Ruins of the Galaxy Box Set: Books 1-6

by Chaney, J. N.

  “Somehow, that doesn’t comfort Ezo. Come to think of it, that makes it worse.”

  “So you can see past the defensive wall now?” Magnus asked, trying to think of a better way to describe whatever had hindered Awen’s second sight before.

  “As soon as we stepped off the last stair, yes.” She took a few more steps forward. “And it seems to clarify further as I walk.”

  “So it’s a proximity thing,” Ezo said, walking up beside Piper. “Is it the same for you?”

  “Yup. I couldn’t see anything in the Unity down here until we got off the stairs.”

  “Interesting,” Ezo said.

  “It looks like we have another stairwell at the end of this hall,” Saasarr said, tongue flicking out on each S-sound he pronounced.

  “Lead the way,” Magnus replied. “Awen, Piper, I need you telling us the first thing you see out of the ordinary.”

  “We will,” Awen said.

  Magnus waited for Piper to agree, but she didn’t. Why? What’s going on in that little head of hers? Dammit—he was letting the situation get to him, and he couldn’t afford to be distracted.

  Saasarr and Dutch moved smoothly along either side of the hallway, followed by the rest of the team. Magnus came up beside TO-96 and said, “I want you hanging back.”

  “Hanging back, sir?”

  “On this level. I want you staying here while we descend more.”

  “But, sir—”

  “No buts, ’Six. You’re the best solo option I had for heavy armament, so I need you covering this floor in case anything… you know.”

  “I know what, sir?”

  “Anything gets crazy.”

  “Crazy, sir?”

  “Exactly.”

  The bot’s eyes glimmered and his head tilted sideways.

  “If you see anything, call it out.”

  “I will endeavor to please you, sir.”

  “I know, ’Six.”

  Magnus caught up with the others as they were descending the stairwell. Like the previous one, it descended some twenty-five meters before spitting everyone out onto yet another level of long walls and torches.

  “Looks the same as above,” Dutch said.

  “Any signs of life, Awen?” Magnus asked.

  “Negative. Just more crypts.”

  “More crypts and Ezo’s got more creeps.”

  “Hush, love,” Sootriman chided. “Momma’s here.”

  “Momma?” Magnus raised his eyebrows, though no one could see them.

  “It’s one of their things,” Awen said as quietly as she could.

  “Ah.” Magnus sniffed. “Saasarr, looks like another stairwell ahead.”

  “Indeed, sir,” hissed the Reptalon.

  “Lead the way.”

  “As you wish, sir.”

  Just as before, the team proceeded down the wide but short hallway and entered the far stairwell, descending single file. No sooner had they set foot on the third level than Awen froze. “There’s someone down here.”

  Magnus looked down the empty hallway and then turned to face her. “You sure?”

  “Of course she’s sure, Magnus,” Piper replied. There she goes with my last name again. Something was definitely off with her, he was certain of it.

  “Don’t get me wrong,” Magnus said to Awen, ignoring Piper’s insolent tone. “But I’m not seeing any doors down here.”

  “That’s because they’ve been sealed in the crypts.”

  21

  “You’re telling me someone transported them in there?” Magnus squinted at Awen even though he knew she couldn’t see his face. “Someone trapped them behind the walls?”

  “Well, maybe not transported them, but opened the doors and then sealed them shut again, more than likely.”

  “Ezo is not liking this.”

  “Easy, love.” Sootriman rested a hand on Ezo’s shoulder.

  “He’s not liking this at all.”

  “Okay, everyone,” Magnus said, trying to maintain control in light of this rather odd predicament. “We’re going to get the prisoners out and—”

  “Are we sure it’s even them?” Valerie wondered.

  To Magnus’s embarrassment, he hadn’t even thought about whether or not the people that Awen sensed might be people other than Willowood and the Luma loyal to her. “Awen? Piper?”

