“Sorry! We will!” Asha called up.
She felt a strange lurch in the pit of her stomach as they skipped. Outside, she thought she heard voices, and she turned to Zahn.
At first, Asha wasn’t sure how to make a thought-nugget of her own, but since she’d seen so many of them exchanged thus far, she tried anyway. She cupped her palms and focused on a thought. Sure enough, a glowing ball faded into existence in her hands, and she tossed it over to Zahn. He caught it and without hesitation, touched it to his forehead, causing it to vanish.
Hey, I’m not sure I should go with you after what the Empress said at the ceremony. If my thoughts are so obvious to her, she’ll know what we’re up to. My presence could spoil the entire mission.
Zahn frowned and shot a thought-nugget back to her.
Hah! Asha, she was using a metaphor. It means you’re a transparent person, and she trusts you. She isn’t omniscient.
Asha furrowed her eyebrows and shot another nugget over.
But what if it’s a power she can tap into? What if she can?
He shook his head and shot her a quick reply.
She can’t. Anyway, that would be a huge free will violation. She seems more honorable than that.
Before Asha could send a reply, Manu patted his pocket three times. She looked up to the opening and then back over to Zahn, who tossed one final thought to her.
Come on, Asha. Have faith.
She pressed her eyes shut for a moment, centering herself, and followed Zahn up and out of the pocket.
Once outside, they followed the plan, both flying to one of Manu’s open palms, as he hovered underneath the monument.
A bubble appeared around each of them, as dark and muddy as a shadow. Like a spherical cloak, the negative energy bubble would be crucial for them to blend into the background radiation of the Mirage.
Manu looked down to them and gestured to the white surface above, the curving bottom of a massive structure hanging in the air directly above their heads. Despite their perspective, Asha recognized it immediately: The Empress Monument.
Asha and Zahn nodded back to him and flew upward, gradually fading from view as the negative energy bubbles took full effect, rendering them invisible.
Another guard approached Manu, its head also covered in a thick white cloak.
“Guardian Manu, what are you doing? Find a shadow sprite lingering around?”
Manu hesitated. “They seem to be getting more numerous.”
“Stay vigilant, Manu. Just because you’re the ranking officer here doesn’t mean I haven’t noticed your odd behavior as of late.”
Manu didn’t even turn around. “It has been a trying time for all of us.”
Meanwhile, Asha and Zahn reached the surface of the monument, finding it perfectly smooth with no hint of an entrance anywhere.
Carefully, they glided along the curving surface of the egg-like structure, searching for it. And as they glided, they exchanged thought-nuggets.
By now, they’d worked out a swift system to communicate, and all Zahn had to do was throw a thought-nugget at the back of her head. Once it made contact, it felt like a splash of water, and his message flashed into her mind.
Didn’t Manu say that the entrance was at the exact center?
Without even looking, Asha threw a nugget back to him.
It’s small, Zahn. Be patient. We’re almost there.
She looked up and then over to where Manu and seven other guards hung in the air, strategically placed around the bottom of the monument.
Asha, do you ever feel like there’s something familiar about Manu? There’s something about him I just can’t put my finger on.
For some reason, the question made Asha feel uneasy, like the mere thought had irritated a splinter in her mind.
Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. Maybe Confederation officers all have a similar vibe? I don’t know.
She didn’t have to wait long for a reply.
Did Manu even say how big this opening was? What if there’s a limit to how small we can get?
As Asha studied the perfectly polished surface of the monument, she threw another nugget back to him.
In a quantized universe, there must be a limit, but I don’t think we’ll need to worry about that. Manu said this is the only way in, and if Torin can get small enough to enter, then I’ll bet you a billion balls of burning hydrogen that I can do the same.
Zahn frowned. Jyana seems to really like him, but I don’t know what she sees in him.
You don’t like him too much, do you?
He was pretty rude to me, back in the stasis cube, I mean. I don’t know if I ever told you, but Torin said that if I upset the balance of this world, I would have to contend with him. He was right, though. We weren’t telling them everything.
Asha shook her head. We couldn’t, Zahn. The Confederation ordered us to be as covert as possible about what we were looking for. It’s just more evidence to show that Torin thinks he can threaten anyone he wants. He should know by now that our worlds need to work together to survive. Hey, look, I see something!
Up ahead was a tiny, circular hole chiseled into the surface.
Zahn zoomed over, and Asha pointed down to it, being careful to keep their communication to thought-nuggets so that none of the guards would sense them. Manu had assured them that even with the cloaking bubbles, anything but a thought-nugget exchange could still be detected.
The hole was as small as her smallest finger, and Asha pushed herself to shrink as much as she could. Gradually, the world around her grew. She pressed her eyes shut and felt that the smaller she got, the more difficult it became, as if she were coming up against a limit.
When she opened her eyes, she saw that she was still twice the size of the entrance, and Zahn hadn’t fared any better.
She threw him a nugget.
I have an idea. Hold my hands. Let’s work as one.
He faced her and smiled, taking her hands in his. Once more, she pressed her eyes shut, and they willed themselves smaller.
