Out of Orbit- The Complete Series Boxset

by Chele Cooke

  Dhiren pointed at a patch of floor and looked up over his shoulder. “This,” he said. “It’s Adveni. I recognise it.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  Dhiren drew an outline with his finger, an inch from the floor. Georgianna crouched beside him, leaning closer.

  The floor was damp with footprints: small, melted puddles of snow brought in on boots and shaken off with pacing. Most of the prints were flat shapes, with nothing much to them except the odd ridge of water. But this one was different; mud and snow mingled in straight shapes through the print, patterned with the thick rubber Adveni used on the soles of their boots.

  “It could have been from before,” she said.

  Dhiren shook his head. “Fresh. This building hasn’t been used since before the freeze set in.”

  Her gaze drifted across the floor, and here and there she could spot the same pattern in the prints. They were leading out to the back of the building. “That way.”

  Georgianna jumped to her feet and strode out towards the back of the building. A small corridor ran to a staircase, and at the bottom, a door was open, caught in the drifts of snow. Dhiren came to her side in the doorway.

  Two sets of tracks with Adveni boot prints marched away down the alley through the fresh snow. Outside, just outside the sweep made by the bottom of the door, a much smaller set of prints traced round in circles, skidding and dragging, before they disappeared.

  Georgianna stared at the snow, her eyes burning with the urge to cry. Despite the evidence, it was a truth she wasn’t ready to accept. Through a blur of tears, a glint of metal caught her eye.

  She stepped out into the alleyway and crouched, brushing her fingers around the ridge of one of Lacie’s footprints. She plunged her other hand into the snow as if to steady herself and gripped the metal badge tight.

  The cold burned Georgianna’s lungs and the inside of her nostrils, and her fingers felt numb against the frozen metal.

  She swallowed and went back inside, moving away from the door. “We need to get the others.” She dropped the badge into her pocket and pulled her hand back.

  Dhiren nodded. “Let’s go.”

  Georgianna swallowed the saliva flooding into her mouth. “Go get Jacob. You’re faster than me, anyway. I’ll tell the others what’s going on.”

  Dhiren stared at her; she could see a question on the tip of his tongue. It was in his eyes, too, fighting like tears to spill over. But he nodded and ushered her back to the front of the building. “Meet you at your house?”

  They set out into the snow, separating at the intersection. Georgianna hurried down the road towards the camps. She passed the next junction, stopped and checked behind her. Dhiren had already made his turning. The road was clear.

  She dug into her pocket and pulled out the badge. The snow had melted from it, leaving the inside of her pocket damp. Bronze detailing ran over the black badge; it was a symbol Georgianna had last seen properly on Edtroka’s old uniform. He’d worn it only once while she’d been with him, mostly preferring his guard uniform. But it was the same as the ones Keiran and Dhiren had worn the night they blew the Mykahnol.

  Georgianna turned away from the road to the camps and broke into a run. She knew what had happened to Lacie. She just hoped she would get there in time.

  Georgianna gripped the tsentyl cube tight in her hand, focusing on the sharp edges and the way they dug deep into her flesh. The building had been emptied out and the testing equipment had been removed. The sheeting that had been placed over the walls and floor had gone.

  Her footsteps echoed as she paced back and forth, waiting. He was taking too long, and she could only assume it was another show of power; a claim that he was still in control. She didn’t like going behind the backs of her friends, not with Lacie’s life on the line, but she knew they would not be able to hold back their anger this time. As her boots drummed into the floorboards, it was hard enough keeping her own fury at bay.

  A new set of footsteps joined her own; a slow methodical beat in contrast to her uneasy rhythm. Georgianna stared at the doorway, waiting, listening for the monotonous tread of soldiers following behind.

  They never came.

  Maarqyn stood in the doorway, alone. He smiled a cold, smug grin as he moved further into the room. “Hello again, Georgianna. You know, I feared we wouldn’t get another chance to talk before all this was done.”

