If I can find Pirad, I’ll know what happened to my husband and our council! I appeared in a circle of buildings. Blue Zheien ran to me. I recognized Math~an, Master Healer Of Escet Vuans, from that memory of Becky’s. I bowed. “Math~an, where is Pirad?”
He paled. “He died today! Why are you here from Esta Faho?”
“I am sorry, but I must find Pirad now!” I aimed the portal at MarKu.
My heart pounded in my ears. Longest four minutes—no, white is faster than deep blue. Only a minute, maybe. Records show a person’s death. It doesn’t make sense, that I can’t bring up his record, to find out what happened to him!
The ground zoomed up, but these portals don’t have to be steered. I bounced on orange sand and water splashed. I didn’t care. People stood and came close.
Pie ran to me. “Lady Bedelia, why are you here?” Oh, my, the king and queen came running.
“Please, Pie, I have to find Pirad!”
“He died! Stay with us. You are pale!”
I ported again. What other subcolonies were in Rainbow? Surely he’s on Alb Seer! I aimed it there! The capital’s Fhai, that city across from Rainbow. It’s not—it looks like Rainbow Elshar Zheiea. Nobody lives there. No sub-colonies. I didn’t flinch this time as the ground zoomed up. White sand.
Came out in front of that beetle-green building I saw across the creek. I don’t know who to ask for, here!
A man ported out. “Lady Bedelia, Council Of Esta Faho, I am Tedaeus, Council Of Fhiah. How can I help? Many worry for you on MarKu, Escet Vu and Elshar Zheiea!” His bright blue eyes went wide!
I shook all over and a white-robed healer ran for me!
“Please, I have to find Pirad!” I showed him what happened.
He paled! “Let us port—we can nae? But Kirnonos opened his lab to us! Hersa!”
A huge yellow Zheien ported to us! “Ted, what is?”
“See my memories! I think we are attacked!”
My heart raced. Cold sweat dripped off me! Is Keiley dead, and I’m dying, too?
This man also paled, but other men in black uniforms like his ported to us. Some had purple—that’s Science Service! “Friends, we must reach Kirnonos! Be~saech, M’Naga, you have wives—”
One of them bowed. “I am M’Naga’s ba Naga. I have ne wife, but all of his memories of Tunnels on Ye~. Saech with me is Be~saech’s ba and he ne has wife yet. We can go with you. Both of us know these traps well.”
“Traps?” Even my voice shook.
“If we can nae port, surely Kirnonos expects an attack, and activated them again! Tell me, Lady, why need you to go there? You should stay and let us get contact—”
“My husband needs me! They ported terminals from him! He may be dying, and I will do anything to get to him! I know Pirad ported him there!” I sobbed. Even if I’m risking my life, I’ll do it, anything! This time, I have to be there!
King Theaspaura ported to us. Took my arm. “Surely your husband wishes you to stay in safety while these brave ones go to dangers! They have training you lack, Lady.” His bright blue eyes filled. Dark brown curls to his shoulders startled me. The way people talked about him, he's old!
“Please! If he’s dying, I want to die with him!” I sobbed, and he caught me.
A healer hummed and I felt stronger.
A diplomat took me in his arms. “Lady, I am a friend of Jos Keil, Joeap. I will watch over her safety, my liege.” He bowed holding me, as gracefully as if I wasn’t there. I clung to him and reached for Keiley. Nothing!
Theaspaura held my head against his chest. “I dread to send you, but I will. Joeh, I wish you both to survive this. Take no risks that you may avoid, with my blessing. I shall pray in the Temple for all of you!”
“Eae yeo, my liege! Come, let us go quickly!”
We ported to a green tunnel that seemed to go into infinity! Beautiful, with a very high ceiling. I don’t know what I expected, but not this!
They waved a tight black suit on me, very thick. It had heat in it. The air was cold enough I saw my breath. How? They all wore these before we ported.
All of us ran impossibly fast, for hours! I got exhausted, from the anxiety, from fear! My eyes watered from looking down that tunnel. I stayed cold, too cold to shiver.
They didn’t slow down, they gave a hop and crouched.
