by Lisa Lace
“These sweets are delicious!” The lady with the afro buns rolled her eyes for effect. “I’ve never had anything like it!”
“Try it with your tea. The pairing is just superb. I’m glad you’re enjoying the food.” I blew the veil away from my face, which wouldn’t stop sticking to my lip gloss. “I think I have three more boxes on my ship. Help yourself to as much as you’d like.”
“Don’t mind if I do!” The woman started stuffing her face. “Do you have a personal spaceship? That sounds exciting! Now that I think about it, your Aunt Meredith has never told us what you do, exactly. Now we can ask you ourselves. Christine, what do you do for a living?”
“Sorry. Let me stop you right there.” Aunt Meredith jumped in and flagged down one of the servers. “Beatrice, it’s time!”
“Time for what?” I wondered.
“You’ll see.”
The server answered my question when she returned carrying a fancy box. I untied the bow and opened the lid, revealing a spangled pink sash stitched with my name and the HSRL logo in the velvet lining.
“Congratulations, Christine! You are now the newest member of the High Society for Respectable Ladies!” Everyone rose to their feet, bringing their limp wrists together in delicate applause.
“This is quite an honor.” My eyebrows shot up and I forced a smile onto my face. “I don’t know what to say. Thank you so much. I appreciate it.”
“I have a feeling you’ll fit right in with us,” Aunt Meredith continued, putting a hand over her heart. She seemed to be floating off the ground with pride. I didn’t have it in me to burst her bubble. “We were going to put it off until later, but now that you’re back home, we just could not help ourselves!”
“That’s great, Aunt Meredith. I’ll be sure to keep this badge of honor safe.”
“With the charity gala behind us, we’ll have plenty of time to plan your induction ceremony. I think we can get it done as early as next week.”
“I won’t be here next week.” My stomach churned. “I have to leave tonight.”
“What do you mean?” Aunt Meredith’s upper lip twitched. She quickly caught herself, glancing back at the party with a tight, practiced smile. “Excuse us, ladies. We’ll be right back.”
Clutching my elbow, she dragged me out to the terrace and shut the sliding door behind her.
“That hurts! Don’t forget that you have nails!”
“Did you mean what you said back there?” My aunt released me, relieving me of the pain from her neon-pink talons. She put her hands on her hips. “If this is your idea of a joke, you’re not very funny at all. You’re not leaving tonight, are you?”
“As a matter of fact, I am.” I tilted my head, wrinkling my forehead. “Why would you think that I was staying?”
“Why wouldn’t you?” Aunt Meredith shook her head disbelievingly. She looked like she had just swallowed a spider. “Look at what happened to your face! It’s not safe for you out there. Do I have to spell it out for you? I thought you had finally come to your senses.”
I clamped the box under my arm and sighed. “Listen, I get it. You must feel terrible – I’m out there on my own, and you don’t know if I’m okay. I’m sorry I’ve been making you worry so much. From now on, I’ll make it a point to call every day instead of once every couple of weeks. I’ll even call you twice a day if I have the time.”
“That’s not enough.” Aunt Meredith glared at me through gritted teeth. “You’re staying here from now on, and that’s final. You are either going to sell that hideous eyesore of a ship or have it sent to the junkyard for dismantling.”
“I appreciate the concern,” I answered her smoothly, sliding a hand up the itchy bodice of my dress. “But I’m not doing that.”
“You’re going to get yourself killed out there!”
“There’s no need to get carried away. It was just a scratch, at the most. And it’s gone now, isn’t it? I’m perfectly capable of looking after myself. Besides, it’s completely natural in my line of work.”
“I knew it.” My aunt pointed an unsteady finger at me. “This isn’t the first time you’ve fallen, is it?”
“No, of course it’s not,” I admitted. My nails were beginning to leave dents on the lid of the box. “It’s been four years. You’re going to have to learn to loosen the reins eventually. I’m going to lay everything out on the table for you. Not only have I never felt more liberated and fulfilled than right now, but I’m also good at what I do. I don’t intend to stop.”
