by F. T. Lukens
Asher passed him; his chest heaved, but his stride was fast and even.
“Come on, Ren. Even if we don’t catch her, we have to get out of this air.”
Ren nodded, wondering how Asher had been so far behind, and sprinted again. Tears streamed down his cheeks, and he bit down on his lip to keep his mouth closed.
Millicent was far ahead of them now, a figure on the landscape with the pink and orange sky behind her as well as the sprawling remains of several buildings. She skidded to a halt on a gravel patch and bent down.
Ren squinted, and saw the lid at her feet. She pulled it open and disappeared into the ground.
“She went down,” Ren yelled.
It was becoming difficult to see through his watering eyes, but Ren felt Asher’s presence ahead of him, close by.
“I saw. Let’s go.”
Together they popped the lid open. Ren slid in first, bypassing the built-in ladder and falling the short distance to the bottom. He landed on his feet, but fell backward as his boot slid on broken stones.
Asher came behind him, pulling the cover closed from his position on the ladder and encasing them in darkness.
Ren sat, legs and feet aching, eyes and nose dripping. He couldn’t catch his breath. He rubbed his chest and coughed. He spat again and wiped his face with the hem of his shirt. “You okay?” he croaked.
Asher was nearby. Ren heard the crunch of his footsteps and the short, staccato sound of his breathing. “Fine.” His voice was raspy. “I would be better with light.”
Ren closed his eyes and reached out with his power, looking for any tech. He found some and pushed into it, fixing what he needed, and, in a few seconds, the lights hummed on. The tunnel lit up and he peeked to find a long line of embedded rope lights in the ceiling following the length of the tunnel.
“It’s an abandoned transport tunnel,” Asher said.
Ren stood. He brushed off the dirt, wiped his face again, and glanced at Asher. He looked as bad as Ren felt. His eyes were bloodshot, and his blond hair looked brown and streaked from the dirt. Tear tracks stained his cheeks.
Asher looked at Ren; his expression seemed concerned. His stomach full of sparks, Ren bit his lip as Asher swept his gaze along Ren’s frame. Finding him uninjured, Asher’s unease disappeared, and the flat affect he had worn since Erden slid into place.
Ren’s heart sank. He swallowed and turned his attention to the tunnel. It had obviously been abandoned for a long time. The tech was old and dusty, corroded in a few places, and the interior was just as bad. Boulders and rocks littered the tracks, water had gathered in puddles in a few places, and they heard squeaks of local creatures. Even with the glow of the lights above them, the gloom was thick, but the at least the air was clean. Air recyclers were on somewhere.
“She went this way,” Ren said, tripping his way down the dark tunnel. He stumbled over a large rock and caught himself on the carved wall.
Asher caught his bicep and steadied him. He panted, his breathing staccato. “How do you know?”
“I can feel her star.”
“We should find a way back to Rowan,” Asher said, but he didn’t stop feeling his way down the tunnel. “There has to be a connection to a running track.”
“And leave Millicent to run to Vos? Who knows what she’s thinking. She could tell him where I am and who I’m with. She could be confused. I don’t know.”
“She’s slipped, Ren. You know that. She’s worse off than Nadie was.”
“Yeah, and I felt guilty enough leaving Nadie. I don’t want Millicent to be that way too.”
“You can’t save everyone, Ren. You never could.”
Ren jerked his arm away from Asher’s grasp. “You don’t have to tell me that.”
“Apparently, I do.”
“Then leave, Ash. Leave and find a way back. I’ll join you later if I can.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
“Why? There’s no reason for you to stay. You’ve made that clear.”
Asher made a hurt noise. “You’re a cog, you know that?” he said, voice thick and strange. “I have every reason.”
Ren huffed. He ducked under a leaning and broken support, shuddering as he imagined what might happen if the pillar gave way completely. The farther they journeyed, the more Ren understood the reasons for abandoning this particular tunnel. A cave-in was imminent, judging by the sagging supports and the debris littering the ground.
“We pick the worst times to argue,” Ren said, following a curve in the tracks.
