by J. J. Green
Yet these others tricked the People, doing things that People could not. The aliens could disappear in the wink of an eye and reappear in another place altogether. They could move objects without touching them. They could bend the People to do their bidding.
The alien race was evil and the People knew they would never be safe until the aliens were expelled from the world.
Carina’s hand went to her mouth.
Bryce said what was on her mind. “The aliens sound like mages.”
***
By the time Carina finished reading the holy book, it was so late that it was nearly morning. She closed the interface and went to bed. She had time to sleep for a couple of hours before the children woke up. Then she had to make a plan on how to rescue Parthenia.
Bryce was squeezed into a narrow space between Darius and the wall on one of the two beds, with Ferne sleeping at the other edge of the bed, on the verge of falling off. Darius was lying on his back between them, arms outstretched, looking like a sea creature Cariad had seen once on a forgotten planet. The animal had been flat and its five limbs splayed out.
With only Oriana to share a bed with, Carina had more room than poor Bryce or Ferne, yet though she was exhausted, she didn’t fall asleep right away. The stories from the ancient book replayed in her mind, though she saw them from the perspective of the mages.
What had happened during the time in which the book was set had become clear to her when she’d read between the lines of the text. Thousands of years previously, mages had settled on Ostillon. The planet might have been one of the first they’d fled to after leaving Earth. Then, some time later, another group of settlers had arrived. The new colonists might have already been following a religion that told them the planet was their rightful home, or the religion might have sprung up as divine justification for the persecution of mages that followed the settlers’ arrival.
It was plain that the newcomers had felt threatened by the mages’ powers. Carina guessed that her ancestors might have become lax about hiding what they could do since leaving Earth possibly many generations before. Whatever the reason, the new settlers hadn’t wanted to share their world with these people who had strange abilities. They deemed the practices of mages immoral and probably made them illegal. The Elements that were so important to mages became representative of sins, and the Characters had to destroyed—perhaps a metaphor for what the colonists wanted to do to the mages.
The ritual at the end of the Mech Battles performance suddenly made sense to Carina. The priestess had said that pouring the elixir into the sand was to cleanse the participants of their sins. Carina guessed that at some point, the newcomers had justified pouring away stocks of elixir by saying that they were purifying the mages of evil.
The only reminder that mages had once lived on Ostillon were their inaccurate representation in stories in a holy book and a few traditional dishes in the local cuisine.
Though in Carina’s time Ostillon was a nowhere place at the edge of the galactic sector, at one point in its history the planet must have been one of the first to have been settled from Earth. Carina’s heart skipped a beat. Did that mean that Earth was comparatively nearby?
“Can’t sleep?” Bryce whispered from across the room.
Carina lifted herself onto her elbow. “No. You neither?”
“I know it’s asking a lot,” Bryce said softly, “but I need more than a hands-breadth of space to relax in.”
Carina chuckled. “Sorry about Darius. Push him out of the way if you like. I don’t think he’ll wake up.”
“It’s okay,” Bryce said. “I just realized… I never told you how happy I was to find you again.”
“Bryce, I’m happy you found me too.” She really meant it. For the first time in her life, Carina thought she’d met a non-mage she could completely trust.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Parthenia had cried herself to sleep, and the following morning when Harmon woke her and told her that she had to go down to breakfast, she refused. The large man bristled but seemed to think twice about his response. He said nothing and left the suite. Another guard arrived to take his place. Harmon had been watching her all night, presumably to catch Carina if she repeated her rescue attempt.
A few minutes later, Langley Dirksen arrived and sent the replacement guard out. She was dressed in loose fitting, light pajamas covered by a robe made of a similarly fine, expensive material. She was only lightly made up. Perhaps it was due to the dim light through the window blinds or the woman’s age and luxurious clothes, but Parthenia was briefly reminded of her mother. Another bout of sobbing threatened and it was as much as she could do to control herself.
