Blood in the Fire (Timelaws Trilogy) Page 19

  Rothin snarled. I swear, a real, certified snarl. “I used Anthe’s trick: Stasis.”

  “What brought you out?” Anton asked. “Eln?” A section of the screen started to buzz, distorting the right half of Rothin’s face. This ship was crumbling all around us.

  “After Centream was destroyed, I started an organization,” Rothin explained. “We gathered the strongest and brightest wizards, and we infiltrated Anthe’s underground movement. I knew what she planned to do. After that, it was simple. All we had to do was make sure no powerless boy lived to puberty.”

  I searched his wrinkled features for any signs of the compassion he’d shown Ketya. I was met with a hard, cold face. Looking at Rothin now, I wondered if Anthe had gone too far when she destroyed his town. Every move of his lips, his eyes―every hand motion dripped with vile loathing. War was always gruesome and always an ugly choice between the lesser of great atrocities. There was a fine line between measures that defeat the enemy and those that bred more for the future.

  Oblivious to my probing eyes, Rothin continued. “My group vowed to enforce the law. The special operatives with me here are my whole army. Every one of us has trained day and night. We secluded ourselves from the rest of wizard-kind so that we could be ready when, inevitably, someone would try to escape. And whenever they did, I was woken up.” The sound of groaning metal swelled up from the vessel’s interior. It tickled a villainous smile out of Rothin. “You’re ship doesn’t sound too well,” he said.

  “How many times?” I asked, setting aside my own concerns about our ride. This man looked familiar, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. The way his soul leered out of his eyes unsettled me.

  Rothin straightened up when he heard the question. His voice exuded pride. “Over two dozen boys,” he boasted. “Eln won’t be any different.”

  “You’re lying,” I accused. “You’re not Rothin.” Somehow, deep down, I knew it.

  “Close enough,” he replied. “I have his memories.”

  “You learned how to perform Anthe’s spell?” Anton inquired.

  “Every time Rothin woke up, he found himself more and more behind on knowledge and technology. Wizard-kind as a whole was falling behind. So we used Anthe’s maneuver: put one man in stasis to convey a message and another surrenders his body. I’m what they brought back.” Rothin’s wicked grin returned. “The wizards of my time are more advanced, more knowledgeable than anyone in your time. I trained these men and we built this ship. No one can beat us.”

  One of the malfunctioning screens above us suddenly burst. I ducked as hot shards rained down from above. “Ouch!” Mark exclaimed from behind me. My instinct was to turn and help him. Please don’t be injured. But I couldn’t let myself get distracted now. The sounds of explosions elsewhere on the ship where closing in. Fortunately, the fire suppression system was still active.

  I waved away the particles that landed on me and looked back at the screen. “I‘ve already beaten you,” I said, as white powder sprayed the area. “You know we have, Eln. And now, we have Naimi, too.”

  “Brovkyl’s pet?” Rothin asked.

  “No, Ketya’s daughter,” I responded. “I brought her back and sent her somewhere safe. You will never find her.” Rothin’s expression darkened again.

  What are you doing? Anton asked me telepathically.

  “The only way to get to her is to make a personal sacrifice,” I said out loud. “You lack the courage it would take.” Rothin’s body stiffened.

  Telepathically, I answered Anton’s question. What if I can get him to bring a different soul into his body, perhaps I can intercept the signal. Perhaps I can be that soul. We’ll have the timing, I have his DNA―

  You do? Anton asked.

  “What do you know about me, you vile, contemptible wench.” Rothin’s tone was edged with a new kind of disgust. His eyes absorbed my every feature and then his words spit them back out at me.

  Anton unbuckled his belt and rose to his feet. He walked around the console and took a few steps toward me so he would be in range of our camera. I felt his eyes look past me and focus with razor sharp intent on Rothin. His protective gesture did not go unappreciated.

  I didn’t turn to look at him, but telepathically I explained what I knew. Rothin checked Ketya’s fetus against his DNA once to see if it matched. The spell didn’t mean much to her, but she remembered it. To me…

  It means you have his DNA, Anton finished. Okay, then what?

