"I hear those tickets are very expensive," Gurnil laughed humorlessly.
"I've had to do more than enough shouting at the guards, when they decided to pose for images rather than attending to their exercises." Justis expressed his displeasure by rustling ebony wings.
"At least we don't have to worry about the boats—Orik, Wolter, Deeds and the others from Fyris do that for us. Dena is very good at keeping the financial records—with help from Renée, Queen Lissa's assistant."
"Who knew a Yellow Wing would have talents for such?" Gurnil laughed. "I hear Jurris has asked Queen Lissa whether she knows if Prince Liron will have red wings."
"I hear she wisely turned his question away," Justis grimaced. "He'll have to wait until the boy is nine, just like every other child of mixed parentage."
"You came to see me for a reason other than to watch the tour boats?" Gurnil turned to Justis.
"Yes. I was made an offer—by Kooper Griff, Head of the Alliance Security Detail."
"What offer is that?" Gurnil's curiosity was immediate. He knew the ASD only employed the finest to be their agents.
"To work for him on special assignments. He says that there are ways—shield spells or such—that can keep my wings hidden. I will look as any other man who walks about. Of course, I will be forced to keep my flying ability secret, using it where I can't be seen, but the personal shields the ASD possesses will achieve that easily."
"What do you intend to do? Will Jurris say no?"
"My brother realizes that I grow bored. Any one of my Captains can do what I do. Besides, Ardis is ready for a promotion."
"This isn't a way to destroy yourself—is it?" Gurnil asked quietly.
"No. Yes, those thoughts come at times, when I miss Quin. They will retreat; they always do."
"Any idea what you'd be doing, or where? I realize you now speak Alliance Common fluently, but you still keep your Avii habits," Gurnil pointed out.
"Kooper didn't think it would present a problem. He wants more agents to hunt for Cayetes."
"Ah. Now I see why you're so eager to accept this position."
"Wouldn't you?"
"If I had the ability, perhaps," Gurnil nodded. "We all miss Quin. Every time Nina's grandchildren sniffle, she wishes for Quin. Have you spoken with Berel and Kaldill?"
"Yesterday. Berel wants to come with me, just to keep my temper in line. Kaldill says he's ready for his son to take over Gaelar N'Seith for an extended period."
"I'd feel better if those two were with you," Gurnil said, focusing on the tour boats again. "I'd feel even better if the Larentii accompanied you. Where, do you think?"
"He says there is activity on Vogeffa II, which worries him. Kaldill can get us onto that world without any trouble."
"You know it's an outlaw planet, don't you?"
"Yes."
"Even Vogeffa I is better off—it has a government, at least."
"As such, Vogeffa I's laws are more stringent than many Alliance worlds—with punishments far more severe for breaking government rules," Justis snorted. "Yes, I've done my research. Berel says it's much like Campiaa was at one time, ruled by criminals with steel fists, who kept all except themselves in line with the laws they created."
"What is the assignment?"
"To assess the situation, search for possible involvement by Cayetes or his empire and report our findings to Kooper without anyone being alerted to our presence," Justis shook his wings. "Look—another jumper."
"When will they learn that these waters are deep and the current too strong to swim?" Gurnil shook his head as Justis leapt over the rail and snapped his wings open; he was determined to rescue another foolish tourist from the water below.
* * *
Vogeffa II
Quin
Curious stares met us as we rode into the village of Hay. All the faces I saw were similar—most had never had formal education. Few could read the Vogeffan language. Four generations without an official government, as poor as it was, had taken a toll on the planet's inhabitants.
It made me think of Fyris, and the damage Tamblin had done in less than a generation. Somewhere, on a planet known as Harifa Edus, Amlis, Rodrik and Fyris' survivors lived. I hadn't thought of them since my arrival on Vogeffa II.
I'd never seen their new world; I'd trusted Queen Lissa and Kaldill when they said it was suitable. I also wondered what Amlis had done in the way of sending children to school to begin learning for the first time.
