by Tobias Wade
“Where did the villagers go, anyway?” Elden asked. The surrounding houses were eerily quiet in the warm bright morning. For a moment there was a hint of the boisterous laughter through the trees, but the muffled echo dragged out, transforming into a poignant wail.
“The Draiths are probably still hunting the survivors in the jungle,” Harris replied with excitement. “It was my plan all along to use the Draiths to keep them busy long enough for us to finish fixing the pod. Unless, of course, the magic girl has a way of teleporting us back home too…”
“Magic girl, no, don’t like it,” Amore cut in. “I prefer the Crystal Goddess.”
“I’m sure there’s a perfectly rational explanation…” Sali began, drier than a toasted sponge.
“If you’ve ever wondered why people don’t pay attention to you, then perhaps you should consider your tone,” Amore interrupted. “As a matter of fact, I believe that I really can use the crystal power to get us all back to Pria. At least I would, if I wasn’t detecting all this negative energy from the Draith queen that is interfering with… something about higher dimensional resonance structures… or whatever? The point is, it won’t be safe to teleport as long as the Draiths are still here. So none of this messing about with broken rubbish, we need to focus on destroying the queen. The crystal told me all about it before I woke up…”
“Who are we to trust in these difficult times?” Harris Johnson posed heroically with one foot resting on a large crystal shard. “Should we trust the science that has thrust us into this dangerous predicament, or the magic of the Crystal Goddess who has saved all of our lives? If only we had an extraordinary leader to make sense of this impossible choice.”
“It isn’t an impossible choice.” Sali stomped her foot in frustration, an angry flush lighting up her face. “There was nothing magical about the Quasi Crystal. You saw something when you looked inside, didn’t you Harris?”
“The reflection of a face,” Harris conceded. “It wasn’t mine though, unfortunately. It had the most glorious mustache I’d ever seen in my life.”
“See then, that proves it!” Sali proclaimed. “The crystal is just a communication device. I don’t know everything about how it worked yet, but that doesn’t mean we have to throw away everything we do know about the world just because one thing doesn’t make sense. Just think about it: we traveled twelve years to get here, and Guala said the Grand Shaman was here for ten of those. Either she traveled faster than the speed of light inside that crystal, or she came with us on the spaceship. Keep in mind that the engines on the Galactic Express represent the pinnacle of thousands of years of technological progress, each picking up where the brightest minds of the last generation left off. We aren’t going to stumble across any cheap trick that all those geniuses missed. If you ever want to see the towers of Pria again, we’re going to need to take the same ship back.”
“I can make the trip back instantly, and I’m the only one with the power to get rid of the Draiths,” Amore said smugly. She critically surveyed her reflection in a large hunk of broken crystal, apparently pleased by what she found. “Go on Elden, tell her that you believe me.”
“Think for yourself, Elden,” Sali cut in. “Did you forget why you were sent here in the first place? After what you told me about Amore, I don’t know how you can listen to a word she says.”
“Oh Elden… dear… what did you tell that woman about me?” Amore asked in a voice so sickly sweet it might have given Elden diabetes.
“Um, nothing much. Of course I believe you, honey, dear, love.” Elden’s neck was starting to hurt from how much he stared at the ground. “Let’s just do it her way, Sali. And if that doesn’t work, we’ll try your way next. Okay?”
“I’m on your side, Ms. Halzey,” Ramnus said, steadfast. “I don’t understand the ship engines any better than I do the crystal magic, but I trust you to know what’s best for us.”
“Thank you, Ramnus. I’m sorry for saying you burn slower than a red dwarf earlier.”
“That’s alright, ma’am. To be honest, I’m not even sure what that means.”
“That brings us to two votes for the rocket, two votes for the Quasi Crystal.” Harris Johnson spoke slowly, savoring the words as though they’d been injected directly into his tongue. “That brings us to my all important, supreme deciding vote which says…”
“Tareesh would have voted with me if he was still here…” Sali grumbled.
