Revenants Rising

by Megg Jensen

  "I don't like this," Malia said.

  "You're not the only one," Torsten replied. He reached out for Leila's elbow, just missing her with his fingertips as she breezed ahead with Denestra. "Leila!"

  His sister ignored him, as she followed the tark to the dragzhi.

  "We've come demanding information. If you don't give it to us, we will destroy you." Denestra's pompous voice echoed in the chamber. "Where is Rell?"

  "Why do you ask?" a sinuous voice replied.

  Torsten searched the liquid dragzhi, but couldn't tell which had spoken. None of them stepped forward as an official emissary.

  "What a waste of time," Torsten said under his breath to Malia.

  She nodded, her eyes locked on the dragzhi.

  Torsten couldn't help but stare, too. He'd seen dragzhi before, but never so many in one place. Their bodies undulated in a hypnotizing dance.

  "Tell us where she is, or face certain doom," Denestra said, arms raised in the air. Leila stood at its side, a fierce look on her face and her hands clenched.

  The dragzhi laughed, all at once, their bodies vibrating.

  "I feel like we're in danger," Rutger said, leaning into Torsten and Malia.

  "Obviously," Malia whispered to them. "I just hope we've chosen the right side."

  "As if we had a choice," Torsten said. "The dragzhi will never help us. The tark might."

  "You don't scare us!" The dragzhi voice grew in pitch and volume until Torsten thought his eardrums might burst. "We will never help you!"

  "Rell is one of you," Leila shouted, stunning everyone into silence.

  Torsten moved to stop his sister, but Malia and Rutger each grabbed an arm, tugging him back.

  "Let her talk," Malia said.

  Leila moved toward the dragzhi, one measured step at a time. "You want her as much as we do, admit it. You want to study her. Learn from her. We know your medical ship took her for just that reason. Where is she? Tell us."

  Torsten held his breath, waiting for the truth.

  "She is gone," the dragzhi voice said. One of them slithered toward Leila, reaching out with a long, silver tentacle.

  "Don't let it touch you, Lei," Torsten yelled, struggling against the grip of his two friends.

  Leila reached out a hand toward the dragzhi, extending her index finger. The dragzhi tentacle whipped out, wrapping around her finger. It melted into her skin, pulling her closer to the rest of its body.

  "No!" Torsten yelled. He broke away from Malia and Rutger, running to his sister.

  But it was too late. The dragzhi had disappeared inside her body, becoming one with her.

  "Leila." Torsten choked on her name. He fought back angry tears. The dragzhi had taken another person he loved. He knew the outcome. She would die when it left her. There was no coming back from a dragzhi possession.

  Leila turned toward her brother, her blue eyes now a deep black. She smirked. "I know where Rell is now. Would you like to know, dear brother?"

  Torsten's chest heaved with ragged breaths. He couldn't respond. He wanted to know, more than anything, but not this way. He refused to take anything from this thing that inhabited his sister.

  "Tell us," Denestra demanded behind him.

  Leila glared at Torsten, then glanced at Denestra. "She is with another dragzhi sect, one we would like to destroy. But we cannot. The humans stand in our way." Her eyes traveled back to Torsten.

  "I'm sure the EU ship would help us save her," Torsten said. "They are out here. I know they stopped you once before, but they were only trying to save us." Desperate, he would promise anything to help Rell, and Leila, in case there was a chance for her after all.

  "They will not." Leila spat on the ground next to Torsten's feet. "The humans will turn us away, just as they did before. But not for the reasons you think." She looked at Torsten under heavily lidded eyes.

  "Why?" Torsten asked. "What reason could they possibly have to deny us help?"

  "Because," Leila responded, "they are working with the other dragzhi sect to destroy us. They need Rell. They need her knowledge."

  Torsten turned his back on his sister. "Denestra, take us to the EU ship. They'll fetch Rell for us. We can return to Phoenix with her. We don't need the dragzhi's help." His stomach churned. Would Leila come with him? Would she want to? Would the dragzhi allow it?

  "No," Denestra said. "The humans will not help us either."

  "All we have to do is ask," Torsten insisted.