“I’m not arguing.”
Ren rolled his eyes. “No, you’re being yourself.”
“Ren,” Asher said, voice low, “did you ever think about how we were able to leave Delphi?”
Ren’s throat went tight. “I thought about it a lot, and I decided that if you didn’t want to tell me, then I didn’t want to know.”
“You’re a powerful being who the Phoenix Corps wanted under their control. I was considered AWOL.”
“Was considered?” Ren asked. Then he stopped, the realization sudden. “You gave them you.” He turned to look at Asher, really look at him. “Why? Why would you do that?”
“Why have I done anything since the prison cell?”
Ren’s heart ached. “I don’t—”
“You!” Asher threw his arms out to the side. “You. Okay. Telling VanMeerten about your nightmares got you back home. Following you and Jakob in the snowstorm was to ensure your safety. Revealing myself to Zag was to give you time to escape. And yes, I gave them me.”
Ren crossed the space between them and grabbed Asher in a fierce hug. He wrapped his arms around Asher’s shoulders, and Asher clutched him back, clenched his fists in the fabric of Ren’s jacket.
“You shouldn’t have done that. Your year was almost up, and you gave them more time.”
Asher nodded curtly. “Yes. Among other things.”
“What other things? What else did they want? Ash?” Ren stepped back and grabbed Asher’s hand. “What else?”
He didn’t get a chance to answer. The high whine of charging weapons interrupted them, and Ren cursed himself for missing the ping of tech so nearby. He turned to find a group of soldiers leveling weapons at them; the red slash of the Baron’s standard was on their shoulders.
Reeling from the revelation, Ren swallowed down the lump in his throat. “Well, we found him,” he said, holding up his hands.
Asher sighed.
“Take me to Vos.” Ren demanded, sticking out his chin.
“Why should we?”
Ren let his eyes glow blue. “He’ll want to talk with me.”
“Holy stars,” one of them whispered. “Two in one day.”
Ren shared a glance with Asher before he was pushed forward; the end of the stunner was a blunt force between his shoulder blades.
“Get going.”
They walked. One of the guards took point, and Ren and Asher followed with the others trailing behind them. For once, Ren wasn’t afraid. This was what he wanted. He had Asher at his side. He could disable the weapons if needed. And he was going to finally talk to Vos.
They took a turn into an offshoot of the track, a narrower arched hallway, which widened into a larger space. It looked as though it was once a control center and was filled with screens and maps of the tunnels. On the map, Ren noted they were much closer to the tower where the Star Stream was docked than he had realized. Ren slowed, noting the pattern of the map and their position, before receiving a poke in the back to keep going. They went through another doorway.
The platform had been cleared, though a few turnstiles remained. There was a stone raised area and on it sat a shabby throne.
Vos sat there, legs crossed, hunched over. He rested one elbow on his raised knee; his chin was in his hand. His black hair was shorn close to his he
ad, different than at the citadel, but it was him. He wore an outfit similar to the ones Ren had seen on the people of Crei—long sleeves and pants and boots, simple and dark, though a red slash adorned his shoulder—a mark of his standard. He seemed bored, with a blank expression on his thin face, but his sharp gaze landed on Ren and Asher. While he didn’t seem surprised, a slow smile spread across his lips.
Standing at the base of the throne was Millicent, surrounded by troops with weapons trained on her; she didn’t appear to be in any distress.
“Millie,” Ren called. She lifted her head, eyes glowing, long hair falling in her face. “Come here.”
She tilted her head; the movement was oddly slow. She paused, then she tiptoed away from the circle of soldiers, joining Ren’s side unhindered.
Vos clapped. The noise startled Ren and echoed in the underground cavern.
“That was almost as impressive as Abiathar, and you didn’t even need to tap into a star to do it. But between you and me, your ability is a little more extraordinary than mere suggestion.”
Asher stiffened beside Ren. He took a step forward, shielding Ren with his body. But Ren didn’t need protection, not from this man.
“Where is my brother?” Ren called.
