by Cheree Alsop
Tariq gave an accepting nod.
“I’m going to miss you the most,” Shathryn told O’Tule. She gave her friend a hug, then turned an imperious stare on Zran. “You take good care of my girl.”
“I’ll do my best,” Zran replied; he appeared unruffled by her command. “She’s amazing.”
“Yes, she is,” Shathryn said. She turned to Liora. “I hope you find what you’re looking for, my dear. The Macrocosm is a big place, but you don’t have to go alone anymore. You have a family now.”
She gave Liora a hug; Liora surprised herself by hugging the woman back. She was going to miss the purple-haired humanoid’s sassy ways and no-nonsense attitude. The ship would be emptier without her.
Shathryn gave Hyrin a hug, then turned to Tariq. She looked the human up and down and shook her head.
“You’re the one I’ve always worried about,” she said, “But I don’t worry anymore.” She winked at him. “You found something bigger than your fear or pain.” She smiled at Liora. “Love truly can change your course in life; I know.” She put a hand on Tariq’s arm. “Just don’t let it go, Tariq. Whatever you do, don’t let it go.”
Her words appeared to catch him off guard. He looked from Shathryn to Liora. “You don’t have to worry about that,” he said.
In front of the crew, her brother, and Tramareaus, Tariq swept Liora into his arms and kissed her soundly on the lips.
“I love you, Liora Day,” he said when they parted.
“I love you, Tariq Donovan,” she said, staring up at him and fighting to catch her breath.
The crew cheered; their claps and shouts echoed across the land.
“You better send me a wedding invitation,” O’Tule told Shathryn.
“There won’t be a wedding without my best friend at my side,” Shathryn replied. She looked at the crew. “I expect to see all of you back here when we get the arrangements finished.”
At Devren’s nod, Tramareaus surprised him by giving him a hug. “A captain for a brother. I couldn’t have asked for more.”
When he let Devren go, the captain stared at the Artidus. “I’m not Shathryn’s brother.”
“Yes, you are,” Tramareaus replied. “And now you’re my brother as well.”
The crew waved at Tramareaus and Shathryn from the windows of the Crow. It felt strange that Shathryn wasn’t among them, yet, looking down at them standing arm in arm and waving up at the starship also felt right. The smile on Liora’s lips didn’t fade until her thoughts turned to the mission ahead. If she could resolve the threat against the Damaclans, perhaps she, too, could embrace the happiness Shathryn felt.
Chapter 15
Liora didn’t expect the emotions that assailed her when she set foot on Ralian. The stark brown dirt puffed up beneath her shoes and the sun beat down from above, unforgiving and glaring in the harsh singe weather. She shielded her eyes and looked up at the jagged plateau above them. The waterfall that ran in the wet season would be dry, yet she ached for the sound of it splashing on the rocks below, the same rocks Vogun had jumped into on a dare and broken his tooth. Her thoughts flashed to the memory of Vogun beneath her knife, his eyes wide as she took his life and claimed her place in the clan.
The next day, the Nameless Ones had killed everyone she knew, gaining strength from the fear and pain they inflicted on those with whom she had grown up. The bodies had littered the road before her, blood flowing to color the sand dark brown. They were bodies that needed to be avenged, souls taken before they were ready.
Liora pushed the memories away. She would avenge her clan, but to do it, she needed to have a clear mind. It was going to be dangerous.
Devren, Tariq, and Brandis maneuvered the Omne Occasus case to the middle of the square. The bones where the slain Damaclans had lain were long gone, dragged away by creatures from the land and air. Liora saw a weathered skull half-buried in the dirt near the crumbling wall of one of the houses. It was a small skull, too small to have belonged to an adult. Liora clenched her jaw and turned her attention to the task at hand.
“So we wait for them to come and we shoot the orbs. They’re sucked in and we’re done, right?” Hyrin asked. He glanced over his shoulder; fear showed in his eyes as he searched the vacant city for signs of the Nameless Ones.
