Seeker's Light (The Tazalian Series)

by N. I. Snow

  The fire turned to molten lava as Jonah roared with both anger and pain. He tried to lift his body up wanting nothing more than to strangle the life out of the devil creature standing temptingly within reach, as though the vile reptile wanted the boy to attack him. A wave of dark laughter filled the boy's ears as his body fell back against the cold metal platform. Burning tears fell from his eyes as the inhuman laughter continued on in his brain even when the fiery agony burning through his body forced him into darkness. In the emptiness of his mind, he wanted the nightmare to be over and prayed that when his eyes opened he would be home and Emma would be safe.

  Nineteen

  The galaxy held many wonders for venturous travelers to behold— from the twinkling of distance stars to the mysteries of undiscovered planets. None of these could compare, however, to the beauty of Hel Ta Almania, the heart of the galaxy from which every galactic arm emanated. All life owed its existence to this radiant cloud of gases and star clusters that made up the accretion disk that surrounded the black hole within its center. From this very point the galaxy had been born. It was here the occupants of the jagged nightmare ship hoped to find the location of the Gaia, the supposed living force behind the galaxy's creation.

  Emma leaned against a panel in the cockpit of the Valkyrie. Beside her, sitting in the pilot's seat, Zaharak worked at the navigation system. When they had first arrived in Ta Almania, awe had overcome the girl. Her sea gray eyes could barely take in the wonders of the galactic center. The lilac and pink gas clouds that filled the viewport looked almost as soft as cotton until one would erupt into a brilliant white explosion that nearly blinded her. At certain moments, Zaharak would maneuver the ship out of the path of a racing comet, which would leave a trail of blue dust in its wake. It was all incredibly beautiful.

  “Focus.” Zaharak's gruff voice broke through her rapt attention on the scene before them. “We are almost there.”

  Even as Zaharak spoke, Emma could make out a large shape through the thick gas clouds. The closer Zaharak flew the ship, the greater in size the shape grew. It did not take long for the enormous space station to fill the entire viewport. Emma strained her neck as she tried to look up at the blinking red lights that ran on long poles along the top of the rectangular hull to the pair of rotatable curved thrusters at each end of the station. The entire hull looked worn down from time. Cracked panels ran along the hull and instruments used for navigation looked ready to break off. At the far right of the hull was a port leading to a hangar bay for traveling ships. Zaharak angled the Valkyrie for this port.

  The first thing Emma noticed when Zaharak flew through the opening was a thin plasma barrier that separated the bay from the vacuum of space; the next was the dim light in the hangar itself.

  “How does the station have power if it has been abandoned for so long?” Emma asked as she looked around the expansive bay that was empty save for a few crates and tool cabinets.

  Zaharak carefully landed the Valkyrie while replying, “This station was built to be nearly self sustaining. To power itself, it draws energy from light, gases, and even explosions.. The only thing it cannot create is supplies for inhabitants.”

  Zaharak stood up and brushed past the girl and out of the cockpit. Emma studied the hangar bay a while longer before following the silent Seeker. In the study Zaharak gathered his jacket and the deadly hat from the center pillar. As Emma walked into the room, the gray Tazalian disappeared into the torture chamber. When he returned, Emma could not see anything different from when he had gone in, but she knew somewhere on his person were hidden weapons.

  Zaharak motioned with a claw for her to follow him. He led her to the back of the ship while speaking commands to the ship's A.I., “Valkyrie, open the loading ramp and begin initiating security procedures.”

  A dim light from the hangar bay illuminated the ship's holding. Emma followed Zaharak through the hold and down the ramp. Once out of the Seeker's ship, Emma took note of just how much the station seemed to be alive. She could hear the sound of pulsing energy beating like a heart and feel the cool air flowing through the hangar as if from invisible lungs.

  Zaharak's luminous golden eyes scanned the empty hangar; he remained motionless and silent. Emma couldn't help but feel anxious as she watched the Seeker. She also scanned the hanger, but she was unable to see anything.

  “Any sign of Shadonel and Soforin?” the girl whispered, almost believing that the two Elders would jump out of the shadows at the sound of their names.

