“But that also means that no one on the outside will be able to hear if the person inside is in danger or if they are doing something that might get them out of the unit,” Maxim said.
Avery shook his head. Time seemed to be slowed, dragging by as he wondered what was happening beyond the door to the containment unit. He hated that he didn’t know what was happening inside. His father could be in danger and he wouldn’t know. There could have been enemies there, lying in wait somewhere where they couldn’t see them, and he could have been attacked as soon as the door closed, and they wouldn’t know because of the soundproofing. Maxim didn’t know how long he waited, but finally he couldn’t take it any longer and input the code to open the door. Relief rushed over him when he saw Aegeus standing on the far side of the small room, staring up at the ceiling. He turned to look at his son.
“What is this?” he asked, gesturing up toward the ceiling.
Maxim came to his side and looked up to see what he was looking at. It was a flat, narrow piece that contrasted with the rest of the ceiling around it, made of shimmering metal and outlined with small round lights.
“I don’t know,” Maxim said.
“That’s connected to the life force monitors,” Avery said. “It sweeps the room every few seconds and provides information to the ship’s main computer.”
“We used that system to check the entirety of the ship after Frederick said that there was someone on the ship that was a threat. There were no unaccounted-for life forms in any area of the ship.”
“Avery said that it checks every few seconds,” Aegeus said. “Did you check more than once?”
“Yes,” Maxim told him. “We monitored it for quite a while. Nothing changed. We also checked after finding out that he was gone and there were still no other life forms.”
“What did you see in this containment unit?” Aegeus asked.
“What do you mean?”
“When you did the scan after you put Frederick into the containment unit and then again after you found out that he was missing. What did you see in here?”
Maxim shook his head.
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “We didn’t really pay attention to it.”
Aegeus nodded and looked at Avery.
“What I don’t understand is why the ship is still here.”
“Why?” Avery asked.
“However he did it, whatever led up to it, Frederick escaped. He got out of the unit and he managed to not be found while the rest of the crew was still here. The crew left. They took every single person off of this ship and crossed to the compound. Yet, the ship is still here. Frederick was the pilot. He brought the ship from Earth. If he was cooperating with the enemies or was trying to threaten us in some way, wouldn’t he have taken the ship?”
“Maybe he left it here on purpose to lure us back so that the army could get to us,” Avery said.
“Or maybe he didn’t want the ship,” Maxim said. “Maybe he had no use for it.”
“Or maybe he wouldn’t use it,” Aegeus said. “If there really was a threat, there is the possibility that he didn’t escape, but that he was taken from the unit. If that’s the case, then he wouldn’t be able to take the ship. If he was really up to something, he would have taken the ship. They wouldn’t use it to bait us. They know that there is too much technology, too much opportunity on this ship. It would be too risky. The crew has already gotten a ship off of the planet when the army was trying to control it. They know that it can be done again. There’s more to his disappearance than just getting out of the unit.”
Maxim watched as Aegeus stepped out of the containment unit and started for the elevator that brought them back down to the first level of the ship. He couldn’t stop thinking about what his father had said about Frederick. Though he would have had the capability of taking the ship and leaving the planet or going to another side so that the enemy army could utilize the ship, he hadn’t. In the time that they had been gone, though brief, something could have been done in the ship, but it seemed that nothing had changed.
Was it possible that Frederick had been telling the truth?
Chapter Ten
Ivy had to concentrate on each step that she made as she followed Mhavrych and Ellora. They had left the kingdom and were walking across the large open space that had hosted the army training. She didn’t understand where they were going or what they were doing, and was starting to get nervous. Though she was willing to go along with what Mhavrych asked of her if it gave her hope that she would soon be with Maxim and that he would be able to be with her as she gave birth to their child, it seemed that they were getting further and further from the safety that she wanted.
She was still struggling to accept that she was truly in labor. This was something that she hadn’t thought would come for several more weeks and she had hoped that by the time the day of her baby’s birth came, all would have been resolved and she would be able to experience a gentle, peaceful birth that would welcome her baby into a world that was welcoming and calm rather than uncertain and chaotic. Now, though, there was nothing more that she could do. This was the time that the baby had chosen, and she could do nothing more to create the world that she wanted for it. All that she could do was trust her body to bring the baby into its life safely and then her arms to protect it from that first breath.
They continued on through the field until Mhavrych suddenly turned and started in a direction that she had never gone. He was moving faster and faster, and Ivy worried that if he continued increasing his pace she wouldn’t be able to keep up with him. The hope that she had been holding within her was starting to fade as they moved further into a section of the planet that she had never seen and that felt strange and unfamiliar to her. It occurred to her strongly in that moment that she didn’t know anything about the man that they were following. She didn’t know who he was or why he was there, and yet they had fallen into step behind him and were allowing him to guide them wherever he pleased. It was an unnerving thought and she scurried a few steps ahead to get close to Ellora.
“When are we going to stop?” she asked.
“Stop?” Ellora asked.