  Denestra's eyes flashed red. "Stupid human! Stupid, stupid, stupid. Can't you see what is right in front of you? Are you so dense?"

  Malia and Rutger stood next to Torsten. Malia put a hand on Torsten's shoulder. "If the humans know Rell is alive, and they haven't brought her to us, I think we have reason to worry."

  "They wanted us off their ship as quickly as possible," Rutger reminded Torsten. "They said they'd come back to Phoenix to help us. They didn't."

  Torsten's anger built until he couldn't contain it any longer. He shrugged off Malia and Rutger and stormed to his sister's side. He grabbed Leila's arm, squeezing it.

  She simply smiled, not at all bothered by the strength of his grip.

  "Get out of my sister," he demanded of the dragzhi.

  Leila laughed. "I don't want it gone, big brother. I like the way it feels. The power coursing through my veins is unlike anything I've ever felt. I can understand why Rell didn't tell anyone about hers." Leila pushed Torsten away as if he weighed no more than a feather.

  Torsten stumbled backward into Rutger, who steadied him.

  She stalked over to Torsten. "I will handle this from now on." She spun around, facing the liquid dragzhi army before her. "We will find Rell, and we will kill her. She is an abomination. An insult to our kind. She had the power of the dragzhi from birth, and yet she rejected it. Rell doesn't deserve to live. Not among us, and not among them."

  Malia's fist flew, striking Leila square on the jaw.

  Leila stretched her jaw, then glared at Malia, her head tilted slightly to the side. "You shouldn't have done that."

  "Watch me do it again." Malia jumped at Leila, grabbing her ears and twisting with all of her strength.

  Leila fell to the side, rolling, then sprang back to her feet. "Brother dear, haven't you told your friends how skilled I am in fighting?"

  "Maybe he hasn't told you about me," Malia said, falling into a fighting stance.

  "That's my woman," Rutger said, nudging Torsten with an elbow.

  "Shut up." Torsten watched the two women as they circled each other.

  Malia swept Leila's leg with a quick kick. Leila quickly recovered, leaping to her feet and jabbing at Malia with a closed fist. Malia ducked, then ran toward Leila, belting her once in the gut before retreating.

  "One hit? I expected more from you." Leila leaped at Malia.

  Malia stepped to the side, thrusting her arm out and catching Leila mid-jump.

  Leila dropped to the floor, hitting her head on the hard floor. The dragzhi slithered out her ear, rushing back toward its brethern.

  "Take her away," the dragzhi voice screamed as they snaked away. "We will not help you. If you find Rell, take her far away. All of you, leave. We have no use for humans!"

  Torsten lifted his unconscious sister into his arms, her head lolling to the side.

  "What's wrong with her?" Rutger asked Torsten.

  "You saw what happened," Torsten answered between gritted teeth.

  "No, man, I know what I saw. What I'd like to know is why your sister keeps pulling this shit. Why would she go near that dragzhi, and what's inside her that's so crazy even the dragzhi doesn't want any part of her?" Rutger said.

  Torsten didn't answer. He wished he knew. Leila had been such a sweet kid. After their parents had died, she had spiraled deeper and deeper into her anger until he barely recognized the girl he held in his arms.

  "Well, won't this be fun?" Denestra said, leading them back to the orb. "Not only do we have to fight a different
dragzhi sect, but it appears your human friends may be standing in our way."

  Torsten followed Denestra into the orb.

  "I suppose we'll just have to kill everyone in our path," Denestra said, closing the door to the orb behind them.

  "You're not killing anyone until we know who is holding Rell hostage and why." Torsten sank to the floor, attempting to ignore the dead bodies floating above him.

  Malia sat next to him, placing a hand on Torsten's shoulder. "What if the dragzhi are telling the truth? What if the EU ship is working with the other dragzhi? It would explain a lot, like how they just happened to find us floating in space."

  Torsten sat back against the glass, his eyes closed. He couldn't process any of it now. Not yet. He needed time.

  The orb jolted as it left the docking bay and moved back into space.

  Time wasn't on Torsten's side, and he had no idea how to stop any of his fears from unfolding.

