“I’m not sure, but I do expect someone will.” I clenched my jaw, hoping we weren’t overdoing things tonight.
I noticed the glint of metal from behind our rear shed, and another from the forest out front. Dean’s soldiers were in place. All we had to do was wait.
“Who wants spaghetti?” I asked.
Fifteen
Jules lowered her shuttle to Sarlun’s vacation property and flashed the lights a couple times to let Suma know she had company. She’d been unresponsive to any calls, and Jules hoped that she was only on silent mode because of her honeymoon.
Rivo had used the portal room to go home to Bazarn, and promised to assist them remotely. She was in the middle of an acquisition, and her business had to come first. Jules appreciated that, but still thought the fate of her friends was more important than a transaction.
“Suma?” Jules inhaled the scent of the tropical flowers as she walked toward the villa. It was beautiful here, even at night. Glowing insects fluttered through the air, and she felt a keen sense of kinship with them.
“Suma?” She knocked on the villa’s entrance, a ten-foot-tall rounded wooden door with the Shimmal symbol carved front and center.
It finally sprang open, revealing a drowsy-looking Suma. Her snout wagged with impatience. “We don’t… Jules?”
She embraced Jules, and dragged her inside. “Sorry to barge in like this.”
“I’m assuming it’s important?” Suma asked. She picked up a robe and cinched it around her waist.
“Very.” Jules looked around, seeing dirty plates stacked at the table, and an open bottle of expensive Shimmal sweet wine. “Where’s Elex?”
“Sleeping.” Suma grinned.
“Congrats, by the way. We barely had a chance to speak at the wedding, but …”
“Sorry about that. It was a whirlwind. Have a seat.” Suma went to the couch and patted the cushion beside her.
“Have you seen your dad?”
“Dad? Not since the day after the ceremony. Why?”
“Okay, I know you two are close…” Jules swallowed.
“Ju, what are you trying to say?”
“Has he been acting strange?”
Suma frowned, and Jules expected a fight. She’d been anticipating it the entire trip to Shimmal. “He has. Ever since the Sect of Memories incident. He won’t talk to me, and every time I suggest he should work things out with Dean, he closes up. Tells me it’s not my business, and that there are things I don’t understand. I swear, he looked ready to croak last time.”
“And you asked about it?” Jules asked.
“Of course. The last was… actually, the day of my wedding, he said, ‘in due course’. Whatever that means.” Suma was on the edge of her seat. “Tell me what you can.”
Jules explained Sarlun’s trip to Traro Bello, and his visit with Ranul nearly a year before.
“And you’re sure she didn’t just escape?”
“It’s not that unreasonable to believe my theory,” Jules said.
“We’ve done similar things in the past, but always with technology, not runes etched onto the underside of a desk.” Suma held a cushion to her chest. “Magic?”
“As magic as I am, I suppose.” Jules smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She was worried.
“What is my dad doing?” Suma asked.
“From the evidence, he’s helped Death’s Maiden escape, and they’re going to Ebos.”
“Ebos? Why?”
“I hoped you’d know,” Jules said, a little too forcefully. “Sorry. I’m not upset with you. Just your father.”
“Understandably. I can’t believe he’s tied up in this.”
“As far as Ebos, we’re unable to confirm our suspicions. I haven’t been able to communicate with my parents, but they were at Rylan, so I assume they’re okay. I suspect they’re flying for what Papa thinks is a colony world, but for some reason, Ranul will be there. Possibly with Sarlun.”
“I have to find out why—” Suma tossed the pillow aside. “I’ve never heard of him mentioning Ranul, or Death’s Maiden. My father wasn’t in charge when she went to prison.”
“Then why…” Jules sat up quickly. “What about his father?”
Suma grabbed her tablet, and began studying the private archives.
Elex poked his head from the bedroom. “What’s going on?”
Jules waved at him, and he was shocked to see her. “Jules Parker?”
“Hi, Elex. Sorry for interrupting your honeymoon. It’s really important.”
“Can I tell him?” Suma asked.
“Go for it.” Jules waited patiently as Suma explained the situation to her new husband.
