“She’s young yet,” Barisha went on. “But she is strong. Stronger than I ever was. She will succeed where I have not.”
“You’re training her,” Ellie said, suddenly realizing what the woman’s intentions were. “You’re training your daughter to withstand not just the wall, but all that lies on the other side. You intend for Crijasha to seek the Merata when she is of age.”
“Before, if at all possible,” Barisha admitted.
“I can help you,” she said, as her smile widened. At last, Ellie had a bargaining chip to play. “Get me to the citadel and I can make that happen sooner than you think.”
Chapter 28
Julian tensed, checking the cloaking on his ship once again as the asteroid he’d chosen to hide on came dangerously close to the Huptsovian orbital base. The last thing he needed was to alert the enemy before they’d had a chance to even start the mission. He would have felt a lot more at ease if he’d been able to land on the surface, but while the sleek ship he piloted was made for speed and maneuverability, it was also designed to draw attention away from stealth crafts. Had he tried to land, Julian would have found himself leading a parade of Huptsovians into the Fhasmyrric jungle.
Which meant he was going to have to take a literal leap of faith.
He looked on, impressed as the creature he had previously thought of as lower functioning silently communicated with his ship. All but the essential controls drew back, creating as much empty space as possible within the small cockpit. As soon as Pouns was at his full size, he nudged Julian, who understood and after putting the ship into automatic survival mode, climbed aboard his back.
For several seconds, nothing happened. Pouns merely stood in place, but Julian quickly realized he was the reason they remained on the ship. His own pulse instincts were trying to override that of the luk. He fought against the instincts, grateful that Pouns had the ability to relay instructions to easier allow him to take over.
And then, they were gone.
To Julian’s shock, he could feel the difference between their movements through displaced matter and when they themselves became displaced, traveling insubstantially through previously unmapped dimensional space. They were defying logic in ways Julian could not wrap his mind around, and yet, he could correlate every phase to the shift in his bond while Ellie had been in the same state.
As interesting as the experience had been, Julian was extremely grateful when Pouns brought them to a halt on solid ground. Though looking out over the vast expanse of desert, he realize the journey was only half completed. Phase pulse across the volatile Fhasmyrric landscape was hellish in equal measure. Avoidance of the many creatures roaming the lands required longer moments of dimensional transmutation in more frequent intervals.
When they at last reached the city, Pounds brought them to a heavily vegetated area not far, but easily hidden, from where Ellie stood speaking to a Fhasmyrric woman and child. As Julian slid off the luk’s back, he understood the reason for secrecy. The combination of returning fully to his substantial form and the jarring frequencies emitted from the prison wall were enough to drop him to his knees. It was a long moment before he was able to stand and get his bearings.
From his vantage point, Ellie appeared to be as affected by the wall’s frequency as he, but she didn’t appear to be in much danger. Neither the woman or child had their weapons on her, but they didn’t seem to be in much of a hurry to go anywhere. He let Pouns go first and cautiously followed, hoping his presence would not be the catalyst for a catastrophe.
Ellie felt a soft brush of fur on her hand just as the images relayed caused her to pause mid-word. She turned fully, eyes wide with curiosity as they fell on Julian, who stood a few feet back, hands out to show he was unarmed.
“Julian? What are you doing here? And how?”
“Pouns,” was all he managed to say before the woman’s rifle was shoved under his nose.
“What is this? The dashing knight come to save the little princess?” She turned her disgusted sneer on Ellie, who resisted the urge to roll her eyes, but just barely.
“Well, given that I’ve saved Julian’s life twice now, it’s only fair he return the favor, and if you recall, you were ready to shoot me just a few moments ago.”
“I can’t really take credit,” Julian said with a glance at the luk. “Pouns here is the one who felt my presence was needed. Though it seems unnecessary?” He turned a questioning glance at Ellie.
