The Search for Ulyssa

by Heidi J. Leavitt

  Life on Zenith will never be the same, Dina said bleakly. The isithunzi are divided as it is. More Speakers will tear my people apart.

  Or mine. Wouldn’t you still drive all the humans from Zenith if you could? Aren’t we invaders who will ruin the isithunzi?

  You taught me that it is possible for isithunzi and humans to live together. You are the great gift of my existence, Kendra. Dina followed her declaration with a firm dose of love and acceptance. For a moment, Kendra softened. But then the betrayal swelled back to the surface and smothered it.

  You have to say that because you are stuck with me, Kendra said without a hint of levity.

  I say that because I love you.

  Kendra snorted in disbelief. Dina just waited, letting her emotions reinforce her words. Finally, Kendra sighed. So you want to stop Ulyssa, she said skeptically. How do we do that?

  By ending the Roran Curse.

  To Be Continued . . .

  Preview of Roran Curse Book 6

  Shadows of Zenith

  Three Generations of the Curse

  Kendra stopped short at the bottom of the stairs, wondering why the front door was wide open. Her grandparents’ home in New River had a state of the art security system, but it was useless if the doors weren’t shut. She cautiously made her way around the corner of the entry way and checked outside. She didn’t see anything, though her grandpa’s crawler still sat in its charging berth. Odd. He should have been long gone taking a crop to the shipping sheds at the station. She shut the door and then headed nervously back through the house, her eyes scanning for anything out of place. The sitting room was empty, but as she neared the kitchen a newscaster’s somber voice drifted down the hall.

  “The Armada confirmed this morning that at least one hundred eighty people were killed in the bombing, with dozens more still missing.”

  Kendra reached the open archway that led into the kitchen and stepped inside. Her grandparents stood before the terminal screen that hung over the dining table, their gazes fixed on the images of a blackened, smoking shell of a building.

  “In a public statement, the anonymous leader of the terrorist organization known as the Brotherhood took credit for the strike. Premier Rhodam issued a statement expressing her condolences to the bereaved families. She also stated that the Armada is cooperating fully with the Corizen Protection Force to apprehend the terrorists responsible for the devastating attack.”

  Kendra’s jaw dropped open.

  “Is that . . .” Her voice shriveled up and died away. She couldn’t finish the words. Neither of her grandparents noticed. They only had eyes for the feed.

  “However, a spokesperson for the International Complex security office confirmed that Ambassador Casey Morten was recalled immediately and indefinitely for consultation at the Assembly Station on Tyre, fueling speculation that Premier Rhodam means to sever diplomatic relations with Corizen.”

  Kendra exhaled deeply, releasing the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

  “He’s all right,” breathed her grandma. “I couldn’t— I just couldn’t handle anything more. . .” Her voice broke. Her grandpa relaxed his posture just the tiniest bit, putting his arm around her shoulder and squeezing tightly.

  “Marian, everything’s going to be all right,” he said gently.

  Kendra found her voice again.

  “Is that the embassy on Corizen?” she asked, her voice high and squeaky.

  Her grandma started, finally aware that Kendra had joined them.

  “Kendra! I didn’t hear you come in,” she said, hastily swiping at her own wet cheeks.

  The feed images switched to a shot from a security camera of the familiar eight story building, answering her question. The square in front of the building was full of people milling around, which was incredibly unusual. What had been going on at the embassy? “We have exclusive footage of the explosion as it happened,” the newscaster narrated gravely. Kendra watched in horror as the ground floor walls seemed to erupt outward and then the whole front half of the building slid away. It disintegrated in mere seconds.

  Kendra gasped, and tears blurred her vision. She turned away from the screen, unable to watch any more.

  Her grandpa drew her into his other side, and she pressed her face into his shoulder.

  “When did it happen?” she whispered.

  “Yesterday,” her grandpa said. “I was headed out to take the load to the station when Marian turned on the morning newscast. She called me back in.”