The feeling of his hands made her heart flutter for a second, but she steadied herself. The memory of their kiss on the Island of Forever came back to her, and she smiled. The warmth of that memory gave her a newfound energy, and she squeezed his hands tighter.
High above, she noticed a guard approaching the tiny entrance, sending a chill through her body.
In moments, the guard would reach the entrance and crash right into them, whether they were visible or not.
At her feet, Asha felt the edges of the round passage as they grew smaller and smaller. The guard was only seconds away now.
Come on! Come on!
In a flash of insight, she embraced Zahn tightly and pressed her eyes shut.
An ecstatic sensation permeated her body, and she felt a lurching feeling in her stomach. Confusion swirled within her, until she realized that both of them were flying through the air upside down, and she spread out her hands to stop them.
Asha blinked, and processed her new surroundings.
They were in a long, tubular room covered in symbols with a maze of other passages heading out of the room in a multitude of eccentric directions.
Gradually, Zahn let go of her hands and looked around.
“Where are we?”
Asha embraced him. “I think we’re inside. We made it!”
She studied his handsome face and smiled.
He smiled back to her and then looked around. “So, where’s this conference room Manu told us about?”
She glanced over to a narrow opening at the far end of the room, presumably where they’d shot in from. “Shh, that guard is still behind us! Come on.”
Without a second thought, Asha grabbed Zahn’s hand and bolted to the end of the room, took a left, a right, and another left, before flying through an exit marker engraved on the wall.
To Asha’s delight, she found herself near one end of an oval dining room where Torin and the Empress were sitting at opposite ends of a long table
, studying each other in silence. An empty bowl was set in front of each of them, and placed in the center was a clear basin filled with an effervescent amber liquid.
What she saw at the far end made her heart jump. Two royal guards stood on either side of the Empress, appearing docile but armed with golden daggers.
What if they see us? What if the Empress can see beyond our cloak?
Zahn put his hand on her shoulder.
It’s going to be okay, Asha. Let’s hide behind that, whatever it is.
He pointed to a tall curved object against the far wall that radiated a soft glow. If Asha didn’t know better, she would have said it was a plant, but since nothing within the monument was physical, she knew this couldn’t be the case. She inhaled slowly, steadying herself.
Okay.
And together, they silently glided behind the plantlike structure and listened to the Empress with rapt attention.
CHAPTER 25
AMBROSIAL SOUP
“Tonight we shall partake of a rare delicacy.” The Empress grinned at Torin, as if she were about to reveal a great secret. “We shall dine on ambrosial soup, a dish that my chef and I have been working to perfect for many years.” She paused, her face suddenly growing serious. “What troubles you, Torin? There is a question nagging at your mind, isn’t there?”
Torin nodded, his gaze drifting over to the golden daggers that each of the nearby hooded guards were holding. “I would ask, but I would not want to offend my Empress.”
“Come now, Torin! This is your time. It’s only us, and the royal guards, of course. A necessary evil, but unfortunately there are many people who would go to great lengths to learn some of the royal secrets. Some might even kill.” She chuckled to herself. “Of course, their efforts would be in vain. So ask me, Torin. Ask me what you want to know. This is your moment, after all.”
Once again he admired her delicate features and the waves of red-orange hair that tumbled down her shoulders, like a river of fire. “How potent is the soup? How much ambrosial energy?”
“Good question!” The Empress raised a finger, a new light sparking behind her eyes.
“So, how much?”
She leaned inward, her words taking on a new weight. “Torin, do you know why you were invited here?”
“Because I did the impossible,” he said without hesitation. “I renegotiated with our shipping channels. Under my direction, we increased supply by 17 percent, despite the fact that every other ambrosia market outside of the city is facing drastic shortages.”
“And, you have a reputation for delivering results.” The Empress paused, her bronze eyes regarding him carefully. “Torin, I’ve been watching you, watching your career bloom into what it has become today. Remember the tests you used to take every year during your training?”
“Of course. They measured abstract thinking ability, as well as efficiency and logistical intelligence. I always wondered how I did, but I never heard back from any of them.”
“It’s quite simple. They are intended to help us place the right people into the right positions. The results are of no concern to the individual, only to the top directors who assign the positions.” The Empress stirred her soup, still untouched. “Of course, you are partially right. You are here because you’ve demonstrated that you can act effectively in a crisis, but you are also here because you received the highest score we’ve ever seen in the logistics and logic portions of those tests. We’ve been looking forward to this day for some time.”
Torin’s expression darkened. “Wait, so you’ve been preparing me for this position the whole time?”
“You were one of our top candidates, but we did have to ensure that you continued to express the traits that we desired. Loyalty, honesty, efficiency, and so forth. But you are basically correct.” The Empress spun her fingers in little circles as she listed off the traits. “Torin, I need people who I can trust implicitly, without question. Are you that kind of person?”
“Yes, Empress. I believe my values are evident in my work.”
Empress Amaraloka pursed her lips, seeming much younger than he’d ever seen her before, as if the glow of youth had suddenly washed over her like a summer rain.
