Broken Wings

by Melanie Nilles

  Why him?

  Why not. He was better than Leksel. If she had to choose between moody and annoyingly cheerful and ambitious, the latter was far less stressful. Raea sat up and took the steaming bowl he handed her, the brown mush within it speckled with flecks of dark green and orange. ["What is it?"] It smelled edible, but that didn't mean it was tolerable.

  ["Same old dehydrated mush, but it'll satisfy your stomach."]

  Raea tested a piece. Bitter.

  ["Eat."]

  Sure. Easy for him to say. He wasn't the one with a bowl of mush in his hands.

  ["Leks will shred my wings if I don't make you eat."]

  Shred his wings, huh? Then he was desperate to make her eat. She might use that and avoid the mush in the process. ["Tell me something first."]

  ["Sure."] He tossed the small cylinder in the air again.

  ["You're…meistal."] She spoke in a hushed voice, despite no one else nearby.

  He caught the cylinder and stared at it, all amusement gone from his face. Maybe she shouldn’t have said anything. ["You noticed. I've heard Keepers can feel it."]

  ["You've heard a lot about Keepers."] Too much to be coincidence.

  Cris shrugged and his wings tucked close. ["It's our job to know. Marin wants to kill anyone with the Starburst marks. We're fighting against that. It's important to know why."]

  It made sense, but he seemed almost hesitant.

  ["The Shirukan are meistal. I thought all meistal were Shirukan."]

  Ah! There. His face pinched for an instant. ["Not all, especially in the free states."]

  ["So, why are you here?"] She stirred the mush, hoping she could dump it before he made her eat.

  He stared at her a few seconds, his mind working on something. Uh, oh. She recognized the coy smile that crept up one cheek. ["Eat your food, and maybe I'll tell you. It's a long story."]

  Figures. With a proposition like that, he must have known she couldn't resist.

  After the first bite, she almost gagged. Cris chuckled. ["It's not that bad."]

  ["Oh, yes it is. Why don't you try?"]

  ["Already ate my share."]

  That was too quick. How'd he get it down, and keep it down?

  ["Hurry up. Leks won't stay here long. Shirat soldiers are bad enough, but the Shirukan who attacked weren't there by coincidence. They know where we are now, or at least the area. We can't sit still long."]

  "Yeah. Yeah. Yeah." She hurried as fast as she could when each bite made her want to gag instead of swallow.

  When she could eat no more, she set the bowl down. ["Something to drink?"]

  ["Sorry."] He handed her a small bottle from his other side.

  Sorry that he forgot? Or making sure she ate first? Raea took the bottle and sucked down the water, washing away the bitterness left in her mouth. Much better.

  ["Ready?"]

  Not really, but what choice did she have? Raea followed him with her bowl, which a red-winged woman took.

  Leksel met them around the bend of a thick pipe. ["You're ready to move?"]

  As ready as she could be. ["Where are we going?"]

  ["We have to get you out of here."]

  ["How?"] Would they take her home? Impossible. Only a portal could get her home, unless they had ships that could reach Earth. They did! She'd seen it in her most recent visions. Oh, wait. Salera had provided the portal for the whole ship. Damn. Nothing like dashing one's hopes over a cliff. ["Where will I go?"]

  ["One of the searoot islands or the nearest free state,"] Leksel said.

  ["Free state? But…"] She hesitated. The Shirat Empire was smaller than she thought. ["How big is the Shirat Empire?"]

  ["They control about twenty percent of the population of Inar'Ahben, but if Marin controls all the Starfire, she can threaten the rest into submission with Heffin's Gate."]

  Yeah. She'd bet Marin could. As she understood, the portals jumped through the Starfire's home dimension, where they existed as pure energy. No matter could exist there in theory. Heffin's Gate could end the portal there, instantly disintegrating any solid matter. Instant death or subjugation were the only choices.

  ["Why has it lasted this long?"]