  27

  "A conspiracy between the dragzhi and Earth United? I don't want to believe it." Torsten rested his forehead against the cool glass wall of the orb. The tark were using long-range sensors in hopes of detecting another ship. Anything to tell them which direction to go. The universe was endless. Rell could be anywhere.

  "Or between all of humanity and the dragzhi?" Rutger asked. "Our ancestors crashed on that planet two hundred years ago. It's not like they were the first humans to travel in space. We'd achieved that centuries before. They should have found us."

  "Maybe they did," Malia said, resting a hand on Torsten's arm. "Look, I don't want to believe it either. But in a twisted way, it makes sense."

  Deep in his gut, Torsten knew it was a plausible explanation. The people on Phoenix had focused all of their energy on getting back into space. Back to Earth. Once they finally achieved space travel, the dragzhi attacked. To even consider the possibility Earth had known about them all along and worked with the dragzhi to keep them on Phoenix was sickening.

  "Why?" he asked, knowing no one had an answer for him.

  They fell silent as Denestra worked frantically not far away. Its arms swayed over the control panel. Not long ago, he would have been fascinated by how the tark controlled the ship. Now, he didn't care. He wanted Rell back, safe and alive. He wanted to return to Phoenix. He wanted Leila back to her normal self.

  They'd all suffered.

  When would it end?

  "I've found them!" Denestra called to them, its eyes glowing yellow. "Come here, humans. See what I have discovered."

  Torsten heaved himself to his feet, exhaustion straining his muscles with every step. "What is it?" he asked, dreading the answer.

  "Two ships. Different signatures. One, dragzhi. The other is foreign to us. I suspect it may be your human ship." Denestra tapped the screen.

  Torsten tried to understand what Denestra was pointing at, but he didn't understand the tark language. The symbols on the screen were gibberish to him. If Denestra had shown him a star map, he might be able to make more sense of it.

  "How far away are they?" he asked.

  "Far. A few days' travel. Close to an asteroid belt." Denestra's eyes flashed from yellow to red. "We will recover the girl. We will return her to her father on Setion. Then we will continue to protect the planet as we have for millennia."

  "And how do you suggest we recover Rell?" Malia asked, coming up behind them.

  "We will overwhelm them with our army," Denestra said, as if it were the most obvious answer.

  "And how will you overwhelm them?" Malia asked, her words straining against her patience.

  "With our massive power and a great show of strength!" Denestra's arms thrust upward toward the bodies and the other floating tark. "Until then, you may rest. Go."

  Malia grabbed Torsten's elbow, tugging him away from Denestra and back toward Rutger, who was watching over Leila's body.

  "We have a few days before we reach the ships. It's enough time to come up with a plan." Malia sank next to Rutger, resting her head on his shoulder.

  "Do you think they brought food?" Rutger asked. "And, um, are there any facilities for us to use? I kind of have to..."

  "Humans!" Denestra called. "Your bodily needs disgust me! Hide it. As for food, I have packed an assortment of delicacies for you to choose from."

  Denestra lifted a hand in the air toward a floor panel. It rose, a box floating out of the storage space toward them.

  "I'm afraid," Rutger said as he reached for the box, sticking a tentative hand inside. He pulled out a brick of something.

  "What is it?" Malia asked, peering over his shoulder.

  Torsten reached into the box, retrieving a brick similar to the one Rutger held. The gray block was hard as a rock and heavy in his palm.

  "Do think we're supposed to lick it?" Rutger asked. "We'd break our teeth if we tried to bite into it."

  Torsten stuck out his tongue, licking the brick. "It tastes like a rock."

  "Haha, stupid humans! I gave you the wrong box!" Denestra waved its hands, sending another box from the storage unit to them.

  Torsten dropped the brick. "What was that?"

  "Rock and adhesive. It is what we use to build." Denestra doubled over with laughter.

  Malia opened the other box, pulling out a few loaves of crusty bread. "I think this might be better. Thank you, Denestra."

  "Where did you get this?" Torsten asked.

  "From them." Denestra pointed up at the bodies. "We were able to extract their memories and create human food. You must eat it before it spoils. Once we attack the human ship, we will steal their food for you."

  "I think we'll save some just in case it's not that easy," Malia said under her breath. "Let's ration it out."

