The Mirage on the Brink of Oblivion (The Epic of Aravinda Book 3)

by Andrew M. Crusoe

  “Stunning place.” A look of surprise filled her face, brushing away the pained expression that had been there before. “Thank you for sharing that with me.”

  “Of course,” Asha said. “I thought it would be a good memory to start with.”

  Her face grew serious once again. “Still, you would be wise to be circumspect about which memory nuggets you delve into. They can contain any memory, ranging from a nightmare to sheer bliss. Now, there is another memory I want to share with you, something of great importance should you choose to stay here, Asha.”

  Jyana closed her eyes for a long moment until another nugget drifted out of her head. It looked identical to the last, and Jyana placed it in her palm and offered it to Asha.

  “What is it?” Asha said. “Is it traumatic?”

  “Yes,” she said. “But it is pivotal, so I made it completely immersive. You must experience it, Asha.”

  She furrowed her eyebrows and took it. “All right.”

  CHAPTER 27

  PRICELESS INFORMATION

  With a single flick, Asha threw the memory into her forehead and plunged in.

  To her surprise, she found herself hovering above the seabed, many meters below the surface. She felt a tingle in the space between her eyes, and a new sensitivity came to her. Now she could clearly see that she was gliding over a field of stony tan coral that stretched on for hundreds of meters in every direction.

  Something caught her eye, and she stopped and zoomed down to a patch of the coral. To her dismay, it was almost completely covered in dark sediment. Asha felt a sinking feeling in her stomach and zoomed over to another patch. Like the first, it was lifeless, suffocated by layer upon layer of sediment. She checked several more, and soon realized that less than ten percent of the coral appeared to be alive at all. Images of indra fish, striking in their cyan and orange stripes, and a school of blue alpa fish, flashed into her mind. Somehow, she knew that many of them had died here.

  A frantic feeling grew within her, and she searched with renewed vigor until she finally found a single golden crab hiding within some of the coral branches. The realization that she could only find one crab in this once dense habitat made her heart sink.

  Asha shook her head in disgust and looked around once again. A burning thought flared into her mind: if someone didn’t find out what was happening to the sea soon, the damage would be irreversible.

  The seafloor dimmed as the memory ended, and Asha gasped as she opened her eyes once more. The thought-nugget fell out of her head and onto her lap.

  Her eyes felt wet.

  “Now do you see what we face?” Jyana said. “Asha, I’ve been studying the sea for over 67 mirage years. The food web is complex, but at this point, I can finally say with confidence that if we don’t do something about it soon, the sea’s entire ecosystem is in danger of collapse. Thankfully, Advisor Kathini is forming a committee to address this issue, but I’m afraid that we may not even have enough time for that. We need to make the difficult decisions today, not months from now.” She paused, regarding Asha carefully. “If I’ve seemed on edge lately, that’s why.”

  “Can I see the memory, please?” Zahn said. “We might be able to help.”

  Jyana nodded, and Zahn picked up the memory.

  Asha glanced over and watched Zahn’s expression fall as he experienced the memory with closed eyes.

  Echoes of the last few weeks came into Asha’s mind. She closed her eyes and recalled their encounter with the massive fissure the Vakragha had created to consume Zahn’s world, carefully rolling over the memory of the dark maelstrom. The thought sent a chill up her spine, and she moved onto the volcano on Hataaza Darad and the bodies within. To finish, she recalled the rainbow halls of Amithya. The mere thought of them gave her hope.

  Asha turned around with a new memory in her hand. “I’m sorry this is happening, Jyana. But to be honest, that isn’t the worst of your problems. I have a memory for you, if you’re open to it; and it concerns your entire world.”

  “All right,” Jyana said.

  Asha handed her the glowing ball, and Jyana brought it to her forehead, diving in without hesitation.

  Just as Jyana had sunk into the memory, Zahn’s eyes shot open. “I can’t believe it!” He turned to Asha. “We’ve got to help them. Their entire—”

  He glanced around, realizing that Jyana was submerged within another memory. “Oh, sorry,” he whispered.