  Cris shrugged but said, ["Most of the general public enjoy the peace and prosperity she's brought to them. They don't see the strife she's caused or hear about the growing problems with the Ahben in the oceans. They think the outside newsvids lie because they have it good, unless one protests. And the free states don't want to start a war."]

  ["Politics."] Even on Inar'Ahben.

  ["We won't let her have yours…or you."]

  Or me? She so did not like the way Leksel looked at her, like he longed to be close. He turned away a moment later, but she was sure now—Leksel liked her. It wasn't impossible. Flattering, maybe. But she had no desire to stay, much less to be interested in anyone but Elis.

  Her chest hurt when she thought of him, of the laughter they'd shared, the quiet moments cuddled together, the Starfire lessons and the flying. It was Saturday, or maybe Sunday already, at home. A day or two she could have spent completely with him, or her friends. She could only imagine what they were doing. Linds probably finished morning chores by now and Jess probably had a date, or called Josh and Linds to hang out. Jess hated being alone. She'd never gone more than a week without a boyfriend since they were freshmen.

  Raea could understand that now, something she used to hate about her friend but forgave for the sake of the many years they'd hung out together. It seemed so long ago.

  It would have been easier to be human, to never know the Starfire.

  Raea clenched her hand around the shard beneath her shirt. So much trouble for one little crystal shard, yet without her, it was immobile and all but completely helpless. Sure, it could kill anyone who touched it, but that's all it did on its own.

  It was safer on Earth.

  Home sweet home. She closed her eyes and remembered home as if she was there in her room again. The smell of Debbie cooking pancakes wafted from the kitchen, filling the house. Dave shouted and swore at the TV with his dad when their favorite teams lost or fouled. She actually missed her annoying freshman cousin as much as his quiet little brother.

  It lasted only a moment.

  ["Let's go."] Cris patted her shoulder.

  ["Where?"]

  ["Stay with us,"] Leksel said on passing. He gave Cris a dark look.

  Ouch. If looks could kill, Cris would be six feet underground.

  ["All right,"] Cris said with a smile to her, as if Leksel had asked him to an amusement park. ["Let's go sneak around some Shirat soldiers, and maybe more Shirukan."]

  That's the last thing she wanted to do.

  __________

  Shadows

  The world around Elis had vanished, replaced by streaming microcosms of computations from the basic element of electricity, a form of energy the Starfire in him could easily absorb and redirect.

  That's all Earth computers were—processors of energy on and energy off at their most basic principle, but flying at a rate of gigahertz.

  He wasn't human, nor was he limited by basic Inari capabilities. He could access a processor's on and off switches that generated bits, and bits to bytes, and bytes to codes, and codes to programs. Faster than any input device, the Starburst marks provided direct access. Keepers were living machines, faster than any computer with a direct link to anything accessible through energy. But he couldn't sustain it for long. The Starfire energy would drain him until he rested and let his body and mind recover.

  After Debbie left, his burden had lightened. That's when Josh's revelation about Pallin's contact sprang to the forefront of his thoughts. Pallin had help on Earth. That help came from California.

  Elis swore to gain access to his file at the school and learn those secrets.

  He almost hacked the system.

  Almost…One more…

  Got it!

  He was in.

  The resonance faded, leaving him sweating
, but the view on his monitor was the menu of the school server, where all the student records were kept. He had cracked it in a matter of seconds, according to his clock, though it felt like hours. Now to find Pallin.

  His head pounded, the steady stream of data crashing against his skull. It would fade in time, but the immediate aftereffects crowded his brain. Now he understood why his mentor in Keeper training had advised against computer access. Bad enough to enter the mind of a living being. Inari computers were far more complex, but this would leave him drained and reeling from the data surge for a while.

  He couldn't afford to rest now.

  If he found the information he needed, it would be worth it. If the Shirukan were on Earth or had help on Earth, they might be planning something far worse than the abduction of a Crystal Keeper. Assuming they were, how long had they been on Earth?

  First, he needed that address.

  Nare's steps thumped down the stairs in the silence. He'd left his door open a crack to hear what she was up to. She ignored him most of the day.

