Chapter One

“Please state your name for the record.”

The young man blinked into the harsh yellow light, his throat convulsing as he swallowed, making the ugly bruise on his neck dance. “Uh, Kenian Deepwood,” he responded, rubbing the top of his left hand. The action didn’t quite conceal an angry red patch of skin.

The dark-haired woman sitting across the dull metal table nodded at his response. She tapped a few buttons on the data access and retrieval device—better known as a DARD—she held in her hands. “Please state your business here,” she continued in the same dry, business-like voice.

“You know why I’m here,” he said, rolling his eyes. His head tilted back as he did so, the harsh light emphasizing the dark circles under his eyes.

She looked up, her grey eyes meeting his hazel ones. “It doesn’t matter what I know. Please make a response for the official record.”

He leaned back against the chair’s narrow back, trying to get comfortable. “I have information on the Cult of Atraxia that you may find useful.”

“Such as?”

He swallowed again. “I know their leader, I know where they’re located, and I know better than the Agency what their numbers are like.” He scratched again at the patch of red skin on his left hand, grimacing in pain.

“This is valuable information,” she said, nodding as she entered that into the DARD. “What are you asking for in exchange?”

“Want?” he asked, confused.

She set the DARD down on the table and placed her elbows on the table, her fingers lacing together to form a rest for her chin. Gazing at him , she said, “You don’t expect the Enforcers to believe that you’ll hand the information over without asking for anything in return, do you?”

“I want out,” Kenian admitted, scratching his hand, a pained expression on his face. “The cult isn’t what I thought it was. All of its promises are false.”

“I’ve never been a part of it and I could have told you that,” she scoffed.

“Look, officer…”

“Agent,” she corrected him, using the common shorthand term for a Fugitive Recovery Agent. She tapped the round silver and bronze badge pinned to the left breast of her navy uniform. “Agent Drianna Snarevine.”

His eyes widened. “You don’t look like a bounty hunter.”

“That’s the idea.”

He swallowed. “I want it to be over. I want… to live the last few years of my life in peace. Well, assuming I have any years left.”

“So you would like immunity when the cult goes down?”

“Yes, but what about my brother?”

Drianna sat back in her chair, one long leg crossing over the other. “What about your brother?”

“My twin, Aenek. He’s the one who introduced me to the cult in the first place. High Priest Sigilkeeper told him that my illness would go away if I joined. Aenek… he has more faith than I do. I kept trying, I really did. We were with them for years and there was no improvement in my… condition.”

“What, exactly, is your condition? Pardon my saying so, but you don’t look well.”

He looked away. “The doctors diagnosed me with Rescher’s Syndrome when I was eleven years old.”

Drianna winced. Rescher’s was an incurable illness with a one hundred percent mortality rate. From the look of him, Kenian was in his early twenties. “What stage has it reached, if you don’t mind my asking?”

He held up his hands and rolled his sleeves back a little. “I’m showing stage three symptoms.”

“My condolences,” she offered. Stage three presented a strong chance of complete respiratory failure, resulting in the need for artificial lungs if the patient in question was a candidate for such a costly procedure. If not, they were hooked up to bulky life support machines, restricting their mobility.

He shrugged. “I’ve been expecting it for a while now.”

Drianna made a note of it on her DARD. “What are you asking for in terms of your brother?”

“I want him unharmed. He’s not a bad person, really. He’s just fallen in with the wrong people.”

“You fell for the cult’s beliefs, too,” she pointed out.

“Only because of Aenek.” He put his hands in his pockets to keep from scratching. “Please. I’ll trade my knowledge for the safety of both myself and my brother.”

“How long were you on the inside?”

“Almost from the beginning. Seven years? Eight?”

“Didn’t you make any friends in all that time? Is there anyone else you want saved?”

He shook his head. “My condition made most people want to avoid me. Aenek was the only one who associated with me. His close friendship with Asharos was what got me into the inner circle.”

Drianna leaned forward, intrigued despite herself and her training. “How large is the inner circle?”

Brow furrowed, he shook his head. “I want your promise first.”

“I don’t have sufficient authority to make any guarantees, but I can talk to my superiors, intercede on your behalf.”

“Then do that.” He folded his arms across his chest. “I won’t say anything further until I have your word.”

Drianna nodded, standing up. “This shouldn’t take long. If you require anything, please ask. We monitor this room for security reasons. Speak up and someone will see to it.”

He squirmed. “A more comfortable chair wouldn’t hurt.”

Her lips twitched. “These chairs aren’t replaceable. Comfortable chairs would defeat the purpose of this room. However, considering your condition, I’ll see if I can have someone bring you a cushion.”

“It’s better than nothing, I guess.”

“I will be back soon.”

On the other side of the glass, Drianna’s friend and long-time partner watched with a well-trained eye. He waited for Drianna to finish talking and come out.

She came out, clutching the DARD to her chest. She joined him at the wall, looking in on Kenian. From the inside, it appeared to be four solid walls with only a door leading in or out. In reality, only three of the walls were as they appeared to be. With the push of a button, a window opened up on the outside and anyone could look in, to observe interrogations. Anyone on the outside could see and hear everything, but on the inside, you would be unaware you were being watched, even if you knew of the window’s existence. It was one of the many ways the Agency was so effective.

