Oonak nodded and held it out for them to see.
“Look!” Asha said, pointing to its center. “It has a shape buried within it, just like the Tulari did.”
Still glowing in a deep golden light, all three of them examined the stone from different angles.
“It’s not the same, though,” Zahn said. “This one looks like two pyramids touching at the base. An octahedron.”
Oonak looked up to Asha, noticing how the golden light of the stone illuminated her face. “Asha, what did you mean when you said we need the two other stones? What have you learned since our first mission together?”
Asha seemed caught off guard for a moment. “Well, when we retrieved the Chintamani stone on Vaari, it spoke to me, much like the first stone spoke to Zahn.”
“What did it tell you?”
“It said that this third stone would show us where the hidden Vakragha autarchs were, but it told to me bring the powers of all three stones to where the Vakragha chose their fate. So for this to work, we’ll need all three.”
“And we asked the Tulari where that was,” Zahn added, “but it told us that only the Breath of Life knew.”
“Hmm. I don’t have the answer, but I know the question all too well. It means, where the Vakragha chose the service-to-self path, basically, when they decided to be evil.” Oonak looked down at the stone in his hands and spoke to it. “Chintamani, I am Oonak of the Confederation of Unity. Do you know where the Vakragha species chose their fate? Where did they embrace the service-to-self path?”
A golden thought-nugget zipped out of the stone and into Oonak’s head. Within his mind, he saw the planet of their desire, dark and peppered with orange volcanic plumes. In the distance, Oonak thought he could make out a small dark orb just above the surface of the planet.
“Agnira,” he whispered.
“Where’s that?” Zahn asked.
Oonak looked up to him, blinking the image away. “Thousands of light-years distant. An ancient place.”
Asha shook her head. “But we still need the second stone.”
“Wait!” Zahn said. “Remember when we moved the Tulari to show it to the jagrul? If we could move its etheric body, then couldn’t we take the Kiss of Life the same way? We only have to find it. Once we do that, we can skip there just like we skipped to this moon, couldn’t we?”
Asha turned to Oonak with expectant eyes. “What do you think, Oon? Is that possible?”
A plan percolated in his mind, and he nodded. “We’ll go in order then. First the Tulari, then the Kiss of Life, and then we’ll take all three to Agnira.” He nodded again. “Out of our current options, I estimate that is our best chance of success. Is the Tulari still inside Navika?”
“Yes,” Asha said.
“Okay,” Oonak said, “I’ll lead the skip down to the shield barrier, and then we’ll find another gap. Lock on.”
Oonak felt his awareness stretch thousands of klicks down to the planet, finding himself at the threshold of the watery barrier once more. He was about to zoom up and start searching for a gap when he heard a familiar voice.
“What the blazes is anyone doing out there?” the voice said. “Your signatures are distorted, but I think I recognize the ident of one of you.”
They all zoomed over to the source of the voice and tried to discern a face through the shield barrier. The figure appeared to be wearing a long golden robe, but that was all they could see.
“Good,” the voice continued, “stay right there! There’s a perimeter guard nearby that’ll open the barrier and take all of you into royal custody. Don’t any of you dare move!”
Asha turned to Oonak, concern filling her face. “It’s Torin. I’d recognize his voice anywhere.”
“What do we do?” Zahn said.
“Under usual circumstances, I would suggest diplomacy.” Oonak glanced back to the moon behind them. “But given the current scenario, success requires us to improvise.”
“Criminals, are you still there?” Torin snapped. “The perimeter guard has arrived.”
Behind, Oonak saw a new shadow beyond the barrier.
“Freeze!” the guard yelled. “I’m coming through!”
Oonak held the Breath of Life in front of him, tapped into a tiny fraction of its power, and directed a torrent of energy through his heart, down his arm, and right out of his hand. To his great delight, a bright wave of light shot out of his palm and blew a huge hole through the barrier.
The explosion was followed by a wailing scream that faded into the distance.
