The squires hadn’t believed the doctor wanted me to accompany her into the city alone, and I hardly believed it myself. Then they’d suggested it was a date. I didn’t agree with them but seeing the angelic doctor now made me wish it was.
“You are punctual,” the doctor said. “I admire that.”
“I try not to keep pretty ladies waiting,” I quipped, and my own words surprised me. I might have said something similar to Elle or Casey, but the doctor was much older than me, and, in all honesty, far beyond my ability to woo.
That didn’t mean I wouldn’t try.
She chuckled. “And it seems you are also quite charming. Now, is there anything else I need to know about you before we leave, Squire Lyons?”
I shook my head and wondered if she was talking about my mutations. “That’s all, Dr. Lenkov.”
“‘Natali, please,” she corrected before starting to walk down the passageway toward the main chamber.
“And you may call me ‘Nick’.” I held out my left arm, and the doctor took it.
We passed the quarters where Leith and Olav were staying, and I saw them both look up from inside the room as we passed. A chill ran down my spine as the berserker growled at me, and I quickened my pace a little, so we were out of their eyeshot.
“Is there a problem?” Natali asked. “You are walking very quickly.”
“Ha, I’m excited to see the Den Ark’s city!” It wasn’t a complete lie since I didn’t have the slightest clue what a city would look like inside this behemoth.
When the doctor and I entered the elevator, she entered a key sequence on the control panel and we ascended to a higher level. I activated my visor so I could regulate the temperature inside my armor, and Natali did the same with her helmet. Her headgear wasn’t designed for war and seemed almost fashionably delicate. The fiberglass bathed her face in pinkish hues, and I could see her full lips pull into a smile.
The door opened, and we both stepped onto a lookout. My eyes were drawn to hundreds of skyscrapers formed from a bone-like material. A spinning orb of energy crackled in an artificial sky, casting everything in a blue light. Together with the reddish glow emanating from the membranous walls of the city’s outer edges, the metal and organic material reflected a full range of blues, purples, and reds.
The sight was startling, and the gasp Dr. Lenkov let out told me she felt the same way. The air buzzed with energy, and goosebumps rippled across my skin even beneath my armor. The scent of ozone filled my nostrils as I inhaled, and I watched a smattering of flying vehicles weave around the tallest buildings in the section of the city furthest from us.
I could just make out the distant chatter from a sparse group of natives eating at an outdoor restaurant below. Even so, this place seemed strangely quiet for what should have been a bustling city. I suspected the population had once been far greater than its current state, but I had no reason for that assumption other than the absence of noise and movement.
Natali withdrew a tablet from the pocket on her left hip. “Do you notice anything peculiar about this place, Nick?”
“It seems empty. There are people, but not enough to account for all these buildings.”
“I thought the same thing. The atmospheric readings suggest there are some anomalies in the area.” She frowned as she swiped at the tablet’s screen. “It will take at least a half hour to produce an accurate summary, so we should retrieve the medical supplies in the meantime. The attendant assigned to me gave me directions to a place which sells basic medkits. They are not Caledonian-made, but the enchanters will still be able to draw runes on them.”
I stood beside Natali as a spiral escalator carried us to the ground level. This place reminded me of the Outlander areas in Bratton’s Business Spire because it was an enclosed city. Apart from that, it was completely different. The populace was entirely homogenous; only the grey-skinned Ecomese wandered the streets, but even down here, the place felt nearly deserted.
“It should only be one kilometer from here,” Natali said as she consulted her tablet.
We walked together, and the few Ecomese we encountered stopped to stare at us. I remembered they were all empaths, so I did my best to control my emotions. I didn’t care whether they detected my feelings of awe at their city or attraction to the doctor, but the whole idea of them reading my emotions seemed invasive.
“Exactly how large is the Den Ark?” I asked the doctor after five minutes of awed silence as we absorbed the sights of the strange city. It seemed incredibly large, and we’d only covered a short distance through it. The skyscrapers looked even taller from the ground level, and I found myself wondering whether they were residential or business. So few of the towering bone-like buildings showed signs of activity, and I wondered again what purpose they served if no one lived inside them.
“It is over twenty-five kilometers long, twice as wide, and incalculably heavy,” Natali said with no shortage of admiration. “I do not understand how technology keeps it both alive and afloat while a civilization lives within it. There are two other Arks on Ecoma, and they all function the same way. The power needed would be incredible.”
“Could magic be involved?” I asked. “Were there ever Grendel portals on Ecoma?” The captain had said there weren’t any at present, but I figured there could have been portals in the past.
I didn’t expect the doctor to know the answer, so my eyebrows lifted in surprise when she shook her head. “No portals.”
“Are there any elsewhere in this star system?”
Natali nodded as we passed a smaller building. A few items of clothing dangled over a balcony on the third floor, but all the other apartments were devoid of personal belongings.
“The Dax have access to Grendel portals on the planetary bodies elsewhere in this system,” she said. “They once ruled Ecoma, and they were responsible for converting the behemoths into the composite creatures they are today. They also created the Ecomese.”
