Into The Void

by Nigel Findley

  I will return to my cabin, Estriss said at length. Aelfred Silverhorn, you have made your choice. The responsibility is yours. He turned away and returned belowdecks, his “honor guard” following a little belatedly.

  Aelfred didn’t even watch the mind flayer go. If Estriss’s words had made any impart on him, he didn’t show it. Julia appeared on the forecastle. Teldin was surprised by the rush of pleasure he felt, knowing she was on board. That emotion was followed by a sense of sadness. He numbered her as one of his friends aboard the Probe. And now, due to him, she was in the same serious trouble as Aelfred. If you want a long, trouble-free life, don’t get involved with me, he thought grimly.

  “Helm’s ready,” Julia called.

  Aelfred nodded. “Take us up,” he ordered. “Fast.”

  The officer nodded and disappeared below. Aelfred turned to Teldin, showing a sharklike grin. “Here we go,” he said. “Want to see how many laws of the spaceways we can break?”

  The deck surged beneath Teldin’s feet as the hammership lifted clear of the water. A rushing filled his ears as water poured off the wooden hull. The ship’s sail filled, and the ship heeled slightly. The harbor dropped away quickly.

  “Ready hand weapons,” Aelfred called out to the crew. “Anything that comes near – sea gulls, anything – put an arrow into it.” He turned to Teldin and lowered his voice. “Who knows? It could be a wizard sent to stop us.”

  *****

  Despite Aelfred’s misgivings, nothing – not even an unfortunate sea gull – tried to interfere with the Probe’s departure. The vessel quickly picked up speed, climbing straight upward. Teldin’s last view of Rauthaven showed a slate-gray harbor surrounded by a lighter-gray city – no longer the almost-magical place he’d seen on the approach. Then the hammership plunged into the lowering clouds and the land below was lost from view.

  It was cold and wet in the cloud deck. Teldin expanded the cloak to full size and pulled it tighter around him. glad for the warmth it gave him. The clouds were so thick that he couldn’t see from his position near the forecastle even as far back as the stern turret. Wisps of cloud-stuff were chill arid clammy against his skin. He ran his fingers through his hair, then shook off the droplets of moisture that had collected on his hands.

  Under Aelfred’s orders, the crew deployed the four triangular fins that added so much to the hammership’s sharklike appearance. Others trimmed the sail, while one unfortunate was detailed to clamber up the mast to take station in the crow’s nest.

  Teldin felt a presence by his shoulder. It was Aelfred. “I think we’re clear,” he told Teldin.

  As if the big warrior’s words were the necessary incantation, the Probe burst out of the clouds and into open air. Teldin was facing west, and the brilliance of the evening sun dazzled him. He turned away, wiping streaming eyes.

  The cloud deck was spread out below them like the landscape of another planet. The dark gray of slate below, it was a lighter gray, almost white, from above. It formed rolling hills and plains, deep chasms and towering mountains. It looked as solid as the land that surrounded Rauthaven, easily solid enough to bear the weight of a man, or even of something larger. He stared at the cloud topography. It was easy to imagine creatures living up here: humans – or maybe more exotic beings – driving herds of cloud-sheep to graze on the cloud-hills. The cloud-people would have cloud-cities, he imagined, and would climb the heights of the cloud-peaks for enjoyment.

  He forced himself to look away and shook his head to clear it. He was exhausted, he knew. The buzzing he felt in his head – and, more, his fantasies about cloud-creatures – told him that he had to sleep. Fatigue poisons were coursing through his body, numbing his nerves and twisting his thoughts as if he’d drunk too much of Aelfred’s sagecoarse. When had he last slept? He remembered with difficulty: it was only last night that he’d lain in his cabin aboard the Probe, with Rianna in his aims. No more than twelve hours, then, but it felt like twelve years. He reviewed the events of the past day: the auction, the ambush, the flight ….

  He shook his head again. Now was no time to think of such tilings. No matter how much the stress he’d been under made his body cry out for sleep, he couldn’t indulge himself. He’d be meeting with T’k’Pek soon. He had to be sharp when he spoke to the arcane. There was still much that he had to do … not the least of which was confirm that his own life would be safe after he was free of the cloak. He turned away from the cloud-landscape and climbed the ladder to the forecastle to join Aelfred.

