by Drew Seren
Solaria paused at a door. “What do you think—should we just bust it down and go on in? Doesn’t seem to be much point right now with being polite.”
Skylar pursed his lips. He had to agree with her, but it still felt wrong barging into a place when they didn’t know for sure if there was anyone there or not. With what they’d seen to that point, the odds weren’t in their favor of finding anyone, but he didn’t want to take that for granted.
“Just in case—let’s do it the way we have been.”
She sighed wearily. “Okay.” She tried the door first. It swung open. All the others had been locked. She stared for a moment before calling out.
In the distance, a soft voice hollered for help.
Skylar’s heart raced. He’d been hoping for someone to be alive.
Solaria moved before he could. “We’re coming!”
“She’s over to the right!” Filzbalm sounded as excited as Skylar felt.
They went down a short hallway, climbing over the remains of crumbled walls and ceilings. A shattered door frame had enough strength left in it to keep some of the debris from hitting the floor and provided a space for them to get through.
The ice-like building material let a lot of light through, making it almost day-bright inside, even in the spots where the roof was intact. A sleek black-furred arm stuck out of some of the rubble, but it was still twitching.
Solaria touched the hand. “We’re here. Are you in a debris pocket, and is there anything else on you? Can you move your hand?”
The fingers curled around hers. “I managed to block most of the wreckage, but my arm is stuck and I’ve got something heavy on my legs.” The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but it shook and she was obviously near tears.
“I’m a mover,” Solaria said. “I’m going to try and shift this off you so we can get you out.”
“I’ve been trying, but I’m only a level two and it’s too heavy for me. She was so angry. She shattered the shields. She’s too powerful.” The girl was rambling.
Skylar wondered who she was, but they needed to get her free, then they could concern themselves with that mystery.
“Don’t worry—if I can’t get this, we’ll go get someone stronger who can.” Solaria gave her hand a final squeeze and straightened.
“What do we do?” Skylar asked. He really wished he was a mover and could help out.
“I want to try something,” Solaria said, and let out a long breath. “Remember how we joined minds when Filzbalm hatched?”
They’d worked together with Del to help the little Solar Drake out of his egg and into the world. It had been the first time Skylar had used his new gifts in unison with other people. “Yeah. But that was telepathic, not telekinetic. I’m not a mover.”
“But I am,” Solaria countered. “I read somewhere a while back that movers could augment their powers with the help of other psychics. If you and Filzbalm link with me and send me power, I should be strong enough to get her free. We don’t know how long it’ll be before Mom and Dad can get someone here.”
Skylar didn’t like the idea of leaving the first person they’d found alive stranded until they could get someone else to help. He was willing to give it a try.
“I’ll help, too.” Filzbalm uncurled himself from the back of Skylar’s neck and walked out onto his shoulder. “I’ll touch both of you, it will make this easier.” He spread his wings so the tip of the one nearest Solaria brushed her gray mask.
The fabric wasn’t enough to keep a connection from forming. As Filzbalm joined them, Skylar was acutely aware of Solaria’s thoughts. She was terrified she wasn’t going to be strong enough to save the woman, or worse, that she wouldn’t have the stamina to hold the load once she had it high enough to get her out.
“We can do this,” Skylar said, doing his best to sound reassuring. “You’re really strong, mentally and physically.”
“Thanks,” she whispered, then closed her eyes.
A slight sucking feeling encompassed Skylar, like he had just opened himself to the vastness of space and was being pulled out. Everything flowed toward Solaria. He felt a little light-headed before Filzbalm did something to regulate the flow between them.
Through their link, Skylar was well aware of the force Solaria put behind her thoughts as she reached out with her mind. He could almost see the woman—actually she was more the size of a teenager, like them. Solaria felt around her to get a mental grip on the pieces of roof, wall, and shelf that lay across her legs and formed the air pocket around her. With a huge surge of power that dropped both of them to their knees, Solaria forced the debris upward.