Aunt Meredith tried reasoning with me. “I was your age once. I was young and ambitious too. There is nothing wrong with wanting to embrace your independence but you’re doing it recklessly. How can you let me down when I’m bending over backwards for you? Do you have any idea what it took to get you into one of the most exclusive clubs in the state without an interview?”
“In my defense, I never asked for any of this.”
“One day, you’re going to wake up and see that I’m doing what’s best for you. Where do you think you’re going?”
“I need to pick up my replacement license before the department closes if I want to make it out of here tonight.” I pulled off the ridiculous hat on my head.
“You’re not invincible, Christine!” she called out to me. “You’re forcing my hand. If you don’t get back here this instant, I will have no choice but to do whatever it takes to keep you here. Do you hear me, Christine?”
“I heard you. Tell the ladies I said thanks.”
“Christine!”
“I love you, Aunt Meredith.” I kicked off my heels and trudged towards the courtyard exit barefoot. “I’ll call you later.”
Chapter Ten
AXL
“I see. Yes, that’s quite fascinating.” I was getting the feeling he didn’t see anything fascinating at all. The Echilean drifter propped his legs up on the table while his butt rested on a chair. Holding both ends of the scroll, he turned it from side to side and leaned in carefully, sniffing the parchment. The dark lenses in his oversized spectacles made it difficult to read him.
“So?” I prodded, smacking my lips. “Don’t you have anything to tell me? What do you see?”
“Get on with it,” Barthan barked, kicking one of the stools into the corner of the tent. “We’re running out of time for you to waste. What’s so interesting?”
The Echilean raised a hand, silencing Barthan. He moved his head from side to side, continuing to peruse the scroll. Finally, he gave the black paper a tentative lick and set the scroll down in front of him. “I see nothing. I am blind,” the drifter replied slowly, flashing me a toothless grin. “Now, will someone tell me what you are asking me to look at today?”
Curses came from under our breaths at the drifter’s anticlimactic response.
“We told you all that when we met.” Barthan cracked his knuckles aggressively.
Natya stepped forward, gripping the edges of the shoddy wooden table. “We’re looking for the pillars of Galzen. Answer the question, Potz. The pillars are gold and feature the faces of Zamos, Juliby, and...”
“Save your breath. I know what they are. You’re coming to me for information, remember?” The drifter leaned back in his seat and rubbed his hands, chortling. “What will I receive in exchange for the valuable piece of information you seek?”
“Your life. Now start talking before we change our minds.” Barthan shook a fist.
I laid a firm hand on Barthan’s shoulder while pulling out a pouch with the other. “Can you hear this?” I shook the sack of jingling coins in my fist and set it down on the table in front of him. “Are you telling us that you know where they are? Any information you can shed on the pillars would be greatly appreciated.”
The drifter groped around for the reward money and pulled it close to him, rifling through the coins with his brittle fingers. “Beautiful.” He leaned to his side, inhaling the scent of one of the Empress’ soldiers. She screwed up her nose, pulling away from him. “What’s t
he rush? I can sense that there are at least six of you here. I’m sure you’re all exhausted from the long journey. Why don’t you take a seat?”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“Hey!” The drifter slid an arm behind the soldier’s back and gave her a quick pinch on the ass.
“Nice and plump,” the drifter mused thoughtfully, wiggling his fingers under his nose. “I wasn’t aware the Urwanians employed such voluptuous beauties in their military.”
From the corner of my eye, I could see the disgusted soldier fall back onto her heels and get ready to slap him. I acted first. Before the creep could say another word, I grabbed the sack of coins and swung it, bashing him in the face. I grabbed him by the collar and shoved him up against the wall. The spectacles flew off his face, revealing a set of sunken white eyes. He clutched at his warped nose, wailing as he spat out a blackened tooth.
