Flower Queen
Page 16
Go away. But the sound remained. There in the background, drumming its chaotic tune. Waiting. His mind clouded as the drugs were absorbed. Braklen pulled away and fled from the sound. But, the sound followed him, echoing its intention. Inside his mind, there was nowhere to hide. The wall stopped him from going anywhere else that might have offered some protection. Damn rabbit.
Braklen tried to keep anchored within himself, just as Triena had taught him to do when he was learning about the Energy Field. But, he kept losing his grip. Each time, another crack formed, allowing more sound to filter around him. Trapping him, making him face what it sung to him. The sound caused his skin to prickle and he knew that whatever it was that it was going to do to him, it wasn’t going to be good.
Just keep moving. He caught an old memory. He hung onto it, until it slipped away. The cracks widened now, and the fragments swam around him as if the space between held them, like it was holding him, waiting for him to make a decision.
Listen to the sound.
He caught another fragment and clung hard to its sharp surface. Triena stood there. It was from the time before she’d been cast out, and he’d been a new Peacekeeper. A time when they were in love. Young love, innocent and real and full of the hope and willingness.
His heart warmed as he looked at her youthful image. Her robe clung to her developing body, emphasizing the promise of curves that were budding into formation. You’re my little flower, he’d whispered to her then.
She stood looking up at him, hands on his waist, their bodies close, heat pulsing between them. He leaned toward her, one thing on his mind. To taste her. To kiss her. To love her. His body trembled.
Back then he didn’t know what it’d be like to touch her, or any other girl. Nerves fluttered pleasantly through him. He didn’t pause. He kept his nerve, and rested his lips on hers. Warmth flooded into his body, like a tiny explosion. He would never be the same. The balance changed. No.
His grip loosened. It was too late. The memory dropped away into the darkness. The noise came back and haunted him. He grabbed another fragment. Triena was there, the same age, a knife in hand. No.
She will kill you.
He put his hands over his ears, and screamed, trying to push away whatever it was that tried to get to him. The drugs took hold. More memories fragmented, disorienting him. The sound intensified and he couldn’t ignore it anymore. He wanted rest and peace.
The noise changed, settling into a rolling melody. I could hold on to that.
The drugs weakened his resolve. Something wove itself into his physical form, bleeding into every cell, so he had no choice but to listen. He opened himself to the discourse of something darker blended within the drugs.
Chapter 15
You could’ve thought of that sooner. The rabbit clicked his ears rapidly.
“Hey, you could help me.” Sweat dribbled down Rangit’s forehead. The ship shook rapidly as they thundered through space with the salvage team right behind them.
I did. The rabbit thumped his back foot on the floor, which made a rather disappointing dull sound. I told you there’s an asteroid belt over there.
“There’s not an asteroid belt. Fuck the Queens! They’re going to blast us to pieces.”
The ship shook violently as they were hit. The movement nearly knocked Rangit off his chair and sent the rabbit sliding around the floor.
There are asteroids we can hide in.
The communicator cracked into life. “Bring back our fuckin’ ship.”
Rangit picked up the receiver. “Like hell.” He threw it down and it bounced off the controls, knocking a lever. The ship accelerated. Rangit held on to the arms of his seat regaining his balance. “Now, why couldn’t you do that before?”
Take us left. Left! The rabbit screamed.
Rangit looked at the screen and saw another ship coming towards them. “Fuck the Queens.” He jumped into action, punching in different coordinates to change their direction.
The communicator crackled with electricity and snatches of words came through.
“As if that’s going to make us stop.” Rangit concentrated on turning the ship.
You’re not going fast enough. Turn. Turn! Even though he was on the floor, the rabbit could see clearly through the Energy, they’d slam straight into the other ship.
“Stop saying the obvious.” Rangit kept his attention on the controls.
You better have sent us into the asteroid belt. It’s our only chance.
“I know what I’m doing.”
The rabbit saw the other ship was about to hit them. Left! He crouched into a ball and braced himself.
Rangit held firm. He didn’t change course and kept going straight ahead. The speed they were traveling caused the ship to shake. Vibrations coursed through the rabbit and he saw his short life flash before him. Why don’t people listen to me? Don’t they know what skill I have?
The rabbit glanced back at the screen. Fuck the Queens. We are going to die. He waited to be thrown into the air and for his essence to unravel and disperse into the Energy Field, but instead, the ship kept going, shaking as if it was about to fall apart. But nonetheless, it was still moving. Then it lurched down. The rabbit’s feet left the floor as the momentum pushed him upwards.
Get me off this ship. He tumbled down. Unable to brace himself, he hit the floor hard, further bruising his already sore muscles, and cracking more ribs. He lay still on the floor, adrenaline racing through his body, delaying the feeling of pain.
The rabbit opened one eye. He saw the underside of the other ship. It’d turned at the last minute, but at the same time, Rangit dropped the Petal down. He let out a whoop of delight. “Yeah, don’t play chicken with me.”
