Stargazers

by Bella Forrest

  “You have all been true friends to me, despite our unfortunate beginnings,” he said softly. “No matter what happens with Vysanthe, and how your battles there may end, just know that I shall be serving as a defender of the universe, as you are. I shall be cheering you on and praying for your success, though I may not be beside you when your futures come to pass.”

  Cautiously, he walked toward Lauren and lifted her hand to his lips, kissing it in the most gentlemanly fashion. His kiss lingered a moment, a flicker of panic washing over his face. This was the part where he left her, and I could see he wasn’t ready. None of us were, least of all Lauren.

  “Please don’t go,” she whispered.

  He smiled up at her, his large eyes shining bright. “My heart shall always belong to you, Miss Lauren, wherever you may be. Although my love for you may not be reciprocated in the way I might wish it to be, I wish you nothing but happiness in every step you take with Stone at your side. He is a good man—the very best of men—and, perhaps, he deserves love far more than I do. He has lost enough in his lifetime; I would not see him lose you. With all my heart, I shall think of you both fondly, wherever this journey may take me. You see, Orfaio told us there were several possibilities to every future, and perhaps there is a future where you and I might have been together—in an alternate reality, maybe I was the lucky one. However, in this universe, there can only be one outcome. The two of you have found one another, and there can only be joy in that.”

  “I’m sorry…” She shook her head, gripping Xiphio’s hand.

  “There is nothing to be sorry for. Two of my dearest friends have found love with one another; there is no need for apology.” He smiled. “And who knows, perhaps my love is out there, waiting for me. If I do not go now, I shall never find her.”

  “Please take care of yourself,” she begged, throwing her arms around him and hugging him tight.

  “I will, Miss Lauren… I will.”

  As soon as they had separated, Xiphio turned and made his last journey through the main body of the ship, heading in the direction of the airlock. The others followed him, with me trailing behind, holding Nova close. In all honesty, I was using her to hide my falling tears.

  “I must have one more hug of this remarkable little girl,” Xiphio announced as he reached the interior door of the airlock, opening out his arms to welcome Nova’s adorable cuddles. I offered her out to him, though he moved oddly near as he took her from me, leaning closer to my ear as he did so. “Orfaio hinted that these events might transpire,” he whispered, his voice so low that only I could hear. “The Stargazer said that, when they did, I was to tell you that ‘the other woman must become queen, even with child.’ Orfaio explained that you would know what it meant, though I am none the wiser.” He pulled away, smiling happily, making a show of lifting Nova into the air. After placing one last kiss on her cheek, he handed her back.

  “Thank you,” I murmured.

  He nodded. “I pray it does you some good.”

  We watched him step into the airlock, closing the interior door and waiting for the exterior to open. Standing on the threshold of the umbilical tunnel, he turned and waved to us through the airlock window, before whirling around and heading up toward the pirate ship. He disappeared a moment later, the umbilical retracting shortly afterward. Still, we stayed there, watching out of the window until the pirate vessel moved off, sailing away into the vastness of space on a one-man journey of justice and defense.

  I’m going to miss you so much, I thought, mulling over the message Xiphio had given me. I wasn’t entirely sure what Orfaio meant, but I had an inkling. The timing of it was too coincidental. It seemed impossible, given the state of the coldblood planet, but I couldn’t think of anything else that Orfaio might be alluding to. There was only one thing in my mind, and I was getting more certain of it by the minute…

  Seraphina was destined to become the true ruler of Vysanthe.

  Chapter Twenty

  As we approached Vysanthe, I prayed it would be the last time I ever made this trip to the coldblood planet. True, I had nothing but traumatic memories of the place, peppered with very few good times, but it was more than that. Now that I had a husband and a child, something in me had changed. I was tired of endlessly traveling, each journey taking me farther and farther away from home. I was tired of traipsing through the universe, not knowing what might be around the next corner. It sounded sad, but I was looking forward to staying in one place, even if it was a planet other than Earth. I wanted to put down roots, properly this time.