  Zaharak shook his head and began making his way towards a doorway across the hangar. “No, but they will arrive shortly. Our landing in the station would not have gone unnoticed by Shadonel. But I want to search the station anyway as soon as possible to be sure that we don’t get any unwelcome surprises.”

  Emma hurried after the Seeker, trying with difficulty to match his long stride. “Great, just what I wanted, to feel like a sitting kletziquel again.”

  Zaharak's voice echoed through the hangar, “You should be used to that feeling by now.”

  Emma scoffed, “Funny.”

  As they walked into a wide hallway pale white lights built into the ground brightened with each of her footsteps. Emma worried that they would cause problems for Zaharak, that even with his stealthy movements, he would turn the lights on fully. But she reassured herself; she knew what Zaharak was capable of.

  Along the hallway were several doorways. Emma wanted to ask what each led to, but the gray-scaled Tazalian's quick pace prevented her from doing so. The end of the hall split in three directions. Zaharak hardly paused before turning into the hall to their right. They followed the long hall in silence. As Emma grew tired, her pace slowed and she found it harder to stay in the Seeker's wake. She knew Zaharak wasn't going to slow down for her. He wouldn’t be satisfied until he had checked out the whole station, so she decided to save her energy.

  Without having to worry about keeping up with the Seeker, she was able to get a better look around. Each door she passed had a different sign. One led to a storage compartment, another was a hallway to an artificial garden, and another was a passageway to the bridge. Following those, another with no sign caught her attention. It was well worn, yet it looked as though it had not been opened in thousands of years. She walked over to it and pressed a hand on the rough, aged metal. The door did not give. Emma frowned and looked at the long crease that ran through the center of the door where the two metal slabs that made up the door used to pull apart.

  Out of seemingly nowhere a sharp, round metal disk slid in between the crease of the door only inches from Emma's head. The girl jolted and looked up to see a pair of gray-scaled hands holding onto the disk. She watched in awe as Zaharak twisted the disk forcing the metal slabs to slide open. An agonized screech of rusted metal filled the hall when Zaharak dropped his throwing disk and used his bare hands to finish moving the panels apart. Zaharak quickly retrieved his disk, which showed no signs of damage from the exertion, and returned it to its innocent hat form.

  Emma slipped through the doorway as Zaharak placed the hat back upon his head. The barren, bleak hall was unnervingly quiet making Emma jump at even the slightest sound. In there, the lights at her feet were dim, hardly able to pierce the thick darkness that felt smothering to her. Zaharak's hidden presence did little to comfort her.

  “Why hasn't anyone ever come through here?” Emma asked quietly, almost fearing the sound of her own voice.

  “Nobody ever needed to. The smugglers only used the hangars, and we never knew this station’s true origins until now. Had we, Salianos would have torn this place from panel to panel to find any clues to the Light.”

  The pair continued through the hall with the pale girl hoping they would reach its end soon. It seemed like hours before they reached an open doorway at the far end. Without hesitation, Emma entered the next chamber, an expansive room dimly lit by a large viewport that spanned the front of the room. Outside glowed the radiant gas clouds of Ta Almania. But when he
r eyes dropped from the display, she stopped, her eyes wide with shock. Seated before the long unused control panels were the skeletal remains of several Tazalians with another leaning against a panel before the large viewport. When Emma’s attention focused on this last skeleton, she hurriedly approached it. Standing next to the skeleton, she examined it closely from the hollow eye sockets of its skull to the ragged clothing still clinging to its hollow frame. Her voice was filled with awe as she whispered, “Alekia.”

  Zaharak walked silently up behind Emma. His cold, yellow eyes scanned the remains. “You know this one?”

  Emma bit her lip and nodded, “He was the one who put the Ancients together, the one who left behind the relics.”

  Emma looked up meditatively towards the viewport. Bright flashes filled her eyes as pockets of gas exploded within the clouds before her. It was wonderful, a perfect balance of chaos and beauty. But, suddenly Emma frowned. That was all there was. Not a single sign of the Light. Even though she didn't know exactly what it looked like, she was sure she would be able to pinpoint it among the floating meteorites and stars.

  Zaharak noticed her disappointed look, and his emotionless gaze followed hers. “It is not here, is it?” His gravelly voice spoke as gently as possible.