“Your thoughts?” she asked.

“I think he’s being honest about everything. He has no reason to be deceptive.”

Drianna nodded. “My thoughts exactly.”

“If I were you, I’d go talk to the Chief and make the arrangements. What he wants is a small price to pay in the grand scheme of things. Immunity for two in exchange for taking Asharos Sigilkeeper down… it’s a bargain. He could have asked for land, wealth, rank… anything. That he only asked for himself and his brother shows his character. He’s a good man.”

“Recommendation?”

“Ask the Chief to set him up with proper medical care. As he said, he doesn’t have much time left. It’s the least we can do. If his lungs fail before we complete this…” he left the sentence unfinished. There was no need to finish it.

“As usual, your recommendations are sound, Yumori. Monitor him while I talk to the Chief.”

Drianna walked away when Yumori spoke up. “You’re slipping, Drianna.”

She turned to look back at him. “Say again?”

With a sigh, he pushed the button to close the observation window and walked up to her. “You’re forgetting your training.”

“I haven’t forgotten,” she replied.

“You were showing emotion in there,” Yumori continued. “You’ve done hundreds of interrogations with no problem. Why this time? Why this one?”

Drianna shook her head. “I’ve never had to deal with anyone in his condition. It was… unsettling.”

He clasped a hand on Drianna’s shoulder. “Don’t let it affect you. This case is so close to being over with. Just… tough it out for a few more days. Ok?”

Drianna nodded, not sure what else to do. “I’ll go see what I can do about Mr. Deepwood in there.”

Yumori smiled and turned to go back to the window.

The door opened again, causing Kenian to jump. He looked up. Agent Snarevine entered followed by a tall, thin, blond man in a uniform identical to hers. He narrowed his eyes as the strange agent stood behind the chair in a relaxed posture, his hands folded behind his back. Drianna took her seat. She had no DARD with her this time. He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.

She set her hands on top of the table, her fingers laced together. “Kenian Deepwood, this is my partner, Yumori Strongshore. I’ve spoken with the Chief. He agrees to your terms and offers to have all of your medical needs for the foreseeable future seen to.”

Kenian laughed. “What you mean is until I die.”

“Chief Bitterleaf wouldn’t use such crude terms, but yes, that’s the understanding.”

“What will happen to my brother after I’m gone?”

“That’s up to him,” Yumori said. “If he stays out of trouble, he can do whatever he likes with his life. You should know these medical expenses include funeral costs and a generous stipend. If used wisely, it will cover the cost of living for your brother from the time he’s recovered until a few years after your death.”

Kenian blinked, startled. He scratched absentmindedly at the red mark on his hand. “That’s… very generous of you. And unexpected.”

“I hope it impresses upon you the severity of this… situation. We’ve been trying without success to take this cult down. Somehow, Sigilkeeper is always three steps ahead of the Enforcers. Three years ago, this case was kicked over to our Agency. This is the biggest break we’ve had since then. Your information is so valuable that this is the least we can do. Anything you could have asked for would have been seriously considered. You asked for so little in exchange… well, it made an impression. Were it not for your ailment, you could have made a valuable member of the Agency.”

“I don’t meet the physical requirements,” he said, balling his hands into fists. There was a tone of understandable bitterness in his voice.

“Are you prepared to give us your information now?” Drianna asked.

Kenian nodded. “Where do you want me to start?”

“At the beginning, please.”

He swallowed, nodding. “So, you probably already know how this thing got started.”

“Only a little,” Drianna admitted. “We have a lot of information but no way of sorting out fact from fiction.”

“That was a deliberate move on Asharos’s part. He figured if you were busy chasing your tails trying to sort that out, then he would be free to move around in the meantime.”

Yumori nodded. “That fits with what we know of his personality.”

“I’ll tell you what I was told at my initiation. Asharos claims he found this book when he was a child. He couldn’t read it, but he liked the picture on the cover so much that he kept it. He kept it hidden under his bed. He says it wasn’t until a couple years later, when he could understand most of what was inside, that he came to understand that the book was one of the forbidden ones and so guarded it.

“I don’t know how much credence to give this, but he claims that he learned how to use the things written in the book. Magic. With it, he summoned a Goddess he calls Atraxia and spoke to her. That’s why he started that cult. He says she gave him explicit instructions for it. While anyone is free to join, he has very specific criteria for anyone wishing one of the higher positions. The higher the position, the higher the standards are. There are five people that can get close to Asharos, myself included.”

“Do you have their names?” Yumori asked.

“Mikia Faithwind, Yakima Sunfire, and Ophalia Truesonne. My brother and I make five.” He frowned. “Don’t you need to be taking notes?”

“As I mentioned earlier,” Drianna told him. “we monitor these rooms. All of this is being recorded.”

Reassured, he continued. “Before you ask, I don’t know what criteria Asharos uses to pick people. I have my doubts about how high they are, though, despite his claims. Mikia, Yakima, and Ophalia aren’t the nicest people. They’re decent enough, I suppose, but very ambitious. I’m sure that I don’t meet the criteria, that they let me in because of Aenek.”

“Why was Aenek allowed in?”

Kenian shrugged. “Aenek and Asharos have been friends for years. It just made sense to me.

