by Megg Jensen
Torsten followed the tark up to the control bridge. "How many of us will go into space?"
The tark smiled at him, sharp teeth glinting in the rays of the sun. "All the humans and all the tark."
"When you say all the humans..." Torsten trailed off, afraid to say what he was thinking.
"Yes, pasty boy. All the humans. The revenants shall rise. Your dead will join us. Under the control of the tark, the revenants will serve the Key." Its laughter echoed off the bronze walls of the barge as its arms thrust into the air.
Torsten dropped down, sealing the hatch above him as the sand began to spin.
They were bringing the dead from Phoenix. The empty bodies would serve the whims of the tark.
Torsten swallowed hard, thinking of the dead he was soon to meet.
19
Torsten followed Leila out of the barge after the long ride through the desert. He gazed up at the mountains above them, feeling somewhat vindicated. He'd always known these peaks must be where the tark made their home. All living beings needed shelter.
But there was no point in bragging when everything that lay ahead was completely unknown. Torsten felt lost.
His one goal was to find Rell, if she was truly still alive. He needed her more than the tark and the fire dragzhi did. Even if Rell never loved him the way he loved her, he hoped she’d want a place in his life, even if it was only as friends.
"This way," Leila said, taking the lead. She headed for the mouth of a cave. She didn't wait for the tark to catch up before she began jogging deeper into the tunnel.
Malia glared at Leila. Her distrust was written all over her face, from her narrowed eyes to her taut lips. Rutger’s usual joviality was restrained.
Torsten couldn't thank them enough for sticking by his side. They could have stayed in Hadar, and he wouldn't have blamed them.
No one had any idea what was to come, nor what sort of ship they would take into space. Torsten was most concerned with the extra passengers the tark were bringing.
The dead.
Leila said Andessa's body was among them, and Denestra admitted they'd killed everyone in an attempt to locate Rell. All except Tatsuru. The older man must be scared out of his wits.
A simple innkeeper, Tatsuru had volunteered to help Torsten, Malia, and Rutger find Rell when the tark kidnapped her. He'd supplied their scout's fuel tank with congealed animal fat, which extended its range. He'd cared for Rell when she'd been injured. Tatsuru had proved a good friend and a worthy ally.
Torsten was glad Tatsuru was still alive, and that he would get the chance to see Rell again.
"Halt!" Denestra called out behind them.
Torsten stopped, nearly running into Rutger, who only avoided a collision of his own by wrapping his arms around Malia from behind.
"I will lead the way from here. Not you." The tark glared at Leila, who shrugged.
"Fine," she said, letting Denestra float past her.
They continued down into the dark caves.
After what seemed like an eternity of traversing the dimly lit tunnels, they emerged into a large cavern illuminated by countless torches. They dotted the walls, flames licking upward toward a dark ceiling.
Thousands of tark hovered in the air, their eyes flashing a rainbow of colors from red to blue to yellow to green. Light glinted off their sharp teeth, on display behind their unnerving smiles. In the center of them all stood a short man with dark hair.
"Tatsuru!" Torsten raised a hand, waving wildly.
Tears erupted from the man's eyes. "Oh, I thought I'd never see another person again, but I'm so sorry they've taken all of you captive, too."
Torsten pushed his way through the tark, gently nudging them aside like reeds at the riverbank. They parted, allowing him to reach Tatsuru without any resistance.
Torsten held up his hand, fingers splayed. Tatsuru tapped his fingertips to Torsten's, returning the familiar greeting. Tatsuru wiped away the tears on his cheeks, a smile blooming across his face.
"They haven't taken us captive," Torsten said. "The tark are going to help us rescue Rell."
"Rell?" Tatsuru asked. "They asked me about her over and over again. I told them everything I knew, which was very little. So she is alive? We will see her again?"
"I hope so." Torsten tried to hide his emotions. He worried his hopes might already be too high. "We are going to work with the tark. They'll take us into space."