  First things first, I suggested. Then out loud, “this is your chance, Rothin,” I said. “You have a chance to defeat Anthe and Ketya. They keep great security logs in the future and I’m sure that after I left, your people would have come back and traced my teleport. And Naimi’s. The database will tell you exactly where she is… Too bad it’s information out of your reach,” I taunted.

  “You think I wouldn’t give myself up?” Rothin barked. His anger was visible in the angular curl of his lips.

  “Go search the records then. Bring that information back, might even stop me from ever getting Naimi in the first place,” I countered. Loud bangs and groaning metal echoed around the ship. I had to raise my voice to be heard.

  You can’t. Anton exclaimed in my mind. You’ll create a time paradox, we’ll be trapped.

  Not if I can stop the soul transfer and prevent everyone on that ship from talking about what they’ve learned today, I replied. Including their messenger in stasis.

  Anton gave me a meaningful look. I didn’t like what I was about to try any more than he did. It’s us or them, I said.

  “So Rothin,” Anton teased, “Are you game for a little bet? My wager: you don’t have the guts.” The acrid smell of the ship’s burning interior intensified. A visible cloud of smoke filled the bridge from a fire nearby, unquenched by the suppression system.

  The wizard didn’t say a word. With a final tap on my console, Rothin’s face was replaced by the dark view of space.

  Anton bounded past me to the adjacent console to see if they would fire again. When he nodded the “all clear” I unbuckled my belt and turned my chair to face Luke and Mark. However, Anton stopped me midspin. So what happens to you if we do this? he asked.

  Then I’m on his ship, I replied. A playful grin teased my lips.

  Anton did not return the smile. And in his body, he said. Forever?

  “I hate when they do this,” Mark said.

  “You’re not the only one,” Luke replied. Apparently, my brothers were not big fans of telepathy.

  I ignored them. No, not how you think, I told Anton. I can split myself in two, right? And now, Anthe has taught me how to do these soul transfers.

  You want to combine the spells? Anton asked. Make your soul inhabit two bodies at the same time? Liz, it might be theoretically possible, but it would take months of research to get it right. Maybe years.

  This conversation was wasting too much time. Rothin might have already started his transfer. We start with a field test, I countered. My boyfriend’s eyes grew fierce. I remembered the hologram that had stayed with me in the Ori forest. My hand reached for his and imparted an understanding squeeze.

  You know how many things could go wrong, Anton persisted. The chances of this working from the first try are…

  But there’s a chance, I interrupted. I know this is hard for you…

  The fierceness melted away from his face. Anton always knew what the right call was. An empty console at the front of the room exploded, reminding us just how serious the damage to our ship was. Sparks fountained around the area, and powder sprayed down again. A soft smile lurked on my boyfriend’s lips as he reached out and stroked my cheek. I hate you sometimes, he said.

  Right back at you, I replied. Then I turned to my brothers.

  “Guys, I have a plan. Anton, you made the right call before. But this time, if something goes wrong…”

  “That army will follow us,” he said. Actually, it was almost a yell. It was a challenge to hear e
ach other over the sound of the ship falling to pieces.

  “Well, then they follow you,” I acquiesced. “You stay as long as you can, but if worse comes to worst, you teleport out of here. All of you.” I gave Mark and Luke a significant glance.

  “We wouldn’t leave you behind,” Mark said. The hurt and loyalty in his voice were unmistakable.

  “I’m not giving you a choice,” I said. Did I sound too harsh? There wasn’t time to be kind.

  “Liz, enough of this,” Luke barked. “Let’s go home. Right now.”

  “I can’t,” I replied. “We would lead them back to Earth. Look, Anton wanted to respect your rights before. Fortunately, for me, we’re family and that means I don’t give a damn about your rights. Not when weighed against your life. If the time comes, you guys go.”

  I pulled Naimi out of my pocket and showed her to Anton.

  “You turned Ketya’s daughter into a turtle?” Anton asked with raised eyebrows.

