A sob slipped out and another, until I cried myself raw.
A sigh echoed in the room.
“I told you, Elizabeth. Crying gets you nothing. Control is imperative.”
I hiccupped in shock and scrambled up.
Zachary. I ran at my father and pummeled his chest. “Where is Marin? Where are my friends? What are you planning to do to me?”
He took the blows stoically then enfolded me in his arms.
I bucked and then settled. “Please, Dad. Tell me.”
“Texxak really means you no harm. He came after you for me. We are taking you off the battlefield. Xade can’t be allowed to get away with what he has done. He kidnapped you specifically against Texxak’s wishes and hurt you. He did it on purpose to thumb his nose at Texxak. He thinks his creations and weapons can beat us. But he is wrong.”
“I have no problem with you taking out Xade. I hate him just as much. But why separate us from each other, from the Fost?”
Zachary hesitated. “Texxak tends to be very destructive when he wars. There is no way to guarantee the Fost’s safety, and to be honest, I don’t think that is a priority at all with him. He doesn’t like the Fost any more than he does Xade.”
“So, he lied to me.” I tried to push away, but Zach kept his arms tight. His head dropped so his mouth was right next to my ears. “You need to act like you are accepting of this. It is the only way. Texxak does not take any slights lightly. Trust me.”
I settled and kept my eyes on the wall, my voice low to match his. “Trust you. Why should I? You left us.”
“You know I didn’t leave because I wanted to; Texxak forced me. He worried I was becoming soft. He is grooming me to take his place. We are his only family. He expects you to carry on his legacy. I can’t, you see. In an act of defiance, I had a vasectomy after your mother’s last miscarriage. He would have made me marry someone else. Now you are his only chance.”
“Xade murdered my daughter.”
“And Xade will pay for that. Trust me. Texxak has already discussed that with him.”
“Why do you call him by name and not Father?”
“He is no father to me.” His words grated harsh in my ear, and his arms tightened around my back. “He is just as bad as Xade, but better the devil you know. Here, I can make a difference, and Mary is safe as long as I play the obedient son. The same for you. Play along and Marin should be safe.”
I turned to look Zachary in the eye.
Words echoed over our head. “Speak up. We can’t hear the touching reunion, Zachary.”
Zachary jumped and raised his voice. “Sorry, Texxak, I was telling her about her mother. I know you dislike emotion.”
“Emotion is a waste of time. Bring her to the deck.”
I buried my head in my father’s chest. “He expects me to obey without question.”
“He is thickheaded like that.”
I grinned up at him. He’d used those same words to describe himself. I don’t think he realized.
“Follow me.”
We exited into a long, blank corridor. No wasting resources on decoration here. It went around and around in a circle of white walls and gray doors for what seemed like forever. We passed hundreds of rooms on the way. No more crew. “How do you know where to go?”
“There is only one main deck. The rest are quarters. He designed the ship for maximum defense. People are expendable. The core is protected. Fighters would have to travel a far distance to be able to breach the heart of the ship.”
“I thought your ships were made of the quarum?”
“They are. That is the core. It is such a lightweight rock and ideal for management of heat and radiation that are problems in space. But it is very permeable. It is not strong against any type of spear or other certain types of weaponry, as we have found. These ferrin-imbued blades you have made are interesting. They can break through the quarum like it is sandstone. There are other metals like that out here. This metal on the walls is one such. We reached a water planet. One large sun in that system. The surface was covered, and the nights lasted days to weeks. They needed light and this metal reacts to nitrogen. Very tough too. In many layers like this, it forms a shield, plus the color of it is comforting to the eye. When we travelled in space prior, the darkness moving around you could be disorienting. This is much more pleasant.”
“Why are you telling me so much?”
“One day you will most likely lead one of these ships, if not the fleet—once I am gone.”
“I don’t want to fly a ship. I don’t want to fight and take over. I want to live in peace on Solum. I’ve made a life here.” These words were uttered as I entered the next room.
