A Blue Star Rising

by Cecilia Randell

  Almost-pack.

  That was all she got before he veered off to the right, straight into the densest brush. “Fuck,” she mumbled. She didn’t want to call out, though. Not that it would make all that much of a difference with the way she was thrashing around in the greenery, getting who knew what on her arms. She nearly stopped to pull on the sweater. Nearly.

  She glanced back once to be sure Felix was still there. Of course he was. She put her attention back on not being strangled by leaves as she followed the glimpses she received of Garfield’s furry butt.

  They continued this way for about fifty feet before emerging onto a trail that was more obviously a trail, though still overgrown. Garfield followed this, an extra flourish and push to his steps.

  Almost-pack. Help.

  There was that phrase again. “Almost-pack.”

  An image of Jason appeared.

  Oh. Almost-pack. “I think he’s found Jason,” she called back, excitement building. Jason had been trained for Falass. He’d know the language, and if there were locals they could go to for help. And he’d have food and water and maybe an air conditioner.

  Oh God, air conditioning.

  “Focus.” The word was soft and deep, soon followed by a roll of thunder, so the sounds flowed together.

  She’d attributed the darkening of the jungle to the setting sun, but they had no real idea what time it was or when they’d arrived. Now it looked as though the dark was due to clouds, not the time of day.

  Not like I can get any wetter. She picked up her pace behind the cub when another burst of thunder rumbled through the air and startled a flock of bright green birds from a tree to the left.

  They made good time after that, only stopping once to hide. A couple minutes later, as they continued down the trail, she barely avoided a small puddle that had formed in the impression left behind by something very large. Not as large as the T. rex print in Jurassic Park, but damn, she didn’t want to tangle with that.

  She was about to beg for another break when Garfield stopped at the base of one of the giant trees whose dense crowns made up most of the canopy.

  Felix tapped her shoulder and pointed up. Just visible through the thick branches were planks of cut wood. They spanned across branches still thick enough to support the structure, but high enough they’d be out of reach of most predators. A treehouse?

  The mercenary didn’t speak, and so Blue continued to keep her silence. They paced around the trunk, looking for a handhold, step, rope, anything they could use to climb. Garfield chittered at them impatiently, then leapt, latching onto the smooth gray bark.

  “That’s all very well, but we don’t have those,” she whispered, waving her puny human fingers at the piquet. He chittered again. There was a definite feel of mirth behind it.

  The crack of a branch snapping came from behind, and Felix spun, knife held ready. Blue matched him, only a beat behind, as they scanned the brush.

  Garfield chirped, the sound welcoming, as Jason stepped from the brush.

  At least, she thought it was Jason. He’d gone from Hollywood handsome to jungle-boy. Or man. Leather straps crossed his bare chest, securing a pack to his back, and ragged, loose trousers were tucked into soft, cloth boots. The scruff she’d last seen him with had grown into the beginnings of a decent beard.

  “Blue?”

  The voice was definitely his. She waved.

  “What are you doing here? Where are the others?” He looked from Felix to her and then to where Garfield still clung to the tree. “I need to get word to Borran, my handler. There are some extremely weird things going on here, and I think it’s connected to your investigation.” He strode toward them, then stumbled as he took in their clothing.

  Their very inappropriate clothing.

  His eyes narrowed. “Did you accidentally set off another portal?” He shook his head, the movement small. “No. The natural thin spaces to Falass are all on the Seradnes, which means you would have had to have been there. You weren’t, were you?”

  Blue shook her head then gave an apologetic shrug. “I did… I’m still not sure. Garfield helped.”

  Garfield chirped.

  It startled a laugh from the Ministry agent.

  “No time,” Felix cut in. “Agent Peterson, we need your help.”

  Thunder boomed, cutting him off.

  Jason pulled his shoulders back. “We need to get higher. There can be flash flooding if the afternoon rain is bad enough, and this looks like more than a gentle misting. We’ll get up to the treehouse, and then we’ll talk.”

