She sat up and tucked sleep-tangled, blonde hair behind her ears. He motioned her through the door and guided her along a narrow companionway that ended at a wall of windows. Symbols entered on a touchpad opened a door. He waved her ahead.
Although the lab appeared to be a replica of the one she frequented in Idronatti, she immediately realized that the technology used was superior to anything she had seen on Thera.
Vygel cleared his throat. “The MasTer wants a sample of the serum you were working on in Idronatti by the time we arrive in TreBlaya.”
Renn frowned. “I was working on several projects, Vygel.”
“He is interested in two: the spray you created to control the citizens of Idronatti and the serum you developed to regenerate damaged Human tissue. You should find everything you require here. If not, ring the bell at your compu-center. I suggest you get to work. We will be leaving for TreBlaya very soon.” He smiled an emotionless smile. “Someone will guide you back to your quarters when you are through. Mid-turning meal will be served to you here. Remember, if you play games, Torgin will pay.”
“You have Torgin?”
The soft swish of the door closing left her question unanswered.
Her breath caught in her throat. “Torgin…” A shaking hand fluttered to her heart.
Forcing a calm she did not feel, she wandered the lab. Here and there, she paused to test her knowledge of the equipment set up for her use. In the supply closet, she inventoried the supplies lining the shelves. The information she had selected from Renn’s mind gave her a fair understanding of what it required to create the formula for the spray—she had purposely chosen an earlier version of the research—but she had little information regarding the serum.
Pursing her lips in thought, she picked up a small comp-tab and a stylus and returned to the supply closet, the only place she could not detect surveillance cams. “Brie,” she whispered.
Her niece appeared in the furthest corner from the door.
With a finger to her lips, Renn motioned her to the floor. “Listen closely. We will sleep in shifts. I will monitor your mind as you monitored mine. Good work. You’d better eat here at mid-turning. I’ll keep what I can for you from the other meals. Stay as far from me as possible when Vygel is present. What he lacks in imagination, he makes up for in diligence. Speaking of which…”
Brie vanished. A small black fly shot upward. Vygel blocked the doorway, bulging eyes searching. Renn gave him a frustrated scowl and held up a stylus. “Dropped it. What can I do for you?”
Wishing that Renn’s younger body was more real than illusion, she leveraged her weight to accommodate an arthritic knee and got to her feet.
Eyes narrowed, Vygel took a step closer. “Are you injured?”
Renn rubbed her knee and grimaced. “I fell on the trail down to the bench on the lookout at the cottage. It doesn’t bother me unless I move wrong.” She picked up her comp-tab, made a couple of notes, and moved past him into the lab. “This laboratory is remarkable. I must assemble what I need and familiarize myself with the equipment before I begin, but it looks promising.” She sat down at her compu-center.
Vygel’s continued presence raised the hair on the back of her neck. The door slid shut. She let out a breath and touched the locket at her throat. I hope you are safe, Renn Whalend.
Corvus sat in the quiet of the boathome with sleep eluding him like the ghosts in Toelachoc Prison. Yaro stood guard at the tunnel entrance. Renn and Bibeed slept on the two cots. The men, wrapped in blankets, slept on the ground. He rested his elbows on the table and tapped his lips with his index fingers. Why am I so edgy?
The tingle of shifting energy raced over his skin. Yaro materialized beside him. Relevart and Almiralyn stepped into the dim light of the dying fire.
Corvus realized, without remembering the action to get him there, that he had risen. Adrenalin pounded through his veins. He could not tear his gaze from the woman who had claimed his heart as a small infant. The dimple in his cheek deepened. Still he could not move.
Relevart winked. “Well, young man, are you going to embrace her, or just stand there gawking?”
Almiralyn’s laugh of delight freed him. He rounded the table, caught her in his arms, and whispered, “I have missed you more than I can say.”
She rested her head on his shoulder. “I was so afraid you wouldn’t ever come back to me.”
He wiped the tears from her cheeks and kissed her gently.
The quiet tap of Relevart’s staff broke the spell.
