I said goodbye and turned to face the packed hall as I strolled over to a small empty table near the back. Shadow appeared and hopped up on the seat next to me, a half-eaten bun in his hand. He held it out in offer.
I held my warm mug close to my chest and sighed happily. “Thanks, buddy. But it’s all yours.” I took a sip of my tea. “Hey, do you know where Silas is?”
Shadow stopped chewing and blinked his large black eyes up at me. One of his little hands touched the skin of my arm and I felt that same warmth as before, when he was trying to tell me something.
“Go see my dad?” I asked but the creature just continued eating his snack.
I finished my tea and headed off toward Dad’s quarters. Just as I approached the closed door to his room, it opened with a loud creak and my father stepped out into the hall, a backpack slung over his one arm. He regarded me with surprise.
“Oh, morning, Peach,” he said and closed the door behind him. “I was just coming to get you.”
“Have you seen Silas?” I asked. “What’s with the bag? Going somewhere?”
Dad patted my arm with a sigh. “Come with me.”
My nerves crawled slow and cautious under my skin as I hesitantly strolled behind him. He led me down even more corridors I’d yet to see before and with every step my heart rose higher and higher in my throat.
“Dad, where are we going?” I asked nervously. “Where’s Silas? What’s going on?”
“I’ll explain it all when we get there,” he replied solemnly.
“Get where?”
He sighed. “Just follow me.”
We walked in silence, aside from the repetitive patter of our boots against the dirt floors beneath us. Something was wrong. I could feel it in my bones. Not just from the way my father refused to give me more than a few words and danced around any sort of reply, but also in the way that a sense of familiarity tickled the back of my mind. These particular halls, this direction–plunging further underground–I’d been here before.
Finally, his pace slowed, and I sidled up next to him as we emerged onto a large balcony of sorts. It overlooked a massive cavern, perfectly carved out in the shape of a square. As if we stood inside a giant cube. The ceiling towered above us and the impressive space stretched out and around. Every square inch was covered in rune and glyphs. Ones…I’d surely seen before. I noted the stone stairway to the left and a sense of a memory pinged in my brain. I glanced down at the toes of my boots, just inches from the edge. A metal railing preventing me from falling over.
This time.
This was the pit. The portal. The place where Howard left me for dead and I got sucked back in time.
Dad took a few steps down and turned to look up at me in wait. “Come down with me, Peach.”
“No,” I said in a choked whisper and slowly backed away. “Why would you bring me here?”
Dad pursed his lips and held out a hand. “Andelyn–”
“Where is Silas?” I demanded, my eyes bulging from the anger that pushed at them from behind.
“It’s time for us to go,” he replied sadly.
“Go where?”
He waited a beat and then glanced down at the circle at the bottom of the pit. “Home.”
I knew it.
“I already am, Dad,” I argued. “Here. With you and Silas.”
He moved up a step and held onto the railing as he pleaded with his eyes. “It’s not safe for you here. It never was.” He reached out with his other hand. “Please, let me take you home.”
I slapped his hand away. “Don’t you fucking dare!” Tears swelled and spilled down my cheeks. “Silas is my home!”
“You think I want to go back?” he bellowed, his voice smashing against the walls around us as he moved up one step. “You think I want to leave all this behind? This is my life, Andelyn. Everything I’ve worked for is here, and more. But your life is the most important thing to me.”
I guffawed and crossed my arms in defiance. “And how do you expect to explain our sudden reappearance to the world? You’ve been gone for over two years, Dad. And let’s not forget that Howard murdered me. I don’t even have proof, the wounds are only a couple of weeks old, but they look like they healed years ago.”
“We’ll figure it out,” he said without an ounce of confidence. He knew I was right.
I tapped my boot against the floor. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“You don’t get a choice in the matter,” he seethed.
“I am not a god damn child!” I yelled back. “I do get a choice and I choose to stay here with Silas!”