“Asharos claims that the current state of things on Atharia is corrupt, that we need to renounce technology and return to a purer state of being. At first, I thought he was on to something, but what you see the longer you’re inside…” He shuddered.

“Do you need to take a break?” Yumori asked.

“No. If I don’t talk now, I never will.” He rubbed his eyes. “Some rituals involve an element of blood sacrifice. That’s not so bad. The knife used is sharp, and it doesn’t hurt so much. For the more… important ones, they find some helpless animal. Some require a quick death, others a slow one. Those are the worst. Asharos gets this… look in his eyes when he does it. I couldn’t help feeling sick, like it would only be a short step from there to using people. For days after each one, I could hear the animal’s screams. It got so bad that I would have to skip those rituals. At first, no one suspected anything, but there’ve been questions. I had to get out of there. I don’t think they’ve noticed that I’m missing yet, but they will soon.

“It doesn’t end there, either. He chose those of us in the inner circle because, according to Asharos, we have the potential to become as he is.”

“A depraved lunatic?” Drianna asked. Behind her, Yumori cleared his throat in warning.

“Someone able to use magic, able to summon the great Goddess at will.”

“I stand by the term lunatic.”

“None of us have yet been able to do any magic. At least, not during any rituals. I neither know nor care what they do in private. Frankly, I don’t believe magic is real. I used to, but after trying so hard to find the faith to cure myself and to cast even the simplest spells, my belief faded.”

“That shows you to be a rational human being,” Drianna praised him.

“Why did Asharos let you in if you’re as sick as you are?” Yumori asked.

“As I said, Aenek and Asharos have been friends for a long time and the cult only strengthened it. Aenek was one of the first members, you know. He could ask any favour and have it granted if it was possible to do so. When Aenek went for magic lessons, he asked to have me included. I think my eventual inclusion had more to do with the fact that Aenek and I are identical twins. It’s possible he wanted to keep an eye on me and see if I could be useful. He was wrong about that.”

Yumori shrugged. “You said none of the others could do anything either. That doesn’t make you useless. It proves the non-existence of magic.”

“Maybe you’re right,” Kenian said, though he sounded doubtful.

“Where are they located?” Drianna asked him, leaning forward in anticipation.

“There are small enclaves all over Atharia and I can give you a list of those, but the main compound is on the western edge of Datroya Plain.”

“That would explain why we’ve never been able to find him,” Yumori groaned, putting the palm of his right hand over his face.

“That place is a wasteland. No one in their right mind would set up there,” Drianna muttered as she sat back and folded her arms.

Yumori laughed. “It lends credence to your earlier comments, Drianna.”

“Tell Jiyandi to get the ship ready. We’ll head out after him before he runs. I’ll go put in a requisition for enough magcuffs to secure them for transport.”

“With the number of cuffs we’ll need, the Chief will insist on sending some extra man power with us,” Yumori advised. “I’d beat him to it and request another Agent.”

“Did you have someone in mind?”

“Jiyandi has a friend, Agent Chimekin, who works in this District. She says she’s competent if a little over eager at times.”

“Much like Jiyandi herself,” Drianna commented to herself, nodding.

Kenian looked at the two Agents. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to join you.”

Drianna raised an eyebrow. “Oh, you would, would you? The Agency only allows authorized personnel to travel on its ships.”

“That ship is yours, not the Agency’s,” Yumori reminded her.

“This is official business, not a private cruise.”

Kenian folded his arms across his chest, looking up at them. “You won’t find the spot without me. I can give you all the directions in the world, but you won’t find it unless you know what you’re looking for.”

The two Agents exchanged a glance. “He may have a point, Drianna. From what I’ve seen of that region, it’s impossible to navigate. During my training, they required us to fly over it to test how well we could navigate when there were no recognizable landmarks. I crashed ten minutes in and they denied me my pilot’s licence. I’ve worked as an engineer ever since.”

“Jiyandi’s flown over it and has never had a problem,” Drianna continued. “It’s why I hired her. She has an instinct for direction that I’ve never seen before.”

“Even she has to know where she’s going. I’m recommending to the Chief that Kenian come with us. It’s only for as long as it takes to apprehend our targets. So long as he promises to stay out of the way and let us do our job, I see no problem with it. He may also be of use in getting his brother to cooperate.”

“For the record, I think it’s a bad idea,” Drianna said, scowling.

“Don’t make me pull rank on you,” Yumori warned. “It’s your ship, but I outrank you, captain.”

Drianna stood and locked eyes with her partner. They stared at each other for a moment before Drianna sat back down, sighing, her eyes closed. “I’ll see what I can do, but I can’t make any promises.”

“You can and you will,” Kenian insisted. “It’s the only way you’ll find the place. If the only way is to sneak me on board your ship, do it.”

“I doubt it will come to that,” Yumori assured him. “As mentioned earlier, you could have asked for anything in exchange for your information. This is a reasonable request and one that may help us. If you’ll excuse us, we have arrangements to make before we can leave. Would you like to remain here or would you prefer to leave?”

Kenian shrugged. “Here is as good as anywhere else. Come get me when you’re ready.”

Chapter Two

It didn’t take long for Drianna to get the requisite permissions to have Kenian join them in their mission. As expected, given the size of the target, Chief Bitterleaf insisted on sending extra manpower along. He was sceptical at first when she requested Agent Ashrinn Chimekin’s participation, but since she had an outstanding record and was available, he saw no reason to deny her request.

