Shadows of Mallachrom, Book 1: Blue Fire

by Michelle Levigne

  "Your eyes are blue," she whispered, staring mesmerized at him.

  Petroc knew what she saw. He had seen it in others who lost control of their emotions and let their minds and souls open wide to the world. His eyes blazed electric blue, like a Shadow's eyes did. Like the energy that enveloped his mind when he entered the Merger. He had never lost control like that before. Only Rhianni could do that to him. He knew more certainly than ever that he had to get her to leave Mallachrom before she killed both of them.

  Rhianni didn't cringe away from him. She was fascinated, not repulsed. He held that thought close as he closed his eyes and concentrated and bought his mind and body under control. The gift the Shadows had given him and the other leaders among the Taken, the ability to tap into the blue fire of power in the Merger, wasn't to be used until the proper time. He understood that part, even if he understood very little else.

  Chapter 12

  "I have three squads of Rovers under my command," Rhianni said, talking as if nothing had happened. "They've been moving in the last few years, becoming a part of Mallachrom, learning all they can, preparing the groundwork so when their leader came, someone who knew Mallachrom and had a vested interest in making things right, everything would be ready."

  "Ready?" he said, opening his eyes. "Rovers? Somebody believes us?"

  "We know something is very wrong here. We know someone is hiding the truth and telling lies. I believed the Shadows and Taken were victims before I landed, but my duty said to gather evidence." She managed a crooked, thin-lipped smile. "That leader was supposed to be my father. The General decided I had just as much stake in this, and enough training, so he tapped me when Dad was killed."

  Petroc stared at her. Rhianni wasn't the type of person who would joke about something so important. So dangerous. She wouldn't lie just to comfort him. Not with so much at stake.

  What could he offer her, in exchange for this hard lump of truth and hope and danger intertwined?

  Truth, he realized.

  "Mallachrom is in a lot of trouble. There's something out here that's...we don't know. We can't get anybody to investigate. Nobody we trust. Some of us tried to get people to investigate, and they vanished. And then the trouble started."

  "That black cloud?" She lost a little color as she hooked her thumb over her shoulder, in the direction of the Black Pit.

  "You went down to it." Petroc felt sick, and yet a sense of hope took the heaviness from his chest. "Did Starfire take you to see it, or did he drag you out of there before it ate you?"

  "Starfire led me to see it. I took an air sample and sent it back with Nureen. The scientists at CQ will analyze it and the Rovers will act on it."

  "Anni..." He laughed. He couldn't help it. His lungs hurt from the aching pressure inside and tears touched his eyes. She just sat and waited, watching him. He sensed she understood.

  "The Rovers are here to help," she said softly, when he finally slowed enough to wipe his eyes and listen. "I have the authority to dissolve the Colonial Council and establish military rule, if that's what it takes. But we need proof. Lots of concrete evidence. I can't act just because my best friend tells me there's abuse."

  "Best friend." Something twinged in his chest. Petroc wanted more than just 'best friend' from Rhianni. How could he be so greedy, when he had been offered the safety of all Taken on a silver platter?

  He couldn't quite fathom the implications of having three Rover squadrons waiting to act, and the power of the galaxy's government waiting to rescue his people.

  "What's that blackness Starfire showed me?"

  "We don't know. It's a sickness. Something waiting to break out and attack. That's the image we get from the Shadows. Yeah, they touch our minds. That's part of what happens with our eyes." He grinned, knowing her next question. "All Taken do it. About half of us are able to link minds and communicate. We call it the Merger. When the time comes, all our minds will link and we'll know what to do, to fight the Black Pit and whatever comes out of it."

  "Something or someone knows or at least guesses that you're preparing to battle it." She nodded slowly as she thought aloud. "They're trying to neutralize the threat from you, by either getting you shipped off-planet or locked up as dangerous."

  "All we can do is watch and wait, and keep ourselves safe and hidden and strong. We have some secret settlements, so our children can grow up in safety."