  At least, by coming here one more time, we were close to our objective of finally ending this conflict, once and for all. I had no idea who would come out on top, but Xiphio’s words, and the thoughts they conjured up, stayed with me long after he’d departed for his new job as bounty hunter extraordinaire, saving my ass from pirates across the universe. If Seraphina could become the new ruler of Vysanthe, I knew there might be a chance for peace—she was the only person with whom that looked like a true possibility. And yet, it also seemed impossible. How could we even get her on the throne? How could we unite the coldblood people to rally behind her when they were already so fractured and tired of endless warfare? She was well loved, but it felt like a long shot, a complicated pipe dream.

  “Headed for a rough landing, guys. Hold on to whatever you can,” Bashrik said, the icy planet appearing before us through the windshield of the cockpit.

  “Are we on course for the sky prison?” Navan asked, narrowing his eyes.

  He nodded. “We are indeed, Brother.”

  I wasn’t sure what Jareth had to do with our plans, but I’d just have to wait for everything to unfurl of its own accord. If we were breaking Jareth out, though, I assumed it had something to do with developing an anti-elixir. After all, Jareth had been the first one to ruminate over the possibility of an immortality elixir, and there had to be things he knew that we didn’t—that not even Yorrek and that damned notebook knew about. It stood to reason that any alchemist worth their salt would come up with the theory for an anti-elixir at the same time as coming up with a theory for the elixir itself… Everything in balance.

  After all, he’d known more than he’d let on to Gianne. If he could hide his knowledge from her, he could hide it from anyone.

  “I’m just going to take Nova out for a minute and give her some sweetblood. She’s starting to fuss a bit,” I said, shrouding my anxiety in something mundane.

  Navan frowned. “Are you sure? I can do that if you want.”

  “It’s fine, you stay here. I need to take a drop anyway if I want to be any use in this mission.” I flashed him a wry smile, turning to leave. I paused, hearing his footsteps behind me. He’d followed me out into the main space, pulling me back so the two of us were standing on the threshold between the cockpit and the rest of the ship.

  “I know you’re worried, Riley,” he said. “We all are. I know you’re worried about what all of this is for. I know it seems really foolish and risky, but—”

  I stopped him abruptly. “Don’t you dare say a word about what Orfaio told you. If you tell me anything, you might ruin this whole thing. I won’t see that happen.”

  “I just thought you might feel better if you knew why.” He looked torn, his face a mask of confusion.

  Smiling, I stepped toward him and slipped my free arm around his waist, holding Nova between us. “I would, Navan, of course I would, but I don’t want to screw this up. There are so many things I want to tell you, too, and I’m sure the others are dying to spill the beans… but we can’t. We have to stick to our individual parts, just as Orfaio said. Nova’s future might rely on it.”

  Navan shook his head in frustration, running a hand across Nova’s tufty dark hair. “I don’t get all of this secrecy. Why does it all have to be in little, cryptic parts? I don’t see what harm could come from pooling our knowledge. More minds are better than one.”

  “You know why,” I said, leaning up to kiss him o
n the lips. “It could influence too much.”

  “For the record, I think Stargazer methods are ridiculous,” he muttered, but I could tell he’d conceded and wouldn’t say anything about what Orfaio had told him. There was nothing in this universe worth risking Nova’s future over. He would keep quiet, I knew he would, as much as it frustrated the heck out of me, too.

  “Let’s see if they work out first, okay?” I teased, giving him a squeeze.

  Nova giggled. “Papa tickle!”

  “No tickling right now, sweetheart,” he said, softening.

  I took a decanted vial of sweetblood out of my pocket and lifted it to my lips, tasting three drops on my tongue before lowering the rim toward Nova’s mouth. As I tipped it, the golden liquid trickled into her mouth, and her face lit up with happiness as she drank it down, guzzling the whole thing. Her hands bunched into fists, her limbs flailing with pure joy. At the very least, it would make her sleepy enough to nap through the mission. I was already dreading leaving her behind with whoever was going to stay with the ship, not knowing if I’d make it back. The sky prison hadn’t been heavily guarded last time, thanks to the ceasefire celebrations, but I had a feeling we wouldn’t be so lucky this time—there was no reason the prison wouldn’t be at full security, especially thanks to that last break-in.

