Broken Wings (31 page)

Saffir paced away from her and waved
her hand for Raea to follow. ["What did Elis teach you about being
a Keeper?"]

Nothing like being put on the spot.
Raea thought back to her lessons. ["He taught me to use the
Starfire to defend myself, but he said Keepers always help when
there's a need."]

Saffir stared out at the sky and the
puffs of clouds floating past. ["Did he tell you our greatest
pledge, especially for Crystal Keepers?"]

Raea swallowed her anxiety and brushed
a strand of hair from her shoulder. ["I don't know. He never
pointed out anything in particular."]

Saffir fixed her eyes on
Raea and spoke in a firm voice. ["Do no harm."] Her blue wings
shifted. ["
That
is
the first oath of all those who train here, the antithesis of the
Shirukan and their empress."] Her gaze made Raea uncomfortable, as
if Saffir accused
her
of doing wrong. What did this have to do with her question
about finding the truth?

But she had done harm to
Pallin. Whether he deserved it or not, she had killed him with the
Starfire.
No. The Starfire did it; not
me.

What about the Shirat
soldiers and the Shirukan in Naviketan?
I
didn't have a choice. We were outnumbered, and they weren't hurt,
only stunned.

This made no sense from what Elis had
taught her. ["What about defending the crystal?"]

A knowing look softened the lines of
the Crystal Keeper's face. ["Only when necessary. The entities are
explorers. They will not tolerate a selfish Keeper or one who
desires power. Do no harm means we don't force our will on anyone.
We serve, Keeper Raea. We help those in need… I will not scan
anyone who refuses."]

["But if they refuse, wouldn't that
indicate they're hiding something and don't want to be found
out?"]

["Maybe. Or perhaps they wish to keep
their privacy. Mind scans are a complex area of our
laws."]

Forget their law! She wanted to know,
without a doubt. ["Leksel's willing. He'll prove
himself."]

Saffir studied her, the calm on her
face irritating. ["You trust this Leksel?"]

Did she? Raea wanted to, but she
wasn't sure anymore what she believed. What if he lied to her? What
if his willingness was one more way to win her trust?

No. The emotion on his face when he
talked about Korali was real. Her death had hurt him. That much was
certain. He said she was a Keeper and a rebel, the reason he
betrayed the Shirukan. Was that part real? What about blaming
himself for his parents' incarceration?

No one could fake that kind of
emotion. ["I've only known him a few days, but…I've seen…his soul.
He tries to hide it, but…"] Raea shrugged. It all sounded
superficial. ["I don't know. There's something in his eyes, real
emotions, real sorrow like…like what I saw in Elis. Leksel wears an
armor to protect his emotions, I think. He was trained not to care,
but he does."]

["A scan can pull out the most
intimate details,"] Saffir quietly said. ["Whether willing or not,
it is an invasion of privacy."]

["He asked."]

Saffir stood quiet. Raea imagined what
she thought—this was another trick to get close to her. But he
hadn't asked for Saffir in particular.

["I'll authorize it, but I want to
hear it from him."]

__________

Worlds
Collide

Raea followed Saffir into the
detention area, not sure she wanted to know the truth. Cris jumped
up from a chair near Leksel's cell. Behind the glass, Leksel tipped
his head with an air of respect. ["Keeper Saffir."]

Saffir carried herself with the poise
of a leader, every bit as confident as Leksel, but in a kinder way.
["You are Leksel?"]

["I am."]

["Former Shirukan?"]

His wings shifted but he gave no other
indication of agitation. Whether it came from the identification
with the Shirukan or something else, Raea couldn't tell.
["Yes."]

["And you requested a mind scan…to
prove your innocence?"]

Leksel's gaze never wavered from
Saffir. ["Yes."]

Saffir studied him for a few
seconds.

In that time, Cris caught Raea's eyes
with a question. She shrugged—how was she to know what went on in
the Crystal Keeper's head? Saffir surprised her with the sudden
decision to perform the scan herself. They didn't have much time,
though, if Leksel was right about the Shirukan.

["You understand that I can't control
what I find. I will see things you may not want anyone to know."]
The scolding look on Saffir's face might have pricked him. Leksel
winced slightly.

["Yes."]

["Guards!"]

Two uniformed guards stepped to her
side. The third keyed something on the console—an unlock code since
the glass sparkled out of existence. Okay, not glass then.
Plasma?

Raea could worry about it
later.

Leksel knelt before her in anything
but his usual austere demeanor and bowed his head. ["I can't change
what I was, only who I am."]

["Well spoken."] Saffir stepped
forward, her hands glowing.

Cris joined Raea and leaned down to
whisper, ["Thanks."]

["Why?"]

["For giving Leks a second
chance."]

Was he sincere, or was this
all part of an elaborate plan, so he could gain her confidence for
the right moment to take her to his superiors?
Stop it!
No. Leksel and Cris couldn't
be that scheming.

Could they?

Saffir would soon learn the truth. The
Crystal Keeper put one hand on each side of Leksel's head. He
stared ahead, the confidence on his face withering away each
second.

In what couldn't have been half a
minute, the glow of Saffir's hands faded, and she stepped back.
That was fast.

Leksel dropped his head, his shoulders
sagging with his wings. He looked defeated and tired. It pulled at
Raea's emotions.

A firm hand on her arm held her in
place. Cris shook his head. ["Don't."]

They stood in the silence that
lingered until Saffir broke it with her gentle voice. ["I'm
sorry."]

["So am I,"] Leksel said.

In the lights of the chamber, Saffir's
throat flashed with a swallow. She walked away with the guards and
spoke in a low voice with them.

