I filled him in on the other things we’d learned about Jules, and the boy we were carrying on the ship, frozen in the Collector’s case, and about Jules’ trip to that faraway world through the portal. This all seemed to pique his interest.
“We always assumed she was beyond the Iskios, but the fact that there are two of them is intriguing. And Fontem and Jules think this guy urging her to free him is one of these beings that helped create the Zan’ra?” he asked.
“That’s what we think,” I told him.
“What do we do?” Slate asked, puffing out his chest a little. He was always ready to back me up.
“We wait,” I told him.
“Sounds good to me, boss. What about the kid with the blue eyes? Do we try to talk to him?”
“I’m letting Jules make that decision. She seems content to leave him until she discovers more about the Zan’ra. Now that she has some more information, she’s going to speak with Regnig about it, see if he can dig anything up.” I rose, and Slate followed suit.
“We’ll deal with anything that faces us, Dean. You know we will. We always do.” Slate’s gaze met mine, and I nodded, trying not to think about the older version of myself shouting a warning so long ago in the portal.
Don’t make the same mistake I did. Don’t let them die.
“Thanks, Slate. You’re a great friend.” We returned to the bridge, settling into our seats, and I stared at the stars as they streamed through the panoramic viewscreen.
____________
Her parents had been skeptical of her using the portal again, but Jules had promised them she felt no compulsion to return to the world she’d visited on a whim, and Dean was with her, which helped ease their minds.
They used a transport to their school shortly after arriving on Haven. The Academy was as they’d left it, but now that she had graduated, the place felt slightly smaller, the statue out front not nearly as immense, the hallways a tiny bit narrower.
“I’m going to visit some friends from the year under. That cool with you?” Dean asked, waving to some kids she’d seen him hanging out with last year.
“Totally. I’ll be with Regnig. I need to check on Hugo first,” she told him.
Dean smiled at her. “See you here for dinner?”
“Perfect.” She watched him jog off, catching up to his friends, and she felt a sense of loss. She’d gotten along well with people here, like Extel Four, Kira, and Canni, but none of them had spent much time with her after hours. She didn’t suspect they’d ever really felt comfortable around her, even if they didn’t show it.
Instead of wallowing on it, letting her hormones rule her, like Dean would suggest, she checked the time, guessing her little brother would be in Weapons Training right now. She found the room quickly, recalling the day the Kold took control of the place, forcing her to react.
She glanced in, seeing the main room empty, the kids’ packs sitting on their desks inside. Jules entered, moving toward the range beyond, where the students would be learning about the different types of weapons the Gatekeepers used. They’d also learn about the hundreds of other guns, bombs, and devices every cataloged race preferred, so they always were aware of what they were facing in any given scenario.
Hugo was inside, nodding as the instructor explained something. The woman was tall, straight-backed, with her hair shaved to less than an inch. She was human, but Jules hadn’t met Loweck’s replacement yet. Her brother was so tiny compared to the rest of the kids, and he stood next to a Keppe girl who dwarfed him.
Jules didn’t interrupt, only waited, watching through the glass door until the bell rang, and the children began filing into the classroom again.
“Jules Parker?” one of the kids asked. She turned to see a young girl from Shimmal, her little snout wagging as her big eyes gawked at Jules.
“That’s me,” she said. “Pleased to meet you.”
“Solurm.” She beamed at Jules.
Hugo arrived, rushing to Jules’ side to hug her. “Jules! What are you doing here?”
“I came to see how you were, you little brat. Everything good?” I asked.
“Better than good. It’s great. I love the Academy.” Hugo’s voice was shrill, his excitement evident.
Jules was relieved. Her parents had been worried he was going to hate the structure and hard work, but it looked like he was thriving. They were going to be thrilled to hear it.
The instructor arrived, and Hugo introduced her. “This is Professor Hunt. She’s the best. Did you know she was on Uncle Magnus’ drop team for three years?”