  Rianna was below with the hammership’s navigator, Sylvie. Teldin was relieved to realize that Willik’s information about the Nebulon was correct. Already the vessel hung like an oversized star against the darkening sky.

  The hammership approached the arcane’s vessel quickly, much quicker than had the dragonfly. Soon Teldin could make out the vessel’s cylindrical shape, then the dark bands that were the great windows encircling the massive vehicle. The Probe slowed, coming to a halt above one end of the arcane’s ship. There was no sign of the ivory stairway that had given them access to the Nebulon’s deck. Of course not, he told himself, that would only be for invited guests. For a moment he wondered if the great cylinder were defended. What weapons might the arcane possess to drive off uninvited guests?

  Nothing had attacked them as they’d approached, and why would defenders strike now, when wreckage from the Probe would crash onto their own vessel? There was another issue, even more important, though ….

  How would they get aboard the Nebulon? There was no way the hammership could land on the circular deck. Not only was the Probe too large, but he knew full well that it was built for water landings only.

  Luckily, Aelfred had that one figured out. “Helm,” he called below, “hold us in position.” Then he turned to the crewmen on the main deck. “Warin, Kell, put out ladders,” he ordered. “Go down and tie us off to the rails.” The crew went quickly about their tasks.

  Teldin watched nervously as the two crewmen worked on the deck below. They were vulnerable down there, open to any kind of attack. While he couldn’t picture T’k’Pek himself leading an assault, Teldin knew from personal experience how easy it was for virtually anybody to hire people to do their dirty work.

  Aelfred seemed to have had the same thought. While Warin and Kell worked, the first mate detailed other crew members to stand ready with missile weapons, “covering” their fellows.

  Despite both men’s fears, nothing interfered with the crewmen’s work. Soon the hammership was secured to the rails surrounding the Nebulon’s circular deck. It hung two dozen feet above the bone-white deck, held in position by four thick ropes. Aelfred glanced at Teldin. “Easy,” he muttered. Teldin had no difficulty reading the big warrior’s true meaning: too easy. He nodded uncomfortably. It was time for him to board the arcane’s ship, time for what should be the last step in the quest that had been driving him since Krynn. Everything about the approach to the Nebulon was triggering alarms in his brain.

  What could he do, though? Turn back now? He had to see this through to its conclusion. He looked around. “Rianna,” he said, “I want to take the men with me.”

  “I’m coming, too,” she told him.

  “It’s too dangerous,” he argued, “you’re wounded ….”

  She cut him off sharply. “There’s not a chance in Gehenna that I’m letting you go in there alone. I’m not much of a mage, but I’m better than nothing.”

  “It’s too dangerous,” he repeated.

  She reached out and took his hand in a firm grip, her eyes locked on his. “You’re not my keeper, Teldin,” she told him quietly. “I have the right to make my own decisions, and my decision is that I’m coming with you. Will you accept that?” He hesitated for a moment, then squeezed her hand. “I accept that,” he said. He turned to the expectant Aelfred and spoke quietly. “I know what you’re going to say,” Teldin told him, “but I need you aboard the Probe. I don’t feel comfortable about any of this —” he smiled
“— but I’ll feel a lot better if you stay here and make sure the Probe doesn’t go anywhere.” Aelfred’s expression told him all he needed to know about the warrior’s doubts. He grasped his large friend’s arm. “I need you to do this,” he said earnestly.

  Aelfred was silent for a moment, then he nodded. “I agree,” he said. “I don’t like it, but I agree. At least let me send someone with you.”

  “I’ll go.”

  Teldin turned. It was Julia who’d spoken. She’d just climbed to the forecastle from the bridge. Her straight hair, cut in page-boy style, shone like burnished copper in the harsh sunlight of space. Her expression was deadly serious, though, and her hand was on the hilt of her short sword.