  He looked older; she’d never really looked before, always eager to avoid his gaze as quickly as possible. The thin lines above his brow were more pronounced from frowning, though she found it hard to believe that Maarqyn Guinnyr ever had much time for real glee. His hair, through combed immaculately, was thinning above his temples. Even his jaw looked softer, somehow. She wondered if leadership didn’t suit him as much as he thought it would.

  “No ‘little bird’?” Georgianna said, transferring the tsentyl into her other hand. “And just when I was beginning to get used to it.”

  Maarqyn stepped closer. When she didn’t leap backwards away from him, his grin only broadened. “No. I have a new little bird now.”

  “You took Lacie.”

  Maarqyn stroked his chin and gazed around the room, as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

  “That was what I never understood about you Veniche. The Adveni guard our prizes, even from each other. We are possessive and jealous. A character flaw, to be sure…” He regarded her for a few drawn-out moments. “But to leave such prized fruit alone and ripe for the picking. Trusting so casually that nobody would snap it off the vine…”

  “She’s not a prize!” Georgianna said. “Nor fruit, or a little bird. She’s a person.”

  His eyebrows rose, driving the lines above them ever deeper.

  “And yet, I find myself amused.” His tone was as cold as ever. “You didn’t mind being jealously guarded when it was E’Troke doing the guarding, did you?”

  “I wasn’t his prize, either.”

  “No? Curious. I always assumed he was only guarding your virtue in public.”

  “Shut up!”

  The tsentyl clattered across the floor as she reached behind her back, scrabbling for something more damaging.

  For all her thoughts about his age, Maarqyn still had speed and strength. He crossed the space between them in two strides, grabbing her arms and yanking them away from her body.

  She glared up at him. “Careful, Volsonnar. Wouldn’t want to catch something.”

  A smile crept up at the corner of his lips, but he released her just the same.

  She wanted to back away from him, put some space between them, but she couldn’t bear to give him the satisfaction. “You lost, Maarqyn. No matter how you see Lacie, the fact is that losers don’t get prizes. Outsmarted by a little bird. That must sting.”

  “It does,” he said, nodding. “Or, I should say it did. I’m sure my new young prize will help soothe that wound.”

  “You wouldn’t dare, not with the virus.”

  His smile was broad and screamed of secrets. “There are cures to viruses.”

  Georgianna glared at him. “We won’t let you get away with this.”

  Maarqyn sneered. “The Belsa were never going to win. Not completely. You think I’d let you win? You were smart with your trick, but you will have to live with the consequences.”

  “You took her to save your pride? What good will that do you? The Adveni won’t keep you as Volsonnar now. You lost their home.”

  Maarqyn stared over her head, taking his time to reply. He remained so casual, even as he discussed the kidnapping and enslaving of an innocent girl.

  Georgianna’s blood boiled beneath her heavy freeze coat; she should have taken it off before he arrived. She was starting to sweat, and she was sure he’d be able to smell the doubt and fire pouring out of her. But his words still surprised her.

  “You know, I think you’re right, after all.”

  “That we’ll win?”

  Maarqyn laughed far too loudly.
“Oh, no. Not that. I think you’re right that you are still my little bird. You see, when little birds get frightened, they flap and screech. And they fight when they can’t fly away. You’re flapping an awful lot right now, aren’t you? Lacie… well, she’s certainly a scared little thing, but she doesn’t flap. She doesn’t scream. She makes herself small, tries to become invisible. She reminds me of Nyah.” He smiled. “Don’t worry, little bird. I’ll find a name worthy of her soon enough.”

  Her pulse was racing, beating in her ears, heavier than any footsteps. She could barely hear herself think for the loathing that drummed into every inch of her body. Lacie was innocent. She had already been through so much. She’d been the one to coax Jacob out of his shell after his torment. She’d looked after Beck and made sure he ate and slept when all that had been on his mind was the fight. She healed people and shared whatever she had with them. She had never gone looking for a war, and yet it had claimed her twice; once as a child, and again as a young woman with still so much to see of the world.

  Lacie had trusted Georgianna. She’d trusted in her ridiculous scheme, and while everyone else went free, she had lost. The last dreta.

