“They were working with Lafontaine. He helped them stage the attack and then used it as a diversion so he could stage a mutiny and steal the Osiris.”
“The Osiris is gone?”
“Yep. The only ones left on this planet now are our beloved Captain and most of the crew. The Osiris transmitted a message from orbit, inviting the rest of us aboard—just so long as we leave our weapons behind and accept formal charges. You can imagine the Captain’s response.” McCann could imagine. “Wang says it don’t matter. With Lafontaine and his bleeding hearts gone, it’s an open field. All the more for the rest of us.
“We’re relocating to the other side of this world. But before then, we’re taking out the infrastructure on this side—first that Diametric Drive they’re building on the flats north of here; then the Directorate building—their seat of government; the observatory; avionics fields; power distribution points—stuff like that. Wang says that without Lafontaine’s interference, we can put together a new Accumulator Device and return here for some serious payback long before they have a chance to rebuild. Then, when the planet is ours, we’ll build our own brand-new Diametric Drive, contact Eridani Station, and give them the good news. One thing we’re going to need is a good engineer. Come on, there’s room for you in the front seat.”
He turned, heading back towards his avionic. “Maybe we can get off a couple more potshots before we clear out. Don’t see why the others should have all the fun. It’s a good thing you flagged me down when you did. Otherwise you’d have ended up stuck on this—”
The crewman’s sentence was cut short by a metal pipe impacting the back of his head.
~
As the rooftop door creaked open and sunlight washed through the entrance, McCann saw Yaron crouched in a corner, arms wrapped around his knees. Belatedly, the alien boy raised his head. He looked like someone who had been in a car wreck—as if all of the scenes he had witnessed in the past half hour were replaying constantly before his eyes. No time, not even for compassion.
“All right, listen carefully. When I’m gone, I want you to lay low someplace. The attack is almost over, so it won’t be for long. As soon as the avionics are gone, you should leave. Go back to your house in the village near the mountains. You should be safe there. Your family are probably worried sick about you, in any case.”
Yaron replied in a voice that was surprisingly steady. “Na. I wanna go with ya.”
McCann shook his head firmly. “I’m sorry. Where I’m going it wouldn’t be safe for you. The best way you can serve your people is to survive. If I am successful, I’ll try to return to your village and look you up.”
He turned and headed back out to the roof. Yaron followed him in silence like a lost puppy, starting at the sight of the waiting avionic as if McCann had somehow caused it to appear out of thin air.
As McCann climbed into the cockpit, his mind went back to another parting. On that occasion it had been he who had been standing, looking up at Max’s transport, just before he was whisked away. He had not known—there was no way he could have known— that he would never see his childhood friend again. This time, he hoped it would be different.
He had just thrown the switches to start the fans when Yaron suddenly spoke. “What should I tell them?”
“What?”
“My family. Friends. The people from the Directorate. When I get back, what should I tell them?”
McCann raised his voice over the gathering whine. “Tell them the truth. Tell them everything.”
Seconds later, the cockpit cover came down and the avionic lifted into the sky, its former pilot lying unconscious in the hold. The other machines were still buzzing over the stricken city, dealing out death and destruction. He could not take them all on, but maybe he could deal with the problem at its source. And, in the meantime, perhaps save one alien boy.
McCann watched the figure on the roof until it was nothing more than a dwindling speck and then set course, north by northwest, for the island of Helice.
Take care of yourself, Max.
<><><><><>
Chapter 25
Slowly, in stately fashion, they processed from the sky. Ail-Gan, the yellow sun, adorned with a mantle of orange, pink, and purple streamers. Behind, the brilliant point of light that was Ail-Kar, the white sun, dazzled onlookers with a final incandescent beam of light before dipping submissively like an heir apparent below the eastern horizon.
As the sky faded to inky black, myriads of stars winked into existence—shining eyes gazing down on an endless field of sable waters. In the midst of the waters, an island hunched, deep in shadow. In the midst of the island, a tiny pinprick of light supplied the last remaining source of warmth and comfort in the world.
Shann lay back on her blanket, watching sparks from their fire coruscate into the night and thought of Lyall. Are you watching this? We are coming for you.
At any moment he might step out of the dark and into the circle of firelight. A misunderstanding. Apologies all round. He had changed his mind. Seen the light. He was one of them again. Past mistakes forgiven. Future intentions forgotten. She would throw her arms around him and all would be right with the world.
Rael’s face appeared over her, shattering her cosy little fantasy. “You’ve got a pretty big blaze going there. Aren’t you concerned that the hu-mans might see it?”
She sighed, resenting the intrusion. “We’re looking for them, remember?” Perhaps, but we don’t particularly want them attacking us in the middle of the night. By lighting a signal fire in the vain hope that Lyall might see it and respond, she was risking both their lives.
Rael, however, did not question her judgment; he merely sat beside her and crossed his long legs. “Shann... ”
Heat from the fire was toasting one side of her body nicely. She considered turning over to complete the effect. “What is it?”
“When you meet Lyall, what are you going to do?”
She was irritated by the question, although she was not sure why. “That depends.”
“On what?” he pressed.
