Scattered Ashes

by Megg Jensen

  Torsten cradled the liquid dragzhi in his arms on the trek back to the tower. Five guns were pointed at him at all times. Despite Leila’s assurances, the other defenders refused to lower their weapons. They didn't trust the dragzhi or Torsten. She couldn’t blame them. Even though she loved her brother, she, too, had to wonder if his mind was addled.

  Torsten had always been an outsider, and recent events hadn’t placed him in a better light. Some defenders speculated he was working with the dragzhi. That maybe their defeat of the dragzhi was a setup, and annihilation was yet to come. Others didn’t even believe he’d been on the dragzhi ship at all, but that it had crashed on its own during the battle.

  Finding this dragzhi wouldn't help his cause. Leila knew her brother wouldn’t let the thing die. He’d already tried telling her they needed any knowledge it might have. If there was one thing Torsten couldn't resist, it was knowledge.

  The walk back was long and quiet. Leila had warned everyone to keep their mouths shut, and they were following her orders, including the defender who’d been forced to give Torsten his jacket to cover his naked chest. She knew it wouldn't be long before their annoyance boiled over.

  Rutger, who had been walking on Torsten’s other side, leaned in. "You really think you can make it talk?"

  Leila bit her lip, listening in.

  Torsten glanced at the two defenders to his side. With knitted brows and taut lips, they cut imposing figures. "You shouldn't be near me right now. If one of them decides to shoot..."

  "I'm not worried," Rutger said, his hands resting on the knives on his hips. "I've spent hours practicing with most of these guys. They know what I'm capable of. They should be more afraid of me than you are of them."

  "I didn't realize you were friends." Torsten rarely practiced fighting or weapons with anyone other than Leila. In the past, they were required to put in ten hours every week, but the commander had let them choose their partners.

  Rutger's laugh startled the guy to the right, whose finger inched onto the trigger.

  "Are we friends, Nik?" Rutger asked the guy with the itchy trigger finger.

  Nik's eyes narrowed. The muzzle of his gun moved from Torsten to Rutger. "I think it's best if you keep your mouth shut."

  Leila rested a hand on the barrel of Nik's gun, pushing it toward the ground. "We're all friends here. Don't start anything." She glared at Rutger. "And you, no more talking. Besides, we're almost there," she said, huffing as she kept up with Torsten. During the battle with the dragzhi, she'd injured a leg. It had healed, but she wasn't back to her normal level of fitness yet. Every day she exercised the leg, making sure it would be stronger than it had been before it was crushed under piles of dead rock dragzhi.

  "When we return, you're taking that thing straight to the brig. No stops at your quarters. Nothing. I want it secured as soon as possible." Leila rubbed the back of her neck. "Why did you have to do this, Tor? Why are you always making things harder?"

  "We need to understand the tech from that ship. If this dragzhi can help, we'll be one step closer to our goal. I want off this planet as bad as anyone else, Leila." Torsten shifted, repositioning his arms around the alien. "This dragzhi could save us years of study. Think about it. It took us almost two hundred years to figure out how to build the ships that took us into space, and the dragzhi shot them all out of the sky. Now we have the upper hand. We need to use everything at our disposal to make our remaining ships flight-worthy."

  Leila snorted and rolled her eyes. "This pool of liquid is a prisoner of war. What are we supposed to do with it? We don't even know how to communicate with it, or if it even has the potential to communicate with us."

  "Leave that to me," Torsten said. "I'll take full responsibility."

  Leila rested a hand on Torsten's shoulder. "I know you will. Explaining it to everyone else will be difficult. Look at these guys. They're defenders. They know how important it is to capture the enemy. Even they are wary. This dragzhi is silver goo, Tor. For all we know, it'll multiply and take over the tower within hours."

  "It won't. We'll keep it in the isolation room. All I need are two guards every twelve hours. Can you spare me that? Please?" Torsten begged.

  Leila dropped her hand to her side. He was asking too much. Since the battle, she'd become a leader to their people. Not only was she skilled in combat, but she was well liked. Despite being only sixteen, half the age of some of their best defenders, people listened to her advice.

