Timeless (The Cartographer Book 3) (18 page)

“Don't worry,” I replied. “We have a saying on Earth: 'It's the thought that counts.' ”

Lianne smiled wryly. “Oh yeah? Well, we have a saying on Caelum: 'Earth sayings are dumb.' ”

“Point taken,” I grumbled.

She flipped the switch and the Talaan went dark once again. She picked it up and returned it to its case before tucking it under her arm. Her eyes dropped to my journal and a haunted look filled her face. “I wanted to bring you this news because I know your thoughts have been dark lately.”

My body went rigid and I glanced at her. “What makes you say that?”

She placed her index finger on the stylus and spun it in a circle. “Come on Nathan, you can't get anything past me. Your face and body language tells me everything I need to know about you.” She looked up and her lavender eyes sparkled with reflection from the overhead lights. “I know death weighs heavily on your heart. The burdens of a home planet now lost is a burden on your heart as well which is a burden I would not wish upon an enemy…” She paused before adding, “Or a dear friend.”

My cheeks turned scarlet. My feelings on the matter were mixed. I was slightly embarrassed that my emotions were so easily identifiable, but I was also concerned that Lianne considered me a dear friend. My heart fluttered when she mentioned our friendship because I found myself looking at her differently lately. No longer did I view her as some Amazon warrior, hacking and slashing her way to victory. She was a beautiful, albeit alien, woman, who was very attractive, even by Earth standards. At first, I chalked it up to teenage hormones, but unfortunately, I believed it was something much more depressing—I was falling in love with her. To a normal person, this would be wonderful news, however this was not a normal situation, and I was no longer a “normal” person. People I cared for were dying around me and I could do nothing, but stand by and watch it happen. I couldn't lose Lianne because that would simply send me over the edge into the pit of insanity. I could never reveal my feelings to her so all I could do was look into her eyes with a look of helplessness.

“You're right,” I replied enigmatically before looking down at my hands. “Death is on my hands too.”

She cocked her head to the side. “Excuse me?”

I closed my eyes and sighed deeply. “There is blood on my hands, Lianne. Whether it's people I have killed or people who have died as a result of my actions.” I opened my eyes and met hers. “How long do you think it will be before death consumes my heart?”

She offered a sympathetic smile. “Asking that question may avoid the problem entirely.”

I turned away from her and stood at the window, as I watched the stars and pondered her words. She was correct, of course, as she always seemed to be during moments like these. Beautiful warrior Lianne with her sage words of wisdom. I sighed heavily.

I heard her feet shuffling across the floor behind me. Her hand fell upon my shoulder. “I have more good news,” she said.

“We are still alive?” I replied sarcastically.

She rolled her eyes. “I suppose that is good news. The news I have, though, is just as good and a bit more related to the mess we are in at the moment. I made contact with Embeth earlier and he told me that The Timeless have agreed on a plan, which will bolster our military might significantly.”

“That's great! That means the attack on Gliese should go much smoother.” Her smile faded as did the twinkle in her eyes. I knew immediately something was wrong. “What?”

She held up her hands in an attempt to quell the panic rising in my voice. “I mentioned your plan to Embeth and he didn't agree to it. I'm sorry, Nathan.”

My mood darkened and I locked eyes with her. “I didn't ask for his approval.” A shocked look fell across her face. “I made a promise and I intend to keep it, with his help or without it…” My voice trailed off. After a momentary pause, I finished my statement. “Or yours.”

Her hand fell from my shoulder and her face filled with rising anger. “I will allow you to question my intentions this one time, but do not let it happen again. I have pledged to help you keep your promise to the people of Gliese and I will see it fulfilled. Perhaps your experience with your fellow humans makes you view vows in such a callous fashion, but rest assured my kind does not.”

My cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. “I'm sorry.”

She turned toward the door, but stopped before it opened. Without turning around, she said, “Gliese proved the universe is a treacherous place.” She placed her hand on the wall next to the door and lowered her head as the door opened. “Never forget who your true friends are.”

With that, she was gone.

Vaire

We entered Vaire's orbit four hours after my conversation with Lianne. I filled that time with some much needed rest. I hoped to get more, but Gard startled me out of a sound sleep.

I bolted into an upright position. “What the hell are you doing in here?”

He looked at me with that maddening blank stare of his. “
I'm sorry, Nathan, I just thought you would like to know that we are making our final approach.”

“And you couldn't knock?” I barked.

“
The door was open,
” he replied matter-of-factly.

“
What
?” Lianne closed it before she left. All of my internal alarms systems went off at once. I shot out of bed and surveyed the room, but nothing seemed out of order until my eyes fell on my desk. The box containing the Talaan was gone.

“
Lianne didn't want to disturb you,
” Gard explained. “
She felt it would be best if you continued sleeping.
” Gard turned and rolled toward the door. “
We should land in fifteen point three zero minutes. When you are ready, she will be waiting on the bridge for you.”
He left the room quickly and quietly, the standard Gard operating procedure for exits.

I stood and stretched. Although it felt good to get some sleep, I had been feeling anxious about our upcoming meeting with Embeth. I stepped into the bathroom and tried to compose myself as best I could. After splashing some water on my face, and washing away the fogginess of sleep, my eyes drifted toward the mirror above the sink, causing me to freeze. I barely recognized the reflection staring back at me. My eyes retained the same weakness of the teenage boy I once had been, but my face was a different story. The grim countenance staring back belonged to a person whose face revealed scars of war. Placing one palm on the sink, I reached up and touched the mirror. My face, the face of Nathan Chambers, seemed to fade away slowly, becoming someone else entirely. I was powerless to stop it, but I wasn't sure I wanted to. It was important for me to let go of the past if I hoped to survive the future.

