by Megg Jensen
"We can still walk for another couple of hours," Malia said, shoving her shotgun in its holster.
"I said now." Torsten turned his back on her, tending to his sister. "Are you okay?" He stroked Leila's hair away from her sunburned face. "What happened to everyone?"
Leila looked up at him, her blue eyes wide. She opened her lips again to speak, but she could utter nothing above a whisper. Torsten leaned down, putting his ear next to her lips.
"They're coming." Leila coughed violently, her body racked with spasms. She leaned against him again, her breath coming in shallow bursts.
"Who? The tark?" Torsten asked, though he knew the answer.
Leila nodded.
"It's okay. You're safe with us now. Rest." Torsten stood and turned. Rutger and Chuck were working hard to set up the tent. Malia stood off to the side. Her arms crossed over her chest as she glared at Leila.
Torsten walked over to her. "I know you're not happy about this," he said, keeping his voice low.
"Not happy? That's an understatement. I know she's your sister, but she tried to kill Rell. Who knows what she's pulling now." Malia didn't take her eyes off of Leila the whole time she spoke.
"Look at her. She's been wandering the desert for who knows how long. She's on the brink of dehydration. She can't do anything to us in this state."
"I'm keeping my eye on her." Malia's hand reached for her shotgun. "Your judgment isn't exactly sound when it comes to your sister." Malia stalked away before Torsten could come up with a response.
Moments later the tent was up. Torsten watched Leila as she continued to take small drinks from his flask. While he loved his sister, he couldn't help but wonder if Malia was right.
9
The next morning, Torsten rolled over, relieved to see Leila was still there. His dreams had been so vivid that he feared finding her in the desert had been just one more.
Strands of blond hair, dirty from sand and sweat lay matted on her forehead and cheeks. Her lips were cracked and covered in dried blood.
Leila was safe.
There was still hope they could find the others.
Leila's eyes snapped open, and she sat up like a shot. Her breath came in ragged spurts as her eyes scanned the tent. "Where are they?"
"Who?" Torsten asked, resting his hands on Leila's shoulders.
"The tark. They're coming." Leila broke away from him and sprang to her feet.
"No, Lei. You're safe with us. The tark aren't here." Torsten stood slowly, trying not to spook her.
Malia grabbed her shotgun. "I'm not taking any chances." She peeked her head out of the tent, then drew it back in. "All appears to be quiet."
Rutger rested a hand on Malia's elbow. "I'm sure it's all fine. She was just having a nightmare."
"No." Leila shook her head. "It's all true. They're coming. They want her."
"Who?" Torsten asked.
"Rell. Where is she? I don't see her." Leila pushed past Torsten, searching every corner of the tent, even rifling through a bag. She threw it at Chuck, who ducked just in time to avoid being hit. "Where is Rell?"
"She's dead,” Torsten said.
"I killed her?" Leila asked. "I thought I did, but I wasn't sure. She'd escaped death before."
"No," Malia said. "Rell survived your shot to her gut."
Leila sank to the floor of the tent, her head in her hands. "At least I wasn't the one who killed her. Who did?"
"It's complicated," Torsten said. He considered telling her the truth, but every time he'd tried to tell her about the dragzhi, she'd blown him off and said it couldn't possibly be true. She'd never believe there'd been a dragzhi living inside Rell, slowly killing her, much less that the other liquid dragzhi had tried—and failed—to save her. "Why are you so interested in Rell now?"
Leila gazed up at him, her eyes wide. "The tark want her."
"What do they want from her?" Torsten asked.
Leila shrugged. "They didn't say, but they seem very intent on recapturing her. If she would have stayed with them the first time, maybe none of this would have happened."
Torsten held back the urge to slap his sister. When had she become so uncaring? She was no longer the sweet little girl he'd protected after their parents' deaths. He didn't like the woman she was becoming. Still... Leila was his sister.
"If we don't know why they want her, we can't understand any of this." Torsten glanced at Malia, her finger taut on the trigger of her shotgun. Leila didn't seem to notice, or care, that Malia's weapon was pointed straight at her.