Although most residents of Hay couldn't read, there was one area in which they hadn't suffered. They were shrewd bargainers, and the evidence of their trade with Gungl was everywhere. They'd sold their meats, vegetables and fruits to those in the city for things they didn't have or couldn't manufacture themselves. Until now, too, they'd been safe from predation.
That troubled me. I'd begun to think that Cayetes may have planned this all along—to empty the city of useful bodies while the small villages outside Gungl thrived. I saw few that weren't healthy and flourishing.
With the meeting in Gungl, he'd revealed his plans to take what he'd allowed to grow all along—healthy bodies. It worried me that we were about to tell them what we knew; they didn't have any reason to believe or trust us.
That was until the strange boy and his father stepped from a house near the center of town. The man was the local leader and the boy was his son. The boy blinked at me with white eyes—there were no pupils. He was physically blind; that meant he saw everything else—or nearly so. He frowned at me; he couldn't tell what I was and that puzzled him.
"Lafe, stop here," I said, patting my horse's shoulder and asking him to stop as well.
"Father, the horses trust her," the boy lifted his face to his father's.
"Welcome," the boy's father said. "Randl told me someone would come."
* * *
My second meal that day was much better than my first—I had eggs, bread and cheese while Lafe told Randl's father, Brandl, what we knew. Randl nodded as Lafe spoke—the boy was a clairvoyant—a powerful one.
His mother, unsurprisingly, was an abnormal from Gungl. She was also dead—of an unusual wasting disease when Randl was barely two years of age. Somehow, the talent she'd had was inherited—and strengthened—by her son.
Terrett sat beside me, eating and listening carefully while Lafe and Brandl spoke. I worried that anywhere these people went, they still wouldn't be safe from Cayetes' Storm. They weren't prepared to stand and fight, either—they had no weapons, no training and little time to prepare for the battle that would come should they choose to fight.
"There are sixteen other villages," Brandl told Lafe. "All scattered. Not much beyond that—the lands become low and marshy past that point. Except for sea plants, nothing grows in that water—it's too salty."
He was right—Vogeffa II was mostly marsh, with only a few high points of land dotting its surface. Gungl was the largest city on the highest ground. Everything around it was lower, sloping toward the sea, which covered ninety-eight percent of the planet's surface.
"Father, we have little time. I see Cayetes' army coming in three days," Randl said. "That will only give us time to reach Reed."
"Reed is next to the farthest village, before the land becomes too marshy to farm," Brandl said. "Once we reach that point, we may be trapped and unable to get away."
"I feel we should go anyway," Randl's voice was low.
"Lafe, there may be a way," I said. "Perhaps we should take all we find with us toward Reed, and then see whether someone will respond."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." I clamped wings against my back—Queen Lissa might be angry with me when I sent mindspeech, but I felt she'd hear me anyway. My revenge against Cayetes could wait—surely I could slip away sometime and make him pay for what he'd done.
* * *
Le-Ath Veronis
"I want you to go immediately," Kooper nodded to Justis, Berel and Kaldill. "We're getting unusual vibes from Vogeffa II, and w
e're worried that Vogeffa I may now be infected with the poison. There is still a thriving population on II, but I want feet on the ground and reliable reports," he added.
"Likely it won't take long—Gungl is populated with thieves and cutthroats. I'm concerned about the outlying areas. Send reports if any are worth saving. Lissa has her eye on the northern end of New Fyris—there's plenty of room for new farming communities there. The werewolves are begging for more meat and grain, and New Fyris can't supply all that's needed because the population still hasn't grown enough."
"It will take time for them to fully recover from what Fyris and Siriaa did to them," Kaldill said. "New blood is a very good idea and one I'd have suggested myself. Fyris was stagnant and inbred before its people were pulled away from Siriaa."
"Lissa said you'd see the sense in this," Kooper nodded. "Are you sure you want to go?" Kooper leveled a gaze on Berel.
"I am very sure," Berel shrugged.