  “I have friends there . . .” Her voice trailed off.

  I’m sure Bren is fine, Dina said calmly. Why would he be at the embassy?

  Why were any of those people at the embassy? That’s not normal!

  She didn’t want to listen to Dina anyway. Dina was an isithunzi— an alien entity made of qualian energy. She might be bound to Kendra, doomed to die when Kendra did, but that didn’t mean she cared about the lives of any other humans.

  Of course I care about other humans!

  You tried to kill my mother for years! Kendra shot back.

  Let’s not have that argument now, Dina said wearily. I changed— you know that.

  Kendra let it drop. She didn’t want to argue with Dina; it was a distraction from what mattered most right now. Was Bren all right? What about Zara? And Tiran?

  She sucked in a painful breath. She was almost certain Tiran had not been at the embassy— because her cousin was already missing. The guilt laid aside during a night of oblivious sleep rushed back in. More tears trickled down her cheeks.

  Comm Bren. That will ease your mind.

  It could take weeks for me to get an answer! I can’t wait for weeks not knowing if he’s all right!

  Better than no answer at all, Dina said wisely. Of course that was true.

  Kendra lifted her head from her grandpa’s shoulder and turned back to the screen. They were showing footage of the crowds of Denicorizens leaving flowers and candles and other tokens near the gates to the Complex.

  “Will they close the university?” she asked aloud.

  I don’t see how it could stay open. None of the students could get to school, even if they feel safe showing up, Dina observed.

  “A newscaster said earlier that university classes have been suspended. They didn’t give a time frame though,” her grandpa answered.

  “I have to get hold of Bren,” she said, her voice shaky. “He was one of my closest friends on Corizen. I need to know that he’s OK.”

  Her grandparents exchanged glances.

  “Well, you can send a comm to Corizen, of course. But you might get a quicker answer if you comm his family directly,” her grandpa suggested. “Where is he from?”

  “Krati,” she said. “He’s the planetary governor’s son.”

  “Governor Westley sent a son to Corizen?” her grandpa mused. “Wonder what he hoped to gain from that?”

  “I’ll get you a terminal address for the governor,” her grandma said, visibly straightening herself. She seemed to draw strength straight from the ground. Kendra would never guess her grandma had just been on the verge of breaking down. How did she do it? “In the meantime, we need to get going, Kendra. Your mother’s shuttle arrives in just a couple of hours.”

  Kendra’s mood lifted just the tiniest bit. At least she would get to see her mother! After so many traumatic events over the course of a very short time period, she just wanted to reassure herself firsthand that her family was safe.

  For now, Dina reminded ominously.

  ♦

  When her mother appeared in the crowd outside the arrivals gate, Kendra left her grandma’s side and dashed forward, throwing her arms around her mother.

  “Kendra!” Her mother pulled her close and held her tightly, and Kendra buried her face into her mother’s shoulder. The tears pooled in her eyes
and spilled down her cheeks.

  “It’s so good to see you, Mom,” she said. “It’s been the longest year of my life!”

  “My sweetheart. I missed you every day of that year.” Her mother pulled back and looked her up and down. “Are you all right?”

  “Well . . .” Kendra couldn’t quite bring herself to honestly answer that question, but the standard “fine” stuck in her throat. Her mother eyed her shrewdly. Casting about for a distraction, Kendra saw one of the family’s bodyguards waiting a few paces away.

  “Dale!” she greeted enthusiastically. “It’s been a long time!” The last time she had seen Dale, he had been trying to find Erik at the cove— he was guarding them the day she rescued Erik from the oxyrhina shark.

  “Hello, Miss Kendra,” Dale said politely, though his eyes didn’t stop scanning the crowd milling around them. Even though Dale had been with their family for years now, he kept a professional distance from all of them. He said it was necessary to do his job well. But Kendra didn’t let that stop her from treating him like a member of the extended family.