  Maarqyn turned away and walked back towards the door.

  “I’ll trade!” Georgianna said. He looked at her over his shoulder. Georgianna ran across the room to join him in the doorway. As she faced him, her decision, spoken without thought of the consequence, was made. “I’ll trade places with Lacie,” she said, more calmly now. “Return her and I’ll go.”

  Maarqyn stepped back to her, and removed one of his gloves, taking his time. He touched her cheeks; his fingers were still cold as fresh frost. He held her chin, lifted her face.

  She tried not to recoil, fighting to stay perfectly still as he looked down at her.

  His lips parted. “No.”

  Maarqyn released his hold. He stepped around Georgianna and walked out of the room. He headed down the corridor, pulling on his glove as he went.

  Georgianna stumbled through the doorway, watching him go.

  “Goodbye, little bird.”

  He descended the stairs, out of her view. She heard the door open and close.

  The door frame dug into her back where she leaned heavily upon it, her breath coming hard, her pulse refusing to slow. After everything, she had thought he would take her trade. She had thought he would rather win against her than take Lacie as an easy prize.

  But she’d lost.

  And because of her arrogance in thinking she could handle Maarqyn alone instead of bringing the others, she’d lost Lacie for good.

  Dhiren had a face of freeze thunder that rumbled all the way down to the bones. He stormed towards her and grabbed her arm, dragging her from the path and into an alcove between the houses. Even through her coat, she could feel his fingertips biting into her flesh. He plunged them into a snow drift which came up to her knees.

  “I know,” Georgianna said before he could speak. “I’m sorry, okay?”

  The clouds in Dhiren’s eyes only darkened. “Oh, she’s sorry! That makes lying and running off alone alright, does it? Lying and running off alone again.”

  Georgianna winced against his words and tried to wrench her arm from his grip. But his hold was tight and strong.

  “I’m waiting, George.”

  “Waiting? For what?”

  “I don’t know. Perhaps the truth. You went to Maarqyn, didn’t you?”

  Her mouth dropped open. “How did you know that?”

  Dhiren finally let go of her arm. “It wasn’t hard to figure out.”

  Georgianna leaned to the side as if to look around the side of the building. Not that it did much good; she couldn’t get a decent view of her house, or anyone who may have been outside it. The movement caused a new wedge of snow to slip into her boot.

  She shuddered. “How angry are they?”

  “They’re not the ones you lied to. They don’t know. Once I realised you’d played me, I… I told them you were still looking.”

  “Why’d you lie for me?”

  Dhiren shrugged. “I was hoping it would be worth it. Was it?”

  The wind blew a cloud in front of the sun, throwing them into a grey gloom. Georgianna shook her head as she stared up at the sky. Whatever she’d thought she’d been doing, it was now smothered by disappointment.

  “Maarqyn has her,” she said, pulling the badge out of her pocket and showing it to him. “He’s not going to give her back without a fight.”

  Dhiren plucked the badge from her palm and turned it over in his gloved fingers. A memory flashed across his face. “Knowledge is worth it,” he said, handing back the badge. “We know Maarqyn has her. Better than trying to search through every Adveni in Adlai.”

  “But if we…”

  Her voice fell away as Dhiren looked at her.

  He raised an eyebrow, tilting his head. “You’re not the only one who has been making plans without sharing. Come on. They’re probably already suspicious.”

  Georgianna hurried after Dhiren, grimacing as her feet squelched against the melting snow inside her boots.

  The others had been busy while she’d been away, though clearly that had stopped the moment Dhiren and Jacob told them about Lacie. The front door had been repaired, the snow in the hallway swept out, and everything had been cleaned. Broken furniture and scraps of wood had been moved into the corner, kept dry for some future use.

  Memories of the previous months came to her as she stood in the doorway. So many people crammed into the tiny room, all trying to come up with ideas and plans. And they had new additions now: her father was pacing in the corner, his thumb knuckle practically working a hole through his lip; her brother was with Braedon, keeping him out of the way; and Olless was stood beside Beck, her eyebrows pulled so low over her eyes that she looked hawkish. She had a mask fitted around the bottom half of her face, and every inch below the neck was covered.