  “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about the upcoming mission,” Navan said, as Nova drained the last of the sweetblood vial.

  “What about it?”

  We’d already discussed making it a stealthy, in-and-out job, so as not to alert the queendom of our presence on Vysanthe. There was a plan in place involving some strange suits that Xiphio had packed into the arsenal, but it was nowhere near as dangerous as some of the other missions we’d been on. It wasn’t going to be easy, but it was doable. At least, that’s what Angie kept assuring me of, making me even more curious about what Orfaio had told her.

  “I don’t think you should go,” he said bluntly.

  “Why not?” Not once had he mentioned this aversion to me being a part of the mission, and, though I wasn’t annoyed, I was surprised.

  “It’s going to be immensely dangerous, Riley, and Nova is going to need at least one of her parents alive if this mission goes awry. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go.”

  “It’s not like we haven’t been in dangerous situations before. I promise you, we’ll both be fine.”

  “I really think you should sit this one out.”

  I frowned. “Did Orfaio say I shouldn’t go?”

  “I could lie to you, but… no, Orfaio didn’t say anything about you staying. I’d just prefer it if you were here, with Nova, safe and out of harm’s way. I don’t want her ending up an orphan.”

  “Riley’s right—we’ve been in way more dangerous situations than this,” Angie said suddenly, appearing in the doorway, having evidently been eavesdropping on our conversation. “Anyway, she needs to come. No wiggle room, I’m afraid. You’re going to have to leave your white-knighting and your suit of shiny armor in the hold for this one, amigo.”

  Again, it felt as though the Stargazer’s predictions were calling the shots here. None of us had a say in any of it, regardless of whether or not we wanted to agree. On this occasion, however, I was glad Orfaio had somehow stepped in. There was no way I was sitting this mission out.

  “Why does she have to come?” Navan muttered.

  “Oh yeah, like I’m going to tell you that,” Angie replied, rolling her eyes. “Just trust me when I say she has to come. No ifs, no buts, no coconuts.”

  “See, what did I say?” Navan cast me a knowing look. “This Stargazer puzzle is ridiculous.”

  Angie smirked, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “Spoilsport.”

  “Right, so who is definitively coming on this mission then?” Navan asked, striding back into the cockpit. I followed him, Nova drifting off to sleep in my arms. “Angie, maybe you’d care to elaborate for us?”

  She shrugged. “I think a good team would be me, you, Riley, and Stone. Not for any particular reason or anything, just ‘cause. You know, Stone’s got his eye thing, Riley’s nifty with her daggers, you’re okay in a fix, and I’m… well, I’m the brains of the outfit.”

  “Of course you are, my love!” Bashrik chirped. “Though I’d prefer to come with you, if possible?” I could hear the tension in his voice.

  “Pas possible, mi amour,” she replied. “Like I said, I think us four would be really… neat as a team. Any more and it might throw off the numbers… or something.” It was evident she was stumbling over Orfaio’s gifted knowledge, trying not to give anything away. I had to hand it to her: for all her fumbles, she was doing a good job.

  “I really can’t come?” Lauren seemed disappointed.

  Angie smiled. “Afraid not, Xena, my warrior princess.”

  Lauren was fast becoming one of the most badass people I knew, especially after the way she’d stood up to Kirin. Even I was disappointed that she wouldn’t be coming along with her staff. I knew we could probably use the added protection, even though Navan, Stone, and I had the fighting bases mostly covered.

  “I’m guessin’ I don’t have much o’ a say on the matter?” Stone smiled.

  “Not really.” Angie gave an apologetic look.

  “Well, I’ll say this: I’m glad to be breakin’ into a prison instead o’ bein’ lobbed into one! It’ll not be me first prison break, and probs won’t be me last, neither.”