Barisha grimaced as Pouns bared his fangs in her direction. Whether she knew his fluttering nubbed tail meant she was in no danger or not, Ellie didn’t know, but she was certain the woman was getting a face full of his breath, which was rather unpleasant.
“I thought you said your allies were the Merata,” she managed to gasp, moving her head as far as she could from the luk.
“The Merata are still out there, along with members of the Paisreatta, Ghowrn Alliance, and Universal Protectorate,” Ellie explained. “But it makes sense that Pouns would go to Julian seeing as he is Eidyssic and had better odds of surviving the journey here.”
Barisha said nothing, but lowered her rifle.
“Besides,” Ellie went on. “Are you now going to tell me that Julian’s presence has changed your mind? Were you not just a moment ago ready to guide me to the citadel so that we can take down the walls and give all of the women of Fhasmyr a chance to control their own destiny?”
“I do not appreciate that he felt the need to save you,” she said indignantly.
“Neither do I,” Ellie replied with a grimace. “But not for the same reason. You see, Julian is considered an artificial construct and has less rights than you under the current Ghowrn Alliance rule. As he is the commander of the Limitless Battalion and I am the true master of the Kyroibi, he is duty bound to put my life above his. This is also something that I’ve pledged to end.”
The woman’s eyes flickered with something, sympathy perhaps, before again darkening.
“What I don’t think you realize is that Lady El’iadrylline is giving you the opportunity to make the right decision,” Julian said. “In doing so, she is putting the lives of dozens of free Alliance citizens on the line as they await word that her mission was a success. Understand that she has no need to do so.”
“What exactly are you saying?”
“I am an assassin,” Julian explained. “I have been charged with eliminating all that would stand in the way of peace in the galaxy. I can incapacitate you with nothing more than a look should my master feel threatened. That she would vehemently oppose my doing just that rather than accepting the simplest solution should be all the proof you need that we are fighting for benevolence.”
The woman’s eyes darted between questioning glances at Ellie and fearfully avoiding Julian’s eye.
“I wouldn’t… I’m not trying to threaten your life,” she said, entirely uncomfortable with the reminder of all Julian was capable of. “But I’d rather we didn’t have to render you unconscious and try to find our own way around.”
“The longer we deliberate down here, the more of an opportunity the Empire has to discover our fighters and wage an attack of their own,” Julian reasoned. “If you truly have her best interest at heart, you’ll cooperate with us,” he added, gesturing toward the child, who had stared at him in awe since his arrival.
Barisha said nothing, hardly acknowledging Julian’s presence other than to keep the rifle aimed at his chest.
“I know it’s not easy,” Ellie said softly, hoping to avoid saying anything wrong. “Choosing the lesser of two evils sucks. I get that. But I’ve also seen what happens when blind altruism allows for the wrong party to come to power. Please, one way or another, Crijasha will have safe passage to the Merata city, but if you help us, you too will be free to go where you please. As will they.” She gestured out beyond the ravine to the city.
“Fine,” Barisha said at last, turning to a nearby plant and plucking off two leaves, handing one to each of them. “We ha
ve some hiking to do along the border. Bite down on this once and keep it lodged in the back of your cheek. It will reduce the unpleasant interference.”
Ellie was skeptical, but did as she was told, wincing at the incredibly sour flavor. She nearly spit it out until she noticed that the buzzing in her head had lessened considerably.
“It take some getting used to,” Barisha said with an apologetic shrug as she turned to follow her daughter, who happily took the lead, dragging a bemused Julian along as she chattered to him.
They followed the wall east for nearly a mile. The hike itself was nothing, but Ellie was grateful that she didn’t have to make the journey with the unpleasant buzzing in her skull. Every so often, Barisha, and more often Crijasha, would point out a plant or animal to avoid. At last, they came to a small clearing with a metal trapdoor.
“Maintenance tunnels,” Barisha explained as she slipped a heavy pry bar from her pack.
“But I thought those were all caved in?” Ellie asked, worried again that Gevandar had lied.
