The Mirage on the Brink of Oblivion (The Epic of Aravinda Book 3) (16 page)

CHAPTER
28

THE CONFRONTATION

A burning desire to know the truth filled Jyana’s heart, and for the first time in years, she jumped directly to Torin’s location without even contacting him first. The confrontation would not be easy, but it was something she felt she had to do.

She found herself high atop a familiar precipice where dozens of nuggets zoomed up to Torin for review. At the bottom of the slope, a large freighter ship, strangely only half-full, was coming in to dock.

Jyana zoomed up beside Torin and watched as dozens of nuggets zoomed in and out of his forehead. He was so absorbed in what he was doing that he didn’t even acknowledge her presence, and she wouldn’t have been surprised if he was communicating with seven suppliers simultaneously.

Still, the desire to know the truth burned within her, and she called out to him.

“Torin, I’ve got to talk with you. It’s important.”

Three nuggets shot into his head, and a moment later, three more shot out, one shot back down to the freighter and the other two shot clear across the sea.

He didn’t respond.

“Torin!” Jyana zoomed in front of his face, between him and the long freighter below. “We need to talk.”

Torin’s face twisted in annoyance. “Jyana, what are you doing here? I’m sorry, but I’m
extremely
busy. There was a small supply glitch, and the suppliers are freaking out. But I’m on the verge of a new deal that will keep the ambrosia supplies balanced.”

His gaze rested on the mountains in the distance as another bubble shot into his head and out again.

She grew closer. “This is important, Torin. Please.”

He sighed. “Give me a minute, okay?”

“Fine.”

Jyana’s gaze drifted down to a cluster of tiny robotic drones as they creeped through the sky, lifting the cubic crates of ambrosia off of the ship and placing them on a tram which would take them to the underground processing center. Almost everyone knew that the ambrosia had to be refined, but no one dared ask the Empress its true ingredients.

Now that Jyana thought of it, fear of the Empress permeated the culture she had grown up in. The Empress had always said that the ambrosia recipe was a royal secret, important for the peace and security of their empire.

Jyana considered what it could mean if Asha were right. It would give an entirely new meaning to the secret.

She turned back to Torin and waved to get his attention. “Hey! It’s been a while.”

He nodded, and another nugget shot out of his head, this time heading back to Mirage City. Two more spheres zoomed back up from the freighter, but with a flick of his wrist, he froze them in midair.

He turned to Jyana, and once again she noticed the double-square symbol on the back of his hands, the symbol of his new position of power.

“Okay,” he said. “What did you need to see me about?”

“Is it true?” she blurted. “Is ambrosia made from the Suvarnak crab? I know you have an oath, Torin, but you
have
to tell me if it’s true. The sea is dying, and the future of our entire way of life is at stake.”

Torin winced, and he averted his gaze, looking down to the sea at the bottom of the slope far below. “I cannot speak of ambrosia. I took an oath, Jyana, and I am bound to it.”

A wave of anger bubbled up within her, and this time, she didn’t hold back. “I knew it!” Jyana said. “I knew there was a reason the golden crabs were declining faster than
any
other species. It makes perfect sense.” She shook her head in disgust. “That’s where ambrosia gets its golden color, isn’t it?”

He crossed his arms, still avoiding any eye contact.

“Torin, I love our city as much as you do, but as a civilization, we
must
take responsibility for our world. We
are
changing it. I found no increase in predators, no chemical contaminates. The crabs were just disappearing. And everything Asha told me lines up with what my research shows. It all makes—”

“Asha?!” Torin’s eyes and mouth moved in an angry dance. “You trust that refugee’s word over my own? She knows nothing of our world, Jyana. And if she thinks she does, she is a fool.”

“So she deceived the Empress, as well?” Jyana shook her head again. “Torin, the Empress is wise; she wouldn’t have honored Asha if—”

He turned to her, pain flashing behind his eyes. “The Empress can be deceived.”

“You still haven’t answered my question. Is it true?”

Torin turned away again.