Jules shook her head. “No, but I hear you had some intense missions on Horizon.”
The woman was younger than Jules would have guessed, and a scar ran horizontally across her face, all the way from her left cheek over the bridge of her nose, ending halfway over her right side. “It’s unpredictable what you’ll encounter on those starships.” She smiled, her eyes bright, but burning with something hidden deep within.
“That’s so true. It was really nice to meet you, Professor Hunt.” Hugo went to grab his pack, and Jules lowered her voice. “How’s he doing?”
“Very well. He has a lot of energy, but he’s very curious. I think he’ll be a good student,” Hunt told her.
“Good. Thanks again.” Jules followed her brother from the classroom, walking with him to his next stop.
“Are you here all day?” Hugo asked.
“I’ll be with Regnig, but Dean and I can have dinner with you later,” she told him.
“At Karo’s?” Hugo asked.
“Sure. If he won’t mind the extra mouths.”
“I’ll tell him to expect you. Jules, I have to get to Portals,” Hugo said, lugging his oversized backpack on his shoulders.
“Okay.” She rustled his hair, which he hated, and she watched him rush off, catching up to some other kids from his class.
She found Regnig below the school, past the kids lingering in the underground library, and inside his secret compartment. He’d given her the code to enter, and he didn’t seem surprised that she was there to see him.
Is everything all right? His thoughts pressed into her mind. He waddled over, his tiny cane clipping on the hard floor.
“I’m fine. I wanted to talk to you about the Zan’ra,” she said, and his beak opened slightly.
The Zan’ra. Right. There’s something else you need to see first. He waved her deeper inside his private library, and beyond, stopping at a tucked-away corner of the room. He peered at her with his large eye and used his claw to slide a heavy volume from the shelf. The entire wall creaked as a secreted doorway in the dark wooden bookshelves opened, revealing a dark space.
“Where are you taking me?” Jules asked, glancing around the room.
I haven’t shown anyone this place, not even your father.
“But you’ll show me?”
There are things out there no one should uncover, not even Dean Parker, but you… you are special, Jules. He moved his arm, and a soft amber light flickered on, casting shadows around the room. Inside was a single bookcase, filled with ancient-looking texts. The wall beside her held a star map, one on faded yellowed paper. It was framed with thick wooden edges, and hung evenly, covering most of the wall. She ran a finger over the encased map, searching for a name.
I’ve been enthralled with the Zan’ra for some time. I was remiss to not quickly assume you were descended from them. Their story isn’t clear, only told in tiny scraps from random sources. Someone went to great lengths to tear them from history, and there could be a strong case for that.
“Why? What do you know?” she asked.
I assume you’ve spoken with Fontem? He moved to the bookcase, pulling a slight volume from the lowest shelf. The door closed behind them, sealing them in. Suddenly it felt too tight in here, too confined.
“He’s the one who told me about them and their creators,” she said.
He’s close, though not entirely accurate. The Zan’ra alread
y existed, but it was the Deities that twisted them, or so the story goes.
“What do you mean, twisted them?”
Have a seat. You’re going to want to hear this. He pulled out another book, thumbing through the pages until he grunted, and turned the book toward her. I’ve spent the last year trying to find a connection to you, and finally I did it. The image was a crude drawing, the creature humanoid but clearly not human. It was thin, with long arms and legs, and hair to its waist. It was drawn with black ink, but the eyes… they were protruding from the page. Jules touched them, feeling a sharp prick. They were bright purple.
They are crystals, tiny fragments of the stone you call the Shandra, or portal stones. There are four drawings in four books I’ve found, and they each have one different person showcased. I understand these to be the four Zan’ra the Deities modified: the ones that weren’t wiped out of existence.
Jules stared at the figure, unsure if it was a boy or a girl. “Are you assuming her eyes glowed this color?”
Regnig nodded. He reached for another book, found a marked location, and passed that volume to her. Another drawing outlining another figure: this one shorter, with thicker arms and legs, but the same petite jewels for eyes, only these were orange.