Now, he could see Mirage City clearly through the opening in the barrier, like a jagged wound. Torin had only narrowly missed the blast, and his face flickered with rage.
“Yikes,” Zahn said, turning to Oonak. “Did you just take out that guard?”
“Traitors!” Torin screamed, and charged toward them.
Oonak shot a series of white domes out of his hands, but Torin expertly dodged them, pulling a small packet of golden liquid out from one of his pockets. Torin consumed the packet whole, and to everyone’s shock, he vanished.
“He’s gone,” Oonak said, “and staying here is useless. Lock onto my ident, both of you. We must keep moving. Don’t worry, I can feel Navika’s presence now.”
“Locked!” Asha and Zahn said almost simultaneously.
Oonak stretched down to the familiar presence, and when he opened his eyes, he found himself at a loss for words.
Parked atop a dusty plateau was an old friend that he hadn’t seen in what felt like over a year. And when he considered it, he had to admit that, in Mirage time, it was completely true.
Oonak walked up to the gleaming ivory ship and placed both of his hands on the hull.
“Navika,” he whispered, “my old friend.”
Asha walked up behind him and put her hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay?”
He nodded. “Yes. Come on.” He waved for her to follow him inside. “Sooner or later, someone is going to free the Empress from her energy bubble. Let’s not be here when that happens.”
She sighed. “You’re right.”
Oonak stepped through Navika’s hull and found the Tulari still sitting within the cable mesh of the central node.
“Magnificent,” he said, floating closer to examine it. “The Fire of Life, mender of spacetime. It is as beautiful as I imagined.”
“Oh yeah,” Zahn said, floating up beside him. “I guess you haven’t seen it yet. We were separated before all of that.”
Oonak turned to Zahn, pain welling up inside him.
“It’s okay,” Zahn said. “If you hadn’t done that, we probably would have never made it out alive at all. You sacrificed yourself for us.”
“I did what the mission required. And how is your mother?”
Zahn furrowed his eyebrows. “She was fine when I left Avani. But with the Vakragha so close to home once again, it has everyone terrified.”
“Yes,” he said. “I understand. I’m just glad she’s alive.”
He inhaled slowly. “Me too.”
Asha floated up beside them and took Zahn’s hand. “I told you before, Zahn. Anyone who can survive what she went through is an incredibly strong person. She won’t lose hope. She believes in us. She believes in you.”
Zahn squeezed her hand and smiled. “Thanks, Asha. That means a lot.”
Oonak touched the Tulari, and it pulsed in brightness.
“Is it what you expected it would look like?” Asha asked.
He nodded. “Mostly, but the inner structure—”
Before Oonak could continue, Jyana bolted up to them and glanced around, sending a wave of surprise around the room.
“There you all are!” she called out, zooming over to them. “There’s been a breach in the barrier, and when I tried to stretch out and feel where Torin was, I couldn’t find him anywhere. I feel something terrible has happened. Do any of you know what’s going on?” Her eyes dashed back and forth between Asha, Zahn, and Oonak. “Wait a minut
e!” As she examined Oonak’s white robe, a light came on behind her eyes. “Who are you? You’re dressed as one of our guards, but I can see your face.”
“I am no one of consequence.”
“Yeah right,” Jyana said, “He’s the one, isn’t he? The one you two were looking for? What happened to Torin? Did you fight him? Tell me!”
“Jyana, it’s okay. I’m sorry, but we don’t know where Torin is,” Asha spoke as calmly as she could and gently touched her shoulder. “A lot has happened.”
Jyana sighed, relaxing into Asha’s comfort. “You’re telling me. I talked to Torin about the ambrosia. He won’t tell me anything directly, but from his reactions, I fear the worst. I think you were right all along, Asha. The ambrosia production is destroying the web of life here; it all lines up. And the worst part? The Empress doesn’t even seem to care.” Jyana looked back up and noticed the orb under Oonak’s arm. “What is that? That’s the Breath of Life you told me about, isn’t it?”
“Well…” Zahn’s eyes darted over to Oonak and Asha.