“Through the apprentice program, you have learned everything you need to know for your new position as Chief Ambrosia Director. Everything except one piece of information.” She stared back at him in silence for a moment. “You know what it is I speak of.”
Torin’s eyes lit up. This was it. After so many years of waiting, would he finally learn where the ambrosia came from? What it was really made of?
“Dear Empress, will you tell me? Will you tell me the secret of ambrosia? Where does it come from? What is it?”
The Empress grinned. “It is life, Torin.”
“Yes, but exactly what is it?”
“If I tell you, you must pledge to never tell another soul as long as you live. Otherwise, you will most certainly find the Dagger of Kirin plunging deep into your spine, and be banished from the Mirage forever.” Her eyes narrowed on him. “Do you understand clearly?”
Torin looked down to his soup, swirling with power. “Yes.”
“Swear!” she fired back.
“I swear on my mother’s life. And my own, dear Empress.”
“I shall never forget your words, Torin, and I suggest you never forget mine.” She closed her eyes again. “Ask me again. Ask me what you want to know.”
“What is ambrosia?”
With closed eyes, she spoke. “When this city was founded over a thousand years ago, our ancestors scoured this planet for sources of etheric energy. They had to find a creature that was physically large enough to concentrate etheric energy yet was also abundant enough to harvest easily at scale. Both of these traits were critical, and over years of experimentation with different species, one creature proved itself to be optimal.”
With a wave of her hand, the image of a small sea creature hovered over the table. And after a few moments, the name occurred to Torin.
“The Suvarnak crab? That’s it?”
“You are familiar? Well, then! It seems you’ve learned a few nuggets from Jyana, after all. Yes.” The Empress nodded. “Also known as the Golden Crab, they are profoundly efficient in their etheric energy generation and storage.” She smiled. “Remarkable creatures, aren’t they? And without them, without the ambrosia, our city would cease to grow and our economy would collapse, throwing our entire world into chaos. Have you ever imagined such a scenario, Torin?”
“No,” he said, his gaze drifting over to a window to his left. “It’s not worth thinking about. We’re resourceful. We won’t let that happen.”
“Except it already has,” she spat back. “Unfortunately, our greatest fears seem to be coming true. Recently, the local population has been on the decline. We have tried new harvesting techniques and expanding our reach, but we estimate that we have less than ten mirage years left before complete collapse, unless we can find a solution in time.”
Torin didn’t know what to say. He finally knew the secret, but with it came a heaviness in his chest. “Is that why the sea is suffering? Is that why Jyana is so worried about the seafloor?”
“Careful, Torin. This is a sovereign secret. Your oath is binding, and you know the penalty for treason. Besides, if the public were to learn about this, we could only expect panic.”
Torin shook his head. “Forgive me Empress, but why didn’t you inform me of this problem sooner? Until we find another supply, we’ll need to keep harvesting the local crabs, but Jyana told me that these creatures are crucial to the health of the local reef. If the local population goes extinct, we’ll have a lot more problems than our economy.”
Her expression darkened. “That is not my concern, Torin. This is how it has been done for over a millennia. Your job is to secure a new supply. I will be sending you to direct a team to survey the far coasts for more crab populations.”
Torin looked down to the golden soup, still swirling
in glittering patterns. “So, that’s all this is? The etheric energy of a golden crab?” He looked back up to her. “All right. I’ll survey for other populations, but I must know more. Could we harvest ambrosia from somewhere else? I mean, is ambrosia unique to our planet? And if it isn’t, why didn’t the early survey teams find any etheric cities on other worlds? I’ve been reading the histories, Empress, and they raise many questions. Is this power genetic? Or is it due to some unique property of our planet? Is that why there’s no civilization like ours?”
The Empress leaned back, raising her eyebrows. “My, my, I have underestimated you. But such insightful questions have ancient answers, answers that are even more dangerous than what I’ve already told you.” She tilted her head up to the curved ceiling, before settling her gaze back down to him. “Still, you now hold a seat at my table and are sworn to secrecy.” The Empress paused to study him once more. “But if I told you, would you be ready to know?”
“Yes, dear Empress. And I would sooner shatter my body than my oath.”
“Or else I would shatter it for you,” she said flatly. “Still, you might as well know, considering it is the other half of the equation that creates our world.” She turned to the guards, and with a wave of her hand, she formed white bubbles around both of their heads. “There we are. Not even they are permitted to know this secret. You see, there is an ancient stone that glows golden, not unlike the crab, and anyone who holds it can see anywhere in the galaxy they desire. It is carefully protected deep underground, although technically, it is also far above. My scientists believe it is the source of our planet’s strange power. You are wise to read the histories, rewritten as they may be. Our civilization was once spacefaring, but after the scourge left, something changed. The ancient stone became active, and our ancestors began to find themselves outside of their physical bodies. It was the stone that started all of this, even before ambrosia was developed.”
Torin was speechless for a few moments.
“Surprised? Yet this is the hidden history you shall never find in a library archive: the history that actually happened.”
The Mirage on the Brink of Oblivion (The Epic of Aravinda Book 3) Page 15