“Ach!” she groaned aloud. “The suppliers are harvesting so many crabs that they’re utterly
disappearing
from the seabed, which means that the reef and all of the creatures that depend upon it will disappear. Torin, the crabs keep the coral structures clean, and right now most of the reef is covered in sediment!” She could feel him closing up, blocking her words. “My dear,” she spoke more softly and leaned in, “if we don’t do something, the consequences could be irreversible. The Suvarnak crabs are well on their way to extinction, which means we won’t have
any
ambrosia in the future.”

He remained immovable, his back facing her.

“Please, Torin! Please turn and look at me! If you love me, you will help me help our world. Please, Torin,” she whispered. “Please.”

Slowly, Torin turned back around, his eyes wet. “What do you expect me to do, Jyana? Stop the supply chains? Order the purifiers to
stop
refining ambrosia? Do you know what would happen? Economic growth would come to a halt. Our entire civilization would collapse. You take the words of your so-called new friends as truth, but they are twisting it. Their ideas are dangerous, Jyana.”

She let her stare burn into the invisible third eye above his nose, one of the few persuasive techniques that ever seemed to work with him. “Do you think I’m stupid, Torin? I know you made an oath to the Empress, but this is so much bigger than that. Asha and Zahn are agents of the Confederation, ordered to come here. They’ve been to the core of the galaxy and back, and they put their lives at risk to come here.”

“Then maybe they shouldn’t have come.” Torin shook his head. “Jyana, I’ve got to get back to work. I’m sorry, but I don’t see how I can help you.” His gaze drifted over to the small cloud of nuggets that awaited his attention.

Anger bubbled up within her once more, but she tried to calm herself.

“Perhaps you don’t believe me now, but when the Vakragha return, then perhaps you will. The visitors shared some memories with me, and they’re spreading quickly. It’s like a plague, Torin, and we need to tell the Empress what’s really going on. Here. I brought a memory you have to see.”

He didn’t move. “I’m not—”

“All I’m asking is that you give them a chance,” she interrupted. “There’s a war going on beyond Tavisi that’s bigger than any of this.”

Torin closed his eyes and floated backward, as if he were reclining. “How can you expect me to believe all of this?”

“I don’t. That’s why I brought a memory, so you could see it for yourself.”

Jyana produced a small glowing memory sphere from the palm of her hand and gave it to Torin.

“It’s Asha’s memory. Please, Torin. For me.”

He leaned upright again, snatched the memory, and dove in.

As Torin swam within the memory, Jyana payed close attention to his expressions. She even included the memory of her conversation with them at the sunset suite to show him how serious they were. As he rolled through the memory, he winced, and his breathing slowed. Finally, he opened his eyes again.

“Did you see all of it?” Jyana said. “I put everything together into one packet to make it easier.”

Torin’s expression hardened. “Okay, so the Vakragha are a threat. But they won’t come here, Jyana. The Empress says—”

“The Empress is wrong!” Jyana pulled at her hair in despair. “Don’t you see? She’s blinded you from the truth. Meanwhile, they spread across the galaxy. Please, if you know anything, Torin, tell me!”

He turned away. “None of this changes my oath. I cannot prove or disprove any of this! I’m sorry, Jyana.”

Jyana felt all of the warmth drain out of her face as a feeling of hopelessness washed over her. “You’ve never taken me seriously, have you? But you will.”

She turned and skipped away, no longer like a flash of lightning across the sky, but instead appearing as a grey flicker among the clouds.

CHAPTER
29

A BIT EARLY FOR BREAKFAST

When Darshana finally arrived home, she found Vivek asleep on the couch, a turtle-patterned blanket partially covering him up. Apparently, he had tried to stay awake for her return, to no avail.

She walked up to him and stroked his ash-blond hair.

“My dear, I’m back,” she whispered. “We must get ready.”

He coughed and groaned quietly.

“Nirupak is coming, my darling, and we have work to do.”

He yawned and blinked his eyes. “The observatory director? Why is he here?”

Her face hardened. “Because our worst suspicions were true, and the council needs my help, whether they realize I’m still alive or not.”

Vivek pushed himself up, a look of dread crossing over his face. “Please tell me it’s not true, my love. Tell me that what we saw in Yantrik’s ship was a mistake. Please, my dear, tell me anything that’s hopeful.”