“Skylar, grab her hand and pull her out!” she shouted through their link.
She was pulling so much power that Skylar had trouble focusing. He grabbed the dark hand Solaria had held minutes earlier. “Come on!” He pulled her through the opening Solaria had created.
Skylar rocked backward with the effort of yanking the girl through while he was on his knees. The motion broke the physical connection Filzbalm was maintaining. A backlash of psychic energy hit them. Something crashed not far away, and a bubble of energy sprung up around them.
“Are you all okay?” Solaria asked, sounding weak and wobbly.
“I think so.” Skylar rubbed his throbbing head. “Let’s not do that again any time soon.”
“I am fine,” Filzbalm announced, then slipped back into Skylar’s hood.
“She’s very angry,” said the girl they’d rescued. In the pale light they finally got their first real look at her. She was covered in dust, dirt and crystalline debris, but he recognized her.
Solaria flung herself at the girl and hugged her. “Leonada, oh my gods.”
Leonada hugged her back. “Solaria, is that really you? I didn’t know you were so strong.” She blinked, then jerked back. “She will destroy our world to reclaim hers.” Then she collapsed.
Skylar stared at Solaria’s roommate from school. He couldn’t figure out what it was about Pantherians who were suddenly spouting strangeness. He didn’t know Leonada very well, but she was a fairly stable girl. Smart, and almost as good at Z-GBall as Solaria. Why she was babbling, he had no idea. Like Solaria, she wasn’t prone to rambling on about nothing. It made Skylar wonder what she’d endured when Glacier City was destroyed.
14
Pantherian Council
SKYLAR DID his best to stay out of the way after they got Leonada to the rescue tents. While they’d been out, at least one of the Intergal ships had arrived. There were more people, most of them from other worlds, around the basecamp. The two who’d spotted him and Solaria carrying Leonada between them hadn’t recognized them and had been worried they were also survivors. Phil showed up with another survivor about the same time and smoothed things over for them.
“Here.” Solaria handed Skylar a warm drink. “This will help with the fatigue.”
He glanced in the steaming mug. “What is it?”
“An herbal brew Uncle Phil uses to get his strength back when he’s been rescuing people for too long.” She’d already pulled her mask off. When she took a sip of the liquid, she curled her lips, flashing her fangs. “Man, this stuff is vile. But it does help. I keep some at school so I don’t have to crash so hard after a touch Z-GBall game, or a rough day of mover training.”
Pursing his lips, Skylar braced himself for something that tasted like medicine, but when he sipped it, it reminded him of one of the holiday drinks Teir’s family used to make on Hummassa. He wondered what was in it and if it might be the same things the Hummassans used, although he doubted it. Herbs from different planets could taste similar, but have completely different effects. “Not too bad.”
Solaria downed the rest of hers in one gulp, then shook her head. “You have strange taste buds, Skylar.”
Filzbalm crawled out of Skylar’s hood and down his arm to take a quick lap of the stuff. “Not bad, but I think it is more suited for someone who is either omnivorous or herbivorous. Car
nivores wouldn’t like it.” He took a longer drink, then climbed back up to his spot in the hood. “Definitely rejuvenating.”
Uncle Phil came over after conversing with the medic looking after Leonada. “She’s like the others we’ve found. A little worse since she’s a psi. They’re all going on about anger, or she’s angry, or she’s going to take back her planet. The sad thing is, they keep jumping back and forth between being fine and ranting. It’s almost like whatever attacked them has imprinted something on their minds. Like it’s a warning.”
Solaria frowned as she put her cup down on the small bedside table next to the unused cot with a pillow and folded utility blanket they all stood next to. “A warning of what, that we have to leave the planet? This has been our home for nearly a thousand years, more if we’re to believe what we’re told by the people who think we evolved here.”
