“Well, what did you expect?” Ekani gave her a look. “Didn’t you do the reading I told you to?”
“Look!” she said excitedly, pointing. “It’s starting to snow.”
“Nice avoidance,” Ekani mumbled. He smiled in spite of himself at the wondrous look on Sulica’s face. She stood still, staring at the sky turning pale pink as the sun began to set. “Come on,” he said gently after a minute, “we have to keep moving.”
They continued on their way, taking a trolley car most of the journey. No one even glanced twice at them playing the part of a young trio out about town. Several blocks from the target building, the three stopped at the fishery that had been the site of their last exercise. Sulica shed her fancy clothes, stowing them in a crate. She stretched and breathed deeply, “I infinitely prefer pants to skirts,” she said then giggled.
The two men looked at her strangely. “Ten years ago I would have never imagined myself saying those words,” she explained.
Ekani rolled his eyes. The three waited for the last rays of day to disappear. “Are you ready to go?” Ekani asked.
Sulica moved to a door on the opposite side of the open room in response. Ekani nodded to her and left with Simtel through the same way they had entered. Sulica slipped out the other door and quickly moved through the shadows to the rendezvous point. As she approached the meeting spot, she slowed and looked around her very carefully. There. Subtle movements in the darkness gave away her team members as they assembled at the spot. She paused to scan the area for any other movement before finally joining the others. They nodded at her, but none of them spoke a word.
The group moved into position outside two of the warehouse doors. Sulica had to swallow her doubts and nervousness. She nearly threw a prayer to the spirits before catching herself. So much of this depended on Simtel’s team mirroring her own. Sulica reached out cautiously with her mystic, searching for Ekani’s. A momentary panic hit her when she couldn’t feel his presence, but she quickly reasoned with herself that it was possible he was not in range. Breathing deeply and closing her eyes to concentrate, she pushed the limits of her power, feeling it begin to pain her. A slight tingle met her reach, then another and a third. She felt one more, and her eyes snapped open.
Forcing herself to remain calm, she gestured for the team to move ahead. Potin and Neiko worked the doors open, cringing when one made a squeaking sound as it moved inward. The team paused for a couple of minutes, waiting to see if there was any reaction. When nothing happened, the team moved inside. They were in a small, dark room filled with stacked furniture covered by sheets and a thick layer of dust. A door on the other side of the room was propped open, allowing a beam of dim light to spill in. Sulica gestured, and Azoda crouched, moving towards the door. She moved slowly until she was out of sight. After a few moments, Azoda’s hand was visible, two fingers held up.
Neiko looked back at Sulica from his position. He was nearest the door. Sulica nodded, and he slipped out behind Azoda. A few minutes later Azoda reappeared, waving the rest of the team forward. As they walked by, Sulica noticed the bodies of two guards lying motionless. She made a face and moved her hand to indicate them. She and Potin moved them out of sight.
They continued to move through the offices of the warehouse, taking great care to make sure each was clear before moving on. They finally reached a large dark room filled with crates. There was a staircase at the far end with a light shining down it. Sulica halted her team and reached out with her mystic. She had to remind herself to remain cautious as she felt for the four Resarians.
Her team moved forward into the room until they heard a scuff on the ground. Each froze in their positions for several long moments. Sulica peered around the crate and watched as the barely visible group moved in the next row over. They stopped by the crate nearest the stairs. Sulica motioned for her team to move up next to them.
One of them seemed to sense her and turned as they approached. Sulica could barely make out Ekani’s face in the darkness. He nodded to her and double tapped the shoulder in front of him. The motion moved forward through the line, indicating the other team had joined them. Ekani moved to the front of the group, and Sulica took his spot.
They all headed to the staircase. When they were inside of the light, each person put on protective eye-wear. Ekani held up three fingers in full view of everyone and slowly put one after another down. He bolted up the staircase with the rest of the group behind him. The door to the office at the top of the staircase was open, allowing the team to rush through it into the room. An ultra bright light suddenly filled the room, and Sulica instantly reached out with her mystic to suppress the Resarians’ mystics. To be safe, she shut down Ekani’s as well. Meanwhile, the rest of the team quickly took down the three armed rebels, none of them had been able to put up a fight between being caught off guard and the blinding light that hit them.
