Infinity's Embrace

by Anna Carven

  He’d struggled to piece the information together - something about vast oceans and brilliant starlight and the Zor-induced disruption of Kythia’s dark energy, leading to the extinction of the faded star, Ithra.

  That’s when he’d been caught by the Mistress.

  This was the true source of power in Kythia, and if there was any knowledge in the Universe that could help Noa understand her ability, it would be in here.

  That is the sole reason he’d claimed it.

  And to his surprise, the General had been most obliging.

  He stood before the Qualum doors, unsure of how he was going to open them. He was too exhausted to attempt to unlock them with his mind, and he couldn’t reach Noa to draw on her strength. In frustration, he pulled out a throwing dagger and stabbed the dark fibers, trying to get them to unravel.

  Of course, they wouldn’t budge.

  The whole thing was a dark, impenetrable chamber ensconced in endless stone.

  His frustration grew, fueling his anger. He punched the Qualum door with his modified left fist, but of course, that did nothing.

  That’s when the ceiling began to shake violently, large fragments of stone crashing down all around him. Ashrael narrowly managed to evade a falling chunk of rock as it crashed down in front of the library, blocking the Qualum doors.

  The world was collapsing around him. He had to get out of here, or else he was going to die.

  So he ran, leaving the precious room of knowledge behind.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Ashrael made his way up to the surface, dodging chaos. The prisoners were working to free one another amidst the crumbling stone and dust.

  He had no idea what was happening. All he knew was that he had to get back to Noa. He had to discover the reason for her silence.

  She couldn’t be dead. He refused to believe it.

  As he reached the wide courtyard of the central palace, he encountered a squadron of armed Imperial guards. They were fighting the slaves.

  Somehow, the slaves had managed to get their hands on Korodlian weaponry. They wielded Callidum blades and plasma weapons with brutal, untrained savagery.

  It was carnage on both sides.

  Several of the Imperial guards saw him and shouted at him to join the fray, assuming he was on their side. Ashrael hesitated for a moment before retrieving his two remaining throwing knives from where they were sheathed underneath his skinsuit.

  There was only one way out.

  So he began to carve a path across the courtyard, but instead of attacking the slaves, he went for the guards. He didn’t bother with qim or invisibility or stealth. He channelled his ka’qui into his limbs, his pale form disappearing as the dark blood of the Kordolians splattered across his skinsuit, turning it black. His fury turned into motion, and he stabbed, slashed, dodged, ducked, and sliced, evading blasts of plasma and heavy blade strikes as his ka’qui gave him godlike speed.

  He went after the Kordolians, but anyone who got in his way was at risk, and soon the slaves had retreated to the far side of the courtyard, abandoning the fight. The Kordolian guards fought with a sense of growing desperation, unable to pin down the fast-moving shadow that struck with such deadly precision.

  He didn’t slip or falter, even as the ground continued to tremble.

  Ashrael gave in to the dark rhythm of his killing dance, turning his anger and despair into lethal movement. By the time he’d crossed the wide space, most of the Imperial squadron lay dead or dying on the ground. The remaining few guards stared at him in disbelief, fear radiating from them as they said silent prayers to the Goddess.

  They were right to fear him, because the blood coursing through his veins - the very blood that made him look different; the blood that had gifted him with the talent and made him so closely resemble the cold, lifeless figure carved into the lid of the kubat - was something Kordolians had always feared.

  His hands were coated in blood now, and as he left the courtyard, he started to run. The air above was thick with ash and cloud, and an acrid, mineral smell reached his nose.

  In the outer perimeter, he was confronted by more Imperial guards, double the number he’d encountered in the courtyard.

  He stole a curved Callidum longsword and a plasma gun from one of the soldiers he’d killed and slaughtered them all.

  Still, the ground continued to shake, the violent vibrations growing stronger. The noise was deafening. Explosions echoed through the thick ash-filled air.

  A terrible energy swirled over the surface of the planet. It was the fear radiating from its inhabitants, who were so small and insignificant in the face of the Dark Planet’s anger. It fed into Ashrael’s anger and despair and growing emptiness, because he still couldn’t feel his Noa.

  The blood coating his skinsuit began to dry as he made his way towards the Imperial docking bay, but he was barely aware of it.

  A retrieval craft was supposed to come for him, but with the entire surface of the planet shaking and the civilized zones covered in plumes of ash and smoke, he didn’t know how the fuck they were supposed to rescue him.

  All he knew was that he had to get back to Silence and find his beloved, and she had to be alive, otherwise everything he had done to get to this point would have been in vain.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  “She’s waking up again.”

  “Ah, shit. I’ve already pumped her full of enough sedative to take down a fully grown szkazajik. She went too deep last time. Her heart nearly stopped, and then we had to give her another drug to speed it up again. Any more and I’m worried it might kill her. I’ve never seen doses like this wear off so quickly before.”

  “Noa.” Elgon’s voice filtered to her through a fog of sedation and psychic noise and chaos. Above it all there was the magnetic, seductive pull of the Dark Planet’s energy, threatening to suck her into its eternal void. “Noa, now more than ever, you have to find control. You have to pull yourself together and put your barriers up. You have to detach from the planet’s energy.”