  Teldin felt something hard press against his hand. Instinctively, he grasped it. It was a dagger, handed to him by Aelfred. While everyone was looking at Julia, the warrior must have retrieved one of his concealed daggers. Why? Teldin asked himself, then shrugged. There was nothing wrong with packing an extra weapon. He slipped the small blade into his jerkin, under his wide belt. The steel was cold against his skin.

  “Will you accept that?” Aelfred asked, echoing Rianna’s words.

  Teldin had to smile. “I accept that,” he replied. “Then, if we’re ready …”

  A mental voice cut him off. I demand to come.

  Estriss – still dogged by the “honor guard” – had reemerged from belowdecks. Teldin noticed that Estriss wore a dagger of his own on his belt. Probably, the strange knife the illithid associated with the Juna was still concealed within the creature’s clothing. Estriss is dressed for trouble, Teldin realized. “Why?” he asked the mind flayer.

  For my own reasons, Estriss replied flatly. When Teldin didn’t respond, the illithid continued, There is something wrong here. The arcane protect their privacy. If something has happened to T’k’Pek, perhaps I can save the item he purchased at the auction. Again Teldin didn’t respond. You have taken my ship, Estriss concluded, and there was a sharp – almost peevish – note to his mental voice. I demand to come. You owe me at least that much.

  Slowly Teldin nodded. He was fairly certain that the illithid and the arcane weren’t working together. If they were, he was as good as dead anyway. Assuming, then, that Estriss was playing his own game, where could he cause the most trouble? Put that way, the answer was straightforward: the illithid would be more of a danger if Teldin left him aboard the hammership. Even though the crew had agreed to follow Aelfred, that might change – particularly if it came to open conflict. The crew might agree to ignore their erstwhile captain’s orders; they almost certainly wouldn’t agree to physical violence against him, should that become necessary. No, Teldin realized, it was much more dangerous to leave a potential enemy behind him. The illithid would have to come along, escorted and guarded by a retinue of bravos.

  “You can come,” Teldin said at last, “if you agree to an escort.” He gestured at the bravos.

  Hardly the escorts I would have chosen, Estriss said sourly, bur I agree.

  Teldin turned to the others, ready to speak, but Rianna touched his arm. “I suggest we take only six of the men,” she said quietly.

  “Why?”

  “To help guard the ship,” she answered. “If we take any more than six, we’ll be getting in our own way belowdecks. And if we run into more trouble than six men can handle, we shouldn’t be here in the first place. We just get the hell out of here and write the whole thing off as a bad idea.” She smiled grimly. “That way, we’ll have a better chance of having a ship to get the hell out of here on.”

  Teldin didn’t respond immediately. Rianna’s reasoning was much the same as his concerning Aelfred, but something just didn’t sound right. What was it? He shrugged, then nodded to Rianna. “Six it is.”

  They went down the ladders to the Nebulon’s deck. Julia took the lead, followed by two bravos, and they spread out across the great expanse of deck, searching for hidden dangers. It wasn’t long before they beckoned to the others to come down; apart from them, the circular deck was empty.

  Teldin was next over the rail. The rope ladder swayed uncomfortably under his weight, even more so than usual. It had to be because of relative motion between the two ships, he realized. Even though the Probe was tied down, it could still move slightly in relation to the Nebulon. He was glad when his feet were on the ivorylike deck.

  The group reformed quickly, with Estriss in the middle surrounded by the “escorts.” Teldin led the way to the center of the deck. The circular hatch – the one that had opened like a mouth – was already gaping wide. An invitation or a trap? Come into my parlor, said the spider to the fly, Teldin thought. As one, the group drew swords.

  The spiral staircase was wide enough for two, so Teldin and Rianna led the way. Julia took up the rear. The stairway was lit by the same sourceless yellow light that Teldin remembered from his first visit. Thank the gods for small favors, he thought. Just the idea of exploring this strange ship in the dark was enough to unnerve him.

  They reached the landing. As before, there was only one door. Teldin reached out, expecting the door to swing wide before he touched it. This time, though, he had to push the door open. He glanced back at Estriss, but the illithid’s gaze was noncommittal. He probably doesn’t understand any more than I do about all this, Teldin thought. But, then, he’s probably angry enough that he wouldn’t tell me even if he did. Teldin stepped into the doorway.