The room was cluttered with desks and papers. At the back of it was another door. Sulica rushed past a kneeling Ekani and burst into the next room. The light from the main office spilled in, revealing two cells. Three bodies shrunk back from the door as soon as it opened, but the fourth lay immobile. Sulica’s eyes quickly scanned the features of the first three then they came to rest on the fourth, in a separate cell. Though the fourth’s back was to her, Sulica could not mistake the familiarity of the spirit.
Letting out a strangled cry, Sulica moved to the cell and grabbed a hold of the bars. “No,” she whispered. “It can’t be.” She released her hold on the one mystic.
She was dimly aware of footsteps behind her. The clink of a key in the lock brought her out of her disturbed reverie. As soon as Neiko had the other cell door open she held her hand out for the keys, her gaze still locked in front of her. He handed them over wordlessly, and she fumbled with putting it in the lock, tears blurring her vision. She finally got the cell door open and fell next to the body. She rolled it over onto her lap and brushed the long, tangled brown hair away from Ibrienne’s face.
Sulica pressed her fingers to Ibrienne’s throat, muttering, “Please,” over and over. Ibrienne’s pulse was weak, but it was still there. Not realizing she had been holding her breath, Sulica breathed out in relief. She held her hand out behind her, and someone gave her a container of water. Cradling Ibrienne’s head, she tipped a little bit into the other girl’s mouth.
Ibrienne stirred slightly. “No more,” she said in a voice that was barely more than a whisper. Her eyes opened for a few moments then closed and re-opened. She squinted, barely able to make out the face above her. Finally she croaked, “You’re late.”
Sulica felt a sharp pain in her chest, and she held Ibrienne tightly. “I’m here now. You’ll be safe now.” Even as the words left her lips, she wondered how true they were.
Chapter XVII
Sulica made her way up the stairs two at a time. She ran down the halls until she reached the wing where the four Resarians were quartered during their recovery.
Although the initial flight from the warehouse had been relatively easy, except Neiko prying Sulica away from Ibrienne to carry the Resarian woman to the car and the somewhat unexpected snag in Simtel having to carry an unconscious Ekani, the first several weeks had been anything but simple. Three of the captives were cautiously grateful of their rescue until they realized where they were going. Sulica had to keep them suppressed for days until they began to assume that they could not use their mystic. While their malnourished bodies regained strength, Ekani visited with them often, to persuade them to join his cause. Sulica, with Ekani’s assistance, had convinced the Kiaran government that Resarians could and would be far more beneficial as team augments rather than prisoners.
Ibrienne, on the other hand, remained unconscious for over a month. The physician told Sulica that Ibrienne was on the brink of death for days. Another week, and she probably would have been lost.
Sulica was outside training with Ekani and one of the rescued Resarians, Davik, who had decided to help out o
f nothing other than the feeling of indebtedness for saving him, when word reached them that Ibrienne had awoken. With a quick apologetic glance at Ekani, she took off for Ibrienne’s room.
Skidding to a halt in the hall, she paused, took a breath, and walked inside. The room was empty. She could see the covers on the bed rumpled from where Ibrienne had lain. But she was nowhere to be found. Sulica reached out with her mystic, searching for Ibrienne’s and fearing the worst. She felt relief flood over her when she found it. She took off in the direction she believed Ibrienne to have gone. After climbing three flights of stairs and hitting a couple of dead ends, she finally saw Ibrienne in the garden on the top floor.
The other woman moved slowly, kneeling to smell every patch of flowers she passed. She wore a ruffled green skirt, with a black loose-fitting shirt. Given the state Sulica had found Ibrienne in, she was amazed the woman was able to walk at all. Then again, she considered Ibrienne’s healing ability, as powerful as it once was.
