Fenturi Fate

by Bevan Greer

  “I am.” Ren grinned, and Dare wondered what he found so amusing. Even Ren disliked water, or so the twins had told her. “We can do this. It’s you and me. Remember what your mother did to you to protect you from harm all those years past? Remember Myla’s vision?”

  Her mother had given her the protection of a blue aura around her body. “Of course, Blue Starfire.”

  “Starfire works both as a protection and as a weapon for the one who wields it,” he explained to both Aranthe and the twins. “Do it, Dare. Nesh, Ned, you need to take the ship back to Bylar. We have only a few more days left, and the more I think on it, the more help I believe you’ll be to Zebram and his dealings with the Fenturi.”

  Half-blood Fenturi warriors would help bridge the Bylaran/Fenturi gap easier than a contingent of Bylaran Legionnaires would. And the Goddess knew, Stalkers would surely be a help against the Ragil Horde.

  Nesh nodded. “We will do—”

  “—what we can,” Nesh finished. “Luck of the Goddess to you—”

  “—both.” Then the twins left without looking back.

  “Aranthe?” Dare asked once they’d left. “What exactly are the Horde? Are they more man than beast, like the legends say?”

  “I don’t rightly know. The Horde War occurred while I was working in an alternate universe. But I do recall a passage from an old text I once read. The Horde were thought to be escapees from Dark World, due to their demon-like appearance. But they can be killed, this we know. They were killed a thousand years ago.

  “Without the Thrax though, we’re doomed. A few blasts from their main battle vessel can destroy whole planets. It ravaged Bylar’s homeworld and destroyed Xon, once a peaceful planet in the Outworlds. Now, Mari, complete your journey. I’ll guide you both to the ship, but then I must leave you.”

  He gestured her to join them in the water. To Dare’s embarrassment, she couldn’t make herself move any closer to the pool. She focused on her breathing. She’d never before submerged in water. On Kre, Dare had bathed in the shallow ends of the green lakes, forced to deal with the slimy feeling of water over her skin. But to go under…

  “Dare?” Ren said quietly. He seemed to float without Aranthe’s assistance, which she found astonishing. “I’ll protect you. Use the Starfire.”

  His assuredness buoyed her courage. She recalled her mother’s words and encased her body in Starfire. Then she bent and seated herself at the ledge of the pool. She put her legs in the water, and to her amazement she didn’t feel the cold water against her skin. Though she could see it plastering her trousers to her legs, she felt nothing but warmth.

  Ren tugged the rest of the way in, and she moved to him willingly. But when he hugged her to him and submerged, she tensed. Aranthe handed a short cord to Ren and said something to him. But underwater, Dare couldn’t make out his words. Like before, she heard murmurings but could not understand.

  Ren seemed to have no problem. He nodded to Aranthe, and soon they glided after him through the water like a piece of silk through air.

  “Hold on tight,” Ren mouthed to her, and she clutched his neck for all she was worth. The water moved through her clothing, but the Starfire acted like some sort of buffer. Dare knew she didn’t breathe, but in the Starfire she didn’t need to.

  She could feel Ren’s heart beating slowly against hers, so calming, so steady. She could feel the iron will in him that refused to let anything happen to her.

  They soon slowed until they popped out of the mass of ocean and rose above the water, in what looked like a cave. In the darkness, her eyesight automatically adjusted, and she watched Aranthe wave goodbye before he left them. Alone.

  Ren looked into her eyes, nodded, then pulled himself and her out of the water onto dry land. They walked into the pitch black of the cave.

  ***

  Zebram watched Castor pace around the room for the twentieth time in as many minutes. Jace studied his fingertips, looking as if he’d rather be in prison than in the king’s private chambers.

  For his part, Zebram didn’t know why Myla had ordered Castor and Jace to his side, but it bothered him. Castor he understood, but Jace was a complete mystery.

  Something about the large blond man made him distinctly uneasy. Jace looked up at him. Those eyes. The dark black of Jace’s gaze had an odd tendency to glisten like a rainbow. For one moment, blackness stared back at him, then in the next instant a rainbow of emotions and colors assaulted him. Jace turned back to study his hand, and Zebram uttered a quiet breath of relief.