“I don’t know... Lots of things.” She had looked Keris straight in the eye after the tall woman struck her in the face and declared that she would do whatever it took to stop Lyall. Now Keris was gone and the sting in her cheek had long since faded. She could feel her resolve starting to crumble.
“You don’t want to tell me,” he accused.
“No, no, it’s not that.” She felt like someone naked, caught off guard and scrabbling around desperately for their clothes. She sat up, leaning back on her hands for support. “If we can find him before he has a chance to make contact with the hu-mans, then I want to try and talk to him—see if I can persuade him to turn over the components. If it turns out that his sister really is alive, then maybe we can determine a way of working together to free her.”
The boy nodded sagely. “Ah. Now I understand.”
“Understand what?”
“The fire. It’s for him, isn’t it? So he will see it and come find us. Only it’ll never work.”
Her irritation grew. It was as if she was a clear mountain lake and he could see right to the bottom. “How do you know that?”
“Because if he had wanted to include us in his plans, he would not have left in the way he did.”
“He might have a change of heart.”
Rael shook his head firmly. “That’s not his style. Once he sets his mind to something... Besides, there’s another, more important reason why he left without telling anyone what he was planning.”
“There is?”
“You mean you don’t know?” He laughed in a way that she found most unsettling. “Shann, have you ever had anyone you cared about?”
She resented the inference and failed to hide it from her voice. “Of course I have.”
“And if there was something you had to do—something you knew would put them in danger?” He paused to allow the import of his words to sink in. “That’s why he won’t come
near the fire tonight; because he loves us. Because he loves you.”
Shann lay back and stared up at the stars one more. “Well, I won’t give up till I’ve found him.”
“I know, and I’ve been thinking about that.” When Shann made no response, he continued. “Why would Lyall take the four components? What’s he planning to do, exactly?”
“Keris says he plans to trade them for his sister’s life.”
“Yes, but there must be more to it than that. Lyall is determined, but he’s no fool. He must realise there’s a good chance that his sister is no longer alive. More than that, he knows that if the four components can be made to work together, then they would effectively confer infinite power on the user. If Wang were to acquire that power, then it would mean the end of everything.”
Shann sat up once more, intrigued. “All right, then. What is he up to?”
“I don’t know. But I think we can surmise two things at this stage. Call it ‘inspired guesswork’.” He had that same absorbed look as when figuring out one of his number problems. “First, his plan somehow involves us following him.”
The same thought had occurred to her, but she had not voiced it to the others. Somehow, hearing it from Rael made it sound not quite as ridiculous as it had first seemed. “If that’s true, then what does he expect us to do?”
“My guess is he wants us to do exactly what we would naturally do: try to stop him.”
“But... that makes no sense,” she protested.
“I agree it doesn’t yet; no doubt because we are missing some vital pieces of the puzzle.
“Second, I believe that in the end, everything will hinge on the power of lodestone.”
“In what way?” she asked.
“Have you ever tried to catch a barchan eel with a rod and line?”
Shann shook her head. “I’ve never been fishing in my life. Unless you count the incident with the colcachra. And as I recall, it was trying to eat us.”
“Yes, well. My father used to take me and my brother fishing in happier times. The answer is that you can’t. First of all you have to use a special kind of pond weed to catch a smaller fish called a slych. You then have to use it to catch the bigger fish.”
Shann screwed her face up. “That’s horrible.”
“I didn’t enjoy it much either. But the point is, we may have been looking at this all wrong. We’ve all been assuming that Lyall’s sister is the bait and that he took it. But what if it’s the four components that are the real bait? What if Lyall is using the thing that Wang wants above all else—to reel him in?”
Shann closed her eyes. “Hang on. Lafontaine told us that after he and the others lifted off in that huge vessel of theirs, the Prophet and his supporters would have no choice but to follow in their sky ship or risk being stranded here.”
“I remember. However, that part of his plan never quite rang true to me. Think about it. Wang and the other hu-mans have been here for over thirty turns. Lafontaine admitted that the lodestone found here on Kelanni is the most valuable thing in the universe to them. Do you think they would be content just to walk away from all that?”
“You think he lied to us?”
“Maybe. Or maybe he simply underestimated Wang’s greed and lust for power. Convincing us that Wang would leave Kelanni was essential to getting our cooperation, so that they could make good their escape. And if that part of the plan didn’t work, then he and his people would be far away, and we would be left to deal with the mess.”
“You think Lyall foresaw all of that?”
“No. I think he had been planning for some time to attempt the rescue of his sister once our mission was completed. However, after the situation here on the island became clear, I believe he modified that plan. If Wang survived the destruction of the lodestone weapons, then there would be nothing to stop him from creating this nightmare all over again—and this time, there would be no dissenting voices from Lafontaine and his associates. Lyall must have figured out some way of achieving a permanent solution.”
A dam inside her broke and her tears began to flow freely. “But none of this makes sense. Why not just confide in us? We would have willingly helped him; he knows that.”
“Maybe he decided his plan was too dangerous to involve anyone else. Or maybe he knew there were parts of it we would object to.” The fire was starting to die back, the pulsating glow at its heart fading to a darker rubescence. She did not have the heart to stoke it. He’s not coming.