“That’s easy. Let me try something,” Elex said, rushing to a computer across the room. “I can triangulate the phrases, linking Sarlun’s father Solir with references to Ranul, Death’s Maiden, and… what did you say her race was?”
“Brack,” Jules whispered.
“Wait. Who are the Brack?” Suma asked.
“Remember the girl we went to see on Udoon?” Jules had left that part out, and she told the pair about the near disaster at Udoon Station.
“Sure. Is she Brack?”
“No. Her people were ambushed by them as she fled. Twenty years later, she shows up, and the one Brack in our galaxy is freed from prison by Sarlun,” Jules said.
Elex was half-distracted, focusing on his computer screen. “I found medical records for Solir.”
“Anything interesting?” Suma went over to him, and Jules joined. Solir looked similar to Sarlun, with a slightly longer snout and larger eyes.
“It said he had a tattoo on his left shoulder blade.”
“I don’t remember that. But my father has an identical one,” Suma advised them.
“I think I saw that on a vacation.” Jules recalled an odd shape. At the time, she’d thought it was a portal symbol, and told them as much.
“No. I’ve asked about it, but he always dismissed my queries. Said it was a youthful transgression.” Suma used her tablet, and scrolled through images until she found one of her and her dad walking toward the picturesque Shimmali beach when she was a little girl. It was her favorite. She zoomed on it, and took a screenshot. The tattoo was shaped with three crooked lines topped with multiple points, like a damaged star.
“I’ll do some work on that. See if I can determine its origin,” Elex said. Jules noticed he was really getting into this. She didn’t know him well, but could instantly tell he and Suma made a great pair. Suma kept stealing glances at him, and he’d return them with a grin. Jules sighed, remembering what that type of connection felt like.
“We’ve determined that your father and his dad both had tattoos, but there’s no indication they were tied together.” Jules scanned the medical records, but found no mention of the symbol.
“You think the tattoos match?” Suma asked.
“Maybe. The markings Ranul made…they might be related.” Jules was going on a hunch, but symbols held power. That was why the Theos made the portals with them. Each was used to identify a planet. She bet the idea was derived from the same core. “Elex, can you also look into any cultures who used these kind of markings as a source of power? Witchcraft or superstitions.”
“I only took an entry level xenoanthropology course in school, but I’d expect that nearly every civilization used drawings and symbols at some point in their evolution. I don’t think that’ll help you much,” he said.
“Okay. Send it to Karo at the Academy. Tell him to search for any evidence of a race that actually succeeded. I have to understand how Ranul became invisible and, if Sarlun is linked to this, what his tattoo means.” Jules glanced at the time. “I better be going. Magnus wants to get to Ebos as soon as possible, but I think Regnig’s library might be the best start.”
Suma blocked her from the exit, and Jules had a twinge of fear. She nearly let her powers surge when Suma spoke. “Elex, gather your things. We’re taking a trip.”
&n
bsp; She smiled at Jules, and her shoulders relaxed.
____________
“It’s late, Dean. I don’t think he’s coming,” Mary said.
Hugo was asleep in bed, or at least, he was supposed to be.
“He’ll show.” She’d discovered me in Jules’ bedroom, and I thumbed through her favorite childhood book. The hardcover was full of scary fairy tales, far darker than anything a child should read. I flipped to one dog-eared page, finding a story about an evil witch luring children to a house made of candy. I set the book down, and walked with Mary into the living room.
The troops from the Institute were still present, waiting for me to give word, but I guessed they were starting to lose their patience. It had been seven hours since we’d come to my house.
A transport’s thrusters highlighted the night sky, moving toward our position. “Here we go.” I climbed to my feet, dusting my hands off nervously. Sarlun had a lot of explaining to do. At least if he came, I could discount my assumption that he was trying to betray me. This could be a good step. Maybe I wouldn’t even need the soldiers to detain him.
Mary stood at the end of the porch with me, staring at the bright lights. “That’s not a transport.”
“What is it?”
People jumped from the thing when it was fifty feet overhead, sliding down on ropes.