“You have the money. Now talk.” I lowered my head, putting my face only inches away from him.
“I would advise you to do as he says, Potz,” Natya muttered behind me.
“All right, I’ll tell you what you want to know. Just let me go.”
I dropped him. He crumpled to the floor, still clinging to his bloody nose. The assaulted soldier looked down at him with disgust in her face.
“I have never come across any of these pillars, but I have heard rumors. One of Madame Zuri’s people claims to have seen a pillar firsthand in their office. They could have spun that story out of thin air. Some would go to great lengths for a minute in the spotlight.”
“It’s all speculation. We get it.” I glared at him. “Just tell me the address.”
“I know where Zuri is,” Natya blurted out. “It’s just across town. If we leave now, we can be there before the sun begins to set.”
I nodded my head and put the pouch back into my pocket.
“Hold on a minute. What about my money?”
Without looking back, I tossed a single coin over my shoulder and slipped out of the opening in the tent.
“This is unbelievable.” Barthan crushed some gravel under his shoe. “It’s as if a cloud of misfortune has been hovering over us all day.”
Frowning, I approached the front entrance of the underground establishment. Links of heavy-duty chains covered the door handles, and wooden planks and strips blocked the dirty window next to the door.
I shined a light into the thin space between two overlapping planks of wood. A workshop appeared to be to the left of the room, filled with loose reels of cloth and machines. A set of sand-colored furniture sat on the other side. Tucked away in the furthermost corner was a chrome, bulletproof hatch that I assumed led to a walk-in vault.
“I’m positive this is the right place.” Natya joined me at the foot of the stairs. She put a hand on the door handle and closed her eyes. The sides of her mouth crinkled as she tried to get a reading. I leaned against the wall behind me, waiting for anything to happen.
“Are you getting anything?” I looked back at Natya.
“No.” Natya opened her eyes. “I don’t sense her presence anywhere.”
“Given the way this day has been going, I wouldn’t expect anything else.” I pinched a tense spot on the bridge of my nose. “Has there been any progress with the other teams?”
Barthan checked the communicator on his wrist. “Not yet. At least, nothing worth mentioning. Isley sent me a message earlier today and says they’re holding their own at the camp in Makroi. The Urwanian troops will be setting up microphones around Silas’ location tomorrow to see if he has any idea about the pillars. And this morning, Tariq sent a message about a possible lead in Stranton, but he followed up about an hour later. It was a false alarm.”
“We can’t work miracles.” I played with my hands, knocking the back of my head against the wall behind me. I was getting aggravated by an endless streak of dead ends. For a couple of weeks, all six of our teams had been systematically going down the list of possible locations, crossing off every planet. The possibilities included trading hubs, pawn shops, and markets, both government-sanctioned and black. We hadn’t gotten anywhere. None of the civilians we had questioned were of much help, either. As it stood, we were getting dangerously close to running out of ideas. Echiles was the second to last place to check.
All this work and we still had nothing to show for it.
“What now, Chief?”
“Let’s head back to our starship, recuperate, and see if we can map the rest of the region. We should be able to investigate two more cities tonight. We can come back here tomorrow morning and try our luck again.”
“Copy that.” Barthan motioned to the stairs. “You heard him. Let’s move out.”
I fell to the back of the line, my mind filled with possibilities as I robotically followed the person in front of me. As we began walking across a dirt road, a small pebble bounced off the back of my calf. I reached for my holster immediately.
“What is it, Axl?” Natya stopped alongside me.
“I thought I felt something hit my leg.” I looked around, idly tapping my fingers on the weapon. “It must have been my imagination. Let’s keep moving.”
Another pebble came flying at me, this time striking me on the nape of my neck. I jerked my head back again, drawing my weapon and disengaging the safety in a single motion. A pair of innocent, electric-green eyes stared at me from behind a large boulder.
“Do you need help with this?”