  “I’m looking. Hold on…” Awen held up a hand for everyone to be silent. “I see…”

  Magnus found himself holding his breath as he waited for her verdict. If this was not Willowood and her people, then they’d just wasted precious time on a fool’s errand. But then that made Magnus wonder who else might be down here in these crypts.

  “It is them,” Awen said at last. The platoon let out a corporate sigh of relief and Magnus passed the word over the company channel. Abimbola, Rohoar, and Titus congratulated him and insisted they get back up fast so they could get out of there.

  “We’ll be up shortly,” Magnus replied. Just as soon as we figure out how to free them, he thought of adding but didn’t want to make the conversation any more complicated than it needed to be. The important thing was that they’d located Willowood.

  Magnus touched Awen on the shoulder. “So how do we do this?”

  “I’m going to have Piper try and help me open the doors. They are between all the torches. But they’ve been sealed shut using some sort of powerful force within the Unity. So it might take a second or two.”

  “We’ll be ready.”

  “And I don’t know what kind of condition they’re in,” Awen added. “I can hardly make out their life signs. I’m guessing So-Elku trapped them in there. Willowood is powerful. But if she’s been harmed, or if these crypts have cut off their powers in some way…”

  “We’ll get them out of here and get them the care they need.” Magnus watched her shoulders rise and fall. “It’s going to be okay. Just get them out and we’ll do the rest.”

  “Okay.” Awen took Piper by the hand and walked down the middle of the stone hallway until they reached what seemed to be the center. Then, still holding hands, the two of them lowered their heads as if in prayer. At first nothing happened. But then their suits started to glow. The light was soft, but then grew in intensity until Magnus’s HUD automatically adjusted to account for the unusually bright light now filling the third level of the catacombs.

  The stone floor began to tremble. Magnus felt dust and bits of stone ping off his armor. He looked up to see a steady stream of debris breaking free of the ceiling. A low rumble shook the walls, and Magnus was pretty sure that if Awen and Piper let this go on, the other platoons may be digging out more bodies than they bargained for.

  He was just about to say something when, all along the hallway, several sections of stone pivoted away from the walls. The torchlight flickered as gusts of wind and soft lights spilled from the cavities. The members of Alpha Platoon, along with Saasarr, had their weapons up and trained on the openings.

  Then, as if a conductor drew the orchestra to the end of the final measure, the vibrations stopped. Awen opened her eyes. “It’s okay,” she said over her external speakers. “You can come out now.”

  * * *

  Opening all the doors was harder than Awen thought it would be. Whoever had closed them was strong, and undoing their work had taken a lot of concentration and energy. She had one guess as to whose handiwork this was, and she already knew it had been assisted by research found in the codex. She knew because she felt it. She knew because the Foundation and the Nexus were a part of her skillset too.

  When the doors opened and the quaking ceased, Awen returned to her natural sight and said, “It’s okay. You can come out now.” She reached up and removed her helmet. Piper did the same. And a beat later, Valerie walked up to join them, also removing her helmet.

  The first person to emerge was a woman in her sixties, dressed in dusty red and black robes. Her grey hair was wiry and wild, and she had wrists full of bracelets, bangles, and baubles. />
  “Willowood,” Awen yelled, then raced forward to embrace the woman. More people began to emerge from the crypts, their faces and clothes covered in dust.

  “Hello, child,” Willowood cried. “I wasn’t sure if you’d come.”

  “We have. We all have.”

  “I can see that. Let me look at you.” Willowood pushed Awen back and looked her up and down. “Well don’t you look fancy.”

  “It’s a power suit. But there’s so much to explain.” Awen nearly slapped herself in the forehead. “And that’s not the most important part! Willowood, your—”

  “I’ll take it from here,” Valerie said.

  Willowood turned toward Valerie and Piper, her hands slowly going to her mouth. “Oh my…”

  “Hello, mother,” Valerie said.

  “Valerie? Is it really you?”

  Valerie nodded and put her hands on the sides of her face. “It is.” She and Willowood stepped forward and then wrapped their arms around one another in a forceful embrace.