Texxak answered. “That life can easily be taken away. It is your duty as a Chamaderan to make the world a better place for everyone. That is our purpose. Emotion doesn’t matter. Duty, honor, control, patience. Those are what are important.”
Zachary angled in front of me. “Of course, Texxak. We are here as you asked.”
He didn’t go so far as bowing, but it was close, and the deference made me ill.
I edged him aside. “Killing doesn’t make the world a better place.”
“You don’t agree that some things need to die? Like Xade? His type of experimentation is acceptable to you?”
I recoiled. “Of course not, but that is a situation I know and have experienced. He hurt me. He killed my child. He deserves to die, but that doesn’t mean all E’mani deserve to die. That is something I have learned. The clones are as much a victim as I.”
“Pretty speech, little girl. You are quite interesting. When did you develop such radical ideas?” Texxak cut his eyes to Zachary. “You can leave, son. It is time for me to get to know my grandchild.”
Zachary shifted. “I don’t think—”
Texxak interrupted smoothly. “You don’t think. I do. Leave now.”
Zachary pivoted and marched to the door, his hands clenched. Guess I wasn’t the only one with daddy issues in the family. The thought made me smile as I faced Texxak.
He’d turned away from me, and his hands hovered over a complex computer screen, flying like Dela’s did. It gave me an opportunity to study the heart of the ship.
All the walls and available surfaces were covered with monitors except for one large wall that had nothing but a smooth surface. Numbers and symbols flashing on screens. No one else around to operate it. “Do you fly the ship on your own?”
“No, I cleared the room so we can talk. I have various attendants who help pilot. One to navigate, one to maintain defenses. One to explore. It pays to have a loyal crew, you will find. Most of the men on this ship owe me their lives in one way or another. I arranged it that way, of course.”
He made his way over to me, deliberately stopping close, forcing me to look up at him. He grabbed my chin and tilted my head up higher. “You look like your mother.”
I stiffened without thought.
“Your mother is all right, you know. I have told you that is the case and will remain the case. I admire Matea. She has very strong protective instincts and values.” He stepped back and paced to the front screen. “Do you want to see her?”
My breath whooshed out. I moved toward him without thought. “Can I?”
“Of course.” He waved his hand over a screen and blue lights flashed. I tried to remember the sequence, but the colors flashed faster than any Simon Says game, which I was never that great at to begin with.
An image flashed on the blank wall, showing an isolated cabin at the top of a mountain. My mother sat on the porch, rocking. It was really her. She hadn’t aged a day. No wrinkles, no gray hair. Smooth skin. She looked better than she had before. Peaceful.
“Where is that?”
“After the disease devastated Earth, most places became uninhabitable; disease and infections ran rampant. Plus, the more lawless component seized control. The safest place was out of the city. She has a few of my people as guards and lives a quiet life. It s
uits her. She does love to bake and tend to things, doesn’t she?”
“She did. I loved her blackberry pie.” My head swirled. “She is all right? You swear it?”
“I swear. The guards are to protect her from some unexpected elements that were revealed in the population. Who knew?” He laughed without humor and touched a spot on the screen and the image faded. “She will remain safe as long as you cooperate.”
And like that, all the happy feelings I had from seeing my mother faded. She wasn’t safe, she was a prisoner. She’d always been a prisoner; I’d always been a prisoner. I was tired of being managed. My hands curled into fist.
“That angers you, I see. That fire is good. It makes for fierce fighting, but poor plotting and planning. You need to control that and hone it into a weapon. I am surprised my son did not teach you better.”
“He tried.” And failed. That should tell him something.
“I will not try. You will do as you are told. There is no other choice for you. Nor for your friends.” He waved his hand over another screen, and Marin’s face flickered on the wall.
He ran down a path somewhere, Zanth hot on his heels. A figure flew in the air behind them. Rael. His dark blue feathers flung wide.
