by Finn Gray
Rory didn’t miss the man’s use of the word “egg.” It was an idiom used by Imperial Marine Corps instructors to refer to recruits who had not yet completed their training.
“So, you were a marine?”
Oates ignored the question. “Get your asses in gear. The going’s easier from here.” He led the way along a narrow winding passageway. Here the ceiling was thankfully high enough that they could all walk upright. It was a tight fit, and Rory’s broad shoulders necessitated walking sideways from time to time, but it beat the hells out of scaling a sheer cliff.
“How far is it?” Marson asked.
“Not sure. I was in a panic the last time I was here. At least, until I got clear of the catacombs. I’d say it’s a half hour to the catacombs and another hour after that if we don’t run into any more trouble.”
“What are the catacombs?” Rory wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the answer.
“A series of caves, filled with recessed pockets like a honeycomb.”
“There’s more to it than that if you didn’t calm down until you were clear of them,” Rory said.
Oates let out an impatient sigh. “It’s a limestone cavern. The floor will mostly support your weight. Mostly.” He paused to let that sink in. “You have to pick your way across carefully. One wrong step and you fall right through.”
“How far is the drop?” Marson asked uncertainly.
“Depends. In some spots it’s not far at all. In other places…” He didn’t bother to elaborate.
Rory swallowed hard. “Well, you made it across before so I assume you know how to choose a safe path.”
Oates barked a laugh. “Sure, because it couldn’t have been dumb luck that last time.”
“That’s hardly comforting.” Marson’s voice was tight with nervousness.
“Son, what is it about me that could possibly make you think I’m the comforting type?”
“Ass,” Marson whispered under his breath. Rory could not disagree.
“All right, everybody shut up,” Oates said “The catacombs are just up ahead.”
The passageway opened up on a domed cavern a hundred meters across. As Oates had told them, every inch was pockmarked with circular holes. Dried guano dripped from many. Rory crinkled his nose at the ammonia smell. Bats lived here, or had at one time or another. A steep decline led down to the floor about ten meters below. The floor was a maze of oddly shaped rock piles, coated in limestone and bat droppings.
“How do we do this?” Rory asked.
“How do you cross a frozen lake when you aren’t sure the ice will hold?” Marson asked.
“You don’t. You stay the hells off of it.” Rory cocked his head. “What do you know about frozen lakes, city boy?”
“I used to take my sister skating on one in the park.” Marson’s eyes took on a cloudy, faraway look. “One time she went out by herself. It was too late in the year to be safe but she didn’t listen. When I got there she was way out in the middle. I called her back but she just laughed and kept going. Next thing I knew, the ice gave way beneath her.”
Rory wasn’t sure how he felt about having something so personal, so terrible, in common with Marson. “Shit. I’m sorry.”
“I ran out onto the ice as far as I could. Then I got down on my belly, spread my weight out, and scooted toward her. I was sure we were both going to die, since I was a lot heavier than she was and the ice hadn’t held her weight. But I had to try.” He shook his head. “Somehow I got to her, pulled her to safety.” He let out a short, rueful laugh. “Best part? I was the one who got into trouble over it. My parents said I should have kept a better eye on her. Go figure.”
A pang of jealousy stabbed at Rory’s heart, followed immediately by a heavy blow of self-loathing. How could he be bothered by the fact that a little girl hadn’t lost her life? He disliked Marson but what did he have against the guy’s sister? It’s not his fault you didn’t save Caren.
“That’s great that you could rescue her,” he managed.
“What does it matter? They’re probably all dead now. Damned Memnons.”
“I’ve got an idea,” Oates chimed in. “Let’s all stand here pulling our puds and sharing our feelings instead of doing what we came here to do.”
Rory and Marson glowered at him but did not protest. They made their way down to the floor. Since Oates showed no signs of intending to return his flashlight, Rory took out a glow stick, activated it, and clenched it in his teeth as they began their crawl.