Vos laughed. “Straight to the point. I like you.” He jumped down from the raised dais, and his black boots scuffed on the stone. He didn’t come closer, but leaned back on his elbows. “You’re the one who escaped and foiled my designs for Mykonos. I really should kill you. You’ve set me back quite a bit, but I have other plans.”
“I’m not interested in your plans,” Ren said. “I want to know where my brother is. He disappeared in one of your raids on our village.”
Vos shrugged. “He could be anywhere. I’m certainly not the only one interested in your kind.” He leveled a gaze at Asher. “But you know that, don’t you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Asher said, but his heart wasn’t in it.
Vos laughed at the obvious lie. “So you didn’t send a message to the Phoenix Corps? About half an hour ago? It left from the same console that your friend here used to scan for my beacon.”
Asher frowned. He didn’t answer; his lips were thin.
“You didn’t,” Ren whispered, turning to study Asher’s face. “Did you?”
Asher’s jaw clenched so tight Ren swore he heard his teeth grind together. “I told you. They wanted me among other things.”
Ren took a step to the side, betrayed. And he stared at Asher with disbelief. “You used me.”
Asher’s façade dropped, and he paled, looking stricken. “No. No, it was for your freedom. Me and Vos for you. That’s the deal.”
“I’m not going peacefully,” Vos said, with a wave of his hand. “But it doesn’t matter. I’ll have two technopaths to cover me while we escape.”
Shocked, Ren took another step and wobbled. Asher reached out to steady him, and Ren knocked his hand away.
“No.” Ren said to Vos. “I’m not going with you.”
“Oh, I think you will,” Vos said. “Think about it, Ren. That’s your name, right? Ren?”
Ren nodded. He heard the question, but his thoughts were a blur. Asher had crossed him, as Nadie said. Asher had betrayed him.
Now it was his turn. In this future, the one Nadie had seen, Ren would cross Asher as well, but Ren bucked against it.
He wouldn’t.
He wouldn’t.
“What you have to decide, Ren, is if you want to join with me and have your freedom to fight against the Corps or stay here and be captured again. You grew up on Erden. You grew up with choices. You have dust ingrained in your bones. You may be a star, but you are of dirt. You will never be anything but an oddity to the drifters and to the Corps. Do you want that? To be under the control of a military which would see your village, your family, burn?”
Ren’s chest heaved. His mouth went dry. “No.”
“No. No one would. Come with me,” Vos said, holding out his hand. “Come with me. Escape, and together, we can show the drifts what you’re really made of.”
Ren swallowed.
Millicent turned to him. Her fingers brushed his hand; her touch was searing. “I’ve watched you,” she said, voice soft, seductive. “I’ve watched you struggle with what you are. You can’t be star and flesh. You can’t be both. It will destroy you. You will burn up from the inside until your skin is ash and your bones brittle.”
“I… I…”
“Embrace what you are. They can’t protect you from yourself. Let go.”
Ren shuddered. “It was you,” he whispered. “You pulled me into the ship. You influenced me, made me do all those things in my dreams. You made me almost hurt the crew.”
“I helped you unlock your power. I helped you shed your restrictive shell.”
Ren swallowed. “You’re a star.”
“Yes, and you are too. Come with us. Be happy. Be what you were made to be.”
Ren took a step, swayed toward Millicent’s outstretched hand. “I… I don’t know.”
“Ren, don’t,” Asher said. “They aren’t telling you everything. It’s a trick.”
“I’ve watched you,” Millicent said again. “In the ship, you are free. In the wires, in the circuits, you are happy.”
I watched you. Ezzy had told him that too. She had watched him, in the fields, in the village, but he wasn’t happy there. He remembered longing for a better life, for more.
“We don’t have much time before the Corps invades our little sanctuary. The choice is yours, but make it quickly.”
Millicent crossed the room with her back turned to Ren and Asher. She took Vos’s hand, twining their fingers.
“I am made of stardust. I don’t belong in the ground.”
“No, you don’t, little star.” Vos smiled at her and then lifted his gaze to Ren, questioning. “Come on, Ren. Leave this birdman to his flock. You belong with us.”