“Where are they?”
“Heading here, I do believe. For you. Your mate is quite determined. And unharmed as you can see.”
The door opened behind me, and my father walked in again. This time Dela, Erin, Werner, Vale, and Prog followed him.
“As you can all see, your people are safe and will remain safe as long as you cooperate.”
“What does that mean?” Dela asked as he came forward and attempted to move around me. I grabbed his right arm, holding him back, while Erin grabbed his left.
“It means that my granddaughter here has herself a loyal crew. That is important for a leader. She has muscle.” He inclined his head toward Prog. “Computer skills, Dela; medical, Erin; and technical knowledge, the Rocians. The perfect team. It is what I believe Xade planned for all of you. He was making a team to fight me. One I would be less inclined to fight. I would not want to kill my own granddaughter, now would I?
“He planned on making you your own ship. Setting you on a path to fight me. Here. He went a little too far in his ambitions, unfortunately. Why do you think he taught you all he did? But then you became a threat to him as well as me. But now that I hold your friends, your loved ones, you will help me exact revenge and continue my own plans for this world. It is quite ironic, me turning his own team against him. I like the idea of that. Xade was always an arrogant creature.”
“How do you plan to kill him?”
“I already started.”
The screen moved again. Water roared into Center, sweeping people away. Erin gasped and covered her mouth. Werner and Vale moaned. Dela growled. I just stood there.
It couldn’t be. Hana. Jace. Ute. Everyone. Thorn, Zara even; maybe not Zara, but everyone. Gone.
Cold filtered up my legs, and I realized I’d fallen to my knees. “Why?”
“There are tunnels that connect most of the buildings in Industry. Xade is hiding in the tunnels themselves and keeping himself mobile. He knows this area so much better than all of us given we’ve been off planet so long. Flooding the caverns will drive him out. He will have to go through one of the facilities or surface soon. The crater that your friends were in was the perfect place to flood them. Its location is so low, already down deep, which made flooding it perfect. Pumps driven into the soil after we took you will ensure that the tunnels are uninhabitable.”
I staggered to my feet and went at him. His soldiers flooded the bay. Lizards like Werner but much larger. My father grabbed me and held me back. “You promised. You promised not to hurt them.”
“I didn’t promise not to hurt them. I promised not to target them, that Xade was my goal, and I would do the best to ensure that they survived. As soon as I took you, I told them to run. Some made it. I kept my word.”
Texxak showed me his back, unconcerned with my struggles. “Tomorrow your training will start, and then as soon as we find Xade, you earn your keep. All of you. And you will prove your loyalty. Take them back to their rooms.”
The lizards moved closer. This close, their skin was scaly and wet, their hands soft and sticky. One put their hand on my shoulder, and I felt something sting my neck. I turned to Zach, whose jaw clenched. “Take your hands off her.”
“This way, no run.”
“You are hurting her.”
“No run.”
Zach moved up to confront the lizard, who lifted his palm off my shoulder with a sticky pull and a sharp tug. I touched my neck and brought my hand up. Blood stained my fingers. Some sort of barb in his fingertips. Huh, my head spun. Poison?
Texxak interrupted their confrontation. “They are not to be harmed unless they try to escape. Is that understood, Hrahn?”
Zach butted his chest against the lizard, and they stared each other down.
“Understood.”
“Do you wish to use the tube?” Texxak offered.
Tubes? I shuddered involuntarily. “No, I’ll heal.” No more tubes for me ever, not if I could help it.
Zach moved and grabbed my arm, pulling me behind him. The Remains followed. As soon as the door shut after us, I turned to my friends.
Finn yanked me out of Zach’s arms. “I am so glad you are safe. I woke up and then we were heading here. I did not get to speak to you.”
I hugged him hard. “I know. We got you back right before we came here. Are you okay?” I leaned away and touched my fingers to his face. Finn’s hand encircled mine. I couldn’t believe he was safe. It seemed surreal. We’d gotten him back, but I hadn’t realized the reality of it until now.