She looked ahead to Mhavrych who had pulled out in front of them slightly and was continuing on with little regard to whether they were close to him or not.
“So that he can get Maxim,” Ivy explained. “Aren’t we going to find a place for me to be so that Mhavrych can get Maxim and then we can go back to the kingdom?”
“No,” Ellora said. “We aren’t going back to the kingdom tonight. We’re going to Penthos.”
Ivy felt like the breath was taken from her lungs. She could barely fathom what Ellora had just said. Penthos? How was that possible? She felt new fear trailing down her spine, but she couldn’t say anything else. She had promised Mhavrych that she wouldn’t ask any questions as they made their way. She was concerned that if she went against that promise he would stop and not bring them the rest of the way.
They soon found themselves walking into a thick stretch of trees that made darkness close around them. It was difficult to see Mhavrych ahead of them and Ivy strained to hear the sound of his footsteps so that she could follow them. As they continued on she started to feel new worry about giving birth, especially the thought of not delivering on Uoria. She didn’t know what to expect, but at least on Uoria she would have the midwife to help her through. Though Ellora had said that they were going to Penthos and not returning to the kingdom, Ivy could only hope that they would change her mind and that they would be able to find Maxim and bring him back to the kingdom.
****
Maxim flipped over onto his back and stared at the ceiling. He didn’t know how long he had been struggling to sleep, but he knew that he had gotten only brief periods of rest since he had laid down in the same pod where he had slept the first time that he had been in the ship. Each time that he had fallen asleep he had snapped back awake only moments later, his mind racing with thoughts about Frederick
and the ship around him. He felt like the vessel itself was taunting him, like it knew the secrets that it held and was tormenting him with them. The questions rushing through his mind left him feeling like he couldn’t breathe and his entire body buzzing with the last vestiges of energy that his muscles were dragging out of him so that he couldn’t relax.
He felt disadvantaged when he thought of the situation with Frederick. He had never met the pilot, leaving him looking for someone and trying to understand something that he didn’t know anything about. After changing positions several more times and not being able to rest, Maxim decided that he was wasting time with his restlessness. He climbed out of the bed and dressed, deciding that he would do a little more exploration to assuage his mind and relax his body. As he made his way through the dimmed ship, he noted the differences between this ship and the one that he had ridden that brought him to Penthos. He could understand now why Avery had been hesitant to offer his assistance, claiming that he didn’t know enough about this ship. If he had spent the majority of his time on the ship that he was piloting when it was redirected to Penthos or ships similar to that one, he wouldn’t be familiar with all of the features of this one. In even just the few moments that he had been exploring it, he had identified several differences that were somewhat disorienting when he tried to compare them directly to the first ship.
Maxim found his way back to the main gathering room of the ship and looked at the door. Though he knew that it was incredibly dangerous, he couldn’t deny the draw of going outside and doing a more thorough exploration. Alone and with at least the small amount of rest that he had gotten strengthening him, Maxim hoped that he would be able to identify something that they hadn’t seen when they first approached the ship.
He input the code into the keypad and listened to the door’s locks release. The air outside was mercifully cooler now that night had fully set in and Maxim took his time as he walked down the steps into the sand. Understanding the threat that existed around them, he input the command for the steps to withdraw back into the ship, providing more protection to the men still inside. He walked around the ship, examining it carefully as he ran his hand along the still sun-warm metal in an effort to find any anomalies that might give some indication of what happened to Frederick. When he returned the front of the ship, discouraged that he had found nothing, Maxim didn’t know what to do next. He didn’t want to just go back inside. He thought about the first time that he had explored Penthos and the moments of panic when he realized that Kyven was missing. This thought reminded him of the quarry where he had gone to rescue his brother.
Though the quarry where Kyven had been was closer to the compound, Maxim thought that it couldn’t be the only one on the planet. There had to be another quarry or something similar in this area, and if there was, it would offer Frederick, or anyone else, an ideal place to hide. Taking another lightstick from the small bag that he had brought out with him, Maxim took a breath and started away from the safety of the ship into the dark unknown of the desert beyond.
Chapter Eleven
Ivy was feeling weaker. Her mouth was dry, and her legs ached with the exertion of walking. The blurriness had returned to her vision so much that she could barely see anything in front of her and relied on the feeling of Ellora beside her to feel sure that she as still following the right path. Mhavrych led them through the trees, his path winding and seemingly random, and then they dipped down a steep hill. At the bottom was what looked like the entrance to a cave inset into the ground. Mhavrych dropped down into it and Ellora walked around behind Ivy to help her lower herself down through the entrance. Ivy felt Mhavrych take hold of her and help her the rest of the way down. When Ellora dropped down behind her, they continued forward into the cooler dampness of the cave.
They had gotten through two further caverns when Ivy sudden felt a pain shoot through her lower back. She cried out and reached for Ellora, finding the only strength and security that she could in the woman who had struggled to accept her but was now the closest thing to family that she had with her. Another pain shot through her and Ivy felt her knees weaken. She couldn’t hold herself up any longer and she crumbled to the damp ground.