  I shrugged. “She was more portable that way.” I replaced her and then took a deep breath. “Here goes…” This spell had better work.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  The Fire III: Casualties

  HMSS Ingeniur – November 2184

  Elizabeth

  My words divided me in two. My ears shut down to the sounds of the ship breaking all around. A second consciousness formed, but I had no place to make her materialize. Something exploded nearby. Hot pellets bit my arm. I ignored the pain. With the intelligence tugging at the edge of my mind, I stopped constructing my alter-self and reached out to find her a home. My essence split apart. I had to pour myself into Rothin, and I had to stay behind.

  She began to tear away from me, incomplete. I changed the words to draw her back, but there was a void that beckoned. The void left by Rothin in his body. And without my soul to take his place, Rothin was slipping back to his corpse. I had to force him out.

  The wind poured out of me and my limbs fell limp. The darkness became more still and turned to a deeper black. Sound faded to silence. I pushed everything I could of myself into Rothin. His psyche sensed me there. My skin began to burn. As before, the cavity created when my soul separated from my flesh felt like it was being filed with searing acid. It seeped into the crevices of my skin and into the space between my bones. But this time, I had to hold onto the pain. I couldn’t let numbness take over. If I left my body, it died.

  No, you can’t, Rothin pleaded. His panic scraped against my mind and revived me with a rush of adrenaline through my veins. Death loomed for one of us. The sense of losing control overwhelmed me. But I had to focus on Rothin’s core or he would win. I felt myself seep into Rothin’s bones, filling his mind, connecting with his senses. This time, I embraced the desperate need to breathe air into his lungs. I concentrated on the burn of oxygen-deprived muscles and the painful ache of a still heart. Pins and needles began to consume his flesh. I heard one last dying cry, and then he disappeared.

  But what about me? What about my other identity? I tried to cling to her, to hold onto the sensation of her boiling skin. Her heart continued to beat, but I couldn’t get her to wake. I felt torn. Like a heavy weight was dragging me out of Rothin and back to myself. But I knew I had to stay. I had to wake-up within Rothin so I could use his hands and eyes and voice to destroy his ship. It was our only chance.

  With considerable effort, I directed my mind away from my own body and focused on Rothin’s. Breathe. Please Breathe. The paralysis that had gripped my muscles unlocked, my jaw dropped open and I sucked in as much air as Rothin’s starved body could endure. I opened his eyes and looked around as I gulped at the atmosphere. Eight wizards all peered at me with curious eyes.

  “Did it work?” the closest one asked.

  “Yes,” my voice barked. I sound like him. “Help me up,” I demanded. My senses tried to take in the dimly lit bridge as my compatriot helped me to my feet, but my vision blurred when I moved. I could still feel the tug pulling me back to my own body. It was like a strong current wearing away my strength. I wouldn’t be able to stay in here long.

  My heavy hand slapped onto the nearby armrest and I used it to pull myself into the captain’s leather chair. Was the seat the source of this thick leather smell? Or maybe it was me. It was still hard to see clearly, but it looked like I was the only one with a place to sit. I was also the only one without any controls nearby. The other wizards all stood next to walls covered by what seemed like endless rows of buttons and levers.

  Alright, Rothin, tell me how I destroy this thing.

  “Well?” the nearby wizard probed. “Do you know where the girl is?”

  “Yes,” I choked out. Rothin’s memories flooded my mind with sickening intensity. My thick fingers dug into the armrest as I tried to control the assault. Cool sweat coated my forehead and dripped down my neck. The weapons station is on my left.

  “Move,” I growled as I made to my feet and heaved a wizard aside. My trembling hands shoved buttons and pulled levers with clumsy but fierce intent. My vision was still unsteady, but a lot of the motions were muscle memory. Weak knees threatened to fall out from under me. I willed Rothin’s wobbly legs to hold me up.

  “What are you doing,” a voice behind me demanded.

  “Humph,” I replied. “Getting the girl. She’s on their ship,” Even as I said it, I could feel the current winning, pulling me away from this body. Just hold a little longer, I begged.