He turned his head and kissed my palm. “I am better now. I cannot believe I got to see you again. I dreamed about you.”
The kiss jolted me. I dropped my hands. Familiar yet wrong. These were not the lips I wanted. I saw the knowledge in his eyes as well. He leaned his forehead against mine. Werner huddled close. Erin and Dela crept closer on the other side. Prog lounged behind us with crossed arms.
Finn noticed me watching. He raised my hands to his lips and dropped a little kiss onto the palm of my hand again; my fingers instinctively curled. “I did dream about you. I felt like you were there with me at times. Watching. I told you to go. Stay safe.”
“I had those dreams too. They haunted me.”
A smile broke across Finn’s face, more open than I’d ever seen it. “You know I—”
I raised my finger and put it to his lips. “We need to figure out a way out of here.”
In an instant his face went from open to calculating. “We need to find a way off this ship.
Hmm. “Yes, but we need to wait for our opportunity. I wish they weren’t keeping us apart.”
“I do not want to be apart any longer as well.”
I realized he mistook my words; I meant the Remains. Not him specifically. His thumb drifted along the back of my hand. I tugged my hand away and moved to hug Erin, Dela, the twins, everyone.
Zach cleared his throat next to me. “We cannot linger in the hallway. Everyone to their rooms.”
“Can we talk?”
“Not now. Soon. Hurry, he will notice if we delay.” Zach walked forward and began the trek.
Texxak was right. The endless circular corridors were disorienting. The center formed the heart of the ship, but reaching it would be impossible. Finding the engines or anything else along this unmarked corridor would be a nightmare.
“How do you know the way around?”
“Memory. He expects us to know the way. Each person is given one room to memorize. Most count. You learn to do it almost automatically after a time. You will adjust.”
“What does he want from us?”
“Everything. You made your own crew. He quite admires you, you know. You can use that.”
Zachary stopped at a door. “This is your room.”
>
I glanced at the Remains behind me. “But—"
“Everyone has their own room. That is the way it has to be. No negotiation.”
He shoved me inside. I heard a fist slam into the door. Most likely Finn. This rock worked well. I could barely hear anything from outside.
Gah. I kicked the wall then turned and examined the room. Inch my inch, I surveyed the environment. The one bunk up against the wall and the small table next to it. No tube? So the crew was expected to heal on their own. Not like Xade where he made us sleep in them, or did the rock act as one huge tube? Did the quarum have long-lasting effects? I know it decreased aging but what else? Is that where the magic came from? Exposure to the rock? Most likely not or they would all have powers. The E’mani. The Rocians, especially. They were the technologic giants of this world, not the E’mani, until they gave up that knowledge to protect the world.
No computer that I saw. I walked around the room in a grid, making sure to step on every square. No recessed table or anything. I ran my hand along the wall in circles from ankle height and higher. Nothing. The room was fifteen by fifteen feet at the max.
Stifling in its smallness. This place would drive me crazy. I heard a hiss and turned. Nothing nearby.
Another movement.
I spun. Nothing.
Breathing.
I turned and swung.
Nothing.
Walls swam.
Lights.
Red lights.
Chapter Twenty
Bright lights gleamed at me. This time I knew where I was, though. I woke with a snap and sat straight up. Zach stood over my bed.
That wasn’t creepy at all.
“Awake?”
“What did you do to me?”
“Something to help you sleep. It is standard. The crew requires its rest, and Texxak doesn’t want anyone to have too much time to think.”
That made sense in a horrible, horrible way.
He threw me a uniform. Not the shivat, but a crew uniform like Texxak’s and Zach’s, leatherish and stiff. Almost denim-like. At least not the shivat.
“I really hope you don’t expect me to change in front of you, Dad.”
Distant Memory: She remembered everything (Solum Series Book 3) Page 12