  It was a mantle that felt uncomfortable on her shoulders. Unfortunately, there were few others willing to take on the responsibility.

  "Yeah, fine. Four guards." Leila stalked ahead, limping only slightly. She nodded at the guards standing outside the door to the tower. They stepped aside, allowing her in first.

  Leila waved everyone in, and one by one, the defenders lowered their guns and entered the waiting lift. Rutger held out an arm, indicating Torsten should follow. He entered the dark tower, his eyes blinking as he got used to the lower light. The lift's door closed in front of him, leaving Rutger, Leila, and Torsten alone in the entryway.

  "None of them want to be with you, Torsten," Leila said. She wouldn’t sweep the truth under the rug. He had to know that the others were uncomfortable in his presence. That they didn’t trust him. She would give anything to change their minds, but Torsten didn’t help. If only he’d act normal like everyone else.

  "What else is new?"

  "I won't lecture you about getting along. I won't say anything about how there are so few of us left, and we should work together." Leila slipped her gun into her hip holster. "I won't—”

  "I know you won't," Torsten said. "You don't need to. I know what's at stake. All I'm doing is helping the only way I know how."

  "Who are you going to ask to guard our sweet bundle of goo?" Rutger asked.

  "You, for one. And Malia. Think you're up to it?" Leila asked, weary. The afternoon had exhausted her.

  "Of course." Rutger pulled one of his knives, spinning it on his palm.

  "You'll have to keep your paws off Malia while guarding it, though," Torsten said.

  Rutger and Malia moved in together after the dragzhi battle. The rules that had bound defenders from fraternizing while on duty had fallen apart within days. The commanding staff had all died. The younger defenders were making their own rules now.

  Rutger's eyes narrowed. "Don't worry. I can keep the two separate. No one gets past me." His tone was deep and deadly serious.

  "I'm counting on you to keep your cool," Leila said as the lift doors opened once more. The three stepped inside. It played a lilting song as the doors closed.

  Rutger pushed the button for the sixtieth floor. The lift yanked upward, then settled into a smooth ascent. "I will. Who will take the other shift?"

  Before Leila could answer, Torsten offered an opinion. "I'd like to see the Jones sisters given the responsibility."

  "They're just children." Leila crossed her arms over her chest. "Only eleven and thirteen."

  "Have you seen them fight?" Torsten asked. "I've happened upon them a few times in the practice arena. They may be young, but they can kick ass. I trust them."

  Leila hesitated, biting her lower lip. "I don't know. I'm sure they're great, but we need guards who aren't afraid to stand up to an angry defender who wants to kill the dragzhi. Its presence here will incite a lot of anger among the people in the tower. My bet is most won't be supportive of this decision."

  "I know," Torsten said. "But I think the girls can handle it. Ask them."

  Leila held up her hands. "Okay. This is your dragzhi, and I respect your decision. To be honest, it's a bit of a relief. I can't think of too many defenders who would volunteer for the position. The girls might just be happy to be given their first real assignment."

  "Thank you," Torsten said. The lift came to a stop, the doors opening at the most secure level of the tower. He followed Rutger out, Leila behind him.

  A defender sat behind a desk, his glasses
perched on the end of his nose. "I had heard you'd be here with a... package... soon."

  "We need the most secure holding cell, Rene," Leila said. "Did they tell you what we have?"

  Rene nodded, peering over the top of his glasses. He pushed them up with his middle finger as his gaze moved from Leila to the bundle in Torsten's arms. "I did. Is it true? You have a dragzhi in there?"

  Torsten pulled the bundle a bit closer his chest. Leila couldn’t blame him. They had never liked Rene. The man had been a toady to the heartless Commander Bartok, and the father of her assistant, Matthe. Both had died in the battle, but Rene had stayed in the tower, refusing to fight. He claimed his advanced age and infirmaries prevented him from fighting. Leila thought the man was simply a coward.

  "No one can have the entry codes except for Torsten and me." Leila leaned over the desk. "Give me your keyboard."

  Rene twittered, pushing the keyboard toward her. "No reason to be so demanding. I want no responsibility for that thing."