She intertwined her fingers in his and smiled. “Thank you, Relevart, for giving us a moment. I believe you have business with…” She glanced around to find they had an audience. Grins of understanding were prevalent as everyone sat down at the table.
Introductions were made, and the Universal VarTerel called the meeting to order. “Gregos and Tamosh, you are to take Renn and Yaro to the portal in DoOlb.” He handed them a money pouch. “Part of this is to be used to pay for a boat named SeaBella . She awaits you in the fishing village of Metto Bay on the far side of the island. She is,” he assured them, “a vessel similar to Melback . The remaining coin is to be used to stock her for a trip to the portal on the DoOlbian shore and to pay the wages of a crew member to take Elf’s place until he returns.” His attention shifted to Renn and Yaro. “The portal will take you to the desert. The desert gateway will carry you to Myrrh.” He glanced around. “Any questions?”
Gregos pocketed the pouch. “Thank you, Relevart. I promise we’ll get Renn and Yaro to the portal safely.”
“Thaer, the Dreela of DoOlb,” Relevart cautioned, “is in league with Gidtuss and Dahe Terah to gain control of DerTah. They do not realize The MasTer’s plan is to turn the planet into a stronghold for the Mocendi. Be careful. Expect the portal to be guarded. I provided weapons similar to the ones that went down with Melback . You’ll find them in a locker in the forward berth.”
Cayled cleared his throat. “And what of Omudi, Dreela of Geran? Where is his allegiance?”
Relevart turned his intense gaze on Bibeed and Cayled. “Omudi was content to help Nissasa win the leadership of RewFaar by providing a hiding place for Renn. He has no interest in involving himself with Thaer and Gidtuss.”
“What of Torgin?” Renn asked. “Yaro told me he is with a man called Wolloh.”
“Your son has an important part to play in what is to come. You, Renn Whalend and Wilith, also have parts to play. You will be instrumental in what happens to the citizens of Idronatti and the planet of Thera. Focus your attention there. We will focus ours on the safety of Torgin and his friends.” He grasped his staff and stood. “Corvus, Almiralyn, we must be off.”
Renn hurried to Corvus’ side and held out the flute. “Please take this to Torgin. Tell him I am very proud of him.” A tear glistened in the corner of her eye.
Corvus slung the strap over his shoulder. “I’ll deliver it and the message.” He squeezed Almiralyn’s hand.
Relevart’s light touch transported them. Stars sprinkled the night sky; nausea tore through his body.
Allynae shaped a Dertahan red hawk and flew toward Shu Chenaro. He felt a small yearning to be with those going to rescue his daughters. Ah well. Were I more confident in my skills in DiMensionery… He soared higher to avoid the giant trees of the Tinga Forest and watched a large purple and gold bird break through the canopy. Having no desire to encounter it first hand, he streaked toward the Trinugian border.
The wards protecting Shu Chenaro crested the horizon. Each wing stroke carried him closer to his companion. The heaviness in his heart at leaving his daughters behind began to lighten. Sparrow needs me. Overseeing Myrrh can be challenging. I have the training and the experience to help her sustain the illusion that she is Almiralyn. I know Mira better than anyone but Corvus.
Allowing what awaited him to draw him onward, he concentrated on reaching the ranch. At the outer edge of the shields protecting Shu Chenaro, he landed and assumed his Human shape.
As much as he liked to think he was mastering telepathy, he continued to find it difficult to use when he was in a shape other than Human. He masked his thoughts and sent Stebben a quick message. The wards shimmered and thinned. He stepped through, shifted, and continued his flight.
Two red hawks, soaring side by side, raced toward him. A Fire ConDra blazed past them, intersected their path, banked, and shot higher. A warning whispered through his mind.
Dropping to the ground, he shifted, crouched in the shade of a taccus tree, and watched a dust devil gather speed and size. Wind torqued it upward and swept it spinning over the ground. Another gust added strength and rotation; a third heaved it aloft just as the Fire ConDra swooped, talons extended. Dust engulfed it, smothered its fire, and carried it higher. An abrupt decrease in spin and speed released the flameless body to fall earthward. Impact left it dazed and broken. Two men materialized. A kcalo-draped figure pulled a knife and slit the ConDra’s throat, ending its existence and its agony.
