Conjured Defense (Terra Chronicles Book 4)

by J. C. Jackson

  Silver grabbed me around the waist to stop my progress. “Ketayl, no! I can’t risk losing you to the system.”

  An enemy showing up halted the conversation. While Silver dealt with him, I continued my run for the control room.

  As soon as I got inside, I engaged one of two enemies in the room. The other appeared desperately attempting to operate the system.

  Slamming a ball of electricity into my opponent’s chest, I dropped the first one and turned on the second, but a shield hitting him beat me to it.

  Silver dragged the one I took down out the door. “Would you stop for a minute? You can’t do this! I don’t know if I can get you out!”

  I pushed the one slumped over in the chair for the offense station out of the way and switched it to operate both defense and offense. “If you’ve got a better plan, I’d love to hear it.”

  “Ketayl…”

  “Kela,” I said, sliding into the chair. I hoped giving Silver this information was right choice.

  “What?”

  “Use it or get slapped - your choice.” Without waiting for further confirmation, I grabbed the grips, slamming my power into the system.

  Immediately I was everywhere on the ship again, but more than the systems I should be in. I focused on getting the shield up and the “guns” ready to fire.

  Coming in prepared this time, the system was incredibly easy to operate though I would have to push a lot of power into it to get out something useful. Once the shield went up, I shut the lights off in sections of the ship the enemy still occupied, also killing the emergency backup lighting.

  It seemed once the system had been tied into the triggers, it could access any other system on the ship.

  The other vessel rapidly closed in on us. They opened fire and I grunted as the barrage hit the shield surrounding our ship. I sent a few shots back, but unless I could actually hit something, I would be in for a lengthy fight. My reserves would likely not last long.

  Looking for a larger target, I aimed for the waterline and noticed I caused more damage to the enemy vessel. My main problem was I was running low fast keeping up both the shield and the barrage.

  After a few more seconds, I shifted to defense only. I could not keep up with both. It was an odd sensation: being outside the ship in the storm and feeling drenched in sweat at the same time.

  The enemy vessel stopped its attack and retreated. Other Naval vessels appeared in my vision. I turned to see what was going on.

  Helicopters headed for us and I shifted my power away from the shield emitters on that side so they could approach. It meant less I needed to throw my power into.

  “Kela, it’s over.” Silver’s voice was faint, but I heard it.

  I backed out of the systems one-by-one as military personnel landed and took over the ship. I trusted Silver. I held onto the anchor he created, but was too weak to pull myself back. If I had more energy, I might be able to get myself out.

  He pulled me, but it was slow and my grip kept slipping. The lure of the calm and balance the system offered made it harder to want to hold on. I could simply exist here. A short rest would make sense.

  I barely loosened my hold and suddenly slammed back to where I should be. Feeling lips on mine again, I knew it was Silver and forced my hands off of the grips, wrapping my arms around his neck and held on to my anchor. I almost lost myself to the system and could not chance falling back.

  Silver pulled me from the chair and between the kiss and how tightly he held on, I could not breathe. I managed to back away from him enough to get air.

  He picked me up over the console and we sat on the floor. It took far too long for me to stop shaking.

  “Just relax, Kela, you’re safe.”

  “Can forget that name now,” I said weakly.

  “No, I like it. Nice shooting by the way. And thanks for not slapping me this time.”

  “Still can.”

  Silver laughed and gently rubbed the side of my neck with the back of his fingers.

  I rested against him. I was too exhausted to talk anymore.

  Chapter 15

  We remained on-board while they brought the ship into dock. I drifted in and out during that time.

  “She’s just exhausted.” Silver’s voice cut through the haze.

  “So you managed to operate the defense side of the system?” Jonim asked.

  “No, she switched it to operate both.”

  “We hadn’t even discussed a broader test and you folks take it out into practical application. I’m thinking we’re scrapping the project though. Ain’t going to be able to use it with the current caster force and it wiped her out after a short battle.”

  “We also fought our way from Spelltech’s warehouse and she got us on-board. Ketayl’s resources aren’t unlimited - she’d run herself down quite a bit by then.” Silver stroked the hair near my temple with his fingers.

  I wanted to argue with him, but could not find the energy to move. I listened as the thunder rolled in the distance. Silence fell in the room.

  “Is the storm still bad?” Silver asked.

  “Nah,” Jonim said. “The wizard never likes to hang around long. Apparently just long enough for a bunch of pirates to think they can get away with Navy property. Looking forward to the stories to come out of this.”

  Silver stroked my cheek with his thumb. “I think we need to call it a day.”

  “If you weren’t, I was going to kick you off base. Though, I’m sure your bosses will be wanting to hear what happened first.”

  “I’ve been expecting that call. Surprised they haven’t already with the information her watch transmits.”

  “Probably haven’t gotten it yet - you were pretty far out and the wizard likes to shut down communications. Normally we can patch into the camera network on-board, but it was a complete blackout. We’ll download the security footage. Make sure copies get to who they need to.”

  My mind wandered while they spoke. I needed to make sense of everything that happened. The leaping tactic we came up with was more effective than I thought.