  “I don't understand. Alekia told me personally that the Gaia would be near here. Where is it?” She turned to face the Seeker and paused; he was looking back towards the doorway, eyes narrowing. “What's wrong?”

  “Run, back to the Valkyrie,” he whispered, “Quickly!”

  Emma barely had time to register what Zaharak meant when the Seeker bounded forward to intercept a shadow that erupted from the depths of the hallway. Emma yelped in surprise. The gray-scaled Tazalian wrestled with the shadow. A tail whipped out from the shadow and lashed against the side of Zaharak's snout. The Seeker ignored the limb and grabbed for where Emma supposed the shadow's neck was.

  “Emma!” Zaharak growled through bared fangs, “Go!”

  Emma blinked away her surprise and fright and hurried past the combatants. As she ran down the hallway, she could still hear the fight. She could only wonder whose body she heard hitting a wall. Racing out of the bridge hallway, she turned sharply into the hall leading back to the hangar bay, heart racing, her feet pounded against the steel floor. When she reached the branching of the three-way corridor, she could no longer hear the two Tazalians fighting nor could she hear any sign of being pursued. Of course if the shadow had been the Tazalian she feared, she wasn't going to hear or see him.

  As Emma rushed into the hanger, she stumbled over the hems of her dress and caught herself with her arms. Taking a deep breath, she looked back towards the hallway unable to see anything. She quickly picked herself up and hurried for the lowered landing platform of the Valkyrie.

  The attack came swift and silent.

  Emma was pushed down by a streak of white. A pair of bone-white clawed hands closed around her thin neck. Her gray eyes stared fearfully into the crazed, gray eyes of Soforin. The insane Elder's grip tightened around the girl's throat, choking her. She gasped and struggled to pull Soforin's claws away. He wasn't going to let go, though. Lutianist had warned her that Soforin would go into a maddening rage to put an end to anything that made a sound. Her face reddened and black spots began to fill her vision. Mad as he was, he would kill her not caring for the consequences; he did not care about the Light or Salianos's plans. All he cared about was destroying the odd, strangled sounds that came from the noisy creature entrapped in his claws.

  Emma's brain began to pound as pressure began to build in her head. Her vision darkened to the point where she could hardly see the bare-fanged Soforin. Then, just as she was sure she was going to die, a gray blur tackled the mad reptile, pushing him off of the girl. Emma gasped, inhaling a deep breath of air and sat up, one hand rubbing her neck. Coughing she looked over to see Zaharak once again wrestling with the crazed one. In the fray, Soforin heard Emma’s cough, which caused the deranged Elder to fight even more wildly against Zaharak. Emma got unsteadily to her feet. Once she regained some balance, she hurried once more for the Valkyrie's loading ramp.

  From the corner of her eye, she could see that Soforin had broken free from Zaharak and was once again in pursuit of her. A long, sharp metallic shriek filled the hangar causing both the Tazalian and girl to stop in their tracks. Emma turned to see Soforin looking back at Zaharak, who was kneeling with the tips of his claws scraping on the floor. The Elder's clawed hands covered his ears and he gnashed his fangs angrily at the emotionless Seeker. Zaharak dragged his claws along the metallic flooring again, once more filling the air with the earsplitting, grating sound.

  Soforin pressed his hands tighter against his head and bent his body forward as though he were in great pain. Then without warning Soforin sprang for the Seeker. Emma watched in awe as Zaharak brought his claws forward and grabbed the mad Elder's robed chest. Swinging his body around, Zaharak threw the insane creature across the hangar. Before Soforin's body hit the floor, Zaharak had Emma in his arms and was halfway up the ramp way to the Valkyrie's hull. Bounding through the barren hold Zaharak carried Emma through the hall into the lobby. The Seeker skidded to the door on his right. The door seemed painstakingly slow to open. Zaharak rushed into the weapon-filled room nearly throwing Emma underneath the metallic table at one side of the room.

  Emma crouched underneath the table and watched Zaharak walk over to the control panel in front of an orb-shaped device. The stoic, gray-scaled Tazalian turned to face the doorway, his golden eyes narrow. She knew they had been followed. Somewhere in the shadows, the wild Elder lay hiding.