Stebben and his companion sprinted to Allynae’s side, caught him by the arms and teleported to the raptor center at the ranch.
The Sebborran flashed a wide, brilliant smile. “That was close.”
Stebben clapped his companion on the back. “The dust devil was a great idea, one I intend to keep in my arsenal.” He caught Allynae’s eye. “Good to see you, Alli. This is Roandee, WoNa’s brother. Roandee, meet Almiralyn’s brother, Allynae.”
Esán regained consciousness with the worst headache of his life. His stomach churned, his throat burned from the dry heaves that shook his body. He squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his temples. An image—Melback . The flash of recall knotted his stomach for different reasons: the sucking sound of Melback pulling free of the ocean, Melback rising into the air, dizziness claiming her captain and crew. Like fluid through a sieve, more images poured in. A blond man with a bandaged hand who forced them to watch a huge V-Screen on a pristine wall, where Melback plummeted back toward the sea and Gregos and Tamosh disappeared below the surface of the water. Darkness infused his thoughts, darkness so thick and vile he knew he could not live. He gasped for air, felt it whoosh into his lungs, felt it’s almost silent exhale. Straining to hear, he held his next breath. Not one sound indicated his friends were near.
Ira rolled onto his side and vomited. The stench stimulated another wave of nausea. He closed his eyes, forced the bile back down his throat, and eased himself to sitting. Dizziness almost toppled him. Pitch-black erased the features of his prison so thoroughly that he couldn’t see his palm in front of his face. Even so, the world spun. Raising his hand, he envisioned a finger pointed at the bridge of his nose, imagined he could see it moving toward him. His eyes crossed. The dizziness fled. He dropped his face in his hands. No sound wrapped him in a cocoon. No sound held him in oblivion. Where are my friends? Shyllee? Gregos? The image of the captain and his brother hurtling toward the sea—Melback crashing into the water—he moaned and vomited again.
Elf swallowed his nausea and forced himself to be still. He knew where he was; his voice had been stolen from him on this ship. He had escaped. They would never allow him to do so a second time. He knew his fate. Worse than death—cast into the pits on TreBlaya. He had watched others who would not bend to the will of the League, watched them thrown like so much garbage in to that deathless place where one burned for eternity. A spark of panic ignited. He snuffed it out. I still live. I will live. I still live. I will live . The mantra calmed him, erased his fear. This time I am not alone. A smile curved his silent lips. The skills of DiMensionery came to him naturally. If he saw something work, he could do it. Brie had cloaked Melback . He reached out and touched Shyllee’s soft fur. An illusion of invisibility hid her presence.
Desirol could not feel anything, not his eyes blinking, not his arms or legs moving, not the breath entering and exiting his lungs. He could not feel the Mindeco fighting for control or the fear the creature triggered every time he managed to gain another foothold. Juxtaposed against the total lack of sensory perception throughout his body, his ears magnified every sound. The tick, click, buzz of some type of machinery close at hand echoed down his ear canal and boomed against his ear drums. So loud—so loud he thought he would go crazy. So loud. And all he could do was listen—listen to the repetitive tick, click, buzz.
Brie pondered Vygel’s discussion with her aunt and frowned. Torgin is a prisoner? Maybe I can find him . The more she thought about it, the more intense her desire to search the ship. While buzzing around the lab, she had discovered several small, hooded vents. Some sucked stale air from the lab while others blew fresh air in. A cursory exploration beyond one of the fresh air vents had left her curious and thoughtful. In Idronatti, she and Ari had facilitated the rescue of a young boy from The Borderlands who had accidentally ended up in the city. Using the duct systems connecting the buildings in their neighborhood, they had managed to get him to safety and finally home. Maybe I can use these air ducts to see if Torgin is really here.
Mid-turning meal arrived on time. Her aunt smuggled most of it in to her in the supply closet and paused on the pretext of continuing to inventory what the shelves held. From her dim corner, Brie explained her intention.
Renn’s face grew more and more solemn. “If you get lost or caught, there is nothing I can do to help.”
“I will be very careful. I promise.”
