The Colossus Collection : A Space Opera Adventure (Books 1-7 + Bonus Material)

by Nicole Grotepas

  Meg conducted introductions. “Tyro, Aetion, this is my sister Holly, and her friend Odeon Starlight. They’ve both already intercepted children that were stolen from their families.”

  Tyro and Aetion nodded at Holly, then immediately moved their focus to Odeon.

  He approached and greeted both of them with an embrace. They spoke in their native language. Tyro touched the top of the Ousaba club as though in question. Odeon seemed to answer her. Their conversation continued as Holly observed, and went to stand beside Gabe. Meg had disappeared into Lucy’s room.

  “Hey Holly,” Gabe said, still hunched in his angry gargoyle position, with his arms folded and a scowl for an expression. “Terrible business. I’m so . . . I’m afraid if I start to move, I’ll begin breaking things.”

  “So you’re holding it all in?”

  “Yes, exactly that. I am . . . I’m impotent. Where do I even begin? There’s still some corrupt shit at the precinct. Do I bring this in and put resources into it? Or does that tip off the child-thieves? Meg and I, we’re still trying to settle on the best course. What about you?”

  “I’m still wrapping my brain around it. And I think I’ll see what Odeon finds out. So, did you notice he brought his club, but dressed traditional? He usually only dresses traditional to speak to his parents. At least, that’s what I’ve seen.”

  “Yeah, it’s a nice staff.”

  “He’ll get mad if you call it a staff. It’s a Ousaba club.”

  Gabe scoffed. “I can’t even laugh right now. Sorry. And thanks for the tip. And for bringing him. Tyro and Aetion were blaming us, in that quiet, creepy Yasoan way.”

  “How’s Lucy?”

  “Upset. Meg gave her something to help her sleep last night, but she woke up just before you got here.”

  “What are you going to do? Got a plan?”

  He looked askance at her. “Still haven’t found the mole. Remember? That’s part of why you’re here, kid.”

  “I thought it was for Odeon.” Holly glanced at her Druiviin friend. He seemed to be talking about the club still. From what Holly understood, Druiviin couples only had one child—instilling into their single offspring all of the things their line cared for. It was said that their race on Yaso had reached a balanced ecological state: resources weren’t over-consumed and by only having one child, they prevented a disastrous imbalance. But when a portion of their population left for the 6-moon region, the ones left behind began to have two children, to replace those who’d left. The immigrants to the 6-moons only had one child, typically.

  “That as well. Did you know they have a song for rage?”

  Holly started. “Wait, no. Really?”

  “I had no idea either. Apparently they have very little reason to use it. Apparently Meg and I were unintentionally around when a Yasoan found a reason to use it. Tyro brought the song with when she came here. She doesn’t need to say what she’s thinking: this is somehow Meg’s fault. My fault.”

  “How can she blame you?”

  “We should have told her how to be a parent? I don’t know. But, maybe she’s right. And for the record, I am blaming myself.”

  “Gabe,” Holly said, slowly, as a new thought occurred to her. “I think it could be my fault.”

  “How do you think that?”

  Odeon had joined hands with Aetion and Tyro. Their eyes were closed. A calm sensation descended on the room.

  “A couple nights ago, as I was walking back to my condo from a bodega, I was attacked by two Shadow Coalition members. Shiro was with me, so I ended up ok. You and Meg haven’t let Lucy out of your sight since I started this job. They would have seen Charm if they were following me for a while. Meg said she’s alone in the city a lot.”

  “I see where you’re going with this Holly. You think they took Charm to warn you off?”

  Holly nodded. Despite the calm that the Druiviin were singing, Holly felt sick inside. She was cold. Everywhere.

  “It’s the only explanation. Isn’t it?” If there had been something in her stomach to lose, she would have vomited.

  “Holly, I can’t put the blame for this on you. The work you’re doing is good. Don’t stop. We’re going to find Charm. You can help.”

