by Megg Jensen
"Once you've conquered them," Rell said, her voice flat.
Dr. Anderson waved a hand in the air. "That's a terrible way of looking at it. We will help far more than we destroy."
"And you want me to make your army do as you command?" Rell asked.
"Yes. Will you help us? More importantly, will you help them?"
Rell looked over the glass cages and the people inside them. If she taught them how to control their dragzhi side, they could live better, productive lives. But would the humans ever allow them to have their own lives? Would they remain forever trapped as soldiers?
If Rell taught them to control themselves, she'd only be handing them over to slavery.
Rell took a deep breath and looked Dr. Anderson directly in the eyes.
"You are the only one who can help them, Rell. You are the key."
Not that word again. The Key. Always the Key. Something snapped in Rell, and she said, "I will never help you." She stormed out the way they'd come, trying not to look at all of the prisoners trapped in glass cages as they begged her to save them.
31
Torsten was going stir crazy. Not only was he anxious to find Rell, but being confined in a small space with his friends and his sister without room to move around or a way to shower was wearing on all of them.
Even Rutger and Malia were less affectionate than before. Leila kept to herself. Torsten couldn't stop thinking about what was coming. He felt like he needed to get ready somehow, but he wasn't sure what they were facing.
Humans? Yes.
Dragzhi? Probably.
The frustrating part was that he had more information about the dragzhi than his fellow humans. Though that was all he had in common with Earth United. They may as well have been a different species altogether. Their customs, their social mores, their proclivity toward violence, all of it was an unknown.
He didn't like the idea of fighting other humans to get Rell back. If the situation called for it, he'd aim for the head or the heart. But the thought of killing them didn't bring Torsten any joy, unlike some of the defenders he’d known who thirsted for the blood of their enemies.
The best outcome would be if they simply returned Rell when asked.
Torsten was convinced it wouldn't be so easy. They’d kidnapped her for some reason.
The orb slowed, coming to a stop.
"Have you found something?" Torsten asked Denestra.
The doll floated in front of the controls, eyes burning red. "Yes. We have found the two signatures we've been looking for."
"Two?" Leila asked, sitting up straighter. "Who are you looking for?"
"Stop asking questions!" Denestra shouted. It turned back to Torsten. "As we approach, we will be using the bodies, but not as you have come to expect. Prepare yourselves."
"For what?" Rutger asked.
"You will see." Denestra returned to the controls, waving its arms over them. After a final flourish, it gave the humans one more glance before floating up into the mass of bodies and tark above them.
"What do you think will happen?" Malia asked, as she glanced up at the bodies, then back at Torsten.
"I have no idea," Torsten said. He wished he knew. It might quell the queasy feeling in his stomach.
The orb began to vibrate. Torsten backed against the wall. He, Leila, Malia, and Rutger scooted closer, using each other to brace for impact.
"Is it going to crack?" Leila asked, her face turning white.
"No. They wouldn't bring us this far to kill us," Torsten said, hoping he was right.
Malia pushed against Rutger, one arm around his waist, the other grabbing on to Torsten's jacket. Rutger clasped Leila's wrist, pulling her close to Malia. Though the two women had a difficult relationship, to say the least, neither complained. Torsten wrapped an arm around his sister's shoulder, and the other around Rutger's shoulder.
The orb jerked sharply, shoving them against the wall. Rutger uttered a quiet, "Oof."
The bodies above began to move in unison, their arms and legs participating in a complex dance that reminded Torsten of the way Denestra commanded the controls of the ship. A low keening echoed throughout the orb, growing louder with each passing moment until Torsten thought his eardrums would burst.
Torsten chanced a glance up, afraid of what he would see.
The song abruptly ceased, and then the most wondrous thing happened.
Long thin veils of smoke slipped out of the bodies, flying around the orb. One passed just above Torsten. It looked exactly like Archer. That perky smile, the twinkle in her eye as she winked at him, long dark hair cascading behind her.
"What?" Torsten found himself saying aloud.
"Ghosts," Malia whispered. "They've released the spirits of the dead. It's so beautiful."
"Ghosts are... real?" Rutger asked, his eyebrows raised.
"I've read scientific research pointing to such a thing back on Earth," Torsten said, “but as far as I knew, no one ever proved it."
The spirits of the dead burst through the walls of the orb without damaging them, shooting out into space. Long tendrils connected them to the bodies they'd left behind on the ship.
"What will they do?" Malia asked, wonder filling her voice.
"Maybe they'll find Rell so we can all go home." The ship settled, and Leila let go of them as if she could no longer bear their touch.
"Maybe," Torsten said, trying not to stare at his sister. Though she'd behaved normally since the encounter with the dragzhi, something still seemed off.
Denestra floated down to them. "You are not blubbering as I had thought you would be. Perhaps humans have some fortitude after all."
"How did you make that happen?" Torsten asked.
"We didn't. They have chosen to serve. Those who did not want to serve remained on Setion," Denestra said.
"You can talk to the dead?" Malia asked.
"Of course! Can't you?" Denestra asked.
"Um, no," Rutger said.