“This ship is massive, Brie. How will you know where to start?”
“I’ll begin here at the lab and work my way outward.”
Her aunt gripped her arm. “You will report to me once every chron circle. Agreed?”
Brie felt a rush of relief. “Agreed.”
Footfalls in the lab sent her into bug form. Her aunt returned to her list.
Vygel leaned against the door jam and watched.
Brie shot through a vent and waited to be sure her aunt was safe.
The Mocendi ran a hand over his bald head. “Tell me, Renn. What progress have you made?”
“Really, Vygel. I have just begun to educate myself. If you want progress, go away and let me get back to it.”
A haughty glare was her only reply. The Mocendi vanished.
39
Master’s Reach
Myrrh
S parrow descended the stairs into the research area of the Reading Room’s library, a jumble of thoughts chasing around and around in her brain. A sideways glance left her mind blank and her progress at a standstill. Almiralyn’s sapphire eye’s stared back at her; Almiralyn’s silver-blonde hair fell in a long, thick braid well past her waist; Almiralyn’s mystified expression made her glance behind her. Confusion changed to a smile of delight.
I really did it. I shaped Almiralyn . She tossed the braid over her shoulder with a movement she had seen the Guardian do often, stood taller, and let her eyes travel the length of the tall, slender body. I mustn’t forget who I am . Eyes glued to the reflection, she repeated to herself, “I am the Guardian of Myrrh. I am Almiralyn Nadrugia.”
Striding down the aisle, she rounded a corner. The mental image of a stone box made her pause and peer into the nearest case. She examined the rows of books and the stacks of manuscripts lining the shelves. Excitement fluttered in her stomach. A rough, reddish-brown corner protruded from beneath a pile of scrolls. Almiralyn’s key unlocked the door. Carefully moving the scrolls to one side, she uncovered a stone box. About the size of a book, it bore signs of mistreatment: a chipped corner, a crack that ran down the right side, and the scorched evidence of fire. On the smoke-blackened surface, she could barely make out a single, engraved symbol.
Giddy with excitement, she made a quick search of the books on the top shelf of the cabinet. Standing on tiptoe, she lifted down a large tome entitled Universal Symbology and thumbed through it. “It has to be here,” she muttered. When she reached the final page, she shut the book, hugged it to her chest, and frowned. “Maybe I missed it.”
Placing the book on the bottom shelf, she tapped the cover and ope
ned it at random. “Ahhh.”
She smiled at the clear sketch of the symbol. Printed beneath it were two words: Rimu Minthum and beneath them, The Eye of the Gods . A short explanation of its origin followed.
After replacing the book on the shelf, she carried the box to a table at the end of the aisle. The pounding of her heart accompanied eager fingers as she explored the rough thickness of the edges. On the left side, an indent so small she almost missed it caught at her nail. A closer look showed her nothing unusual. She sat back and shut her eyes. Allowing her artist’s instincts to be her guide, she ran the tip of her smallest finger over the spot, felt a minuscule change, and pressed. A gap split the left edge. With her heart beating even louder, she wedged her fingers in the opening. Using gentle leverage, she pried the top away from the bottom. The box gave a muffled crack. The lid came free, exposing a dark blue bag.
Eager fingers plucked it free, eased the drawstring opening, and tipped the contents onto her hand. About the size of her palm, a clear crystal, flat on one side and domed on the other magnified the lines of her life. She flipped it over and over again. What are you? Slipping it back into the protective bag, she returned it to the rounded hollow in the bottom of the box and repositioned the engraved lid on top. A soft clap and the box returned to the way she had found it. Cradling it in her arms, she hurried to the area that Wilith, Merrilea, and Elae had set up for research.
She arrived as Elae held the journal aloft. “I thought we had lost this. I wonder where it— Hello, Almiralyn, you look excited.”
Sparrow placed her treasure on the table, reminded herself who she represented, and picked up the journal. “I’m delighted this is back. Relevart sent Wolloh to retrieve it as part of his training for VarTerel. If I am not mistaken, I believe I may have found something that can help us translate it.” She laid it next to the box and motioned them closer.
The UnFolding Collection Three Page 44