  Holly turned from Gabe as Odeon came to stand before her. “We’ve discussed it. And I have offered them our services in finding their daughter.”

  Holly wanted to say how? but didn’t, because she wanted to find Charm as well. The moment she grasped that it might be related to her and how they were stabbing at the Shadow Coalition, the more she realized that for one, they were hurting the massive shadow organization, and two, they knew who was doing it. It might be a confirmation to Holly that she was on a path that the group didn’t like and they were going to stop her.

  But if they knew it was Holly, what else did they know? And how much longer could she last before someone got to her, or Meg, or Gabe, or most painful thought, Lucy. If Holly was right and they had Charm, there was only one thing she could do.

  Odeon was right.

  Meg came into the kitchen then. Her blonde hair was pulled back. Dark circles underscored her eyes and creases that hung between her cheekbones and corners of her mouth said that she likely hadn’t slept all night.

  Tyro and Aetion remained in the living room area and had taken seats on the long couch. Currently Tyro leaned forward, her face buried in her hands, while Aetion touched her back softly.

  “Odeon, thank you for waking up so early to be here,” Meg said.

  “Did she go back to sleep?” Gabe asked, finally unlocking his arms from where they’d been crossed over his chest.

  “Yes,” Meg answered.

  “Meg, they’re my people. The best sort. They care for their daughter in a way not all Yasoan children are loved. Thank you for allowing me to help.”

  “What’s with the staff?”

  Odeon grabbed the bottom section of the staff by reaching his hand back, as though her mention of it made him worry someone would take it. “It’s a club, not a staff. An Ousaba. It’s a very ancient weapon. I came prepared for war and Tyro and Aetion know this now. I have made them trust that Holly and I will be able to bring their daughter Charm back to them.”

  “Is that what you’re going to do?” Meg asked Holly.

  Holly tilted her head and regarded her Druiviin friend. He wore emotions on his face that she’d never seen before; the only time they’d been close was back on Itzcap, at the resort when she’d met his parents. There were new things in his visage, and Holly believed they might be rage. She would catalogue it for later, for comparison. So that she could understand him and other Druiviin more, someday.

  “I think it will have to be, Meg.”

  12

  “HD, what is it?” Xadrian asked over the communicator.

  Holly had stopped at the Qoolki Cafe for an omelette an hour after leaving Meg’s condo. She’d taken a break to call Xadrian as well as alerting her crew to the kidnapping. Taking the kidnapping together with the attack on her and Shiro, things were spiraling out of control. She was alone in the cafe, aside from the other guests, most of them humans and Consties. Odeon had gone on an errand—something to do with one of the instruments he played. Restringing it, or attaching the skin, or something that sounded disgusting.

  “I need to see him, X,” Holly said.

  “Not possible.”

  “No, you don’t understand. It needs to be possible. So, either you let him know or I’ll just show up at his main office and screw it if I’m seen.”

  Xadrian sighed loudly into her ear as though he were making a statement about how exhausting she was. “Why now? What is this about?”

  “That’s for him to know and not you.”

  “Details, HD. So far not worth my effort. Or his.”

  “It has to do with the work. Please don’t make me say more.”

  “You’re really not very convincing. Of anything. And they say you were an elementary school teacher? How did you get the
children to perform, because I’m not seeing it at all.”

  “Cool. OK. I’ll just pop over there now.”

  He muttered a series of curses. “Give me five minutes.”

  “Timer starts now.” She ended the call and turned her earpiece back on and unmuted the mic. “Crew meeting at the Bird’s Nest at three.”

  “Hello again, Ms. Drake. I will of course be there,” Shiro said.

  “You had better be, Mr. Oahu,” Holly said.

  Darius chimed in. “What gives, Drake? More of the same?”

  “More of the same. And I’ll want to begin planning as soon as possible. The longer we wait, the further away she gets.”

  “Hey guys, I’ll obviously be there, because it’s my place, right? And now I’m even extorting rent from Holly.” Charly’s cackle sounded jarring in Holly’s ear and she flinched.