And what about the other ship? The rabbit grimaced as pain flooded through his body.
“Just wait a minute.” Rangit folded his arms over his chest and watched the screen.
Wait? You want me to wait? Well, I want you to listen to the bloody good advice I give you. He hopped forward and slipped on a puddle on the floor. Great. This wasn’t his finest moment.
“Get over yourself.” Rangit leaned over and picked up the rabbit and placed him on the side of the controls. “Gross. You’re all wet. Do you have a bladder problem, or something?”
My problem is you. The rabbit twitched his nose. He’d pulled Braklen from the Energy Field, constructed a wall to stop the idiot from going back, and he couldn’t find Triena. I’ve got other problems to deal with. He needed to find her to make sure that she was all right.
“Don’t put your wet paws on anything electrical.”
The rabbit flicked his ears, making a rude gesture. You’re as bad as Triena.
Rangit laughed and pointed to the screen. “This is going to work.”
I don’t see what could’ve been better than my plan. But the rabbit looked annoyed. Fuck the Queens. It was a good plan. Lucky the others didn’t detect each other.
“Salvage captains are pretty poor captains. It wasn’t much to do with luck at all.”
The two ships collided. Front on. The ship behind them had sped up and when the Petal dropped down, they saw that there was another ship. Now there was an explosion of bright light. Broken pieces of metal and ship parts scattered into space.
“That will teach ya to take my ship,” said Rangit.
Make sure you avoid the asteroid belt. The rabbit began to clean himself.
“There is no asteroid belt.”
The rabbit sighed. He jumped down from the controls. I have to go somewhere safe, where I’m not going to slide around the room. He hopped out of the bridge, as small rocks began pelting the ship. He heard Rangit swear. That’s what happens when you don’t listen to me.
Rangit swore again. “Fine, I’ll go the way you want.”
~ ~ ~
Triena paced the short length of the room. The only place she could go was the Energy Field. And that was too risky, now that the Queens had turned against her—against Arkina.
Of all the identities I could’ve taken, I got someone out for herself. Of course, it did seem like all the Queens wanted to be the only person in control.
Sparks crackled through her aura. This won’t do. In a huff, she sat at the end of the bed. I have to calm down. That was the only way to think clearly, and once she’d managed it, she might have a chance of being balanced enough to enter the Energy Field.
Concentrate. This time Triena was firm with herself. I have to contact the Queens, get them to let me out of this room. An unusual resistance met her at the boundary between the physical and Energy planes. Someone had placed a block there, stopping her from entering. She reached out and felt the block with her personal energy. The strength of a brick wall met her touch. The barrier was strong, but not permanent. It will weaken with time.
With nothing else to do, Triena settled herself by the wall and waited. She tried to keep her mind clear, but it was difficult. How dare they keep me in my room? The indignity originated from Arkina’s essence. Triena pushed the vibrations of the emotions away. They clouded her thoughts, clogged her mind and stopped her from finding a way to weaken the wall.
There was something familiar about the wall, but Triena couldn’t quite work it out. Someone I know has made this. She rested against the wall, keeping her awareness present in this in between space. The identity of the creator eluded her. He’s concealed himself well.
Triena extended her awareness into the matrix of the Energy to see if she could find out more about the skill used to create such a block. Small even threads crossed over each other forming individual rectangular blocks. Then each brick was systematically placed on top of another, and a sticky filament was laid between to hold them together. This would’ve taken a long time to make by someone who has more patience than me.
Triena pushed hard to force the energy fibres apart, but it didn’t move. She threaded part of her energy with Arkina’s and made a pattern in the opposite direction of one of the bricks, which she then pressed gently against the block, aligning the shapes perfectly. The brick resisted, but then suddenly gave way, exploding into pieces and causing construction she’d made to also break apart.
Fuck the Queens. Triena looked through the opening. It was beginning to remake itself, reforming the shape from new energy. She pushed herself into the space, but she was too slow. The gap closed up, sending her back into her body.
Triena stood up and stretched her body and then settled down on the floor to try again. Facing the wall, she touched the spot she’d broken. It was weaker, but still strong enough to stop her from entering the Energy Field.
Anger fluttered through her essence. She didn’t like being stopped like this. Neither did Arkina’s energy. In frustration, she sent a blast of energy at the wall, but it only bounced off and she had to duck to avoid being hit.
Patience. That was something that she didn’t have in abundance, and neither did Arkina. On a whim, she used some of Arkina’s energy to create an opposing force in the shape of a spiked sphere. She sent it tumbling to the same position that she had managed to break before. The yellow light was absorbed into the brown murkiness of the wall.
Damn, thought Triena when nothing happened. But then the wall trembled. Triena moved backwards providing plenty of space between her and the wall, ensuring she wasn’t going to be caught up in any potential blasts. Come on.
The wall trembled faster. Then it imploded, disappearing into a small black hole. The wall was gone.