“Go ahead without me.” I nodded at Natya. “I’ll be with you in a minute.”
When Natya left, I moved in the opposite direction, heading directly for the boulder.
An Echilean child with ratty brown hair sat on the ground with her legs crossed. She had been drawing something in the sand. I tilted my head to look at it. The sketch in front of her showed a tall, crude figure with three wavy lines. Her face showed a wide grin as she looked up at me.
“Hello there. Do you speak Standard?”
The girl didn’t say anything. Instead, she raised the twig in her hands and gestured at the drawing, then back at me.
“Is that supposed to be me?” I squatted down next to her, absent-mindedly tugging at my ear. “You created an excellent piece of art. It might look better than I do in real life.” I didn’t know if she could understand me, but she giggled.
I decided to try something else. “Are you hungry?”
The child wouldn’t speak. She gazed at me and adjusted the drooping, stretched-out collar of her ragged shirt.
I pulled out a small parcel from my bag and handed it to her. The girl sat on her hands and squinted at me, unfurling her bottom lip.
“It’s okay to take it. I won’t hurt you.”
Finally, she took the parcel from me and unwrapped a large piece of whippel fruit flat bread. She promptly forgot I existed, tearing a large chunk out of the flaky brown pastry. The girl inhaled the food, not paying attention to the crumbs sticking to her face and falling onto her lap.
As the girl ate, I decided to test my luck. I reached for the scroll tucked in my belt and gently opened the old parchment paper. Her chewing began to slow down. She stared at the faded painting of the pillars, licking the crumbs off her lips.
“Have you seen anyone around here with one of these?”
The child ran her fingertips along the ancient embossed script running around the painting without saying a word. I rolled up the scroll and crammed it back into my belt.
“It was worth a try.” I ruffled her hair and stood up. “I’m going on my way now. Be careful.”
It was time to reconnect with the rest of my team at the ship. Before I could get very far, I heard the pattering sounds of little footsteps. I turned around to see the ruddy-faced child running up to me. She held out her clasped hands as if she wanted to give me a present. With a glint in her eye, she dropped a small card into my open palm.
“What do we have here?”
I turned the card over. It was an intergalactic explorer’s license, id
entifiable by the unique hologram on the top corner. Next to the alarmingly familiar face in the picture was a name printed in thick block letters.
Christine Blackwood.
Chapter Eleven
CHRISTINE
The gushing torrents from the waterfall appeared chartreuse under the radiant Neyonite sunset. Majestic hornby eagles spread red and orange wings as they swooped overhead, making amethyst thistles on their heads flutter in the wind. Under the bright skies, schools of fish with protruding foreheads darted through the rippling stream.
The Cave of Miracles was accurately named.
Treading as lightly as I could, I minced across the river bank and lowered myself into the stream. I held out my arms to keep my balance and waded through the pleasantly temperate water. Brave fish quickly surrounded the exotic creature in their territory. They nibbled at the material of my bodysuit and the frayed threads on my belt. But I had come prepared for a marine attack. I flung a handful of kibbles far away from my position. When the food plunged into the water, the fish took note and swam toward the food raining from the skies.
Each time I started a new adventure, joy filled my heart. The adrenaline surging through my body right now was intoxicating and almost addictive. I was born to do this.
I had recently equipped my headlamp with a new bulb. Even though there was a blinding beam of light guiding my way, I still held my breath as I wondered what lay in front of me. Beyond the curtain of water, I came face-to-face with a huge, seemingly bottomless ravine.
I picked up a rock and tossed it into the black space. The rock bounced off the walls of the passageway for an alarmingly long time. At last, I heard the soft, telltale thud as the pebble hit solid ground.
So it wasn’t bottomless after all. I pulled out a self-retracting lifeline from my backpack. After securing the buckles on my vest, I tied a palomar knot around my belt and anchored the other end of the line around a massive, immovable boulder.