“And the other two?” she asked softly, her powers thrumming inside her. Free me! The words echoed in her head, and she pressed her eyelids closed.
Regnig set those books to the side, grabbed a third, and again, there was a sketch.
“It’s him.”
Regnig nodded. Yes, it would appear this is the boy on your ship. The eyes were blue stones, his hair drawn the same, the ears sharp like an elf from the fairy tales she’d read as a little girl.
“How can this be? How old is this?” Jules asked, flipping to the front for an indication.
Regnig’s beak opened and closed slowly. I’m unable to pinpoint it. My estimation is a hundred thousand years or so. It’s hard to tell after a certain age.
“That old?”
There’s one more. Regnig stared at her, and her hand trembled as he took one more volume, this one thinner than the others. Half of the pages were missing, the outside edge blackened, like someone had attempted to burn it, but had failed.
“Show me.” She didn’t feel like the instructions even came from her own voice, but the little bird man passed it over. The figure was there, as she’d expected. Shoulder-length curly hair, not too short, but tall and lean. Her shaking finger touched the eyes: bright green crystals.
“It’s me,” she whispered.
Regnig nodded.
____________
We were a few days away from dropping Uce the Philod off at her homeworld of Dechar, and I wanted to talk with her, learn more about her people. The Philod were clearly intelligent, and we’d managed to translate with basic concepts over the last year.
I walked to her tank, peering behind me at the one we’d kept the Lucat inside. It was still covered in sand, but the heating vents were no longer on, the lights off. Maggie was with me, and she ran down the corridor, tail wagging in earnest.
The tank was quite large, and Uce floated toward the glass as she saw me coming. Her primary eyes were on the top of her head: a useful design, since their main food source floated atop the oceans on Dechar. She had secondary senses along her sides, and I noticed slits with white behind them looking toward me. The communicator speaker was just outside the glass, and I pressed a button to activate it.
“Hello, Uce,” I said, the words echoing into the water as the sing-songy Philod language.
She sang in return, the translation coming out in a robotic female voice. “Hello, land walker Parker. Are we nearing the great expanse?”
“Yes. We’ll be there in six days,” I told her, causing her to spin in a circle underwater, her eight legs waving around under her in what I could only guess was exhilaration.
“That is welcome information, land walker Parker.”
“Uce, what can you tell me about your home?” I asked her. As a Gatekeeper, I was always curious to learn about other beings and cultures. Most races who lived above ground didn’t understand an ocean-dwelling creature, but after spending a little time with Aquleen while we’d searched for the Theos years ago, I had an added level of respect and understanding for living in an ocean.
“The great expanse is a wonderful place, with colorful vegetation, warm currents, and plenty to eat,” she advised me.
“How many Philod are there on your world?” I asked.
“World? You mean in the expanse? There are millions of us. We live in groups, spread over the breadth of our home.” She floated there, her legs twitching every now and then, the slits along the side of her head blinking as she talked.
“I’m sorry the Collector tore you from your home.”
“It is not your fault, land walker Parker. Would you like to see the expanse when we arrive?” she asked.
“I would very much like to see your home, but perhaps another time. Our mission is pressing,” I informed her, hoping this wasn’t going to offend her.
“I understand and hope you do visit one day.”
I stayed there, not anxious to return to my quarters quite yet. Mary was meeting with some dignitaries here from Haven about the Tedaus bargain, and Jules was with Hugo and Regnig today. Maggie was sleeping at my feet, and I bent down, petting the cocker.
I continued to ask about their customs, family structures, and food sources for another hour, Uce only too happy to discuss it with me.
Just as I was about to leave, my wrist communicator buzzed, and I tapped it, hearing Slate’s voice on the other end. “Captain, we have a problem.”
“What’s that?”
“The thing you said always happens on a simple journey,” he said.
