by Ciara Knight
When I’d thought my recollections of the Resort Territory were real, I loved my father, saw him as devoted and caring. When I thought he’d abandoned me, I hated him and blamed him for Mother’s death. Now, even though it was incomplete, the truth—Mother had forced him to leave to save me and Mandesa had captured and tortured him—the acid of hate and rejection was slowly being diluted.
I ran my hand along the brass railing, admiring the ship’s spacious interior. Bronze plates housed glowing luminaries, surrounded by a brown halo.
“Report to stations,” boomed Harrison’s voice from matte black speakers installed flush against the dark, rubber-looking ceiling. When we’d first boarded the ship, I’d been shocked to find the floors, walls, and ceiling were all covered in this rubber-like material and learned Harrison had developed it to muffle all sound within the ship. I doubted even one of the queen’s line ships would hear us.
From behind, Ryder cocooned me in his embrace. “Remember, I love you. You’re my life.”
As his arms tightened, I knew he was struggling with our destiny and his need to protect me. And I loved him for it. “I’ll see you soon.” After a chaste kiss, I headed for the bridge, grinning at the difference in how I felt in my new boots.
Just before entering the bridge, I straightened the black leather corset and readjusted my new fingerless, leather gloves.
“Semara,” Penton called out, drawing me to a stop. He held a small leather box, strapped shut. “I’ve got something for you. I’m not sure you’ll trust me after what happened with the Wasters, but I just finished this and wanted you to have it.
My curiosity peaked, I ignored his apprehensive expression. “What is it?”
His hands shook as he handed me the case, then set his satchel on the floor beside his feet. “It’s a weapon. After our last experience, you probably don’t want to use anything I’ve made, but I’m hoping you’ll give an invention of mine another try.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Penton. One night, I almost melted the Freedom into slag. Besides, your weapon worked. It saved us from the Wasters, didn’t it?”
“Before it backfired and burned my hand,” he said with a smile. “Open it.”
I unbuckled the strap and lifted the lid. Two guns, unlike any I’d ever seen, rested inside. “With my gift, I can’t use a gun. I haven’t mastered enough control when my power blasts from my fingertips. I melt metal, even at a distance from the fight.”
He shot me a tooth-baring smile. “I know. That’s why this gun isn’t metal. It’s constructed out of polymers.”
“Does it work?”
All the excitement drained from his face. “Since I don’t have your gift, I couldn’t fully test it. But it should. Due to the lack of resources, there are a few metal pieces inside, but they’re lined with an insulating polyethylene. Also,” Penton pointed to an icy blue substance at the base of the clear coating, encasing black inside, “that liquid functions as a coolant. If your hand heats, it’ll coat the interior casing, keeping the inside from melting.”
“Wow! You’re not only amazing, Penton, but you’re a genius.” I lifted one of the weapons from the red velvet lined case. “It fits my hand perfectly.”
“I took the cup you’d used from the mess hall then Raeth did one of her crazy math equations and figured out your grip. Once I had that, I built the gun around it. It worked when Raeth and I test-fired it, but since we don’t have your gift—” He shrugged. “But it should work for you just fine.”
“Thank you so much. It’s perfect.”
“Wait. One more thing.” He opened the bag on the floor, removed some leather straps, and handed them to me. “I also created these special holsters.” He unfolded the leather and exposed buckles made out of the same material as the guns.
Exhilarated, I secured the gun-belt mid hip, and cinched the bottom of the holsters around each thigh. I’d never had a gun strapped to me before. Grinning, I retrieve the two guns and slid them home. “Thank you. You don’t know how much this means to me.”
He straightened and snapped the case closed. “It’s my honor to serve the Triune.” Pivoting, he hoofed it to a cross section.
As he disappeared around the corner, I entered the lift and exited onto the bridge.
Bendar nodded with a smirk. “Tough Triune. No little girl.” His words further empowered me.
The fear and upset that had plagued me the last few days eased, retreating from my consciousness. Today, I took my place on the front lines and fought to free two important people, a trusted ally and my lover’s uncle.