  The long hallway was just as it had been when he’d first visited the Nebulon. No, not quite; the lighting seemed dimmer, more yellow. For a moment, Teldin was overcome by the desire to turn and leave. Things weren’t the way he’d expected them to be. Things were wrong, and that scared him.

  Almost immediately, the fear turned to a burning anger – at the arcane, at this great ship, and at his own reaction. The whole situation was some kind of test – whether intended that way or not – and it was a test he was determined to pass. To turn away now, from a potential danger that could very well be an artifact of his own doubts, was ridiculous.

  From childhood, Teldin had always tried to suppress anger in himself. Although nobody had ever told him so, he’d decided that anger was an unworthy emotion, and anyone who let himself feel it was also somehow unworthy. Now, though, he let the emotion build within him, felt its fire spread throughout his body. He felt the compass, the boundaries, of his anger. As he strode down the corridor, it was as much his anger as his will that drove his steps. He glanced over his shoulder. The others were behind him. Julia was still taking up the rear, looking over her shoulder regularly to watch for anyone – or anything – that might be following them.

  He reached out toward the door that led to the great windowed room. Again it didn’t open in response to his proximity. What does that mean? he asked himself. He pushed on the door, and it swung open smoothly.

  Everything was exactly like his first visit to the Nebulon. The “throne” of purple crystal was facing one of the great windows, and Teldin could see the blue-skinned giant stating out into space.

  “T’k’Pek,” Teldin said. The arcane didn’t move, gave no sign that he was even aware of Teldin’s presence. “T’k’Pek,” he repeated louder. He walked closer and froze in horror.

  The arcane wore the same green, shawllike robe as in their first meeting, but now the front of that robe was drenched with a pale, pinkish fluid that still flowed sluggishly from a great wound across the creature’s throat. T’k’Pek gazed out at the universe with eyes that would never again appreciate its wonders.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The arcane was dead.

  The burning anger that had sustained Teldin was doused like a candle in a hurricane. He was cold, empty, as though there were a hole in the core of his being.

  A sharp cry – a female cry – rang out behind him. He spun.

  The cry had been Julia’s. One of the bravos had the fingers of one hand entwined in her red hair, while the other hand held the edge of his sword against her throat
. Another bravo reached down and removed Julia’s sword from unresisting fingers. The woman’s eyes were wide with mingled fear and anger. The other bravos hemmed Estriss in with a fence of steel. There was no way the illithid could kill or incapacitate them all before one managed to end the creature’s life with a sword thrust. One pulled the mind flayer’s dagger from his belt sheath and stashed it in his own boot.

  Rianna had stepped away from the others, closer to Teldin. She held her sword casually, but her other hand held an item too small for Teldin to make out – material components for a spell, he guessed. She was grinning broadly, wolfishly, at him.

  Understanding came like a physical impact. For a moment, the world seemed to dim around him. His throat tightened, almost enough to cut off his breathing, and it felt like there was ice in the pit of his stomach. His gaze was locked on Rianna’s face.

  “Don’t look so tragic,” she told him. That familiar, subtle throb of amusement was in her voice, and it was enough to make him ache. “It could have worked out a lot worse. The neogi could have caught you themselves.”

  One too many shocks. Teldin felt numb. When he spoke, it was with a voice devoid of emotion. “You’re working for the neogi,” he said. She just grinned. “Tell me why, Rianna. I think you owe me that.”

  She shrugged. “There’s no reason not to tell you. Most of what I told you about myself was true,” she began. Her voice was as unemotional as his, as if they were discussing nothing more significant than the weather. “I’m a message-runner. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to be – alone in a ship, alone with the stars. You remember the talk we had about the stars?” Teldin’s only answer was a curt nod. He didn’t want to think about their talks. “I left home young,” she continued, “and from then on I was always in business of one kind or another. It took me years, but I saved enough money to buy my ship, the Ghost. And that’s when I finally got the life I wanted. Since then, I’ve done whatever it’s taken to guarantee that I’ll always have that.”