“Only the tunnels leaving the city were filled,” Barisha explained. “But we’ll need to be silent. Not many venture down here, but those who do tend to have unsavory agendas.”
Ellie held her tongue as Crijasha slung her rifle over her back and crawled deftly down the ladder, making not a sound as she landed. She still didn’t know how old the child was, but she was a child, and the idea that she routinely went sneaking through dangerous and dark tunnels did not sit well with Ellie. She followed silently, grateful for her enhanced vision in the darkness, and for the impressions of safety that were sent by Pouns, who had again shrunk down to situate himself in her pack.
After walking for quite some time, Barisha stopped, holding her finger to her lips to signal for silence.
“We’re beneath the palace of Oakwrn,” she whispered. “What are we looking for?”
“The quarters of Lady Meioak,” Ellie said, suddenly worried. Mikk had left Fhasmyr a long time ago, perhaps even before Barisha was born. If she didn’t know who Mikk was, or where her room was, this was going to take much longer than she thought. But to her surprise, Barisha’s frown was not of incomprehension.
“Top floor,” she said, leading them down another corridor. “Not an easy climb, but the chamber has been sealed since before the occupation, so we’ll run into none of the spoiled rich who have laid claim to the lower levels of the palace.”
As infuriating as that was, Ellie decided she would let Mikk and the remaining Fhasmyrric royals sort their own living arrangements after the Empire was gone. She instead concentrated on her climb. Barisha was right, it was difficult. At least she had no fear of falling. The tunnel was narrow, so if she lost her grip, she could easily support herself before dropping to the bottom. She heard a muffled jingle above and saw light. Barisha opened a small door that led to a narrow interior hallway.
“I come from a long line of servants to the house of Oakwrn,” she explained with a wry smile, noting Ellie’s curiosity at the large ring of keys. “After the occupation, no one bothered to ask for them back.” She stepped to the side, allowing Ellie and Julian entrance.
“This is it?” Ellie asked, trying hard to keep the giggle from escaping as she entered the dazzlingly pink room. Even if Mikk hadn’t lived there since childhood, somehow, the incredibly frilly motif was just wrong.
“It appears so,” Julian said, gesturing to the framed photos on the vanity table. There was no denying that the smiling girl standing with her family was a younger version of Mikk.
“Okay, closets,” she said, moving to the door closest to her. The cavernous space beyond was filled with row upon row of dresses, but Ellie didn’t have time to marvel over the opulence. She was looking for shoes.
“Over here,” Julian said from across the room. He’d found the small shoe closet Mikk had indicated, though small was a subjective term. The shoe rack swung easily from the wall and Ellie found the small door. Taking the locket from her neck, she entered the code to unlock the door and found the only item in the room was the device Mikk had said would be there.
She bit back another giggle at how much the state of the art communications device that could override control of the entire city’s security perimeter looked almost exactly like a Nintendo Power Glove, and slipped it on her hand. Immediately, the screen awoke and Ellie wasted no time punching in the code that would shut down communications between the castle and the orbiting guard station. She then shut down the pulse dampener and the frequency that kept communications from transmitting within the city.
“Try sending a communication to the team.”
Julian did as asked and they waited, breath held, as the silence stretched on. Ellie wasn’t sure if the codes worked immediately, but every second that ticked by brought another doubt.
Static crackled in her ear and she looked up, hopeful that Julian had heard it as well.
“Nothing. Just interference.”
“Try again,” she said, trying to keep the panic from her voice as she double checked to make sure she input the correct code.
Julian reached again for his communicator, but no matter what frequency he used, he got static.
“I need to get to the communication tower. Something else is blocking us.”
“I don’t think there is,” Barisha said, her voice cracking as she gestured toward the open window where her daughter stood, eyes fixed on the sky above. “It appears your fighters might be a little too busy to reply.”
Ellie rushed to the window. High above the city, streaks of light flickered in the still dusky morning sky.
Ships.
Their ships.