  Montran…There. He found the file and clicked it open. Now he had it, but with his head pounding from the data stream, he wrote down what he needed, in the off event he actually forgot. Though unlikely, in his current state, he couldn't be sure.

  "Oh! Hi, Josh." Nare's voice carried up through the quiet house from downstairs.

  Elis hurried to finish writing down what he needed. Now was not the time to forget or lose the information. He did not want to go through this again. Once was enough for him, and he wouldn't doubt Josh would interrupt.

  "Hey, Nare. You're better?"

  "Not a problem, hon. Neutralizers aren't lethal. A pain in the head, but not lethal. I slept it off."

  "That's good." Josh paused. "Um, is Elis awake?"

  "In his room. He's been hiding out all day."

  "Is he okay?"

  "Enough to tell me to mind my own business." Nare sounded upset, but she deserved it for trying to poke into what he was doing. When he had something, he'd tell her. For now, though, Elis preferred to work without her hovering over his shoulder.

  Josh paused a few seconds.

  "Go on up. He's been on the computer all day. Someone needs to tell him to eat."

  Elis's stomach threatened to take Nare's side at that revelation. He had forgotten to eat lunch. His focus had been on the target—getting that information.

  And now he had it.

  The bad step creaked. Josh came.

  Elis shut down the network connection and moved to the bed. Crystal fire. His head hurt. He laid back, his eyes closed and a painful satisfaction inside. He had it, a start to finding out what connection Pallin had on Earth. A PO box in San Francisco, California, and a name. Not much, but it was a start.

  That's all he needed to hunt down whoever helped Pallin. If they were Shirukan, no place on Earth would be safe. But if they were, why hadn't they come after Raea—or any of the other Keepers—sooner? What if they were not Shirukan?

  A soft knock on his door banged in his head, making him wince. Did they have to knock so loud? "Come in."

  "I hope you don't mind. Nare said you were working, but if you're resting, I can come back later."

  Elis let out a sigh and opened his eyes. Josh stood in the doorway in his jacket and black slacks. Dressed up? "It's all right. Come in."

  "You're sure? I mean, I can wait downstairs."

  Wait downstairs? For what?

  "Debbie thought I might like to join you guys for Saturday mass, since Raea was, like, my friend too."

  So that was it. He'd been so busy hunting down the information on Pallin that he'd forgotten about them all going church to pray for Raea to a deity they thought would help her return home. The search had taken all his focus off the grief that had torn him apart all night. He didn't want to think about losing her.

  "It's better not to be alone, you know, when something like this happens."

  Tell that to Raea, he wanted to say but bit his tongue. It wasn't Josh's fault. He knew nothing until last night. Now he knew everything, including the truth about Pallin, who had only been the first Shirukan, sent to find, restrain, and retrieve her when they reopened a portal for him. Winning her trust had been only a means of achieving his goal.

  The Shirukan didn't give up because one operative failed. Elis had expected they would come again but not last night.

  "I didn't know what to say to anyone. I haven't told Linds or Jess. I mean, last night…it's such a blur."

  Elis could only wish last night was a blur. Although with bits of data streaming through his head, all other thoughts faded to the background. Soon enough, the rest would rise again to torment him.

  "How are you holding up?" Josh asked.

  Elis sat up on the bed and motioned to the chair he had vacated, not really wanting to talk, but relieved in some way that someone cared. Josh had been one of Raea's closest friends.

  Josh sat down and swiveled to face him.

  Raea's smile, and the way she pushed her brown hair behind her ears on different occasions were all only memories now. "It's not easy. I miss her." More than anyone would ever understand.

  "Me too." Josh's cheek twitched and his eyes dropped to his fingers tapping each other. "I…um…I've had a lot on my mind since last night. One minute, it's like, 'Holy smokes! My best friend is an alien, and her boyfriend is the Dark Angel!' and the next I want to cry. And after everything we talked about last night, and then you flying off…I've been totally confused all day what I should feel. I feel guilty for being excited about you being the Dark Angel, because she's gone…I can't believe she's gone."