“Silas is the one who made me do this!” Sweat beads broke out on his wrinkled forehead and I immediately saw the regret in his pained expression. He wasn’t supposed to tell me that.
Then I realized…Silas had just strolled right into that cell and scooped me up, walked out of his brother’s palace with ease. No fight, no Horus to stop us. Then, after we got back, his strange and distant behaviour. The familiar sadness he carried with him. As if he were leaving me again. But he wasn’t. Not this time. I was the one leaving.
So, where was the coward now?
I remembered then, the angry voices I’d heard before he fetched me from the cell. I thought about that for a moment then tipped my head back as I let out a maniacal laugh. “I’m going to kill him. He traded himself, didn’t he? For me.”
I looked at Dad and his reluctant, gentle nod was all the confirmation I needed. I couldn’t believe it. I’d risked my life to save the man I loved. Did everything in my power to fix him, to bring him back to me. And he just waltzed back into the arms of the enemy before shipping me off to the future.
Without him.
Chapter Six
“Andelyn!”
I wretched my arm from my father’s grasp. “Absolutely not! You can stay here and be a coward, but I’m going to get him.” My watery eyes pleaded for him to understand. “Dad, Silas is our family.” I squared my jaw. “He may be a total freaking idiot, but he belongs with us. Just as much as he does to these Gods.”
Dad’s shoulders slumped. “Don’t you think I know that?”
I stood, arms crossed in defiance, and my eyes flashed. “I’m going.”
He stuck his hands on his hips. “And what about the safety of the colony? Of the hundreds of people who live here?”
I placed my palm over my heart as guilt touched it. “I ran away at first because I didn’t understand what this place was and, when I found you and discovered Silas was alive, I acted rashly.” I shook my head. “But this isn’t rashly, I swear. I would never put these people in danger now. Horus tried relentlessly, but he can’t get inside my head.” I sucked in a breath of confidence. “I don’t plan on getting caught, but if I do, there’s no risk to the colony or the portal.”
Dad mulled it over in anxious silence, his mouth pursed in thought. He looked at me and adjusted his glasses. “And what about…your issue?”
My eyes widened. “My issue? You mean the drinking?” I crossed my arms again and tightened my fists underneath. “It’s under control.”
He shook his head. “I still don’t think you should go. It’s too dangerous.”
“That’s really for me to decide, though, isn’t it?” I pulled at the straps of my bag, securing it across my shoulders as I turned. “I’ll be back soon.”
“Jesus Christ, Andelyn!”
I sped off down the hall as the sounds of my father’s voice calling my name faded away. Hot blood pumped in my ears. I couldn’t believe the nerve of them. Both of them. The more I thought about the hours since Silas saved me from the horrible fate, the more I could see now. How he just waltzed right in, no fear of being caught by his brother because there was no fear to be had. He’d made a deal. Then his behaviour after I woke up. Distant, calculated. Exactly how he was the night before he and Dad left on the expedition two years ago.
I should have known. I should have figured it out before it was too late.
Now here I was, running back into the face of danger, nothing but spite and rage fuelling my every step. For Silas to just hand himself back like that, after everything we did to save him, it was like a slap in the face. If his brother hasn’t killed him yet, he’s going to pray for death when I get my hands on him.
I bypassed the Great Hall where I knew there’d be people gathered and veered off through one of the many tunnels that skirted around it. I needed to reach the Grand Entrance before my father sent someone after me. Or would he even bother? I’d done nothing but beg for my independence for years. Would this finally be the moment he gives it to me?
I rounded a corner and smacked right into a rock-hard body. Like colliding with a marble statue. My feet stumbled backward but I found my balance and looked up to find Eirik with Shadow in tow.
“Andie,” they said with surprise. “Where are you going? Is everything alright?”
I chewed at my lip as I scanned them for any sign of deceit. “Did my father send you after me?”