“Ivy!” Ellora gasped, trying to support her as much as she could so that she didn’t fall with all of her weight to the ground.
Ivy had scarcely recovered from the last intense pain when another, even harsher pain caused her back to arch and tears to spring to her eyes.
“Maxim!” she cried out.
She knew it was inevitable now. The baby was coming. She wasn’t going to be able to get any further, she wasn’t going to make it to Penthos. A sob tore from her chest and she lay back, letting her body tell her what it wanted.
“Maxim,” she said again, less a scream this time than a plea.
“Please,” she heard Ellora say. “Please.”
Without saying a word, Mhavrych turned and she heard his footsteps pounding away from her, going deeper into the cavern. Ellora sat down beside her and Ivy felt her lift her head so that it settled onto a folded blanket. The pain was coursing through her with greater frequency now and Ivy fought to regain control. She was desperate to have Maxim beside her, but all she could do was wait.
****
Maxim felt like the world was closing in tighter around him as he walked until he could hear his breath seeming to reverberate off of some unseen barriers that surrounded him. He had found nothing but a seemingly endless expanse of sand and even now that he could look over his shoulder and no longer see the ship he felt that he had made no progress. Rather than making him want to turn back and return to the ship and to the bed that he had abandoned, this only compelled him to keep going. He couldn’t go back without having found something to justify their return.
The feeling of eyes on him had his skin prickled and now it was feeling more pronounced. Maxim couldn’t tell if the increased feeling was only because of the masking of the darkness or because he was actually detecting something that had changed around him. He couldn’t let it stop him and he pushed on, lifting his light higher to provide more illumination to the sand so he could follow it ahead.
Suddenly from behind him he heard what sounded like a shuddering breath. Maxim paused and strained for more of the sound. He hoped that it had been his own breath, merely amplified in his ears by the rest of the silence that seemed to stretch on all sides of him. Within a few seconds, though, he heard the sound again, louder this time, and knew that there was someone else close by and drawing steadily closer. He whipped around, his hand moving to his hip.
****
Ivy clutched Ellora’s hand, letting it support her through the surge of pain that took her breath away. She still hadn’t opened her eyes again since Mhavrych left. Opening her eyes would mean that she had to confront the emptiness of the cavern, that she would have to accept that Maxim still wasn’t there. When the pain eased enough that she could breathe again, she blew out a breath and concentrated on letting her muscles relax.
“How are you feeling?” Ellora asked. “Are you feeling any pressure?”
Ivy nodded. She gestured at her back and around the front of her belly.
“It hurts,” she murmured.
“I know,” Ellora said. Ivy felt Ellora’s hand brush her forehead, smoothing sweaty tendrils of hair away. “I think it’s time to get undressed,” she said gently. “I’ll lay out a blanket for you.”
It was becoming so incredibly real, so quickly. Ivy let Ellora help her undress and felt her slip a soft, thin gown over her head, so it settled over her body but didn’t constrain her in any way. She settled onto the blanket that Ellora had spread out across the ground and laid back to rest her head on the folded blanket again. As a light cloth came down over her, Ivy opened her eyes and looked at Ellora.
“I wish Maxim was here,” she said.
Ellora nodded, the emotion clear in her eyes as they reflected the glow from a torch that had been lit on the wall over her head.
“Who is he?” Ivy asked.
“I don’t know,” Ellora said, “but I do know that he knew Aegeus and that he saved Kyven.”
Ivy suddenly remembered where she had heard his name.
“That was him,” she said. “He saved Kyven on Penthos. He’s the reason Kyven and Emerie are alive.”
Ellora nodded. Ivy started to say something, but a pain even stronger than any of the others tore through her. She gritted her teeth and gripped at the blanket on either side of her.
“Don’t fight,” Ellora told her. “Your body knows what it’s doing. Just let it.”
Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes as she focused on the image of Maxim’s face in her mind.
****
Maxim’s hand touched the coarse fabric of his pants and he realized that he hadn’t picked up his weapon before leaving his pod in the ship. He couldn’t believe that he had made such an incredible mistake. The breath came again, but it sounded like it was behind him again, as if whatever was there with him was following his movements, taunting him. Armed only with the lightstick in his hand, Maxim turned again and immediately felt something hard hit him in the stomach.
Grunting at the impact, Maxim stumbled back, struggling to right himself. He couldn’t overcome the impact and hit the ground. His head slammed back into the sand and bright spots burst in front of his eyes. The lightstick fell from his hand and fell, digging down into the sand. Though it cast him into deeper darkness, it freed his hands, reminding him that he could still fight back. Maxim clawed at the figure that had come down on top of him, trying to pull it away. He managed to take hold of fabric on the figure’s back and pull up so that the pressure of its weight on top of him eased. Maxim took the opportunity to bend his knees and turn up one foot, panting it into the creature’s gut and using the power of his legs to send it flying backwards off of him.
Maxim & Ivy's Story Page 7