  His voice sounded weird, as if she were hearing three versions of it at once. He spoke in Kordolian, which was changed to Universal through the translator node, and then there was his ka’qui, which conveyed the meaning.

  I… must? She could barely speak. Her thoughts had been shattered into a thousand pieces. But I can’t.

  The power she’d found was addictive. Unable to help it, she slipped back into its dark embrace, losing herself.

  Ashrael wasn’t with her, so what was the point?

  The power could do anything. It could kill them all if she wished it. It could destroy planets. She got a tiny taste of its potential and became intoxicated and terrified.

  It was highly seductive.

  And dangerous.

  And oh-so wrong.

  Everything could end now, if she wished.

  “Noa! Snap out of it!” A hand came down on her face. Stinging pain radiated across her cheek where he’d slapped her.

  Anger coursed through her and she sat up. The Dark Power within her flexed and surged.

  “Kaiin’s hells,” someone muttered. Strong hands surrounded her, restraining her, trying to push her down.

  “Get off,” she growled, her voice amplified and distorted by the Power. She opened her eyes and saw everything differently. She saw the Universe not as shapes and colors, but as skeins of golden energy amongst the darkness.

  It was beautiful.

  Was this how her beloved had seen the world?

  But he wasn’t with her anymore, and the Power was the only thing that could fill her emptiness.

  The air around her swirled. Her hair whipped around her face, and the Kordolians swore. She could understand their guttural speech perfectly.

  “What the fuck is happening, Elgon?” These hardened, near-invincible warriors, who had never known true fear, were afraid.

  “She’s lost control,” he whispered, his voice equal parts reverent and terrified. “The Power is changin
g her.”

  Again, they tried to restrain her, their armored hands clamping around her arms and legs. Ka’qui shot through her limbs and she threw them back with impossible force. She ripped away the wires and tubes attached to her body, yearning to be free.

  More swearing. “Pump her full of that shit, medic. Knock her out.”

  “But…”

  “We don’t have a choice. Do it!”

  Someone approached her from behind, but she swatted them away with the Power, sending them crashing against the wall.

  She greedily sucked in the Power until she was filled to almost bursting point, and the world around her was energy and darkness, and if she wanted to, she could end it all with just one…

  Noa.

  A gentle cocoon of love surrounded her. His soul re-connected with hers, and everything went quiet, as if she were standing in the eye of a hurricane.

  Why are you so unsettled, my love?

  The Dark Power seethed and surged around her, begging for her attention.

  She hesitated.

  Ashrael?

  I am here.

  The threads of the Universe swirled around her in a wild flux, and then everything slowed down and began to fall back into place.

  But the Dark Power still called to her, terrifying and potent, and she knew that her control wasn’t good enough. Nothing could have prepared her for this, not even all those years she’d spent learning discipline and control as she mastered the piano.

  Humans weren’t supposed to wield this kind of power. Whatever the SynCorp crazies had done to her to make her susceptible to the ka’qui had been a mistake.

  It wasn’t natural. She wasn’t natural.

  Silence rocked back and forth, bits of medical equipment crashing to the floor around her. The warriors were on their feet again, making their way towards her.

  Struck with the sheer scale of the power coursing through her, she froze, paralyzing fear winding its way into her heart as she realized the enormity of what she’d done.

  She was brimming with dark power, and all it would take was the wrong word or the wrong move, and everything would be finished.

  Noa, Ashrael called, his mindvoice wrapping itself around her, offering her salvation. You don’t need to be so upset. I am returning to you now my love, and everything will be all right.

  A tear rolled down her cheek as she realized how close they were to utter destruction. Her control wasn’t good enough. No matter how hard she’d practiced, no matter how many hours she’d spent training with Elgon, she hadn’t been able to master her energy, and now there was only one thing she could do.

  So she walked forward slowly, carefully, as if she were balancing on a highwire, and held out her hand.

  “Give me your dagger,” she said to Rykal, unable to recognize her own voice. It was deep and amplified, and she no longer sounded Human.

  “What?” He stared at her in shock, unable to comprehend what she was about to do.

  Noa flexed her will and drew the dagger towards her. It flew out of its sheath and landed in her palm.

  Without hesitation, she spun it around and stabbed herself in the gut. Pain ripped through her lower body as the Kordolian warriors rushed to her side, swearing. She dropped to her knees as blood seeped from her stomach, staining her tunic and pants.

  And bit by bit, pain took over and she embraced it, narrowing in on it, because it lessened the Dark Planet’s terrible grip on her soul.

  Pain is a focal point. Use it. She remembered the Soldar’s fateful words.

  She closed her eyes as her energy drained out, a sense of peace settling over her. She wasn’t going to die. She was in a Kordolian medical bay of all places, and she’d seen them work miracles before.

  Surely they could handle a little stab wound.

  As the Kordolians gently lifted her up onto the bed and the medics rushed into action, Ashrael’s tender embrace came through their bond.

  Silly, undisciplined Human, he scolded, radiating love and concern. When I get back, we are going to have words, my Noa.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  She woke to fire and ice. Her skin was terribly cold in some places, and blissfully warm in others. She blinked, opening her eyes.

