Hammer of Time (The Reforged Trilogy) (47 page)

Maeve stopped at the bottom of the stairs and took in the scene. It should have been a happy one. Just like old times, before Kaellisem and Xartasia. The Blue Phoenix getting ready to fly away again, off into the black. Better than old times, in fact. Logan was helping them, working with Duaal instead of hunting Maeve across the galaxy, hounding their every step. But Maeve did not smile. Her blood ran cold through her body, freezing her to the spot.

This was
not
old times. This was no cargo run, trying to get a load of apples from Koji to Axis before they rotted. Everything they did now was in deadly earnest. Tiberius was dead. Xartasia and the Devourers were out there. Arcadians were dead and, if any of Maeve's unpleasant guesses were right, many millions more lives would follow into the Nameless' unwelcoming embrace.

Kessa looked up from her son's face and ran to Maeve. She flung strong arms around the much smaller woman. "I'm so sorry for everything. Duaal says you're going out to Nnyth space. Do you really think you'll find out what Xartasia wants out there?"

"I do not know," answered Maeve. "But we know where she is going, if not why. We will find Xartasia, one way or another."

"You're very brave," said Kessa. The Dailon mother kissed the top of Maeve's head. "Thank you."

Maeve could not help the brief smile that crossed her face. "What do we owe you for this?" she asked, gesturing to the crates and barrels. "They have not yet cut off my access to what passes for the Kaellisem royal treasury."

"Don't worry about it," Vyron said. "You wouldn't believe what Xyn and I are making off distributing the Arcadian glass. It's a damned good thing, too. The phenno redprint is starting to break down. We're having trouble getting a viable batch. Without the glass, Unbreakers would be eating sand by now. Say, don't suppose you can bring us a fresh phenno sample while you're out at the Tower?"

Maeve blinked and was not sure how to answer that. Kessa glared daggers at her husband, who shrugged and held up his large blue hands.

"What?" he asked. "You can't blame me for trying. I'm a businessman."

Duaal leapt down from the now-secured tower of crates, Logan thumping more heavily to the deckplates behind him. The Hyzaari mage raked fingers through his dark, sweaty hair. "That about does it," he announced. "Gripper, are all the new filters loaded?"

"All in, captain. We had a break in one of the central ducts, but I've got it all under control now."

Duaal nodded to Maeve. "Your Majesty, we're ready to go. Just say the word."

She began to nod and then looked around the Blue Phoenix hold. "Wait. Where is Anthem?"

"Oh," Duaal said nonchalantly. "I sent him into Gharib to get us a new duonetic converter."

"What is that?" Maeve asked.

Duaal shrugged. "I have no idea. Should keep him busy for the rest of the day, though. He can barely say
duonetic
."

"Because you made it up," Xia said. She ruffled Baliend's hair. "Anthem is still trying to learn Aver, Duaal. That was cruel."

"Yeah, probably. Let's get up into the black before he figures it out," said Duaal.

He turned to the stairs that led up into the rest of the Blue Phoenix. Maeve stood in his way and did not move. "Not until you call Anthem and get him back to the ship," she told him. "And apologize!"

Duaal pouted but agreed to do as Maeve asked. He made his farewells to Kessa and Vyron, then vanished up in the direction of the Phoenix's cockpit. Xia reluctantly returned Baliend to his parents and escorted them from the ship. Maeve looked up at Gripper.

"Is there anything that I can do to help?" she asked.

"Don't think so, Glass. We've got everything pretty much ready to go."

The young Arboran looked and sounded quite certain. They were flying a long, long way into terrible danger, but Gripper showed no signs of sharing the fear that clenched Maeve's stomach. "It's good to have you back, Glass," he said. "I'm really sorry for how it happened, but it's still good. Do you need anything?"

"No," Maeve told him. "I still remember where everything is."

Gripper reached up to the edge of the catwalk and swung himself up onto the next level. "Make sure Silver closes up the lock when she gets back inside," he called down.