  “My beloved daughter, is it really you?” Willowood repeated.

  Valerie sobbed through her response, which caught Awen off guard. The women had been so strong—so sure of herself—that Awen never imagined she’d hear the senator’s wife cry. But cry she did, squeezing her mother tight for all she was worth.

  When the two finally stepped away, neither seemed able to find the right words. Finally, Valerie said, “Piper, this is your grandmother.”

  “Grammie, please,” Willowood said, kneeling down. “No need to be so formal around here.”

  “I’m Piper.”

  “And aren’t you beautiful. You’re so much taller than the last time I saw you too.”

  “Is it okay if I give you a hug?”

  “I would like that very much.”

  As the two embraced, Awen found herself wiping away her own tears. The emotions had caught her off guard. She’d been so focused on finding Willowood, on keeping the fear at bay in this dark place, that she’d completely failed to imagine what this reunion might be like. She looked at Magnus, and even though he was still under his helmet, she thought her second sight showed a tear forming in the corner of his eye.

  Willowood held Piper and looked up at Awen. “Thank you for coming.”

  “Of course.” Awen sniffed and wiped her cheeks. “What else were we going to do?”

  “Mother, we have so much to tell you,” Valerie said. “I don’t even know where to start.”

  “I hate to break this up,” Magnus interjected, removing his helmet. “But we’ve gotta get you ladies outta here.” He extended his hand in greeting. “Willowood, my name is Adonis Magnus.”

  “I know who you are, Magnus.”

  Magnus hesitated. “You were the one in my… in my head.” He tapped a gloved finger on his temple.

  Willowood released Piper, nodded, and stood to shake his hand. “That’s right. And you responded very well considering how unnerving that must have been.”

  Magnus shrugged off the compliment. “Any idea how many people you have here, ma’am?”

  Willowood turned to watch the rest of the Luma pour out of the crypts. “Last I knew, we were fifty-four.”

  Magnus repeated the number, sounding surprised. “And they’re all politically aligned with your cause?”

  “If you’re asking whether or not they’re loyal to the pursuit of peace in the galaxy and, therefore, worth rescuing, the answer is most certainly yes.”

  “Right. Okay then.” He donned his helmet again and opened a channel to all of Granther Company. “Be advised, we have the prisoners. Fifty-five souls to evac.”

  “Copy that,” Titus said. “Hallway still clear.”

  “Dome clear,” Abimbola added.

  “I, however, do have activity to report,” said TO-96.

  * * *

  “What is it, ’Six?” Magnus asked.

  “I am sensing movement from behind the walls on this level,” the bot replied.

  “As in rats?”

  “Negative, sir. Something much larger. I advise you to ascend to Elder’s Hall immediately.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  Magnus pushed his external speaker to 80%—not wishing to hurt anyone with the full force of Novia Minoosh audio technology—and turned to face the hallway, now bustling with gladias and Luma. “Listen up, everyone. We’re here to get you topside and then off this planet. We’re more than likely going to encounter some resistance. But we’re prepared for that. It would go a long way, however, if those of you who are in good enough condition could join us using your… your mystical Union—”

  “The Unity,” Awen whispered over comms.

  “Your powers in the Unity to assist us. If you’re so able, I need a quick show of hands.”

  A little more than half the Luma’s hands went up. Considering they’d been trapped down here for who knew how long without proper care, that number surprised Magnus. Granted, he hardly knew what he was asking, but figured Awen would know what to request of them. “They’re all yours, Awen.”

  With her helmet still under her arm, she raised her voice and spoke with a sense of urgency. “Most of you know me. For those who don’t, my name is Awen dau Lothlinium, and I am a former member of your sacred order, now a member of the Gladio Umbra.

  “First and second year students, I want you in the rear escorting the injured. Third years and up, along with any elders, you’re with Elder Willowood and myself, just behind Alpha Platoon.” She paused. “I mean, the troopers here.