“Nothing is ever that easy,” Tariq told him. “But you can hope. That’s the plan, at least.”
“It’ll work,” Devren said. “It has to.”
Liora thought of the Damaclan ships that orbited Ralian. The hope was that in bringing everyone together, the Nameless Ones would gather back on Ralian for the orbs and the power they contained. The hope of all the families in the starships above relied on the orbs working as Tramareaus had said they would.
A nearly imperceptible sound made the hair stand up on the back of Liora’s neck.
“They’re coming,” she said quietly.
“Fall back to the ship,” Devren ordered.
Liora backed away slowly. She heard the others retreat to the safety of the Crow. She had to stay. They would come to her. She was the one they had prophesied would bring them the orbs. She was the key to the end of it all; maybe she could make that happen.
“She’s back,” a voice rasped; it sounded weaker than the last time she had heard it.
“She’s brought the orbs,” another said.
“Liora,” a voice hissed in her ear. “The girl from the stars.”
The others took up the chant. Chills ran up and down Liora’s body at the nearness of their voices. She swore they were inside of her instead of outside, flowing around her and through her, stealing the soul they said she didn’t have.
“Liora!” Tariq called.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Devren and Brandis restrain Tariq inside the open hatch of the Crow. If being around the Nameless Ones was dangerous for her, it would be death for him. They didn’t care about stealing another life. All they wanted was power. She would give it to them.
“I brought the orbs to you,” she said.
She heard approving sounds from the Nameless Ones. The hisses and moans set her teeth on edge. She walked slowly to the case in the middle of the square. Blinding light glinted off the metal, burning into her retinas. She hoped it wouldn’t be the last thing she would see.
Liora threw the lid off the Omne Occasus off and stepped back. The glow of the black and green orbs filled the box and spilled over. Liora swore she could feel the power emanating to where she stood.
“They’re even more beautiful than I remember,” one voice said.
“Feel the power,” another called.
Liora backed away slowly toward the Crow. A glance behind her showed the crew raising their guns to shoot the orbs and let the energy free. She had to get enough space between her and the orbs, and they had to shoot them before the Nameless Ones caught on that the energy was wrong.
Liora turned and started to run.
“Duck!” Devren yelled.
Liora dropped to her stomach. The percussion of shots rang above her. She put her arms over her head, expecting the explosion to send debris to the ship.
The explosion didn’t happen. Instead, a strange humming sound filled the air. Liora glanced up at the crew. They stared past her at the square. Liora rolled over slowly and looked toward the Omne Occasus. Her heart skipped a beat.
The Nameless Ones had forms. They stood near the box, their hazy arms crossed and red eyes glowing. The leader glared at her with a gaze that promised fiery pain before death.
“You lied to us,” the leader hissed.
“You betrayed us,” another whispered.
Liora’s eyes focused on the source of the humming sound. The bullets from the guns fired from the Crow were caught in the air, frozen halfway to the orbs. If they couldn’t destroy the casing around the orbs, there would be no chance of defeating the Nameless Ones.
Liora grabbed the silver knife Tariq had given her and rose to her feet. She took a step forward.
&
nbsp; Tariq grabbed her arm, his grip one of iron.
“I’m not going to let you sacrifice yourself,” he said.
“I have to stop them,” Liora fought back.
“Not this time,” Tariq replied.
A click sounded. Liora looked down to see the handcuff Tariq had fastened around her wrist. He spun and hooked it onto the rung beside the Copper Crow’s door.
“No!” Liora protested.
Tariq kissed her. At the same time, he slipped the knife from her free hand.
“I love you,” he said.
He took off running toward the Nameless Ones.
His attack surprised them. At first, it appeared that they would let him reach the orbs. Their red gazes followed his path from the Crow. As he drew near, the leader’s eyes narrowed.
“Drain him dry,” the Nameless One ordered in a hiss.
