by Ramy Vance
Finally, Alex and Gill got to the mines. They swooped down into them and turned around to make themselves seem like better targets. Just in case the vrosks didn’t take the bait, Alex prepped another gravitational well and tossed it out.
The vrosks were already heading in, though. The gravity well went off and the vrosks were pulled toward the mines, which instantly detonated as Boundless flew out of the blast’s proximity.
They headed back toward Brath and Jim, who were prepping for the next wave of enemies. Vardis was still leaping from ship to ship. They couldn’t avoid him, no matter how fast they were.
The team sat down on the asteroid together and watched Vardis working. “Didn’t know he had it in him,” Jim muttered. “Didn’t seem like much of a fighter.”
Alex was watching the place the portal had opened. “No, I wouldn’t have thought so. We can’t do this all day, though. If the Dark One opens portal after portal, we’re gonna get tired. We need to retreat.”
No one disagreed. They had probably all been waiting to hear those words.
“We’re gonna move now before they send more reinforcements. Get the hell out of here while we still can.”
The plan was straightforward enough. There seemed to be a lag before another portal could open, and they were going to take advantage of that and hoof it straight back to the base. She was uncertain about whether the Dark One would give chase.
Brath thought it was a terrible idea. “You guys will end up like the gnome world. Maybe even worse. The Dark One never landed on our planet. Can you imagine the damage he could do?”
“I don’t think so. Look at this whole fight. If the Dark One was powerful enough to wipe us out single-handedly, he wouldn’t have brought a small army with him. He might be strong, but he’s not a god, no matter what he keeps trying to tell me. He needs forces, and he obviously doesn’t have enough to deal with us. He won’t have enough to deal with the base on Earth.”
Brath had nothing to say back to that, and neither did the rest of Boundless. Alex did have a point. If the Dark One could just kill everything, why would he bother with armies? Unless he was after something else.
Alex thought back to what she’d heard the Dark One saying. The weapon Vardis had was strong enough to destroy life as she knew it.
And the Dark One didn’t want that. He wanted things to keep living.
“He won’t do it,” Alex said finally. “He’s not here to destroy.”
Jim opened his cockpit and leaned out. “I know you’ve spent a little time in the Dark One’s head, but I don’t think you should start taking his thoughts as the Lord’s truth. We can’t trust him, not even what his mind tells you. He might just be trying to manipulate us.”
Alex knew Jim was partially right. She couldn’t believe any thoughts she’d received from the Dark One, but she could make use of the connection between the two of them.
Jollies was flapping her wings anxiously while Amber huffed out a small storm of electricity. “Are we going to sit around and talk about retreating, or are we going to wait until we have a big enough group of vrosks to retreat from? I think if we’re going to go, now is probably the best chance we have.”
As Jollies was speaking, the portal opened again. The Dark One’s tendrilled ship came through first, with more ships and vrosks following him. Alex felt the familiar dread creep over her at the sight of the ship. She knew the rest of Boundless was feeling it as well.
Vardis, who had just rejoined them, was the only one who didn’t seem to be affected by the sight of the flagship, or at least not like the rest of the Boundless. He looked livid, as if it was impossible for him to hold his anger inside.
She still didn’t know what to make of the alien. He obviously hated the Dark One, but he’d been less than forthright about many things, and the situation with the kin had almost seemed like a backhanded attack. But why would he have attacked them while they were helping him get something he wanted? There was no motive.
From where Alex stood, Vardis was just as trustworthy as the Dark One. Hey, Chine, Alex thought, do you think you could help me reach the Dark One? The way that he reaches out to me?
The dragon’s voice sounded proud when he responded. I don’t think you’ll need my help. I’ve been watching your telepathic abilities grow. You might not realize it, but you’ve been doing most of the heavy lifting recently.
Do you think it’s safe?
I don’t think seeking a conversation with him is in any way safe, but I don’t think you need my protection. I will listen in, though.
Alex turned to the rest of Boundless. “We’re not retreating yet. You guys can deal with another wave, right?”
Brath yawned as he drew his axe and leaned on it. “I got another four in me. What about you, Gill?”
Gill, who was sitting cross-legged, stood and stretched his arms and legs. “At least three at the current number of troops and resting times between the portal’s opening. Jollies?”
“Five. I’m not using nearly as much energy as you guys. Jim?”
“I think I might need to gas up after four or five, but that’s my only concern.”
Alex folded her arms and nodded, satisfied with her team’s answers. “Good. Chine’s going to watch my back. I’m going to have a talk with the Dark One and try to come to some kind of agreement. The way I see it, we have a weapon that can instantly kill him. He might not know we know how to use it.”
Vardis’ eyes widened as he turned to face Alex, his whole body shaking with what could only have been rage. “You can’t be serious. You’re going to talk to him?”
Alex didn’t bother to meet Vardis’ eyes. She was looking at the Dark One’s ship. “I think it’s about time we had a talk on my terms.”
Chapter Five
It felt like second nature. First reaching inward, finding her voice. The voice she’d been using all along when she spoke with Chine. The voice Myrddin and Vardis had both drawn out of her. The voice the Dark One had tried to drown out when she’d found herself within his mind. The voice was there. It was strong—stronger than she’d been aware of.