  Jace didn’t seem to bother Castor, because the Legionnaire continued to glare at the man, almost hoping for a fight.

  Zebram considered the idea of letting them tear at each other, if only to relieve the tension in the room. But he could just imagine the ancient texts on the table strewn and ripped beyond repair amidst their brawl.

  “So, Jace,” he said in the silence of the chamber. “Tell me about Dare.”

  Castor waited as well.

  Warily, Jace asked, “What do you want to know?”

  “I can tell you she loves that guidecat,” Castor interrupted. “She fights like a demon and has Ren wrapped around her little finger. think the two found they have a lot in common.”

  “Like what?” Zebram asked.

  “Well, from the first moment Ren took her aboard the ship, he’s been tense and unnerved. You know that’s not like Ren.”

  “That’s true enough. I don’t know Dare, but I do know my brother.” He turned to Jace, hoping the male would speak. Surprised when Jace did, he listened carefully.

  “Dare is unlike anyone I’ve ever known,” Jace explained. “She’s never been one for rules or the law. Yet I sense she’s fascinated by Garen, Captain of the Legionnaires.”

  “That’s one way of putting it,” Castor said dryly, earning frowns from both Zebram and Jace.

  “Is it because of the Fenturi blood they share?” Zebram asked.

  “In part. But I also think a lot of this has to do with Myla’s talk of fate and our parts to play in the grand scheme of things.” Jace gave Castor a curious look.

  “Fate, eh? Well, that’s all well and good, but I think we need to make our own path to the Beyond.” Castor clenched his fists and said to Zebram, “Sire, might I remind you the Horde will be on us soon? I realize you’re emptying the village, but what about the Fenturi? Shouldn’t we be doing something more about them?”

  Zebram knew how he felt. He wanted nothing more than to prepare the battlements for the coming siege, but he had to wait a bit longer. He was no mere soldier but the king, and as such he had important duties to see to outside of his planet.

  When the communications device rang, he jumped to answer. Knowing Jace and Castor had every reason to know the purpose for their stay, he opened the hologram up for them to see.

  “Aranthe.” Zebram felt a measure of relief. At least the old man wasn’t yet dead. “What news have you?”

  The Ocaian’s gills opened and closed underneath his stringy white hair, his skin almost blue in the shimmering light around him.

  “Garen’s down with her in the depths. It’s up to them now. I’m done. By the way, the mirror men will be coming back to you within the next few hours.”

  “Mirror men?” Castor raised a brow and met Jace’s eyes.

  “Nesham and Nedham, most likely,” Jace said.

  “Ah. Right.”

  “So the Thrax has been buried in the heart of Isus all this time?” Zebram wanted to know.

  “No. It’s been many places on Ocaia, but it wanted to come here to wait for the Mari,” Aranthe said, confusing Zebram even more.

  Jace too apparently, because he said, “But I thought it was created on Nexios. Why is it even on Ocaia?”

  Aranthe shrugged. “Who knows? Sorry, King Zebram. But I’ve got to go. The sea’s calling.” So saying, he bowed and ended communications.

  Castor shook his head. “That’s an odd fish.”

  “True words, Castor.�
� Jace chuckled. “Not that I still don’t owe you a sound thrashing for my earlier imprisonment, but I’m beginning to like your sense of humor.”

  Castor muttered under his breath, causing Zebram to laugh. “Come on then, protectors.” Zebram grabbed the war plans he’d been working on while they’d waited and left his chambers in a hurry. “I’ve been waiting all day to hear from Aranthe. Now we prepare for war.”

  They moved through the village, finding it deserted. Then they sought Master Rorn to see how the preparations stood.

  “We are nearly there, Sire.” Rorn bowed to Zebram and nodded to Castor. He turned an inquisitive eye toward Jace but only answered Zebram’s questions and revisited Zebram’s plans.