  “Jenna! How was your flight?” Her grandma finally reached them and hugged her mom. Without waiting for an answer she continued somberly, “Did you hear the news before you left?”

  Kendra’s mother frowned. “What news?” she asked warily.

  “The embassy on Corizen was bombed.”

  Jenna gasped.

  “Casey’s all right— at least they said on the news that he was recalled to Tyre,” her grandma hastily reassured.

  Dale is getting uneasy, Dina observed. Perhaps it’s the crowd.

  “Can we start heading toward the hospital?” Kendra broke in abruptly.

  Her grandma forced a smile. “Of course! It’s only a block to the tube station. Or we can take a Zipline.”

  Kendra’s mother blanched. “Or not,” her grandma hastily corrected. “The tube takes us only a block from the hospital. It’s a short walk, and I could use the exercise.”

  The small group made their way out of the shuttleport to the street, Kendra in front, her mom and grandma side-by-side in the middle, and Dale trailing a short distance behind. As they walked west on the wide sidewalk, Kendra’s mom asked for more details about the bombing. Her grandma repeated what they had seen on the newsfeed that morning.

  “Have they found Tiran yet?” her mother asked anxiously.

  “Not that I know of.”

  Kendra shut out their conversation. She couldn’t think about it. It hurt too much.

  Talk to me then, Dina offered. I’ll distract you.

  But Kendra didn’t want to do that either. Instead, she busied herself by studying the city around her. She’d only visited downtown Omphalos a handful of times. Towers of silver metal and sparkling glass loomed over her, vibrant, motion-filled ads projected onto most of the walls, transports of all shapes and sizes whirred past on the streets, and crowds of people strode purposefully down the sidewalks. When they reached the tube station they had to wait in a line for twenty minutes before they were finally able to strap into a tube capsule filled to capacity. The overwhelming odor of a floral perfume wafted its way from behind Kendra’s seat, making her eyes water. She nearly gagged.

  How, how is that considered attractive? Dina complained.

  After the tube bounce to the next station, Kendra ripped off her harness and stumbled out of the capsule as quickly as possible, gasping for clean air. The dank, slightly putrid smell of the underground station was hardly an improvement. She didn’t wait for the rest of the group, practically sprinting up the stairs to street level again.

  She only had the chance to draw one deep breath before Dale reached her side.

  “Miss Kendra, please don’t make my job more difficult than it needs to be,” he said, his tone even. “I am only one man with three charges to protect.”

  “Sorry, Dale,” she said, grimacing. “I just couldn’t breathe.” Dale didn’t answer; his rebuke given, he had already stepped back to take in their surroundings. Kendra turned back to see her grandma and her mom finally exit the tube station as well.

  “Kendra!” her mother warned.

  She raised her hands, hoping to forestall the lecture she knew was coming. “I know, I know.”

  “This is Omphalos, not the International Complex or New River. It is dangerous, and you are making it difficult for Dale to do his job. What if someone attacked you?”

  “I can protect myself,” Kendra muttered rebelliously.

  Within reason, Dina added.

  Her mother only gave her a look. Kendra opened her mouth to argue the matter further but her grandma intervened.

  “The hospital is just across the street,” she said mildly, taking her daughter’s arm on one side and Kendra’s on the other.

  Kendra swallowed her words. Of course her mother was right. Though Kendra could protect herself with Dina’s help, it would draw unnecessary attention. Better to let Dale do his job.

  Finally. A rational response. You are growing up.

  Kendra tried to pretend that Dina’s approval didn’t matter— but she still couldn’t squelch the tiny bloom of warmth in her chest at the compliment.

  ♦

  Once they made it to Aunt Andie’s hospital room, Kendra stood back while her mother walked forward to the medical capsule. Her grandma took the seat near the head of the capsule, leaning over to check the status panel. At the Inaugural Ball some crazy person shot her aunt with a diffusing laser. After the surgery on Corizen that saved her life, Uncle Casey shipped Aunt Andie to Zenith, asleep in a medical capsule with only Kendra to accompany her. Then he publicly announced on Corizen that his wife had not survived the attack. On Zenith, Kendra’s grandparents had rushed Aunt Andie here to the best hospital in Omphalos.

