Virgin (38 page)

The wind dropped as suddenly as it had arisen, and a hush fell over the temple as the unruly mob ceased their struggles. The planets were aligned in the dome above the altar, bathing the stones with a brilliant aura. Ava ran to the altar. Ripping the chain from around her neck, she slammed the keystone into its niche.

For a long moment, nothing happened. Then, as if the keystone had set the others on fire, the stones emitted trails of multicolored light that raced across the floor to climb the columns. The light trails then converged, engulfing the entire temple in a dazzling array of light. A searing beam formed, shooting down at an angle from the center of the dome.

And struck Dax in the chest.

“No!”
Ava screamed and ran to his aid but had no idea how to help him. Still standing, Dax struggled as his entire being became suffused with blinding light. When the light reached its peak, his arms sprang out from his sides as his head snapped backward, his eyes fixed on the dome. He could have whispered, and everyone present would have heard him, but a voice that was not his own came ringing forth from his lips, rocking the temple with the force of an earthquake.

“By the hand of a lost daughter of Aquerei shall the New Age begin.”

The ray of light withdrew, retreating to the sky, and darkness engulfed the world once more, leaving nothing behind but the twinkling of the stars and the sound of Dax’s body hitting the floor.

Ava dropped to her knees beside him, pulling him into her arms, searching desperately for a pulse or a breath—any sign of life at all. There was nothing.

A babble of voices began. “Was that the oracle speaking?” someone asked.

“It must have been,” said another.

“But what does it mean?”

As more voiced their disbelief and bewilderment, their words became an annoying hum, pushing Ava to the breaking point.

“Who gives a damn what it meant if it killed him?” she screamed. “Do you people have so little regard for life? Don’t you know it’s the most precious thing we have—in fact, it’s the
only
thing we have? He isn’t even of this world, yet Dax gave his life for you. Stop your childish fighting and learn to live together in peace. This is a marvelous world; I’ve seen the ocean floor, and I’ve seen your temple. You must focus on what is good and beautiful and forget your hatred.”

Magnified by the natural acoustics of the building, Ava’s words reverberated throughout the temple, the echoes dying slowly in the stunned hush that followed.

“She has spoken!” someone shouted, breaking the silence. “The lost daughter of Aquerei has spoken, and we must listen!”

“What are you talking about?” Ava demanded. “All I want is for you people to go away and leave us alone.” When no one moved, she shouted, “Didn’t you hear me? Go home!” With that dismissal, she forgot them as her eyes were drawn to Dax’s face, serenely beautiful even in death. Dissolving into tears, she buried her face in his hair, holding him tightly. She didn’t care what happened to the Aquerei now. It was their problem, not hers. Dax had understood the risks but had been willing to take them anyway. While this was certainly heroic, cherishing the memory of a dead hero wasn’t what she’d had in mind when she fell in love with Dax. Her heart twisted in anguish as the vision of their future together vanished.

Waroun knelt beside her, reaching out to touch Dax’s neck with a rubbery fingertip. “I have to be sure. Zetithians can fool you sometimes.”

“What do you mean?” Ava whispered.

“These damn cats seem to have nine lives,” Waroun replied. “They heal faster than any species I’ve ever seen. Trauma that would kill anyone else just slows their pulse and respirations to the point that most people can’t detect them, but I can.” Waroun’s sucker-tipped finger seemed to fuse with Dax’s skin. He closed his eyes for a long moment, concentrating. When he finally opened them, a big, goofy grin split his face. “He’s not dead.”

Ava didn’t dare believe it. “You’re just saying that to make me stop crying. He’s gone, Waroun. I don’t like it one little bit, but I can accept it—or I will eventually.”

Waroun pulled his fingertip free with a loud pop. “Well, just don’t bury him at sea until you’ve given him plenty of time to wake up. You know how he hates the water.”

Waroun was still smiling as their cohorts pushed their way through the crowd to join them in the temple.

“We heard what happened—and what you said afterward,” Threldigan said. “Whether it was a magic show or not, those people believed every word of it.”

Teke nodded. “The story will spread, and the fighting will stop. You wait and see.”

Quinn was jumping up and down with excitement. “You did it, Ava! You brought an end to the war all by yourself.”

“No, I didn’t,” she said. “None of this would have happened without your help, or Dax—” She choked on his name, still not quite believing that Waroun was telling the truth.

“Are you sure he’s dead?” Threldigan asked. “Zetithians are really hard to kill, you know.”

“No, I
didn’t
know,” Ava snapped. “But everyone else seems to.”

“We’ve known Dax a long time,” Waroun said. “You’ve just never been around when he got hurt before. Trust me, he’s alive.”

“They go into a state of hibernation until they heal,” Threldigan added. “I’d be willing to bet he wakes up as good as new.”

Ava was beginning to see a glimmer of hope. “How long before we know?”

Threldigan shrugged. “A day, maybe three—even up to a week if the injury is severe. You just have to give him time.”

“He may have all the time he needs,” a tall, elderly Aquerei man with purple tentacles said as he approached. “He is the Oracle of the Aquina, and we will care for him as befits his stature.” The man smiled warmly at Ava. “You are so like your father—in so many ways. He would have said something equally blistering to the people had he lived—though it sounded much better coming from you.”

“You knew my father?”

“Yes, I knew him. Sliv was a good man, if a trifle unorthodox in his methods. My name is Eantle, and your father and I worked together for years to keep the stone safe. Unfortunately, the Opps were doing their best to eliminate anyone who knew anything about the stone, and many were killed, your father and the select few who knew the secret of the stone’s location among them. I have been offworld, searching for clues ever since his death, retracing his travels, trying desperately to discover where he might have hidden the keystone. Rutara was, unfortunately, one of our last stops.”