Alex wondered how long the voice had been there. There had never been any occasion for her to use anything like telepathy. She assumed the way she’d moved around the world when she was blind was because she’d grown used to it.
But if she thought, really thought back, she could remember instances of strong feelings and picking up on things people felt even though she couldn’t see their reactions or body language. It was a deep knowing as if she was somehow connected to them.
Those feelings had grown since she’d been bound to her dragon. It wasn’t something she would have put into words before, but for some reason, everything was clicking now. Chine had sharpened her telepathy by proximity and communication. She wondered if that was how it was for the rest of the dragonriders, but it was doubtful. If it had been like that, they would have talked about it by now, having sensed it growing in each of them.
Above, the vrosks and fighter ships were preparing to attack. Boundless was gearing up to go on the defensive and turn the tide. They all seemed fairly certain that they were going to be able to handle whatever the Dark One was throwing at them, and there was no lack of trust in Alex and what she was capable of.
Alex took a seat next to her dragon, who covered her with his wing, promising to keep her safe. I appreciate it, Alex said. I don’t know what’s going to happen when I get in there.
Chine chuckled softly as he flexed his wing. If it’s anything like last time, it will be somewhat terrifying.
Somewhat? That’s an understatement. Alex called to Brath, “Hey, little guy. You’re in command while I’m out, okay?”
Brath puffed up his chest as Furi reared. “What the hell do you mean, ‘little guy’?”
“I was talking to Furi.”
Brath fake-laughed as Furi stamped the ground. “Hurry up,” Brath chided. “We could use the extra firepower.”
As Alex was
preparing to telepathically call out to the Dark One, Vardis walked over to her, crouching to her eye level. It was the first time Alex had noticed how physically imposing the alien was. When they’d been back at the Nest, he’d looked frail behind the glass walls. Now, out here, Alex could see how strong he really was. His attack on the fighter jets hadn’t hurt that impression either.
Vardis peered at Alex, his deep, dark eyes difficult to read. “This is a foolish idea. The Dark One has broken people with his mind. He is not—”
Alex didn’t have time to waste talking to Vardis, especially if he was going to try to talk her out of something her mind was already made up about. “I’ve been in there before, and I came out alive. During the last psychic attack, he hit me with something I could live through as well. I advise you to keep up with everyone else.”
Vardis’ inner eye flickered as he leaned back on his haunches. “If you wish. Be safe.”
“You too.”
Vardis stood and stalked off as Alex tried to relax. She closed her eyes and found the voice in her again. Once she found it, she turned it outward, projecting it toward the Dark One’s ship. But that wasn’t quite right. She was imagining the ship and a physical body to connect with, yet the more she thought about the Dark One, the more her imagination warped and changed until she realized she was looking for a voice. One she’d already spoken to.
Boundless took off to confront the vrosks and ships above. Alex could hear explosions going off. She could see them, yet at the same time, they were blending together and peeling apart. It was as if someone had thrown water on an oil painting and was rubbing it clean.
Then it all broke apart like a stained glass mirror hit with a rock. The darkness of space receded like a wave, and what was beneath it was much deeper darkness. Alex looked down at her feet. She could see Boundless and Vardis engaging the enemy.
Alex felt a vibration course through her head like an earthquake. She was tumbling, trying to grasp something to keep from slipping through the cracks. Insanity lay down there. She didn’t need to have it explained to her.
The vibration subsided. Alex felt something stirring in her for a second, then it shot it out like a white light, cutting through the darkness and illuminating something at the far end of infinity. “What do you want, human?” the Dark One thundered.
The light receded, coming back to Alex like it was on a string. “You know my name. Don’t act like you don’t.”
“Alex.”
“Why haven’t you killed us? If you’re strong enough to wipe out entire universes, what are you doing playing with a bunch of teenagers on flying lizards?”
Something like a laugh emerged, and Alex was surprised that it didn’t sound malicious. The darkness grew even darker. “You have something I want, something I need. Today, we have the same goal: to keep existence from ending.”
“How do you know the weapon is going to do that?”
Another laugh, this one drenching everything in sludgy darkness. “I have seen its effect. It will wipe out all living matter on this plane.”
Alex focused again, sending out another beam of light, dispelling a little bit of darkness. She could see an uncountable number of black hands drawing back. “How do I know I can trust you?”
“Look down.”
Alex glanced at the fight taking place below. A black wave of energy formed around the Dark One’s flagship. Without warning, the energy took the shape of a crescent and snapped across the battlefield, cutting through ships, vrosks, and nearly Jim, who wasn’t able to pull away. The attack stopped at Jim’s mech’s face.
The Dark One laughed again, and black hands clawed at Alex. “If I wanted you dead, you would be. But that is not why I am here. I will bend this universe to my will and remake it in my image. What cannot withstand the fires of my purification will be turned to ash and abandoned. You, though… You could live through the fires. And I promise you this.”