  “You’re directing the infrared radiation into our fission reactor!” the wizard next to me yelled. He was too late. A deafening bang swept across the ship just as my soul slipped away. Then there was blackness.

  Luke

  “She’s completely out,” Mark said. Two more screens exploded above us. Everyone ducked as chunks of hot metal and debris rained down. A fire started on the ceiling and expanded to the walls with alarming speed. System must be out of that anti-fire foam.

  Anton yelled to be heard over crashing metal. “We don’t have time to revive her now.” He moved to the back door and yanked to open it. No luck. “We’ll go to the cargo bay adjacent to the engine-room,” he continued. “There should still be enough coolant running through that area to buy us some time.” The console above Mark’s head blew up. Shards of hot glass poured on top of him as he crouched over Liz to protect her. I pulled him away and hoisted her up in my arms. We scrambled toward the door. SNAP! The sound from above echoed through my body. I looked up to see a beam hurtling toward us. Mark shoved me forward, out of the way. The door parted under the weight of Anton's pull, not a second too soon. I rushed through, just as another loud bang engulfed the bridge.

  The hallway was even worse. Intense heat, smoke, and ash filled my nose. The crackle of a fire roared, but I couldn’t see a thing through the black clouds. I started forward toward the elevators, but Anton grabbed my shoulder. “Take the utility shaft,” he commanded as he opened an adjacent side door. It had looked like a closet at first, but inside was a long shaft equipped with a ladder. It looked like a long way down.

  “How ‘bout you just teleport us,” I yelled.

  “I don’t know what I’d be teleporting us into,” Anton shouted back. “Would rather be able to turn back if we had to.”

  He pulled his arm up over his mouth. “Gravity is inactive inside this shaft. Just step in and pull yourself down with the ladder,” Anton instructed.

  Didn’t seem possible he could breath, never mind speak through such thick smog. I searched the smoke for Mark. I wanted to make sure he was on board with this plan. Then I realized he wasn’t next to me. The sound of the loudest explosion yet followed us from the bridge. “Mark?”

  “He’s gone,” Anton said. “A titanium beam landed on him. I couldn’t stop it in time.”

  I could have sworn he was right behind me. I turned to go back, but Anton grabbed my shoulder again.

  “He’s gone, Luke.”

  My feet turned to lead. I couldn’t walk. My muscles petrified.

  “You’ll
just get Liz and yourself killed if you go back in there,” Anton yelled. I still didn’t move. I can’t leave my brother behind. But Anton was done talking. He grabbed me and shoved me toward the ladder. I tried to pull back, fearing I would fall to my death, but he had caught me by surprise and I had too much momentum. My feet slipped off the edge of the deck and I braced myself for the inevitable drop. To my surprise, I just drifted forward in the air and bounced back off the ladder. Realizing I didn’t need both arms to carry Liz anymore, I wrapped one arm around her waist and used my other hand to pull myself down the shaft. What am I doing? It didn’t seem possible that the universe could erase my brother from my life so easily.

  It was like my mind suddenly shut down. Every part of me was numb. It’s a dream, I told myself as I drifted through the cloud of black haze and into clearer air. It couldn’t be real. I would not abandon my little brother—I would never. My hand was shaking. I couldn’t understand why. I’d misunderstood Anton. If I went back for Mark, he would be there waiting for me.

  My fingers wrapped around the next rung on the ladder. My bicep strained to alter my momentum.

  “Keep going,” Anton yelled.

  “But Mark,” I said. I’d meant it to sound strong, demanding. Let Anton know that I wasn’t going to be pushed around. But somehow, my voice came out weak, barely more than a choked whisper. I’m not crying, I told myself. That wouldn’t make sense. There’s nothing to cry about. Although the corner of my mind noted that there seemed to be moisture coating my left cheek.

  Anton’s face filled with compassion. “I’m sorry, Luke,” he said softly and because of the crack in his voice I knew he meant it. Was he choking back tears? For the first time, I marveled at his strength. My whole body began to shake as the weight of the news engulfed me.