“There are some things that a man has to do on his own, Shann.”
“What kind of stupid male reasoning is that?” She buried her head in her arm and sobbed gently. Rael moved beside her and draped a long arm about her shoulder until the fire grew cold and night wound about them like black thread on a spool.
~
Dawn poured onto the rocky upland, leeching into bleary eyes still glued together by sleep. Shann shook her head and then the shoulder of the boy next to her. Each took a silent swig of water from what was left in the canteen. Neither spoke of food; their stomachs still churned from the previous night’s trepidations. Nothing left to do except pack up and move on.
A short hike later, they stood at the mouth of the rough-hewn steps that eased down the side of the steep valley where Lafontaine had led them, days before. Then the apparition of lightning blue and gleaming gold that was the Osiris had lain in wait, ready to take their breath away. Now the hu-man star ship was gone, yet Shann felt no more prepared for what they might find.
At length they reached the bend in the trail where the path widened and the odd-looking wooden cabin perched precariously. Shann checked a window in the cabin to make sure it was empty, then went to the ledge. Below her, the canyon floor opened up. Where the great star ship had been, there now sat the smaller stubby sky ship, forlorn, like a small child abandoned by its parent. Her heart leapt; perhaps they were not too late.
“What now?” Rael hissed in her ear.
She turned to him and smiled for the first time that day. “We wait here for Lyall to show. Then we talk him out of whatever he’s planning.” She waited for Rael to begin pointing out the gaping holes in her moth-eaten plan, but the boy merely leaned back, using his long arms for support. She pushed away from the edge and stood up. “You watch the sky ship; I’ll watch the path. We can change round after a while if you like.”
“Fine,” he said, and moved to his designated station overlooking the valley. Shann sat with her back against the cabin wall, giving her a view of the trail. The moment Lyall appeared she would be ready for him. He would listen to her. She would make him listen...
“We’re not so different, you know.”
Rael’s statement hijacked her train of thought. “What?”
“The hu-mans. We’re not that far behind them. Our Diametric Drive must be almost ready for launch by now. It’s only a prototype, but when it’s sufficiently refined, it will take us to the stars.”
She smiled again. “Are you sure they’re managing without you at Takala Flats?”
“Absolutely. I’m a theoretician at heart, and all the theory was worked out long ago. Towards the end, all I was doing was running reports back and forth between Suma and Hannath. They could have used a trained gundir to do the same job.”
Shann briefly pictured a cartoon image of a spindly beast with a long snout and Rael’s face. Another notion, more disturbing, darkened her inner vision, and her smile vanished. “I wonder what they will do.” She glanced up and registered his questioning gaze. “The hu-mans. When we invade their stars. I wonder what they will do.”
“They’re not ‘their stars’, Shann.”
Shann stared straight ahead. “Hu-mans claim all that is in their vision. Their invasion of our world proves that. Why should the stars be any different?”
“Maybe you’re right. Or maybe we will end up working together, just as we did with Susan Gilmer.”
Her lips twisted into a smile once more, but this time, her voice was bitte
r fruit. “Sure, Susan Gilmer worked with us. And look what happened to her.”
“Oh no.” Rael’s words were twin slashes of a blade, severing the conversation.
Shann stiffened. “What is it?”
“I think you should see this for yourself.”
She got up and went to the ledge, dropping down beside him. The human sky ship still squatted sullenly on the valley floor. Next to it, hu-mans were milling around. It was difficult to make out details at this distance, but she could clearly see one figure approaching the others from the foot of the trail. The figure was Kelanni. And he wore a red hat.
Shann’s eyes widened. “Alondo. But... how come he’s here? He left on the ship.”
“Apparently not,” Rael said evenly.
“What does he think he’s doing?”
“If I had to guess, I’d say the same thing we are: trying to save Lyall.”
Alondo stopped a short distance from the group of hu-mans. Shann strained her ears to catch the exchange, but the rising air currents reshaped words into meaningless sounds. “We have to get down there.”
Rael glanced sideways at her. “And do what?”
She bit her lower lip. As usual, he was right. She hated it when he was right. She felt like smacking him. Nevertheless, a small insistent voice within was telling her that the best thing for them to do right now was to watch and see how this thing played out.
The talking stopped. Before she could comment, she caught the glint of sunlight on metal. Two of the hu-mans had silver staffs levelled against the musician. He stood stock-still. A willing sacrifice. Run away. Use the vortex arm. Something.
A shout.
Two more figures joined the fray, one short and dark. Wang. The other tall, fair, and unmistakeably Kelanni. Lyall.
Rael’s voice sounded a death knell. “We’re too late.”
Two hu-mans stepped forward and grabbed Alondo roughly, propelling him towards the sky ship. A downturned mouth opened in the ship’s side and swallowed them whole.
Alondo’s appearance felt like a kick in the stomach; Lyall’s was a swift uppercut. Shann reeled from the double blow. She was that doe-eyed little girl again, bereft, coddled in the arms of Gallar, her adoptive mother, while tears dried on her cheeks. Only now, there was no Gal to give her comfort. Now everyone was relying on her for answers. And she had none.
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