Ren shuddered. Vos was right. If he stayed, he’d fall under VanMeerten’s control again. There would be check-ins and panic attacks and the threat of Perilous Space. If he left, he might have a chance to find Liam. He would be free to make choices.
“Ren, don’t be a duster idiot. His freedom comes with a price. He’s going to use you to kill people, to destroy the drifts. Are you willing to pay that? Do you think he’ll let you leave if you want to? What about Liam?” Asher pleaded. He didn’t reach out; he was hindered by the soldiers standing between them, but he begged.
Ren looked around. Vos’s people surrounded Asher; their weapons were trained on him.
“Liam’s not here,” Ren said. His voice choked. Tears welled in the corner of his eyes. He blinked, and they spilled. “I can’t do this.” His hands shook, and he flexed them. “You won’t hurt him.” He said, addressing Vos, gesturing toward Asher. “You’ll let him go.”
Vos bowed at the waist. “Of course. You have my word.”
“Ren.” Asher’s voice broke on his name.
Ren took a step.
“I’m sorry I pushed you away,” Asher said, words spilling out. “I didn’t want to leave you, but I knew I’d have to in order to keep you free. I thought it would be easier for both of us, but I was stupid, okay? I was the idiot. Don’t go.”
Ren wavered. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t decide. It was too much. But no, he’d chosen his family when he left Erden. He’d chosen Rowan and Ollie and Penelope and Lucas and Asher.
Asher had protected him the entire time. He didn’t want to leave him. He scrubbed his hands over his eyes, then wrapped them around his stomach, holding himself together. His body trembled. His pulse raced. He felt as if he would quake apart.
He couldn’t leave. He couldn’t stay.
The ground rumbled beneath his feet.
“We’re out of time, lads.” Vos no
dded toward his small group of soldiers. “He’s coming with us, choice or not. Grab him.”
They swarmed Ren, pinning his arms to his sides. They jerked his hands behind his back to bind them. No. No! He chose Asher. Ren fought. He squirmed and kicked, clawed and scratched. Asher shouted, pushing his way toward Ren, but there were too many bodies between them.
Above them, the ceiling cracked. Pebbles rained down. Large rocks fell, landing near where Asher and Ren struggled. The tunnel shook, and, with a blast, the rock opened to the sky.
Ren reached for his power, allowed it to flood him, and he drowned in it. The tech which surrounded him pinged in his senses. He flashed into the weapons of Vos’s soldiers and into their comms, and pushed. Blue sparks gathered like fireflies caught in a wind, crackling like lightning. A thick tension hung in the air, a gathering storm of potential. Ren drew everything in; static and strength coursed through him, until he was full of energy and light and power. His star was a second heartbeat, alive with promise, and it consumed him.
It burst from him with a yell—an explosion of blue fire, sizzling down Ren’s arms—and the men around him fell away, blown like leaves in a whirlwind.
The tunnel shuddered with the uniform stamp of feet and the whir of transports now hovering above them in the toxic air. Pieces of the tunnel fell in. Corpsmen swamped the area, filling the vast space with more bodies and tech and sound. Vos’s troops, the ones still standing, fired back.
And in the middle of it all, Ren lit up like a star—fire and electricity pulsed out like the slap of waves on the shore and with the fury of a hurricane.
Vos and Millicent were gone. They disappeared from Ren’s periphery. Millicent’s signature faded as they ran, abandoning their people to the chaos.
Ren didn’t care. He focused like a laser on those around him. Everyone was an enemy. Everyone was a threat. Everyone should cower. They were nothing in the face of a living star, and they would burn in his presence, they would fall to their knees as cinders.
Watch out. He’s a technopath.
Get the weapon.
Ren, get down!
The chatter washed over him, joined the cacophony of sound and taste and touch as Ren fused with all the tech around him. He set comms to static and let loose a scream of white noise. Lights popped, raining sparks. Weapons disassembled. Transports fell to the ground. The ceiling caved.