"Space?" Tatsuru pointed above them. "I never thought I would fly among the stars. Everything has changed since the day I met Rell. She has truly been a gift. Someday I hope I can repay her."
Torsten rested a hand on Tatsuru's shoulder. "I feel the same way." He dropped his voice to a whisper. "Unfortunately, the road to rescuing her will be hard. The tark..." He trailed off. He didn't know how to tell Tatsuru about the dead who would rise to aid them.
Just the thought of it made Torsten's stomach turn. Their bodies should be resting in peace, not used as the puppets of the tark. He'd already seen it once with Isobel, a little girl Rell found hiding underground. They'd thought she was an abandoned buried child holding an old doll. The truth turned out to be far uglier than they could have ever imagined.
"Yes?" Tatsuru asked, pulling Torsten back to the present. "What do the tark demand of us? Whatever it is, I will gladly do it if there is a chance of bringing Rell home."
"You and Leila are the only humans who survived after the tark brought you here. The tark killed everyone else.” Torsten steeled himself for the words he had to say. "In addition, the tark have been harvesting our dead for years. I don't know how, or for how long, exactly, but they have amassed quite a collection of bodies. Somehow they can reanimate the dead. This is the army we will take to find Rell."
Tatsuru's face contorted into an expression of utter horror. "But we can't do that. It's wrong. The dead should remain that way."
"If Rell is out there, I have to find her. I'll risk everything," Torsten said. “But you can choose to stay here on Phoenix and prepare for our return. Rally the remaining buried. Help them learn how to begin anew.”
Tatsuru took in a deep breath, then squared his shoulders. "Rell once saved our people from the dragzhi. It's only right we do what is needed to save her. While I would love to travel with you into space, I see how I might best serve here. I will stay, and I will celebrate when you return. Now how do I get back to the tower?”
A tark moved to the front. “I will take him.”
Denestra nodded its approval.
"We're ready,” Torsten said. “When do we leave?"
"Now," Denestra said. "We will not waste more time. We will find Rell. We will return her to Phoenix. We will stop the dragzhi from interfering with our world. Then we will live in peace."
"I have one request," Torsten said.
"You are not in a position to request anything from us," Denestra said. "We hold all the power. We simply tolerate your presence here."
"Rell would feel differently. If you're truly going to do what's best for her, then I suggest you listen." Torsten crossed his arms over his chest.
The tark rolled its red eyes. "Speak."
"Once we rescue Rell, I insist you never take another human body again." Torsten knew he had little ground to stand on. The tark spoke the truth. It really did have all the power. But he had to try.
"If any of us survive this journey, then I will consider it. But only because I want to, not because you asked it of me." The tark spun, pelting Torsten with grains of sand.
20
Rell woke with a slight headache. It had taken her hours to get back to sleep after her meeting with Wade and Cordan. She'd spent that time thinking about everything she had learned from them and debating how she should proceed.
Knowing Phoenix remained intact and her friends were likely still alive, Rell's anger flared. The fire inside her threatened to break free, just as it had the day she'd accidentally killed her human father and when she'd pushed Mellok into the volcano. Neith
er event had been intentional, yet they scarred her soul.
She didn't want something similar to happen here, even though Earth United had lied to her. Maybe they had a good reason. It was possible they were as afraid of her as she was of them. If the dragzhi had told them about her, then it was possible they were trying to protect their crew.
But if that were true, then why not ask her for the truth? She would have talked about it to them eventually. Maybe. It was hard knowing who to trust. She'd given Leila the benefit of the doubt, and Leila still tried to kill her.
Slipping out of bed, Rell completed her morning ablutions and prepared to leave for breakfast in the mess. She and Wade hadn't discussed how they would behave in public, but she assumed he wouldn't acknowledge her. She would stick with Cordan on the walk and then sit alone.
The door opened, and Cordan stood in his usual place. His smile was hollow, just as it had been when she'd first met him, and his eyes held their shared secret. Without a word, she followed him down the hall to the mess.
