Revenants Rising

by Megg Jensen

  Revenants Rising

  Forsaken Stars Saga #3

  Megg Jensen

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Newsletter

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Acknowledgments

  Also by Megg Jensen

  REVENANTS RISING

  Forsaken Stars Saga #3

  * * *

  MEGG JENSEN

  Copyright © 2016 by 80 Pages, Inc

  Published by 80 Pages, Inc

  * * *

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form by or any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from the author or publisher.

  * * *

  1st Edition: June 2016

  * * *

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  * * *

  Cover design: Steven Novak Illustration

  Editor: Bryon Quertermous

  Newsletter

  http://smarturl.it/MeggsNewsletter

  1

  A simple silver ledge protruded from the wall. Something kept it warm to the touch, so Rell didn't require a blanket when she slept. It was probably the same mechanism keeping the room lit with a warm sheen, though she couldn't find the source of the light, either.

  It was dragzhi tech.

  They were her saviors and her captors.

  Some time ago, a day, a week, a month, she wasn't sure, they’d extracted the liquid dragzhi that had taken up residence inside her. Afterward, they told her friends she’d died in surgery. But she hadn’t. Her friends left, and the dragzhi had kept her.

  For what purpose, she didn't know.

  If they were studying her, she didn't notice. Not anymore. She was sure of only one thing. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction of banging on the walls with bloodied fists. Instead, when awake, she would sit. She would wait.

  Rell leaned against the warm wall, crossed her legs, and closed her eyes. Eventually, food would appear. She would eat. And the plate would disappear. It was the same thing every day. Every hour? Again, she wasn't sure. It was impossible to measure time in this cell.

  Rell breathed in through her nose, letting out a gentle breath between parted lips. She had grown up underground, in the tunnels below the town of Hadar. She was used to the scent of moist earth, not this sterile air.

  This place wouldn't break her. Eventually, they would let her out.

  She would wait. Patiently.

  A breath in.

  A breath out.

  It was all she did until the scent of sweet meat entered the room.

  Rell opened her eyes, slid off the ledge to the floor, and ate the food using her bare hands. The meat was unidentifiable. She couldn't even be sure it was meat.

  Finished, Rell climbed back on the ledge, lay down, and closed her eyes. One thing was consistent: she always wanted to sleep after eating. Whether they spiked the food with a drug, or whether Rell was simply weak from lack of exercise, her body immediately fell into slumber. There was nothing else for her to do.

  2

  Rell drifted out of a blurry dream. Her eyes opened lazily to a blind white light. Rell sprang up from the ledge. She flung an arm over her eyes, blinking furiously.

  "Rell? You're safe now. You can come with us." A feminine voice rang in her ears.

  Rell moved her arm up slightly, squinting from underneath. A strange amorphous shape moved in front of her. A dragzhi? "Who are you?"

  "Andi," the voice said. "I'm with the EU."

  "EU?" Rell asked, confused. "Are you another faction of the dragzhi?"

  Laughter echoed in the metallic room as a hand—a human hand—rested on Rell's arm. "Earth United. The dragzhi are handing you over to us as part of our treaty. They have no right to hold non-combatant human prisoners."

  Rell blinked a few more times as the woman came into focus. Her long, brown hair hung in kinky curls, resting just above her shoulders. Her dark brown eyes and skin stood in stark contrast to the silver walls of the room. Her uniform of white fabric with gold piping told Rell the woman was military. It was similar to the uniforms the defenders wore on Phoenix.

  Rell dropped her arm to her side. “Earth United? You're from Earth?" Rell could hardly believe it. She knew her kind hadn't always lived on Phoenix. That two hundred years ago their ship had fallen to the planet and lain abandoned for centuries, light-years away from Earth. She'd never considered she'd meet anyone from there.

  Andi laughed again, her voice deep and rich. Comforting. "Yes. We know all about your settlement on XT67. Well, we do now. Until recently, we thought your ancestors’ ship would never be found. A few days ago, we rescued some of your companions from a dragzhi attack, and they told us all about your planet and your civilization. When we discovered the dragzhi had you, alive, we invoked the terms of our treaty. You can go home now."

  Rell relaxed. "Home? I can go back to Phoenix?" And Torsten. She would see him again.

  "We will take you back to Phoenix soon. I promise. First, we need to run some medical tests to be sure you haven't been harmed by the dragzhi." Andi grabbed Rell's elbow, helping her to the floor.

  Rell stood, her legs slightly shaky. It was a development she'd never suspected.

  "You seem a bit unsteady," Andi said. "Have they been treating you well?"