“So why aren’t the Dax still occupying the planet?” I asked as we walked by a food stall. My helmet wasn’t filtering the air, so I could smell the heavy and heady aroma of gamey meat. I guessed it had been grown in a lab, and it didn’t smell at all appetizing. The seller sat on a chair with his feet resting on the stall, and it looked like we were his first potential customers for the day. Either his food was terrible, or there weren’t enough people in the city to take his business.
“There are still a few emissaries who live within an orbiting embassy.” Natali’s nose crinkled in disgust after we moved past the food stall. “There is much antagonism between the two peoples, as you can imagine. The Ecomese were enslaved by the Dax for centuries until they won their freedom.”
“I thought the Dax was a powerful kingdom, and the Ecomese don’t seem like the kind of people who could win an uprising.”
“The Dax modified their DNA so they could live outside the Ark, but their evolution was far more advanced and rapid than the Dax anticipated. Hence, the war. The Ecomese humans might look tame, but they are formidable warriors. The gifts they possess are much like your mutation, Nick.”
My heart plummeted as I realized the true reason why Dr. Lenkov had invited me with her today. This wasn’t a date at all. It wasn’t even an outing among friends. She wanted to ask me about my mutation and conduct a medical interview of some sort. I was a bit disappointed, but then Natali grabbed my arm.
“We do not need to talk about it if the subject is too difficult for you,” she said. “I understand your mutation event caused the portal on Tyranus to upgrade, and that your fellow cadets were killed as a result.” There was no accusation in her words, only a deep sorrow.
“I don’t mind,” I said. “I need to learn more about my mutation, anyway. Captain Cross wants me to use it to help them find the portals for--” I stopped, not knowing how much the doctor knew concerning the crew’s true mission.
“For the late king’s armor?” Natali smirked at me. “Yes, I am privy to the captain’s q
uest. I was actually aboard the ship when he first received it.”
Excitement filled my chest, and I thought to ask the doctor when the captain had been given the quest and from whom. Then I remembered I’d told Elle not to dig for information while we were on Ecoma. I had made the point clerk promise to stay out of trouble, and I would be betraying our friendship by asking Natali any probing questions.
I stifled my curiosity as the doctor stopped outside a skyscraper. It looked much the same as all the others, except there were at least five people inside the lobby.
“This is the place,” she said. “Would you mind waiting outside with my tablet? It needs a little longer to complete the reading.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to go in there with you?” The building seemed unimposing in its uniformity with the rest of the skyscrapers. Still, I wanted to ensure the doctor didn’t find herself on the wrong side of the natives.
Natali held out the tablet and smiled. “I can handle myself, Nick.” She dropped the device into my hand and walked into the skyscraper before I could say anything else to her.
For the next half hour, I watched the grey-skinned people filter in and out of the bone buildings. The evolved humans seemed to move with a somberness, and I wondered how they liked living inside here rather than on a planet’s surface. None of them seemed physically strong, so I had difficulty confirming the doctor’s words about them being powerful warriors. I guessed the strongest among them must live elsewhere on the Ark.
A group of Ecomese teenagers passed me, each walking a few meters apart. Their expressions were grave, and I wondered why they seemed so depressed. Maybe it was a result of their mutant abilities. I could imagine the difficulties inferring thoughts from emotions might pose to their social lives. The teenagers glanced over their shoulders a few times, but I couldn’t determine what was catching their interest.
After thirty seconds, I saw a man in power armor come from the direction. The equipment was painted matte black, and his head was marked with runic tattoos. He looked like a knight, except I’d never seen knights with totemic items jutting from all over their gear. Grendel skulls encased either shoulder, and a bone-white spear crossed his back.
As he approached, four more soldiers trailed behind him. Their armor didn’t bear any Grendel skulls or totemic items, but it was painted in the same matte black as the knight. Swords dangled from their prot-belts, and the shining metal glistened against their dark armor. Larger than usual gauntlets wrapped around their left forearms, and I guessed they were used to summon energy shields.
I reached over my shoulder and gripped my longsword handle. I figured I could hit them all with a forcewave before they got too close, but then I’d be attacking a bunch of random warriors without cause. The Tachion mission had made me anxious about foreign knights, and I tried to calm my nerves.
But I would trust my instincts. If this armored knight turned out to be bad news like Emeric had been, I would go down fighting. For now, I’d keep my wits about me and assess the situation.
“Hail!” the man said as he walked toward me. “It is unusual to see a Caledonian squire on Ecoma.” He gave me a friendly smile, and I returned it.
“Which kingdom are you from?” I asked, even though I had already guessed the answer.
“We are Dax,” he said.
I remembered Captain Cross had ordered us to avoid the Dax while we were on the planet. Although I was curious, I didn’t want to disobey a direct order. And I also didn’t want things to turn ugly. After all, Emeric the Aquitanian knight had seemed amiable and polite when I first met him. Then he tried to kill me. Three times.
“I really should be going,” I said as I turned toward the skyscraper behind me. I kept my eyes fixed on the Dax, and I was prepared to wield my longsword at a moment’s notice. I figured the big man in power armor was the Dax equivalent of a knight, and the soldiers wearing lighter armor and less powerful looking weapons were the equivalent of squires.