  “I ain’t trying to step on your toes, but I would feel a lot better if she got looked at. The lass ain’t moved ‘cept to breathe.”

  Silver sighed. “As much as she’s not going to like it, I agree.”

  “Traitor,” I muttered.

  My partner laughed loudly. “Now I know you’re okay, but you’re still exhausted. At least consider it a more comfortable place to rest.”

  Jonim had laughed also. “If you can walk, we can get you to the infirmary. You and your buddy left quite the trail of pain and we only have a couple of ambulances.”

  “I can make it easier,” Silver said right before he scooped me into his arms and stood up.

  “Put me down.” I pushed against him, but barely made an impression on his jacket.

  “Just humor me, okay?”

  I sighed and closed my eyes again. I could not fight him if I wanted to. Sleep would help. Then I could make sense of it all.

  I knew we moved, but only could tell when we got outside because it still rained lightly. My eyes would not open again despite my curiosity.

  “By the Gods, what happened?”

  “Is she okay?”

  “What do you need?”

  “She’s so low on arcane energy.”

  Voices I could not place got louder. Why could they not let me rest?

  “She’s exhausted from the fight and operating the whole system by herself,” Silver said softly.

  “She can do that?”

  “The system is capable of it in theory. Never thought the damn thing would actually work.”

  “Or that anyone could manage to handle both.”

  “Excuse us,” Silver said.

  I expected to get put down in a seat, but it never happened. Silver stepped up onto something and then I felt the rumble of an engine before we moved. He slid down so I rested more on top of him.

  “How low were you run?” I asked
. My voice barely above a whisper.

  He stiffened up underneath me. “I thought you were asleep.”

  “Too noisy.”

  He gave a short laugh. “I’m fine. It wasn’t as long of a fight as I expected. You wore me out more pulling you back.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be, but when you’re feeling up to it, we really need to talk.”

  Of course he would and my actions likely confused him as much as they did me. Why did I hold on? Perhaps because I had been in there for longer and put so much energy into getting the power output the system should have had. Maybe it was the lure of the siren’s call again.

  I must have fallen asleep because I woke when Silver set me down on a bed. I reached out and grabbed his arm, not knowing where I was or what was going on.

  “It’s okay. You’re in the infirmary. Just rest. I’ve got some calls to make,” he said quietly.

  I looked around and confirmed I was in the infirmary. Again. I sighed and rested my head back on the pillow, letting go of his arm.

  Silver kissed my forehead. “Try not to give the doctor a hard time, okay?”

  My brain did not want to process his words. I made a noise at him and went back to sleep.

  ~*~

  When I woke, Silver had not returned. I still felt worn and drained, but at least I could move.

  I struggled to sit up and found myself attached to something. A couple of cables went under my tank top with another connected to my finger. What happened to the light sweatshirt I had been wearing?

  The cool air got to me once the blanket slid down. What was going on? I followed the cables back to see what I was attached to and if I could disconnect from it.

  “Oh, you’re awake,” a doctor said as he stuck his head through the curtain. “Let’s get those off of you. We did it as a precaution.”

  I sat still as he removed the pads stuck to the upper part of my chest and the piece clipped on my finger.

  “I’ll let your buddy know you’re up. Do you need anything?”

  I opened my mouth to tell him no, but had to clear my throat to find my voice. “Water?”

  “Absolutely. I’ll be right back.”

  Part of me wanted to believe what happened was a dream, but I was fairly certain I had not hit my head again recently. I thought about what happened. How had we all missed the fact there were people who wanted the actual prototype? Was Jake killed for it or was it suicide? I needed to contact Sparky to see if he had anything yet.

  How long had I been out? Maybe there had not been enough time for him to process much.

  Where was my phone? And my stuff? I ended up leaving my gear bag in Spelltech’s warehouse during the conflict.

  The hostage situation. The fight to get to the ship. Taking over key sections of the ship until help could arrive. Syncing more completely to the system than before. Silver pulling me out.

  I touched my lips. He had done it again and I could not fault him for it - I was ready to give up. The whole thing still confused me. Especially my reaction with holding onto him.

  Kitteren would tell me this did not count also because of the circumstances. As it was I became concerned I had become too attached. Silver and I worked well together, but this could disrupt our easygoing friendship. It would be better to pretend it never happened.

  I took a shuddering breath and pulled my knees up, hugging them. A cup appeared in my vision a few moments later.

  “Oh, thank you.” I took it and looked up when I recognized the hand holding it out to me. Why was Silver here?

  “How are you feeling?” he asked softly.

  I took a sip of water to give me time to think. “Confused. What’s going on?” I refused to look at him again. I acted like such a desperate fool.

  “Since you’ve been sleeping, I went back and got our gear. I also called Lockonis and reported in. Sparky had just gotten started on processing what we sent.”

  The plastic cup crinkled when I squeezed it. “What did she say?”

  “I think she’s mad she missed this fight. Jonim will be sending her the security footage as soon as he’s gotten all of it. She’s also not happy you dived into the system again, but agrees it was extenuating circumstances.”