  "They've fed me. That's about it. All I did was eat, meditate, and sleep. I don't know how long I’ve been here." Rell bit her lower lip as they passed through an opening in the wall. As soon as they stepped through, the wall melted together, leaving not even a seam where the opening had been.

  "Good. I'm glad to hear that. The dragzhi can be problematic. Some are more peaceful than others of their kind. It appears you were lucky." Andi kept hold of Rell's elbow as they traveled down an empty hallway.

  "Where are they?" Rell glanced around, seeing no sign of the dragzhi. Not in any form. Not the liquid, not the fire, not the rock. Particularly not their combined form - a giant lizard-like animal with wings sprouting from its back.

  "They promised I could take you, but they will not see you out." Andi paused, looking at Rell. "That
's okay with you, isn't it? I didn’t think you'd want to see your captors again.”

  Rell kept her questions to herself. Though the dragzhi had been holding her prisoner, she'd hoped they would help her explore her dragzhi side. Perhaps she could understand the fire lurking within better. But she’d had enough experience with the military to know she had to watch what she said.

  "I don't," Rell lied. "I’m simply surprised."

  Andi smiled, her white teeth peeking out from behind full lips. "I understand. I'm sure all of this is a lot for you to take in. You're so young. Can't be more than twenty years old, right?"

  Rell was ashamed to admit she didn't know exactly how old she was. Underground, no one ever remarked on birthdays. It would have been selfish to celebrate oneself in that way.

  "I'm nineteen," Rell said, giving the approximate number she and Torsten had figured out together. It was the same age he was. It seemed right.

  "As I thought. Still a child. I'm close to fifty, and I've seen more chaos than someone your age could comprehend." Andi turned left down another hallway.

  Rell considered arguing, but Andi had been harmless, so far. If she knew about Rell’s dragzhi side, she didn't let on. Rell preferred to keep that information to herself.

  "Thank you for rescuing me," Rell said, hoping to stay in Andi's good graces.

  From the woman's tender smile, Rell could tell she'd said the right thing.

  Andi stopped, pulling Rell into a hug. Her nose landed right in the woman's armpit. Rell held her breath and wrinkled her face. There was nothing she hated more than physical contact, particularly with people she barely knew. It hadn't been part of her life underground. Still, she played along. Hugging and touching were common among other humans. She had to get used to it.

  Andi petted Rell's head, then released her. Rell forced a smile.

  "You know, I have a daughter about your age," Andi said. "I don't see her much while I'm deployed. She lives on Reegis 4. If she'd been rescued from a hostile alien species, I’d want to know she's being cared for. Can we notify your parents?"

  "My mother is dead." Rell thought of the last time she'd seen her mother, just before she passed on. They'd had a complicated relationship, and Rell would never be sure her mother truly loved her.

  "Oh, I'm sorry. And your father?"

  "He's dead, too." The man Rell had grown up believing was her father had died at her hand when she was only a small child. Her biological father, a fire dragzhi living in the volcano deep under Hadar, remained a mystery for now.

  "You poor child. Life must have been rough down on XT67. I mean, Phoenix. That's what you call it, right?"

  Rell nodded.

  "I wish we would have found you sooner. You'll be astounded at the leaps in technology we've made since the crash. Humans want for nothing. If you want it, it's at your fingertips. All you have to do is ask." Andi slipped an arm around Rell's shoulders. "You'll never want for anything ever again, Rell. I promise."

  Rell smiled, but there was so little she truly wanted. Shelter. Food. And since she'd met Torsten, she knew she wanted companionship, too. Beyond that, nothing was important.

  They emerged into a vast hangar. Smaller dragzhi ships were scattered on various landing pads, powered down and desolate. No signs of life.

  "That's mine." Andi pointed to a shiny ship on the far end of the hangar. Its lights shone like a beacon, pulling them toward it. "Isn't she beautiful?"

  Ships didn't impress her. Little did. "Yes. It is." She felt it was the right response. The one Andi wanted to hear.

  "Come on, then. Let's get you away from these aliens. Your life is about to begin anew, Rell. I just know you're going to love it." Andi jogged ahead of her. As she arrived at the ship, the doors rose open like wings.

  Rell couldn't help but think of the wings of the dragzhi in its combined form. It had been strange, like nothing she’d ever seen before. But also beautiful. She turned, looking back toward the hallway. Something shimmered on the wall. It moved.

  So the dragzhi had followed her out. They were watching.

  "Rell? Coming?" Andi called.

  Rell turned her back on the liquid dragzhi hiding against the wall. If they wanted to speak to her, they should have done so while she was in the cell. It was too late now.