  Leila typed in her secure access code, then manipulated the security settings. Her fingers flew across the keyboard at a dizzying speed.

  A force field buzzed a few feet behind Rene's desk. When Leila typed in the last keystroke, the barrier disappeared. "We're taking it to the last cell on the right." Leila walked through the empty hall, motioning for Torsten and Rutger to follow her.

  The other cells were empty, except for one. A drunken man sat on a bench, his head in his hands. "Keep quiet, will you? I'm trying to sleep off last night's brew."

  "Causing trouble again, eh Charlie?" Rutger asked, an annoyed look on his face.

  "Well, little brother." Charlie looked up, a smile on his face. "I didn't expect to see you here. What did you do?"

  "Nothing," Rutger said, clearly annoyed. "I'm here as a guard."

  Charlie sputtered, laughter falling from between his flaccid lips. "You? A guard?"

  "Just keep moving." Torsten nudged Rutger with his elbow.

  Leila raised an eyebrow. She hadn't been aware Rutger had family in the tower.

  Rutger kept going, ignoring the barbs his older brother zinged at him from his cell. "He'll sober up soon enough, and Rene will let him go. In a week or so, they'll repeat the cycle. You don't have to worry about Charlie causing any trouble to our guest."

  "I'm not worried about your brother." Leila rested her thumb against a sensor pad on the wall next to the dragzhi's cell. "Mine gives me enough ulcers."

  Torsten walked into the cell as soon as the force field came down. Kneeling, he set the shirt on the floor, pulling back the edges. The silver pool of liquid lay on the shirt, unmoving.

  "Is it dead?" Leila hoped it was.

  "I don't know," Torsten said. “It stopped pulsating on the walk back to the tower. I don't even know what it eats. Or drinks. Or if it does. I studied everything we have on the dragzhi, but when it comes to actually having one in front of me, I realize how little we know."

  Leila let out a long sigh. "I need to go back to my quarters and rest. Do the two of you have this handled?"

  Torsten nodded, not taking his eyes off the dragzhi.

  "We're fine," Rutger said. "If that thing attacks, I'll kill it before it hurts Torsten."

  Leila left the brig, unsure of whether she wanted the dragzhi dead, or if she wanted Torsten to communicate with it. Maybe there were answers to be found. Maybe not. Either way, she would do whatever it took to protect the people in the tower, even if she had to protect them from her own brother’s foolishness.

  7

  Leaving the dragzhi under Rutger’s guard, Torsten made his way down to Rell’s room. She knew more about the dragzhi than anyone, though he wasn’t sure even she would be able to help him communicate with his prisoner.

  Torsten knocked on her door. “Rell, it’s me.”

  The door opened, and Torsten breezed inside. “I need to show you something.”

  “Who’re you?” A filthy little girl clutching a doll cowered in the corner of Rell’s room.

  “Who’re you?” Torsten asked, his eyes flashing between Rell and the girl.

  Rell took a deep breath. “Her name is Isobel. I found her in the tunnels where I used to live. She’d been left behind.”

  “How could anyone do that?” Torsten asked. It was a foolish question. He’d met a few of the buried. They didn’t appear to be the best parents ever, including Rell’s mother.

  “I don’t know.” Rell rested a hand on Torsten’s arm. “I need some time to help her. Can whatever you need to show me wait?”

  “I wish it could, Rell. I really, really do. But it can’t wait another moment. And I don’t know if she…” He looked at the little girl, now standing quietly next to Rell’s bed.

  Rell’s eyes traveled to Isobel. “If I have someone bring you food, are you okay here by yourself for a bit?”

  Isobel nodded. “I’ve been alone for a long time. I’ll be okay.”

  Rell squared her shoulders. “Okay, let’s go. As long as it’s quick.”

  Torsten's thoughts swirled as he and Rell left the room. He hadn’t even heard she’d left the tower, even though he’d asked a few people to keep an eye on her. He’d been too distracted by the dragzhi he found.

  Yet, here she was. Back in the tower. Safe. And with a dirty little kid. That surprised him the most. He wanted to know all about the child. For now, Rell was safe. Isobel was safe.

