“Pythia Phi said she knew how to dissolve the barrier,” Aria informed. “Which means she knows about the process. She knows how to get Glut here.”
“We should head back,” Sunny said. “Yofiel, is there any chance that you can help us back to Elysian? By Kano’s command, everyone in the pit was a top priority and we have no way back.”
“I’m afraid not. I am trespassing into Caeli and it won’t be long before they notice I’m gone. I could be summoned up mid-transport and I’m not sure that will bode well for those I’m transporting.”
Ahn sighed. “We’ll figure it out. If at all possible, could you pass as much information to them; if no one else, Michael? Prie is…stubborn and emotional and those emotions will influence her grandfather, who we know is influencing everyone else with Khavah Dantò not around.”
Yofiel nodded. “I will try my hardest although it will be difficult. He has been the loudest since receiving Prie’s message. Safe travels.” He gave Aria a nod and was gone in an explosion of glittery gold smoke.
Yusuf rushed over to help Ahn and Anais to their feet as they prepared to leave. “You’d think that a reunion between father and daughter would be more emotional.”
Ahn chuckled. “Remember how time works between here and The Glory Beyond. While it seems that Aria has been gone from us for ages, for Yofiel it has been…considerably shorter.”
“Everyone,” Kano said, looking towards the entrance. “Let’s head out.”
CHAPTER NINETY FOUR
Elysian was still. Silent. Eerily silent.
“Well…this is strange,” Ryuu observed.
It was strange. She expected Elysian to be alive with movement, damn near chaotic! After all, Anais did lose her damn mind and tried to bring the Pit down on everyone’s head because of a temper tantrum. People would need medical attention, she was sure of it, however, when they pulled up to Sono it looked like the hospital was deserted.
The transporter they’d managed to borrow from the border station had taken them from the outreaches of the Later Ụwa territory, through Aeon Terra and right into Elysian. Order of priority had been plain. Get Ahn and Anais medical care, then get to Elysian Central and alert every one of Pythia Phi’s defection.
As the vehicle rolled to a smooth stop, Sunny was the first out the door, running across the courtyard and through the hospital bay. She returned minutes later, a look of bewilderment on her face. She climbed back into the transporter and without a word, closed the door.
“Well,” Aria said, turning around in the transporter to look at Sunny, “what happened?”
Sunny’s forehead pinched. “Sono is closed. It’s…completely empty. No one is in administration or the emergency department, and the entire exhaustive accelerated healing division has abandoned their post. They never abandon their post, it’s why…” Sunny sighed, frustrated. “This sign was plastered all over the walls.” She held up a sign made a paper, a rarity in a paperless society. Aria didn’t know what to make of that.
“ALL MEDICAL EMERGENCIES ARE BEING REROUTED TO ELYSIAN CENTRAL UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.”
Kano frowned. “Elysian Central can’t handle more than a hundred people in a medical emergency. This is not protocol. Closing Sono is never protocol.” He turned to Ara. “Open up a line of communication with Elysian Central Command, now. Ask them to patch us through to any of The Above members.”
Without delay, Ara pressed a button on her comm and a holographic image of a keyboard appeared. “Come on…come on,” she muttered as her fingers flew over the keys.
A loud squeal of feedback hit them all at the same time and Aria rushed to yank her earpiece out of her ear.
“What was that?” Ryuu grumbled as he rubbed his ear. “Communication is down,” Ara muttered, perplexed. “It’s bouncing back my signal. It’s bouncing back all signals.”
Just like Elysian, the inside of the transporter was silent until Ahn broke the silence. “This is not an indication of anything.”
“It’s an indication of enough!” Ara responded. “Why is communication down? Why is Sono closed? What is going on?”
“It isn’t conceivable,” Aria said, thinking of the possibilities, no, the possibility. She looked out of the window of the transporter, her gaze traveling down the stretch of the deserted street they were on. “Unless Pythia Phi beat us here.”
“And what, took over all of Elysian?” Ahn shook his head. “It’s been less than a few hours since the attack. Nobody here would even know about it!”