  Rell climbed into the ship, and the door closed automatically. She reached for the seatbelt, pulling the straps over her shoulders and locking them together at her waist.

  As the ship rose, it turned slowly toward an opening in the hangar. The ship blasted into space, and Rell's stomach lurched, though she wasn't sure if it was a response to the acceleration of the ship or wishing she’d had more time to explore her dragzhi side.

  3

  Torsten peered through the fabric wrapped tightly around his head, his vision obscured by the tight netting of the eye guard. Sand whipped around his head, stabbing at his clothes like a thousand small needles. Luckily he felt nothing. Just the push of the wind.

  Before the humans gave up on surveying the desert surrounding Hadar, they created clothes that could withstand the worst sandstorm. Torsten had spied several sand-resistant suits in the secret vault inside the library. One day, if life ever returned to normal, he would explore the vaults more. There was so much to discover in there. So much that had been forgotten and left to history.

  "See anything?" Rutger shouted next to him.

  Torsten shook his head. Shouting lead to a raspy throat, which was the last thing Torsten wanted to deal with in the middle of the desert. They had only a small supply of water. They hoped to find a source to replenish it, perhaps an oasis, but so far they had only found sand heaped upon more sand.

  The defenders of the tower, Hadar's military base, or the grounders who lived in the town below had to be out here somewhere. When the EU pilot returned Torsten, Rutger, and Malia to the surface, they'd found everyone gone.

  Everyone except Rutger's perpetually inebriated brother, Chuck.

  He had been alone in his cell on the highest level of the tower, scared for his life. The large muscled man told them through muffled sobs about the dolls who had taken everyone and left him behind as a message.

  Dolls. Not exactly the truth. Another species lived on their planet, calling themselves the tark. Though they looked like porcelain dolls, they were horrific creatures who could control humans.

  Torsten didn't want to believe Chuck. He would have preferred ignoring Chuck's words as the ramblings of a drunk, but he couldn't deny the evidence.

  They were all gone. His sister, Leila, included. All that was left behind was a fine sheen of sand in the tower.

  Torsten, Rutger, and Malia spent the evening preparing to find the missing people, by gathering food, water, and any other supplies they could carry on their backs. Early the next morning, they piled into one of the scouts, with Chuck still blubbering in the backseat, and drove as far as they could into the desert. They slept in the car, with shifts of one person driving and one at the watch for dangerous desert beasts. Before sunrise, they had set off again, this time on foot, carrying as many supplies with them as they could manage, using the sun as a guide.

  Malia stepped in front of Torsten, pointing at the tent bag on her back.

  Torsten tapped her shoulder, and she craned her neck around, her dark eyes locked on his. Torsten spun his finger in the air. Malia turned around, and he slipped the bag off. Rutger grabbed the poles while Torsten unfolded the tarp. He spied Chuck out of the corner of his eye. The large man sat off to the side, his head down on his knees.

  After Torsten, Rutger, and Malia had set up the tent, they waved Chuck inside. Once all four of them were safely in, Torsten and Rutger tied the flap shut. The sand whipped at the tent, but stayed outside where it belonged.

  Torsten peeled the linen mask from his face, taking a deep breath of fresh air. "We'll stay in here until the sun is on the decline. It's way too hot out there now."

  "Mind if I take a quick nap?" Malia asked. She'd taken
the final watch of the night, and her eyelids were drooping.

  "Go ahead," Torsten said. "I'm fine if anyone else wants to take a nap, too."

  Without a word, Chuck lay down on the tent floor, his head on his arm. Within moments, he was snoring.

  "I'm really sorry about him." Rutger rolled his eyes at his older brother. "He's always been like this. Completely useless."

  "Well, he did live to tell us where everyone went. Without him, we'd probably still be back at the tower, stumped." Torsten sat back, wrapping his arms around one knee as he stretched the other. His legs ached, though not as badly as his heart. Rell had died only days ago. No matter how hard he'd tried to save her, no matter the cost, the only woman he'd ever loved had been taken from him.

  "What do you think about those EU ships?" Rutger asked, pulling Torsten back to the present.

  "I don't know yet. I hate to say this, but it all felt a little too convenient."

  Rutger let out a long breath. "I'm glad the dragzhi didn't blow us into tiny bits. Still..."

  "Yeah." Torsten thought of Rell again. If he had been blown to tiny bits, would his soul have reunited with hers? He wasn't sure he believed in religious fairy tales. Still, it was comforting, thinking that one day he might see her again, even if they were weird floaty ghost particles traveling the universe.