Rory had thought scaling the cliff had been nerve wracking, but this half-blind slither across unstable ground brought its own form of anxiety. At least out on the cliff he knew precisely what lay below him and exactly how far he would plummet should he slip. And out there he could see the sure foothold and handholds. Here, he had no idea if the next spot onto which he shifted his weight would give way.
The limestone beneath him cracked and crunched with every movement he made. Each time the sharp popping sound rang in his ears, he sucked in his breath, wondering if he were about to fall into nothingness. It didn’t help that their chosen path took them past a seemingly bottomless sinkhole. His stomach turned somersaults as he gazed down into the blackness.
By the halfway point, he was just beginning to relax when it finally happened. He put too much weight on his left and the floor gave way. He let out a cry of alarm and grabbed hold of a nearby stone to steady himself. The floor held but the stone broke free under his grip and rolled toward him. He was surprised to find himself gazing into the hollow sockets and leering grin of a human skull.
“This isn’t a rock,” he said.
“What are you talking about?” Marson asked.
Rory didn’t answer right away. For the first time, he took a good, hard look at the rocks and boulders strewn all about. How had he missed it? Beneath the calcified layers of limestone and clumps of guano, human bones stuck out in every direction. Mouths hung open in what might have been laughs or screams. To his left, a bony hand reached out in supplication.
“Bones.” Marson uttered the word like a curse.
“That’s why you call this the catacombs,” Rory said to Oates.
“So what?” Oates continued to scoot forward.
“You should have warned us.”
“Warned you about what? That some long damn time ago someone piled a bunch of bodies down here? Would that have made any difference to you?”
Rory bit back a profane retort. “I don’t guess so.”
“All right, then. Shut your ass and get moving again.”
Rory resumed his crawl, his jangled nerves now on high alert. He’d only gone a few meters when he realized Marson wasn’t following. He glanced back to see his fellow marine frozen in place.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“Look up there.” Marson aimed his light at a particularly tall pile of bones just in front of Rory. It took a moment to realize what was amiss. Some of the bones were not coated in limestone or guano. In fact, flesh still clung to a few. “Some of these bodies are fresh.”
One caught Rory’s eye. Wires dangled from one eye socket, trailing down to a mechanical eye.
“That one’s a Memnon,” he whispered. “Enhanced eye.”
“What do you think did this?” Marson asked.
Rory opened his mouth to reply, but a loud roar cut him off. It was a deep, rumbling sound, like that of a lion. Within the confines of the catacombs, it sounded like thunder.
“Whatever it is,” Rory said, “I think it just found us.”
Chapter 19
Battlecruiser Dragonfly
“We’ve arranged a private feed for you in here, Your Majesty.” Patel opened the door and stepped back. “It’s my quarters. Sorry.”
Lina was surprised by what she found as she stepped inside. She’d expected spare living quarters, like a barracks. Structurally, this was true, but Patel had added touches to soften the rough edges—colorful blankets and cushions, as well as tapestries and painting
s from her home country of Vatome.
“It’s lovely,” Lina said, admiring the tapestry. “I expected a men’s locker room, to be honest.”
“If that’s what you’re looking for I can find you plenty.” Patel laughed. “The lads’ quarters more than the ladies. I’ve been posted here a while; long enough to make the room my own. I mean, I can be a soldier and a girl can’t I?”
“I think you can do anything you want,” Lina said, and meant it. She liked Patel.
“I’ll be just outside,” Patel said. “The vid is right there.” She pointed to a desk in the corner.
“Thank you.” Lina sat down at the desk and smiled at the uniformed woman who filled the screen.
“Connecting now, Majesty.”
Before Lina could thank her the image switched. An attractive young woman with long, dark hair and big brown eyes glared back at her. Her sister!
“Valeria,” Lina said.
“Using my full name are we, Catalina? You think you’re our mother now?”
“What are you playing at, Val? Appointing Vatcher as admiral?”