The hall was bustling with activity. Rell hadn't seen so many people on the ship before. She sucked in a breath as people streamed past her at a dizzying rate.
"It's the change of shift," Cordan said. "Some are leaving for their posts. Others are eating before retiring for a day's rest. The ship runs on a continuous schedule, so someone is always manning each critical post." He delivered the information in a monotone, so unlike the expressive person she had spoken with in the dark of night. He was so much more than he seemed.
"Thank you, Cordan. I'll get in line and hope there's some food left by the time I get through it. Can I get you anything?" Rell felt shame for not knowing if he ate or not. She wanted so much to be Cordan's friend, but she had a lot to learn before she could earn that friendship.
A wistful smile spread across Cordan's face, reminding her of how animated he'd been the night before. "You are only the second to ever ask that of me."
Rell could guess who the first was. Wade.
"Thank you, but no, I do not require human food. I will wait for you outside." Cordan bowed slightly, then left Rell standing alone in the swirling chaos.
She entered the line, waiting for her chance to choose food from the serving line. She pointed at a few foodstuffs, hoping they'd taste as good as they looked and smelled. Carrying her tray over to the eating area, she sat down at the nearest empty table.
"Rell!" A voice called from across the room.
She looked up.
Joshua bounded across the room, carrying a clattering tray in one hand. He sat down across from her. "I'm so glad to see you again. I think we should plan to eat together every day. It would be an honor."
At that remark, the woman three seats down raised an eyebrow. An honor? Rell needed to tell Joshua to calm down when he was around her. If he began to blurt out things about the Key or the dragzhi, he'd get them in trouble.
"Sure, but can you quiet down a bit? I have a headache." Rell rubbed her forehead.
Joshua nodded sympathetically. He pointed at his head. "Back on the shuttle, one of your friends hit me here and knocked me out. That was after we left your body, I mean, left you behind."
Rell glanced at the woman down the table. She seemed to be engrossed in a conversation with another woman next to her, their hands placed on top of the table. Good, she'd already lost interest in Rell and Joshua's conversation.
"My head hurt for a while, but it got better. I know yours will, too. I just wish we had access to our meds on Phoenix. It's funny, these EU people are far more technologically advanced than us, but nothing can beat our meds." Joshua shoved a spoonful of food into his mouth. "It's good. Try it."
Rell pushed her food around with her spoon. It had seemed appetizing when she chose it, but now her appetite had waned. Still, she needed to eat to keep up her strength. Rell ate a spoonful of the hot mush. It tasted earthy, and a bit nutty. Joshua was right. It was good.
Finishing her food without further conversation, Rell was done eating in a matter of minutes. She pushed her tray toward the middle of the table, so there was room to rest her arms in front of her. Her head sank into her hands as she closed her eyes.
"Rell?" A hand touched her shoulder.
Rell started, jerking her head up. "Dr. Anderson, hi." She tried not to stutter. If she needed to get information from the woman, Rell needed to keep her calm.
"I have some free time now. Would you like to talk?" Dr. Anderson nodded to Joshua, with her eyes firmly locked on Rell’s.
"Hi, Doctor," he said, his voice happy.
So he liked the doctor. That was good information to know. If at any point she wanted to bring Joshua in on the plan, she had to know where his loyalties lay. Rell was the Key, and he believed in her, but she didn't know him well enough to believe in him in return.
"Sure. We can head back to my room now." Rell stood, grabbing her tray.
Dr. Anderson followed her to the tray return, then out the door of the mess. Cordan waited there, just as he had promised. His expression was as neutral as it always was when he was on duty. Rell wished she could be so level headed.
"Walk behind us, Cordan," Dr. Anderson told him, continuing down the hall without a second glance.
Cordan fell behind them, following Rell closely. His presence reassured her.
When they arrived at Rell's room, she opened the door, letting Dr. Anderson go in first. Rell tossed an apologetic glance at Cordan before closing the door in his face.