  “It’s okay,” Asha said. “I don’t think you disturbed her.”

  “What did you give her?”

  “The reality of why we’re here,” Asha said, pursing her lips. “I gave her the memory of the Battle of Rodhas and our experience with the Amithyans. I think she deserves to know what we’re up against, what we’re all up against.”

  Zahn’s face went blank, and he leaned in to whisper. “But you don’t want to tell her about seeing Torin and the Empress, right? I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Of course not.” Asha winced. “I feel like she’s finally starting to trust us. Telling her about sneaking into the monument would undo all of the progress we’ve made today.”

  “But if you’re showing her everything, don’t you think she deserves to know?” Zahn’s expression darkened. “Asha, I’m not sure how much you picked up from her memory, but studying the sea is this woman’s life. If she knew what we knew, she might be able to change things. She deserves to know.”

  Asha remained silent, unsure of what to say.

  Beside her, Jyana inhaled sharply and flashed her eyes open. “Such nightmares you two have faced. I’m impressed you lived through it, and without the benefits of the Mirage to support you.” She shook her head in disbelief. “Remarkable.”

  “Well,” Zahn said, massaging Asha’s hand, “we had a lot of help, too.”

  Asha squeezed his hand in return and let it go. “Now do you see? What you call the scourge have ravaged the galaxy. And it’s not only Zahn’s world. The Vakragha threaten Tavisi, too.”

  Jyana winced. “We have faced them once before, you know, and they couldn’t even land. Our world is blessed, Asha. The longer you remain here, the more you’ll realize this.”

  “No, Jyana! They have one of the Chintamani stones, and with it they can conquer death itself.” Asha shook her head in dismay. “They’ve revived Durazha, one of their greatest generals who is hellbent on unifying all of the Vakragha factions. Jyana, they won’t stop until they’ve brought every civilization into their dominion. We’ve been across this galaxy and back more than once, and journeyed to realms even stranger than this one, so please, trust me on this. Only the third Chintamani stone will bring us all victory. The last stone we recovered called it the Breath of Life, and it’s on this world, hidden somewhere.” Asha gently took Jyana’s hands as shock slowly spread across her face. “You wanted to know our real mission? Well, that’s it, all of it.”

  Zahn raised a hand between them. “And I think that’s all Jyana needs to know for now. The Confederation is pretty picky who is allowed to—”

  “No, Zahn. It’s time.” Asha lowered Zahn’s hand and turned back to Jyana. “You already know we were sent here to find a man named Manu. Well, we came here to help him retrieve that stone. Once we have it, we’ll use it to reveal the locations of the hidden Vakragha autarchs, the pinnacles of their command structure. With this information, the Confederation will finally end this war, Jyana, and the attack on this world, our world, will at last be avenged.”

  Jyana frowned. “If the stone is as important as you say, then what if it’s the only thing keeping Tavisi safe? What if it’s the reason the Scourge were never able to land here?”

  Asha’s expression hardened. “That’s conjecture. But what we know for certain is the stone’s power. Jyana, this is much bigger than our world.”

  “And from what we’ve gleaned,” Zahn added, “your world would be unaffected. The stone only facilitates out-of-body experiences; so it wouldn’t change Mirage City itself
. Those thought-forms are already well established.”

  “Zahn’s right. By our best estimation, if we returned the stone within a standard Mirage day, there should be almost no effect.” Asha’s gaze focused onto Jyana. “We are so close to finding it, Jyana, and once we do, we’ll finally have a chance to end their reign of terror and finally bring peace.”

  Jyana inhaled slowly. “So, what do you want from me? Why tell me any of this?”

  “Because we’re running out of time, and our one shot for information has failed.”

  “The truth is,” Zahn said, “you’re probably the only Tavisian who understands us. And in just a few planetary hours, my world is going to be attacked and millions of people are going to die, or worse, be enslaved by the Vakragha dominion. But you can help us stop that.”

  Jyana frowned. “How?”

