by Amy DuBoff
She had borne it well thus far, but her apprehension in recent months belied her underlying self-doubt.
Ryan couldn’t blame her—most days he wound up chastising himself at one point or another for saying or doing something unbefitting of a dynastic heir. Constant second-guessing was exhausting.
He was skeptical about Raena being able to gain any direction from the Aesir, but if it would make her feel more confident, he needed to support her in that mission.
When Ryan returned to the common room after his parting discussion with Raena, he noticed Jason’s glum expression. He was seated in one of the single lounge chairs along the back and side walls of the common room, typically used for private study. His headphones were in, but Ryan could tell he was thinking more than reading.
“Hey, she’ll be fine,” Ryan said to him telepathically.
Jason looked up from his tablet and located Ryan. “I have no doubt about that. I’m just wondering why I wasn’t asked to go along with them.”
“You haven’t yet done what she has.”
“Different circumstances,” Jason replied. “That doesn’t mean I couldn’t.”
“I’m sure you’ll get your chance soon enough.”
Jason nodded solemnly and returned his attention to his tablet. “I’m curious to hear what Raena has to say.”
“Me too.” Ryan just hoped that whatever she saw, he’d still have a place in her life.
* * *
The concourse of the TSS space station was sealed off from other travelers while Raena and her father waited for the Aesir to arrive.
“Should I say anything special to them?” Raena asked.
“No, this isn’t like when you met your great-grandparents on Tararia,” Wil replied. “They’ll read anything they want to know directly in your mind.”
Her brow knit. “Even through mental guards?”
“They seem to… network, somehow. Their collective consciousness is too much for one individual to block.”
“And I guess trying to block them out would just make it seem like we had something to hide, huh?”
Wil nodded. “We need to be as open with them as possible.”
“I’ll try,” Raena replied.
Five minutes passed in silence while they stared out into the starscape. Then, a blue-green spatial distortion formed two thousand meters from the spaceport as a ship dropped out of subspace.
The vessel’s delicate, arched form and sweeping lines were unlike any of the ships Raena had seen, civilian or military. It was only half the size of the Vanquish, but its presence demanded attention. The hull seemed to glow against the blackness of space, and as it neared the space station, Raena was able to make out numerous windows lining the upper decks, and a panoramic dome at the aft of the vessel hung beneath the forked jump drive.
She stared at it in awe as it maneuvered into the open berth.
“The aesthetic is truly unique, isn’t it?” Wil commented as he looked it over with more reserved awe.
“Is it just me, or does it feel different, too?”
He nodded. “Their ships seem to be tuned for telepathic operation. You’ll notice a more pronounced hum on the ship.”
The Aesir ship completed docking and the hatch at the end of the gangway opened.
“Here we go,” Wil said with a rueful smile.
Her stomach knotted with nervous anticipation, Raena ascended the gangway with her father. As soon as they passed through the open hatch, she sensed the hum of energy her father had referenced.
The interior of the ship resonated with a warm glow of power that washed over her and made her feel completely at ease. She extended herself toward it, and the ship responded with a gentle pulse of acceptance.
Physically, the ship reminded her of the Vanquish, though the details were less military and more luxurious—like what she might find in a well-appointed home on Earth. The carpeting underfoot had more cushioning, and the crystal coverings over the inlaid lights gave an impression of sophisticated elegance.
Raena was so caught up in examining the ship that it took her a moment to notice the figure robed in iridescent black standing down the hall. He was gazing at her with intense interest, his pale eyes glowing slightly. His skin was pale and almost translucent, as though he’d never been out in the sun or under UV lights like those found throughout TSS Headquarters. The most mesmerizing thing about him, though, were his ageless features; his level gaze was one of mature wisdom, yet there were no lines or other distinguishing marks to suggest he was older than thirty.
“Hello, Dahl,” Wil stated. “I shouldn’t be surprised you’d come.”
“I remain the Aesir’s ambassador for matters involving the Cadicle,” Dahl replied. “This must be Raena.”
A shiver ran down Raena’s spine as a powerful mind skimmed the surface of her own, indistinct whispers flitting by in an instant. Her chest constricted.
“She is as powerful as we expected. Maybe more so,” Dahl stated. “It was wise to bring her to us now.”
“Raena has come on her own accord,” Wil said.
“Yes, hello,” she managed at last. “I wish for you to test me, so I may see my path.”
Dahl inclined his head. “We are anxious to know that path, as well. So much has become unclear with recent events.”
The hatch to the gangway swung closed and locked with a hiss.
“Come,” Dahl stated, and headed down the hall.
He led them to a lift. As they were stepping inside, Raena felt the subtle vibration of a jump—much more muted and smoother than she was used to experiencing, but the slight elongation of time at the moment of transition was unmistakable.
They took the lift down five levels and then traversed a hall toward the aft of the ship. The hall terminated in a set of double doors, which parted to reveal the interior of the rounded observation room Raena had witnessed while the ship was docking. The curved windows around three sides of the room and transparent floor provided a breathtaking view of subspace while they traveled toward their destination.