  "Agreed," Torsten said, while Rutger quietly moaned.

  "I'm starving," Rutger said.

  "You'll be fine." Malia patted his belly. "You're not starving."

  "Fine." Rutger tore off a chunk of bread, chewing noisily.

  Torsten placed a hand on Leila's shoulder. "Hey, Lei. Wake up. We have food."

  Leila mumbled, her eyes still closed, as she stretched out her arms. "Where are we?"

  "Back on the tark ship." Torsten helped Leila sit up.

  "Am I...?" Leila's eyes were wide, her lower lip trembling. "Is it still in me?"

  "No," Torsten said as Malia and Rutger scooted away. He wished they could work as a team, but he knew Malia would never trust Leila. Not after everything Leila had done. If she weren't his sister, Torsten would probably feel the same way.

  "It was horrible. It took hold of every thought, ever desire. I couldn't control anything I said when it was inside me." Leila fell into Torsten, wrapping her arms around his neck, her shoulders heaving with sobs. "I understand now what Rell went through."

  Leila looked up at Torsten with wet eyes, her nose reddening with each sniffle. "Torsten, we need to save her. We have to do anything it takes to get her away from them. When it was inside me, I knew things, horrible things. The dragzhi want us dead. All of us."

  "Then why did they let us go?" Torsten asked, his arms tightening around his little sister. Flashbacks ran through his mind, reminding him of the day their parents had been murdered—or so they'd thought. He'd held Leila just like this then, too. It was one of the few times in his life he felt stronger than his sister. Like she needed him more than he needed her.

  "They're planning something," Leila said between sniffles. "I think they need the tark out of the way first. Once they're gone, the dragzhi will kill all of us."

  "Such a thing will never happen!" Denestra butted in. "The tark are far more powerful than the dragzhi. Why do you think the fire dragzhi have been safe on Setion for thousands of years? Because we are their protectors, offering them sanctuary. Everyone fears the tark."

  Torsten held out a piece of bread to Leila. "Eat. You need to keep your strength up."

  Leila smiled as she took the food from her brother. "Thank you, Tor. You always take such good care of me." Leila too
k small bites of the bread. "Not bad. Who made it?"

  "Don't ask," Rutger said.

  "What's next?" Leila asked. "The dragzhi were a dead end as far as finding Rell goes."

  "We're still considering," Torsten answered before anyone else could say anything. If Leila was truly repentant, her actions would eventually prove it. Until then, he wanted to keep any vital information from her. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Denestra's eyes flash red, then quickly return to their neutral black.

  "Okay. If you need help deciding where to go, let me know. I want to help." Leila smiled at Torsten before taking another bite of the bread.

  Torsten settled against the glass, watching the stars fly by as they traveled through space. Hopefully toward Rell. Toward a resolution to all of the madness that had begun the day he'd been sent from the tower to retrieve the Key, a mission he still considered the highest priority.

  28

  Leila sat up, wide awake, long after the others had fallen asleep for the evening. Or at least what they decided to call evening. It was impossible to know the passage of time on this ridiculous ship. If it could even be called a ship. It reminded Leila of the bubbles she'd blown as a child.

  Her mother had mixed soap with water until it foamed. She'd then take the bubbles, placing them gently on Leila's open palm. With her eyes wide open so she wouldn't miss a bit of it, Leila blew on the soap, causing the bubbles to float into the air. If she was lucky, one would fly for a very long time. Leila would chase it through the yard until it caught on a branch of the apple tree or popped on its own.

  She'd loved bubbles.

  She hated this ship. It reminded her of everything she was fighting against—the aliens, Rell, and her brother.

  Damn Torsten for interfering in everything. When she'd joined with the dragzhi, the sense of power had been overwhelming. For a moment, she'd questioned her sanity, but once the dragzhi entered her mind, she knew she'd made the right choice making contact with it.

  The dragzhi knew too. It knew enough to leave a part of itself behind in Leila.

  She smiled to herself, wrapping her arms around her stomach. It was in there somewhere. Like the child she'd often dreamed about having with Mellok. Instead of living out her dreams with him, she'd been forced into a nightmare.