  Garfield started his climb before Jason had finished talking. Jason went to a slight hollow that she and Felix had passed over a few times, and pressed. There was a click, and a rope ladder unrolled. Jason climbed on. “Follow me. But one at a time. I’m not sure how well the rope will hold; it’s old. We’ll go up a tier at a time.”

  He climbed the twenty or so feet to the lowest branches and stepped off. Blue followed, breathing heavily by the time she reached those first branches.

  Damn endurance. It wasn’t just that, she knew. For a second, her vision swam, and she leaned against the trunk, thankful the branch she stood on was wide enough to nearly be a sidewalk.

  “What’s wrong?” Jason hovered beside her, arms out as if to catch her.

  “We’ve been going for a few hours. We managed to gather some water, but…”

  “I’ve got some food. And stored water. Just hang on a few more minutes.

  Then Felix was with them, and it was time for the next part. Garfield was already ahead, waiting on the next set of branches.

  “Now comes the hard part. We climb.” Jason gestured to a series of carved handholds. “Unfortunately, this treehouse was abandoned a while ago, and the platform pulley no longer works. I haven’t had the time or, truthfully, the energy to put into it. We’ll pause as often as you need to.”

  The last was so obviously directed at Blue that she grimaced. Endurance. Yay.

  They climbed. Then the rain started. Then they climbed some more. Took a break, or three. Then climbed.

  The last stretch was only about eight feet, but Blue’s arms were overcooked noodles by then. Jason went first, unlatching and pushing open the door in the bottom of the treehouse. He disappeared inside, then reappeared, hand outstretched. “Almost there. Then we’ll regroup and figure out the next steps.”

  This was the Jason she liked. At a chirp from Garfield, she pulled herself together and then up the last few handholds. Jason helped her the rest of the way, and then she was on a rough, wood-plank floor. The same wood planks made up the ceiling and appeared to be sealed with some sort of resin. Except there were cracks, and the rain leaked through in some areas.

  She rolled away from the floor-door and sprawled. Garfield came to sit next to her. Reassurance and the idea that Vivi—and via her, Forrest—were undamaged came from him. Blue had to assume Levi was as well.

  “Here you go.” Jason held out a rough wooden cup to her, filled with water. “Drink all of it. The humidity will take a lot out of you, especially if you’re not used to it. Hand it over when you’re done. I only have the one cup.” The last was said with a wry smile.

  She sipped as he crossed the room to rummage in a small bin before pulling out a handful of small green fruits. He handed one to Felix, then Blue, and kept a third for himself. “Start slow with the fruit. They’re a little sour, but they’re safe and they’ve got electrolytes. They’re a staple with the villagers, but they take a little getting used to.”

  Blue nibble a small bite and nearly spit it out at the sour taste. She drained the cup and handed it back to Jason as he gave her a grimace of sympathy. After each of them had gotten water and eaten at least half the fruit, Jason moved to the only chair in the place. It was more a stool and too low to the floor to be comfortable, but…

  “I can take the floor. There’s a bed, and I also rigged up a hammock that will probably be more comfortable in the heat.”

&nb
sp; Felix inclined his head in thanks but remained on the floor. Blue stayed where she was as well. She wasn’t sure she wanted to get comfortable. That implied they weren’t going anywhere soon, which meant they weren’t getting to her missing guys anytime soon.

  “Okay then.” Jason waved a hand as his face fell into familiar, cold lines. “What is going on?”

  Blue let Felix fill him in on everything that had happened since he’d left. When they came to the analysis of the scent and the aromachist’s suspicions, he nodded. And when Felix spoke of Miyari dealing with Eteru, he snorted, though he held his words. Felix finished with the footage of Forrest and Levi’s abduction.

  Jason didn’t speak right away. “So she did go to you,” he murmured finally.

  Blue knew he meant Sarah. “Yeah. She wasn’t… nice about anything, but she did come to us. A little late, but she came.”

  “You already suspected it was moving through the university somehow.”