Langley seemed to sense Parthenia’s vulnerable state. Her expression was soft with sympathy as she stood in the bedroom doorway. “Do you mind if I come in?”
Determined not to open her mouth lest she begin to cry, Parthenia didn’t reply.
Langley came in anyway. She sat next to Parthenia on the side of her bed. “My dear, you look exhausted. I imagine that you hardly slept. There’s no need for you to come down to breakfast if you don’t feel like it. I can ask one of the maids to bring something up to you. How does that sound?”
Finally, Parthenia trusted herself to speak. “I’m not hungry.”
“Is that so? I’m surprised. Your sister had quite the appetite.”
At the mention of Carina’s name, Parthenia’s lower lip turned out and she had to swallow. She’d seen Carina for only a moment—less than a minute—for the first time since she’d arrived on Ostillon. After waiting and hoping for so long that Carina would find and help her and her siblings, her sister had finally appeared, but then she’d left again. She’d left Parthenia in the hands of Castiel and the Dirksens. Parthenia was trying hard not to feel abandoned but she wasn’t succeeding.
Langley reached out and placed a hand on top of Parthenia’s where it was lying on the covers. Parthenia snatched her hand away and thrust it under the coverlet.
“Parthenia… May I call you that? I understand how you feel and I know I would feel the same in your circumstances. You’ve had a very difficult time recently. Your brother has told me all about it. You must have been terrified to find yourself alone on a strange planet with no one to turn to. I can’t imagine what you must have been forced to do to survive. You must be very brave and resourceful. I doubt I could have done the same. I have so much admiration for you.”
Langley was gazing in Parthenia’s eyes, a soft, compassionate expression on her face. She continued, “You see, you and I are quite alike, aren’t we? We were both raised within the comfort and privilege of a powerful clan. We wanted for nothing, and—if your parents were as indulgent as mine—we could have whatever we asked for. To live a life like that and then suddenly find yourself in an entirely different environment where you had absolutely nothing and were in fear for your life, what a challenge that must have been, and yet you met it.” Tilting her head, Langley paused, allowing her words to linger.
She was right, Parthenia realized. She’d had a terrible time when she had walked with Darius through the forest. She’d had to seek help from the ranger, and do so many other things including going for help when Ferne had been shot. All the time she’d worried that she was making bad decisions, but actually she’d done as well as could have been expected. Perhaps she’d been too hard on herself. But what did any of that matter? She wanted to make sure that Carina had helped Ferne and the others. “I want to leave,” she blurted.
“But why?” Langley asked. “Don’t you like it here? This is a beautiful room in a beautiful house. We have wonderful grounds for you to wander in. You can have whatever you want. You only need to ask for it. Isn’t this the life you’re used to?”
“I want to be with my family,” Parthenia exclaimed. “It doesn’t matter that this is the kind of life I used to lead. Maybe I wasn’t happy then. Have you considered that?” Despite her words, Parthenia recognized the truth of what Langley wa
s saying. Her time on Ostillon since Carina had Transported her down there had been awful. A small part of her did yearn for the indulgent life she was accustomed to, even though she’d known that Mother was unhappy and no one except Father had much freedom. At least she’d never suffered a moment’s physical discomfort then. At least she’d been safe.
“Your brother has told me about your lives on Ithiya” said Langley, “and, to be honest, it doesn’t sound that bad. None of us can have everything we want. That would be selfish and unreasonable. We must accept that sometimes sacrifices and compromises are necessary. That’s the correct, mature attitude to have in life. Don’t you agree?”
Parthenia did agree, but she didn’t want to say so. Agreeing with Langley Dirksen felt wrong. Of course it was wrong. The woman was holding her against her will. Parthenia was muddled. “You shouldn’t listen to Castiel,” she said. “He’s a bad person. He scared and hurt Nahla and last night he gagged me and forced me to stay beside him when Carina came to rescue me.”
