Ice Phoenix (48 page)

Master Drummik gave a low whistle. "It looks like it was destroyed by the same weapon that took out those fighter ships earlier on. Do you think Kuldor
galaported the weapon from Gratch to Pa Gumpina? That's the only explanation I can come up with. Pa Gumpina shouldn't have anything this advanced. What a blow to the UWIB Military Council."

"If it was Kuldor at all," muttered Grandmaster Deitrux.

"This makes no sense!" said Lakara, irritably. "The matrix is coated in casophynite and its inner structure constructed from zelantem steel. Damage that penetrates through its body is just not possible! Not unless Pa Gumpina possesses a velassium weapon."

Grandmaster Deitrux's ears twitched. So did Master Drummik's. Suddenly, they decided the gravitational belt with its broken mechanical parts needed a more thorough observation, so they each pressed their noses to the glass.

No, it couldn't be ... could it, Grandmaster Deitrux?

I'm asking myself the same question, Drummik. There is only one person I know of who is arrogant enough to destroy UWIB property.

The same thought ran through their minds.
That person is dead.

"We'll make landing in the next half hour," said Lakara, still frowning at the sight of the Nuclear Chain Matrix. "Everyone gear up, we don't know what type of environment we'll be walking into. All the communication satellites are down and no one is responding to our SOS. Our scanners also detect a few wrails still on the planet."

It took them forty minutes before they finally landed. Their scouting pod plopped right in the middle of the city on what used to be the main square. It slid across the ground before coming to a complete stop, and seconds later the door opened. Everyone stepped out.

The first thing they noticed was the temperature. It was freezing. The second was when Terrana collapsed to the ground, quivering and shaking. Everyone rushed to her side but then they realised they should leave her to deal with it herself, so they stepped back.

"I'm okay," Terrana gasped. "It's just my body returning to normal." She was right. Through her helmet, her skin darkened as the blood rushed to her face and the last of her feiyed qi drained from her body. The experience was nauseating, but after a few deep breaths, Terrana felt fine. She was back to
herself — her physical form at least. She stood up and smiled. "I'm fine," she said triumphantly. "We can continue."

In response, Lakara nodded. "Minus sixty degrees," she said, the visor of her helmet scanning the surroundings rapidly. "Be careful how you walk."

Terrana and the others heeded her warning and walked on the icy ground slowly. As she crossed the square, Terrana could see that most of the buildings were structurally unsound, damaged beyond repair by bomb blasts, acid, and fire. There was no sign of life, and no corpses. "Where's everyone?" she asked. "This entire area is frozen solid. How did it happen?"

"Good questions, Terrana," muttered Drummik. "I don't know."

They walked down an alley without incident and turned onto a wide street. For the first time since they had left the scouting pod, they spotted signs of life.

About a hundred metres down the street, twelve soldiers were loading dozens of frozen bodies into refrigerated trucks. There were at least three weavers standing with them, keeping an eye out for danger. Needless to say, soldiers, trucks, and weavers were heavily armed.

Terrana felt strange then. "Those bodies ..." she said. "They're people." Even though she had stated the obvious, no one felt the need to point it out. She continued. "They're still alive."

This time they all looked at her. Lakara quickly scanned for vital signs and nodded. "She's right. They're alive."

Grandmaster Deitrux gazed towards the soldiers again. "Kuldor must have found a way to contain the infected people. He bought everyone time. Now he can focus on finding the cure."

"He may have already found it," said Master Drummik. "We've been away nearly fifteen days. By Kuldor's standards, that's a long time."

Grandmaster Deitrux nodded. "Yes, you are right, Drummik."

Terrana suddenly stumbled and grabbed Master Drummik's elbow for support.

"Terrana, what's wrong?" he asked, sounding worried.

"Weak." Terrana could barely get the words out.

"What's wrong with her?" asked Eliksha nervously. "I thought the land was supposed to revive her, not weaken her."

Grandmaster Deitrux glanced at the sky. "It's not the land," he said grimly. "Something large is coming, and it's draining her qi. It's draining everyone's."

They felt it then — it was like someone had put a giant straw through their heads to suck out their qi. It was so powerful that they all collapsed. Lakara was the only person left standing since her casophynite suit nullified whatever it was that was draining their qi. She stood watch over the others, her weapons drawn.

Minutes passed by, but nothing came for them. Instead, a freezing wind picked up around them, setting their sensors off. In response, their suits increased their thermal settings to combat the freezing cold. It wasn't long after the wind vanished that they felt their qi returning. Staggering to their feet slowly, they looked around the area, confused and afraid.

"What was that?" Terrana asked groggily. "What happened?" She held onto Drummik's hand, her eyes darting about. Something large and white swooped over them, and moments later it touched the ground. More of its kind landed behind it.

Terrana's eyes widened — faars! There were so many of them! And then her eyes alighted on the one person she had never expected to see again. This person dismounted from the whitest faar and walked towards them. Terrana would have collapsed from shock had not Master Drummik held onto her. However, judging from the quiver in his hand, he could have done with some support as well.

A tall, beautiful woman with hair darker than the night stopped a few metres in front of them. Her electric blue eyes swept over them, and there was the slightest hint of a smile on her face. "Hello," the queen said. "You certainly took your time getting here."

"Julere." Grandmaster Deitrux was so shocked at seeing the queen that he dropped her royal title. She leaned over, and in three quick snaps, she removed his helmet.

"You don't need that," she said. "It's a little cold, but you'll manage."

"You, you ... how is it possible?" he stammered.

"Because it's me," the queen replied, a little smugly. "Deitrux, you haven't said hello yet." Her words jerked him from his flabbergasted state, and a cursory scowl cut across his forehead.

