up. They’re here.”
Rueik watched the riders through the slats. Two mercenaries sprang off the vehicle and ran toward the entrance, their features formless in the dimming light.
Rueik waited in the shadows, where Zoecara had hidden from him and Pike. The farm boy was still laying on the ground, sobbing, holding himself between the legs. She had put a good hit on him. It was just as well.
The first mercenary who entered was lean and carried his energy weapon poised against the side of his face, gingerly stepping into the dimly lit barn. The weapons would be set on low, as Rueik had told them, that way as many of the Missionaries as possible could be taken back alive. The second mercenary was thick armed but short, less cautious. Rueik stepped out of the dark behind him.
“There are two of them,” said Rueik, “there on the ground.”
The mercenaries spun, energy guns raised. Recognition passed over their faces, and they lowered their weapons.
“Quickly,” said Rueik. “The dead girl, and the oaf beside her.”
“Not me,” groaned Pike, sitting up in the dirt. “Don’t let them take me!”
Rueik looked at Pike briefly. The bastards VOKK had been easy enough to alter with the mind tool. He’d dropped the memory gates erected by Alael, and had overridden Zoecara’s Mind Scries, then laid down his own instructions. Pike’s head was a maze of selves…a mental disaster. But Pike preformed the job Rueik had programmed. His usefulness was at an end.
Rueik turned to the short mercenary closest to him. “Did you get Dheeg Sar’s collection of brains?”
“Yes, they’re loading them now.”
“Rueik, you promised me Aven,” groaned Pike. “You dirty liar!”