She looked at the name on the DARD in front of her, noting the peculiar spelling. She must be from an old fashioned family. No one uses the double n to end names anymore. It went out of style a few hundred years ago.

She met the young Agent over at supply requisition. Her uniform was pristine, washed and pressed, her insignia badge gleaming in the detachment’s sterile light. Her red hair was neat and tied back in a regulation ponytail. She looked up as Drianna came towards her.

“Agent Chimekin?” Drianna asked.

“Agent Snarevine, I presume?” Ashrinn Chimekin said in return, extending her hand. She sounded pleasant enough.

“Are you ready to go?” Drianna asked, shaking her hand.

She nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

“You seem nervous. Your record says you’ve done field work before.”

“I have, but I always feel a little… giddy before I go out on assignment. I’ve only ever gone after single targets before, so this is different.”

“Few agents go after groups. Think of this as a unique career opportunity.”

“That’s what Chief Bitterleaf said when he approved your request.” Ashrinn gazed up at Drianna, her eyes narrowing. “Why did you request my participation in this if you don’t mind my asking?”

“My pilot, Agent Littlereed, has mentioned your name before and says you’re competent. I’d rather have someone along at least one member of my crew knows. It makes things run smoother.”

“That sounds reasonable.” Ashrinn nodded. She hefted a satchel over her shoulder. “Supply thought we may need extras, so there are more than you need in here.” She grimaced. “These things are heavy.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Drianna admitted as they headed towards the hangar bay. “I’ve never had to carry more than two at a time.”

The hangar bay was, as usual, a busy place. The stone floored room with its high domed ceiling was massive and bustling with mechanics, agents going out, agents bringing captured targets in, and fuel trucks zooming around. With practiced ease, Drianna guided Ashrinn towards the front of the bay where her ship should be. She trusted Yumori to have let Jiyandi know it was time to prep for launch.

Sure enough, there it was.

“That’s your ship?” Ashrinn asked, incredulous. “I didn’t think these things worked anymore.”

“You can keep any ship in the sky if you treat it right. I admit, the Shrike isn’t the most sophisticated ship, but she does the job. The number of targets I’ve brought in because they underestimated her is shocking. My father gave her to me when I joined the Agency. She was in good shape then, she’s in better shape now.”

The Shrike was a Tagrith-class retrieval ship, a type of vessel that had fallen out of use over fifty years ago. The larger and more advanced Shallar-class had replaced it with their more powerful engine and more advanced armour. They were more streamlined in shape than the bulky, somewhat teardrop shaped body of the Tagrith.

The boarding ramp was down. Their polished, regulation boots clanked on the metal as they walked up and into the body of the ship. Inside, Drianna pressed the button that retracted the ramp and closed the door, sealing it shut. Together, they walked to the front of the ship.

Jiyandi Littlereed was already in her pilot’s chair. Her sleeves were rolled up to her elbows. She was a rare sight in the Agency. Her people almost never left the coast. Her light blue hair and angled eyes set her people apart from the humans that had settled on Atharia so long ago. Their name was unpronounceable to humans, so in typical human fashion the first settlers had dubbed her people Swimmers. It was an apt, if rather bland, moniker given that her people could breathe underwater and built cities that floated on the oceans. They’d allowed humans to settle the rest of the planet as they had no use for anything further in from the coast.

Yumori was assisting Jiyandi in her pre-flight system’s check, making sure that there were no bugs in the system that would cause problems along the way. They took extra care in checking the fuel, armour, weapons, and navigation systems as those had caused them problems in the past. From the sound of things, they were almost done.

“Where’s our passenger?” Drianna asked, shutting the door to the bridge behind her.

“He’s secured in the spare room,” Jiyandi said without looking up from her consoles. Her voice had a liquid, soothing quality to it. “He wanted to be here, but I told him he’d get in the way now. He’s free to come back once we’ve achieved a stable altitude.”

“Good.” Drianna nodded, sitting down in her chair, gesturing for Ashrinn to take the spare one up beside Jiyandi. The Shrike should have two pilots, but Jiyandi could handle most of its operations alone. If needed, Drianna could assist. “I’d rather not have him on board at all, but there’s little I can do about that.”

Jiyandi shook head, her long braid snaking across her back with the motion. “I know very little about the Datroya Plains, so I appreciate any help.”

“I thought you Swimmers were good at navigating,” Ashrinn teased.

Jiyandi’s blue-grey eyes locked with Ashrinn’s green ones. “Have you ever flown over that place?”

Ashrinn shook her head. “No,” she admitted. “I completed my training in the Atraya District.”

Jiyandi snorted and turned back to her consoles. “You’ll see why we’re all so wary of this place soon enough, then. For now, just… sit back while we get our bird ready for flight.”

Soon afterwards, with all systems found operational, Jiyandi hailed the control tower. “This is the Shrike requesting permission to launch.”

A moment later, a man’s voice came over the com. “Shrike, what is your flight plan?”

“Control, be advised that we’re heading for the Datroya Plains.”

“Shrike, we advise that you proceed with extreme caution. I repeat, extreme caution. There are several storm systems that will converge on the plains over the next few hours.”

“Control, I will take that under advisement.”