“Your father?” Eirik’s face twisted in confusion, but it was too forced. They were terrible at lying, perhaps a trait of their people. They heaved a sigh. “Yes. In haste, he spared the details but said you’d need help.”
I shook my head in frustration and kicked at the stone wall, grateful for my thick leather boots because it probably would have broken my toe otherwise. Bits of sand sprinkled to the floor and I paced back and forth where I stood.
Shadow scampered over to me and let out a stream of disgruntled chirps.
“You know exactly what I’m doing,” I told the creature.
“And what is that?” Eirik asked and took a careful step toward me.
My heart thrummed angrily in my chest. “Don’t you think it’s weird that Silas just scooped me up from his brother’s palace and brought me back here? Without a care in the world.”
Eirik’s pale expression went distant as they thought for a moment. Then they shrugged. “I didn’t really think about it. I was just thankful for your safe return.”
“He traded himself for me,” I replied. “He brought me back, made sure I was healed, then ordered my father to take me–” I forgot that no one was supposed to know what Silas did, how he rigged their precious portal for time travel. Now that I thought about it, they must have all assumed I came from off-planet. I rubbed my lips together as I began to pace again. “He, uh, tried to send me back to where I came from while he trotted off into the arms of his brother.”
Eirik’s wide eyes bulged as a quiet gasp puffed from their mouth. “Goodness. What a foolish thing to do.”
“Exactly!” I said, exasperated. “I can’t let him do this. So, I’m going.”
They leaned forward, their expression gawking in disbelief. “To Horus’s palace? No wonder your father insisted I follow you.”
“Oh, no, no, no.” I waved my hand in the air. “You’re not coming. It’s too dangerous.”
“Precisely the reason why I should come,” they insisted.
“I’m leaving right now,” I said, hoping to cause delay.
Eirik straightened their back and smiled proudly as they tightened the sash that held their flowy grey robe in place. “Then it’s a good thing I’m ready to go.”
I strange sense of…something warmed my chest. No one, aside from my father and Silas, ever went to bat for me like this. I’d never truly had friends. Ever. I spent my whole life hand-in-hand with my dad as we travelled the globe. And I happily did so, there’s nothing about my upbringing that I would change for the world. But having this, the feeling of friendship, the safety of knowing someone was there…
…I liked it.
I let out a defeated sigh and glanced down at Shadow. “Don’t suppose I can convince you to stay behind, can I?”
Thin lids skimmed over his massive black eyes as he blinked up at me, then he shook his head, causing those cute dog-like ears to flap about. I laughed to myself and closed my eyes as I sucked in a deep breath. I was running out of time. I looked to Eirik and smiled.
“Fine, then.” I cocked my head in the direction of the exit. “Let’s go.”
***
I considered using the portal doors to teleport straight to Horus’ palace, but two thoughts made me second guess it. We wanted to get in and out unscathed, but I had no idea where the portal doors were in the palace, so using them might land us right in the hands of the God of Vengeance. Also, I wasn’t completely confident in my ability to use them. Sure, I’d been to the palace enough to visualize it in my head, but what if it worked differently? What if I portaled us right back into the cell I’d been held in? The safest route was the long trek across the expanse of desert that stretched between the colony and Horus’ palace.
So, that’s what we did.
It had already been well over two hours since we first began the journey and the hot late morning sun baked my skin. One of the few patches of oasis was just a few yards up ahead and I longed for some shade. When my boots touched the lush green grass, I plunked down and grabbed the water canister from my bag and took a long swig. Shadow scuttled over to the edge of a small creek and lapped at the trickling water.
“You should cover your head,” Eirik said and pulled at one of the many lengths of fabric that made up their beautiful robe-like cloak and tore it from a seam. “Here, allow me.”
They knelt at my side and fashioned the grey silken scarf around my head, letting it drape down over my neck and shoulders. Despite being exposed to the sun for a better part of the morning, the material felt cool to the touch.
I pulled it through my fingers. “What’s this made of?”