"They sent me out into the desert to find Rell. To bring her back to them. Beyond that, I don't know anything." Leila pushed her hair out of her face, seeming to notice for the first time how disheveled she was.
"And you were willing to do it, weren't you?" Malia's voice was low and dangerous. "You were going to find Rell and turn her into the tark. For what? For your release?"
Leila stood to face Malia. She squared her shoulders, her chest right in front of the barrel of Malia's gun. "So what if I was? You have no idea what the tark are like." Leila shuddered. "I won't go back there. They've done something so horrible..." Her shoulders collapsed.
Tears suddenly gushed from Leila's eyes.
"What is it?" Torsten asked. Leila might have issues, but she'd never faked emotions to manipulate him. Whatever she knew, it truly upset her.
Leila took a deep, gulping breath. "The tark use dead human bodies as hosts. That little girl, Isobel, who took Rell from the tower? She was dead. The doll in her hand was controlling her every move."
"What?" Torsten remembered Rell had said something about this when she found him in the desert, but it had made little sense at the time. She had promised to tell Torsten more. It was just another thing they'd never had the chance to discuss.
"That doll was an alien controlling a little girl's dead body. Somehow they can reanimate corpses. After they had kidnapped all of us from the tower, I woke in a room with Andessa." Leila stuttered over the woman's name. She and Leila had been close friends, perhaps even lovers. Andessa had fought bravely alongside them during the dragzhi attack, but died in battle.
"We buried her. We buried all our dead.” Out of the corner of his eye, Torsten noticed Malia lower the shotgun. She was just as stunned as he.
"I know, but she was there. Trust me." Leila straightened her shoulders, gaining strength from unburdening herself. "As for the others, I can't say what has happened to them. I didn't see anyone else down there for the days they held me captive. It wasn't until they realized I knew Rell that they began to question me. My connection to her was the only reason they set me free."
"With the orders that you return with Rell and hand her over." Malia's anger had returned at the same time as Leila's confidence, though her shotgun stayed holstered.
Leila's own eyes flashed. "What was I supposed to do? Stay there and let them kill me? They'd use my body just as they used the others. No. I'd rather die."
Malia took three deep breaths before responding. "I get it. I don't like it, but I get it. She shot a glance at Torsten, telling him without words that she still didn't trust Leila.
He understood. He wanted to trust his sister, but he couldn't. Not after everything that had happened. Still, he felt as if she was speaking the truth now. It didn't matter that if their roles were reversed, Leila wouldn't believe a word he said.
"And what if you found her? What came next?" Torsten asked. "How were you supposed to deliver her back to the tark?"
"They didn't tell me. They told me to find Rell, and the next thing I knew, I was standing in the middle of the desert. No food. No water. No shelter. If I hadn't found you when I did—”
A loud screeching noise interrupted her. A shadow fell over the tent. Malia's shotgun was next to her waist again, her finger on the trigger. "You lead them straight to us!"
Leila scrambled to the back of the tent. "I didn't know. I swear it to you!"
"What are they going to do to us when they find out Rell is dea
d?" Torsten asked his sister.
"I don't know," Leila whispered.
10
After a few days of hiding in her room, Rell headed to the mess hall. She'd requested meals periodically through the comm system, and they'd always been brought promptly, but she was tired of the stark isolation of her room. It reminded her too much of the life she'd had underground—alone and separated from everyone.
Then she had enjoyed it.
Now it was beginning to drive her crazy.
Plus, Rell couldn't stand to look out her window anymore. The occasional piece of space rock floated by and she couldn't help but wonder if it was part of Phoenix. It wasn't as if Torsten would appear outside her window, alive and whole. He was gone. They were all gone. This was her new life, and eventually, she'd have to begin it.
Rell followed the cyborg through the maze of halls to the mess. One day she'd go on her own, but the trauma of the last couple of days had erased her memory of how she'd gotten there the first time.
"Thank you, Cordan," Rell said as he stood to the side of the doorway to the mess.