“If we’re dealing with a force that can destroy a city in a few hours, we might not have much of a choice,” Phil said. “Right before I found my latest survivor, I was informed that the Pantherian Council is convening at the spaceport. Since I’m the liaison between our people and Intergal Rescue, they want me there. They’re also requesting your parents be there since the trail of destruction starts at their dig site.” Phil sighed and finished off his own mug of brew. “I’d rather not go. We haven’t finished going through the whole city, but I don’t have much choice and we’ve got another ship of rescuers that cleared the inner stargate an hour ago. It’ll be in orbit in a few hours. It’s a hospital ship and we’ll be able to get the survivors out. I won’t be needed as much for that.”
Felonia stalked over, looking cold and tired. “You explaining things to the kids?”
Phil nodded. “About to get to the good part.”
“Let me.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “We’ve got a couple of options for you kids. Either you can go with us to the spaceport, or you can go home and stay with Blizza.”
The less time Skylar had to spend with the old Pantherian, the better he liked it. Before he could voice his opinion, Solaria spoke up. “I think we should head to the spaceport. I’ve seen all the reports on how the council works, but I’ve never seen then in action. I’m actually amazed this managed to get them doing something.”
“Are you okay with that, Skylar?” Felonia asked.
Skylar nodded. “Sure. But why does your planetary council meet at the spaceport? Don’t you have a capital city or something?”
“In case you haven’t figured it out, we’re a fairly clan-based society. Even as we grew into a spacefaring species, we maintained our clan, or village, way of life,” Phil explained. “Until we built the spaceport, we didn’t actually have permanent neutral ground to discuss things. Every time something major came up, we had to declare neutral ground to resolve it.”
“And when they built the spaceport, all the clan leaders declared it neutral so if fighting broke out, we wouldn’t lose contact with the rest of the universe,” Solaria interrupted.
Phil glared at her, but didn’t reprimand her for rudeness. “She’s right.” He glanced at Felonia. “Is Aniu back? It might save a little time if we could all ride together.”
Felonia got a faraway look, then sighed. “He’s coming in. His team located another survivor. We’re finding them, but not in large numbers. Glacier City might never be rebuilt if this is all we’ve got to populate it.”
“She was fairly devastating, whoever she happens to be.” Phil set his cup down next to Solaria’s.
Skylar added his cup to the growing collection. He was already feeling better, although his head still pounded slightly. At least his thoughts were his own and he wasn’t having trouble putting them together.
THE MINUTE Skylar walked into the council room at the spaceport, he could tell it had a dampening field around it. In the hall, the chaotic thoughts and emotions rolled over him like a rough ocean wave, but inside the room, everything was quiet in his mind. Even Filzbalm seemed far away. The link with the Solar Drake was weaker than it had been since it finished forming on Armstrong’s Ring. A stab of fear went through Skylar.
“Don’t worry, I’m still with you.” Filzbalm rubbed his head against Skylar’s ear. “They really don’t want people reading each other’s minds in here.”
“Feels like it,” Skylar replied silently.
A sleek Pantherian with orange fur offset with large dark rosettes approached them. “Philaneo, Felonia, and Aniu, thank you for making it so quickly.”
Phil bowed slightly. “Zhetallia, I wish this could’ve waited a little while. We were still going through Glacier City looking for survivors.”
Zhetallia frowned and cocked her head. “We were informed more Intergal ships had cleared the inner stargate, with one of the larger ships soon to go through the outer gate. We figured there were enough feet on the ground to cover for you while we met to discuss the situation.”
“That’s correct.” Phil frowned as he took the woman’s arm and stepped out of the doorway. “But Glacier City is a complete disaster. We need everybody we can spare to finish the rescue mission. With our extreme climate, it’s more important than on temperate planets to find any survivors as quickly as possible.”
“Then we’ll do our best to not keep you overly long.” Zhetallia jerked her arm out of Phil’s grasp and snapped, “We’re only waiting on two more village elders to arrive, then we can begin. Unless you can report Hezpulana from Glacier City is among the survivors you’ve found.”