“Shrike, you have a go for launch.”

“Copy that.” She turned the com off. “Buckle in. We’re getting out of here. Estimated time of arrival is five hours at top atmospheric speed.” She flipped a few switches to put the engines from standby into active mode. A few more button presses later and the Shrike was airborne, its landing gear retracting as it inched forward. Once they were clear of the hangar, Jiyandi increased the engine’s power and pulled the ship higher into the sky.

Drianna smiled as the Shrike shot upwards. This was the most important reason why she’d kept this ship instead of selling it to upgrade. Shallar-class ships had more powerful engines and had a higher top speed, but the Shrike was much lighter. Because of that, they could gain height and speed quickly and they were more maneuverable.

The Shrike shot up into the clear cyan sky and then leveled out, flying north northwest towards the plains.

“He’s not in here either!”

Asharos Sigilkeeper, High Priest of Atraxia, narrowed his eyes, his frown deepening. “Find him! He can’t have gone far, not in his condition.” His followers scattered, trying to carry out his instructions.

He sighed and looked at Aenek, trying to appear unconcerned. “Did he say anything to you? Anything at all?”

Aenek shook his head. The only way to tell him apart from his twin brother these days was in their health. Aenek’s skin lacked the deep bruising and eczema brought on by Kenian’s illness, and he appeared to be in good health. Doctors often wondered why the illness presented in only one twin, but since no one had discovered the cause of Rescher’s Syndrome, there was no way of knowing.

“He told me last night he was going to go read before going to sleep. I didn’t see him at breakfast this morning, but that’s not unusual. He’s never liked eating early in the day. Midmorning is when he gets hungry. When he didn’t come out of his room by then, I got worried and went to check on him. His bed didn’t look like he’d slept in it.”

“This is one reason why I insist that everyone tidies their rooms before breakfast,” Asharos said. “While you could consider that he’d straightened his room up before he went wherever it is he’s hidden himself, it’s unlikely.”

“As do I,” Mikia volunteered. “He’s seemed… unsettled these days. At the time I thought it was his progressing illness.”

“That’s what we all thought,” Asharos assured her.

Yakima snorted, toying with a strand of her long dark hair. “You thought that. I’ve always believed he used his illness as an excuse for not doing things.”

“He’s dying, Yakima,” Aenek warned her.

“So? We’re all dying. That’s the result of life. It’s completely fatal. Some of us die sooner than others. There’s no need to get upset about it.”

“We all know you think little of Kenian, so spare us your rant.” Asharos sighed. “We’ll find him or find out where he’s gone off to. This isn’t a large place and no one in their right mind would go out into the plains without supplies.”

There was shouting from the bottom floor. The men searching for Kenian were calling for Asharos to come down. It was a short flight of stairs to get there. Most technology didn’t work well in the dusty confines of the Datroya Plains. The sand got into the gears and circuits of everything, so they opted for low tech when at all possible. It suited Asharos’s objectives. The advantage, they’d discovered by accident, was that it was harder for scanning devices to pick up the compound. They used it to their advantage to help hide themselves from anyone who would put an end to their activities.

Asharos’s hands clenched into fists as he walked down the stairs. Whatever happened to the old ways that allowed people to worship who, where, and what they may? I don’t interfere with the beliefs of other people, so why are they concerned with this? What, precisely, is wrong with my way? Who decided which religions were right and which were wrong? No one can say for sure that their beliefs are true. Well, except me, that is. I know Atraxia is real.

That’s part of the problem I suppose. Faith is all well and good but as soon as you say that you’ve seen the thing you worship, people write you off as a lunatic. You can believe in something unseen but when it becomes seen it’s a hallucination and not a manifestation, not proof of the divine.

The voices calling to him were coming from the hangar bay. Inside, the men were standing beside a spot where one bike should have been. There were five kept in the compound and only four were present. The bikes used old hover technology to skim over land. It was outdated, but it was easy to maintain them, making them ideal.

Seeing the empty spot, Asharos had a good idea what had happened. He had to authorize anyone to leave the compound and knew very well that he hadn’t done so in almost a week. There was no need as they had a full stock of supplies. Other than himself, only his core group of followers had the luxury of leaving whenever they needed it provided they informed him of their plans.

Of that core group, only Aenek could leave without a word as he was in charge of maintaining the bikes. He often took them out to make sure they were running properly. Asharos trusted him given their long history together.

His fists tightened.

“High Priest, you need to see this,” one man said. He was standing beside a control console beside the door. There was a user log up on the screen, showing a list of names of anyone who had scanned into the hangar using their fingerprints. It was easy enough to fake someone’s fingerprints, but likewise easy enough to figure out in a matter of minutes who’d done so. That ease kept people honest. Besides, there was no reason for anyone here to hide their activities.

Or so Asharos had believed until that morning.

“Either Aenek isn’t telling us everything or Kenian’s been in here,” the man said. The display showed Aenek’s name on the log from the night before.

“Aenek was with Mikia and I,” Asharos said, pointing to the time code.

“What is he up to?” Aenek muttered, looking down. The log and the missing bike were firm evidence that something was wrong.

“Was anything missing from his room? Anything at all?” Asharos turned his steely gaze on Aenek, his voice harsh and demanding.