“I’ll use my powers to get you a ship once we make it back to Pria,” Amore interjected.
“That’s the type of teamwork I like to hear,” Harris declared exuberantly. “I’ve decided to go with Amore’s plan to kill the Draith queen and use her crystal magic to return home.”
“And we will obey! An excellent decision from a strong, decisive leader,” Amore exclaimed. “Why couldn’t you have been more firm like that, hm Elden? Come now, stop feeling sorry for yourself and scrape up. I don’t want to spend a moment longer than I have to in this beastly, grubby place.”
Golden light slipped between the trees as the weary explorers scoured the village to supply their hunt. It would have been a beautiful day if not for the dark streaks in the distance, like rainclouds moving against the wind. Endless Draiths continued to stream down in columns from orbit, no longer hampered by the atmosphere.
Beneath these shadows, Ramnus and Harris hurried to collect strips of smoked Habanon meat while Elden collected spears from the fallen warriors. Sali didn’t see any ancient device that would serve her better than what was already at the junkyard. Besides, she was much more interested in what Amore was up to anyway. The woman clearly made no premise to prepare for their search, and was instead making a deliberate effort to separate herself from the others. With a mechanical thought and a small sting within her inner ear, Sali tuned herself to mute the frequencies of all sounds other than Amore’s voice range.
“And you’re sure this is going to work?” Amore whispered surreptitiously to one of the trees. Amore glanced over her shoulder, but Sali immediately busied herself by coiling a length of green rope and didn’t look up.
“ You never told me they looked so vile. What if the crystal power doesn’t work on the queen?” Amore asked softly.
She was definitely talking to someone, but who? Sali tried to expand the range of frequencies she was picking up, but she couldn’t detect any voice replying to Amore. There was a long pause, however, while the other person must be responding somehow.
Sali hadn’t seen any implanted ports beneath Amore’s thick hair, but just to be safe, she began a scan for any the electromagnetic pattern Cybers typically emit. A soft succession of beeps surprised Sali with a quick confirmation. Elden said that he’d never met a Cyber before; was it possible he didn’t know that his wife had received some of the latest upgrades? And who could she be communicating with, when there should be nothing to receive her signal within light years? Sali scratched the back of her ear, subtly turning up the volume while she continued her task.
“I thought you wanted me to destroy them,” Amore said. “Why should I keep one if they’re so dangerous? And what would I even do with it?”
Sali had a sudden compulsion to stand up, walk over to Amore, and smash her face against the tree until she confessed to what was really going on. Amore would just play the innocent victim though, and no good would come of it. Maybe Sali would have better luck persuading Elden, but he seemed so deliriously happy to have his wife back that he’d blindly take her side no matter what.
Sali tightened the rope around her knuckles, wishing she really could generate an electrical impulse to make herself calm down. Relying on one’s own impulsive biology was such a helpless feeling. The same thing that made Sali always pick fights with her mother was now a matter of life and death. This time she would force herself to be patient, to watch and listen, not reacting until she had enough information to guide her.
“One of the other prisoners has already been giving me trouble,” Amore wh
ispered. “This mission would probably go better if I could get rid of her…”
Amore stopped suddenly, and then half-turning, she called out in a louder voice: “What do you think we’re going to need all that rope for?”
Sali stared down at the massive pile she’d continued to coil. It was heaped nearly up to her waist. She dropped half the length back to the ground and started sawing at the twined vines with a splinter of jagged crystal.
“Better to have it and not need it,” Sali muttered.
“I hope you don’t intend for me to be carrying your junk around for you. The only thing I need is in my head.”
“So I see,” Sali said, looping the rope over one shoulder. “Not to worry, I’m sure that’s burden enough.”
Amore began to smile, but stopped halfway through the motion as she realized it probably hadn’t been a compliment. Her upper lip remained frozen in a disdainful expression as she turned fully on Sali.