  Later, free of Rorn, Zebram sought Myla’s cottage. He knew she would have put Thela and Shea to work. He only hoped the Rovi with them did nothing to cause trouble with the warriors protecting Myla. A Rovi in anger was never a good thing unless he fought for your team. In this case, the Rovi fought for Shea, who was definitely no fan of the Bylaran.

  Once at Myla’s cottage, Zebram, Castor and Jace looked on in astonishment.

  Three Thelas, four Myla’s, a single Shea and a patrol full of Rovi’s sat huddled inside of Myla’s cottage. They all looked up and smiled in welcome when Zebram entered.

  “By the Goddess,” Zebram exclaimed.

  Myla waved a hand, and everyone disappeared except Myla, Thela, Shea and Roc.

  “Welcome back, my lord. ‘Tis fate that brought that she-devil to us!” Myla crowed with laughter as she pointed to Shea. “Not only do we have the Mari and the only person who could find the Thrax, but we have a full scale illusionist!”

  Thela laughed at the Lynaran’s horrified expression. “Sorry, Shea. Your secret’s out. I guess it’s no more thieving for you.”

  Roc looked decidedly pleased as he stared down at Shea with his arms crossed. Even seated the Rovi was huge.

  “We’ve heard from Aranthe,” Zebram informed them. “Apparently Dare and Garen are close to the Thrax.” He said a silent prayer to the Goddess, wishing them both good luck and speed, feeling more than ever that time was dwindling for the System…

  ***

  After what felt like miles of darkness while she was tugged behind Ren like a sack of rocks, Dare found the small beam of light that penetrated the darkness a welcome beacon.

  Ren moved toward it, and as he did, a loud sound hummed through the waters. The Starfire that protected Dare still cloaked her and Ren like a blanket, still joining them as one.

  Feeling an odd shiver course through her at thoughts of she and Ren together like that, Dare forced herself to pay attention to the scene before her. As the light grew brighter, she saw the faint outline of a small, sleek craft made out of some foreign material that shimmered like blue gold in the water—the Thrax.

  A ship?

  She reached out with her mind and said foreign yet familiar words in Fenturi.

  “I seek with my heart, listen with my heart, and give with my heart—your life from mine.”

  The Thrax suddenly glowed with life, brilliant as it lit up the darkness of the cave. Hand in hand, Ren and Dare floated before it, awash in the blue glory of the ship shining before them.

  A door opened at the side of the vessel. Dare stared at it, curious about the appearance of a dry interior when the ship had been under so much water for a while.

  She marveled at its construct. A third the size of the SpaceStalker, the Thrax could accommodate no more than a half dozen bodies, provided the bodies were not overly large.

  The outside showed an elliptical hull and strange, weapon-like protuberances on either side of the ship. Lasers, maybe? Whatever this small craft had used to destroy the Ragil Horde a millennia ago, she could only hope it had enough juice left to do it again.

  She and Ren moved toward it together. He moved to enter in front of her, always protecting her, but Dare shook her head. She needed to meld with the ship without interference. Mindful that Ren only wanted to guard her, she tried to convince him with her inner feelings, projecting to him that she would not be harmed.

  Though clearly uneasy, he pulled back to let her go first. Once they boarded, the door sealed behind them.

  Dare gasped at the interior of the ship. Dripping wet, she sloshed toward the controls in the front of the ship. Simple in design yet incredibly complex, the control panel lit when she approached.

  Welcome, Mari appeared on the view screen in front of her. She looked to her left and saw a rectangular panel. She recalled her mother’s wisdom and knew when the time came, she would need to power the vessel by placing her hand upon the panel and willing it to life.

  Already it sensed her presence, but Dare felt more would be needed to fly the ship into battle.

  She could also sense that the ship somehow knew Ren, whose squishing footsteps echoed loudly in the clean chamber. He must have finished checking out the ship for danger, because he came back to looking less stressed.

  “We’re good. Come see.”

  Dare followed him, passing two small chambers and coming finally to a third.

  “This, I guess, is the Mari’s resting quarters.”

  Amazed at the size of the room considering the smallness of the ship, Dare looked around her and back to Ren to gauge his reaction.

  “I know. It can’t possibly be this large.” He shrugged. “I roughly estimated the dimensions of this thing outside, and there’s no way this room should be here.”