“Ah, your sister,” said Langley. “Another troubled young lady. She also didn’t understand the advantages of using her powers for good. But you were talking about Castiel, weren’t you? I agree, his behavior is excessive at times. I shall speak to him about it. Of course, he had to prevent your sister from taking you from us and returning you to hardship and a difficult life, but he must learn to be more kind and reasonable. Perhaps you can help me to persuade him.”
Once more, Parthenia was at a loss. Castiel certainly did need to learn to behave better, but she didn’t feel that she was the person who should teach him. That wasn’t her responsibility. Or was it? She was his older sister after all. And Mother had loved Castiel the same as she’d loved all her children. Perhaps she’d seen good in him that wasn’t apparent to anyone else. Maybe Mother would have liked her to show Castiel some compassion.
“I… Er,” said Parthenia.
Langley smiled. She pressed Parthenia’s hand where it lay beneath the covers. The woman’s touch felt warm and comforting. Parthenia suddenly missed her mother very, very much.
“Don’t worry, dear,” said Langley. “You’re still upset from everything you’ve been through since you arrived. It’s entirely understandable that you need to recover and think things through before making any decisions. Take all the time you want. You’re at a very important crossroad in your life. One way lies a wonderful life doing good and helping people while enjoying the best that every world has to offer, the other way lies uncertainty, never knowing where your next meal will come from, and fear of discovery preventing you from helping others.” Langley stood up and tightened the ties on her robe. “Would you like something to eat? Breakfast is still warm.”
Parthenia looked down. This time, guilt bothering her while she refused to reply. For a powerful member of a powerful clan, Langley Dirksen didn’t seem as bad as Parthenia would have imagined.
Langley left, and Parthenia gave vent to her feelings again, burying her face in her pillow. Even when she’d been trapped in the security room at the spaceport or in the cell at the holding center, she had never felt so alone. At those times, she’d been focused on returning to her siblings and desperately worried about them. Now she guessed that Carina was with them. That had to be how her older sister had discovered where she was. That meant that Darius, Oriana, Ferne, and Carina were all together and Parthenia was the one who was apart from them.
Carina had come for her just as she’d said she would. Her sister had kept true to her word, and yet… The awful feeling that had pervaded Parthenia the previous night returned. Carina had left her. She’d left, even though she knew Parthenia was trapped and Castiel was holding her hostage.
Why had Carina gone away? She could do anything. She was an amazing fighter and she could Cast expertly, while Castiel was new to the skill. He should have been easy for Carina to defeat. Yet after only a brief try, Carina had abandoned her to the Dirksens. She’d said she would come back but would she? And when?
Chapter Thirty-Six
Carina, Bryce, and the children crowded around a table at a diner. It was a small, cheap, grubby place, but Carina had still checked that the establishment took cash before they sat down. Bryce had money from some casual labor he’d picked up to survive while searching for them. The man behind the counter at the back nodded in reply without removing his gaze from an erotic holo that was playing on a lower counter, barely out of view. Carina asked the man to turn down the volume a little so the children wouldn’t hear.
Oriana, Ferne, and Darius squabbled over who was to be the first to order from the interface at the table until Carina made them stop. She told them she would order the worst-tasting breakfast on the menu for them if they didn’t behave.
She rolled her eyes at Bryce, reflecting that, for children who had been brought up by a cruel monster, they sometimes showed little sign of it. She guessed that Ma must have shielded them from Stefan’s nastiness much of the time.
Bryce was wearing an amused expression.
“What?” Carina asked. “Is something funny?”
“You’re pretty young to be a mom.”
“Huh. I didn’t get a lot of choice about it.”
“Well, you’re doing a great job, especially considering it was thrust upon you.”
Carina glanced at the twins and Darius, who had begun to argue again—this time about what the others were ordering—though more quietly. They seemed distracted enough to not be listening to her.