“Pythia Phi is Ose. She has command of SEKRÈ,” Aria said. “She is a Priestess, yes, so I understand you thinking that her power is limited but she is influential. Besides Dennes, she is one of the only people on this realm beyond reproach. She could waltz into Elysian right now and shut it down if she had a good enough reason. And…” Aria groaned, the sound hissing out between her teeth. Shit. Shit! She finally understood why Pythia Phi did what she did, in the way she did it. Pythia Phi wasn't just cunning, she was brilliant. “If she convinces Prie or any of the Hakimus, the city is good as hers!”
Kano shook his head. “This is all conjecture. We are guessing. We need to get back to Elysian Central and figure out what’s actually going on.”
“Or better yet, let’s not head straight into the one place that is the site of a possible coup d’état! Something is wrong, Kano.” Aria rotated in her seat until she was facing everyone else. “Elle told me that Pythia Phi has direct contact with Pythia Del through her. Just as Ahn said earlier, it’s not wise to run into a situation when we don’t know who our enemy is. We know that Eleven loyalist are still around, but what we don’t know is how high in command they have infiltrated or who’ve they’ve corrupted. Ryuu, turn the transporter around. We need to find a place away from Elysian. We can meet up with Mosi Neith. He’ll shelter us until we come up with a plan.”
“Mosi Neith,” Kano’s eyes narrowed. “The rebel leader located in Aeon Terra? That Mosi Neith?”
“You need to work on your definition of rebel. Do you mean the ones who I absolved hundreds of years ago or the ones who are currently trying to take over Elysian?”
Ahn shook his head. “Aria, don’t.”
“What?” she blared, confused. “They have resources, men and women who can fight! If we find we need to launch a counter-attack then we can–”
Kano laughed, the sound tinged with disbelief. “When Reem told me, I didn’t want to believe it. I told him he was mistaken. We would know if Aeon Terra was armed.”
Aria pulled her chin in. “They’ve been armed since the days I was the Leader of The Fallen.”
Kano reared back. “And you didn’t tell anyone?”
“Tell who? I was the Lioness. I authorized it,” Aria snarled. “We don’t have time for this, Kano. Ryuu, turn the damn transporter around!”
“Aria, stand down,” Kano said, lowly.
“I’m saving you from making a mistake! Ryuu, head towards Aeon Terra’s main citadel, Vox Populi. They will help us! They are Caelians, too!”
Kano raised his hand, a silent command for those under him to listen. “You seem to forget that you are not in command,” Kano growled. “You are not the Leader of The Fallen.”
Aira’s eyes narrowed. “Yes, I am.”
“No, you are not. You do not assume command until the Last Stand. There was no festival. There will be no festival, therefore, I am the Leader of the Fallen. I command these soldiers, including you. Yusuf,” he said, looking at his brother. “Arrest Aria Jinni.”
“What the hell is your problem?” Aria yelled.
Kano crossed his arms and stared at her like she was being a child. “You are hard headed and stubborn. You are not going to listen to anyone but yourself. They’ve made you into some kind of symbol and that sort of power cannot be contained. We need to be reasonable and tactical. Not headstrong. In a way, this will symbolic. Arresting you will let the people of Elysian and its soldiers,” he said with meaning, eyeing those in the car,
“know that we have a way of doing things now. Your era has passed.”
“But,” Yusuf tried.
“Do it,” Kano commanded. “If you can’t, I’ll get someone else who can.”
Aria noticed Yusuf’s hesitation. She appreciated it but it was unnecessary. If his brother wanted to be an ass, there was no need for him to try and fight it on her behalf. She patted his thigh. “It’ll be fine, Yu.” She smiled and he returned it, crookedly. As the younger Mutare reached for his handcuffs, Aria used his trust of her against him, and in an instant strummed up just enough power to snatch his pistol out of his holster. She flicked the safety off and pointed it at Kano.
The other Luminaries reacted, drawing their weapons and pointing them at her. In a way, she was proud. They didn’t let emotions get in the way of their duty.