  There would be a headache coming. I would likely get chewed out for my actions.

  “The Navy is canceling any further tests to the system and dismantling it. We’ll be taking the amplifier back. I’ve been promised it’ll be in a box with very heavy shielding.”

  “Not silicon composite I hope.”

  Silver smirked and sat on the edge of the bed. “Lead I think.”

  Might be enough to keep the effects at bay.

  “Also, we’ve been ordered to take a few days off after we finish tracking down the problem with the defense station. The main office will handle the rest. The Navy has the pirates in custody and I’m hungry so we should get out of here.”

  I debated if I should head to Great Tree during the downtime. I could consult with Father about my confusion and it would get me away from Silver for a few days.

  Sliding forward, Silver took the now empty cup from me and held out a hand. I ignored it and stood on my own. I needed to back away completely. I became too lax about it over the past few months.

  “Think you’re up for a quick video call? Lockonis would like to see that you’re okay.”

  I nodded. I was probably a mess, but I could deal. Food sounded good also. Might help with still feeling exhausted.

  Silver pulled back the curtain and the doctor looked up from his clipboard - he had been heading toward us.

  “Leaving?” the doctor asked.

  “Yes,” Silver answered.

  The doctor tapped the back of his clipboard with a finger. “To be honest, I’m not comfortable with how exhausted you still are. It doesn’t make much sense - the rest of the readings are fine.”

  “Arcane energy levels - takes longer to recover. I’m fine,” I explained.

  Silver folded his arms and looked down at me. “Normally I would argue against you, but even I know it’s simply a matter of time for you to recover.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

  He patted me on the head. “I’ll keep an eye on her. I think a quick stop at the hotel to clean up and food will help.”

  Both of those sounded fantastic right now.

  “Let me get your sweatshirt first. It should be dry by now.” The doctor disappeared for a minute before returning with the lightweight purple sweatshirt I had been wearing.

  Taking it, I bowed. “Thank you.” The movement left me slightly dizzy, but I forced myself to pretend nothing was wrong and strode out the door as steadily as I could manage.

  Silver stopped me in the hall once the door closed. “You're not fine.”

  “Just a little dizzy. It’s nothing.” I moved away from him and set off at a quick pace.

  Suddenly my feet left the floor and my back was against the wall. “Stop or I’m taking you back to the infirmary.”

  Silver held me at eye level for him and I glared back. I strongly debated kicking him. “Look, I’m tired, I’m hungry, and mostly I want to get out of here. Let’s just make the call, get our stuff, and go.”

  “Wait, you’re being reasonable?” Silver put me down.

  “You go get stuck in that system sometime,” I muttered.

  He gave a short laugh. “Some good might have come out of it. Walk with me. It’ll be easier to catch you if I need to.” He wrapped an arm around my waist.

  I sighed and put up with his coddling. “Thanks for doing all of that.”

  “I’m occasionally useful.”

  ~*~

  “Ket, you need to knock it off,” Lockonis said. “I understand it was the best solution, but can you not go to the extreme for once?”

  I bowed my head. I had it coming. I never bothered trying to come up with a more sane solution.

  “I’m just glad you’re up and movin
g again. Silver already filled me in on what happened. Once you get done, I’m having the two of you take a few days off before coming back.”

  My attention went back to the screen. “We’re staying here?”

  “Why not? Sandpoint is a good vacation destination at this time of year. Unless you want to come back to the cold and snow.”

  I shook my head.

  “Go play tourist for a few days and we’ll talk when you get back.” Lockonis ended the call.

  Closing my eyes, I attempted to muster the strength to do something. Standing was taking everything I had.

  “Lass, get out of here and get some rest. The two of you best be off the base within the hour.”

  “Thank you for letting us use your office. I’m guessing the mobile towers haven’t gotten back up and running yet,” Silver said.

  “They ain’t quick to fix things, that’s for certain. Should be up again here soon though. They like backlash less.”

  Silver guided me to our loaner vehicle. I leaned on him most of the way. I had no memory of the drive back and little of getting up to the room. The moment I laid down on the bed, I fell asleep.

  So much for getting cleaned and food.

  When I awoke later, the sun was out, but it had gotten late. Then I noticed Silver’s absence. I reached for my phone and only felt the cool top of the nightstand. I picked up my head enough to glare at the empty space. Then remembered my watch would get notifications provided I had not broken it during the fight.

  It appeared to be in one piece. I twisted my wrist to get the screen to come on. Still worked enough to at least tell me the time. I cycled through and looked for new messages, but had none.

  Dropping my head back down, I was still exhausted. And even more hungry than before. I supposed I could get cleaned up before Silver returned.

  I dragged myself off the bed and got a change of clothes before making my way to the bathroom. The pound of the hot spray from the shower felt good against my sore muscles. I stood under it for a while before snapping back to reality and setting about cleaning the day’s events off.

  Staring at myself in the mirror wearing only a towel, I lifted my hand to dry myself off and then put it back down. I ached too much to do it. Something second nature to me and I thought twice about using it.