Destiny's Kingdom: Legend of the Chosen (11 page)

Rising from the floor Fredrick repeated, “Let me see the nexus point!”

But something different commanded her thoughts. Kirin turned the ship in the opposite direction, plotting a course deeper into the Develon sector, back to Macvaladen Livius’ sector of space.
 

“Did you not hear me Kirin?”

When she didn’t respond, Fredrick walked over and put his hand on hers. Kirin casually looked at the hand that was trying to stop her then gave him a vague glance of recognition. She took her free hand and calmly placed it flat on his chest.

Fredrick’s mouth opened to scream, but nothing came out. Where she touched him, his skin discolored, and his eyes sunk into their sockets. With the sound of a breath, his body disintegrated and fell to ash on the floor.

Elena screamed. Kirin looked over to her with the same deadened gaze, grabbed her own armrest and effortlessly ripped it from her chair. She hurled it at Elena, striking her on the head and silencing the annoying shrieking as Elena slumped unconscious to the floor.
 

Kirin punched up the passenger log. A full load. A very good day indeed, she thought. Her hands flew over the buttons, cutting all communications on the ship and locking all doors of passenger cabins, sealing them inside. She charted a new course to Livius’ command ship. Rising slowly, stiffly, she walked over to where Elena laid, reached out her hand, and placed it flat on her chest.

CHAPTER 8

M
ist rose in gently climbing clouds along the stone gray walls of the Castle of Sighs, and spread across the kingdom in a blanket of quiet haze, the morning sun threatening to dissolve its thick cover with every passing moment. Dawn was always a serene and enchanted time and through the gloaming, the mist gave way and beginning flutters of life started to emerge; the sweet coo of mourning doves, the rustle of tiny mammals that crawled through the grasses and crept up the trees. Occasionally, the clean scent of the ocean carried on the light wind, whose currents weaved over the wood and across the thickly carpeted hills that spread throughout the land.

A slight chill swept through the serenity of the bedroom, still quiet and heavy with the drowse of sleep, still gray with the shadows of predawn, since it faced away from the rising sun. A stirring, nearby. Quade awoke from the best sleep he'd had in over a week to the sense of something looming close over his head. He willed his eyes open just a bit and smiled contentedly as he found himself face to face with Trina's bare belly. He could hear her now, stretched over him and reaching up in an attempt to pull the curtains shut around the bed, and he slowly snaked his arm around her waist to pull her close against him, pressing his lips into the flat slope of her stomach. It had always been a particularly fond place of his to kiss, partly because of the delicate sheen of white peach fuzz that stood out against her tawny skin, but also because he always thought it was interesting and mildly strange that she had no belly button. There was a spot for it, a dimple at best; but though her belly dipped into what it seemed to be aiming for as a navel, there was actually no evidence of a navel there. He growled sleepily as he nuzzled against her, happiness and contentment washing through him. This is what life was supposed to be. Close to Trina, wherever she was.

"Quade," she protested quietly, now reaching behind herself to draw the curtain, which probably wouldn’t do much to keep out the cold from the breeze anyway. With one last tug the sheer draping was closed, and he pulled her down next to him. She shivered as she wrapped the thick blankets around her shoulders. "You left the windows open again."

"Sorry," he murmured, already drifting back into sleep. He thought of something briefly then. "You're not getting up now are you?"

"No not yet." Her voice was sleepy too. "In an hour or so."

"Make sure you wake me when you do, okay? I have to talk to your father."

"Is he expecting you?"

Quade wrapped his arm around Trina's waist and nestled his head into her shoulder. "Yes. I'm supposed to be here at ninth hour." Her muffled laugh was all he heard as he fell back to sleep.

The passage that connected the north and south wings of the Castle of Sighs was long and curved, as it was actually the inside of a rotunda, and it featured one of the more stunning traits of the castle; beautifully leaded glass which covered half of its circumference, floor to ceiling. Aazrio pulled the drapery rod along its circular path, morning sunlight flooding the corridor as the heavy drapes gradually opened. The rasping sound of the grommets as they ran along the metal bar had always been an abrasive noise to Aazrio, and he scowled up to the top of the drapes. He stood back and looked at the semi-circle of the interior, at the spanning length of the curtains, which were only open a fifth of the way. His eyes moved back and forth from one end of the tapestry to the other, then he brought his hands together in front of his face. There was a second or two of focused concentration and then his palms swept apart, and by this gesture the hanging rings rose off their track and the curtains flew open with a quiet whoosh. Pleased, Aazrio continued down toward the south rooms.

The Keystone's ship had been prepared, the garden staff was ahead of themselves readying the grounds for Twilight Bloom, the entertainment was arranged, and the guard had now walked the entire castle through twice. Aushlin would be finishing up his morning meal soon, so Aazrio headed toward the Keystone's study to make sure all was in order for his meeting. Upon his approach, the guard noticed that the door was slightly ajar, and his eyes narrowed in instant suspicion.
 

Aazrio's hairless brow arched high upon his face, and were he not bald, it would surely have disappeared into any bangs he may have had. He stood for a moment in the doorway, analyzing the situation he'd just come upon. Quade sat opposite the Keystone's desk in his usual spot, a high-backed, sculpted chair. He ran his finger along the soft, velveteen brush of the fabric, then ran it back over the same path, watching how the color changed as the nap was raised. And of course, he pretended not to notice that Aazrio was about to bore a hole in his head from staring at him so intensely. The family guard walked into the room slowly, purposefully. Quade glanced at the clock on the wall. Next time he'd know better than to come downstairs five minutes early. He'd never done it before, and he'd surely never do it again. As Aazrio walked over to him, the soles of his boots made a thick clunking noise on the stone floor, which resounded off the high walls of the study.