“I’m not going to Elysian Central. I’m not walking into a trap.”
“Aria,” Kano growled.
“I’m going to unlock this door then I’m going to exit this transporter. You can continue to Elysian. I’m going to Aeon Terra.”
“You’re being obstinate.”
Aria smirked. “I know. Really starting to feel like old times. Look, Kano. It’s a contingency plan and I’ll even make it interesting for you. If it turns out I’m wrong, I will come back immediately. I will apologize and then I will relinquish vie for leadership of The Fallen. You win in the end with your “Aria’s reign has ended” bullshit.”
Kano glared at her, his jaw straining under how tight he clenched it, the tension climbing with every second of his silence. Then…his shoulders deflated and he sighed in a loud exhale when it seemed the inside of the car couldn’t take the pressure of tension anymore. “Lower your weapons,” he commanded. “We will report to Elysian Central and update everyone. We will reestablish lines of communication and I will alert you when–”
“If,” Aria pointed out
“When,” Kano stressed, “you can report back.”
Aria flashed her biggest smile and put up an ‘okay’ sign with her free hand. She let the trigger guard loop around her finger before handing the gun back to Yusuf by the muzzle.
“Take him with you,” Kano said, nodding towards his brother. “I don’t want him around for the blowback when I tell them about Pythia Phi.”
“I’m coming, too,” Ahn offered, sitting up, a hand wrapped around his middle. He paused and looked at Anais. “Do you…”
She shook her head and smiled at him. “Kano will need help with relations between Caeli and The Glory Beyond. I also need to prepare Mother’s new vessel. I’ll be alright. I’ll see you later. There is a lot we need to discuss,” she finished with promise.
“I’m holding you to that,” he replied softly. He slid towards the door of the transporter. “Okay, let’s make this happen.”
“In your condition?” Sunny said with a raised brow.
“I’ll be fine. I’ve regained enough energy to at least begin healing myself. If not, Aeon Terra has an infirmary. I don’t agree with Aria but it’ll be better if I’m with her for diplomatic reasons.”
Aria snorted as she exited the transporter. “Diplomatic reasons? You’re still considered a criminal. You remember that, right?”
“I’m a loner, Dottie. A rebel,” Ahn intoned as he hobbled out of the transporter with Yusuf’s help.
“You’re a-what-a?”
Ahn waved her off. “It’s from a movie. Let’s hurry and find another transporter. I haven’t seen Mosi Neith in decades!”
“Yeah, I’m sure he misses you,” Aria deadpanned.
CHAPTER NINETY FIVE
“Get that charlatan out of here! That sef’ta! That fraud! Throw him out!” Mosi Neith bellowed from the gate.
“Yeah, he really, really misses you,” Aria pointed out. “What did you do?” she hissed under her breath.
“I, um...”
Another face appeared from behind Mosi Neith, a woman with deep copper skin, wide hips, and a long golden braid draped over her shoulder. Her eyes were dark, and Aria meant that in two ways. Obsidian and wide, lined black kohl and positively radiating with anger. Her heavy chest heaved as she held a pot above her head and hurled it, the pot smashing to pieces at Ahn’s feet, forcing him to jump back.
“Ti akiv! You–you–”
“Relax yourself, woman!” he screamed back at her before pouting. “Can’t you see I’m hurt?”
“Keefesh! Die!”
Ahn clutched his shirt at the vile curse, his eyes radiating shock. “There are children here!”
As if she’d been summoned, Babu Aurora peeked around the woman’s hips and giggled as she stared at the commotion. “I remember Makkitosmew telling you she would break both of your legs with her bare hands if you ever came back. And here you are.”
Ahn hissed at Babu Aurora. “You were a small child! A babe! You don’t remember anything!”
“True.” Babu Aurora smirked. “But that isn’t going to stop Makkitosmew from snapping both of your legs. Serves you right for breaking your promise to mate.”