Ibrienne seemed to notice that she was not alone. She turned and regarded Sulica coolly before turning back to the flowers. Her relief at finding Ibrienne after a few years since that initial contact in Pahl’Kiar’s harbor slowly faded. After several minutes of silence while Ibrienne wandered around the garden, Sulica grew impatient.
“So you have nothing to say?” she finally spoke up.
Again, Ibrienne stared at her with an icy gaze in her once kind blue eyes. She opened her mouth then paused, as though considering her words. “Should I thank you?” The voice that came from Ibrienne’s mouth was not her own. It was scratchy, hoarse, and rough. Sulica shivered at the sound, and Ibrienne gave a chilly smile. “Thank you for dragging me into your criminal world, for playing me into betraying a friend.” The words tumbled out, as though she had waited a very long time to say them. “Thank you for associating me with the likes of Kanilas, who betrayed me just as you did. Thank you for subjecting me to years of torture on subjects I knew nothing of. But no, they did not believe me because of who I was linked with.”
Sulica shrank back from the verbal assault, though Ibrienne did not yell, probably incapable of even raising her voice. The guilt that had been sitting with her since Lantheus resurfaced. “I tried-” she began to say.
“Don’t.” Ibrienne cut her off. “No matter what you say, it will likely be another lie, another trap.” Her harsh tone disappeared, replaced by weariness. “Just leave me alone. You’ve done enough.” She turned away and moved to the next patch of flowers.
Biting her lip, Sulica walked backwards toward the door back inside the palace. Her hope of redemption was chipped away more and more with every word that Ibrienne said. She stood at the door, not wanting to leave but terrified to face the monster who had taken her friend’s face. As she watched, Ibrienne picked one of the beautiful yellow hibiscus flowers and held it to her face. The sun broke through the wintery clouds and illuminated Ibrienne’s face, which had been hidden by shadows for weeks. Scars streaked the young Resarian’s face, from her eye down her neck. There were probably many more hidden beneath the clothes.
Sulica shivered, remembering her own torture experience. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “What do you want?” When Ibrienne gave no response, Sulica turned and fled.
Ibrienne heard the door slam at the other end of the garden. She sighed and walked to the edge of the garden. Lilac bushes were in full bloom near the short wall, despite the cold, thanks to the Kiaran technology. Taking a deep breath, she could feel heat all around her, and the scent of the beautiful flowers filled her nose. For the first time in many months, she smiled. Ibrienne stepped onto the ledge and stood there for a long time. Images of every horrible person who brought pain upon her, both physically and mentally, flashed in her mind. She inhaled deeply and tried to think of the few good people left in the world, whom she no longer had contact with. She gazed at the various terracotta rooftops of the city, then glanced down below at the empty alleyway. I no longer have purpose, she hopelessly concluded
Ibrienne closed her eyes, and, still holding the flower, she fell. Peace, she thought in answer to Sulica.
Sulica took off as fast as she could, away from the rooftop garden, away from the training area where she might be seen by Ekani, away from the lanai. She hid on the far side of the palace grounds, tears streaming down her face. A boiling hot anger began to fill her. I paid my dues too. I am trying to make up for it. Rushing back up the winding staircase, she re-entered the garden and raced to the wall.
A hand closed around Ibrienne’s wrist. She didn’t move, and neither did the hand. It was a loose grip, just enough for her to know it was there, but not enough to catch her if she chose to step off. “You should let me go,” she said.
“If you really wanted to, you know I couldn’t stop you,” a voice said, striking a chord of familiarity in her. She remained still, wanting to hear it again. “Did you really survive and fight all that time just to do this?” The timbre wasn’t quite right, but that didn’t matter to her.
Ibrienne glanced down and behind her, catching a glimpse of the coal black hair and bright eyes. Her vision swam in front of her, mist obscuring her view. She was standing on the shore, but everything seemed darker and felt off somehow, like looking through a screen. To the side, she saw Etyne, surrounded by a group of other Resarians - she could tell by the sense of their spirits - battling what appeared to be a large shadow. Everything was silent, not even the clang of the weapons could be heard. A huge paw reached out from the shadow, claws extended and swiped at Etyne. She cried out, swayed and fell.