  "That illegal settlement about twenty K from here is yours?" She wavered between angry and amused when he nodded. "We have a lot of information to swap."

  "Yeah, we do." He let out a long, deep breath. It was hard to believe the little girl he had played ball with, who fought like a spitfire when his brother pulled her hair, could be the leader of three squadrons of Rovers, poised to help the Taken. "We've done everything we can. We can't fight back with guns or any kind of violence, because that would give them justification to destroy us. So, we use secrets and we organize and work where they can't spy on us."

  "You're not alone anymore." She reached over and rested her hand on his.

  It took all Petroc's control not to grab hold of her hand and hold it tight and never let go. "Nureen, your friend. She's assigned here to help you, isn't she?"

  "Not just Nureen--an entire War Class Rover ship. The Star Sword has been tapping into the satellite system and finding a lot of anomalies. Information that never makes it into the colony's database. But it's gone for a few weeks, at least. Taking those poachers and an air sample from your Black Pit to CQ, for examination. I expect a big response from Uncle Choran, just from this one trip."

  "You have a lot of explaining to do, Rhianni Day," he growled. His tone only brought a gentler smile to her face.

  "You have a lot of explaining, to catch me up on all the things you've been doing. We have to work together if we're going to survive this."

  "I know." Petroc swallowed a sigh as she removed her hand.

  "Tell me how things stand now. When we get back to QSE, I'll have Burkan call together the team leaders and I'll introduce you to them. As leader of the Taken, you're second to me. You'll command the Rovers if anything happens to me."

  "So I'm an unofficial Rover?" he quipped, to fight the flash of hurt at the thought of what could take her out of her command position.

  "I guess so. That means you have to fill me in on the situation." She shook her finger in his face. "Spill."

  "Okay." He sighed and closed his eyes to gather his thoughts and fight the temptation to draw her into his arms. "We have group leaders, people who are part of the Merger, in each outpost. They contact everybody in their area regularly, to pass on news no matter how trivial. That way, nothing happens that all Taken don't know about, sooner or later. About half the outpost Enforcers are our friends. Sympathetic. But don't take it for granted that every outpost Enforcer is friendly."

  Gan nearly exploded when he arrived two hours after nightfall and they told him what had happened. But he laughed, too. Petroc watched his friend's rapid change of expressions, and he wondered if he had looked as stunned. Now, it was easy to laugh. There was lots of laughter, from relief, from hope, as they talked long into the night.

  It was gratifying to realize that all the fears of the Taken over the years weren't just delusional paranoia. Yet it frightened Petroc. Disbanding a planetary government wasn't done lightly. Galactic law required military rule for ten years while all the crimes and abuses were investigated. Military rule on Mallachrom, even under sympathetic Rovers, didn't sound all that appealing.

  "The important thing is the children," Gan said. "Did Roc tell you about the kidnappings?"

  "Kidnappings? I heard rumors of Shadows stealing children, but I didn't want to believe it." Rhianni narrowed her eyes and stared into the fire. "It's a setup to make Taken and Shadows look bad?"

  "We don't know. We're scared there's more than just the smear campaign, as you called it," Petroc said.

  "Using them for something?" Rhianni shuddered. "It sounds like...did you
ever see what the Talroqi did with the people they took?" She shuddered more when he shook his head. "I've seen it. All different levels. Hosts and food. Medics come in after the battle, to help with cleanup. To heal people and make the dying comfortable. There are things nobody should see. If children are in danger, then the urgency of this mission just got stepped up exponentially."

  "Kids are that important?" Gan asked, voice soft, smile crooked.

  "Rovers will fly through a nova to rescue a child. Then we worry about lesser things like truth, justice and mercy." She swallowed hard, fighting what Petroc suspected were painful memories and maybe tears. "I think it was knowing that Mallachrom wasn't safe for children to grow up safely that really made me decide to accept the commission and come home."

  "What about your promise to me?" he couldn't resist saying. He had to do something to break through the pain. When Rhianni gave him a puzzled frown, he held up his oath-scarred thumb. "Hey, we took it very seriously when we were kids," he blurted when her face brightened and she laughed.