  Beck leapt across the gap as he saw her, grabbing her shoulder and pulling her further into the room. “Did you find anything?”

  “Some, but—”

  “But what?”

  “You’re not going to like it.”

  Beck clearly didn’t care whether he’d like it or not, and she could understand why. Any information was better than none. Georgianna looked back at Dhiren, and he waved her onward. She extracted herself from Beck’s grasp, took a seat on the floor and removed her boots, ridding herself of her wet socks before they froze around her feet. “The Volsonnar had her taken.” She extracted the badge from her pocket and held it up for Beck to take. “That’s a Tzevstakre symbol, ripped from a uniform.”

  She didn’t tell them of her offer to Maarqyn. It would do them no good, and would only make her family angry. She couldn’t quite find the words, anyway.

  Olless took the badge from Beck in her gloved hand and inspected it. “Smart girl.”

  Beck scowled. “What?”

  She turned the badge over and indicated the three small hoops on the back.

  “This was not easily removed. It would have been sewn into the uniform. I believe Miss Cormack ripped it from her kidnapper and dropped it for someone to find.”

  Georgianna stared at Olless in surprise.

  “There was evidence of a struggle,” Dhiren said. “We assumed it was a struggle against being taken, but… she was leaving us a clue.”

  He looked more impressed by this ingenuity than he had at the idea Lacie had been fighting for her freedom.

  But Beck looked ready to be sick, no matter what they told him.

  Georgianna stood, keeping her feet moving in an urge to warm them up. She turned to Olless. “Will you help us?”

  Olless’s mask moved as if she were about to speak, but then she froze. A surprised smile crinkled her eyes above the mask. Had she been about to say that she would speak with the Colvohan, only to remember that she was now one herself, and did not need approval to take action?

  “Of course,” she said, bowing he
r head. “I will gather a force and we will lead an incursion to retrieve Miss Cormack.”

  “No!” Alec leapt up and crossed the room in three strides.

  Every eye turned on him. He shook his head violently. “No.”

  “No?” Beck said. “This is not a discussion.”

  Alec shifted his weight and glanced at Georgianna. “If you send a force in, he will kill her. Trust me, please. I spent years under his control.”

  “Are you saying we leave her there?” Beck said. “We told the Adveni they would not be allowed dreta on Os-Veruh. You expect me to let him leave with her?”

  Alec shook his head and took a small, cautious step forwards. “If we go for Lacie, he will instruct whoever is holding her to kill her before we even get close. She’s new to him, he won’t leave her alone. She will be guarded heavily. But—”

  “But what?”

  Beck’s voice was deadly quiet, and Georgianna knew he wasn’t even considering Alec’s suggestion yet. Alec glanced at her. Was there excitement in his eyes?

  “Take Maarqyn,” he said, the words tumbling out of his mouth. “Send a force in, but attack Maarqyn.”

  Keiran crept closer to the discussion. “He wouldn’t kill her then?”

  “No. He knows we would want to bargain for her. There would be nothing stopping us from killing him if she’s dead.” He turned to Beck, laying his hand cautiously on his arm. “Please, Beck. Trust me in this.”

  Everyone in the room leaned forwards, waiting for the response. They were all on the balls of their feet, ready to push into action. Even Olless edged closer to Beck as he stared at the floor, fighting with the options: rescue Lacie directly, or listen to Alec’s advice.

  He huffed and nodded. “Go get the vtensu.”

  Georgianna found Keiran in the kitchen with Dhiren and Alec. The three of them had their heads bent together as Keiran demonstrated with quick and brief efficiency how to handle a Cahlven weapon. She wasn’t surprised to see that Dhiren had his hunting knife drawn behind his back, turning the handle over and over. While he would take the weapon, and would probably be good with it, she knew he would be wishing he could use the knife instead. Her memory of leaving the compound had faded. She had been sickened by how Dhiren and Edtroka had gutted the guards. But she no longer tried to avoid the fight at any costs.