Maeve promised that she would. She noted with regret that Logan had pulled his shirt back on. He said nothing to Maeve as she and Xia waited at the airlock for Anthem's return.

The knight arrived from Gharib a half hour later. Anthem made no comment on Duaal's deception, but secured himself along with the rest of the crew for takeoff. He sat awkwardly beside Maeve, leaning forward in a futile attempt to make room for his wings. They ended up draped and twisted uncomfortably over the back of the seat, tangled with his queen's.

Maeve braced herself for a rough takeoff, but Duaal piloted the Blue Phoenix smoothly from Stray and up into the darkness beyond the planet's atmosphere. After only a few minutes, clouds gave way to stars and then these lengthened into multi-colored streaks as the Blue Phoenix leapt into superluminal flight.

Duaal came down to the combined mess and lounge. He had replaced his shirt, as well. "That's it. We're on our way to the Rynn system. We don't have an accurate travel estimate, but it will take us somewhere around twenty-eight days," he said. "The charts out beyond Stray aren't very precise and God knows the last time anyone bothered updating them. We'll need to make some stops to check our bearing and make sure we're not going to smash into some comet no one knows about."

"What do we do now?" Anthem asked.

"Mostly we wait," Gripper said. "We wait a long time and try not to go crazy wondering what's going to happen when we finally get to the Tower."

________

Their cold, tiny corner of the Hrana's hold had cost Panna every cenmark of their remaining money. Not just Maeve's money, but Panna's own meager savings. The Hrana's captain must have sensed their desperation and hurry, she guessed. Ballad's poker face was not very good and Panna doubted hers was much better. But money didn't matter very much anymore, she figured. Still, she couldn't help glaring a bit at the dark-haired freighter captain as they climbed out of the Hrana and back into Stray's familiar dry, dusty heat. At least the gravity was better than on Hadra. Ballad didn't stick his thumb and finger out at the man and Panna was rather proud of the young knight. He was actually learning some restraint.

It was midafternoon and the fat, dim sun beat mercilessly down onto the craggy red-brown city. The heat was almost as bad as Hadra. Ballad jumped down from the airlock, balancing his small bag of belongings on his shoulder. "He could have at least dropped us off in Gharib," the knight grumbled. "We're on the other side of Stray."

"You're exaggerating," Panna said. She checked a datadex. The mainstream signal was weak, but it was there. She called up a map. "We're only about seven hundred miles from Gharib, actually. We can probably get Captain Sinnay to pick us up."

She tucked the datadex back into her satchel and retrieved her com from her pocket. A sudden gust of blazing wind whirled her hair and filled her mouth with sand. Too late, Ballad shot out his left wing to shield her. Panna pushed her hair back and spat muddy dust.

"Thanks anyway," she told Ballad with a smile. Next, she called Duaal. There was no answer. Panna frowned. "That's strange. Duaal always answers his com. You would think he was waiting for a boy to call him back, he's always so eager."

"Try Logan."

"You do it. That man still scares me."

Ballad reached into his leather jacket for his com. His brow and the back of his sunburnt neck were already beaded with sweat. "You've faced Devourers and Xartasia's butchers, Panna," he said. "But you're afraid of Logan Coldhand?"

"Hells yes. Please just call him?"

"As you command, my lady."

Panna blushed. Ballad smirked and chose Logan's name from a list on the tiny screen. The channel beeped several times with no answer. Now Ballad frowned, too. Panna tried Xia next, but still no answer. Not even Anthem picked up. Panna considered calling Duke Ferris, but though the old fairy carried a com – Maeve had insisted on it and Ferris reluctantly agreed – he had no idea how to use the coreworld device. Instead, she called Kessa Fethru. The channel beeped several times and Panna was about to close it when someone finally picked up.

"Hello?" came Kessa's voice. The Dailon sounded harried, tired. Even more than usual. Panna knew Baliend could be a handful, but this was strange.

"Kessa, it's Panna. Is everything all right?"

"Panna!" There was noise in the background. It did not sound like Baliend crying. "Where have you been? The Hadrian fairies have been here for a week!"