“We’re not the same, you and I,” Amore said tensely. “The rest of you are here because you deserve it. I came in the name of love, because I couldn’t bear to be away from my husband. And now I’m the only one who knows how to get rid of that v—” Amore’s mouth snapped shut and her back went rigid as though an electric shock had raced up her spine. She shook herself briefly, a few hairs frazzled out of place. Then she smiled as though nothing had happened. “Get rid of that very nasty alien. I would thank you to be more respectful when you’re addressing me.”
“Oh we’re going to get along just fine,” Sali replied. Her fingers were two shades whiter than they’d been a moment before, but she couldn’t trust her hands enough to release their grip on the rope. “If you can find it in your heart to love your criminal of a husband, then I’m sure you can do the same for the rest of us. You may not want any of the tools in the village, but unless you eat crystals, you’re going to want to bring some food with you. Who knows how long it will take for us to hunt down this alien queen.”
“Thank you, I’ll go have a look round and see if anything is up to my standards.” Amore lifted her head high as she strode back through the village. Her red dress swished around her feet, an infuriating reminder that she really wasn’t like the rest of the rest of them with their dirty yellow jumpsuits.
The weary party would have benefitted immensely from some sleep that wasn’t induced by poison, but one by one they fell in line beneath Amore’s relentless scolding. Watching them trudge at her direction reminded Elden of when they’d first taken the space shuttle from O8 to Pria. She’d somehow managed to lose one of her earrings in transit, and she wouldn’t relent until the pilot decided it was his idea to turn the shuttle around and look for it between the asteroids. Elden wasn’t sure how she always got her way, but at a certain point agreeing with her just became easier than trying to retain a mind of one’s own.
“It’s this way. I can feel it,” Amore stated unequivocally. “Elden, you’ll go in front, won’t you dear? You’ll have to use your machete to make a path for me. I won’t get far if my dress catches on all these wretched thorns.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to change into something a little more… practical?” Elden asked.
“What, you mean peel something off a corpse? I’d rather die. No no, there might even be some of the crystal power absorbed into my dress. It would be safer for all of us if I keep it as pristine as possible.”
“What do you know about your crystal magic?” Harris Johnson asked as they walked. “You’ve got that light which burns the buggers, that’s a good one. But you can also track the queen, and send us all home when she’s gone?”
“Yeah, what about flying?” Ramnus said.
“Really? You? Not with all the magic in the world.” Amore laughed like a wind chime ringing in dead air. “What, you think my powers aren’t good enough?”
“I was impressed alright,” Ramnus insisted. “I’ve just always wanted to fly, that’s all.”
“Well keep asking stupid questions, and I’m sure you’ll find out exactly what I can do.”
“She means don’t keep asking questions,” Elden whispered conspiratorially. “I know her signals can be confusing sometimes, but I’ll keep you safe.”
“Machete, Elden.” Amore commanded.
Smooth white hands on the back of Elden’s neck guided him toward the thickest of the jungle. Elden swung the blade feebly at the tangled mass, lodging the metal in a blade of grass.
“That doesn’t make sense. How am I supposed to find out by not asking questions?” Ramnus puzzled. He seized the machete from his grateful companion and began to hack a swath of destruction that could have accommodated a highway.
“Honestly, I don’t know either,” Elden replied. “That’s just the way ladies talk.”
“We could have been flying right now if we’d fixed the pods,” Sali groused. “And you should never feel bad about asking questions, Ramnus. You can ask me whatever you like—not all ladies are like that.”
“But you’re not exactly a lady, are you?”
“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Well you don’t act much like a lady.”
“And what’s a lady supposed to act like?”
“They’re not supposed to answer questions directly,” Harris Johnson agreed. “They always turn words back around and make you argue against yourself. And if a lady has a secret, then they’re offended if you don’t at least try to discover it. But don’t try too hard, because they’ll be angry once you find out. Take it from me, the best thing is just to smile and nod and say ‘I wish I knew more about you’”.