“No.” Phil sighed and put his hands together over his stomach. “Unfortunately, the mayor of Glacier City has been identified among the dead.”
“Then we don’t need to wait for her.” Zhetallia moved to the head of the table.
Skylar wished he could mentally ask Solaria what was going on, but the room’s defenses prevented him from touching her mind.
“Over here.” Felonia led them to a small group of chairs set back from the table. “Since we’re not chiefs, elders, or mayors, we sit back here.”
Solaria leaned close to her mother. “So, I guess we should stay quiet and just watch?”
Felonia cocked her head and sighed before hugging Solaria. “You are so very much your father’s daughter.” Her voice was soft and gentle. “Yes, please. I’m sure if there’s a spot where your input would be appreciated, you’ll know.”
“I hope this is more interesting than a history lesson at school.” Solaria plopped down in a chair, then looked up at Skylar and patted the one next to her.
Skylar sat, but the room was so cool he kept his coat on and hood up, hoping he wouldn’t insult anyone by doing so. It also helped keep Filzbalm out of sight, since he was again curled up around the base of Skylar’s neck.
Things grew fairly quiet as they waited for the last couple of people to show up. There were brief, whispered discussions. At one point, the biggest Pantherian Skylar had ever seen came over to where they were sitting and waiting patiently.
The man was a good seven feet tall with tawny fur marked by scattered rosettes. His shoulders were easily twice the width of Skylar’s. “Aniu Unica, I believe you are responsible for the human in our midst.”
Standing, Solaria’s father nodded. “I am. He’s here as part of our family and was on Pantheria before the incident happened.”
“And you have brought him to the council chamber—why?” The big man looked between Skylar and Solaria. “This is not likely to be a discussion children should be exposed to.”
Phil rose and stood at Aniu’s side. “Under normal circumstances we would agree with you, Sabeto, but these are hardly normal circumstances. As a father yourself, I’m sure you can understand wanting to keep a family together in uncertain times. We also felt it would be a good idea to expose Solaria to the working of government. Skylar came along rather than having us leave him at home, wondering what was going on.”
Sabeto frowned, but didn’t bare his teeth. His look made Skylar shiver. The big Pantherian obviously had something agai
nst humans, but Skylar doubted he’d get to find out what it was, and as long as it didn’t get him killed, he really didn’t care. Skylar looked away first, remembering what Solaria had told him months earlier about dominance and how if you wanted someone to overlook you, you shouldn’t look at them.
“We expect you to keep them quiet.” Sabeto turned and stomped back to the table where two new Pantherians had just arrived.
Zhetallia stood at the table. “I want to thank everyone for coming on such short notice. I think we all understand that we can’t schedule catastrophes, and what we are dealing with here is definitely a catastrophe.”
One of men who’d showed up at the last raised a hand. “Do we know what happened to Glacier City?”
“Other than the utter destruction of the city and most of the people therein, no,” Zhetallia said. “But maybe Philaneo Clawson, who was present when the disruption began and has been at Glacier City working on rescue efforts, can explain what they’ve found so far.” She pointed at Phil.
Phil stood and approached the table. “Esteemed council members.” He bowed slightly. “It saddens me to be here under such dire circumstances.” For several minutes, he related the past day, from the time the first attack happened until he was called to council.
When he was finished a strained silence filled the room. Then a heavy-set woman with nearly pure white fur raised her hand. “Philaneo, do we have any theory on why the Indruias settlement and the smaller encampments between there and Glacier City were spared, if the attack did indeed begin at the dig site in Indruias?”
That was one of the big questions Skylar hadn’t been able to figure out. It didn’t make much sense that something would nearly destroy one city while leaving a smaller settlement untouched, unless you counted knocking most everyone there out or giving them raging headaches. He wasn’t overly surprised the council knew where the destruction started—all they would’ve had to do was look at satellite images to see the trail of destruction that seemed to grow the farther the force got along its path.