"We had trouble finding a ship on Hadra. Where's Captain Sinnay? Ballad and I are in Kharnig. We need a lift to Kaellisem."

There was a pause. "The Blue Phoenix is gone," Kessa said at last. "Maeve and Anthem and the rest of the crew are on their way to the Nnyth Tower."

Ballad listened over Panna's shoulder. "What?" he asked.

"You didn't know?" asked Kessa. "They went there on information
you
brought!"

"Maeve left?" Panna repeated dumbly. "She's gone? Then who's running Kaellisem?"

"Duke Ferris. You'd better get here now. He needs your help. If we don't get the water distribution under control, there will be more riots."

"Riots?" Panna gasped. "What's been going on in Kaellisem? Never mind! Tell me when I get there. Can Xyn or Vyron send a ship over here to Kharnig? Tell Duke Ferris I'll be there as soon as I can."

________

"Have you ever dealt with the Nnyth?" Xia asked. "Either of you?"

Anthem shook his head. "No," he answered. "Contact with the Nnyth was handled by the royal family and the Ivory Spire. Even then, it was infrequent."

Everyone looked at Maeve. She held up her hands. "I was a long way from the throne and important royal matters. I trained as a knight because I needed a profession. Titania, I am sure, dealt with them. But not me."

"What about when you collected the phenno?" asked Gripper. "That was a few years before I got here. Did you talk to the wasps then?"

"We only encountered one Nnyth on that trip," Duaal said. "And we fought. Maeve tried to talk then, but it didn't seem to go very well."

"No," Maeve agreed. "Even at the height of the White Kingdom, the Arcadians did not travel often to the Tower."

"Do you think Xartasia has an invitation?" Logan asked. "If the Nnyth are that secluded and dangerous, what is she risking?"

"Maybe nothing," said Anthem. He spoke slowly, as though reluctant. "Titania was the king's daughter. I know that she had visited the Tower at least twice before the fall."

"And you never went with her?" Duaal asked him. "Weren't you two pretty much engaged?"

"We had traded our oathsongs," said Anthem. "But no… I never accompanied Titania."

Maeve rubbed her temple and reached for the bowl in the middle of the table. Her fingers brushed the edge, but she could not quite reach. Gripper pushed it over to her. Maeve thanked him, refilled her plate and then stared at the limp pile of lettuce and apples. Why had she taken more? She was not at all hungry.

When dinner was over – no one had much more appetite than Maeve – Gripper collected the dishes and set to work cleaning them. One by one, everyone left the mess in silence.

Maeve returned to her room and sat on the edge of her bunk, wondering what in the name of the gods they were going to do once they reached the Tower. It had seemed like such a good idea back in Kaellisem, leaving the city and the angry people on a quest of redemption. Finding Xartasia and stopping her… That was the whole point of this, after all. It had been from the beginning.

Not for the first time, Maeve's gut twisted with guilt. Everything she had done for the last six months really
was
a gamble against Xartasia. It was not about helping or restoring hope to the Arcadians. She was using them, just like her cousin.

Am I any better than Xartasia at all? I manipulated my own people just to fight her… And I do not even know why!

But could she turn back now? They had all sacrificed too much to give up now. Arcadians were dead. Anthem had sided against his own enarri. Maeve had given up her own beloved hunter. It
had
to be for something. Didn't it?

Maeve covered her face with her wings and prayed for the strength to make it through the next four weeks.

________

Logan had leaned a roll of packing mats into one corner of the Blue Phoenix hold. He threw a short, fast flurry of low punches at the cylinder of rough fabric. He stepped back, looking down at his mismatched hands. The cool, sterile recycled ship air stung across his abraded knuckles. He had tape, of course. No self-respecting boxer went anywhere without it. Gloves, too, that protected the all too delicate skin and bones. Xia probably had something helpful in the medbay, too. The glass left hand remained stubbornly unblemished by its punishment. Logan slammed his right hand into the mats again. His right one left a smear of red on the mats.