“Nonsense,” the man in power armor said. “You were waiting out here, and I’m guessing you’re hanging in the street while a companion does some shopping.”
I didn’t respond to the man, nor did I walk away. I couldn’t exactly leave Dr. Lenkov while these foreign soldiers were outside the skyscraper, so I let down my hand.
“I haven’t spoken to anyone from Caledonia for some time,” the man said. “Tell me, how fares your queen?”
His smile was disarming me, and I was starting to wonder whether my worries were for nothing. As long as I didn’t cause any trouble, I wouldn’t be disobeying the captain’s orders outright. I didn’t want a repeat of Tachion, but this Dax seemed genuinely likable. I could sense no real threat coming from him, so I decided a conversation wouldn’t hurt while I waited for the doctor.
“Queen Catrina is in good health and still reigns from her golden throne in Castle Stirling,” I said.
“Very good,” he said. “I often envy the Caledonian monarchy. There is much to be said for hereditary succession.”
“Sir Uram,” an armored Dax woman addressed the knight. Then her words became unintellible to me.
The armored knight responded to the soldier before opening his mouth and roaring with laughter. “She wishes for me to return to the embassy. Yet she does not realize I am her superior. The Star Spears do not bow to the wills of their initiates.”
“Star Spear?” I asked. “You’re not a knight?”
“Ah, yes, we are the equivalent of your Space Knights. This rabble behind me wishes to one day join our ranks.” He gestured at the soldiers in unadorned armor. “They were sent to Ecoma because they were deemed troublesome. It’s my mission to iron them all out so they can ascend to--”
Something slammed into the side of Sir Uram’s head, cutting him off mid-sentence. He lifted a gauntleted hand to his head and wiped the remains of what looked like a rotten fruit.
Thee female initiate behind him cried out, and the other four soldiers drew their swords and scanned the area. I was a little surprised they were arming themselves after someone had thrown rotten fruit, but I joined in the search for the culprit.
An initiate yelled in a foreign language as he thrust a finger toward the entrance of a skyscraper. The Ecomese teenagers I’d seen earlier were hiding in the undercover area of the building, and they scattered when their location became known.
An Ecomese teenager sprinted across the road, and I saw hatred spark in an initiate’s eyes as she drew her sword. The armored woman then sprinted toward the teenager like a panther chasing down her prey.
I didn’t wait a second to activate my speed sequence. The improved runes sent power surging through my limbs, and I bounded across the road, reached over my shoulder, and pulled my longsword from my breastplate’s magnetons. I got to the Ecomese teenager before the initiate did, and I raised my blade as the soldier’s sword came down. Metal clanged against metal, and the Dax’s eyes widened as she realized her weapon hadn’t ended the teenager’s life.
“You can’t kill him,” I said. “You don’t know whether he was the one who threw the fruit. Even if he did, he doesn’t deserve to die.”
Sir Uram approached, and he barked an order at the woman. The initiate exhaled and slipped her sword into its scabbard. She responded with a series of harsh words before storming away to join the other Dax initiates.
“They have much to learn,” Sir Uram said to me. “They don’t understand how their forefathers enslaved the Ecomese people. Those kids who threw the fruit probably hear all about how terrible we Dax are from their parents. And they’re half-right. There aren’t many good Dax around.”
The Star Spear’s gaze shifted over my shoulder. “Here come the enforcers. Looks like they captured the kid.”
I turned to see four Ecomese men with staves running toward us. They were hauling the teenager the initiate had almost killed.
“Ah, a Caledonian,” the enforcer said to me as he pushed the teenager toward us. The young man’s
hands and feet were bound, and it looked like the enforcers had thrown in a few punches for good measure. “Was this the one who caused it?”
The soldier seemed to be making a point of not addressing Sir Uram, and I guessed he wasn’t too fond of the Dax Star Spear.
“I don’t know,” I said.
“I believe he was involved,” Sir Uram answered. He didn’t seem as hesitant to condemn the teenager to punishment, and I wondered how truthful his comments about the enslavement of the Ecomese had been.
Without looking at the Star Spear, the enforcer removed an electronic device from his robe and scanned the teenager with it. He beckoned the other enforcers over and held out the device for them to read it. The others raised their eyebrows, conversed among themselves, and then hauled the bound teenager away.
“We apologize for this,” the enforcer said to me. “He will be dealt with.”
“I don’t know for certain whether he threw the fruit,” I protested. “Maybe you should let him--”
“We will conduct the appropriate punishment,” the enforcer said.
“What was that device for?” I asked.
The Ecomese man gave me a forced smile. “What device?”
“The one you used to scan the teenager with.”
“We were simply checking his health. Farewell.” The enforcer left us and followed his comrades.
“They weren’t checking his health,” Sir Unam said to me when the Ecomese enforcers were out of earshot.
“I figured,” I said. “Do you know what they were doing?”
The Star Spear shook his head. “But I understand the Ecomese language well enough after fifteen years on this planet. The enforcer leader said that the kid got past the testing and was one of the ripest he’d ever seen. Don’t ask me what he meant by that, but it can’t be good.”
Space Knight Book 2 Page 7