I nodded to Raeth and assumed my position at the viewfinder. The bridge layout was similar to Freedom but not the exactly same. Instead of several levels through the middle, there was a semi-circle of workstations around a raised platform holding the captain’s chair. I swiveled my stool, checking out the L-shaped workstation, when Lieutenant Briggs passed Raeth and halted behind my right shoulder.
“I’ll be monitoring you, ensuring you don’t make a mistake and blow us up.”
A year ago, she would have intimidated me. But no longer. Not only was I confident that combining my gift and skills would bring us through those mines better than any map, I knew her distrust came from fear, fear she’d never return to her son. She didn’t realize it yet, but I would do everything in my power to help her keep her promise.
I glanced at her and winked.
Turning back to my station, I familiarized myself with the control panel. A few knobs and buttons were in different positions, but that wouldn’t be a problem.
Harrison settled into the command chair. “Disengage.”
A moment later, SB-06 rocked and bobbed. “Ahead, auxiliary speed. Before we reach the mine field, Semara, I want you to get the feel of the ship, its equipment, and practice in the debris field ahead, correcting our course accordingly.”
I leaned over the viewfinder.
“Show the view on screen,” Harrison ordered.
I suspected he thought having everyone on the bridge watching every move I made would make me nervous. He was mistaken. The Freedom had cured my performance anxiety under battle conditions.
“Is there a problem?” Harrison asked.
“No, sir. Just familiarizing myself with the layout.” I flicked a lever, enabling the large captain’s screen to display what I saw—assorted fragments of buildings, rusted vehicles, bomb shell casings, and bones. So many bones.
Swallowing my horror, I focused on my job and, ignoring the old crumbled structures at the bottom of the river, scanned all nearby objects for metal. Nothing. However, the bigger challenge was that my gift couldn’t track objects while my mind worked out an altered course. I paused. It was a test, maybe not a fair one, but, given I’d claimed I could get us through mines, I had to succeed.
The starboard bow scraped a concrete block.
“Perhaps we should use our detailed maps,” Lieutenant Briggs said.
“Port, fifty meters,” I called out.
By the time I’d completed my command, Raeth had calculated the corrected path and sent it to the captain and navigator. SB-06 altered course, avoiding a large fuselage on the river bed.
A few meters ahead rose a spire from a building. “Twenty meters ahead.”
Once again, the ship altered course with plenty of time to spare.
Gradually, my death grip eased on the bronze viewfinder. But nothing could stop the droplets of sweat rolling down the back of my neck.
At the end of an hour, my eyes were fatigued and my fingers frozen to the viewfinder. On the upside, the bridge personnel now trusted Raeth and me to keep everyone alive and normal activity had resumed.
“Switch to maps,” Harrison said. He rose and walked over to Raeth and me. “It’s good to have you two aboard. I’m confident we’ll clear the mine field without detriment or discovery.” After a curt nod, he returned to his chair.
As the ship picked up speed, I wondered if he’d ordered the ship at quarter speed
because he feared we couldn’t process the information fast enough.
Stop doubting yourself, Semara. When around mines or debris, we crawl through it. Now that we’re in the channel, we’ll travel full out, Harrison said in my mind, his tone chiding.
“Not bad. Hope you can do it when it counts,” Lieutenant Briggs said with a sneer, then strode to the chair on Harrison’s left and sat.
Raeth shot me a smile, glanced at Briggs, then back at me and made a gagging motion. I struggled to keep my laughter contained. Raeth, my best friend, always had my back as I did hers.
Boom! The ship rolled. Sliding off my chair, I grabbed the searing bronze frame of the console.
“Report,” Harrison demanded.
Settling my nerves, I gripped the viewfinder and searched for what we’d hit. Unless the mine field had been expanded, we weren’t near it.
I rotated the scanner, examining the sea above, below, and around us. Nothing but clear water.
If it wasn’t beneath the water’s surface as we were, perhaps they were above. Switching views, I raised the periscope. “Two ships at starboard. Men manning depth charge stations and heavy caliber guns aimed in our direction.” I flicked on the captain’s screen.