"Very well. Kaldill, if you need assistance," Kooper turned back to the Elf King.
"I'll let you know immediately," Kaldill smiled. "This will give me purpose, which is a very good thing," he added.
* * *
Vogeffa II
Hay
"Randl kept us prepared," Brandl confessed. "We have food and supplies set aside, and our horses and wagons ready. It isn't far, but we'll have to collect the others on the way. I can send runners out and have them join us there," he added.
"Grassy won't come," Randl breathed a ragged sigh.
"Always stubborn," Brandl shook his head.
"Are they on the way to Reed?" Lafe asked.
"Yes—half a day's ride," Brandl confirmed. "Headman Widder is too stubborn. Doesn't think we're in any danger."
"We don't have any guarantee they'll hit here first," I said before I thought.
Randl swung his head in the direction of my voice as he considered my words. He shivered. "She's right," he began. "I wasn't thinking that way. I assumed they'd travel in a straight line from Gungl."
"You know now they won't come on foot or horseback, don't you?" I asked. I was reading him just as easily as I could anyone. His gift was hampered on occasion by his limited experience—as well as his environment.
"What about those from Gungl?" Lafe turned to me and asked.
"They'll allow that army to take the first few villages. Rather than risk the rest of the population, they'll send airchoppers to get them before they have time to run. Remember, they're looking to take healthy bodies. Everybody else dies. It may be that they'll kill those from Gungl at the last, just for the fun of it."
What do you have planned? Terrett asked.
Getting all of them in one place; it'll be easier to move them if we do that, I replied.
You're thinking of contacting Queen Lissa, aren't you?
Yes. I hope you don't mind.
Why should I? I was happy the short time I spent on Avendor. She didn't punish me for being owned by criminals, and many would have.
She wouldn't, I said. She's so much better than that.
I wouldn't believe that if it came from anyone else. You made sure I was treated with respect instead of like a slave.
Because you're just as good as anyone else, I pointed out. Better than most, I added with a small smile.
He bumped his shoulder against mine and smiled back.
There was a question I wanted answered, too. I knew, just by reading Terrett, that most of his kind could do what Kaldill and others could do—fold space. He knew that, but didn't know why he couldn't. I had suspicions as to why that was, but didn't want to voice my speculations. He'd been hurt badly enough by his mother already.
Pulling away from that thought, I leaned my head on Terrett's shoulder. We had people to save and little time in which to do it.
* * *
Le-Ath Veronis
"Vogeffa II is mostly water and marshland," Kaldill said as he presented the dimensional map to Justis and Berel. "Here is where Gungl is located, on the highest ground. Here," he pointed to another portion of the map not far from the capital city, "is where the farms are. The land is high enough to grow crops and raise animals. Beyond this point," he turned his hand sideways to indicate a demarcation farther south, "is where the marshland begins. The land is too spongy and the water turns salty past that."
"The farmlands are where we'll do our research?" Berel asked.
"Yes. That's all Lissa and Kooper want from us—to study the people and determine whether any are worthy of moving. They are worried about that part of the population, therefore, we will go."
"Did they receive word of some threat or danger?" Justis asked.
"In a way. Lissa and Kooper were visited by a Shining One, who'd received a vague message from the Three."
"I wish I understood what you just said," Justis grumbled.
"Not to worry—I understand it," Kaldill smiled at Justis. "We have a job to do. My plan is to leave tomorrow at sixteen bells. That will place us on Vogeffa II an hour after sunrise. A good time to start, I believe. Kooper says the people there are used to the unusual, so you won't have to hide your wings this time—or hold back from flying."
* * *
Vogeffa II
Quin
Hay was organized and on the road quickly. I worried about the villages farther south, though, and how long it might take them to do the same. Whatever Randl and Brandl had done to prepare the population was working, however, as the second and third places we stopped were ready to go in a short amount of time.
I couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching, however, and Randl was clearly upset. He and his father dropped back to ride next to Terrett and me. Lafe rode at the front, both blades strapped firmly to his back.