"You cannot speak to your own dead? No wonder you mourn them so much. Stupid humans! Your spirits live on, long after the meatbags decay. How can you not know this? Maybe you should listen more carefully with your puny ears!" Denestra's eyes flashed orange with annoyance. "We explained our mission to them, and they chose to come with us. Did you think we were bending them to our will?"
None of them responded, though that was what they'd all assumed. Torsten, particularly. He had no room in his life for the supernatural. Until he'd met Rell, he hadn't believed in anything unless it was a known fact. Even when he studied the arcane, it was solely in the context of what others believed as part of their culture. To him, it remained a flight of fancy.
This he couldn't deny. He'd seen ghosts leave the bodies of the dead, and now they had projected themselves into space to search for Rell.
Rell would have loved to have seen this. And perhaps she still would if they could rescue her. Though she'd given up her belief in the Menelewen Dored, Torsten knew she still revered the unseen. That part of her was so deeply ingrained it would probably remain forever.
"They will find Rell. They will report back to us. That will be the first step in recovering the girl and returning her to Setion." Denestra looked at the bodies above and smiled. "We are humbled so many chose to come with us."
Denestra glanced back at the humans, snarling as it shouted, "You should be humbled, too!"
"We are," Torsten said, and he meant it. The others murmured their assent, probably just as stunned as he was.
"Now we wait for their return. One of them will report to us with the information they have gleaned." Denestra floated back to the controls, busying itself and ignoring the humans.
"I had no idea..." Malia said.
"It could be a trick," Leila offered.
"I don't think so," Rutger said. He looked out the window, a wistful look on his face.
Torsten could almost imagine Rutger as a child at that moment, a strange juxtaposition to the hilarious, sometimes obnoxious,
man he'd grown into.
"So now we wait." Torsten leaned against the glass, his eyes following the astral trail leading into the stars. Daring to hope that Rell might be at the end of it.
32
With a haunting keen, the ghosts returned to their bodies. All but one remained silent.
Archer's body floated down to Torsten, a tark holding her hand. She leaned over, placing a chilling kiss on his cheek.
"Let me guess. You know her?" Rutger asked.
"Big brother," Leila said with a smile. "It looks like you have an admirer.”
"Archer is an old friend." Torsten thought of his librarian friend who had given him access to an old space shuttle stored under the Tower. He’d used it to take Rell into space, hoping to free her of the dragzhi that had taken hold inside her. But, he knew, the figure before him was no longer the same woman he’d known on Phoenix.
Archer winked at him. "We have located Rell. She is on the human ship not far from here. There is a dragzhi ship lying in wait, just as we were told. We do not know their intention, whether they are working together or one is holding the other captive. I suggest proceeding with caution."
With the tark taking the lead, Archer's body floated back up, joining the other revenants.
"We will confront the humans. We will demand Rell. If they do not comply, we will blow them to pieces," Denestra said.
Torsten held up a hand. "No. If we blow them to pieces, then Rell dies, too. We have to find another way."
"What do you suggest, foolish human? Surely you do not have an idea better than mine." Denestra glared at him haughtily.
"We should approach them offering peace. Maybe they'll negotiate with us." Maybe they hadn't realized who Rell was. It might be a big misunderstanding.
"Torsten," Malia said, "remember when they told us they would come back to Phoenix for us? They lied. I hate to admit it, but I agree with Denestra.” Malia gave the tark a side-eye. "I think we need to be threatening in our approach."
"I agree," Leila said.
Had his sister always been so eager for a fight? Torsten struggled to remember the young girl she'd once been.
"Not too threatening," Torsten warned. "Give them a chance to work with us first."
"A small window will be opened. If they choose not to cooperate, we will destroy them!" Denestra chortled as she floated back to the controls.
The orb took a sharp turn to the left, throwing Torsten and his friends against the wall. It sped through space, presumably toward the EU ship. Torsten's heart thumped in his chest, every beat taking him closer to Rell, and closer to a potential battle for her life.
Torsten almost laughed. Why was everything a life or death matter with Rell? Back when he was a defender, he'd often thought life was difficult. He had no friends. He hated living in the tower. He dreamed of a life free of obligation to the military. Looking back, it all seemed trivial. He was locked in a real battle now. As a young defender, he did everything he could to stay away from battle. Now he found himself hurtling through space with an alien species to fight his own people for the woman he loved.
This wasn't how he thought his life would turn out.
"Hey, Tor." Leila slid over to him. "Can we talk for a second? Alone?" She shot a sideways glance at Malia and Rutger.
"Whatever." Malia grabbed Rutger's arm, yanking him to the far side of the orb. They walked away, their heads together in conversation. Knowing them, it wouldn't be long before they were making out. That seemed to be Rutger's way of coping with imminent danger.
"What's up?" Torsten asked.
Leila wrung her hands and looked down at her toes. "I'm sorry for the way I've been acting. I think the stress got to me. Losing Mellok and then Andessa. It was too much. I blamed Rell for things that weren't her fault. I hope I get the chance to apologize to her. I’ll never forgive myself if I can’t fix things." She looked up at him, her wide eyes sparkling with tears.
