Dissolution

by Kyle West

  Pallos shook his head. “I don’t know the answer to that, Shanti.”

  “Maybe there aren’t any answers,” I said, almost giving in to despondency. “What’s the point of any of this?”

  “Hey,” Fiona said. “This isn’t over until it’s over, right? You’re not the type to give up, Shanti.”

  I felt a fire burn inside me at the mere thought that I might be giving up. “Of course, I’m not giving up. There’s too much riding on this. If I were to give up . . . it would be betraying everything.”

  And Alex. Alex, where are you now?

  The thought had come from seemingly nowhere. But I never felt lonelier than in that moment. I needed him more than ever . . . a person I had never met, a person I only knew from another’s memories.

  Those memories were fast becoming my own. Would it be possible to find him . . . to talk to him? Or was the Xenofold too far gone for it to be a possibility?

  There is always hope, I thought. No matter how dark, no matter how hopeless, we defy the odds and fight.

  “I need some time to think,” I said.

  Pallos nodded and headed for the cockpit. The others watched me as I headed for my cabin. I felt in desperate need of rest, though I knew sleep would be impossible to find.

  “Shanti . . .?” Isa called, as I put a hand on the door.

  I looked back, and something in my face must have told her I wasn’t in the mood to talk.

  When I closed the door behind me, I buried my face in my pillow, so they couldn’t hear me cry.

  * * *

  I dreamed of Alex. If Anna had felt missing before, then now she was back in full force.

  “Alex?”

  He stood in front of me, looking at me with love in his warm, brown eyes. He was smiling, but he said nothing.

  “Alex, please.” I reached for him, but my hand couldn’t touch him. He was barely out of reach, a mass of light shining behind his floating form.

  “Anna,” he said.

  Hearing my name on his lips made my heart miss a beat. “Yes?”

  “Find me.”

  Find me? I wanted nothing more than that.

  “Tell me where you are, and I’ll be there.”

  “Where you left me before,” Alex said. “I’ve been waiting . . .”

  “Waiting? For how long?”

  His form shimmered, seeming to become absorbed by the light.

  “Alex? Alex! Please, tell me what to do!”

  “Can’t speak here,” he said, his voice barely discernible above the light – the light which somehow now had sound, a sound which was drowning everything out. “Come here . . . meet me here . . .”

  Then, there was nothing. The light was all-consuming, almost burning.

  I didn’t know how I knew, but I needed to get out of this dream.

  The light was replaced by utter darkness, and I knew exactly where I was. Somewhere out there, in the pitch black, Odium lurked.

  Anna . . .

  The voice was grotesque and mocking. I tried to make myself wake up, but I couldn’t. I was too late.

  You are a fool to believe you can ever find Elekim, Odium said. That way is closed. You will never lay eyes on him again.

  Somehow, he had witnessed my conversation with Alex, or had at least guessed at it. Perhaps that was why Alex hadn’t wanted to talk long.

  He is weak, Anna. Too weak. The time of the Elekai is past.

  I didn’t respond, not seeing the point in speaking to him. I felt my heart pounding in my chest, and the infinite cold of the surrounding darkness.

  You are not mine, Odium said, his voice a hiss. Not yet.

  The visage of a horrible face entered my mind’s eye, gloating and laughing. Its open mouth swallowed me whole, and I screamed.

  * * *

  Reality didn’t return to me immediately. Even when I sat up in my bed, I could see the darkness of space and hear Odium’s cruel laugh.

  All was silent save the hum of Odin’s engines and the sound of my ragged breaths.

  I lay back down, feeling cursed to never get a decent rest. My eyes were heavy and tired, and I would have slipped into sleep again if it weren’t for the fear I felt deep down inside.

  I left the cabin, finding the wardroom empty. There were no sounds on the ship; everyone was probably following my example, getting sleep in their cabins while they could.

  I headed for the flight deck, where I found Pallos in the pilot’s seat, a cup of coffee steaming in the cupholder below the panel beneath the control stick. Outside, the night sky was bright with the multitudes of stars that made up the main band of the Milky Way. There were so many stars up here, even more than I could see in the desert air of Colonia.

  “You should get some more rest,” Pallos said. “You’ve barely been asleep for an hour.”

  “That’s a nice thought,” I said, letting myself sink in the copilot’s chair. “Anything new to report?”

  He shook his head, one of his long bangs falling in front of the right lens of his glasses. He brushed it out of the way. “Nothing but quiet.” He looked at me. I noticed his eyes were red. He was running on as little sleep as me. Perhaps even less. “Bad dreams?”

  I nodded. “They’re coming every night, Pallos. It’s not just in my head.” I paused, unsure how much I should be telling him. “They’re messages.”

  “From Odium, you mean.”

  I nodded. “He’s . . . trying to discourage me.”

  What’s worse, I thought, I feel like it’s working.

  “What did he say?”

  I sighed. “Nothing nice, but that’s to be expected. He said . . . what does it matter, anyway? Is he even worth listening to?”

  “I can’t be the judge of that,” Pallos said.

  Pallos wasn’t prying, for once. Part of a new strategy perhaps, since I usually didn’t tell him much when he did.