"You're very welcome, Rell. If you should need anything else, please feel free to ask." Cordan bowed, his hands clasped behind him.
For a moment, Rell considered asking him to come with her into the mess. It seemed silly. Cyborgs didn't eat.
Or maybe they did?
Rell wasn't entirely sure how Cordan worked. Lived? Did he consider himself a living being? She'd learn eventually. She'd learn everything again, just as she had when she left the underground for the city of Hadar. She'd survived that. She could survive this, too.
Rell took a deep breath, steeling her fists at her side as she made her way across the room to the line forming at the back of the mess.
Rell grabbed a plate. As she walked through the doorway into the kitchen, she watched the others in front of her as they pointed to food. Someone behind the counter would put a scoop of the food on their plate and hand it back. Rell searched the food for anything she recognized, but it was all foreign to her. Luckily they weren't serving krullers, but they also didn't have the bacon she’d enjoyed so much the other day.
Rell pointed to the same foods as the man in front of her, smiled at the woman behind the counter, and walked out to the seating area.
She scanned the tables, looking for a familiar face. None of them stood out to her. The doctor wasn't there. Nor was Admiral Lee. Then she noticed a tall man eating alone.
Joshua.
Rell braced herself, then walked over to him. "Hi."
Joshua looked up, his mouth stuffed with food. He finished chewing and swallowed. He pushed his chair back, nearly toppling it over, as he stood. "Rell! They told me you were here, but that you weren't ready to see anyone yet."
She still wasn't sure if she was. The best she could do was fake a smile.
"Sit down, please." Joshua gestured to the chair across the table from his.
Rell set her plate down, then reluctantly sat. He returned to his seat, his eyes glowing with excitement.
She barely knew the man. She'd only recently met him, and while she felt no affection for him, he had risked a lot to help her. She also knew he'd been briefly influenced by the dragzhi that had been inside her.
"Does anyone know?" he asked, his voice quiet.
"Know what?" Rell pushed the food around on her plate. None of it looked very appetizing, and it smelled even worse. What she wouldn't give for a steaming plate of tubers.
"Who you are." Joshua shoveled a spoonful of food into his mouth, chewing heartily. Clearly the strange food didn't deter him.
Rell shook her head. He knew she was the Key—a being of both human and dragzhi DNA, destined to save the humans from invasion. Or at least that’s what some of the people on Phoenix thought. Not that it mattered anymore. The dragzhi fleet was scattered, and anyone who cared about the Key died when Phoenix exploded.
"It's irrelevant," Rell said.
Joshua set his spoon down. "Don't ever say that. The Menelewen Dored chose you."
"No, they didn't." Rell felt anger bubbling deep in her chest. "The Menelewen Dored don't exist. I'm not some kind of magical being."
Joshua shrugged. "Whatever you say. I still believe in them. And in you."
Rell wanted to rage at him. To ask him what the Menelewen Dored ever did for him. Nothing. Because they didn't exist.
"Try it. You might like it," Joshua said.
"I am done with all religion," Rell snapped back.
"I meant the food." Joshua pointed his spoon at her plate. "It's oatmeal with brown sugar. It's good. Reminds me of the gruel we used to eat underground."
A blush burnt a path from Rell's neck to her cheeks. Without a word, she dug into the oatmeal. Placing a small amount on her tongue, Rell tasted the strange food. Joshua was right. It was good.
They ate in silence for the remainder of the meal. When Rell's plate was empty, she looked at Joshua again. "I'm sorry." It was a phrase she felt she owed everyone she'd ever met.
"It's okay." Joshua flashed a brilliant smile at Rell. "I forgive you. Not that I feel you've done anything wrong. Your life has been difficult. You have suffered, which in turn has caused residual pain to those around you. I am willing to carry that pain with you."
Rell wished she felt gratitude for his offer. She knew it had little to do with who she was as a person and everything to do with what she was. The secret she harbored. "Have you told anyone here about me? I mean, about what I am?"