The darkness peeled back, showing a bony black hand dripping red and black ooze into a golden goblet. “I offer you this pact: fight beside me. I will give you an army. Fight under my wing, and I will give you the strength you’ve dreamt of.”
Alex could have laughed at the offer, but she didn’t, and she didn’t know why. Something in her heard the Dark One and wanted to hear more. She was certain it wasn’t due to any influence from the Dark One’s mind. Deep down, she wanted more.
Instead of answering, Alex looked at the battle raging beneath her.
Jim had landed on an asteroid and was hanging off, firing missile after missile at the vrosks who were attempting to swarm him.
Across from him, Gill had swooped in to provide backup. He fired a gravitational well, and Jollies infused it with electricity that electrocuted anything that was pulled into it.
The Dark One’s voice oozed through the cracks in Alex’s brain. “They would be generals in your army. An entire realm to rule. It could be yours. Just give me the weapon.”
Beneath Alex, Brath was flying through space, Furi ripping vrosks in half as ships fired at the dragon. He barrel-rolled and blocked the attack with his wings.
“Give. Me. THE WEAPON!”
It was not a shout, merely a thought that grew stronger with each word.
Alex wasn’t going to give in. Whatever the Dark One offered, she didn’t want any of it. “No deal. I don’t give a crap about being one of your servants. But the weapon…how do I know you aren’t lying?”
“You saw how easily I could destroy you all. I’ll retreat. Take it as a sign of good faith. I don’t need the weapon. Keep it. Destroy it. It matters not to me. All that matters is that Vardis not be allowed to use it.”
Alex weighed her options. “Withdraw your troops. We’ll keep in touch.”
Alex snapped out of the trance, nearly falling over. Chine caught her and helped her to her feet.
A portal had opened in the blackness of space. The Dark One’s forces headed through it. Finally, all that was left was the flagship. It hung back as if it were watching the dragonriders. Then it turned and flew through the portal as well. There was a bright flash, and the portal closed.
Boundless and Vardis flew down to the asteroid Alex and her dragon were on. “What the hell was that all about?” Jim asked. “Did they just retreat?”
Gill leaped off his dragon, smiling widely. “Either Alex is extremely mentally intimidating, or she single-handedly brokered a peace treaty with the Dark One.”
Alex shook her head as she stared at Earth. “Hardly. I don’t know why he left. Maybe I’m just a bad conversationalist.”
The members of Boundless chuckled, although some of them cast dubious glances in Alex’s direction, which she mitigated with a genuine smile.
Vardis, on the other hand, did not seem satisfied by Alex’s answer. Alex couldn’t read the alien’s body language, but she gleaned enough from his mind. He was sulking. Whatever he assumed had happened between Alex and the Dark One had upset him.
That was enough to keep her suspicious.
Chapter Six
Boundless arrived back at the base within the hour. They wasted no time entering the atmosphere after their battle with the Dark One. No one had talked during the entire ride back. Alex was glad. She didn’t want to have to explain the conversation she’d had with the Dark One to the rest of the team while Vardis was near.
Nor did Alex want to address how what the Dark One had said affected her. She had been strongly interested in his promises of power, and she still wasn’t sure if that desire had come from her or the Dark One’s manipulations. If he was such a strong telepath, could he use mind control without her realizing it?
That train of thought made Alex feel like she was trying to run away from the truth. She knew the Dark One used technology to control the minds of his victims. By now, that was common knowledge in the war for Middang3ard.
But the truth didn’t rest easy in Alex’s mind: she had wanted the power the Dark One had promised.
When t
he dragonriders landed at the base, they were taken to the debriefing room. When the soldiers came to escort Alex and the rest of the riders to their debriefing, Vardis stepped between them. “No,” he said, “We need to talk.”
Alex could see no traces of emotion in Vardis’ eyes, but she caught everything in his mind. It wasn’t quite anger; that was too vague. The closest comparison was the time her parents had accused her of sneaking desserts from the fridge and punished her, only to find out later that her father had forgotten he’d eaten them all.
Anger mixed with betrayal mixed with mistrust. Alex had no idea what Vardis had to mistrust. The riders had done exactly what they said they were going to do: escort him to pick up the weapon and bring it back to Earth. The only thing Alex could think of was that Vardis wasn’t happy about the conversation she’d had with the Dark One.
Then Vardis opened his mouth and proved her right. “Do your commanding officers know you spoke directly to the Dark One? To one of the most powerful psychics in all the realms?”
Alex tried to meet Vardis’ gaze with as much indifference as his eyes betrayed while focusing on her emotions, making sure they weren’t broadcasting as strongly as Vardis’ were. “My commanding officers are about to find out that I did because I’ll tell them, just like I did the rest of you. I don’t have any secrets from them. Do you?”
Vardis’ emotions shut down; he was like a closed book now. “I’ve been nothing but straightforward with all of you. I hope the mishap on the moon won’t tarnish our working relationship in the future.”
Jim and Gill had already walked away, but Alex could hear Brath muttering under his breath. “Mishap? Is that what he’s calling nearly getting us all killed?”
Jollies said, “Everyone makes mistakes. And he said someone hacked into his defense program.”