Val flashed a knowing smile. “So, that’s the first topic on the agenda? Not the biggie. Fair enough. Simon was afraid you would appoint Dominic Graves as admiral.”
“He was next in line.”
“He’s unstable,” Val hissed. “He’s getting old, he drinks too much, and his commitment is wavering. He retired, for the gods’ sakes. Someone had to prevent him from taking command of the fleet.”
Lina sighed. She really didn’t want to ask the next question. Why did things have to be like this? They were twins, but sometimes it felt like they weren’t even sisters. She treasured their moments of closeness. Why couldn’t it always be like that?
“Are you safe?” Lina asked, putting off the moment they both knew was coming.
“As safe as anyone in the fleet, I suppose. I didn’t suffer any lasting damage from the Memnons kidnapping us, if that’s what you mean.”
Lina nodded. The two women had been abducted from a ski resort on Thetis and taken aboard Simon Vatcher’s ship without his knowledge. At least, as far as Lina knew, Vatcher was unaware of the plot. She and Val had escaped, but Val had chosen to remain on board Osprey with Vatcher, the man she loved. They sat in silence for a few seconds while Lina’s stomach did cartwheels. She had to ask.
“Val, why did you declare yourself empress?
Val didn’t flinch, didn’t appear the least bit embarrassed. She shrugged.
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Because I am the rightful empress!”
“And why is that?” Val snapped. “Because at the moment our mother went into labor you happened to be nearer to the birth canal. Do you honestly think that qualifies a person to hold any public office?”
“It’s not only that!”
“But it is only that!” Val pounded her fist on whatever desk or table her vid rested on and the image blurred for a second. “I’ve heard it all before—all your so-called studying and preparation. Well, let me ask you a question. If I had spent my life preparing the way you did, and you’d followed my more…balanced path, which of us would be the rightful heir?”
She wasn’t wrong. Still, that didn’t change matters.
“And let’s not forget I have merits. I’m a better leader than you. Everyone agrees I’m the charming, charismatic one. And unlike you, I’ve gotten out into the world and gotten to know people. I’ve nosed into things that weren’t my business so I could understand how they operated, how things got done behind closed doors. In our current situation, Aquaria needs what I have to offer a lot more than they need anything you’ve learned from a book.”
Prickly heat climbed the back of Lina’s neck. Her heart raced. Val knew which buttons to push, which of Lina’s insecurities ran deepest. But she wouldn’t give in. She couldn’t. Because in addition to the qualities she listed, Val was also reckless, impulsive, and a poor judge of character, especially when it came wrapped in a handsome package.
“Be that as it may, the fact remains, I’m both the rightful heir and the person who spent her life preparing for this day. Either way, I’m the proper choice.”
“That’s exactly the attitude I expected from you.” Val shook her head. “You’re so establishment. All about the hierarchy and preserving the elite.”
“Preserving…what are you on about?” Lina had heard those phrases plenty of times, but never from her sister.
“You have a vested interest in maintaining a system that keeps you at the top. Even if we somehow win this war and start all over again, you and I will start out at the top. Why? Because someone in our family led a bunch of men into battle thousands of years ago, and after those men won the battle, they decided to give him all the credit. That’s wrong.”
“That’s reality.”
“It doesn’t have to be. Hells, the entire system is broken. Everyone should have an equal chance to rise as high as they can without taking their ancestry or birth order into consideration.”
Lina finally understood where this was coming from. She cupped her chin, narrowed her eyes, pretended to think.
“Suppose I were a battlecruiser commander from a wealthy family that just couldn’t manage to break through that glass ceiling, what would I do? I might want to help bring down the system that I believe is oppressing me and my family.”
“That is not true.”
“And I just might spark up a relationship with an imperial princess as an insurance policy just in case the rebellion failed. If I could persuade her to flout custom and the law and declare herself empress, why, I’d be right on the doorstep of nobility!”