He hit a button on his chair. A red light started blinking, alerting everyone to silent running. “Dive, full speed ahead,” he hissed.
As the SB-06 dove and raced forward, depth charges exploded, first around us then above us and finally, behind us. I knew we hadn’t escaped. Our screens showed the enemy crews above us, loading their big guns.
The smoke faded and fire erupted once more, but it wasn’t from an explosion. It was a missile launching.
“Incoming!” someone on the bridge shouted.
Everything faded from my hearing and sight. My gift clawed to the surface, demanding release. I fought it for a second, but then the swirl of need to melt the missile became too intense. I released my hands from the viewfinder and prayed I didn’t melt the bulkhead of the ship, that my gift could connect with a moving target. Either way, we all would die if I didn’t do something.
Heat surged to the tip of my fingernails, my mind slid from the bridge, through the water and connected with the missile’s nose.
Orders were shouted. The ship made an evasive move, but it wouldn’t be enough.
“No! You’ll melt the damn ship.” Lieutenant Briggs’s words nearly severed my connection, but I closed my mind and focused, knowing my gift was the only hope for survival.
Chapter Thirty
Pulses of heat assaulted my ribs and hands. Tasting the metallic pieces of the missile, I released my wrath upon it. Melting the casing into goo, I focused on the explosive mechanism and ignited it overhead. Shrapnel plunged into the river. A piece lacerated our hull, the screeching echoing through the ship and vibrating through my toes.
Locating the enemy ships, I concentrated on their weapons. Raeth connected with a soft whisper in my core. Water surged, tossing the ship. Boulders rose from the sides of the riverbed, creating a shield. I melded my gift into hers, interlacing our strength.
With a surge of our combined power, the heavy caliber guns melted, trapping their operators inside. Then I turned to the ships’ keels and hulls.
A floating, sizzling smear of molten metal was all that was left, until it, too, sank beneath the waves.
The SB-06 steadied and Raeth’s soft touch retreated from my consciousness. Rocks and pieces of Earth floated to the river floor.
“Report.” Harrison’s voice broke through my concentration as I faded back to the bridge. I opened my eyes to scan what damage I’d created on the bridge.
Lieutenant Briggs stood over me with a hand on her sidearm. “That was a stupid risk you took,” she hissed.
“Stand down, Lieutenant,” Harrison ordered. “She saved our asses.”
Blinking back tears, I faced the bridge. “All clear, sir.”
Except for Harrison’s calm thank you, stunned silence greeted me. Were they afraid of me now? I worried their fear of my gift would eventually grow into hatred and finally, I would be ostracized, just like on the Freedom.
But to my surprise, the entire bridge broke into whoops and hollers. Briggs’ clapped my shoulder. “My son and I will sing your—”
“No.” I grasped her arm and squeezed. “No need. I was just doing my duty.”
Withdrawing my hands from Briggs, I hid them beneath the console and clenched them into tight fists. Maintaining a serene expression, I struggled to contain the residual energy that came with using my gift. If it escaped, we’d all die. Faced with no other recourse, knowing from experience that I was immune to damage, I turned the remaining heat inward and allowed it to burn itself out.
A moment later, Raeth’s hands stroked my arms, soothing me. If only Ryder were here, he could counter my heat with his coolness. As the last of the energy dissipated, I assessed my viewfinder and console. To my surprise, the instruments were all still intact. As with the Wasters, I’d managed to focus my gift and somehow defuse the aftereffects.
“You did g-good,” Raeth offered.
“With your help. I think you connected with me and that’s why there wasn’t a backwash of energy,” I whispered back to her. Later, when prying ears weren’t around, the three of us needed to figure out how merging of our gifts worked.
Harrison activated the ship-wide comm. Standing, he linked his fingers together behind his back. “Given the attack, we must proceed with the belief that the UE has reported to the queen that we’ve organized a rescue attempt. It’s safe to assume our attackers reported our location. Let’s hope they’ll believe we’ll head for the dock. We’ll continue forward as planned.”