Eirik lowered their hood. “It’s from my home planet. A substance generated from a plant called Choka. It has natural cooling abilities. We have material that self-warms, as well. Made from another plant called Thoka.”
I admired how it had a slight sparkle in the sunlight that filtered down through the trees. Like fresh snow on a warm winter’s morning. Something I never noticed before, down in the dull exposure of the colony. “I bet your planet is beautiful.”
Their usually cheerful expression faltered. “It was. Once.”
I took another sip of water and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand as Eirik sat down next to me.
“What happened to it?” I asked.
“Tanin miners came and harvested our resources until there was nothing left.” Eirik’s silver eyes blanked as they stared off in the distance. “Subtly at first. Then they came in droves, relentlessly taking whatever they wanted. Using my people’s non-violent demeanor to their advantage. They sucked our planet dry.” Eirik looked at me. “And we let them.”
My heart ached for my friend. I’d had no idea. And to think that the rest of the universe was no better than the greed that will eventually fester on this planet made me even sadder.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “That must have been awful.” Shadow pushed at my arm with his head, forcing his way into my lap. I scratched behind his ears. “Tanin. Like Shadow?”
Eirik smiled at my pet. “Yes. Of sorts. The Tanin are an old race, with many different facets and abilities. They casted their DNA across the entire universe and evolved differently on each planet it took root on.” They cooed at Shadow in my lap as if he were a baby. “Thankfully for us, this one evolved to be a pleasant creature.”
Shadow’s body thrummed with a cat-like purr in my hands and I chuckled.
“What’s your home planet like?” Eirik asked me.
My heart skipped a beat and I flew into a panic as my mind raced to form an acceptable response. “Uh, its…a lot like this one. Only…more heavily populated. Great cities cover almost all the land.”
“That sounds like a spectacular sight.”
I shrugged. “Not really. I mean, yeah, it looks cool, but the beauty of our past is almost non-existent. I spent my whole life travelling around with my dad to uncover great treasures and buried history. Our job was to keep things intact, to remind our people of
where we came from.”
But what fools we were. The people from my time have no idea what we truly are or where we came from.
“A noble duty, it sounds like,” they replied proudly.
Talking about it gave me a ping of sadness that I didn’t want to deal with right now. Part of me, deep down, missed my time. The simplicity of it all. The truth was, I’d go back, but only if Dad and Silas came with me. Shadow hopped off my lap and I stood up to brush the moist dirt from my bottom.
“We should get going,” I said.
Eirik stood with me. “Yes, of course. We’re nearly there. I can see the tip of the palace in the distance.”
Just as my boots touched the hot sand around the oasis, a dark blanket of shadow moved overhead, and I glanced up to find two winged guards swoop down from the sky. The same ones that carted me off the first time I’d ventured this way. They landed in the sand with a loud, heavy thwomp.
I widened my stance and braced myself. Shadow growled from behind the cover of my leg as Eirik held one of their long arms out in front of me in a protective manner. I appreciated the intent, but a non-violent healer wasn’t exactly the ideal bodyguard.
“Get lost,” I told the two bird-headed men.
“You’re in no position to be making orders,” one of them thundered.
Shadow clawed at my pants and I scooped him into my arms. I tapered my eyes at the guard who spoke. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“We don’t intend to take you.” He exchanged a devious glance with his partner. “Lord Horus has instructed us to keep you away from the palace.” He paused to let his beaked mouth curve into a sneer. “At any cost.”
My breath caught in my throat as he took a step toward me but, in a flash so swift I nearly missed it, Eirik’s arm shot out and collided with the guard’s chest, sending him soaring back at least ten feet where he slammed to the ground.
I looked at my friend in disbelief, but their mirrored expression told me they were just as surprised as I was. Eirik gawked at their own hands, as if seeing them in a whole new light, and flexed their fingers in awe.
Tempest Minds: A Time Travel Fantasy Romance (Kingdom of Sand & Stars Book 2) Page 4