  "Oh, not that. That scar saved my life."

  "This, I have to hear," Gan said, and scooted forward, closer to the fire. "What scar, and what does this mean?" He held up his thumb, mimicking Petroc's gesture.

  Petroc was grateful Gan didn't laugh at the story of their childhood oath. Then Rhianni explained what she had meant.

  "We were on assignment on Areesh. The Vorag are very family-oriented. Children are their greatest treasures. Smart people," she said, her voice dropping to a whisper, with a sweet warmth in her smile that made Petroc ache. He wanted her to direct that throb in her voice, that sweet smile, at him.

  He realized something. If the Rovers were involved now, that meant soon the danger would end, and he would be free of his overwhelming burden and responsibility. Since she considered herself a Taken, he and Rhianni had a chance.

  But only if she wanted to stay on Mallachrom forever. Even if her theory was correct and she was the next generation of Taken, able to leave the planet, he was still trapped there. What if she wanted to stay in the Rover Corps?

  "Anyway," Rhianni continued after a few seconds' pause. "Blood oaths are very important to them, with blood binding marriages between clans, sealed with children to mingle the bloodlines. My father's squadron was very popular with the ruling clan. My presence was a high compliment to them. Dad trusted them enough to bring his only child to their world. We were guests of the leading clan and lived in the heart of their compound. With their children. I was friends with the heir. I saved her life once. Then, her cousin was wounded trying to protect me, and I was wounded trying to protect him. Our blood mingled. His honor demanded that we marry. Never mind that he was gorgeous, smart and I liked him, it would have been a huge political mess."

  "Oh boy," Gan muttered.

  Petroc silently echoed the sentiment, with much stronger words.

  "Fortunately, my friend knew about my oath with Petroc, and she forbade the bonding because I already had a previous one. Petroc has to release me before I can make another alliance. So, you saved my life," Rhianni finished with a jaunty shake of her head and a chuckle.

  Petroc wondered how he could feel light enough to fly, and yet sick to his stomach like a heavy weight had settled into it.

  "So, ah...are you planning on staying here and settling down, after the mission is finished?" Gan asked, earning gratitude from Petroc for breaking the vibrating silence.

  "It's a serious consideration. Do you think I'd lose my empathy if I left Mallachrom?"

  "What empathy?" Gan demanded. "She can't be a Taken," he blurted, after Petroc explained the other revelations.

  "Well, something happened to me," she said, waving her hand as if to brush aside his concern. "We can wait to figure that out once the bigger problem is settled."

  Rhianni woke when the sled descended into the illegal settlement. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes with one hand and leaned out to look through the thin sliver of view port panel next to her jury-rigged seat in the back of the sled. When they landed, Petroc lifted the hatch and jumped out to hurry across the compound. Gan stayed in the pilot's seat and gestured for her to stay put. She fought a flash of irritation, despite knowing this was their home territory and they had to protect it.

  What little Rhianni could see of the settlement through the open hatch was of log cabins half-buried in the ground, like any Taken settler's home, caulked with mud and moss, the sharply slanting roofs made to withstand the heavy snows of winter. Curls of smoke rose from the chimneys. She smelled roasting meat and baking bread. The moss covering the open area between the cabins was green, streaked and spotted in places with gold. The settlement felt clean and safe and was entirely too quiet.

  "Does everybody stay out of sight whenever a shuttle comes in?"

  "The children are probably at lessons right now. At this time of the year, they're out in the forest, learning how to survive if they're attacked. Poachers, Enforcers, whoever." Gan shrugged. "See that flag?" He gestured at the middle cabin where Petroc had entered. A blue triangular pennant hung next to the door. "That means they have a healer visiting. Hopefully Cianna. She's an empath."

  "Petroc wanted me to meet her, so I could get lessons," Rhianni murmured.

  "There she is. We're in luck--Cianna Corsi."