Chapter 29
Mikk stood on the steps of Oakwrn Manor, addressing the crowd that had gathered. Several dozen opticals hovered nearby, broadcasting her message of peaceful liberation to all of the media outlets across the system.
“…understand that while we remain an autonomous nation in peaceful accord with the free worlds of the Ghowrn Alliance, certain aspects of the former Sintar-Fhasmyr charter have been struck as archaic and in opposition to the mandate of equality for all of our people. As we speak, the Universal Protectorate is gathered with former members of the SiFa Elite Guard to ensure our military is ready to not only keep Fhasmyr safe, but ready to return Sintar to its rightful state as a free world. I may be queen, but know that I will be as active in future liberation efforts as I was in this one…”
The battle, if it could even be called such, was over almost as soon as it began. Mikk’s team of pilots had control of the orbital guard station before the first wave of Alliance pilots had a chance to do more than pulse away from Cald. Certainly, there had been some panic and confusion—not to mention some less than grateful royal families who were none too pleased to find themselves removed from the palace—but it had not taken Mikk long to organize the Universal Protectorate into an elite team of peace keepers.
With the wall no longer keeping them inside, many were keen to leave. Some went immediately to the refuge or to other prefectures in search of missing relatives. Others simply felt the call to stretch their horizons after years of near claustrophobia. And yet there were even more who stayed, either out of familiarity or a fear of the unknown.
Surprisingly, Barisha and her daughter decided not to seek out the Merata, despite Ellie’s assurance that the Abi herself had extended an open invitation. She instead accepted a position as strategic advisor to the newly crowned Queen Meioak, a big step up from the position of house servant she would have been born into under the previous rule of law. Everyone, it seemed, was finding their way in the wake of victory.
Everyone, that is, but Ellie.
Fhasmyr was in the hands of the Alliance and Sintar was poised to follow. At long last, the majority of the Ghowrn system was again free. It was only a matter of time before the Huptsovian Empire was no more. Even if the two remaining planets refused to join the Alliance, they no longer had the technical advantage and would no longer
pose a threat.
By all rights, it should have been a joyous occasion and if the flashes of news she’d glimpsed were any indication, celebrations had been in full swing in many parts of the system for days. But Ellie was in no mood to join the celebration.
Nothing had changed. The silver ellipse that marked her as the master of the battalion had not gone away. Not that she’d expected the solution to be as simple as the liberation of a single planet, but with the end of the Huptsovian Empire at hand, she had hoped for a sign at least. No, she now had to accept that which she’d known for some time. She had to find and put an end to the elusive and insubstantial threat.
Thunderous applause pulled her out of her thoughts in time to see Mikk making one final genuflection to the crowd before being swept back into the palace by a flank of Elite Guards, passing swiftly by the alcove where Ellie had watched the speech, hidden from prying eyes.
“That was beautiful.” Ellie’s voice cracked as she fell in step behind the newly crowned queen.
“Oh, Ellie!”
The stately royal who had moments ago addressed her people disappeared, replaced by the impulsive and mischievous Paisreatta pilot who fell on Ellie and hugged her tight, giving no thought to hiding her tears or the loud sobs that echoed through the grand hall.
“I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too,” Ellie replied honestly. “And though I hate that I must say it, I’m here to say goodbye.”
“You mean farewell for now,” Mikk corrected with tears of bittersweet joy. “I understand completely that while one battle is over, we must now prepare for war. But can’t you at least stay for the reception?”
“I’m afraid the assembly is rather insistent,” Ellie said with a grimace, lifting her wrist to show Mikk her info unit, which blinked, flashed, and buzzed like an annoying mosquito. “I’ve been ignoring a request for an emergency assembly for three days. If I don’t go back, I don’t know what they’ll do. Besides,” she added, lowering her eyes. “I don’t want too many people to see me… you know, still like this.”
The Princess Rebellion (The Kyroibi Trilogy Book 2) Page 25
