Pausing beside the door to Aria’s chamber, Hortra sneered. ::Run all you like, little sister. You’ll never get away from me. Never. Your power, combined with Wes’s, will enrich my own so much. I’ll be able to do so much more, get so much more. Have it all.:: Raising a gloved hand, he flicked his wrist, and watched as a small crystal figurine slid off the little table inside to shatter on the floor. ::I’ll find your spirit and break you, Aria. I’ll take your spirit, suck you dry, and discard you to roam the corridors of my fortress in eternal sorrow. Bitch.::
Continuing on his way with a swish of his cloak, Hortra laughed. The long, heavy curtains shivered at the windows as trapped entities huddled in an attempt to hide. ::Now I have another bitch to show my power to.::
~ * ~
Sinya was finding it harder to actually dismiss the encounter between himself and Beulah than he thought he would. It interfered with his thoughts, making it hard to concentrate on the matters at hand. He couldn’t allow that. He had to be alert for his brother’s sake.
It was time to find Beulah and make her tell him what she knew, whether she’d found the right words to explain or not.
Leaving the control cabin, where he’d been trying to figure out where exactly Fredrico was leading them, Sinya searched for Beulah. She wasn’t on the first or second floor, nor in her cabin, but he had an idea where she would be.
Entering the laser gun pit, he found her sitting back in one of the chairs, gazing up at the space above her. By her side was her small potted plant, and her hand rested on the dark soil in the pot.
It was her pose that drew his gaze though, and made him start in surprise.
Leaning back in the chair, head resting on the backrest, Beulah’s knees were bent and her slippered feet rested upon the edge of the console. Her other arm was bent, her hand lying loosely atop her flat stomach. White hair hung thick and free in a heavy fall over one shoulder, completely covering her breast and side.
He thought she looked young, innocent and lovely. Guileless. But there was also an otherworldliness about her, a stillness that he’d never seen in anyone else. Leaning one shoulder against the doorway, Sinya allowed his gaze to wander over the silhouette of her face, as she sat side-on to him.
Her lashes were long and thick, and he’d noticed that she never used their luxuriousness to hide her eyes. No, Beulah had other means for that. She quite simply just didn’t show any expression in her eyes if she didn’t choose to do so.
He grinned a little. That habit could drive a man mad if he allowed it to do so.
Her nose was small and straight. Enchanting. Full, pink lips above a small chin, and for the first time he noted the determined set of it.
Sinya’s eyes wandered lower, following the delicate line of her throat, the curve of her shoulder, and lower to the swell of her breasts beneath the gown. A flat stomach and gently curving hips. Her legs--well, he remembered them very well from when he’d checked her for injuries back in her valley. They were shapely. In repose now, outlined by the skirt of her gown draped low between her spread knees, they had a pleasing length.
Beulah the witch had a womanly figure he wouldn’t mind snuggling up to, holding against himself, exploring with his hands...
Sinya almost chocked when he realized where his thoughts were going.
"Why don’t you come in and sit down?" Beulah asked quietly, without taking her gaze from the space spread out above her. "You’ve stood there long enough."
Clearing his throat, but not in the least abashed, Sinya did as bidden. Dropping down into the chair next to her, he gestured around them. "I should have suspected you’d be up here."
"It’s beautiful."
"Also the closest to nature that you can get." His gaze dropped to the potted plant hidden on the other side of her. "Apart from your little friend."
A grin curved her lips, and Sinya couldn’t help but follow their movement with his eyes. "My friend is very important to me. He keeps me sane."
"How do you know it’s a ‘he’?"
"He likes attention." Eyes twinkling with humor, she glanced sideways at him.
Immediately Sinya felt himself relax. Her humor was something he enjoyed, and he suddenly realized how tense they’d both been. All of them on the ship, in fact.
Settling back into the chair, he grinned. "Found that out with your vast experience, huh?"
"Men are needy creatures. I’ve seen a few in my time."
"What about women?"
"Men are the bane of their existence."