  “Hey, I’m happy to be on swoop and rescue squad,” Ronad chimed in brightly. “Not to mention the fact that I get to spend some quality time with this little dumpling.” He lifted his arms for Nova, and I rested her gently in the crook of his elbow.

  She stirred in her sleep, gripping Ronad’s shirt and sucking her thumb. “Roro,” she murmured, settling back to sleep.

  I stared at him in happy disbelief. “Did you know she called you that?”

  “She must have come up with it herself,” he replied, an enormous grin spreading across his face. “Roro? I like it.”

  Nova giggled, drifting between the real world and dreamworld. “Roro.”

  “Okay, well, it looks like we’ve got a babysitter. I say we get this show on the road,” I said, feeling a little envious that Nova had given Ronad a nickname. Then again, he spent so much time cooing over her that it had been bound to happen.

  Angie nodded nervously. “I couldn’t agree more!”

  The four selected members of Angie’s Stargazer-approved team headed through the corridors of the Fed ship toward the arsenal, each of us ready to pick up one of the suits tucked away on the top shelves. Navan had made a note of them in the inventory and suggested we use them for this mission, though, by all accounts, it’d been Xiphio who’d stowed them away on board when they left Lunar HQ.

  “He thought they could come in handy,” Navan explained, pulling them down and handing them out. There were matching masks to go with the outfits, which suctioned uncomfortably to the face, circling oxygen through a ventilation system.

  As we struggled to yank on the rubbery suits, we quickly found that they were unbelievably tight, presumably to make them completely streamlined. Loose pockets of fabric dangled down from the armpit, joining the wrist to the hip.

  “I’m Batman,” Angie growled in her gravelliest voice, stretching out the curious wings.

  I laughed. “More like flying-squirrel man.”

  “Aye, well, I don’t think I’m a man no more,” Stone complained, putting on a high-pitched tone. “Me bollocks have gone right back inside from the sheer force o’ this thing pressin’ on ‘em.”

  Navan arched an eyebrow. “He’s not wrong.”

  “Well, suck it up, because you’re wearing them and that’s final,” Angie remarked. “I know you can fly, Navan, but we can’t risk that lame wing of yours letting us down this high up. So, you’re wearing it whether you like it or not—that goes for both of you.”

  I was starting to wonder how much of this Orfaio had
gifted her and how much she was doing for her own amusement. Either way, these suits would keep us from falling out of the sky and dropping to our deaths.

  “What are they going to do, anyway?” I asked, stretching out the odd wings again, feeling a sudden pang for the real wings I’d had.

  Lauren appeared in the doorway, gawping at Stone’s toned physique, all of which was visible beneath the tight rubber of the suit.

  “Eyes up ‘ere,” he teased.

  She blushed furiously. “From the information Xiphio left me, these are sort of like magnetic suits, only they don’t need metal to work. They connect to the frequency of any material they’re set to. In this case, they’ve been set to glass, and have been programmed with the coordinates of Jareth’s cell. You’re going to dive out of the airlock and stretch out your arms, letting the air currents carry you safely toward the underside of the prison. Once there, you need to place your palms against the glass and send the vibrations through the pane. It will shatter a small area of the glass and give you access to Jareth… providing all of our information is still correct.” She paused. “If Jareth has been moved… well, let’s just hope you don’t let some crazed axe-murderer out instead, eh?”

  “Don’t ye love it when she talks dead scientific like?” Stone grinned. “I could hear me Ren talk ‘bout frequencies and vibrations ‘til the torans came home.”

  I frowned. “Torans?”

  “Aye, horny wee beasts. Great big udders. Some folk milk ‘em.”

  “Right.”

  “Anyway, horny torans aside, shall we give this skydiving business a try?” Lauren asked anxiously, her gaze drifting over Stone’s taut body one last time. A rumble of assent rippled around the room. “Well, don’t forget your masks. You’re going to need those to breathe.”

  While we walked away from the weapons room, heading back through the hallways of the ship, I saw the ambaka slide a tentative arm around her waist, pulling her to his side as we made our way to the airlock. Angie and I exchanged a giddy look.