  “It’s hardly extortion. I’m giving it of my own free will.”

  “You only think that because I want you to think that.” More laughter from Charly.

  “As long as there are drinks. I’ve had my quota of kasé for the day, Charly.”

  “Oh yeah, Shiro, drinks are on you. Torden put his foot down on drinks being on the house. Sorry guys. That was also Holly’s doing. But she was bending to my will—I’m a master puppeteer. You guys didn’t know. But now you do.” Charly laughed more. Evidently she’d been very stressed about the crew HQ moving, and was now on the other end of the mania. “Damn. A bunch of annoying Centau leaders just walked in. Gotta go entertain, guys! See you at three.”

  “Is she high?” Darius asked. “Shiro, you been passing her your pills?”

  “My pills? I’ve never touched the stuff, Darius. I resent the implication.”

  “You’re always in a good mood though, it’s like you have no variation in you, ever—if it’s not pills then what is it?”

  “Would you prefer it if I were sullen all the time? I’m merely an even-keeled gent. Nothing more, nothing less.”

  “At least occasionally sullen. Try that? Could you pull that off for the sake of variation and, I don’t know, seeming like a human and not a robot?”

  Holly’s communicator buzzed. “Oh I have to take off, unfortunately, because I was really enjoying this delightful banter. See you at three, boys.” She muted her mic again. Odeon hadn’t responded, she hoped he’d caught the dialogue anyway and would be at the meeting.

  “X?” Holly said into her communicator.

  “He’s allowing you to drop by in thirty minutes, HD. But it keep it brief. The man has actual real meetings with actual real people.”

  “Why thank you, X. And I appreciate the implication that I’m not a real person.”

  “Make sure you’re not followed. Again.”

  Holly hung up. She paid for her omelette on the way out, scanned the crowd in the diner, checking to see if anyone suspicious was watching her, saw nothing out of the ordinary, and then left.

  On the way through the city to his office, Holly was careful. She took the Spireway, then rode an elevator to the street, walked a few blocks, and then rode another elevator to the tops of the spires and took several bridges that connected the upper reaches of the spires. All the while, she kept a lookout behind herself. If Holly was followed and that led to trouble for the official, she’d never live it down. Xadrian would discredit her, the official would likely stop trusting her and perhaps take her off the work.

  Or maybe the official didn’t trust her in the first place. Maybe that’s why he set Xadrian up as their go-between again.

  She didn’t have time to dwell on it. Her thoughts were needed elsewhere.

  She reached his office and knocked on his door. It opened, a hand reached out, grabbed her by the upper arm, and pulled her inside, with the door shutting quickly behind her.

  “HD. I was in meetings. Whatever it is that you pulled me out of them for, it better be damn good. It takes me twenty minutes to get to this office from the central Syndicate offices.”

  “Nice to see you, as well. Been a while. How are things going?” Holly bristled internally over his brusque greeting. She pushed it down and brought out her humor.

  He paced on the other side of his desk from Holly, one hand in his suit pants pocket, the other fiddling with the buckle on one of his suspenders. He didn’t answer. In fact he seemed to be attempting to take calming breaths. She rose and went to the tray of liquor along the side of the room.

  “A drink?”

  “No, no HD, and I don’t think you should either.”

  “The concern is appreciated. But I’m having this Kotan bourbon. I deserve it. The morning has been hell. Oh, by the way, my team has started calling you Dave. So I’m going to call you Dave.”

  His brow furrowed deeper. The hand in his pocket went to his hair and brushed through it like he was stressed. He came to her side and poured himself a drink. The fragrance of sweat and cologne buffeted against Holly as he approached. She took her drink and backed away quickly.

  “Why has your morning been so terrible, HD? That was my cue to ask, wasn’t it?”

  “Maybe so,” she said, swirling her drink. “That’s why I’m here. One, I was attacked just outside my new apartment two nights ago. Someone’s trying to scare me.”