"Ouch. That’s a little harsh, isn’t it?"
"Yes."
He laughed, but before he could come up with an answer to her pert reply, the intercom crackled, and Drake’s voice came over loud and clear. "Sinya, there’s incoming fire!"
"What?" Instantly alert, Sinya stood up and scanned the space around them.
It was deep and silent, the only thing being Fredrico’s ship which flew not far ahead.
"It’s visible only on the viscomm screen. Turn it on," Drake said.
Snapping the switch on, Sinya saw it. A fiery ball of searing flame, and coming through space at a frightening rate.
"Get Fredrico on the viscomm now," Sinya ordered. "And get the ship out of the way of that fireball."
"We’re trying, but it seems to be angling in on us at every turn."
"Keep trying." Sinya grimly kept his gaze on the oncoming fireball.
Beulah leaned over his shoulder, studying the ball. "It’s not natural."
"I’ve never seen anything like it in all my travels." Sinya grimly surveyed Fredrico’s face as it took the place of the fireball. "Is this another trick from your mystic, Fredrico?"
"No," Fredrico replied tightly. "I was about to ask you the same thing."
"Beulah doesn’t deal in death."
"She’s a witch. Don’t make the mistake of trusting anyone with powers we don’t understand."
"I trust Beulah implicitly." Anger flared through Sinya, his protective instincts where she was concerned coming to the fore. "I suggest you ask Phemar what is going on."
Fredrico’s face was stony. "He knows nothing about this."
Sinya swore, then straightened his shoulders. "Arguing is pointless. It seems we’re all in this shit together. Drake tells me it’s following us, no matter where we turn."
"My pilot, Carto, tells me the same." Fredrico rubbed his jaw, eyes cold. "Maybe we should split up. It can only go after one of us."
"Makes sense." Sinya nodded.
Before he could say anything further, the viscomm went blank, and he knew Fredrico had gone off the air. It struck him as he pushed upright that if anything happened to Fredrico’s ship, he’d have no idea where to find the man who knew of Wes’s whereabouts.
There was no help for it now. The immediate danger was the huge fireball searing through space in their direction. Dead, he’d be of no help at all to Wes.
Thrusting upright from the chair, he swung around and started for the door, catching hold of Beulah’s elbow as he did so, taking her with him. "Go to your cabin and stay there until one of us comes to get you."
"Sinya, if that fireball hits us, it’s not going to matter where I am. I’ll still get killed." Her voice was very matter-of-fact.
Mind turning over the possibilities of outrunning the fireball, Sinya led her down the staircase. "I need to know where you are. It’s possible the fireball will follow Fredrico, and not us."
"That fireball has been sent to wipe us out."
He looked down at the top of her head as they descended to the second floor. "What do you know of this fireball, Beulah?"
She didn’t look up, her gaze taking in the pirates waiting at the bottom of the staircase for Sinya’s orders. "All I know is that it’s not a natural phenomenon."
About to query further, Sinya was stopped by Ralfis appearing at the top of the staircase leading down to the second floor.
"That fireball is closing in faster than anything I’ve ever seen,
Cap’n," Ralfis informed him grimly. "It’s going to hit within five minutes."
A disbelieving murmur went through the pirates.
"Ephim, get the laser gun pit crew up to the pits, ready and armed. I don’t know what’s in that fireball, but I don’t intend to go down without at least trying to fight." Sinya looked down at Beulah. "Please, go to your cabin and secure yourself in the chair, which is bolted to the floor."
"Sinya--"
"I don’t have time to see to your safety, Beulah. This is the best I can offer right now."
He thought she’d argue some more, but instead, she nodded, turned and strode away to her cabin. Relieved, he didn’t wait to see her go in, turning instead to bark orders at his crew while hurrying across to the staircase.
Entering the control cabin, he saw the big map lit up, the two green blips that were his and Fredrico’s ships, and the fireball that was coming with frightening speed.
"Dear God." He felt the blood drain from his own face.
"You can say that again." Drake spoke from behind clenched teeth.