Three of them stepped onto squares. Giant balls fell from the ceiling and swished past them as they dodged. A wall edged up. They had to dodge 3 or 4 times before the wall was far enough up for them to jump.
Three jumped, and three more had to dodge the balls, which lowered with each swish.
There were 10 of us. My man was last to step on a platform but this ball was already on the floor. He jumped.
Other side was very narrow. A flood of tiny animals covered ground ahead of us and all the Zheien paled. Squeaks echoed. “They are fia? How can we get past them? There are too many!”
Saech pulled out a packet and threw it. What looked like grain spilled. “Run past!”
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The fia went for the packet. When they ate all of it, they went after each other. Didn’t see much as all of us ran at top speed. The din of their squeaks echoed!
Again, it was hours. My carrier’s heartbeats echoed in my ears. Two strong beats, and a weak one. That’s a healthy heartbeat for them. Strong triples tell a healer there’s a problem. I didn’t feel sweat on my carrier, but would I? I wasn’t even running and felt exhausted. Depressed.
I closed my eyes and felt for my husband. Nothing. Either he’s unconscious, or—no! Which healer told me? That our mindlink is strong! That if he died, I would, too! Suma said it and she knows healing! So he has to be alive, he has to be!
“Lady, we must have hope. Are we past all of the traps?”
“There is one more, soon. When we see spires above, we shall be in Kirnonos’ prov.”
In the distance, I saw them, above the sides of the walls. Moons rose behind them. Lots of tiny moons. As we went down the long hall, I counted 14 of ‘em. But when the 14th rose, the men stopped.
I heard hooves behind us. What’s that?
“O, friends brought dorna carts! We must spring this trap quickly, that they nae have trouble! Are we sure there are only three?”
“There are three, and here is our next challenge. Watch yourselves! Sharpnesses come from the floor and ceiling!”
As he said it, a row of spikes shot to the ceiling! All of them moved back. But one ran forward. “Catch them! If one hits the floor, we fall!”
He caught the first one and laid it on the floor with a clang. They all moved so fast it was blurs! My man ran forward and zig-zagged between more. His friends ran ahead of us to catch more. This went on for a while! But clopping came behind us.
We passed open rooms. “Is one of these Kirnonos?”
“Nae. We have far before we see him. Ignore them. Nae knows if traps are in them. So far, I nae hear a reply.”
Footsteps ahead of us startled us all! A Bisillip ran. “Why did you come? Are more coming? You should not be here!”
Joeap ran to him and bowed. “This lady fears for her husband—”
“Take her back! You will bring them!”
“Who? We are soldiers of King Theaspaura—”
“I know who you are and all of you are foolish to come here! Do you know what we are fighting? We cannot be distracted! Do you care about the fate of the Thirteen? There is war here!”
Gasps. We walked into a war?
Hoof-beats stopped behind us.
Another Bisillip ran up. “Habir, do not send them back! It is too dangerous—”
“They should not be here!”
“They are here now. Let them come. They are very tired, and I will not lose any.”
“Foolish Zheien, and an Earthan who started it—”
“Remember your time as a slave, what future you avoided.”
“They are obviously not slaves!”
“No, and we want to avoid that fate for all of them! Friends, forgive Habir. Come. Kirnonos’ Lab is this way. Bring your dorna. When this is over, you will need them. I taught my traps not to activate for the species we know.”
“I warn you, they can take these forms.”
“And Kirnonos can detect them! Such worries! Follow me, all of you!”
They looked exactly alike and my server didn’t work down here. Odd. Why would they do that? But, if they are scared, I should be. Their chests heaved, with loud clicks, like a ship engine.
We walked down that hall. I wanted to get down and run, but I felt like I’d faint if I stood up. Keiley must be dying. Too depressed.
My carrier hummed, but it didn’t work. I sagged in his arms, just lying here.
A room to the left had beds. All our council members laid there. I stared at their chests. They weren’t breathing.
He carried me to Keiley. I put out a hand. Gasped.
“He is in stasis. Lie beside him. To save you, I must also put you in stasis.”