Darshana closed her eyes, pressing a few small tears from them. “Vivek, I cannot lie to you. I love you too much to do that.” Her eyes opened gradually, and she sat down beside him on the couch. “The council confirmed what we saw. The object
is
a small wormhole, and they calculate that it’s on an intercept course with Avani.” She took his hand. “But we must have faith. After all, we aren’t alone in this.”

Vivek’s expression grew cold. “How can you say that? These are
world
-consumers! What good is faith against them?”

Darshana inhaled slowly. “We have one chance. The observatory discovered the ancient gate device that Zahn and Oonak used to leave Avani, and Nirupak believes that we can use it to evacuate most of the population in time.”

He furrowed his eyebrows. “The one in the southern wasteland he told us about?”

“They haven’t reactivated it yet, but now that he knows how, Nirupak will activate it soon. Then we can leave this world before the Vakragha even arrive.”

His expression twisted. “They haven’t even
reactivated
it yet?”

“I only just met with Nirupak and told him! There was a minor collapse of the cave that leads to the gate, but a new team is on their way down now. Once the new team arrives, they’ll activate it with their genetic code, and we can begin.”

“Right. Zahn activated it with his blood,” Vivek said. “And you’re sure it’ll work for them?”

Darshana nodded. “Yes. Zahn said that Oonak told him it was specifically keyed to Avanian genetic code. It’ll work.”

Vivek shook his head as if he were trying to scare away an insect. “Forgive me, my dear, but this is crazy. There’s no way we can evacuate everyone in time, even if we had
weeks
!” He pressed his eyes shut, and a tear trickled down his face.

She did her best to comfort him, holding him in her arms. “We can use the airboats to shuttle people through. We’ve got to try, my dear. We cannot give in to fear.”

KNOCK. KNOCK.

Darshana raised her head to look up to the curved door.

“Come!”

The door swung open. Beyond it was a tall man with dark hair wearing a jet black uniform that had a small, stylized insignia of an eye on his collar.

She waved him in, and without a word, he stepped inside.

“Thank you for coming, my old friend,” she said, standing up.

Vivek blinked his tears away and sat up, inhaling deeply. “Good to see you, Nirupak.”

The man nodded to Vivek in acknowledgment.

“Come. Let’s speak at the table. I’ve prepared tea.” Darshana led him under the archway that led into the kitchen, and he followed close behind her.

“Thank you,” Nirupak said, and sat down at the head of the table. “I wasn’t sure if I should come, but in light of the delays, I decided to stop by briefly.”

Vivek walked over, and set a large cup of tea down in front of Nirupak. “Here,” he said, his voice cracking. “Darshana thought she remembered you enjoying amber tea.”

He took the cup. “Thank you.”

“How is it?” Darshana said. “We have some rakta fruit, too, if you’re hungry.”

“No, that’s quite all right,” Nirupak said, waving the suggestion away. “It’s a bit early for breakfast, anyway. The tea is more than adequate.”

Darshana sat down beside him, and Vivek sat on the far end.

“There’s still something I don’t understand,” Vivek said. “Even
if
you get this gate to work, where do you expect us to go? Have you even found a suitable world yet?”

Nirupak turned to him, his eye-like insignia glinting in the light. “We believe that the gate will have preset destinations, that whatever civilization that built it would have a library of habitable worlds. If it wasn’t for the cave collapse, I would be activating the gate as we speak.” He sighed, turning to Darshana. “And you’re sure of the method you told me earlier?”

“Yes,” Darshana said. “I trust my son’s story; he
was
down there, and that’s how he activated it. I’m just not sure how much help I can be without actually examining the gate firsthand.”

Nirupak nodded. “That is being arranged. I’ll have to pull in some favors, but I can get you a temporary identity card for the trip down. We’ll have to have a private briefing so the scientists know what’s going on, but I trust them to keep your presence hushed, especially in these extenuating circumstances.”

“Whatever it takes for me to help, Niru. I’m glad you’re serious about this.”

Nirupak’s gaze narrowed on her. “I
am
serious, Darshana. But I also have my own questions. For instance, how did you get free from these creatures? Anything you know might be helpful against them.”

She ran her fingers through her long brown hair and inhaled slowly. “Well, I was unconscious for most of it.”

“Start at the beginning. Start twelve years ago when you vanished. We nearly tore this archipelago apart looking for you.”