I almost smiled. “Distress call.”
“Something like that,” he said. “Better come to the bridge, boss.”
I bid Uce a goodnight and nudged Maggie away. She trotted after me as I headed to the bridge to see what kind of interruption we were dealing with.
Fourteen
Jules plodded along the sidewalk, moving toward Karo and Ableen’s home at the outer edge of the school’s property. Regnig’s books on the Zan’ra were bugging her, but they couldn’t decipher the scattering of language inside them yet. One thing was clear: that drawing looked a lot like her. She had yet to understand their meaning, but the boy frozen in time on Light had been referenced. Maybe it was time to talk to him.
“Hold up, Ju!” Dean’s voice carried from behind, and she waited as he jogged over to her.
“Have a good day?” she asked him, and he nodded.
“Sure. Nice to see some old friends,” he told her. “How about you? Are you okay? You look a little pale.”
She forced a smile, not wanting to tell Dean about what she’d seen. “I’m fine. Hungry, though.”
The sidewalk ended, and they stopped at the rowhouses, Karo’s being on the far right. The suites were primarily reserved for the top professors, and Sarlun had his own beside Karo’s. It was empty ninety percent of the time, since he rarely visited these days.
The sun was setting behind the houses, and the lights turned on beside Karo’s front door. She stopped before they made it there, and stared at Dean. “You don’t think I’m... weird, do you?”
“You? Weird?” Dean smirked, but she could see his eyes squish up, like he was considering how to answer this.
Karo poked his head out of the door and smiled at them. “You two coming inside?”
“We’ll be right there,” Jules called, and the Theos man seemed to understand they were in the middle of something. He shut the door. “I’m serious, Dean.”
“Fine. Yeah, you’re a little weird, Ju. What do you want me to say?” he asked. “But that’s what everyone likes about you. You’re different. You can float, and fight like a demon, and you…”
“A demon?” she asked, the word sticking to her tongue. She thought about the pictu
res of the other four Zan’ra and cringed. She didn’t want to be thought of like that, not by Dean, of all people.
“I didn’t mean it like that… I meant that you really kick butt, that’s all.”
Jules stalked away, leaving him there. She should have known better. Her question was loaded, and a rational part of her brain told her that she wouldn’t have been happy with any answer he’d given her. Of course, that part was also buried under a fifteen-year-old’s insecurities.
She walked into the Theos’ home, Dean right behind her. He tried to take her arm, to whisper an apology, but she was already talking to Ableen.
“We’re so glad you came to visit,” Ableen said in English. It had taken her a while to acclimate to her new life, but she was playing the role of doting mother with finesse. Ableen had begun working for the Council of the Academy, and had brilliant fundraising skills. Jules couldn’t imagine having been taken by the Collector, only to awaken thousands of years later to everyone you ever loved being long dead.
“It’s great to see you, Ableen,” Jules said. Hugo ran over to her, giving her a hug, and Jules smelled pizza coming from the kitchen.
“Sorry. You know how Karo is. If we’re having guests, he always makes pizza. I blame your father,” Ableen said.
Dean was somewhere nearby, as Jules heard him talking with the quadruplets in the dining room. She followed her host to the table, and the kids glanced up, smiling at her. She tried to remember who was who, but they all had equally long hair, with the same delicate features, and for a moment, she struggled to differentiate the boys from the girls. Then she noticed the subtle differences: the stars on Noom’s shirt, the scar on Barl’s forehead, and she said hi, taking a seat between Parleen and Karo Jr.
“How have you been enjoying the Academy?” Jules asked. The Theos aged differently. Even though they were three years younger than Jules, they looked as old, or older, than her.
“Great,” Noom said. “We’re going to graduate after this year, and then it’s off to see the universe.”
“We’ll see about that,” Karo said from the kitchen. He arrived, carrying a pizza tray in each hand, sliding them onto stands centered on the table.
The Survivors (Book 12): New Discovery Page 12