"Something knows," Randl whispered softly.
"I feel the same," I agreed.
Can you call people—like you can call animals? Terrett asked.
"Huh?" I swung around to stare at Terrett.
"They're coming," Randl wailed.
For the first time, I sent a call—for humanoids.
* * *
Le-Ath Veronis
Lissa
I knew something was wrong, although I fought through the shock of hearing Quin's voice in my mind. She sounded terrified.
Without hesitation, I shouted mentally at Kaldill; he, Berel and Justis had left moments earlier. I should have known that Conner's warning, in her guise as a Shining One, was more urgent than I thought.
Kaldill, if you need me, I added to the message, but it was a moot suggestion—Vogeffa II was under attack. I folded space, shouting for my Falchani twins as I did so.
* * *
Vogeffa II
Quin
We heard the whine of the faster air vehicles first, with the chop-chop whirring of the airchoppers next. I was terrified, while some of the animals broke away from their herders and ran.
I didn't blame them—I wanted to run, too.
Anything to get away from the gunships Cayetes had sent after us. Lafe shouted at everyone to get down as the weapons of every ship fired in our direction. A dual line of bullets rained across the ground, heading straight for us.
Half the people around us screamed. For a moment, I felt weightless, before I recognized the sensation; Queen Lissa—and her power—had arrived.
* * *
New Fyris
Lissa
"Kaldill?" I approached him carefully. He, Berel and Justis stood in a knot, gazing at the crowd of people and animals they'd pulled away from the marshy lands just before the seas of Vogeffa II began.
Drake and Drew, my twin Falchani mates, escorted me as we walked toward the Elf King. I'd made the mistake of sending him swift information—not only to get as many people away from Vogeffa II as he could, but that Quin had alerted me to their danger.
"We have to find out why she hasn't contacted us before," I held up a hand. "There has to be a reason."
Kaldill is always so calm. Even tempe
red. There was an expression on his face I'd never seen before. Daragar, I sent, we may need you.
That's when Kaldill threw back his head and bellowed. Yes, I understood the word—why was shouted in the elvish language as he dropped to his knees.
Daragar appeared nearby, but he also looked stricken.
If my sister hadn't arrived to do what she could, I'm not sure I could have done anything at all. It took a tremendous exertion of the power of Love to calm everyone down well enough to speak and behave in a rational manner.
Chapter 3
New Fyris
Quin
The people of Vogeffa II blinked and stared; animals wandered or ran—all of them were terrified on some level. We'd landed in a new place, scattered in the same way we'd been lifted away from Vogeffa II. Fields stretching as far as we could see surrounded us.
Somehow, too, my call hadn't been interrupted.
In only minutes, people from other villages began to arrive. Altogether, it took the better part of two days for all to arrive, but eventually they did.
I wasn't there to see it, although it made it easier for those who greeted the displaced farming population of Vogeffa II. They understood the danger they'd been in, but had no idea how they'd been pulled away from that danger.
I wanted to weep for any innocent lives remaining on Vogeffa II—they'd likely be cut to pieces by Vardil Cayetes' flying army, once he learned his quarry had escaped.
* * *
New Fyris
Lissa
"What do you mean, she's only been there for a few months?" At least Kaldill was calmer, now.
"We've been studying the problem," Breanne sighed. I hadn't seen my sister in several years, yet here she was, attempting to sort a conundrum we hadn't known existed.
"What problem is that?" Berel worked to keep his voice calm.
"The Orb problem," Bree explained. "Quin is connected to the Orb, in ways I can't begin to describe. For whatever reason, it flung her five years into the future. We've had to search continuously just to find her, and then carefully put things in place just to keep her alive and protected. That's why LaFranza was there, with the mute Sirenali. Five years have passed for you—you've lived them. For Quin, only a few months have gone by and some of you—well, she thinks you're dead."
BlackWing: First Ordinance, Book 3 Page 3