"I knew it was you!" he growled. "When I saw the matrix scattered in orbit, I knew there was only one person who'd happily go about destroying UWIB property. Most people would stop at disabling the matrix but you —
you annihilated it
!"

Queen Julere rolled her eyes and sighed. "What an inappropriate description. I merely disassembled it."

There were more people behind her now and because she was still in shock, Terrana barely recognised Prince Gil Ra Im, Master Kuldor, and Headmistress Marl. There was also Lady Fless and Lady Anrath, standing tall and proud like the fierce warriors they were.

"Deitrux, welcome back old friend," called out Master Kuldor. He stepped forwards and scooped up the little Imeldor with one hand, placing him on his shoulder. "Sorry about the communication problems, but we were forced to disable most of our satellites to prevent the UWIB forces from intercepting our messages. We also scrambled their navigation sensors — it affected their target and lock-on abilities."

"Looks like it worked judging from all the space junk we saw up in orbit," said Grandmaster Deitrux.

"Yes, the UWIB Council didn't believe that we could cure the people and contain the wrails," replied Master Kuldor. "Even though we had located the
Valpuri's ship and destroyed all the remaining eggs, it wasn't enough. UWIB ordered its forces to attack all the evac-ships and stations, and we had no choice but to reciprocate."

"Well done, Kuldor," said Grandmaster Deitrux, smiling. "You and the others saved Pa Gumpina. There's only one problem though — how are you going to explain the weapon you used to destroy the Nuclear Chain Matrix with, to the UWIB Council?"

Master Kuldor looked uncomfortable. "Well, that er —"

"Deitrux, how did you get on with the Dream Walker?" asked the queen, sparing Kuldor from answering.

"Sealed successfully, but not without great loss. And Nashim is dead." His eyes narrowed suddenly. "Don't think I don't know what you did."

Queen Julere raised an eyebrow. "What I did?"

"That you couldn't resist stealing Baneyon's blade, which incidentally went missing after we left Olden Kartath."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Deitrux," the queen replied innocently.

"Oh? You do realise that the Nuclear Chain Matrix was constructed from casophynite and zelantem steel? It is impossible to make clean cuts through them — not unless one possessed a weapon made from velassium. And you know very well that UWIB has decreed that no weapon should ever incorporate the use of velassium because it is far too valuable a mineral to waste. If I were to search your faar right now, —"

"Oh okay, I did it, although I don't see why you are making such a fuss about it," the queen confessed, pouting slightly. "It's not like you to care about what UWIB thinks." Then, a gleeful look replaced her pout. "It was like slicing through whipped cream. The people of Olden Kartath made further modifications to it."

She glanced slyly at Master Kuldor. "How much did Baneyon pay you? I'll be quite happy to triple whatever you agreed with him as well as pay off his debt. Of course, the blade would be mine."

Master Kuldor's face was impressively
stoic when he answered her. "I cannot be bought with credits, Your Highness."

The queen smiled seductively. "I'll throw in a planet."

Master Kuldor couldn't answer, he just stared at Grandmaster Deitrux for assistance, but none was forthcoming. They were distracted by Terrana, who suddenly lurched forwards. She grabbed the queen's hand. It felt real, warm. Tears welled in her eyes.

"You're not dead," she said, although it came out more of a whimper. Her emotions got the better of her and she choked. Master Drummik stepped forwards protectively, but the queen waved him back.

"You struck me with the phoenix blade," she said to Terrana.

"I know. I killed you. I didn't mean to, I just, I didn't know what I was doing. I really didn't know."

She was crying a waterfall then, she couldn't see anything. Someone pulled her away gently, placing a handkerchief in her hand.

"Wipe your tears," said a familiar voice.

Terrana nodded and removed her helmet. Then, still looking at the ground, she quickly dabbed her eyes before blowing loudly into the handkerchief. "I'll return it to you later."

"Keep it," the prince said hurriedly.

She looked up at him, glad to see his blue eyes. He smiled at her and she smiled back.

The grandmaster spoke suddenly. "Tell us how, Your Highness. You were dead when we entered Olden Kartath. We tried everything to save you, but because it was the phoenix blade that struck you —"

"— everything you tried failed and my qi wouldn't respond because velassium not only nullifies qi, it destroys the very cells that are sentient to it, which in my case, is my entire body. Let's just say, the Ancients of Olden Kartath knew of a way to heal me."

"And that was how?" pressed Grandmaster Deitrux.

"By administering the smallest drop of ice-phoenix blood. What the ice-phoenix kills, only the ice-phoenix can revive. The people of Olden Kartath had some of that blood."

Everyone looked shocked. Even the grandmaster seemed astounded. "Unbelievable," he muttered.

Terrana tried to quell the feeling of hope in her, looking in vain through her tears at the others. She couldn't see him anywhere. She had to find out. Squeezing the queen's hand, she asked in a tremulous voice, "Baneyon?"

The queen's expression changed and Terrana could have sworn her eyes were wet. She shook her head sadly. "There was nothing the people of Olden Kartath could do for him. I'm very sorry, Terrana."

Terrana fell to her knees, covering her head.
Keep it together,
she told herself.
You knew it was too much to hope for. Baneyon didn't die in vain — Pa Gumpina was saved. Nashim died. He would have been happy.

Someone approached her and Master Drummik pulled her towards him.

"It's okay, Terrana," he whispered, stroking her hair. Tears ran down his face. "You can cry. I know you loved him. He loved you too. Not a day went by at the school when he didn't call about you. He wanted to know everything you did. You captured his heart; your strength and zest for life astounded him. He wanted to see you grow up, to always see that beautiful smile on your face. So cry your heart out, and when you are done, take the next step for him. Be that girl I first met in my office the day you appeared to me. The girl who smiled and brought the sunshine in — the girl from Fiji."

"I don't know if she can ever come back again," Terrana sobbed into his chest.