Her gaze drifted over to Vivek. “I know.”

“So,” Nirupak leaned in closer, “can you remember anything?”

“Well, one moment I was working on the gravity lens, and then a rushing sound filled my ears. I was pulled into a tunnel, and I woke up on a metallic bed. My memory gets fuzzy after that. Vague images of bright lights and the feeling of cold metal on my naked skin. Honestly, it’s painful to recall.”

“Please, Darshana,” Nirupak said. “The more you can remember, the more we know about these creatures.”

Darshana’s gaze grew cold. “The Confederation calls them the Vakragha, but I could never completely describe them in words. All they want is to consume every living world in this galaxy. They enslave entire worlds, Niru.”

“I see,” Nirupak’s expression darkened. “Well, they won’t enslave us. We are Avanians, Darshana. We will survive this. What do you remember next?”

“Well, the next clear memory I have is of the eruption.”

“Eruption?” Nirupak’s face twisted in confusion.

“Yes. I couldn’t move, and I realized I was embedded into a stone wall. Some figures were in front of me, but my vision was so blurry that I couldn’t see what they were. One put a mask over my face and cut me out of the rock. Later, I learned that it was Zahn and his friends. Somehow, they found me.”

“Do you remember anything about
why
you were taken?”

“She shook her head. “Wait!” Her eyes lit up. “There were others. Hundreds of other people were in the wall too. Oh!” Her voice grew hushed. “We were like food.”

“What?!” Vivek said. “Zahn never mentioned this to me.”

“I remember now,” she said. “I remember dreaming about someone putting a straw into my flesh, and later Zahn told me he’d seen a man embedded into that same wall who had a narrow tube coming out of him, dripping blood. Vark,” she whispered, “the dreams must have been real.”

Nirupak said nothing, gesturing for her to continue.

“When they freed me, I wanted to weep, but somehow I couldn’t. I don’t know why, but I had no control over my body.”

“Perhaps a neural blocker of some type. Please, go on.”

“And Zahn and his friends cut me out, and when I fell—” A wave of sadness washed over her, and she felt tears well up in her eyes. “I’m sorry.” She pressed her eyes shut and inhaled deeply.

Vivek held her hands in his. “It’s okay, my dear. Take as much time as you need.”

She slowed her breathing. “The next thing I remember is waking up on the ship. Later, Zahn showed me images of the planet he’d found me on, a tortured world with an atmosphere rendered toxic by the Vakragha’s transformation of it. From the images, I could only guess that the tectonic plates themselves had been ruptured by what they had done, covering the surface in deadly volcanos. That’s what I’d been inside, actually. We almost didn’t escape before it erupted.” She looked up to him. “Niru, I fear that will be Avani’s fate if we can’t stop them.”

Nirupak’s expression hardened. “Darshana, even if we can’t save Avani, at least we have a chance at saving our species. Please, tell me more about the volcano. Did you say you were being held
inside
of it?”

Darshana nodded. “The Vakragha had tunneled through it, although I have no idea why, and we eventually made our way to another planet. Zahn and Asha worked together brilliantly and recovered an artifact they’d been searching for. That’s how they were able to stop the Vakragha last time. This artifact, they call it the Tulari, can destroy the Vakragha gravity fissures. It seems to nullify their gravity technology.”

“Where is it?” Nirupak’s eyes flashed with excitement. “Can we use it against them? Where is this artifact now?”

“It’s with Zahn,” Vivek said, “and he and Asha disappeared a while ago.”

BZZT.

Nirupak’s gaze shot down to his pocket, and he pulled out a small comm and studied it for a few moments.

“At last,” he said, “the new team has arrived, and they’ve successfully activated the gate.” His dark brown eyes locked with hers. “Thank you so much for your help, Darshana. I’ll send a transport for you both as soon as I can. Right now, I must go.”

Darshana was about to speak, but before she could say anything, he rushed out of the kitchen and into the front room.

“Oh,” Nirupak said breathlessly, “and try to contact your son. That artifact you mentioned may be our only other option.”

They rushed into the front room after Nirupak, and he shot back a hard glance. “Be on that transport when it arrives.”

“Okay,” Darshana nodded.

And in a whirlwind, Nirupak disappeared behind the door.