“Nothing missing that I could see, but then he doesn’t have that many possessions as per your requirements. The bracelet our father left to him is always on his wrist and he almost always wears his half of grandmother’s necklace. That it’s missing from his room is nothing unusual. It tells me he simply wore it today.”

Asharos pondered that. “Was he scheduled to go for any medical tests today?”

The man at the console shook his head. “No sir.”

“Could he have gone out to meditate?” Asharos asked Aenek.

“He prefers to meditate in his room. The plains make him nervous.”

“It’s possible that he could have made a last minute doctor’s appointment and gone off to that, forgetting to tell us,” Ophalia suggested.

Aenek shook his head. “No, there’s no way. Even if he was in a hurry, he would have at least told me. He talks to me about anything concerning his condition since stage three carries a risk of coma and possible respiratory failure. He always tells me where he’s going and he never goes far away from people. You know, just in case.”

“This has a foul smell to it,” Yakima growled, folding her arms across her chest.

“I have to agree with her,” Mikia admitted. “He’s a sweet boy, but I don’t trust him. No offense, Aenek.”

“None taken. My brother has always been a little odd, even before his diagnosis. I know none of you likes him much. It’s ok. I don’t take it personally.”

The com unit on the wall beeped. Asharos pushed the button to answer it. “What is it?”

“We have a problem, sir. There’s a Tagrith-class vessel entering the airspace over the plains. It’s hard to get a fix on their trajectory, but it looks like they’re heading this way.”

“What?” Asharos shouted. “How?”

“I don’t know, sir.”

“What do you want to bet that Kenian is behind this?” Yakima snarled, whirling to face Aenek.

“That’s not possible. He’d never betray us!”

“We can’t take that risk. That’s a bounty hunter’s ship. There’s only one plausible reason for it to be here.”

Ophalia’s eyes widened in alarm. “We have to get out of here!”

“Agreed,” Asharos snapped, gesturing at the man standing by the console. “Get my ship prepared for immediate departure and give orders to have everyone evacuate the compound. We’ll rendezvous in Whitefall.”

“Sir?” the man asked, puzzled.

“Are you questioning my orders?”

“No sir!” he gestured at the other men in the hangar and they scrambled to prep Asharos’s ship for launch.

Ophalia turned to Asharos. “Are you going to abandon your followers?”

“Not at all,” he replied, sounding surprised that she would ask that question. “I plan to lure the hunters away, giving them a chance to escape. They’ve only got a Tagrith-class vessel. Its engines are no match for the Eclipse’s. We’ll be able to outrun them and double back to Whitefall.”

“Provided that those men get the ship prepped in time,” Mikia said, watching.

They all turned to look at the Eclipse, waiting. Asharos, standing off to the side, muttered to himself the first part of the prayer to Atraxia. He knew not what language it was in, but it made no difference to him. The words were comforting, even if he didn’t understand them.

“Abeatsu harinn tenyulann. Ya’tu jakrann hecterebaysu. Antaoru qurana tulann gentar Keverynn. Miisu bebadye yatsufurya. Da’enn koll vo’vure Atraxia.“

Chapter Three

As soon as the Shrike entered the airspace over the Datroya Plain, Kenian joined the rest of the crew on the bridge. Ashrinn, spotting the obvious signs of illness on him, stood and offered him her chair.

“I think you need it more than I do,” she explained. “I can stand.”

He flashed a grateful smile at her before sitting down, peering out the window as he absentmindedly scratched at his hands.

“So, Mr. Deepwood, which way do we go from here?” Jiyandi asked, her voice chipper.

“Keep going straight for now for another twenty kilometres. You’ll see the Tassren Spire off in the distance. As soon as you can make it out clearly, turn thirty-six degrees to the left.”

“Swimmers have sharper eyes than humans do,” she reminded him. “I’ll see the Spire before any of you do.”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” he admitted. “Would it help if I let you know as soon as I see it?”

“For your directions to be useful that would be best.”

“You’re willing to put yourself in the hands of a complete stranger?” Yumori asked her. “That’s novel.”

“It’s the most efficient way to get the job done,” she retorted. “Do you have a better suggestion?”

“Not at this time, no.”

Drianna’s lips twitched in amusement. Trying to keep a straight face was often difficult when Jiyandi and Yumori started one of their arguments. It was always amicable and rarely got very serious, but it wouldn’t do to show any of the amusement she felt. “Then by all means, Pilot Littlereed, carry on.”

At the speed the Shrike was traveling, it took very little time to travel the twenty kilometres. As soon as Kenian saw the spire, he told Jiyandi and she made the correct course change. He nodded.

“Ok, now you’re going to see a long chain of dunes coming up below us. You can’t follow them straight through or you’ll wind up in the middle of a dead zone. Most technology doesn’t function well there and I’m sure you’d rather your ship not crash. Go straight for about five minutes. Can this ship hover?”

“Not well, but it can,” Drianna confirmed from behind them.

“Good. There they are. Five minutes and then stop.”

Puzzled, Jiyandi followed his instructions. She guided the ship over a long chain of dunes and then stopped. “Where do we go now?”

Kenian got up and went up close to the forward screens, putting his hands up against the smooth, transparent material. He was silent for a moment. “If you look, you can see that some dunes form a simple pattern.”

Ashrinn joined him up by the window. “I see two patterns. One looks like a winding river and another looks like a v.”