Aria’s head rotated towards him slowly, her lip hitched. An incredulous chuckle left her throat. “So far you’ve managed to receive a death threat in ever territory of Caeli. Amazing.”
Ahn stuck his tongue out at her before stepping towards Makkitosmew. “I apologize, Makki. You know I lo–”
“Vâsadâ!” she spat. “Why are you here?”
“We need your help?” Ahn said wincing. He yelped when Makkitosmew reached for another pot and threw it at him. “Okay! Okay!” he said holding out his hands. “Help Sekhmet, huh? She just needs a place to rest until she gets news about the trouble in Elysian. It would also be nice if someone from your infirmary could get me a bandage? I seem to have over-exerted myself and reopened a–”
Another pot.
“Or not.”
Mosi Neith stared at the exchange before regarding Aria with a raised brow. “You’ve gotten yourself into trouble already?”
Aria held her hands up. “It’s not my fault this time!”
Mosi Neith sighed. “You are welcomed here as always, Aria.” He looked around her. “And so is your friend.” He glared at Ahn. “Your con-man cousin is welcome, too,” he threw back over his shoulder as he began to walk back through the gates. “But keep him away from the unmated women.”
“Men, too,” Babu Aurora added.
“Thanks,” Ahn grumbled before following after them.
Aria sat on her bed and stared out the window, unable to sleep. She laid on her side, the left side, nearest the window. Visions came, ones of Choe carding his hands through her hair late at night or Azrael running into their room and jumping on the bed to wake them up early in the morning. She had visions of Caeli, in the height of its peace. She had visions of Caeli, in the throes of war. She scooted over until she was in the middle of the bed and stretched her arms out wide.
It had been hours since Ahn, Yusuf and she had split ways with Kano and the rest of the Luminaries, hours since a promise of contact was broken, hours since she’d watched them drive deeper into Elysian without her.
“Something is wrong. Something is very wrong,” she whispered.
Mosi Neith had not been able to offer her much insight other than some personal facts about Pythia Phi that she didn’t know. After all, he had been her personal teacher before the War.
“She’d always been the louder of the two. Her laugh would reverberate over the temple walls. Her sister would scowl at her before eventually joining in the laughter, although quieter. I want to say that the death of Lunah changed her, but it didn’t. She was still loud, she still laughed and she honored the title of heir of Tambour with zeal despite her sincere wishes to join MATE. I can’t begin to understand her actions.”
Aria climbed out of her bed, left her bedroom, and paused at the doorway of Azrael’s old bedroom. Ahn slept soundly, the imbalance caused by summoning an eidolon melting away, allowing his body to heal. Aria thought it would be a long re
covery, one that could be expedited if they could get him to Sono. But they couldn’t get him to Sono.
She traveled down to Choe Yeong’s workroom until she was standing in front of their large halofeed. She’d tried twice before to see if she could get any news concerning Elysian. Nothing. From the newscast, it looked like all was well. Aria couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t. It couldn’t be. There was no news about the duel in The Pit, nor the collapse, nor the attacks. If Kano had alerted The Above as he stated, then there would be news.
Why wasn’t there any news?
Exhaling through her nose, she reached down to turn the halofeed off when she heard a caw near the window. Frowning, she looked over to the basement level window to see a crow, its beady black eyes blinking at her. Another crow showed up, then another and another, until her window was almost blotted out with black. She stepped closer, focusing on the first bird that landed. It was always the first bird. The fastest, or the smartest, who carried a message. They wouldn’t approach her otherwise. That bird kept her gaze, and the sound around them cut out or disappeared, and all became silent as she stared into its eyes. Then…and then she heard their cries for what they were, heard one word being uttered over and over in their cawing.
“Run!”
Aria frowned, trying to retain her concentration on their shrieks. “You…you want me to run?”
The cawing grew louder in agreement. Run! Run! Run! Run!”
Suddenly, a loud high pitched tonal noise blared from her halofeed. The long note was held for a second before it was followed by three short beeps before repeating.
That’s the emergency transmission broadcast signal.
A Third of the Moon and the Stars Struck Page 53