Torsten felt his brotherly emotions fight to break through the wall he'd built to keep Leila out. He loved her with all of his heart. She was his family.
Torsten opened his arms, and his sister fell into them, resting her face against his chest, her tears quickly soaking his shirt.
"I love you." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.
"I love you, too." Torsten pecked the top of her head. "And I forgive you."
Leila smiled, content, then settled back on the floor. She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. Torsten watched warily. Despite his love for her, he couldn't trust her. Not yet. She could say all of the right things. She could hug him a million times. But until he saw her stand before Rell, he wouldn't know for sure where her heart lay.
Torsten glanced over his shoulder. Rutger and Malia's lips were mashing into each other's, their bodies close together. Torsten turned away from them, giving them the space they needed. He just hoped they wouldn't get too carried away.
Torsten sat next to Leila. She snuggled against his arm, her eyes still closed and her breathing soft and even. Within moments, she fell asleep next to him, just as she had when they were children, after their parents died.
Leila had suffered from nightmares, and Torsten was the only one who could get her back to sleep. Her presence had comforted him, too. They'd relied on each other, not just because they were alone but because they genuinely cared about each other.
He looked down at her blond eyelashes resting gently on her cheeks. She seemed so young. So vulnerable. Not the damaged woman she'd become. Leila was a fighter, though. If anyone had the ability to come back from tragedy, it was his sister. There was hope for her, yet.
Torsten closed his eyes, too, figuring a nap would be the best way to prepare for the eventual meeting with Earth United. He needed to be in top form. Not just to negotiate with them for Rell's release, but also to keep Denestra from blowing them all up for amusement.
* * *
Torsten woke with a jolt. He bolted to his feet as the orb came to a stop. Leila had rolled over and fallen asleep on her other side, her arm tucked under her head as a pillow. Rutger and Malia's arms and legs were splayed over each other, and Torsten couldn't help but notice Malia's shirt was on backward.
"We have arrived, meatbags! Wake up!" Denestra yelled.
Torsten looked out the clear wall. It was right. A familiar ship floated in front of them. These were the people who had picked them up in space as the dragzhi fleet tried to attack. They had taken Torsten, Malia, and Rutger back to Phoenix, promising to come for them soon. Instead, they’d left them stranded on Phoenix again.
Why? What was so important about her to them?
A fuzzy whistle broke the silence. "Humans! We are here for Rell of Setion. You will give her to us, or you will die." Denestra smiled into the control panel, her teeth glinting in the bright light of the orb.
A crackle sounded, then a human voice responded. "We will not surrender a human to an alien species. Leave, or face us in battle."
Denestra smiled, raising its arms.
Torsten ran, grabbing Denestra and hugging it close as if it were an actual doll. "Don't engage them. Not yet. Let me speak to them."
Denestra struggled in his grasp. "Very well, human. Speak." Denestra pointed to the control panel.
Torsten cleared his throat. "Hi. This is Torsten Vikker from Phoenix. Not long ago, you rescued my friends and me from a dragzhi fleet. You also picked up our friend, Rell. The tark were just helping us find her and bring her home. I'm sure you won't have a problem returning her to us."
Torsten waited.
In response, the gun turrets on the EU ship opened and powered up.
33
Rell stormed through the halls of the ship, no idea where she was headed. Underground she'd learned to navigate tunnels without environmental clues to orient herself. This ship was too big to do the same. It would take her months to memorize all of the twists and turns. But wandering the ship was far better than staying with Dr. Anderson and what she'
d done.
Fire bubbled in Rell's gut. Teach the prisoners to control their dragzhi side so they could be soldiers in an army of slaves, or leave them to the scientists, who would continue to experiment on them. Rell couldn't decide which choice was better. Those poor people lost either way. So did Rell.
The decision weighed on her conscience, tearing at her insides. Rell's hands thrust out, fire dancing across her fingertips.
It was like the day she killed her father. Like the day she shoved Mellok into the fire. She could control it, but only to a certain point. When her feelings were scattered, she lost control. Someone always got hurt.
Not this time. She wouldn't allow it. Though she had the overwhelming desire to torch everyone on the ship except Wade and Cordan, she would temper her anger.
Klaxons blared in the hall as the lights flickered on and off.
"Attention. We are under attack. All defenders to your stations. All scientists to your safe zones," a tinny voice announced over a speaker. The warning repeated three times, each punctuated by the klaxons.
"Great. I don't know where to go that's safe," Rell said.
The halls were suddenly awash with people bursting from doorways and heading to their posts or their safe spots. They wore the same silver uniforms. Rell couldn't begin to guess which were warriors and which were scientists.
"Excuse me," Rell grabbed someone by the elbow, yanking hard until he stopped.
"I have to get to my safe spot. You should, too." He grabbed her hand, pulling Rell down the hall.
Without protest, Rell ran after him, glad he had a hold of her. While she hated being touched, she was willing to let it go this once. It was only until they got to safety.
The man turned, his mouth in a grimace. "Your hands are really hot. What were you doing?"