“We have never tested someone so soon after Awakening,” Dahl admitted. “But we suspected, when we came for you before, that you would be different. I am pleased to see that we were right.”
“Should Jason have come, too?” Raena asked.
Dahl shook his head. “While he could survive the test in his current state, he is not ready to see his truth. That is for a future fight.”
Raena looked to her father for an interpretation of the statement, but he just gave a slight shake of his head in response.
“Today is about you,” he said privately—or at least as privately as was possible in the Aesir’s presence.
They gazed into subspace while the ship completed its jump. Raena wasn’t sure how much time passed, but it felt like only ten or fifteen minutes.
“Where are we?” she asked when the ship dropped into normal space.
“The nexus,” Dahl replied, making a sweeping gesture with his hand to encompass the black pit in front of them.
Raena was drawn to the blackness, but she remained focused on the room around her. “But where is it?”
“Near the core of the galaxy,” Dahl replied.
Wil perked up with interest. “How could we travel that far so quickly?”
“Our jump drives are not like yours,” the Aesir Oracle stated. “But right now, that is not your concern.” He inclined his head toward the nexus, bidding Raena to look into its depths.
She took a deep breath to center herself and then gazed into the blackness. As she stared, she found herself drawn outward, and she disconnected her consciousness from her physical form, just as she had while exploring the rift with her father only the day before. She checked the thread that anchored her to herself, and then ventured into the depths of the blackness.
Once inside, the energy pattern making up the universe around her began to take shape—silver threads across the infinite expanse, forming a web of pathways b
etween people and worlds. She drifted outward to observe it from a higher vantage, seeing all pathways ultimately leading back to her people’s roots on Tararia.
Raena looked for her own place in the web, and she was pulled toward Tararia. Her perspective zoomed and morphed until the planet took up the entire view of her mind’s eye. Energy pathways looped around the world, connecting individuals through relationships that were so fundamental they were written into the patterns of the universe.
Her own ties led her to Sieten—to the Sietinen estate outside the city. As she focused on the location, a vision came to her.
She stood atop the cliffs on the northern coast of the Priesthood’s isle. The sun shone down on her, warming her skin. While she gazed out over the sea, she detected someone coming up next to her, and she turned to see Ryan. He didn’t appear as she knew him now, but could feel a bond between them and knew him to be the most important person in her life.
Ryan beamed at her and she was overcome with elation that radiated through her. They’d just accomplished something—something they hadn’t dreamed possible.
Raena looked down at her feet and saw a brilliant, red flower swaying in the breeze. She recognized that it was a symbol but wasn’t sure what it represented, only that everything was in its rightful place.
The vision faded and Raena once again saw Tararia, a glowing gem against the starscape. As she reveled in its beauty, a dark shadow appeared over the planet.
She recoiled with fear from the looming darkness. It wasn’t her fight to lead, but it was there on the horizon. Others would unleash the threat if her intended future didn’t come to pass. She searched around her, looking for the path she needed the follow to quell that darkness, but she was lost.
The thread that bound her to her physical self was disintegrating as the darkness crept toward her. She fled in the only direction available—away from herself and her home.
No, I can’t run. She stopped herself. But how do I fight?
She had no answer other than the certainty that her place was on Tararia. No matter what, she couldn’t afford to let whatever loomed on the horizon interfere with her own path.
With newfound determination, she tried to trace the thread back to herself, to share what she had learned. But her tether was gone. There was only the darkness closing in around her.
* * *
Raena collapsed on the floor in front of Wil.
What happened? Wil rushed to her side while Dahl looked on with reserved surprise. “Raena?” He brushed his hand over her forehead but she was unresponsive. Stars, no!
Wil prepared to dive into the nexus after her—he had pushed her to come too soon. He’d thought she was ready, but…
“You cannot go,” Dahl cautioned.
“She’s my daughter. I’d do anything for her.” Wil dove into the nexus despite another plea from Dahl. There was nothing the Aesir could do to change his mind.
Darkness closed in around Wil. He couldn’t see anything—not like the energy web he’d viewed his last time. He was alone, drifting. A chill seeped into his very core. Raena was out there somewhere, but he had no idea where to find her.
He raced into the darkness, willing for there to be some sign of where to go. His own tether to himself was so fragile without having any other sense of grounding.
Then, he saw the tattered end of Raena’s tether. She’d disconnected—she could be out there anywhere.
“She’s gone,” Dahl said in the distance.
“No! She’s too important—how could you just let her go without trying to get her back?”
Only silence was in the blackness for moments that felt like an eternity.
“You speak the truth. We must find her.”
The warm presence of others filled the darkness. “Find her,” echoed a chorus of voices—more than Wil could count.
He ventured into the blackness with them, feeling a distant sense of others searching nearby. It had only been a minute—Raena couldn’t have gone too far.