  Petroc crossed the open area with a woman dressed in cover-alls in silvery gray, un-dyed puffball fiber cloth. It blended with her blonde hair and fair coloring, making her a totally unremarkable person, easily lost in a crowd. Rhianni recognized that technique and the reasons for it.

  "Cianna, this is Rhianni," Petroc said as they stepped up to the door.

  "So, you're my new student." Cianna smiled at her and winked. It startled Rhianni to realize she had been accepted so easily. "I'll bet you're hungry, and it just so happens, someone made a batch of popperberry tarts when I came in. Let's go make ourselves comfortable. I get this feeling something important has happened."

  Cianna filled them in on the latest attempts by Dr. Carr to get custody of Taken for study. Cae headed up the team of sympathizers and Taken who worked in the science wing, keeping watch on the doctor and his friends and tapping into the databanks for the Council.

  "Why does this sound like a bad spy tale?" Cianna said with a sigh when she had finished.

  "It is. But it's turning in our direction," Petroc added with a smile. He winked at Rhianni before continuing. "What would you say if we told you the Rover Corps has sent someone to investigate and help us?"

  "I'll believe it when I see it."

  "Meet Captain Day, head of a team that has been getting into position for the last four years." Petroc burst out laughing when Cianna's mouth dropped open.

  The laughter died a short time later as a breathless young man raced into the cabin with a report. He was a perimeter guard at the Black Pit. He didn't salute, but the relief on his face when he saw Petroc told Rhianni just how much influence and respect her childhood friend carried.

  "The border grew another couple of meters overnight," the young man blurted.

  Cianna paled. Gan looked like he might be sick. Petroc shook his head and swallowed hard.

  "How bad?" he asked.

  "Nobody died this time." The young guard gulped at the tea Cianna poured for him.

  "You still have to tell me everything about the Black Pit," Rhianni said quietly. "I gather I was in danger?"

  "Not if a Shadow was with you." Gan raked fingers through his hair, which looked dark with sweat. "The Pit poisons the ground, the air, the water. Whatever is growing inside it grows in spurts, I guess. We keep watch, trying to find patterns, trying to keep track of changes. One thing we have noticed: something bad happens, some stupid new directive, tighter security, whatever, when there's agitation and growth."

  "The Pit was pretty stirred up just before you arrived," Petroc murmured. "Like maybe it knew you were coming and it was getting scared."

  Rhianni felt her gut twist as pieces fell together in her
mind. After Petroc had explained about the Merger, she wondered if she was one of those Taken who could skirt the edges of this mental union without really being able to communicate. What if her dreams before coming planetside were a reaction to that stirring, to the alarm that spread through the Merger?

  "Can the Pit maybe touch the Merger, so it knows what you're doing? Maybe gets hints?" she had to ask.

  "We don't think so. We've taken some big risks, setting up things, having big meetings, and it doesn't react at all," Gan said, shaking his head. He attempted a lopsided grin. "Then again, I'm not a Taken and I still can't quite wrap my head around the whole idea of the Merger. Ask the guys in the Inner Circle." He nodded at Petroc, who rolled his eyes and looked distinctly uncomfortable.

  "Show me?" Petroc said, when the young guard finished his tea. He held out a hand to Cianna, who joined hands with him and the young guard. Their eyes glowed electric blue, just before they closed them.

  Just like Petroc's eyes had glowed last night. The same electric blue that flickered through Rhianni's dreams. The same shade, the same tingling sense of power that had cut through and shattered her nightmare her first night in Burkan's house.

  She gripped the arms of the chair to keep from writhing at the memory of the dream that followed, of her and Petroc two-thirds naked, sweaty and wrapped around each other.

  Did her awakening empathy pick up his fears for the entire planet, as he fought to free her of her nightmare?

  If Petroc was so busy saving the Taken, was there any room in his heart for her?

  Stop it. You're on duty. A good Rover saves all personal feelings until after the mission.

  "If we could find a way for the Rovers to share information that way, we'd save a lot of time," she murmured to Gan.