"How are you feeling this morning?" Dr. Anderson asked as she sat in her usual chair.
Rell remained standing. "Okay. I had a rough night's sleep. I can't stop thinking about Phoenix and my friends. It's hard to believe they're gone." Rell held Dr. Anderson's gaze, waiting for some clue that the doctor was lying. The other woman's blue eyes remained cool and steady.
"I know. I'm sure it all seems like a nightmare. Eventually, you'll come to terms with it." Dr. Anderson crossed her legs at the ankle. "Why don't we talk about something else to distract you? Why don't you tell me about your childhood?"
Rell held back her surprise. Her childhood? She'd expected questions about why she'd been on the dragzhi ship, and what she'd seen there.
"What do you want to know?" Rell sat in the chair across from Dr. Anderson.
"Tell me about your father. Were you close?" Dr. Anderson pulled out a tablet, her fingers poised over the screen as she waited for Rell to answer.
"Are you going to record everything I say?" Rell didn't want to talk about her father. Neither one of them.
"I'm simply taking a few notes for my personal records. I assure you, no one but me will ever see them." Dr. Anderson smiled, her lips pulled tight.
Rell wasn't reassured. Wade and Cordan warned her Dr. Anderson wanted something from her, but this was an unexpected path of questioning.
"What do you want to know about my father?" Rell asked.
"Did you love him?" Dr. Anderson asked.
"Yes," Rell answered without reservation. "When I was young, he was everything to me."
"And when you were older?" Dr. Anderson prodded, her eyes expectant.
"My father died when I was very young," Rell said. "It was an accident. I miss him terribly, even after all this time."
"What if I said it was possible to reunite you with him?" Dr. Anderson asked, her expression blank.
"I don't understand," Rell said. "You can't. He died in a horrible way. There's no chance he's alive." She thought of Torsten's mother and father, thought to have been murdered years ago. They'd turned out to be alive, yes, but Rell had watched her father die. She'd killed him. It was her fault.
"I can help you speak to him, Rell. Dying is not the end. We live on after death, you know. If you trust me, I can put you in contact with everyone you've ever lost. I just need one thing from you." Dr. Anderson set the tablet on the table.
"What?" Rell asked, though she was afraid to ask.
"One drop of your blood, Rell, freely given. It's
all I need." Dr. Anderson's eyes were locked on hers. "It's said that memories of our loved ones are coded into our DNA. I can connect you with your father, beyond all time and space, using an ancestor coupler. You can see him again. Would you like that?"
So this was it. The doctor wanted some of Rell's blood. They might learn her true nature. They would see she wasn't fully human. And seeing her father? It seemed impossible.
Wade hadn't told her what to do once she'd discovered what the doctor wanted. It took all of her concentration not to call out for Cordan. It was too soon to give away her secret alliance.
Rell nodded, holding out her arm to Dr. Anderson. The doctor smiled, reaching into her bag and pulling out a long needle.
"I promise, this won't hurt too much."
It was almost the same thing the tark had said when they tried to remove the liquid dragzhi from her body. Rell braced for pain, but it was only a small pinprick.
“See, I told you that wouldn’t be so bad.” Dr. Anderson removed a black box from her bag and injected the blood from the needle into it. “Now I can turn on the ancestor coupler, and your father will join us. Are you ready to see him?”
Rell wrung her hands under the table. She wasn’t, but she had no choice.
21
A light flickered, then a shape took form above the device. It was her father, his image flickering. Rell's throat constricted as he smiled at her.
"Hi, sweetie," he said.
Rell reached out to touch the hologram, her fingers hovering just at the edge of the three-dimensional image. His arm rose, and a small finger touched hers.
She looked at Dr. Anderson, her eyes wild. "What is this?"
"It's your father, Rell, born again from your DNA. We've discovered how to tap into those memories encoded in your genes using the coupler. Go ahead, talk to him." Dr. Anderson pointed to the image.
Rell forced her eyes back to her father. "Hi." She couldn't think of anything else to say.