That's it? No more? It seemed so
simple. But Leksel was free; the guards left him alone. All her
worries lifted, leaving her relieved.

As Leksel stood, Raea pulled away from
Cris's hand and rushed to Leksel. Without thinking, she embraced
him. ["I knew you couldn't be guilty. I didn't want to believe
it."]

His arms tightened around her for a
second. ["Why? I was Shirukan. I could have been acting all this
time and you wouldn't know it."]

Was he kidding? Raea pulled back but
not away from his touch.

A cold glare hardened his face, but he
took a deep breath and let it pass. ["Thank you…both of you."] Raea
followed his gaze over her shoulder to Cris.

Cris shrugged with his usual
nonchalance. ["We're brothers. What am I supposed to do? Just leave
you? You're not getting rid of me that easily."]

Leksel let go of her and wrapped Cris
in a crushing embrace.

["All right."] Cris gasped. ["Don't go
all sentimental. I might start to wonder if you are still Shirukan
and lying."]

In an event she thought she'd never
see, Leksel laughed. Too weird. Two brothers reconciled, or she
hoped they did. For the moment, they put aside their differences.
Or was it that despite their differences, they were still brothers
and loyal to each other? It didn't matter. They were getting along
for a change.

["What about Corsa?"] she
asked.

["She's gone."]

Raea turned on Saffir.
["How?"]

["The medics healed her wounds. She
pretended to rest, but attacked when they didn't expect
it."]

How did she know? A useless question.
The woman behind her worked at a holographic control
panel.

["She knew I'd want to prove my
innocence and would be discovered,"] Leksel said.

["A fair guess."] Saffir shifted her
focus to Raea. ["The Shirukan will be here soon. The time is now if
you hope to return home."]

["Already?"] Suddenly home seemed so
far away, like a distant memory. She'd been running from the
Shirukan for three or four days, but it could have been three
years.

Yet thinking of home recalled Elis and
her reaction to finding out about bonding. He filled her heart with
his kindness and completed her soul. He'd always given her what she
needed without asking for anything in return. And he was right in
his reasons for not telling her sooner. She had needed him. Finding
out may have pushed her away into a dark lonely corner where she
could have lost herself. Instead, he held her, keeping her in the
light and chasing away the horrors she'd endured.

She had almost forgotten all that.
Seeing it in her mind again made her shudder, but this time it
didn't leave shadows. Maybe she was meant to meet Leksel and Cris
and learn about the Shirukan. His story and his dedication to
helping her washed some of the stain away. He had been Shirukan,
one of those horrible soldiers like Pallin, but he had changed for
the better. She might not feel the same if she'd known him before
he met Korali, but she knew him now. He was a good man.

In that light, she was ready. She
missed Elis and her friends and family on Earth, but she would miss
her new friends on Inar'Ahben.

["You don't have to go. You could stay
here with us."] Cris rocked back and forth on his heels, a smug
grin climbing on his face.

At the right moment…There. Raea shoved
him in the chest. He flailed his arms, his wings extended to catch
his balance. Served him right.

["She's learned."] Leksel
smirked.

Cris caught his balance and pulled his
wings in. ["Say what you want. I wouldn't mind."]

["I'm sure you wouldn't."] Leksel gave
him a scolding look. ["But Elis is waiting."]

How did he know? Cris. He must have
told Leksel. Just as well; she wouldn't deny it. ["Yes, he
is."]

["I'll open the portal now. It should
be sunset at your location on Earth."]

So soon, yet not soon enough. Someone
might see her, but she didn't have much of a choice to avoid the
Shirukan. ["Thank you."]

["How close are the Shirukan?"] Leksel
asked.

Saffir turned to the guards at the
holographic controls. With a few keystrokes, the woman said,
["About seven minutes."]

["It'll be close,"] Cris
said.

["Perfect for you."] Leksel's wings
shifted, but the crook of a smile turned up.

Cris got it. ["Yes, sir."]

["I know you'll take care of her."]
Saffir met Leksel's eyes with unwavering calm. ["You're welcome
here anytime, Rajeun Leksel and Rajeun Cris. We could use your
knowledge and your skills in this fight."]

Leksel acknowledged her with a nod but
said nothing.

Saffir turned to Raea and winked.
["Give my love to my grand nephew."]

Grand nephew? Who—
["Elis?"] It made sense. When he told her about the Starfire and
Saffir sending him, he said that one shard had always stayed in
their family.
'Our family'. That's what he
meant.
He told her without really telling
her. She just hadn't caught it then.

Her smile said it all. ["Go."] The
Starburst marks on Saffir's hands and the thumb-sized shard of
crystal hanging on her neck glowed. ["I can keep the portal open
for a short time."]

["Thank you."]

Saffir said nothing but closed her
eyes, the glow about her intensifying. When the Starfire created
the Keepers, it also created the most advanced machine to rival
Heffin's Gate. Keepers were the perfect organic machines to harness
and utilize the power of the Starfire. Saffir showed her how
powerful the machines were.

Leksel steered Raea out before she
could say anything more. ["This way."] He guided her and Cris
through the corridor to an empty apartment like the one in which
she had showered and changed earlier that day.

At the balcony doors, he stopped her.
["You have your tri-comm?"]

["No. I didn't think I'd need
it."]

From his breast pocket, he pulled out
the oblong device. ["Here. Never go anywhere without it. I
programmed this with the frequency of Starfire Tower. If anything
happens, they'll know immediately."] He pulled out another and
pressed it to his face.

She did the same as Cris did with one
he carried. Man, she really had a lot to learn and no time to
study. Hers was a trial by fire. They rushed through to the balcony
doors and out into the fresh air.