“Honestly, though it’s hard,” she said to Bryce, “I couldn’t be happier. I didn’t have anyone I could be open with about being a mage until I met this little gang. It’s isolating to be always keeping back a part of yourself from everyone you know. For a long while, I thought I was used to it. But then when I met Darius and I discovered there was perhaps an entire family of mages I could meet, I was so excited… I realized I’d been sad, deep down, for a long time.” Carina drew breath, a feeling of panic rising in her. Although she knew its cause—her words to Bryce were probably the most frank she’d ever been about her feelings to anyone, ever—that didn’t dampen her visceral reaction.
“Anyway,” she went on, quickly steering away from dwelling on her emotions, “now I only need to get Parthenia back. Then we can all be together. I just haven’t figured out how yet.”
Perhaps sensing Carina’s discomfort, Bryce also focused on the new topic. “What happened when you went to the Dirksen estate?”
Carina filled him in, finishing with, “Part of the problem is that in any plan I think up, Castiel is an unknown. If we end up Casting directly at each other, it’s hard to know if I can defeat him. I got some sense of his power last night and at the time I thought I was would probably be stronger than him if it were put to the test, but I wouldn’t like to bet on it.”
“What if you had the others helping you?” Bryce asked.
Carina shook her head emphatically. “I’m not taking them with me. It’s too risky.”
An ancient servitor trundled up to the table, its shelves bearing breakfast dishes. Carina lifted the plates out and slid them across to the children, who had already forgotten what they ordered. Three dishes were passed back to Carina and Bryce due to their being apparently unfit for human consumption. Bryce picked up some kind of toasted vegetable, nibbled on it, and announced it was the most delicious thing he’d ever tasted.
“Wait,” Ferne said, “I remember I ordered that.”
“It’s mine now,” Bryce retorted. “You said you didn’t want it.”
“But I changed my mind,” Ferne whined.
“Oh, okay. Here you go then.” Bryce pushed the plate back to Ferne.
Carina grinned. “How come you’re so good at this?”
“I’m the eldest of a similar brood.”
“Well, don’t do any more of that. I’m hungry and from the look of it there aren’t going to be any leftovers.”
As everyone ate, Carina tried to think up a plan for extracting P
arthenia from the Dirksen estate. If it had only been non-mages she was facing, she didn’t think she would have had too many problems. Casting gave her an edge in most situations. But going up against another mage brought up the possibility of an entirely different set of scenarios. Castiel’s time spent witnessing Ma’s lessons with his siblings on Casting probably meant he knew just about everything Carina could do. He would be able to think up defenses and counterattacks to defeat her.
Darius was fidgeting vigorously in his seat.
“Is something wrong?” Carina asked him.
“I need to go to the bathroom.”
She slid across the bench and stood up to let him out. As she sat down again, Darius said, “I know how we can get Parthenia back.”
“Really?” Carina said, wondering if her little brother could read her thoughts. “How?”
“We fly in on Reyes’ star racer and grab her. Then we fly away again.”
“That’s a good idea, Darius, but we can’t borrow Reyes’ star racer. He isn’t our friend anymore.”
“Oh, good,” Darius said. “I never liked him. I didn’t like the feeling he gave me.”
“You didn’t?” Cariad asked. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I don’t know. You didn’t ask.”
“Uh… Next time you get that feeling about someone, Darius, let me know, okay?”
“Okay.” The little boy skipped off to the restroom at the back of the diner.
“What was that about?” Bryce asked.
“Darius is a special kind of mage, I think,” Carina replied. “Ma suspected it too. He picks up on people’s emotions very strongly.”
“So he knew there was something off about the Dirksen guy?”
“Yeah, I think he did. I wish I’d thought to ask him.”
“Shame he didn’t tell you.”
“It probably wouldn’t have made a lot of difference. I would have gone to get Parthenia anyway, thinking I could easily Transport us both out of there, no matter what trap the Dirksen woman had laid for me. I didn’t know that Castiel was waiting for me.”