  The effect ended up making me want to tell him more, and being aware of that fact didn’t stop me from speaking. It was either that, or the lack of sleep was affecting my judgment.

  “He’s trying to get between me and Alex,” I said, my voice coming out more dangerously than I intended. “I mean . . . trying to keep Elekim out of this. Elekim controls the Xenofold, as you know.”

  “I know,” Pallos said. He took a sip of his coffee while formulating his response. When he set the cup down, he said, “I’ve seen too much to believe that this world is only made up of the things we can directly experience. In the end, it’s the things we can’t see which end up having the most power over us.”

  His words rung true. The Xenofold, the most powerful thing I knew, couldn’t be touched in the conventional sense. It could only be imparted on a select few, a number that grew smaller and smaller each passing year as Gifts disappeared from the Elekai. That same Xenofold was dying, and with its death would come the enslavement of the entire planet, Elekai or not.

  “Maybe I have to go back,” I said. “Maybe . . .”

  Before I could finish my sentence, footsteps entered the flight deck. I turned to see Isa, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. From her manner, it was clear rest eluded her, too, though most likely for different reasons.

  “I’m . . . not interrupting anything, am I?”

  My cheeks, and Pallos’, burned red at the mere suggestion.

  “Sorry,” she said, with a joking smile. “I couldn’t resist.”

  When she saw how serious we both were, her demeanor changed at once. “What’s going on?”

  “Shanti’s had another nightmare,” Pallos said. “A bad one.”

  “What about?” Isa said, pulling down one of the two jump seats built into the wall behind the pilots’ chairs.

  I was about to start explaining my dream when my head started to ring as if struck by a hammer. I winced in pain, and my skin was dotted with sweat.

  “Are you okay?” Isa asked. “You look rather pale.”

  Pallos seemed to notice, too. “I chalked it up to exhaustion, but . . . are
you feeling sick, Shanti?”

  “Bad headache,” I said. Saying those very words just made it hurt worse.

  I reached out until I found Silence, though it only did a little to calm my mind and bring relief.

  “Let me get you some tea and cold towel,” Isa said.

  She ran off before I could protest. All I could do was lean back and groan.

  “If there’s anything I can do . . .” Pallos began.

  I held up a hand. Every word sent sharp pain through my head. “Shush.”

  Thankfully, Pallos went quiet.

  Isa returned with hot tea five minutes later, along with the cool rag.

  “We need to get you to your cabin,” she said. “Enough planning for tonight. You can pick up where you left off tomorrow morning.”

  “The dreams,” I said, as she helped me up.

  “I’ll stay with you. If anything happens, I’ll wake you up.”

  It was the best I could hope for.

  * * *

  Isa laid me down on my bed, propping two pillows beneath my head. All my body was drenched with sweat, and though the ship wasn’t swaying too much, every movement felt as if the ship had turned upside down.

  “Close your eyes,” Isa said, soothingly. “Seek Silence.”

  I felt the cup of tea in my hands. As Isa tilted the mug up, I was forced to drink. I didn’t know what she mixed into it, but it was filmy and awful. I nearly coughed it up.

  “You’re going to need Silence to get that down,” Isa said. “My mother would make it. Does wonders for all sorts of pains.”

  I opened my eyes, but couldn’t see the murky liquid in the dark of my cabin.

  After I’d finished it, its bitter, sickly taste was left on my tongue. I laid back down and whimpered.

  “Sleep,” she said. “I’ll be right here.”

  I closed my eyes. It took a while, but the ship seemed to stop moving so much. I felt a sense of well-being, a feeling I knew didn’t come from myself, but the drink Isa had given me.

  I was about to ask exactly what she had put in there, but I was already drifting off into a sleep that was, thankfully, completely dreamless.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  THE NEXT MORNING I AWOKE refreshed and clear-headed. Isa snored softly at the foot of the bed, her blonde hair falling over the side and hitting the deck below.

  I did my best not to disturb her, but ended up tripping and bumping my shoulder into the wall, hard. Isa snored, as if in protest to the noise, before settling back down to sleep.

  When I entered the wardroom and shut my cabin door softly behind me, I heard the clank and clamor of pots in the galley. I made my way there to find Fiona cooking a breakfast from some of the stores we packed from Kalear. She looked to be making eggs mixed with various vegetables, and four pieces of toast popped up from the toaster on cue as soon as I entered.

  “Coffee’s in the pot,” she said. She looked at the coffee maker in awe. “Remarkable machine!”

  Until Fiona had boarded the Odin, she had never seen such a thing. Shara, for that matter, hadn’t either. It was hard to believe that piece of equipment was four centuries old and still working, having survived for hundreds of years under the ice where Bunker 84 was housed.

  “Thanks for cooking, Fiona.” I reached for a mug, brushing past Fiona in the tight quarters. After I poured a cup and had a drink, I told her about the dream of the previous night.

  Fiona set the cooked eggs aside, her eyes troubled. “He’s been taunting you rather a lot, lately. Why?”

  I shrugged. “I’m getting tired of it. Isa made me some tea last night, and it settled me down pretty well.”