  “Your partner, Torin,” Asha said. “He just had a confidential briefing with the Empress. In his new position, he has access to priceless information. If we could learn some bit of info, anything about where the Chintamani stone is, it would be vastly helpful. At this point, any lead would be appreciated.”

  “I’m not sure he’ll tell me anything. He seemed guarded about the ceremony in the first place.”

  “Jyana.” Asha peered into her eyes softly and spoke her name as if it were the most beautiful name in the world. “I wasn’t sure if now was the right time, but I feel that the present moment may be my only chance.” Asha paused, her expression hardening. “Your suspicions are correct. The ambrosia production is the primary reason the sea is dying. If you want to know more, then ask Torin. He knows, but he has pledged an oath to keep it secret. The question is, what is more important to the lives of the people? His oath? Or the health of this world?”

  A look of cold shock washed over Jyana’s face.

  “Please excuse me.”

  In an instant, she jumped out of the chair and bolted through the nearest wall, out of the room.

  CHAPTER 28

  THE CONFRONTATION

  A burning desire to know the truth filled Jyana’s heart, and for the first time in years, she jumped directly to Torin’s location without even contacting him first. The confrontation would not be easy, but it was something she felt she had to do.

  She found herself high atop a familiar precipice where dozens of nuggets zoomed up to Torin for review. At the bottom of the slope, a large freighter ship, strangely only half-full, was coming in to dock.

  Jyana zoomed up beside Torin and watched as dozens of nuggets zoomed in and out of his forehead. He was so absorbed in what he was doing that he didn’t even acknowledge her presence, and she wouldn’t have been surprised if he was communicating with seven suppliers simultaneously.

  Still, the desire to know the truth burned within her, and she called out to him.

  “Torin, I’ve got to talk with you. It’s important.”

  Three nuggets shot into his head, and a moment later, three more shot out, one shot back down to the freighter and the other two shot clear across the sea.

  He didn’t respond.

  “Torin!” Jyana zoomed in front of his face, between him and the long freighter below. “We need to talk.”

  Torin’s face twisted in annoyance. “Jyana, what are you doing here? I’m sorry, but I’m extremely busy. There was a small supply glitch, and the suppliers are freaking out. But I’m on the verge of a new deal that will keep the ambrosia supplies balanced.”

  His gaze rested on the mountains in the distance as another bubble shot into his head and out again.

  She grew closer. “This is important, Torin. Please.”

  He sighed. “Give me a minute, okay?”

  “Fine.”

  Jyana’s gaze drifted down to a cluster of tiny robotic drones as they creeped through the sky, lifting the cubic crates of ambrosia off of the ship and placing them on a tram which would take them to the underground processing center. Almost everyone knew that the ambrosia had to be refined, but no one dared ask the Empress its true ingredients.

  Now that Jyana thought of it, fear of the Empress permeated the culture she had grown up in. The Empress had always said that the ambrosia recipe was a royal secret, important for the peace and security of their empire.

  Jyana considered what it could mean if Asha were right. It would give an entirely new meaning to the secret.

  She turned back to Torin and waved to get his attention. “Hey! It’s been a while.”

  He nodded, and another nugget shot out of his head, this time heading back to Mirage City. Two more spheres zoomed back up from the freighter, but with a flick of his wrist, he froze them in midair.

  He turned to Jyana, and once again she noticed the double-square symbol on the back of his hands, the symbol of his new position of power.

  “Okay,” he said. “What did you need to see me about?”

  “Is it true?” she blurted. “Is ambrosia made from the Suvarnak crab? I know you have an oath, Torin, but you have to tell me if it’s true. The sea is dying, and the future of our entire way of life is at stake.”

  Torin winced, and he averted his gaze, looking down to the sea at the bottom of the slope far below. “I cannot speak of ambrosia. I took an oath, Jyana, and I am bound to it.”

  A wave of anger bubbled up within her, and this time, she didn’t hold back. “I knew it!” Jyana said. “I knew there was a reason the golden crabs were declining faster than any other species. It makes perfect sense.” She shook her head in disgust. “That’s where ambrosia gets its golden color, isn’t it?”