  “Emma, hold your hands over your ears and make as much noise as possible,” Zaharak spoke quietly from the side of his mouth.

  Emma gave the Seeker a skeptical look. “What for?”

  “Just do it.” Zaharak barked at her.

  Emma did as she was told. Covering her ears with both hands, she began pounding the floor with her feet. She could make out Soforin’s bone-white form moving out of the shadows just outside the doorway. Slowly the Elder made his way into the room, stopping just inside the door to peer curiously from Emma, who still stomped her feet on the ground, to the still, quiet form of Zaharak. Cautiously and silently, Soforin walked toward Emma, his gray eyes never leaving the Seeker. When he believed that Zaharak wasn't going to move, the crazed Tazalian quickened his steps, moving ever closer to Emma. Each step tormented the poor girl, who only wanted to stop her pounding and yell at Zaharak to do something.

  It seemed as though the Seeker had read her mind. Soforin was no more than two feet away from where Emma was hiding when Zaharak ordered the Valkyrie to shut the door. Soforin snapped his head around at the sound of the door latching. Though puzzled, the Elder turned his attention back to Emma’s pounding; and in that moment, Zaharak pressed an image on the control panel behind him. An orb began to glow red and a high-pitched shriek filled the room. Soforin grimaced and pressed both clawed hands over his head. His eyes fixed on the red light long enough for Zaharak to race over to the Elder and send a round kick to the deranged lizard's head. As Soforin reeled towards a wall on his right, Zaharak quickly reached down for Emma, used his body to shield her, and placed his clawed hands over hers to further protect her ears.

  The Hekti's volume gradually increased with a corresponding increase in Soforin’s agony. Zaharak watched as the Elder clawed at his own head trying desperately to rid himself of the agonizing screech, which seemed to come everywhere in the room. Blue blood flowed from his gaping wounds, some revealing the bone of his skull. His wild, gray eyes darted erratically from one end of the room to the next, trying to pinpoint the source of the sound. Bounding across the room, the Elder knocked over the steel chair and a fluid-filled box.

  Then, a screech far different from that of the Hekti filled the room. The only sound the silent Elder had ever made in his long life was filled with agony and was soon cut off when he snapped his jaws closed. His sharp teeth bit d
own on his tongue causing even more blood to flow from his snout. Claws tearing at his head again, Soforin rushed towards a wall with his head bent. In a sickening thud Soforin's muzzle hit and rebounded from the wall, his snout contorted in an unnatural way.

  The Elder charged again, this time his fevered rampage came to an end. When he hit the metal wall, the tremor caused a dagger hanging on its surface to fall. The long blade pierced through the back of Soforin's bent neck. Zaharak watched with cold eyes as the crazed Elder's body fell to the floor. Never again would he be tortured by the sounds he could not make.

  Carefully Zaharak lifted Emma to her feet. Still holding both of his hands over hers he walked them both over to the Hekti's controls. Using the tip of his tail to press an image on the panel, he waited for the subsonic screech of the Hekti to fade away before releasing his hold on her.

  The pale and shaking girl looked over to the still form of Soforin. She felt a twinge of pity for the creature. How long had the poor Elder been lost within his own shell? How many years had he spent in silence, the Elder he once was, slowly diminishing into the animal he had become? Emma turned her head, unable to look any longer at the Elder's still form, blue blood still flowing from his broken snout.

  Zaharak noted the distressed look on the young girl's face. Saying nothing, he quietly walked over to Soforin's body and lifted it up by the shoulders. The once-living Elder's head slumped forward in an unnatural position against his chest as Zaharak began dragging the body out of the room. With a jerk of his snout, the Seeker beckoned Emma to follow as he carried his load to the now opening doorway. Emma took a deep breath and followed silently, keeping her gaze away from the limp creature being dragged out of the ship and into the hanger. A strange unfamiliar silence engulfed the pair. Though Emma was used to Zaharak's quiet disposition, this silence was eerily similar to a funeral. Emma had been to a funeral before on Earth. A close friend of hers had been murdered on her way home from school one day. Emma could remember how unsettling the silence was as she sat there in the funeral home, where friends and family members paid their last respects. The silence between her and Zaharak was similar but even more unsettling given that Soforin had been the one to end his own life in his maddened rage.