Ava was astonished. “Are you saying that my mother knew about this?”

“She was never told about the significance of the stone, though your father would have done so eventually. When you came of age, its guardianship fell to you.” His lips thinned with disgust. “Unfortunately, unlike the stone, you were entrusted to the care of some highly questionable guardians. When the Opps were closing in on our faction, Sliv apparently decided to move you to Luxaria. Aquerei seldom visit that world, so he must have believed that you and the stone would be safe there. Russ, your first caretaker, didn’t want to leave Rutara, so Lars was recruited.” Eantle shook his head sadly. “He was a very poor choice, I’m afraid—particularly after Sliv and his secret-keepers died, and the rest of us had no idea where you were. When Lars didn’t receive regular payments, your relationship suffered greatly. We only located him some time after you had boarded the
Valorcry
.”

Ava pulled Dax closer, stroking his cheek. “Then it would have been a mistake to return to Russ?”

Eantle’s smile was apologetic. “He would not have welcomed you, Ava. He was hired to keep you safe and happy. He didn’t love you.”

“I’d believe that of Lars,” she said brusquely. “But not Russ…” Though it did explain why Russ had been so willing to let her go.

“Russ too, Ava.” Eantle’s voice was gentle. “He didn’t have to drug you as Lars did, which is why you ultimately left Lars to return to him. I only wish we had found you sooner.”

“I’m not.” As the truth began to sink in, many things became clear to Ava, not the least being that Russ and Lars had been
hired
to be her companions! No wonder she’d fallen in love with Dax, despite her determination to resist the temptation. “If you had, I wouldn’t have met Dax, and I wouldn’t have missed that for a whole shipload of Aquina stones.” She paused for a moment. “Tell me, if it was such a closely guarded secret, how did the Opps find out about my father?”

“The Opps retraced the stone’s path through history, ultimately discovering that your great-grandfather had been its guardian at one time. They then traced it to your father and discovered the identity of several of his most trusted associates. Other members of the group, myself included, knew only that the stone had been given to a daughter, but nothing concerning her identity or whereabouts. I knew he had spent some time on various worlds, but searching entire planets for Sliv’s half-Aquerei daughter was difficult at best.

“However, once we located Russ, finding Lars was relatively easy. He admitted that he had been given a large sum of money initially but had frittered it away. When your father and his inner circle were killed by the opposition, Lars was left with no money and no one to contact for more. He then lacked the means to control you, thus enabling you to leave him when the opportunity presented itself. Lars apparently didn’t know the whole story—which was fortunate—or he would have undoubtedly stolen the stone. He only knew that you needed to be kept on Luxaria until your father returned. Lars had been threatened with dire consequences if he failed in this mission, hence his determination in spite of the fact that he had not been contacted for some time.”

Ava nodded. “He said something along those lines the day I left. I suppose he told the Opps about this too?”

Eantle shook his head. “No, they only got wind of you when you went to Rhylos. It seems that an Aquerei named Junosk, whom we captured after you landed here, overheard a report of the attempted theft of the stone, which gave them a head start. Our faction was keeping tabs on them, so we knew they were on to something. They bumbled the opportunity, of course, but
still
…”

“Which is where I came in,” said Joss.

Eantle eyed Joss warily. “I never dreamed you would ever take a side—but you finally did. What changed your mind?”

“His vision,” Joss replied with a gesture toward Dax. “Weapons that can destroy the bases…” He paused, shuddering. “I knew then that the New Age was our only hope.”

“A weapon that can destroy the bases?” Eantle’s tentacles stood up in spikes. “There is no such weapon.” His tone was abrupt and final, leaving no room for argument.

Ava’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Are you saying his vision was false?”

Eantle shrugged. “I only know that such technology does not exist at present—at least, nothing that could destroy the bases without wiping out the entire planet. Perhaps the vision he saw was of what might happen should the coming of the New Age be prevented.”

“But if that was what it took to get Joss to take a side,” Threldigan pointed out, “it was obviously a necessary component.”

“Trust the captain to get it right,” Waroun said proudly. “He’s not the type to have shabby visions.”

Ava bowed her head, hiding her smile in Dax’s hair. The longer she held him, the more attuned she became to his spirit and the life force still strong within him, and the more convinced she became that Dax truly would survive and return to her.

“We guessed that you would be landing on Joss’s base,” Eantle reported, “and the Opps obviously made the same assumption. After that, it was just a matter of letting the Opps attempt to intercept you, and then be ready with ships to run them off, thus allowing you to continue on to the temple.” His expression was smug. “Quite simple, really.”

“We were
allowed
to continue?” Threldigan scoffed. “It certainly didn’t seem that way to me.”

“And it wasn’t simple at all,” Diokut added. “We were nearly killed! Several times!”

Waroun stuck out his lip in indignation. “Are you saying that my sea monster routine wasn’t the reason they retreated? I was terrifying!”

Eantle laughed. “You were, indeed, but they saw us coming, as well.”

In Ava’s opinion, everything would have been simpler if Eantle’s cohorts had taken their role a step further. “But if your troops had escorted us to the temple—”

“The effect would not have been the same,” Eantle said wisely. “Your struggle against adversity and your steadfast determination in the face of insurmountable odds proved your right to usher in the New Age, Ava. If it had been easy…” Eantle stopped there. Spreading his hands, he let them draw their own conclusions.

Ava nodded. The tale of their perilous journey would eventually become legend, solidifying belief in the New Age and making it manifest without further intervention from anyone. The war would end now, simply because Ava, identified by the oracle as the lost daughter of Aquerei, had told them to stop fighting and go home. “I see your point, but so much pain and suffering…” Shaking her head sadly, she gestured toward the fallen, many of whom had not lived to see the New Age begin.