“Oh, and I’m sure the great Captain Johnson knows everything about ladies,” Sali said, wrinkling her nose at the thought.
“‘Course I do. In fact, the more proper the lady is, the more everything displeases her, because it won’t be good enough for her. We’re talking about distinct layers of fine, until you get to the top where she won’t like anything at all. Not even if you try to share your best rum with her after she’s been locked up all day with nothing to do. They’d rather stay locked up, see, than admit they wanted the company.”
“I knew it! You were a pirate—just admit it,” Sali declared triumphantly. “You were a pirate, and you kidnapped people!”
“Will you all quiet down?” Amore admonished. “How can I be in tune with the fluctuations of the Quasi Crystal with all this blathering?”
“There’s someone speaking to her,” Sali said softly. “Someone only she can hear. I think it might be the same person we were hearing through the Quasi Crystal.”
“That’s good, isn’t it?” Ramnus asked. “The crystal warned us about the Draiths, so it’s trying to help us, just like Amore is.”
“Why wouldn’t she be honest about it though?” Sali hissed. “It just doesn’t sit right with me.”
“Ladies like having secrets though,” Harris said. “You’d understand if you were a—”
“I’ve got my own secrets, buster. You’d think it was strange too if you could stop staring at her long enough to get your blood flowing. You have to admit it’s weird how she showed up out of nowhere and saved us like that. I just want you to be careful around her, that’s all.”
“You’re only saying that because we’re hunting aliens instead of working on the ship,” Harris argued. “You’re just jealous you lost the vote.”
“Trust me, I’d love to stomp the goo out of those buggers as much as anyone. I’m not upset that we’re hunting aliens. I’m upset because they’re hunting us.”
The dark clouds of Draiths had steadily been settling into the branches as the prisoners spoke. Yellow eyes tracked them from every nook and cranny, every dark underside of a leaf and shadow between the trees. Silent wings fluttered through the squirming undergrowth. The surrounding Draiths all moved in unison to maintain their constant formation around the humans.
“What are you waiting for, little cowards?” Ramnus boomed, striking his chest with a fist. “W
e’re right here, come and get us!”
Amore waved her hands defensively in the air in the manner of someone who believes their liquor has magically taught them all they need to know about kung fu. Sali gripped her wooden spear tighter, maintaining a deeply satisfying fantasy about the Draiths dropping down from the trees onto Amore’s head while the woman squealed helplessly. The aliens didn’t strike, however, and with a series of high-pitched squeaks, they retreated into the densest portion of the jungle.
“Well done, my love!” Elden exclaimed. “They must be terrified of what you did to the others.”
“I could have burned them alive, you know,” she replied, brushing off Elden’s attempt to embrace her. “Behave yourself, Elden. There’s nothing attractive about a man needing to be saved all the time.”
“This is the first time the Draiths have made a sound, isn’t it?” Sali asked Ramnus, the only other prisoner who seemed to have his head on his shoulders, even if it was tenuously balanced there.
“Yeah, so? They didn’t used to have wings either, until they needed to fly.”
The chatter of Draiths penetrated through the dense foliage once more, prompting Ramnus to begin hacking the machete in that direction. Their strained squawking sounded parrot like, with some of the noises almost familiar: the poetry of a foreign language that could be felt without being understood.
“That’s exactly what I mean,” Sali said. “Why do they suddenly need to squeak? They were already communicating with each other well enough, considering how well synchronized they moved. The only reason they’d need to make a sound now is if they were trying to communicate with us. It’s almost as if they’re leading us somewhere on purpose.”
“You give them too much credit,” Harris Johnson said. “It takes a human to make a plan, and if you’ve ever had to wait for a Humanist permit, then you know even humans aren’t much good at it. That’s why I’d always just dock wherever I pleased. If anyone ever tried to give me a ticket, I’d have some paperwork ready that made them apply for a permit to give permits, and I’d always be gone by the time they finished.”