“The v is the one you want. Go straight through the middle until you see no more dunes. There should be a cliff face to the left. Go towards it for a while and then turn right. I’ll let you know when.” He sat back down before Jiyandi started moving the ship again.

Ashrinn stayed up at the front though out of Jiyandi’s immediate field of vision. She watched the dunes passing by, frowning. “It seems like this is a roundabout way to get there.”

“It is, but it’s the safest way. There are some nasty eddies around here that can wreak havoc with your navigation systems if you get caught in one. They’ve caused more than a dozen crashes over the last twenty years and even more before that.”

Jiyandi nodded. “My people avoid this place. I’m the only one that’s gone within a hundred feet of it since the last war destroyed the forest here, turning it into this wasteland. I’ve never heard of these… eddies as you call them, but it makes sense that they exist.”

“You’re just taking him at his word, then?” Ashrinn turned to face Jiyandi, her left eyebrow raised.

“His word corroborates things I’ve learned about my people’s history, about things that happened when we were less civilized. It’s a time we don’t like to think about, but we are all taught about what prevented history from repeating itself.”

Ashrinn frowned and turned to gaze back out the window. “How much further is it, Mr. Deepwood?”

“I’d say not more than another ten or fifteen more minutes.” He looked up at her. “Please, call me Kenian. It makes me feel old when people call me Mr. Deepwood.”

“This is official business,” Drianna reminded him. “To refer to you by first name would be unprofessional.”

Kenian sighed. “I suppose that’s fair.”

Yumori walked up to stand behind Jiyandi. “That’s it up there, isn’t it? The compound.”

“It is,” Kenian confirmed. He squinted. “Pilot Littlereed, are you seeing that thing moving up ahead?”

Jiyandi leaned forward, her eyes wide. “There’s a ship leaving the compound!”

“Can you tell what type it is?” Yumori asked.

“Don’t bother. There’s only one ship at the compound and that’s that the Eclipse. It’s a Yenal-class personal cruiser. On its worst day it’s faster than this one. If they get too far away, we’ll never catch up to them.”

“Where are they headed?” Drianna demanded, half rising out of her chair.

“How would I know?” Kenian asked, turning to look at her.

Drianna rolled her eyes in frustration, her jaw clenched. “Jiyandi, lay in a pursuit course. Best possible speed!”

“Aye, Captain,” Jiyandi replied, pushing buttons.

Ashrinn stumbled backwards, landing hard on the floor from the force of the acceleration. Yumori, prepared for it, stumbled back a little but remained standing as he had his hand clenched around a narrow bar he’d had installed on the wall for just that purpose. Everyone else slammed back in their chairs.

The Eclipse flew straight for a while and then veered to the right, heading towards the Tassren Spire.

The Spire was the tallest object on Atharia. It stood all alone on the far end of the Datroya Plains. Its top was covered in snow year round, but beneath the snow line the mountain was bare of any kind of vegetation. Nothing lived there. It was the boundary marker for the plains even though they didn’t end at its base, continuing on for another thirty-six kilometres. There was no reason for anyone to go anywhere near it. Swimmer folklore insisted that it was cursed, that the spirits had made it bare of life as punishment for some unforgivable transgression long ago. Out of respect for their beliefs, the human population of Atharia avoided the mountain.

Jiyandi’s hands clenched the controls. “This may be bumpy,” she warned, watching as the Eclipse abruptly shot upwards, going up past the mountain’s peak.

“Everyone hang on,” Drianna ordered. “Jiyandi, do everything you can but don’t let them shake you.”

“Captain?” Jiyandi asked, turning part way around in her chair.

“Do what you have to.”

Yumori looped his hand through the support bar and braced himself for the inevitable fancy flying. Likewise, the other crew members—Kenian included—did whatever they could to keep from being tossed around. It wasn’t enough. Jiyandi’s manoeuvres sent the Shrike spinning and swooping through the air. She gritted her teeth as she sent the ship into an upward spiral, matching the Eclipse move for move.

“Whoever they have at the helm knows that they’re doing,” she grumped. “I’ve never had this tough a time sticking to someone’s tail before.”

“You seem to be doing just fine,” Ashrinn commented as she struggled to stay upright.

“Appearances, in this case, are deceptive,” she grumped, pulling the ship’s nose straight up. She whistled and clicked in the Swimmer language, sounding very annoyed.

Kenian looked over at her. “Do I want to know what you just said?”

“No,” Ashrinn said. “It wasn’t at all polite.”

“You speak Swimmer?” Drianna asked, impressed.

“My family trades with Swimmers regularly. I grew up listening to my father speaking it and learned that way.”

Drianna leaned forward in her chair. “What are they doing over there?”

“I think they’re attempting to break atmosphere,” Jiyandi replied.

“Match their course. Don’t let them out of your sight!”

The ship’s hull shook as Jiyandi piloted it out into open space. She swerved to avoid the few satellites in geosynchronous orbit above that part of the planet, following the Eclipse towards Itlai, Atharia’s singular, yellowish moon. The Shrike slowed down a little as Jiyandi leaned forward, squinting at the vanishing Eclipse.

“You’re letting them get away!” Drianna shouted.