  Neither could Elis, but it happened. "I can't bring her back."

  "I know." Josh spoke quietly and paused, his eyes glazing but no tears falling.

  He did a better job of controlling them than Elis had done all morning and last night. Focusing on chasing down Pallin's contact or contacts on Earth had given him something else to think about for a while.

  After a few seconds, Josh sniffed. "She's gone, and might never come back. I've known Raea for twelve years—twelve years—and I never thought…" He sniffed and wiped his eyes. "I never told her things I should have."

  Things he should have? Elis straightened, noting his sore back muscles from sitting at the computer too long, although much of that was probably lingering soreness from last night. What kinds of things did Josh mean?

  "I guess I always took for granted she'd be here. I never thought anyone would hurt her, or want to hurt her like that. To kill her!" Josh's cheek twitched. He restrained the tears. "Oh, God. I wish I'd known. I wish…I wish I'd told her." He sniffed and wiped his eyes, holding back the real tears.

  "I'm sorry. I can't help it. It's so much easier expressing myself with the girls than any guys—no offense. They're more fun to hang out with, especially Raea. She always made it easy. I never fit in, really. Too short. Too scrawny. Too geeky. Too…whatever. They made fun of me since first grade."

  Josh looked up with a forced smile. "You know, I tried to tell her not to judge you. I never thought you would, like, win her over, that she would fall for you like she did."

  Josh understood what it was like not to fit in. That had surprised him. He seemed to have no problems. Elis had also overheard Josh's words many times on their walks to and from school, and understood what he meant about judging others, him in particular. "I know."

  "She didn't stand up to Chad and Joey or anything, but she came to help me when they left. That was how it started. I was a total wuss. She was so smart but shy. Linds kind of took us both under her wing when the kids harassed us. She was Raea's friend from the first day. So, I played with the girls. But I always knew Raea was special. Her marks were so cool to me. I had no idea…"

  Elis shifted his feet. Why was Josh telling him this?

  "I always thought we'd be together. I never imagined anyone would want to take her away."

  That they would be together? Josh liked her. Elis ha
d always suspected—the way Josh looked at her and lingered longer around her than any of the other girls.

  "She's been through so much lately. I'm glad she had you. Really. I am. I wish she was here, safe and sound. But you don't think she'll return? You think she's dead? Is there the slightest chance she could escape?"

  If his family couldn't escape, how could Raea? She was one person.

  "No one would help her?"

  "Unlikely…" Maybe there was the one possibility, a slim chance. Maybe, just maybe, the rebels had been ready and had helped her, if Nare was right. "But, maybe someone has. The Shirat Empire doesn't control all of Inar'Ahben. When I left, they had about a fifth of the population. Our world values Keepers and the services we provide. There's a strong resistance that Marin has never extinguished. If they knew anything of the attack, maybe they tried to rescue Raea." A slim chance, but it renewed his hope. "If they knew and if they rescued her, they'd still have to keep her out of Shirukan hands. I wish I could contact Saffir." Any news of the Starfire would reach Saffir. She'd know if Raea was alive.

  Unfortunately, any message he sent from his tri-comm wouldn't reach Inar'Ahben for thousands of years. He didn't have the equipment on Earth to distort space. Nor did he have a Starfire to open a portal.

  If Raea was safe, he would never find out until she returned. If she returned.

  "Then all I can do is pray and hope she finds her way back, but that's better than giving up. Raea deserves that much."

  Yes, she did. Josh was right. He'd always been a good friend to Raea, because he cared about her. Whether or not he had hoped to be more didn't matter. Josh was trying to help in his own way.

  "It's not likely," Elis said.

  "But it is possible."

  Elis nodded. Anything was possible.

  "Then that's all that matters."

  "Hey! Elis!" Nare's voice came from downstairs. "Josh! You two ready? Evelyn wants to get there early. Elis, are you going?"

  He met Josh's questioning look. The data had subsided with the discussion about Raea. His head no longer hurt as much, although the stream of bits still raced through the background.