“Yes, Jyana,” Asha said. “It is.”
Jyana peered intently into the stone, mesmerized by it.
“That’s it?” she whispered, unable to look away. “That’s the stone that started the Mirage? The stone that allowed my ancestors to leave their bodies?”
“Yes, it started the Mirage, but it’s not what keeps your civilization going.” Asha said. “Those thought-forms are already established. We’re only going to borrow it for a short while. It won’t affect this world.”
Jyana snapped out of her reverie, turning to Asha. “And you said you needed it to defeat the scourge?”
“Yes,” Asha said. “With this stone, we can finally stop their spread across the galaxy, and no one will need to fear for their world being taken ever again.”
“And,” Zahn added, “we’re about to jump to the world the Vakragha originally came from and strike at the head of their dominion. This may be our only chance to stop the scourge once and for all, and we’re going to need all the help we can get.”
Jyana gazed into the Breath of Life.
“Then I want to help.”
CHAPTER 36
SCREAMING DOWN
With a single wet chomp, Durazha sunk her teeth into a fresh agnihawk as it flailed about frantically. She smirked and flicked her wrist to twist its neck, killing it instantly, and a feeling of elation swept over her. It had been centuries since she had dined on fresh agnihawk, and every molecule of her body reveled in it. With a final chomp, she devoured its small head, and blood ran down the edges of her twisted smile.
As blood trickled down her hardened carapace, she set the headless bird back into the shallow bowl in her lap and raised her eyes to Razakh who stood beside her, staring out into the starscape ahead.
“I am pleased that you enjoy it,” he said, unmoving.
“It fills my veins with strength,” she said. “I will walk now.”
He turned. “Yes, my daughter! Embrace your old strength, but start slowly.”
Durazha braced herself against the armrests and pushed upward, at last managing to stand. Although her rebirth had happened only a few days prior, she flexed her ancient legs, feeling them stretch in a thousand tiny places, and took a few steps toward the control console ahead.
Each step was a new revelation, and she relished the feeling of pressure on her feet.
“Durazha,” Razakh whispered. “You truly grow stronger by the minute.” He walked behind her, examining the growth progress on her new carapace. “And the carapace implants continue to mature. Excellent.” He brought his sharp fingers together into a tight fist. “Your strength parallels the dark fissure we bring with us, Durazha. Although the fissure has taken longer to transport than I expected, we shall feed it the jewel of this system soon enough. At last, the Avanians shall learn the true nature of this galaxy.”
“Yes,” Durazha hissed and walked up to the command console before turning back around to face him. “Once the fissure brings Avani into our dark space, they shall never escape. We will crush them, and once we draw the energy from their world, our powers shall be unstoppable!”
“And don’t forget,” Razakh added. “If they kill even one more of our number, we shall revive them with the stone. We have conquered death.”
“The stone,” Durazha whispered. “Father, I want to see it. I want to see the stone that brought me back. Show it to me.”
“An autarch of our race cannot wield it, Durazha,” he said. “For some perverse reason, it requires a heart to perform its function. I have been reading the histories, and without a heart, we must call upon an overlord to fully wield its power. That is why we must avenge what happened and defeat Avani. Only then will my overlord will reveal its location to me.”
“Father!” she pleaded. “My soul longs to look upon it.”
Razakh groaned. There was only one person in the entire galaxy who could affect him with pleading, and it was her.
“Wait, child!” He walked down to the far end of the room where a narrow hall was lit by tiny red lights, like eyes along the ceiling. She watched him turn and unlock a room in the far distance before disappearing inside.
She heard a crashing noise and a roar.
The door slid back once again, and the fearsome autarch, covered in thick obsidian armor, approached her holding a small orb that glowed in a soft blue light.
“What happened in there?” she said, unable to take her eyes off of the orb. “Did someone attack you?”
“No,” he said, walking up to her. “A stack of containers fell. No doubt it was Zura’s doing. She’s always stacking our cargo, spouting her rhetoric on spatial efficiency.” He shook his head. “Foolish creature, she is.”