  “How long will she need to stay in medical stasis?” her mother asked, placing her hand on the glass and gazing down at Aunt Andie’s still form.

  Her grandma sighed. “Months, the doctors said.”

  “Months,” repeated her mother sadly. She placed a hand on Grandma’s shoulder. “Well, at least this time we know where she is.” Her grandma looked up and smiled at Kendra’s mom.

  “Jenna, you are a rock. What would I do without you?”

  “Survive just fine, probably. You have always weathered everything, no matter what the curse throws at you.”

  Kendra startled at the mention of the curse. She had forgotten that her mother and grandmother knew something about the Roran curse, though they didn’t know the full truth.

  Should she tell them the whole story?

  No! Dina protested emphatically.

  Why not? Don’t you think they deserve to know the whole truth? Just like I deserved to know the truth?

  It will just make things harder, Kendra. What can they do about it?

  What indeed.

  “I know why our family was cursed. And I know how,” Kendra blurted suddenly.

  Both her mother and her grandmother turned her way, their eyes wide.

  “You do?” her mother asked warily. She exchanged glances with Kendra’s grandma. “Did Dina explain?” She just about choked on Dina’s name.

  “Well, kind of. Never mind how, but I know the full story. The isithunzi side of the story anyway.”

  Her mother blanched, and her grandma waved her hand. “I’m not sure this is the best place for this conversation,” she warned, her voice low.

  Kendra sighed. “Nobody’s spying on us, Grandma. And Dale is standing outside the door. Nobody is going to walk in without warning.”

  “Just be careful how you word things, please.”

  “I don’t think you can trust everything Dina tells you,” her mother interjected, her shoulders rigid.

  See? Dina said. You are just upsetting your mother more. She already guessed years ago that the shadows were
trying to kill the family.

  What?

  Why do you think she doesn’t like me?

  “Why don’t you like Dina, Mom?” Kendra asked directly. Dina groaned, but Kendra was tired of secrets. It was time to have everything out on the table.

  Her mother frowned. “Kendra, I don’t want this to turn into a battle where you have to choose sides.”

  “Dina has protected me all of my life— but you are always uncomfortable every time I mention her. Why?”

  Kendra, you really don’t want to go down this path, Dina warned.

  “She’s not like us, Kendra. We can’t understand the way she thinks,” her mother said stiffly. “Dina may protect you, but . . . .”

  “But what?”

  Her mother sighed. “Look, Vanda told me years ago in the Roran village that the shadows are a threat to humans. I’ve never seen anything to refute that. And every since Grandfather Ridge crossed paths with Konrad Roran our family has had the worst run of luck. Horrible tragedies. I don’t believe that is a coincidence.”

  She exchanged another loaded glance with Kendra’s grandma.

  I told you so, Dina said sadly.

  “Why didn’t you say something?” Kendra said angrily. “You could have warned me!”

  “And what would you have done? Dina is your friend. I didn’t think you would believe me.” Her mother rubbed her temple. “And if you did— would you have sent her away? Can you send her away?”

  Her grandma reached out and put an arm around Kendra. “We didn’t want to burden you with that. Not when you couldn’t change anything.”

  “But what about the rest of the family then? Aren’t you worried about them? I could have talked to Dina, found out if they were in danger!” Kendra was unreasonably angry. Everyone was always protecting her by trying to keep her ignorant. Didn’t it occur to anyone that she could help?

  Her mother sighed. “Of course we worried about everyone else. Do you remember the night we met Kip in Zoria? How he scanned us?”

  Kendra suppressed a guilty start. Of course she remembered. He had used the very same scanner that she borrowed and took to Corizen. It was still probably sitting in her desk drawer in the Ambassador House, mangled and useless.