“I’m trying to figure out what they’re doing,” Jiyandi shouted back. “They led us out here to decoy us, I’m sure of it. For all I know, they’re going to slingshot around Lady Itlai and head back to Atharia.”

“That’s what you’re waiting for?” Drianna asked.

“If that’s what they’re planning, then this is the best place for us to be. If I follow them around, I could lose them.”

“And if they’re doing something else?”

Jiyandi shrugged. “They can’t leave the Darush system without authorization unless they blast a hole through the security grid.”

“The Eclipse has more than enough fire power,” Kenian put in.

“It does,” Jiyandi confirmed. “If they try to make a run for it, we’ll hear about it over official channels. If I push the engines, we’ll get there before they can get very far.”

“Yes, but if you push the engines too hard, they’ll break down,” Drianna said. “Remember that run we tried to make to Ioshan?”

“That was a fluke,” Jiyandi said, shrugging. She checked her monitors. “We’d been pushing them too hard before that job. It was only a matter of time before they failed. It was our misfortune that they broke at that moment.”

A console to Jiyandi’s left beeped. She turned. “Fortune smiles on us today it seems. The Eclipse is coming back into range.”

“You were right,” Kenian said, impressed.

“It would seem so,” Drianna said. “Follow them!”

Asharos gritted his teeth to keep himself from screaming in frustration as the Eclipse completed its slingshot around the moon only to find the Shrike sitting there waiting for them. He slammed one hand down on the top of the console in front of him. By some luck, he avoided hitting the buttons near where his palm landed.

How could they know what I was planning to do?

As if knowing his thoughts, Mikia approached him. “Lucky guess,” she said, looking at the screen. “What now?”

Asharos pushed a series of buttons, turning the ship around. “Obviously, we can’t go back down to Atharia. Those hunters will catch us if we do. Ophalia, send a message to the others and let them know that we’ll rejoin them as soon as we shake them off our tail.”

“As you wish,” Ophalia replied, moving over to the com terminal.

“Now, let’s see how far they’re willing to chase us before they give up.”

Mikia looked down at the console, frowning. “I mean no disrespect, but that course is aiming us straight for the edge of the system.”

“What of it?”

“I feel that these hunters will not give up. In fact, they may pursue us all the way to the edge. If that happens, we’ll get caught between the security grid and them. We have no authorization to pass through it.”

“This is a Yenal-class vessel,” Asharos said. “We have sufficient firepower to blast a hole through the grid. Once we’re in open space, it will be easier to lose the hunters.”

Behind them, Ophalia, Yakima, and Aenek seemed worried about Asharos’s plan, but they kept their peace. It would do no good to question him. He was their High Priest and ostensibly guided by a higher power. Faith was crucial if they were to survive and return to the others.

If they didn’t get themselves killed first, that is.

“That coward!” Drianna shouted, watching as the Eclipse spun around. There was a brief flash of light from its engines just before it sped away.

Jiyandi didn’t wait for her captain’s orders. She laid in a pursuit course, easing the engines up to full speed. The security grid, which gave them some time to catch up, would slow the Eclipse. Even if the Eclipse got its weapons charged before getting there, they would still have to slow down to blast a large enough hole in the grid to get out if that was their intention. Its trajectory gave every sign that that’s what they were doing.

Drianna leaned forward in her seat, clutching the armrests. Her eyes narrowed. “I swear I’m going to see that bastard rot in jail for the rest of his natural life.”

“You didn’t honestly expect them to give up because we figured out their little trick, did you?” Kenian asked her, turning a little in his chair.

“One can only hope,” Ashrinn commented. “Where are your weapons controls?”

“To your right,” Yumori replied. “Do you have the required training ?”

“I passed my level three exam recently,” Ashrinn said, heading for the controls. “These controls look easy enough to operate.”

“Do you think that’s necessary?” Kenian asked her, wincing.

“I hope it won’t come down to a fire fight,” Drianna told him. “We’re woefully outgunned. Jiyandi knows a few tricks that will help, but I would prefer to finish the job with as little shooting as possible. Now, given the chance I’d board the Eclipse and beat Sigilkeeper senseless, but that’s different.”

Yumori chocked back a laugh. “In that fight, he’d be the one hopelessly outmatched, Captain.”

A warning beep came from the far right side of Jiyandi’s console. “We’re approaching the security grid now.”

“That was quick,” Kenian observed.

“Atharia is at a point in its rotation that brings it close to the western edge of the grid. Relatively speaking, anyway.”

“Agent Chimekin, get those weapons up just in case.”

The closer the Shrike got to the ring of satellites in place on the outer edge of the clearer their image of the Eclipse became. It had slowed down as it approached the grid, because it didn’t want to arouse suspicion until it was too late. Just as they got into range, the Eclipse opened fire on the satellites closest to it. It didn’t take long before three of them exploded, prompting the automated retaliation of all the others in that region. The crew of the Shrike watched in horror as the Eclipse swatted them down as one would destroy an annoying insect. All too soon, it left the system.

Stunned, Drianna gave the unnecessary order to follow before looking over at Ashrinn. “What happened?”

“I couldn’t get a lock on them,” came the numb reply. “I didn’t think it was possible for someone to take out so many satellites and escape with as little damage as they sustained.”

“Do what you can. Fire blind if you have to. They’re going down if it’s the last thing I do.”