Impressed with her work, she looked around the area trying to find any clues who had constructed it. She thought of the rabbit. I’m sure he’d have plenty of suggestions. She missed hearing his conversation in her mind. Uneasy because she’d been separated from him again, the distraction caused her to stop searching. I have to get ready.
While she’d destroyed the wall, Triena wasn’t ready to go into the Energy Field. She was still anchored firmly in her body, and in the space between worlds, unable to move forward.
It took a lot of deep, slow breaths before she’d centered herself and cleared her mind. Triena began moving toward the Energy Field, wrapped in a coat created from Arkina’s essence. She set her intention to find the Queens. Now, familiar with this process, and feeling confident, she sent out a message to the Queens, summoning them to come and meet her.
Triena stepped into the catacombs. The place looked exactly like last time when she’d inadvertently summoned them. The only difference was that she was now alone. Very much alone.
Turning around, she saw one flame burning on the wall, casting more shadows than light in the small space. Where are they? Moisture dripped from the rocks, creating small rivulets. Around her, she sensed the deceased Queens from years gone by. Her aura shivered violently, sparking from the echoes of the ancestors and she felt herself recoil.
Unsettled and alone, she gathered the energy around her, and sent out the summons to each of the Queens again, her message clear and direct. Triena paced around the circular space. She twisted her hands. Where are they?
Heaviness weighed down on her shoulders. They aren’t listening to me. I’ve been shunned. But worse, she knew what this really meant. They’d rejected her. They no longer considered her a Queen. They’d built the wall to prevent her from entering the Energy Field.
Arkina’s essence burned with anger around Triena. The deceased Queen’s energy wasn’t happy about the demotion. Triena struggled to keep a handle on Arkina’s energy. The essence wanted to go to the Queens, hot and angry, and set them on fire.
Later, later. Triena tried to cool the heat. But her own essence was responding, warming up and vibrating faster and faster. Triena didn’t like to be ignored either, and this was an old wound that the Queens themselves had inflicted on her.
She’d been cast out before, had spent years dreaming of returning, and now all of those hopes were dismissed. Changed because she’d learned what they were really like, how they misused the power and the skill they were given. The Queens not coming reopened the wound and the hurt, betrayal, and anger filtered out, blending with Arkina’s.
No. Triena pulled hard at the hot vibrations that were escaping from her. She had to get a grip. If too much of her own energy escaped, then the Queens would know she’d been here. Arkina was gone, and Triena didn’t want to lose her small advantage. Her grip slipped, and she tumbled backwards. The motion sent her back to her body with a whip-snapping jerk.
Triena resettled in her body. The motion around her changed. The ship slowed. The engines powered down, slowly coming to a halt. Her heart increased its rhythm. I’ve arrived. It wouldn’t be long now before she met the Queens. The time had finally arrived. It was completely different from what she’d imagined, all those years when she wanted to return to them from exile.
Chapter 16
The rabbit bounced into the reading room. It smelled of dried flowers. It smelled of Triena and Braklen. The rabbit looked up at the dried flowers and sighed. I suppose this is some fucked up balance thing with the Energy. Give a soul the ability, but make him a rabbit, and then have him interact with people who forget that he’s down here close to the ground. Yeah, good one.
He flicked his ears. His head throbbed from the metallic reverberations when they’d passed through the asteroid belt. It turned out Rangit wasn’t a very good driver and hit every single one of the rocky masses.
“What are you doing in here?” Rangit poked his head inside. “Thought you’d be in the kitchen.”
; You got us out of the asteroid belt?
“Yeah. Ship’s holding up too. We should arrive within twenty-four hours.”
It’s too late. The rabbit’s fur stood on end. It will be too late.
Rangit shrugged his shoulders. “Can’t do anything about that. It’s nothing short of a miracle that the ship is still moving and we are alive.”
Let’s celebrate, thought the rabbit bitterly.
“I think that’s exactly what we should do.” Rangit left the room and returned holding a whisky bottle. “Let’s celebrate, get pissed and forget about everything.”
It’s not going to help. The rabbit hadn’t found Triena. The block he’d put to stop Braklen from going into the Energy Field was probably breaking down now and he was bound to go blundering back in and get himself trapped. Pour me a double.
“That’s the spirit.” Rangit put a saucer on the ground and tipped in some whisky. “Cheers, big ears.”
The rabbit glared at Rangit.
“Don’t get your tail in a knot, little fellow. I’m sure things will turn out all right. Look at us. We’re alive. The ship’s still working and things could’ve been a hell of a lot worse for us.” He took a swig of the liquid, sat down and put his feet up on the table.
That might well be the case, but I’m meant to look out for her, for them. The rabbit licked at the whisky. Hot liquid burned at his tongue, then down his throat, warming his insides and easing the pain.
“You did your best.” Rangit got up and went to the dried flower stocks. “What do you want?”
About time you offered.
“Hey, I’m about as sore as you are.” Rangit put the kettle on to boil.
The rabbit doubted that. The whisky eased his mind and he didn’t have the strength to argue that point right now. Some lamini, and sandman and hiet, and give it to me straight up.