  Was he trying to defend the other girl? “True. But we had no idea who through. And that doesn’t matter now. Do you know the compound? Have anything we can use to get to Forrest and Levi? Garfield can take us there, assuming they’re not put under again or whatever was done.”

  Jason’s expression warmed as he got up to refill the wooden cup and hand it to her. “Probably should have held onto your glass tighter in that climb. And you’re right. I’m just… trying to figure out how to tell you what you need to know without violating any Ministry, um, confidentiality clauses.”

  Felix blew out a harsh breath, and Blue tensed.

  Jason held up a hand. “We’re not going anywhere until this rain lets up, no matter what anyone wants. And if it doesn’t let up before dark, no one is going anywhere until morning, unless they want to be eaten. Even the villagers don’t venture out after the sun sets. Which is to say, we have a little time. And I would ask that you respect my loyalties and oaths, mercenary, just as I have always respected yours.”

  It was quite a little speech, and Blue swallowed. Jason was right. He had made promises of his own. “Just don’t hold back anything that could play a part in finding the others, however you have to word it. Hell, we could make everything hypothetical situations or something.”

  “I’m not sure I’ll have to be quite that obscure.” He stood and gestured to the stool. “I feel weird with you on the floor. Please, Blue.”

  She conceded and stood. When she sat on the old wood, it creaked. “What is this place? It looks half-abandoned.” The bed was a simple built-in frame and what looked like dried leaves and moss. No sheets, no covers—not that it was cold enough to need them. A not-so-safe-looking hammock made from thinner vines. The stool. A table. A low wall of bins and shelves. Floor, walls, and ceiling of wood planks. Two round windows and a floor-door. That was it.

  “It’s part of what I have to tell you all, but yes, this is a typical home for the jungle dwellers, who call themselves the Doaki. And without going into a whole Falass 101, I will also tell you that this one has been abandoned for twenty years or so.” He paced along the far side of the room, stopping as the curved wall brought him to the bins, then back the other way until he hit the bed. “I was sent here to investigate the disappearance of two agents.”

  Blue decided not to tell him they had already figured that out. It would just derail the telling. Felix frowned but didn’t speak, and she thought he’d come to the same conclusion. Garfield climbed to the bed and sprawled out, content for the time being with having brought them to “help.”

  “I found their treehouse, but when I entered, their possessions had been removed and the hut was abandoned. The villagers insisted that they had been ‘banished,’ but if that had truly been the case, they would have simply waited for their next check-in and come home, reporting that a new agent or agents needed to be sent in.”

  “Did they maybe get eaten?” she asked. If they were waiting around in the jungle after dark, that seemed a real possibility.

  Jason snorted. “The thought occurred to me too. But before I had to leave myself, or risk ‘banishment’ as well, I overheard a villager and one of their elders discussing me, and the name Miyari came up. It was a close thing, but I managed to talk my way out of the tree-hut and get away before they decided I needed to join my ‘friends.’ Luckily, I came across this tree-house a few days later, or I probably would have been eaten.” He paced back to the bin-shelves and pulled out a tablet. “I also found a data card they had hidden.” He offered the tablet to Felix, who started scanning the contents.

  “These look like harvest records and trade agreements. I don’t know Falass well enough to see what may or may not be out of place,” Felix said, handing to tablet to Blue.

  “They are,” Jason said.

  “Records and agreements, or out of place?” Blue asked.

  “Both.” Jason resumed his pacing. “There is a flower sacred to the tribes in this area of the jungle: the noafa. It is a cousin of the plumar flower, but instead of having the bright oranges and pinks, it is a pure white. A year ago there were signs that someone was harvesting it. Not enough to be alarming, but it was a new pattern, and the agents made note. There were already whispers of a ‘healer’ in the jungles, but again, nothing alarming.

  “Then, a few months ago, one of the agents caught sight of some of the villagers heading west into the jungle, baskets of the noafa carried on their shoulders. He was only able to follow so far before he lost them. He flagged it to go in their next report, but that was still a month off. The other agent tried to ask the villagers about it, but all they would tell him was that the corrabi—the village elder—had made a solid trade agreement with the healer.”