“No!” Liora yelled. She fought against the handcuff. Devren and Brandis tried to hold her back. She threw Devren against the ship and elbowed Brandis in the stomach. The metal cut into her wrist. She didn’t care.
A yell made her freeze. She turned to see a Nameless One dive through Tariq’s chest, tearing his skin with razor sharp nails as it did so. Another barreled into his back, knocking him to the ground a few feet from the Omne Occasus.
A cry of pain tore from Tariq as two other Nameless battered him, slicing huge rents down his sides.
“Tariq!” Liora yelled.
He looked back at her. She saw the pain in his gaze along with a flickering of light. He reached for the side of the Omne Occasus. The leader let out a hiss and dove at him. Tariq reared backwards at the pain. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He landed against the metal case, the knife held weakly in his hand. His face washed ash gray and tears showed in his eyes.
“No, Tariq!” Liora shouted. She fought against the handcuff like a wild creature. She had been caged for years in Malivian’s circus, yet she had never felt as trapped as she did watching the man she loved be torn apart by those who had destroyed her life. She had to fight back, but she couldn’t.
Tariq slumped forward and his face disappeared from view behind the lid of the Omne Occasus. He stopped moving. Liora swore she heard a final breath escape his body.
Tears flowed down her cheeks.
“No, Tariq, no!” she pleaded. “Get up!”
The leader of the Nameless Ones rose and turned to look at her.
“He’s gone, soulless one,” the leader hissed. “He was weak and had little left to give. We took what he had, his memories, his fears.” The leader paused, then a slight smile lifted the corners of his hazy lips. “His love for you. It’s gone, Liora. As a token of our anger against your betrayal, we have sucked away everything that made him what he was. He is an empty shell, worthless, useless. Your love is in vain.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.”
The words croaked from Tariq. He lifted his hand and slammed the blade into the green orb, followed by the black one. A burst of power shoved him backwards. He fell to the ground in front of the case just as the black and green energies combined in a swirling force that battered against Liora and the Crow.
“It’s got me!” a Nameless One yelled.
“I can’t get free!” another shouted.
The leader stood defiant, its gaze on the swirling vortex as if angry that the orbs dared to threaten its existence.
At first, it appeared that the energy wouldn’t be strong enough to capture the Nameless One. It watched as the rest of its kind was pulled into the vortex and snuffed out one by one, the red eyes fading until they vanished in the swirl of black and green.
The leader turned to Liora. “You are one of us, Liora. You were meant to be with us. You owe us, and I will take you and make you suffer for my brethren. You will scream and cry, and yet I will rend the skin from your bones. You will writhe and beg, and I will carve our names into your body until you implore me to take your life, and still I’ll….”
The Nameless One’s voice slowed. Its red eyes flickered to the right. Its hand splintered, shredding as it was pulled into the vortex.
A gasp of pain came from the leader as its shoulder and then chest followed. It spun to face the vortex and was yanked forward. It circled once through the black and green energy.
“Liora,” it began, but whatever the Nameless One wanted to say was cut off when its red eyes vanished and the energy no longer contained the haze of the Nameless.
The vortex swirled for another few seconds. Liora’s heartbeat pounded loudly in her ears. She couldn’t see anything past the swirl of green and black that took up the entire square.
It was much larger than Tramareaus had predicted, and took longer to fade. When it did, Liora expected to see Tariq’s body gone the way the Nameless Ones had vanished, their entire energy sucked into the vortex.
Instead, he lay motionless behind the box, one arm flung over his face and red streaking his body.
“Let me free!” Liora yelled.
She struggled against the handcuff.
Devren could barely get the key into the lock. The second it opened, Liora was running across the ground.
She fell to her knees next to Tariq. Devren, Brandis, and Hyrin reached her as she rolled Tariq over, pulling his head onto her lap.
His face was pale, paler than she had ever seen it. Dirt clung to the blood beside his mouth. She brushed it away with gentle fingers. No breath fluttered against her hand. She leaned down and listened, but no sound escaped his lips.