"How did you get inside the castle before ninth hour?" he asked, a sharp edge in his voice, making the accent he usually spoke with seem almost condescending. Quade looked up with a questioning, innocent expression. He didn't answer.

"The castle doors open for no one before ninth hour." Aazrio now stood directly in front of him, glaring down with the look Quade had grown used to being on the receiving end of over the years. "Explain this to me, Quade."
 

Quade yawned. He hadn't meant to; it was a completely unintentional reaction. But he had to stifle a laugh when he opened his eyes to the extreme irritation of the family's guard, knowing what an impression that gave. At that moment the study door opened with a flourish, and Keystone Val-Vassu entered the room. Quade exchanged one last look with Aazrio as he stood to greet the Keystone, knowing the interrogation was over - for now.

"Joyous morning to you Quade," the Keystone said, reaching out to grasp his hand, briefly pulling him close then thumping him warmly on the back as he made his way around his desk. "What news from the Venrey? I looked over the report you transmitted last night. Interesting territory, this Nivas system." Aushlin settled behind his desk, pulling up the data to review it again. "Lots of potential shortcuts, if the leylines are stable."

"They're stable, but the Venrey still have to finish where they left off. The connecting nexus points are still fairly distant, and that area of space is too thick with debris to travel so extensively outside of the leylines."
 

The leylines were the only magic that was readily prevalent that far from the galactic core, but they were rarely unstable. Even out on the Cric they were generally worthy of travel, but since so much of the area was unexplored, one would never know what one might encounter once the leyline ended, and oftentimes it was a dangerous area of space just by nature. Quade handed over the box of data cartridges, and from beneath his desk the Keystone activated his viewers. The projection screens flickered into view in front of him, a holographic device that was left off when not in use, keeping the Keystone's study a quiet and meditative place uncomplicated by the extensive use of technology that was at his disposal if he needed it. A drawer slid open and he dropped the cartridges into place, then slid the drawer shut, and they fed one by one into the data banks of the holographic viewer by touch of the Keystone's fingertips on the screen. He scanned them quickly while Quade sat and watched, pleased approval crossing his face as he did. After looking over several of them, Aushlin began to speak off handedly as he reviewed the information.

"Aazrio and I are of course both glad for your safe return, Quade. Though Aazrio will hold in his enthusiasm, as is his usual way." The Keystone glanced up to the family guard, his eyes holding the slightest glint of mischief. Aazrio folded his arms over his chest and stared out the window in response. Aushlin looked back to the data that was displayed on his viewscreen and his eyes squinted with distaste at the name of the new system of leylines and nexus points that had been discovered. "The Thanach idieum?" He cast a questioning glance to Quade who shrugged in reply, then he shook his head and sighed.
 

Quade shifted in his chair. "It was a safe but strange journey, Keystone," he said. Aushlin looked up, piqued by the tone in Quade's voice.

"Strange? How so?"

"Well, it started with something the Venrey said. Thanach told me that there had been some really unusual things happening, ships found abandoned, ending up far off their course with no evidence of attack or struggle. They actually had to cut their hunt short this time because they found a nexus point destroyed."

"Destroyed?" The Keystone stopped his analysis of the data cartridges, and turned his attention to Quade. His brow knit together and he didn't say anything for a long moment. "I've never heard of that happening in the past. Not ever. Very strange. Did the Venrey have any ideas on what it could be?"

"No, not really. They said no one knows. But here's something else, and this is what made everything all the more peculiar. On my way back, at the Bet/Kos leyline, I came across a wayward ship. I thought they were going to make the jump into the nexus but they didn't, they just were drifting. And then…"

Quade stopped in mid-sentence. Flying in a circular pattern around Keystone Val-Vassu's head were the two emissaries, the ones who'd appeared on his ship the previous day. They were shrunk down to the size of tiny birds, no larger than Quade's thumb, and they both squealed in the high pitched voice that their miniature size leant to them.
 

"Speak no more Quade!"

"Tell this one nothing! Heed our words! Hold your tongue!"

"Hold it or I shall hold it for you!"

The Keystone seemed altogether unaware of them. He did, however, seem completely aware that Quade had stopped talking mid-sentence.

"Go on, Quade," he said, leaning forward a bit. "And then?"

"And then…" Quade stammered. The tiny emissaries still flitted about Aushlin's head, and the Keystone had no idea of it. They still cried out to him. What was he to do? "And then…sorry, Aushlin." He cleared his throat, and looked away. Looked to the floor. He could still hear the voices, warning him not to speak. He could see the tip of Aazrio's boot, which was right next to the leg of his chair. He could feel sweat breaking out on his forehead. He couldn't just stop now, but how to cover? He looked back up to the Keystone and the vision was gone. Gone but for the trailing glimmer of blue and gold dust that floated in a ring around the Keystone's head.
 

"I hailed the ship several times but they never answered. When I got no response I just left the area. I did send a report to Kosch's information central, alerting them of the abandoned ship, but I figured there wasn't much I could do there by myself."
 

The Keystone thought on this for a moment then leaned back, beginning to browse the info cartridges again. "Well I don't think one lost ship has anything to do with the destroyed nexus point. From the way you were talking, I thought it was something much more dire than that."

"No Aushlin, sorry if I led you to believe that." Quade washed through with guilt and unease. He didn't like keeping this from the Keystone. He didn't like feeling as if he'd lied, although he hadn't really told any untruth. He'd just left out a major portion of the story.
 

"If you don't mind, Trina's waiting for me in the garden for breakfast," he said, hoping to make a quick escape, and hoping it didn't seem too abrupt. The Keystone was back to being involved in his study of the new information.