  "What's going on?" Rell asked. "Why the big hurry? I hate leaving Isobel behind, even for a moment." Rell was hesitant, perhaps even agitated.

  "Tell me about her while we walk." Torsten kept up the pace, but he knew that it would take them a few minutes to walk to the brig. They'd have to take the lift up to one of the topmost levels. Hopefully, it was more than enough time to learn about Isobel.

  "I found her abandoned in the underground tunnels where I used to live." Rell continued the story, explaining how she'd convinced the girl to come with her to the tower.

  Torsten waited until she was done. One thing Rell neglected to mention was why she'd gone back underground in the first place.

  Torsten knew better than to push, though. If Rell wanted to tell him the rest, she would eventually.

  When they arrived at the brig, Torsten stopped.

  "Why are we here?" Curiosity shone in Rell’s eyes.

  "We have a new prisoner," he said.

  "Someone I know?" Rell asked. "I can't imagine who it could be."

  "It's not someone. It's some... thing." Torsten waved his hand over the metal security plate. The door opened, granting him access.

  They passed through the doorway.

  "Torsten, what have you done?" Instead of sounding curious, Rell’s voice took on a decidedly angry tone.

  "You'll see." He stopped in front of the dragzhi's cell and held out an arm.

  Rell stepped around him, peering through the distorted security force field. Her hand flew to her mouth as she took in a sharp gasp.

  "It's amazing, isn't it?" Torsten rubbed his hands together, unable to contain his excitement.

  "Where did you find it?" Rell asked, her eyes glued to the silver puddle on the floor.

  "In the jungle. Rutger, Travis, and I were headed out toward the dragzhi ship. We were hoping to find more clues to how their tech works so we can adapt it for our own use. Travis saw a trail of slime, I followed it, and then found this guy hiding on the ground." Torsten gestured toward the blob. It still wasn’t moving.

  Rell reached out, her fingertips hovering just outside the protective field. "It's alive."

  Torsten looked at her. "How do you know?"

  Rell shook her head, tearing her eyes away from the dragzhi prisoner. "I thought I saw it twitch."

  Torsten cocked his head as they locked eyes. He'd seen this expression before. Rell was lying. He knew better than to push her for answers. If anything, his questioning would only annoy her. He bit the inside of his lip, forcing himself to keep quiet.

  Rell shrugged. "I don't know. M
aybe not. I'm probably just seeing things." She let out an awkward laugh. "So, what do you plan to do with it?"

  "I want to learn to talk to it," Torsten said.

  "Huh." Rell backed away from the cell, then turned and left the brig.

  Torsten followed her out, running to catch up. "Hey, Rell."

  "I have to get back to Isobel. She needs me." Rell sprinted down the hall, jumping into a lift just as its doors were closing.

  Torsten stood in the doorway to the brig, confused.

  "Girlfriend too busy to play with your new friend?" Rene asked, his nasal voice dripping with sarcasm.

  "Shut up." Torsten stalked down the hall. He pressed the button for the lift. The lights blinked at Rell's floor. A moment later, they began moving down again. Torsten leaned against the wall. It would be some time before the lift made it all the way back up to him.

  He closed his eyes, remembering the kiss he and Rell shared just before the battle against the dragzhi. Things between them hadn't been the same since. She'd gone back to the closed, guarded woman he'd met in the tunnels. Perhaps it was for the best. He had this dragzhi to study, and she had brought back the young girl. But maybe if he could understand Rell more, learn more about her role as the mysterious Key, then that might solve one of the mysteries.

  The lift doors opened, and Torsten stepped inside. He pushed the button for the thirty-second floor. Lost in his thoughts about Rell, Torsten barely noticed when the doors opened.

  A defender stepped in and stood next to him. "Is this your floor?"

  Torsten's eyes snapped to attention. "Yeah, thanks." He stepped out of the lift and made his way down the hall to the library. He could have accessed the files he needed from his quarters, but this time he wanted to lay hands on the original tablets.

  He crossed to the librarian's desk, relieved to see Archer, the woman who ran the library, was still alive. After the battle, he'd expected to see certain people at their jobs, only to discover they had died.