  “Our objective is to get everyone to safety on the shuttles at docking bays thirty-four through thirty-seven. If you get lost or separated for any reason, that is the rally point. Board any one of those four shuttles that you can. And if we encounter any Luma resistance in the Unity from So-Elku and his forces, all of you are our first line of defense. Keep your second sight open and call out what you see. Understood?”

  As heads moved up and down, Magnus couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of pride in how Awen had just commanded the room. He wondered if these people had ever been spoken to like that before, and realized, if they survived all this, it wouldn’t be the last time—not with someone like Awen around.

  “Let’s move,” Magnus said, turning back toward the stairwell and taking the first few two in a bound.

  “Sir?” asked TO-96.

  “What is it?”

  “I really must insist that you increase your pace.”

  “Trust me when I say we are coming as fast as we can. Why? What’s going on?”

  “The activity behind the walls is growing in scope.”

  “Chances are it’s just the plumbing, ’Six. No need to worry.”

  “The plumbing, sir?”

  “Mystics, yes, the plumbing. Just don’t worry about it unless something starts leaking out of the walls.”

  “Very good, sir.”

  Magnus was running down the second level’s hallway when TO-96 spoke again. “Given your instructions, I’m going to begin worrying now, sir.”

  “What? Why?”

  “There is something leaking out of the walls. More specifically, the walls are opening.”

  Magnus was about to bark back at the bot when he noticed the walls on the second level begin to move. In the blank intervals between the torches, cracks formed and panels of stone pressed out, just like on the third level where all the prisoners were held. He double checked his HUD and even his bioteknia eyes to verify that there were no life signs coming from behind the doors. There weren’t.

  “Awen?” he asked, hearing the tension in his own voice.

  “Uh oh,” she replied.

  “Uh oh?” Magnus raised his NOV1 at the nearest gap in the wall. “What’s uh oh?”

  “So-Elku,” she murmured. “What have you done?”

  22

  The first decomposed humanoid corpse pushed through the gap in the nearest door, snapped its head in a Luma’s direction, and lunged. Its boney hands—held tog
ether by tawny tendons and decayed flesh—drove into the woman’s chest and protruded out her back. Her scream wheezed through the gaps in her body instead of her mouth.

  A second Luma died when a corpse thrust its thumb and fingers into the man’s mouth and eye sockets, spindly fingers pressing into brain tissue. The monster shrieked at its victim, its brittle skin all but peeled away from the eyeless skull and gaping mouth.

  Magnus had no idea what to say about the things that creeped out of the crypts. All he knew was to shoot first and ask questions later. Light and sound sent shockwaves down the hallway as Magnus tore into a third creature with his NOV1. The weapon’s high-energy rapid-fire burst shredded the skull and upper chest cavity as if the thing had been made of clay and linen. But the torso and legs continued to walk toward him, so he blasted them into oblivion too.

  “Holy splick,” someone exclaimed over comms.

  “Holy wouldn’t be my first word choice,” he replied, then aimed at another corpse and tore it apart with his rifle. Then he turned to see the rest of Alpha Platoon engaging the strange apparitions as the light from their weapons lit up the hallway in brilliant blue flashes.

  “Awen,” Magnus demanded, “talk to me!”

  “I have no idea!” She turned on the corpse nearest her. Her suit glowed yellow in the chest, then a burst of energy shot out and struck the creature. Its arms, legs, and skull popped off the incinerated torso like someone had yanked the components off with wires.

  “What do you mean you have no idea?” Magnus aimed at a third being and drilled it with a series of shots. “This is a Unity thing, right?”

  “Yes, I believe so. But I don’t know how it’s possible. I mean, there are old stories of dark Unity users who did this kind of thing, but those are just legends. So-Elku, he’s—” Another corpse took a blast from Awen, and half its body vaporized in a cloud of dust. “He’s reanimated the bodies and turned them into a security system or something.”

  “How many are there? Can you stop it?”

  “Stop it? I can’t even see what he’s done to them!”