I fumbled for the alert device, accidentally dropping it on the porch. It bounced and slipped through the wooden slats. I fell to my knees, trying to get to it, but the alarm was unreachable. “Institute! Help!”
Twenty armed soldiers surrounded my house, and I sought to secure a good look at them, which was difficult under the glow of the drop ship hovering above us.
“Wemeetagain,” the man said. It was one of the Hileo goons from Ibarran D.
“I see you still haven’t bathed,” I told him.
He was hideous, face full of growths overpowering his tiny eyes and giant round nose. “Funny. Deanparkeryouaredead.”
There were a couple other Hileo people, along with several Keppe, and even a few Padlog. This was a pitiful mercenary group at best. They were no match for the trained soldiers sneaking up behind them. I had to delay for a moment.
“How much is Sarlun paying you?” I asked.
“Thatsnoneofyourbusiness,” the lead guy said, confirming my suspicions that Sarlun was indeed behind this.
“What’s the plan? Bring me in? Keep me detained until Sarlun is satisfied?” I shouted.
The man shook his ugly head. “No. Youdie.” His smile was nauseating, and Mary reached for her hidden pulse rifle. She aimed it at his wide chest from twenty meters away, giving me time to grab my pistol.
“Stay where you are,” Mary said.
“Idontthinkso.” The first blast went wide, striking the exterior of my house. Mary and I ducked and rolled, moving behind the porch’s railing. More gunfire. Heavy artillery burst from their weapons, carving holes into my walls.
I lifted my gun above the rails, and blindly fired back. “I have to get Hugo,” I told Mary, and we retreated.
Fighting from the other side of the newcomers finally sounded, and we used the diversion to burst through the front door.
“Hugo!” I raced through the hallway, shoving his door open. His room was empty.
“Hugo!” Mary called, checking the other rooms. We rushed to the living area, diving to the floor when the windows shattered.
The fight was on, and these mercenaries had one agenda. “Hugo!” I said his name again, and he emerged from the basement. Hugo looked so grown up in his armor suit, carrying a snub-nosed shotgun pulser.
“Where are they?” he asked with confidence. Mary and I just stared at one another, and pointed at the door.
“Come on. Follow me.” Hugo went first, and we huddled behind his armor, racing outside.
The drop ship floated right above the ground, and I saw what they were intending to do. “We have to go!” Hugo sped forward, shooting at anyone not in Institute uniforms. He took down two targets, but it was difficult to see with the light from the vessel shining into our eyes. Someone tackled me, sending my gun flying.
He grunted, falling onto me, and Mary stood over him, rolling the body off. “Thanks,” I said. I picked up his big gun and tested the trigger. It hit the corpse.
The drop ship’s weapons squealed as they powered up, and I glanced back to our old house one last time. The cannon pulses fired. Mary and I stayed low to the ground, shielding our heads with our arms, and I felt the heat of the blast as it flew into the open door. The explosion that followed rocked the field, throwing us ten feet into the air. My arms careened, and I landed awkwardly on the ugly Hideo. I couldn’t maneuver my gun to point at him from this position, so I whacked the butt of the weapon into his face.
He shoved me away, scrambling to his feet. He tried to shoot me, but I was faster. The pulse took him in the arm, and he shrieked in pain. The Institute soldiers were everywhere, and I watched as a few of them hopped onto the ropes dangling from the drop ship. They climbed up effortlessly, and a moment later, the lights turned off, and the vessel crashed to the field beyond our land.
Hugo and Dean aimed at the remaining seven mercenaries. Jules’ ex-boyfriend’s cheeks were streaked with dirt, his hair hanging past his eyes. An enemy soldier lunged for him, but Dean held his ground, shooting the Padlog. No one else moved after that.
“Whatareyouwaitingfor?” the Hideo man asked, clutching his injured arm with the other hand.
Mary walked over and kicked him in the chest, keeping him down. “Bind them all up! Make sure there’s no surprises,” she told the soldiers. “They blew up my house and tried to kill us. I want answers!”