As I tucked my shirt into my waistband, my hand brushed an object in my pocket. I reached inside and pulled out the ankh Kedge had given me long ago. I turned it over in my hands and ran my thumb along its tarnished surface. The trinket managed to survive two global wars, two interplanetary relocations, and years traveling the cosmos with the Lumagom. It has outlasted its previous owner, but yet it remained a symbol for me. On Earth, the ankh represented life, but in my possession, it represented hope. I hoped the decisions I made now and in the near future were the correct ones.

I shoved the ankh in my pocket and dried my face. I heard the beeping of the communication console as soon as I exited the bathroom. “Yes?”

“
Hello Nathan, this is Lianne. When you are ready, I would like you to meet me in Cargo Bay Three. We are preparing to land and Vigil wants to get this show started, so make it quick.
”

The communication panel went silent, but her irritated tone did not go unnoticed. Apparently, my remarks from earlier still weighed heavily on her. I convinced myself that her heart stood with me and I vowed never to doubt her again.

By the time I made my way to Cargo Bay Three, Lianne and Vigil were embroiled in a heated debate. Jayce stood away from them with his arms crossed and a sour look on his face.

“What's going on?” I asked.

He turned his head and looked at me with an expression of consternation. The act made him look as if he just ate a bad burrito and was desperately in need of a toilet. “They are arguing about you, if you must ask.”

“Me?” I asked incredulously.

Before he could answer, Vigil turned his back on her and stomped over to the cargo door, as if the act alone would make it open. “I appreciate your sentiments Lianne, really I do, but we both know that this will be no place for a child.”

“This was his idea, damn your thick skull,” Lianne replied furiously. “We cannot fight his battles for him. How can he possibly grow if we prevent him from facing greater challenges? He cannot if we are coddling him all the time.”

“I don't need anyone to coddle me,” I growled.

Lianne turned toward me, but Vigil didn't. “I'm sorry. I guess you shouldn't have heard that,” she offered sympathetically.

I stood between them and shook my head. “No, you're right. I will not sit back and watch while others fight my battles for me. I'm not a kid…” I paused before adding, “Not anymore.”

“
Landing complete on VCLP number five,
” a voice chirped from the overhead speakers.

“VCLP number five?” I asked

“Vaire Coastal Landing Pad number five,” Jayce explained. “The Hydrophants have seven in total. Number five allows us the easiest access to their underwater city.”

The docking bay door opened, but before we could exit, Vigil held up his hand and slowly turned around. His eyes locked on mine, the little triangle tattoos below his eyes seemed to glow with an alien luminescence, but then I realized, it was probably a trick the sunlight was playing on my eyes. His eyes were hard, but his tone was soft.

“I may have misspoken when I referred to you as a child,” he explained. “Physically you are a child, but mentally you are tougher than a lot of people your age. We are losing this war and I spoke out of frustration and for that, I apologize.”

To watch Vigil apologize for anything was a painful thing to see. His face contorted as his ego struggled with the act of apologizing. His cantankerous disposition did not take an act of concession lightly. He looked like a person suffering from a severe case of constipation. I figured it would be easiest to just put him out of his misery.

“Apology accepted.” I shuffled past him and out the door.

The cool ocean breeze slapped me into focus as soon as I stepped from the ship. Across from the landing pad stood the violet waters of the ocean kingdom of the Hydrophants. A ramp lead from the landing pad to a large concrete dock area, which was more like a marina than an actual dock. Several boats were parked alongside it. Some of them were as big as yachts while others were as small as jet skis. The largest of the slips stood currently unoccupied. Along the horizon, the sun reflected the water, making it look like the perfect artistic rendition of an ocean sunset. Several objects dotted the ocean surface along the horizon. I placed my hand over my eyes to shield them from the sun and squinted to get a better look. It was hard to tell from such a distance, but they looked like offshore oil drilling platforms. A boat was speeding away from them and coming toward us

“Our Hydrophant escort, no doubt.” Vigil commented when he noticed what I had been looking at. He wandered over to the platform to await our escort, leaving me alone with Lianne.

Lianne moved next to me and scanned the horizon. She tied her hair back earlier, forming a tight pony tail, which left her ears poking out like tiny mountain peaks. The thin whiskers above her lips quivered slightly as she studied the approaching water craft through narrowed eyes. She never looked more beautiful to me. I couldn't stop thinking that I was destined to lose her, like I had lost everyone else I ever cared for. I looked away and pushed away the dark thoughts, instead, opting to focus on the beauty which surrounded us.

“Do not think my indifference is a failure to observe. Do not think I have not noticed you looking at me differently lately,” she whispered. She did not turn around, choosing to focus her gaze on the ocean instead.

I felt a flush creep into my cheeks. “I'm sorry,” I offered weakly.

She lowered her head. “We both lost people we loved during this war. Life spent in the Defense Fleet forced me to live life with a hardened heart in order to maintain my focus. I couldn't do my job effectively otherwise. I have seen numerous atrocities across countless worlds during my service to the Fleet. Death served to push love away, allowing only darkness and despair.”

Her words seemed like some sort of confession. I was at a loss for words so I just stood there silently and let her say what needed to be said. She turned away from the ocean. The biggest surprise for me, at that moment, was not her words, but the tears forming in her eyes.

“I see the same thing happening inside you, Nathan. Don't let this war cause you to abandon love and hope. You look at me differently because you feel differently. It is not the same as when we first met.”

The flush in my cheeks became a four alarm fire. My eyes widened and my lips quivered, but no coherent sentence would come from them. “Huh? I…uh…no…wait…what?”