“The hells with you, Catalina. That’s not the way things are.”
“Sure it isn’t,” Lina said. “It’s a moot point, anyway. I am the empress. I was sworn in.”
“Actually, you weren’t.” Val inspected her fingernails, feigning casualness. “Not legally, anyway.”
“What are you talking about? A priestess administered the oath. There were witnesses.”
“Who were your witnesses? All military, I assume?”
Lina nodded. “So?”
“Little miss ‘custom and law’ seems to have forgotten a few of the finer points.” Now Val looked her in the eye, grinning maliciously. “The swearing in of an Emperor or Empress requires the oversight of the clergy, and requires three witnesses. A representative of the armed forces, as well as…”
“A member of the senate and a civilian.” Lina’s heart was in her throat. Val was correct. Lina’s swearing in had been invalid. “That wasn’t an option. Everyone in the senate is dead, as you well know.”
“Not everyone. One low-level senator and his wife happened to be on board Osprey when the uprising began.” She rose from her seat. “Add in Simon, and I’ve ticked all of the boxes. Unlike you, my ceremony was legal.” She winked and reached to shut off the vid.
“Val, no! Why was a senator on board Osprey and not at the…”
The screen went black.
Lina stared at it for a full five seconds before she could wrap her head around everything she and her sister had discussed.
“Gods,” she whispered. “What am I going to do?”
Chapter 20
Soria, Hyperion
Rory scrambled forward as fast as he could, praying to all the gods that the floor would not give way in front of him. Somewhere behind them another roar split the air. Closer this time.
“Move your ass,” Marson grunted.
“I’m trying.”
“Get up and run. It’s coming!”
Rory stole a glance over his shoulder. In the faint glow of the flashlights and his glowstick, he saw a dark shape emerge from one of the many recesses in the far wall and stalk toward them. It was huge. He caught a glimpse of glossy, dark skin, the lashing of a long tail. The thing moved toward them. It was not exactly fast, but it moved with enough speed that they wouldn’t outdistance it unless they ran.
&nb
sp; “Go!” Marson shouted.
Rory sprang to his feet and dashed ahead, following the bobbing light of Oates’ flashlight. The floor cracked with every step. He wondered if he should change directions. If Oates, too, was fracturing the floor with every step, would it give way beneath Rory or Marson?
The creature roared again and Rory looked back so see it slithering toward them. It seemed to know exactly what path to take, zigzagging, sometimes moving away from them before changing directions again. At this rate, it would be on them well before they reached the other side.
Still running, he unhooked a flash grenade from his belt. He didn’t dare use an explosive charge. Who knew what would happen in this fragile environment? It might bring the entire cavern down on them. He squeezed the safety lever, hooked his finger through the pull ring, and yanked it free.
“Cover your eyes!” he shouted. He took aim at the beast, which was barreling toward him from his 3:00, and threw. He had targeted a spot several meters in front of the beast. He heard it clatter to the floor and squeezed his eyes shut as an ear-splitting bang resounded through the cavern.
The creature’s roar turned to a shrill, high-pitched shriek. Rory opened his eyes to see the creature frozen in place, shaking its head. He now had a clear look of what stalked them. It looked like a giant salamander, shiny and black. It let out another shriek, displaying row upon row of short, spiky teeth, all angled back toward the throat. If that thing got a hold of you, there’d be no escape.
“Hurry, eggs!” Oates had reached the far side of the cavern and stood waiting for them in front of a narrow passageway. He brandished a knife, as if that would make a difference against the massive beast.
Marson shoved his way past Rory and made a beeline for the spot where Oates waited. The intervening space was a white, flat circle that put Rory to mind of a frozen pond, like the one from Marson’s story. I hope it can hold us.
The beast was on the move again. Rory could hear the slapping of its feet as it pursued him. From up ahead came the sounds of fracturing stone as the floor began to give beneath Marson’s weight. Would it support another crossing?