"No." Joshua lowered his voice again. "These people wouldn't understand. They wouldn't believe."
"I think it's better they don't know," Rell said. "Thank you for keeping my secret. I'm sorry to burden you with it."
"If we are to be friends, you must stop apologizing for everything." Joshua set his spoon down on his empty plate.
Friends? Rell hadn't sat with him out of a desire to be friends. All she wanted was some familiarity. Still, she had no one else. Perhaps a friendship with Joshua would be okay, as long as he didn’t refer to her as the Key.
As for apologies, Rell had so much to make up for. Everything seemed to be her fault, directly or indirectly. So many lives lost because of her. Even Phoenix's destruction. Somehow that felt like her fault, too.
"You're safe now, Rell." Joshua's hand hovered over hers.
Underground, touch was forbidden unless expressly desired by both parties. Until Rell went aboveground, she hadn't touched anyone other than her parents. Then Torsten had come along, changing everything.
Rell slipped her hand in Joshua's and squeezed. "Thank you," she said.
As quickly as they touched, they both withdrew their hands. It was intimate, and their friendship was too fresh for further contact.
"Where do I put my plate?" she asked Joshua.
"Come on. I'll show you. Follow me." Joshua stood, and Rell trailed him through the mess until they arrived at a small window in the wall. Joshua pushed a button, and a small door rose. He set his plate down on the conveyor belt inside. "Now yours."
Rell reached over, putting her plate just behind his as the belt carried them away, into the back of the kitchen. Rell bent over, peering in the window. She could almost make out a crew of people taking the dishes off the belt.
"Come on, let's get you back to your room," Joshua said. "If I guess correctly, you're already missing your solitude. I know I am."
Rell looked up at the tall man. He knew her better than she wanted to admit. They'd both been raised underground, living simple lives in their religious order. While she'd grown accustomed to the bustle of people in the tower, Rell did like to spend part of her day in quiet contemplation, even if it was no longer connected to her former religion.
As they left the mess, Rell's eyes swept the room one more time. Near the back corner of the room, she was surprised to see a man with a shaved head staring directly at her. Their eyes locked for a moment. He looked down at his plate as if she were of no consequence to him.
Rell shook off an uncomfortable feeling, then followed Joshua down the hall back to her room.
11
A knock at the door woke Rell from a fitful nap. She'd dreamt of Torsten and Phoenix. Of the desert and the jungle. Of the ancient church and her underground tunnels. Of her two fathers.
The moment she looked out the window, she remembered her dreams were the only place Phoenix would exist now.
"Come in." Rell rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and sat up, her head still groggy. Still confused. It was impossible to believe everything she knew was gone. She stood and pushed the button to open the door.
Dr. Anderson stepped inside, her red hair resting on her shoulder in a tight braid. "I thought I'd check in and see how you're doing. I heard you ventured out to the mess this morning."
"You heard right. I got tired of hiding in my room. For a little bit at least. I may request dinner be brought here tonight." Rell slid off the bed and straightened out her clothes.
"Did you make any new friends?" the doctor asked. "Do you mind if I sit?"
"Go ahead." Rell gestured to one of the comfortable chairs. "I didn't speak to anyone new. Just Cordan, and then I sat with Joshua."
Dr. Anderson smiled. "I'm glad you consider Cordan a someone and not a thing. He's delightful once you get to know him. He'll be a good companion for you while you learn your way around."
"And after that? Does he get assigned to someone else?" Rell wasn't sure how she felt about that. Cordan was a cyborg, yes, but was he simply a tool the humans controlled, or did he have his own feelings?
"Cordan can volunteer for duty, just like the rest of us. When he's not needed as your guide, he'll find something else to do on the ship. But he can still be your friend, if you'd like that." Dr. Anderson crossed her legs and sat back in the chair. "Now tell me about Joshua."
"I'm not sure what you want to know about him." Rell sat in a chair opposite Dr. Anderson, tucking her legs underneath her.
"How well did the two of you know each other on Phoenix? Were you friends before?"