  “Any idea who they were? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” He sipped his bourbon then sauntered back to the windows and gazed out them rather than look at Holly. As an afterthought he added, “Oh, and were you hurt?”

  “I was. Thanks. Stabbed. But I’m pulling through.” She flexed her arm and rotated her shoulder to see how it felt. It still smarted, but overall wasn’t too bad.

  “You’re tough Holly Drake. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  “Thanks. I think.”

  “And what else forced you to intervene with my day-job and endanger my anonymity?”

  “The most important piece, Dave.”

  “No. Just no. I can’t be Dave.”

  “It’ll help me keep your identity secret. Then I can stop thinking about your real name every time I think of you.”

  “And is that . . . a lot? Do I need to be concerned about the amount of time you spend preoccupied with thoughts of me?”

  Was it just Holly, or were all men in some way always scouting for a piece of ass? “Not at all. I think my marriage took care of that.”

  “You’ll get through it.” He raised his glass to her. “To new beginnings. And finding whatever it is you’re after, again.”

  “The second thing,” Holly said, avoiding the subject further. “My niece’s Druiviin friend was kidnapped yesterday.”

  He turned slowly to face her. Carefully, calculated, he placed his drink on his desk, gripped the backrest of his chair and squeezed it till his knuckles turned white. He glowered up at her, as though she were the one responsible for the kidnapping. “What?”

  “Yes, kidnapped.”

  “Goddam.”

  “I know.” Holly drank a mouthful of bourbon.

  Dave sat down heavily and rubbed his face hard. “Well, what did you expect, HD? This can’t be a surprise to us. These people are dangerous. We’re hurting them. Be thankful they didn’t take your niece.”

  “As if they had a chance. Gabe and Lucy are paranoid and they keep someone with Lucy at all times.”

  “You know they’re trying to stop us. You. But we’re not going to stop. At least I’m not. Are you?”

  “I’ve no intention of stopping. But this is making me uneasy.”

  “They want it to. That’s their goal. To get you to back off. But we’re close, HD. You are. That’s why they hit you where it counts.”

  “You forget. It also means they’re watching me. It means they know who I am and what matters to me. And it means the people I love are going to start getting hurt.”

  “Then don’t let them get hurt, HD.”

  “Good. Thanks for the reminder. You know it’s not that easy or else Malcolm never would have gotten taken.”

  He ke
pt a level gaze on her, pushed away from the desk and turned again to stare out the window from his seat. “You fight dirty, HD.”

  “I’m sorry. I know that stings. I think we both have to remember that these bastards aren’t just messing around. Seems easy to forget when we’re not looking at the distraught parents of a stolen child. And I am sorry to hit you with that. I just don’t want you to forget. I don’t want to forget.” She rose and took her drink over to stand at the window near him. “And I have to get Charm back. Immediately. But I don’t know where to start. How can I find her?”

  He spread his hands, pushed down on the armrests of his desk chair and rose. He began pacing in front of the windows. “Let me see if I can have my intelligence team pick anything up. You said she was Druiviin?”

  “Right. Druiviin.”

  “I didn’t think they’d take Druiviin. Or Centau. You could be right—they took her because Meg and Gabe have been too careful with their daughter.”

  She nodded. She didn’t want to be right about that. But in a city of millions, it was an unlikely accident that Charm was taken.

  13

  “OK guys, shit just got real. I have about twenty minutes. What’s going on, Holly?” Charly asked, striding into the Bird’s Nest, taking a break from hosting some stuffy party with the leaders of the space zeppelin union. “Kidnapping? Someone you know?”

  Holly was seated on the long couch, while Odeon had taken his usual spot in an armchair with his feet up on the coffee table. Darius leaned back in his office chair with his feet up on the desk, one hand resting near the bay of screens, and Shiro stood before the window, apparently watching the scene below of Centau, Druiviin, and human leaders mingling while a Druiviin musician played on the stage. It had always struck Holly as odd where the Centau allowed humans work as leaders. But there was no time to analyze it today.