“Also, the crew owes their lives and thanks to Semara Valderak and Raeth Arteres. It was through their combined efforts that we survived the attack and can complete our mission. Until we return to Arc waters, silent running protocol is in effect.” Harrison flick off the comm then stared at Raeth and me. “Ladies, are you still up to the challenge?”
“Yes, s-sir,” Raeth answered as I nodded.
“We’ll arrive at the mine field in approximately twenty minutes.”
“Sir, I’d like to request a moment with Raeth.”
At Harrison’s nod, I headed for the lift with Raeth beside me. As the doors slid shut, I took her hand. “I don’t know how we connected, but it’s the only reason we were able to plot our way out of the debris field. This is the second time we’ve done it. Do you know how we do it?”
Her lips twisted into a frown and her eyebrows drew together. “M-maybe when w-we need th-them, our gifts just c-connect.”
I considered that for a moment then said, “Also, I felt a calming effect on the remaining energy overload. Until now, I thought only Ryder could give me that. Did you cool my heat?”
“N-no. M-must b-be Ryder.”
When the doors slid open and two people boarded, we stopped talking. Once they exited the lift, I hit the button for the bridge. “Let’s try and connect again and work together in the mine field,” I whispered. The doors slid open and she nodded before entering the bridge.
Hurrying to our stations, we readied ourselves for the mine field. I sat, my spine straight, and touched the energy swirling within me, begging for release. Focusing on the churning lava in the pit of my stomach, I reached out for Raeth. If our gifts combined, we could control the ocean currents, mines, and the ship. I glanced at the countdown clock. We had time to see if our powers responded to our demands, and, if they did, train and prepare for what awaited us on the other side of the channel.
A hint of wet dirt tickled the inside of my nose. Raeth? Closing my eyes, I submerged into the dark earthy aroma and discovered a damp lukewarm feeling. Not chilly like Ryder, or fire like me, but warm and inviting.
Can you hear me?
She didn’t respond, but Harrison did. Yes, I can hear you. What’s the problem?
My eyes snapped open. Nothing. Just wanted to see if I could contact
you. “I felt your gift,” I whispered out the corner of my mouth.
“I f-felt yours, t-too,” Raeth answered.
Smiling, I pressed my head to the leather-lined eye plate of the viewfinder. Murky water clouded my field of vision. A white swirl of disturbed sediment parted, revealing metal chains secured to the seabed. “Mine, twenty meters dead ahead.”
Before I’d even finished, Raeth had completed her computations and the ship had altered course.
Over the next hour, my fingers clutched the console, spotting hundreds of mines. I didn’t understand why Harrison didn’t want me to destroy them. Maybe he would after the rescue.
A spark shot from one of the mechanisms at my fingertips.
Swallowing a burgeoning scream, I rubbed my hands on my black leggings and brushed the gun at my side. I slipped my fingers around the butt as I pressed my forehead to the leather viewfinder again. “Port, forty-five meters ahead.”
More sediment, full of debris and fish, shifted. “Twenty-two meters, ahead,” I called out.
The ship slowly glided forward, changing course with each call. At every mine, the swirl congregated. “Ahead, two mines, ten meters starboard.” The ship took a hard right. I heard the thump as someone slid off their seat.
“General, these mines are mapped,” Briggs said. “Semara’s exhausting herself while not providing the needed extra warning.”
Harrison’s loud strides approached.
“Map?” Something was wrong but I refused to take my eyes off the screen for a second. “Wait, hand it to me.”
“Why?” Briggs asked.
“Five meters, aft,” I called. Eyes still glued to the viewfinder, I reached out for the halo. “Give it to me,” I said again. She placed it in my hands and I shot a quick glance at the images sparkling in red. Creating a grid in my mind, my gift pinged each of the mines closest to us. I pointed to one red dot. “This one’s off by three meters,” I said as I returned to my task.
“How does she know that?”
“No distractions, Lieutenant,” Harrison said, his voice low and harsh.