I’d never seen Mary so angry. She stalked to the other mercenaries and grabbed one of the huge Keppe by the collar. “Why did Sarlun send you?” He didn’t answer. She went to the next, a short, squirmy Padlog insectoid. “You. Tell me what you know!” She slapped him, jarring his head to the side.
“Mary,” I muttered, coming to their defense. I wanted answers as much as her, but this wasn’t the way to go about it.
She decked another Hideo, and he didn’t retaliate. He knew if he laid a hand on her, he was a dead man. They’d come expecting a helpless family, and found fifty soldiers waiting in the reeds. “Where is Sarlun?”
“Wedontknow. Wewerepaidandgiventhejob.” The man averted his eyes, and Dean began barking orders, having the outstanding mercenaries loaded into a transport ship. When they were all detained, he walked up to us, looking at the remains of my house. Pieces of it were scattered across the land, smoldering in flames.
“I’m sorry. We should have reacted sooner.”
“I lost the alarm,” I hissed. Our home on New Spero was destroyed. Fury boiled in my veins. My wife and son were present, and Sarlun had hired goons to murder us.
“Is it true?” Dean asked. “Sarlun did this?”
“Seems that way,” I said.
Dean stared at me, then at Mary. “What are we going to do?”
My wife was still frowning, watching our house burn. “Kill him. I’m going to kill Sarlun.”
Sixteen
“Let’s make this quick,” Magnus said.
“We shouldn’t be wasting time, but I think it’s for the best.” Jules wanted to be gone from Shimmal. She peered at Suma and Elex on the bridge, wondering if they could even trust them. As far as Jules knew, Suma might be in on her father’s deceit. She was a good judge of character, though, and did feel like Suma’s reaction to the news had been genuine.
“You want to find out what the tattoo means? It’s in the hard files at the library. Regnig had certain documents locked up, and from the looks of it, that would be the only place to possibly learn what Sarlun’s inked symbol means,” Nat told her.
Rumi made a surprised noise, and almost hopped from his chair. “Captain, we’re getting a communication from New Spero.”
“Play it,” he ordered.
“No. It’s li
ve.”
“Then patch it on screen,” Magnus said.
Jules panicked when she saw her parents in front of her. “Papa? Mom?”
Papa looked terrible. His eyes had dark bags under them, and she gazed around behind them, seeing Dr. Swan’s office décor.
“What are you doing at the Institute?” Magnus asked.
Her dad exhaled. “First of all, are you okay?”
Jules nodded. “We’re fine. Now answer Magnus’ question.”
“Sarlun sent us a message. He lured us to New Spero and tried to kill us in our own house.”
Suma dropped her tablet and stumbled toward Rumi’s helm position, resting a hand on the back of his chair. “That’s impossible.”
“Tell that to the thirteen dead mercenaries he hired,” Mary muttered. “Sarlun did it, we’re sure of it. We just don’t know why.”
“I think I do,” Jules said. “Why haven’t I been able to contact you?”
Her mom regarded Papa from the side of her eye. “Dean, care to explain?”
“It’s a long story. But...I deactivated the network,” he said.
“You did it? Why?” Jules couldn’t believe her ears.
“Ovalax. I’d prefer to discuss this in private later. Let’s just say that something needs me to go to Ebos, urgently.” Papa had that expression on his face. She wanted to hug him, and find a way to protect her family. Had he mentioned Ovalax? “Hugo fixed it temporarily, and we saw a single message. It was from Sarlun.”
“We need to talk,” Magnus told them. “Have you heard about the Death’s Maiden’s escape from Traro?”
“It was the last thing we learned before our Cyclone went dark,” Mary said.
“It appears Sarlun is behind that as well.”
Papa’s eyes grew twice as large. “Sarlun freed her?”
Jules informed them of what they’d learned with Ave’s help, and Suma stood with Elex’s arm around her shoulders, comforting her.
“And the mystery ship?” Papa asked. “From Udoon.”
Jules waved Jaessa into the center of the bridge. “Mom… Papa… this is Jaessa.”
The Colony (The Survivors Book Seventeen) Page 15