  Blue and Felix exchanged a look. This followed along with everything they knew so far, including the flower.

  “Then one of the agents, their report didn’t say who, caught sight of what was being traded—Karran healing salves and machines, which is in direct violation of the Alliance laws concerning closed worlds. We can overlook a bit of smuggling here and there,” Jason shrugged and smirked a little. “But something like this? Tech that doesn’t belong here and that they don’t understand properly? There was even a mini-rejuvenator, which, when not calibrated properly, can have some nasty side effects.”

  “That’s it?” Felix asked, frowning.

  “Basically. A few villagers went missing here and there, but our agents couldn’t pry too much. The corrabi was already suspicious of them for asking so many questions about the flowers and the healer.” Jason frowned to match Felix. “Or I should say, that’s all they had time to record. I still haven’t found them or what, exactly, happened to them.” He let out a laugh without humor. “I’ve implemented systematic searches for any sort of complex or second village in the area indicated by the agents’ records, but I haven’t made much progress. I’ve barely been keeping myself fed.”

  Thunder crashed above them, and a strong gust of wind sent leaves crashing against the walls and windows. The tree remained steady, though, the thickness of the limbs providing the needed stability.

  “We’re not getting out of here today, are we?” she asked.

  “No.” It was Felix who answered her.

  She looked to Garfield, who was still sprawled across the bed of leaves and moss. The usual contentment that position signified was missing, but he also was not projecting worry or fear. A squeaking snore left the cub, and Blue relaxed. If it was urgent, Garfield would tell her.

  “Tomorrow morning then. Garfield will lead us to the compound. We’ll gather what information we can. When is your check-in?”

  “Not for another fifteen days.”

  “Too long. They could start doing who knows what to them at any moment, not to mention to whoever else they may have.” Blue stilled her mind as Garfield stirred. No reason to be the reason the cub started fussing. She was fine. Well, other than the not-so-tight grip she had on the wild donkey that was her fear of what may happen to Forrest and Levi and Vivi before s
he rescued them. And dammit, now I know how the guys must have felt when Trev took me and Phillip almost got me. This rescuing shit is not for wusses.

  “Agreed.” Felix started removing his armor, a piece at a time. “It is too long. Mo’ata and Zeynar will find us, and until then, we will gather what useful intelligence we can. But we’ll start in the morning, after we are rested.” He laid the last of his armor in the small pile he’d made and stripped off the long-sleeved dark shirt that he’d worn under it. It was sweat-soaked and clung like a fine film to his skin. He laid this over the armor.

  Great. I’m surrounded by muscly-men with tans and tattoos—well, Jason doesn’t have any tattoos—and it’s too damned hot and nasty to think about enjoying it.

  “Do you have any more of that fruit or anything else to eat?” she asked.

  It was going to be a long night. Damn waiting.

  Chapter 32

  MO’ATA

  Mo’ata stared at the place Blue, Felix, and Garfield had just been. Actually, he stared at a completely empty living room. Even the furniture was gone.

  He stepped into the apartment, Duri just behind him, and the door slid closed.

  Still he stared where his shopa should be.

  She hadn’t been taken, though. And the expression on her face just before she’d vanished?

  Triumph.

  He pulled out his comm.

  “What?” Zeynar sounded annoyed. Had he interrupted a meeting?

  “You should know Blue and Felix have disappeared.”

  “What?” A different tone. Iced rage.

  “I think Blue has somehow managed to portal herself… somewhere. And the glimpse I had indicated she was probably trying to find Forrest and Levi. She has Felix and the cub with her, as well as the living room furniture.”

  A choked laugh. A sound Mo’ata would have made himself if he didn’t want to break something so badly.

  “I understand. I am in negotiations now. I will contact you when we are done.”

  Then the line cut out.

  Mo’ata had to trust that Zeynar would get a location. He made his next call to Demil, still standing in an all too empty apartment. Duri paced the edges of the room, then headed in the direction of the bedrooms. Mo’ata could have told him there would be nothing to find, but he let the man look.