  A large bed sat against the far wall, luring her to relax and conserve her energy. Hung on either side of the bed were two uniforms, one large enough to fit Ren and the other looked Dare’s size.

  She reached out to touch the smooth wall, and its soft texture tingled underneath Dare’s fingers. A golden color, the walls shimmered as Dare passed, welcoming her with more than words, with feeling.

  “Dare, look at this.” Ren waited for her in a doorway she must have missed earlier. Off the sleeping chamber, the narrow doorway led to another large room, this one a luxurious lavatory.

  “That solar bath is large enough to fit the Legion.” Feeling the need to clean up and relax after the trials of Isus, Dare had to work hard not to take a long shower and moved with Ren back toward the control room.

  Ren stared around them. “It’s odd, but I don’t see any trace of our water trail on the deck. And speaking of water, we need to leave the planet. Do you know what to do?”

  “I think so.” She approached the rectangular panel and felt her heart race with excitement. Placing her hand upon the panel, she closed her eyes and did as her mother instructed in her memory.

  Dare recalled every good thing she had ever dreamed of and pushed that positive energy through her hand into the Thrax. She felt a burst of energy run through her and opened her eyes to see a blue tongue of flame lick through her palm into the panel.

  The Thrax shuddered under her touch and seemed to bobble, the first sign of physical life the ship had yet to show them. She opened her eyes and stared out the front view of the ship.

  Instead of sinking into the soft ground underneath it, the ship glided forward back into the water.

  “Well, at least it’s moving.” Ren stood by her side.

  “We need to battle the Horde,” Dare said to the ship, willing it to understand their need for it once again. But the ship refused to move any faster. It seemed to gently sway through the water as if content to caress the world of Ocaia. Adapting once more to the water’s breath, she imagined.

  Dare spent more energy, but the ship refused to heed her verbal or mental commands.

  After some time and effort, Ren ordered her to stop. “You’re wet and tired and shivering. We still have time to make this work. We need to be clearly in control of the Thrax before we put it up against the Horde. Maybe this thing needs time to charge. I don’t know. But I do know you need some rest.”

  Ren guided her toward the immense lav off the sleeping quarters. “First we’ll dry out and cle
an up. Then we’ll get some much-needed rest. I have a feeling the Thrax isn’t going to be as easy to control as you might think. I get the feeling we’re missing something vital here.”

  Ren continued to speak of them as a team, and she couldn’t help liking his use of the word we.

  He glanced over her face and settled on her lips, a stillness coming over him. “Remember what I told you before we left the Eyshan6?”

  “Wait. Now?” Yet her body heated at the thought.

  “Exactly. Now. Time to satisfy my ache, you little Fenturi witch,” he murmured before he leaned down to kiss her.

  -16-

  Ren closed his eyes and followed his feelings. His lips lingered over hers, tasting the salty drops of Ocaian water that dripped from her hair, clinging to the red petals of her mouth.

  He felt her shiver and couldn’t tell if it was from desire or cold. He removed her clothing and did the same with his, then pushed them both into the solar bath.

  Dare sighed as warm rays of light cleansed them both of grime and water, freeing them from remnants of Isus. As he watched the woman he’d come to care for more than he should, Ren’s heart raced at the thought of losing her.

  All through the day, when he’d worked with the twins to pilot through to Ocaia, thoughts of Dare continued to creep unbidden into his mind. The sight of her head thrown back in passion when she climaxed around him, her eyes narrowed in anger when he’d ordered her his prisoner, the wounded look she’d worn when she recalled her parents’ deaths.

  Fear had taken hold of his heart. To think that she might die fighting the Horde didn’t bear considering. He stared down at her glowing eyes and felt the last wall of his resistance slowly give way to the love that had been burning to be freed, to claim her finally as his own.

  Ren stopped the solar bath and swept Dare into his arms, all the while his eyes remained locked on hers. He smiled tenderly down at her and placed her on the bed.

  “You are so beautiful you nearly stop my heart,” he whispered as he leaned over her to possess her body, mind and soul.