The fireball was huge, dwarfing the two ships. It was utterly frightening.
In that second, Sinya knew if the fireball went after them, he and his crew were dead.
"Let’s move this crate!" he bellowed.
Taking over the steering and acceleration controls, he left the plotting and protection procedures to Drake, trusting the tall, pale pilot completely. Superstitious Drake might be, but a better pilot was hard to find.
Snapping out a brief warning to his crew to secure themselves safely, Sinya veered the ship sharply out of the way of the course of the fireball.
It veered after him, altering course without hesitation.
Fredrico’s ship flashed in the corner of his eyes through the space shield, and in that same instant, the fireball appeared in the distance, a bright, burning glow of scorching death. Right before Sinya and Drake’s eyes, it split into two huge fireballs, and went one after each ship.
Neither of the pirate ships were safe now.
Swearing, Sinya sent his own ship into a wild, downward flight, shearing though space. The fireball followed.
"Close the shield," Sinya ordered Drake. "Every space window, including here and the laser gun pits. There’s to be nothing open to the fireball."
Immediately steel shields slid across to cover the space window, sealing off vision, and everything went onto radar and visual screen.
Drake was now in charge of directing Sinya through space, while Sinya himself kept an eye on the fireball tracking them with deadly intent.
He used every skill he possessed to keep ahead of the fireball, spinning and diving his way through space, but the fireball never veered once off his tail. It drew increasingly closer.
"This looks bad," Drake muttered.
"If you’ve got any incantations for anything like this, Drake, now’s the time to say them."
"I wish."
Suddenly the fireball on the visual screen changed direction and went straight up, so fast that it slid from the screen.
"Bloody hell!" Beli swore over the intercom. "I can see it above us!"
Sinya went cold. Beli was in one of the laser gun pits, and if he could see it...
"It’s going to the front!" Ephim yelled from the second gun pit. "To the front! Sinya--"
"God Almighty!" Drake was pressing control buttons frantically. "Pull up, Sinya! Pull up now!"
Going by blind trust, Sinya hauled back on the lever by his left hand. He felt the ship shudder around him, then the sudden sickening dip of the back of the ship dropping, tipping the front up so that the ship faced upright. Pushing the lever on his right, Sinya sent the ship soaring upward, and he actually felt the heat coming through the metal of the control cabin.
It was hot.
"Don’t stop!" Drake yelled. "Keep going up!"
The ship soared under Sinya’s controlling hands, but a sudden jerking motion sent in careening to the side, slewing it around and tipping the ship back on an even keel.
The movements rocked the pirates, nearly throwing them from their chairs. It was only the restraints that kept them safely in their seats.
The ship stopped moving.
"Bloody hell!" Sinya slammed his hand against the levers frantically. "What the hell is going on, Drake? Start the bloody thing now!"
"I’m trying!" Drake pressed the control button, but the engines refused to respond. Pale face showing a glimmer of sweat, he turned his head to look at Sinya. "The power’s gone."
"Gone? Are you insane?" Reaching across, Sinya pounded his fist on the control button. "Goddamn it! Start, you bastard! Start!"
There was no response. The ship floated in space, the big, powerful engines unresponsive.
"We’re dead," Drake announced.
Sinya could feel the heat in the cabin, his shirt already sticking to him. His gaze went to the visual screen, and slowly the huge fireball appeared on it.
But it wasn’t the fireball that made his breath catch in horror and disbelief.
It was the figure floating before it, darkly silhouetted against it.
"Shit." Drake gaped.
Placing one hand on the screen, Sinya stared at the figure. The visual screen made the images small, not nearly big enough to really identify the figure, but he knew deep in his gut who she was.
He looked up sharply as the steel shields across the space windows slid back fast, slamming back into their encasements. The burning glow of the huge fireball was blinding, and he acted automatically, reaching for the control panel, fumbling around and locating the switch. Immediately heavy tint spread over the window, blocking out the harshest of the rays, and enabling him to see better.
"God above." Ephim’s voice over the intercom was awed. "Is that...?"