  He crossed his arms, still avoiding any eye contact.

  “Torin, I love our city as much as you do, but as a civilization, we must take responsibility for our world. We are changing it. I found no increase in predators, no chemical contaminates. The crabs were just disappearing. And everything Asha told me lines up with what my research shows. It all makes—”

  “Asha?!” Torin’s eyes and mouth moved in an angry dance. “You trust that refugee’s word over my own? She knows nothing of our world, Jyana. And if she thinks she does, she is a fool.”

  “So she deceived the Empress, as well?” Jyana shook her head again. “Torin, the Empress is wise; she wouldn’t have honored Asha if—”

  He turned to her, pain flashing behind his eyes. “The Empress can be deceived.”

  “You still haven’t answered my question. Is it true?”

  Torin turned away again.

  “Ach!” she groaned aloud. “The suppliers are harvesting so many crabs that they’re utterly disappearing from the seabed, which means that the reef and all of the creatures that depend upon it will disappear. Torin, the crabs keep the coral structures clean, and right now most of the reef is covered in sediment!” She could feel him closing up, blocking her words. “My dear,” she spoke more softly and leaned in, “if we don’t do something, the consequences could be irreversible. The Suvarnak crabs are well on their way to extinction, which means we won’t have any ambrosia in the future.”

  He remained immovable, his back facing her.

  “Please, Torin! Please turn and look at me! If you love me, you will help me help our world. Please, Torin,” she whispered. “Please.”

  Slowly, Torin turned back around, his eyes wet. “What do you expect me to do, Jyana? Stop the supply chains? Order the purifiers to stop refining ambrosia? Do you know what would happen? Economic growth would come to a halt. Our entire civilization would collapse. You take the words of your so-called new friends as truth, but they are twisting it. Their ideas are dangerous, Jyana.”

  She let her stare burn into the invisible third eye above his nose, one of the few persuasive techniques that ever seemed to work with him. “Do you think I’m stupid, Torin? I know you made an oath to the Empress, but this is so much bigger than that. Asha and Zahn are agents of the Confederation, ordered to come here. They’ve been to the core of the galaxy and back, and they put their lives at risk to come here.”

  “Then m
aybe they shouldn’t have come.” Torin shook his head. “Jyana, I’ve got to get back to work. I’m sorry, but I don’t see how I can help you.” His gaze drifted over to the small cloud of nuggets that awaited his attention.

  Anger bubbled up within her once more, but she tried to calm herself.

  “Perhaps you don’t believe me now, but when the Vakragha return, then perhaps you will. The visitors shared some memories with me, and they’re spreading quickly. It’s like a plague, Torin, and we need to tell the Empress what’s really going on. Here. I brought a memory you have to see.”

  He didn’t move. “I’m not—”

  “All I’m asking is that you give them a chance,” she interrupted. “There’s a war going on beyond Tavisi that’s bigger than any of this.”

  Torin closed his eyes and floated backward, as if he were reclining. “How can you expect me to believe all of this?”

  “I don’t. That’s why I brought a memory, so you could see it for yourself.”

  Jyana produced a small glowing memory sphere from the palm of her hand and gave it to Torin.

  “It’s Asha’s memory. Please, Torin. For me.”

  He leaned upright again, snatched the memory, and dove in.

  As Torin swam within the memory, Jyana payed close attention to his expressions. She even included the memory of her conversation with them at the sunset suite to show him how serious they were. As he rolled through the memory, he winced, and his breathing slowed. Finally, he opened his eyes again.

  “Did you see all of it?” Jyana said. “I put everything together into one packet to make it easier.”

  Torin’s expression hardened. “Okay, so the Vakragha are a threat. But they won’t come here, Jyana. The Empress says—”

  “The Empress is wrong!” Jyana pulled at her hair in despair. “Don’t you see? She’s blinded you from the truth. Meanwhile, they spread across the galaxy. Please, if you know anything, Torin, tell me!”

  He turned away. “None of this changes my oath. I cannot prove or disprove any of this! I’m sorry, Jyana.”