  Even thinking about the dream now, I felt myself break out into a cold sweat.

  I told her the rest, about my horrible headache.

  “Sounds like classic Aether withdrawal,” Fiona said.

  “You think that has something to do with it?” I asked. “I remember that Shara’s Aether addiction was completely removed the first time we went into the Hyperfold.”

  “That’s true,” Fiona said. “Maybe it doesn’t really work that way for you, and assuming it doesn’t, then the withdrawals could possibly be the source of your nightmares. Aether, after all, is a conduit to the Hyperfold, and the Hyperfold is ultimately under the control of Odium. The withdrawals could trigger memories and ties to that place. It’s likely there will be echoes, at least until the effects wear off completely.”

  “And when will that be?”

  Fiona was silent on that point. It was common knowledge that even one dose of Aether was enough for a user to be hooked for life. I’d had two. Elder Isandru, when he had walked the world, had had hundreds, if not thousands, over the span of his many years.

  The conversation was interrupted when Isa walked into the galley, bleary-eyed. “Food.”

  “Yes, it’s time to eat,” Fiona agreed. “Let’s get some food in her before she bites us.”

  This earned Fiona a withering glare. I smiled as I headed for the flight deck to let Pallos know breakfast was ready. Shara was also there, and together, we assembled at the table, digging into our meal.

  After a few minutes, we began discussing the business of the day.

  “The terrain around the mountain was too rough for a landing at nightfall,” Pallos said, “so we’re at a hover. We have the fuel; I filled Odin up at a lake while you guys were in Sylva.”

  “I’ll have to show you how to use the topographical scanner,” I said. “You don’t need to see where you’re landing to land.”

  “I know that,” Pallos said. “But with the dragons and all, I didn’t want to risk anything.”

  I had to concede that it was probably the right call, even if I believed we had nothing to fear from Tiamat.

  “When are we going to make contact?” Shara asked.

  “I’ll have to reach out to Quietus,” I said. “I’m not even sure all of us going will be necessary.”

  “All of us should go together, if only for solidarity,” Fiona said.

  “You’ll need someone to watch your back,” Isa said, no longer grumpy now that her plate was scraped clean.

  I wasn’t sure how much risk I was in here, but I didn’t protest the idea. When dealing with dragons, it was best to be careful.

  “Let’s land,” I said.

  * * *

  We landed the ship at the foot of Dragonspire. The towering peak was lit by the morning light, the xen and forest clinging to its face and basking golden under the sun. Against this backdrop flew several dozen dragons, their screams piercing the air. They were incredibly hard to pick out against the trees; the majority seemed to be Askaleen, whose pinks scales blended perfectly with the scenery. The air was warm and pleasant. Autumn didn’t seem to reach this far south.

  I walked toward the mountain, the warm breeze blowing through my hair, which had grown several inches by this point due to the healing given by the Seekers. I held up a hand, letting the others know to stay behind. As they fell back, I scaled a hill which gave an unhindered view of Dragonspire.

  I sought Silence and reached out with my mind.

  Quietus.

  I sent the message out and waited.

  “I’m getting nothing,” I said.

  Shara stood on my other side. “Should we just stay and wait?”

  I didn’t see another option, so I nodded.

  Shanti.

  Quietus’s voice entered my mind as if it were my own.

  Quietus, where are you?

  We are gathered near here. I will come get you.

  The connection was severed, and the others were looking at me questioningly.

  “Quietus is coming,” I said. “She said most of the dragons are gathered close to here.”

  “Doing what?” Shara asked.

  I shook my head. “I didn’t ask. But I’m sure we’ll find out soon.”

  We waited there on the hill for about a quarter of an hour before Quietus’s form appeared from around the
side of Dragonspire, her black scales glittering in the bright sunlight.

  Isa, Shara, and I backed away to give Quietus room to land on top of the hill. She glided toward us, picking up speed at an alarming rate. If I didn’t know it was her, I would have been screaming at such a terrifying sight.

  At just the last moment, she expanded her wings and slowed, lifting just above the ground and landing nimbly. She folded her wings as both of her glowing white eyes focused on me. No matter how many times I met her gaze, I could never quite get used to its intensity.

  Come with me, she said, her voice entering my head.

  What about my friends?

  They should remain here, Quietus said. Tiamat is already irked having to deal with one human.

  I faced the others. “I have to go on alone. You can wait here until I get back.”

  “For how long?” Shara asked.

  “I’m not sure. I have to go now.”

  Shara nodded. “All right. We’ll hold down the fort.”

  I walked forward and Quietus lowered her body to make it easier for me to mount her. Once I was firmly seated between the two spikes directly below her neck, she turned and immediately ran down the hill, stretching her wings and gliding on the air before giving a few powerful flaps that sent us airborne.

  I turned to look at the others, whose forms were shrinking with surprising speed. Isa waved while the others looked on worriedly.

  * * *

  Once we flew past the mountain, I could immediately see where we were going. A vast forest spread before us in a valley, in the middle of which was a large, pink lake filled with ichor. Perhaps as many as one hundred dragons stood around it, with a good half of them in the middle of it, bathing.