“Why is his body still here?” Hyrin asked. “Tramareaus said everything would be sucked into the vortex.”
“Maybe the box shielded his body from the brunt of it,” Brandis replied quietly.
“But they still got him,” Devren said. The words were filled with pain at seeing his best friend so battered and still.
Dirt puffed from beneath Devren’s knees when he dropped beside Liora.
“Tariq?” she said softly. Everything else fell away. The orbs, the ship, Ralian, the crew members, her brother; nothing mattered but the still face of the man she loved lying without life, his head pillowed in her lap and his hands lifeless at his sides. Her knife, the one he had purchased for so many bars and given to her as a token of how much he cared about her, lay beside him on the ground. The sight broke her heart.
“Tariq, come back to me,” she whispered.
Devren set a hand on her shoulder. Liora barely felt it. She refused to believe Tariq was gone. He had given her a life and a reason to live it. He had filled her heart with love, and showed her what the value of love really meant.
When he pulled her from the bog on Verdan, he had made her promise that they would live together or die together. Now, he was going back on that promise. He was going to leave her alone as he had made her vow to never leave him. His love would be gone the way the Nameless One had said. The Nameless Ones would win once again, and through them, so would Obruo. He had struck one last dagger to her heart, and in doing so, had truly destroyed everything she had to live for.
“Live together or die together,” she whispered.
“What?” Devren asked.
Liora closed her eyes.
Live together or die together, she thought toward Tariq. Either way, at least she would be with him.
Liora gathered her energy together, the life force that made blood pump through her veins and air fill her lungs. She found the force that created the thoughts in her mind and the love in her heart. She gathered the very energy of her soul, the soul the Nameless One had said she didn’t possess. She found the flicker that made up her very being, and that drove her to live despite all she had been through.
Liora gathered all of the energy that made up her life. She heard members of the crew calling her name, but they were muted and faint, a vague pulsing beyond her concentration.
Liora took one last breath and pushed with more force than she had ever used before. She felt the energy run from her hands into Tariq’s
chest where she had searched desperately for a heartbeat. A gasp escaped her as her heart skipped a beat, then another.
Tariq, she pleaded. Tariq, come back to me!
She fell backwards and gentle hands caught her. The last thing she remembered was the feeling of the sun beating on her eyelids, the sun that had seen her first breath and now witnessed the final beating of her heart.
Chapter 16
The soft beeping was familiar. Liora opened her eyes to see the ceiling of the Kratos medical bay.
“How are you feeling?”
Devren’s soft voice made her turn her head. She smiled at the concern in his dark eyes. His brown hair was mussed and there were shadows under his eyes as though he hadn’t slept.
“I feel alright,” she said.
Devren’s eyes flickered past her. Liora followed his gaze. At the sight of Tariq lying motionless in the next bed, the memory of what had happened on Ralian came rushing back.
“Tariq!” Liora called. She shoved to her feet, then teetered unsteadily.
“Easy, Liora,” Devren told her. He caught her arm and held her up.
When she refused to sit back down, he helped her to the chair beside Tariq’s bed.
Liora studied the monitors, wishing she had asked Tariq what the numbers meant.
“Is he going to be okay?”
Devren didn’t reply. When Liora looked up at him, she saw the same fear in his eyes that gripped her heart.
“Brandis’ medical team were in and out of here all day yesterday. They said there’s nothing else we can do but wait. I can call them in if you want to talk to them.” Devren reached for the wall panel.
“No, that’s alright,” Liora told him, her voice quiet. She watched the rise and fall of Tariq’s chest. The monitor near his head gave soft, steady beeps. She slipped her hand into Tariq’s, careful not to dislodge the tubes that connected to the IV at his wrist.
“Oh, Tariq,” she whispered.
“You were out for two days,” Devren said. “They were going to hook you up to IVs too, but your vitals started to improve this morning, so they decided to wait.” He was quiet for a moment, then he said, “I’m really glad you’re awake.”