Except, they were searching the nexus near the ship. She could be anywhere. He thought to his own travels, how far he’d gone in just a matter of seconds.
Where would she have gone? Only one place came to mind. “Tararia!” he shouted to the others and raced across the expanse.
The Aesir followed his lead, but they stopped at the boundary to the Tararian System. “This is not our place,” they said. “But we will help you find your way back.”
There wasn’t time to argue. Wil forged ahead without them, expanding his mind as he had during the war to take in a heightened view of his surroundings. Raena’s consciousness was out there somewhere. They were bound together as kin—he could use that tie.
He concentrated on the familial bond, calling out to her. At first there was no response, but then he detected a weak cry in the distance. She was alone and scared, but she’d heard him.
“I’m almost there!” he cried, and he felt her rally and move toward him.
They closed the remaining gap in seconds, and he embraced her. She felt so very cold—weakening without the tether to her physical self.
Gently, he pulled her toward the Aesir waiting just outside the system. “It’ll be okay,” he assured his daughter.
“So… empty…” she murmured in his mind. Her presence was fading.
“Hang on,” Wil urged her, but she was too far gone to respond. “You have to help!” he pleaded to the Aesir just out of sight at the outskirts of the system.
Some of the Aesir protested, but others heeded to his call for aid, Dahl among them. He sensed the Oracles surround him and reach out to Raena. They latched onto the spark of her that still remained and restored it by giving up a small part of themselves.
As she stirred, another presence suddenly appeared—rooted on Tararia.
“Why have you come?” the voice demanded. After a moment, a low chuckle echoed in Wil’s mind. “Ah… That was quite a discovery to try to keep from us.”
Fear and concern radiated from the Aesir. “It will never be yours.”
“And you’ll die without our efforts,” the voice replied.
Before Wil could question the exchange, the Aesir were guiding him back across the expanse, cradling Raena’s consciousness in their collective grasp. Within seconds, he was back in his body on the Aesir ship by the nexus.
Raena was still in his arms, and her eyes fluttered open. “What happened?” she asked, sitting up.
Wil’s chest heaved with relief. “You lost your tether.”
She sat in silent contemplation for a moment. “There was something… it severed it.”
Dahl’s face was drawn. “They’re more powerful than we realized… and now they know.”
“Know what?” Wil demanded.
“About the tear.”
“You mean what we saw in the rift, at the site of the destroyed Bakzen world?” Raena asked. With Wil’s help, she rose to her feet.
Dahl inclined his head. “The Priesthood has been searching for a means to make their power absolute and enduring. Such an energy source, combined with their other plans, could permanently shift the balance of power.”
Raena crossed her arms. “That must have been the darkness I saw on the horizon.”
“A new stage of the Priesthood’s threat,” Wil realized.
The Oracle nodded. “But the TSS has been guarding the rift, so the Priesthood hasn’t dared venture. But now they know what’s there. They will seek to control the tear at any cost, because it can fuel them with what they need.”
“Which is what?” Wil asked.
“The power to ascend—to leave their physical forms and dominate all living things.”
Wil and Raena exchanged glances.
“Why would they do that?” questioned Wil.
“Because there are those among the Priesthood who always wished to be gods themselves,” Dahl explained. “They have lived for thousands of years, seeking the power to truly ascend, but their means are flawed.
We among the Aesir realized long ago that we weren’t yet worthy of such ascension. If we are, it will happen of its own accord.”
That’s similar to what Banks told me, but he’d never hinted at the High Priests wanting to become gods! Wil’s pulse pounded in his ears. “If the Priesthood is going to make a move to access the tear, then—”
Dahl shook his head. “They do not yet have the means to harness its power. But now they know where to go, and they will begin gathering their resources for the final stages of their plans.”
Raena’s face drained. “How long will that take?”
“A decade, perhaps? Less if they rush the process,” Dahl replied. “But you can be ready before then. You already know how to win a war.”
Wil swallowed. “I didn’t think I’d have to go into battle again.”
A smile touched Dahl’s thin lips. “This is a different kind of fight. And last time, you didn’t have us.”
CHAPTER 6
Raena still felt woozy after her brush with death in the nexus. I can’t believe I lost my way like that…
As she thought about the experience, though, she suspected that it wasn’t some product of her mind where she’d stumbled and almost lost her life—the darkness that dissolved her tether wasn’t part of her vision, but rather a real physical assault. She’d heard from her father that the Priesthood had made an appearance while she was unconscious, and she shuddered to think that they were behind the attack—that they had such power.
Dahl had taken her and her father up to a conference room as soon as she’d been able to walk unaided. The three of them were now seated at the table, with Wil and Raena facing out toward the panoramic window into subspace while the ship jumped to the Aesir homeworld.
If it’s a planet at all, she realized, examining Dahl. “Where do you live?”
“The location is in the galactic core,” he replied. “Or do you mean the habitation itself?”