Sulica reached the edge of the garden where Ekani was kneeling, cradling Ibrienne in his arms. “Is she…?”
He looked up at Sulica and tried to smile reassuringly. “She’s alive.” He couldn’t hide the confusion on his face and revealed, “When she saw me, it was odd… Like how you were during your flashbacks, almost. Except…”
“Except?” Sulica pressed.
“She started to disappear.” They looked down at the very solid woman laying on him. Ekani then studied the anxious expression on Sulica’s face. “How much does she mean to you?”
With a sharp look, she said, “What kind of question is that?”
“Just answer.”
“I owe her more than my life is worth,” she said quietly, kneeling next to them. Sulica took Ibrienne’s hand, terrified of what might have happened if Ekani hadn’t shown up.
He watched as Ibrienne began to stir and made a decision. “You need to get her out of here,” he said urgently but quietly. “If she does this again in front of the medical staff, they won’t ever let her go.” Ekani explained his plan. Sulica realized he was right, but she didn’t like it.
When Ibrienne was semi-conscious, they escorted her back to her room, where Sulica insisted she stay with Ibrienne and keep watch over her as she was no doubt worn out from the exercise before she was ready. “How dare you let her out with no assistance?” she had shrilly chastised the staff before following Ekani into the room, shutting it behind her.
Ekani left soon after Ibrienne woke. Sulica stood her ground against her former companion’s icy words. When that didn’t work, she requested a pad and paper then lapsed into silence and finally into a fitful sleep. All the while, Sulica stayed by her side until late that night, when Ekani returned to the room with a pack filled with food and clothes. He carried an additional set of clothes in his arms. Sulica woke Ibrienne and bade her to get dressed. Groggy as she was, she did not protest. Ekani made sure to turn away.
When she was ready, the three of them slipped out of the room and quickly made their way to a door used mostly by palace staff. Once outside, Ekani handed the pack to Sulica then strode towards the gardens, rather than the grounds entrance that Sulica led Ibrienne to. When they reached the gate, Sulica pushed the pack into Ibrienne’s arms.
“There’s food, clothes, and money in there,” she whispered. “They won’t come after you. We’ll make sure of it.”
�
��Why?” Ibrienne asked.
Sulica glanced around, not wanting to dawdle. “I’m not the same person I was when we separated. You’re a beautiful soul, and I should have never got you caught up in this, this mess.”
Ibrienne studied the woman in front of her. The Sulica she knew had been confident, brazen. This one was cautious. Maybe she was different. “Who is he?”
“Etyne’s twin brother,” Sulica answered. “And he’ll be in danger if you don’t go now. “ She disabled the alarm on the iron wrought gate, pushing it open for Ibrienne to walk through.
When it closed behind her, Ibrienne turned back. She pulled a paper out and handed it through the bars to Sulica. “I don’t know if I’ll make it, or where I’ll make it to. Can you make sure this gets to Livian Reej?”
Sulica nodded, taking the paper.
“Spirits be with you,” Ibrienne said, though it felt more like a curse than a blessing. She walked away, disappearing into the night.
Sulica watched her go for a moment, glanced down at the letter in her hand, then hurried away from the gate, shoving it in her pocket. She did not return to the palace, but went to the garden instead, where Ekani was waiting for her. He asked if it was done, and she nodded. They walked around the garden in the cold night air, their breath appearing in front of them like steam.
The streets nearest the palace were devoid of any activity late at night. Ibrienne glanced up at the night sky, the way she had many nights before. The docks would provide the fastest way home, but she wasn’t even sure if that’s where she wanted to go. Even if she did make it back to Res’Baveth, she would likely be arrested for her part in capturing Brisethi. Her thoughts travelled back to the scene of Etyne battling the shadow. Instinctively, she pulled the hood up over her head and began heading south.
(END)
About the Authors
Ginger Salazar and Jasmine Shouse are United States Navy veterans. Both natives of Colorado, they met while stationed in Hawaii, bonding over their mutual love of video games and writing and began work on what would become Sethi’s Song.
Spirits of Falajen Page 51