Now that it was closer, Durazha admired the small orb’s iridescent surface.
“It is perfection,” she whispered.
“Yes,” Razakh said, looking down to the orb in his hand. “My advisors agree that it is one of the oldest artifacts ever retrieved.”
She looked up to him. “Older than the Anuttam Vakra?”
“The first?” He tilted his head. “No, I suspect not. But not long after that.”
He glanced over to the display beyond and walked up to the console below the sweeping windows. “At last, we have an unfiltered visual of our prey. See that pathetic blue dot? Soon it will be engulfed in beautiful shadow.”
Durazha regarded the dot calmly and shook her head. “Father, you are being impulsive. We should amass more fighters before our attack. If what you say about this world is true, then they are resourceful. We must be vigilant. We cannot afford another defeat.”
“Silence!” Razakh boomed, pulling the orb closer to his chest. “Avani is our next target. It is true; they will no doubt try to use the Fire of Life against us once again. But this time, we shall be ready for them.”
“That’s your plan?” she said. “To try and flush out the only thing that could delay us? You are being foolish. I’ve reviewed the records. The last time you were in this system, you were nearly destroyed!”
Razakh tightened his hand into a fist. “Durazha, you may have once been the greatest strategist of your time, but much has changed since then.” He turned around to face her, his red eyes burning into her skull. “You will obey me, or face the vacuum of space! Do you understand?”
She narrowed her gaze at him. “What would you say if the Anuttam Vakra came to me in a dream?”
“Hah!” Razakh bellowed. “And why would our overlord, with the power over six factions, waste its time projecting itself into your dream, Durazha?”
“I’m not saying it did. But hypothetically, what would you say if it came to you and offered you everything? Unlimited power and authority, all for one simple action. What would you do?”
Razakh regarded her suspiciously. “You know quite well the sacred power of the Anuttam Vakra, Durazha. Even though we draw from its power, few ever behold its presence. Any autarch would be a foo
l not to consider an offer from the Anuttam.”
A twisted grin spread across Durazha’s mouth. “Precisely.”
With one swift motion, she extended a spike out from her arm and plunged it into Razakh’s left hand, causing the orb to tumble down.
Durazha caught it and spread her dark fingers over its surface, screaming the words that the Anuttam Vakra had given her.
“Vigalati! Vigalati! Vigalati!” she screamed. “The strong shall rule the weak!”
Razakh cupped his hands over his head and wailed in pain.
“Vigalati! Vigalati! Vigalati!” she shouted again.
The red glow behind Razakh’s eyes faded. He tried to speak, but before he could form a single word, he collapsed onto the metallic floor with a dull thud.
“What an absurd excuse for an autarch.”
Durazha pulled the orb close to her chest and smirked, looking down to the pathetic heap of Razakh’s body. She was tempted to kill him right there, but decided against it. He would be more useful to her as a puppet. She had noticed how his faction revered him. Perhaps she would torture him later. Either way, keeping him alive gave her further leverage.
At the far end of the room, a narrow door opened revealing Zura, a minor Vakragha similar to Durazha in appearance except that she was only two-thirds her height.
“Sky God! You shall be pleased to hear—”
Zura froze, noticing her autarch piled in a crumpled heap on the floor.
“Autarch!” she screamed, running over to him.
When she reached him, she crouched down to examine his face. “Razakh, what happened?” She looked up to Durazha, her tiny crimson eyes filling with dread. “Is he dead?”
Durazha twisted up her face in disgust. She hated these minor Vakragha. A useless distortion of their species, their kind began as a mutation and were eventually relegated to grunt work. Still, a rare few, like Zura, trained long and hard to become master advisors to the command structure.
They were also incredibly loyal. Unless her father officially transferred ownership of this minor Vakragha to Durazha, it would always hold Razakh’s concerns above hers.
The Mirage on the Brink of Oblivion (The Epic of Aravinda Book 3) Page 22