  A blue filter clouded her vision. She was surrounded by cold liquid.

  Oh shit, I’m in stasis.

  Instantly, Ashrael’s warm aura surrounded her, and his hands caressed her waist, running over the curve of her hips and thighs.

  You are, he agreed, nuzzling her neck. She closed her eyes and exhaled in relief, her breath fogging up the clear plate of the breathing helmet.

  Fractured memories returned to her and she began to shiver uncontrollably. Please tell me that was all just a fucked up dream.

  He planted soft kisses on her neck, his warm lips at odds with the frigid stasis liquid. Shh. I am here now. Everything will be fine.

  You’re back?

  I am. It was a difficult extraction, but nothing was going to keep me from you, Noa.

  He wrapped his long, muscular limbs around her, caressing every inch of her. Apparently, Kordolians could hold their breath underwater for quite a long time.

  I wish I could kiss you, but this will have to do for now. You must heal and rest.

  You have a lot of explaining to do, Mister. She tried to be angry at him, but it was impossible. I thought you were…

  She couldn’t bring herself to say it.

  Don’t think about that, my love. I am free now, because someone just so happened to meddle with the Dark Planet’s inner forces. Your presence shook the entire planet, my sarien.

  What does that even mean?

  Earthquakes, the shifting of seas, volcanic eruptions. The usual kind of thing.

  Oh… Noa stiffened. The cold, sinister energy radiating from Kythia was gone, replaced by Ashrael’s overwhelming presence. I don’t really understand what happened. All I remember is that I thought I’d lost you, and something inside me went a little crazy. I felt so empty. I was just trying to fill the void.

  I’m here now. He squeezed her gently, twining his legs with hers and wrapping his arms around her torso. He was firm and yet exquisitely gentle, being careful to avoid the place where she’d stabbed herself. And I’m not going anywhere.

  So what happens now? She asked the question with a degree of trepidation. Were they doomed to spend an eternity floating through space on a dark ship?

  We are free. General Akkadian and his Five Commanders have taken back the civilized zones, and the twelve Noble Houses have fallen. The offworld races have been liberated, and Imperial forces throughout the galaxies are surrendering to the allies. The remaining Silent Ones haven’t all been accounted for yet, but with time, we will track them down and reverse the damage done.

  Noa twined her fingers through his, savoring his warmth. She didn’t understand half of what he’d just told her, but she had her Ashrael back, and that was all that really mattered to her.

  So tell me, my love, where do you wish to go?

  She hesitated as she considered all the places in the Universe. Ashrael squeezed her hands and kissed her again, his warm tongue caressing the tender skin of her neck.

  “Home,” she said finally, relieved that her voice was back to normal again. The word came out sounding quiet and rather… hopeful. “I want to go home.”

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Noa sneezed, rubbing her nose as the door of the apartment slid closed behind them. Dust coated the furniture and various snapboxes containing her belongings lined the walls.

  They were all packed up and ready to be shipped off, sold, or discarded.

  She wrinkled her nose in annoyance. Not anymore. She was back in the world of the living, and her brother Tomas, who had tried to handle her - supposedly deceased - estate as best he could, had been overjoyed to have her back once the initial shock had worn off.

  And she’d been pleased to find that at least one of her apartments - a refurbished art-deco affair
in Santa Monica - hadn’t been sold off to the highest bidder just yet.

  Back in her touring days, she hadn’t used this apartment much, but it had always been one of her favorites. She liked the climate here, and she liked the beach.

  It was so good to be back on Earth. Six months stuck on a Kordolian stealth cruiser with no access to sunlight or nature had left her pining for her home planet. Her only salvation had been Ashrael. They had used the time to become lost in one another, exploring each other’s bodies and minds as their bond grew even stronger.

  The Human women and their Kordolian mates had stayed behind on Kythia to “sort out the mess and keep the Big Bad from turning into a total tyrant,” as Abbey had said. The Nine Galaxies were undergoing a complete political upheaval in the aftermath of the Kordolian Empire’s downfall, and Tarak, Xalikian, and their followers were hanging around to ensure real change came about on Kythia.

  Noa didn’t know how the Kordolian Wives’ Club were going to cope in that cold, dark place, but they were all tough women in their own right, and Abbey had already been saying something about a “vacation to Veronia.” Apparently, Veronia had a decent sun and enjoyed a similar climate to Earth.

  And the food was supposed to be amazing.

  Noa and Ashrael, on the other hand, hadn’t been able to get out of there quickly enough. To Noa’s intense relief, her connection to the Dark Planet had dissolved once they’d left Sector One, and her power had gone back to normal, whatever normal was these days.

  She still struggled to control it sometimes, but at least her bond with Ashrael kept her from hearing the voices. And apparently, he was awaiting a mysterious shipment that would help her learn more about her gift. “Precious knowledge retrieved from the cursed rubble of the collapsed palace,” he’d said. “Again, that was your doing, my love.”

  What the hell had really happened down on Kythia? She hadn’t meant to cause an earthquake, but according to just about everyone, it was all her fault somehow.