Spots danced in front of my eyes. It’s too much! It’s all too much!
“Now that I have you, I can save him.” That’s Pirad! If I found Pirad, maybe that’s enough.
“Are your clones all dead? They said they were.” Couldn’t get my telepathy to work. I thought about all the faces.
He looked shocked! Doesn’t he know?
“Sleep now! Do not think!”
I put my arm over Keiley, and the cold hurt, but I’m with him. Maybe he knows.
And, one by one, they got up. Becky stared at Keiley and Pirad ran to us with a green cylinder. Clink! Clink! Pirad touched his forehead. Flash!
Keiley sat up. I hugged him. My arms shook and he hugged me. He shook like I did.
An Ishah healer gasped and made a leiwege for us and shoved us into it.
Felarnen, Elder from Lidara. “Mic, what happened?”
“Who dared put terminals in an Elder?”
“Mican, of course! I dared to disagree with him! He sent me to Lidara as a weapon. But, I had Tessite jewelry from my slaver. When I dressed her, she taunted me by putting a Tessite tiara on me. My terminals malfunctioned! So I trained her with her own slaver herbs. She suddenly demanded I dress as a soldier. And, our soldiers wear helmets. I had mine made of Tessite.
“But, when we married—what happened? I feel so foolish!”
Tom begged Becky to stop. “Who else is down here, Tom? I can’t see the red any more, I don’t know who to save! Who’s next?” Red? What?
“My love, you saved them all!”
“Ella. And Farley.”
Milly’s voice. “Can’t you send someone to look? They’re on Esta Faho!”
Ry’nao’s voice! “I have a Team.”
Tom carried Becky in there. “Where is Pirad?”
Ry’nao looked up. “Tom. Here is a bed for you.” He waved, and Tom put Becky on it. “Is Becky ill?”
“She is dying!” He fell on her!
I sobbed. Keiley’s gray! He cried, too.
“Kirnonos, can you help her?”
“I have not anything left! We defeated them, but all of us are exhausted!”
Tom wept. I think we all did.
Keiley’s arm twitched. I heard high-pitched whistles.
“We won’t leave. Bedelia’s next to you. Both of you are okay. Kirnonos is going to reclone you.” Milly? Or Molly?
He leaned over. At first I thought he was Pirad, but he sounds more creaky in his voice. “I will work fast.” Flash! White light warmed me up and I had a little strength. Another Bisillip carried him to a bed!
I held Keiley, but he’s cold. “I had terminals!” His body shuddered. He’s still gray!
“I am here, I am with you.”
“Risentah? Wu. I need Wu!”
“Nae fear. Wu is unwell, but we care for you well. Let us port home. Nae fear. There shall be nae pains.”
“If I am unwell, please, nae port us! Let us take a ship!”
“O, I can nae bring a ship, but here is a dorna, to comfort you. Hold to her neck. She is yours, if you wish.”
I couldn’t sit up, but Joeap sat me up. “I can bring a ship, if they wish one!”
Risentah put Keiley’s arms around the calm dorna. She was the color of my rusty hair. He put my head on her, too. We laid in a leiwege. “Whether ship or portal, my son will have great fear. A portal nae takes as long. Let us go!”
The roar of the white portal drowned out what he said. We shot into black space, dotted with colorful stars, and the Milky Way ahead of us. Beautiful! We veered, and I just watched stars and tried to pick out constellations. Are they even the same ‘way out here? No, there’s only 22 stars. On a clear night, not in Atlanta, you might see 2,000. That’s not enough for constellations like we know. There’s still the Milky Way, but I didn’t see it now.
I held Keiley, and worried. He’s cold. A Zheien shouldn’t be. His heart skips. Not even triples. Past him, other healers held the other council members. All of them, eyes black as this space. Only Becky and Tom weren’t moving. Ella and Farley were on their other side, also not moving.
But, Risentah is holding us. My headache’s back and that noise isn’t helping! But, it’s only a min between worlds of Alb. I held onto Keiley. He’s breathing. I’ve got him!
In front of us, our golden world flew up, and we dropped through the roof of the yellow building. That dorna snorted!