"Beulah," Sinya whispered.
The fireball was glowing orange and red, flames flickering. But it had stopped moving. Hovering in one spot, it seemed to be waiting.
Before it floated Beulah. Sinya could see only the back of her, and she was more of a shadow in front of the flames. A very tiny shadow. The fireball was so huge, that he couldn’t see the top, bottom or sides of it from where he sat.
The heat was tremendous, and he wondered how she could possibly bear being out there with it. It’s her spirit, though. Right? It must be. No breathing human could survive it. She spirit travels. That’s how she can be out there. Yes, that’s it.
The momentary relief was washed away by fear. How could she hope to stop something like this?
"What’s she going to do?" Drake voiced his own question, only whereas Sinya felt fear for Beulah, Drake’s voice held hope.
"I don’t know," he whispered.
Suddenly they realized that the ship was moving backwards, silent but unmistakable. There was no explanation for it, for the engines were still powerless. The ship drifted back, and through the space shield, Sinya saw Fredrico’s ship nose up beside them. The ships stopped as though locked together.
They were far enough away from the fireball to enable them to see part of the second fireball hovering partially beside it, blending in at the side.
The seconds ticked past as they watched the still, dark figure of Beulah. Her skirt flapped against her calves, and her long hair drifted in a dark swath against her back. Slowly she raised her arms.
The fireball seemed to throb in response, flames reaching high at the sides. It started to move forward.
Then a second figure appeared, robed and black, moving up to float beside Beulah.
"Phemar," Drake breathed.
Sinya couldn’t say anything. His gaze was riveted on Beulah, fear for her nearly suffocating him. He felt so helpless, so useless, stuck inside the ship while she faced the burning menace alone. No, not alone. Faced it with the help of an evil mystic. Her goodness and his evil--how could they possibly prevail against such a monstrous thing?
The fireballs suddenly moved forward, almost as though testing the boundaries
, and Phemar lifted his arms. The fireball halted, and the inside flames turned orange, as though annoyed.
Sinya could almost feel the annoyance. Sweat trickled down the side of his face, and he wiped it away with the back of one hand.
The fireballs split in half, moving around, but Beulah and Phemar, arms still raised, turned slowly on the spot, seeming to keep them at bay. Now back to back, the witch and the mystic were a study in intensity and mysticism.
From Beulah’s hands, Sinya could see a pale glow. She was too far away to make out her expression.
Even as he watched, she spread her arms out wide, and the glow grew, spreading out in a shield of paleness.
The fireballs turned a dull red, and long flames danced out from around the tops of them. Sinya knew if they’d been any closer to the fireballs, they would have almost boiled alive in their ships. They were back far enough to feel the growing heat without damage.
But it was bloody hot.
Suddenly the fireballs tore towards each other, converging in a flash of bright yellow that lit up the space around them.
Beulah and Phemar kept pace with them, spinning around in a single motion to face the monstrous fireball that now roared with menacing flames.
A dull roar filled the cabin, and Drake glanced apprehensively at Sinya. "Is--is that the fireball?"
"Shit." Sinya swallowed, his throat dry. "Look."
From the middle of the fireball shone two huge, orange eyes. A yawning mouth appeared in the depths of the fireball, orange flame spilling from it. It roared, and the roar reverberated inside the ship. A glass off to the side in its secure holder shattered.
Sinya clapped his hands over his ears, cringing as the roar tore through his senses. He’d never heard anything so loud in his life, not even the sound of a spaceship exploding had been this bad.
He couldn’t take his gaze from the figures out in space. He saw Beulah’s skirt flap wildly back, her hair whipping in the blast from the fireballs mouth. Phemar’s robe flapped just as wildly, his hood blowing back to dangle behind him. But they were still dark shapes, shadowed by the brilliance of the fireball before them.
The fireball grew in intensity, lengthening, and Sinya wondered what the hell Beulah and Phemar were going to do. What could they do? They were so tiny and insignificant in front of the monstrosity.
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