Heir of Shandara (Book 4) (28 page)

Aaron felt his breath catch in his throat.
Sarah pregnant. Bayen is my son?
His eyes darted around as he came to grips with what Verona was telling him.
The Ryakul plague is your fault. Safanar dies because of your thoughtless actions.
Bayen’s words played in his mind.

“There is only one answer, and you know it, my friend. He was trained by you. I could tell by the way he fights. This isn’t something that Halcylon could copy,” Verona said.

Aaron felt his stomach turn to lead.
Could it be? No, this is a trick.

Aaron waved for the soldiers to bring Bayen’s body; it was slumped forward. “You said that I sent you back in time to prevent the Ryakul plague? How were you going to do that? How would you know if you succeeded?”

Bayen’s eyes were distant for a moment, and then they locked on Aaron. “Because I would cease to exist.”

“Warning. Temporal matrix is at 47 percent.”

“What is that?” Aaron asked.

“It’s the AI that I brought with me. It’s warning me that time is running out,” Bayen said.

“How is keeping Halcylon alive going to prevent the destruction you’ve described?” Aaron asked.

Bayen glanced at his bracer, and Aaron nodded for the soldiers to let Bayen go.

“Sam, what is the greatest probability for preventing the Ryakul plague?” Bayen spoke into his bracer.

“Keep General Halcylon alive. 55 percent success probability rate,” a monotone voice said from Bayen’s bracer.

Aaron glanced at Verona and Tanneth, but both were at a loss for words. “You’re basing your actions upon what a machine is telling you?”

“Do you have a better suggestion? Your actions led me here, and Safanar is upon the brink of destruction,” Bayen said.

“So you say,” Aaron said, unimpressed.

Bayen took a steadying breath. “The AI in this bracer represents the last-ditch efforts to save our world. The last remnants of the Safanarion Order poured their resources into creating this to help them cure the virus.”

“The virus only affects humans. How will curing it save the world?” Aaron asked.

Bayen sank to his knees, shoulders slumped. “The virus spread. Nothing was beyond its grasp.”

“The Hythariam are immune to it,” Aaron said.

Bayen shook his head. “Not in my time. Nothing is immune, and there is no cure. That’s why I was sent. To prevent this from happening in the first place.”
 

Aaron rubbed his eyes with his hand, thinking. “What about the Eldarin? They are tied to this.”

Bayen frowned. “Sam, what is the probability of the Eldarin and cure for the plague?”

“The Eldarin represent an unknown quantity, and therefore their influence on the course of events is inconclusive,” the AI answered.

“I still don’t know if I believe any of this,” Aaron said.

Tanneth stepped forward. “Computer, who inputted the parameters for probabilities concerning the Ryakul plague?”

“Aaron Jace of the House Alenzar’seth. Leader of the Safanarion Order and chancellor of the Free Nations,” the AI said.

Aaron glanced at Tanneth. “We can’t trust this thing. This could have been coded into the AI.”

“Perhaps,” Tanneth said. “Computer. Identify the man standing to Aaron’s right.”

The holo display glowed upon Bayen’s wrist, and a beam of light scanned Verona.

“Verona Ryder, nephew of Prince Cyrus, the last ruler of Rexel. Current status: deceased,” the AI said.

Verona frowned. “I’m very much alive, thank you very much.”

“Of course,” Tanneth said. “The AI is referring to the current status in the future. If we asked it all of our statuses, it would likely say we are all dead. Aaron is right; we’re dealing with a machine. If I were to make my guess upon the facts before me, I would wager that Bayen is who he says he is.”

“How can you be so sure?” Aaron asked.

“As resourceful as Halcylon is, there is no way he would know so much detailed information about Verona. I would continue to wager that the AI has detailed information about most of us, and there is no way Halcylon could know about that.”

“But time travel?” Aaron asked.

Tanneth shrugged. “That is beyond my expertise,” Tanneth said, and knelt down to examine Bayen’s bracer.

“What’s the problem with time travel?” Verona asked.

“It’s impossible,” Aaron said.

Verona laughed. “You’ve traveled to two worlds through a portal, and yet time travel is where you draw the line of what is possible.”

A small smile lifted the edges of Aaron’s mouth. “It’s not that simple. I understand the concept of what the keystone accelerator does. What it doesn’t do is enable someone to travel back almost twenty years in the past.”

Verona pursed his lips together and stepped closer to Aaron. “I don’t think he’s lying. Something in my gut tells me that he’s telling the truth.”

Aaron frowned. “Bayen seems to believe what he’s saying. I’ll give you that. But that doesn’t mean it’s the truth. Sending him back through time to prevent me from killing Halcylon? How does that make any sense?”
 

“Aaron, you’re gonna want to hear this,” Tanneth called. “Listen to this. Sam, what is the current status of Aaron Jace?”

“Aaron Jace is currently alive,” the AI said.

Aaron shared a look with Tanneth.

“Of course he’s alive,” Verona said, and glanced at Aaron and Tanneth. “What is it?”

“The AI believes I am alive. A few moments ago, it reported you as dead,” Aaron said.

Verona’s eyes widened in understanding. “That’s a good thing though. It means you are alive.”

“He is the only one that the AI reports as alive,” Tanneth said. “Every other name I try, the AI says is dead.”

Aaron stared at Bayen, considering. He knelt with his eyes downcast upon the ground. Verona’s comms device chimed, and Aaron heard Sarah’s voice asking for him.

Bayen’s head snapped toward Verona. “
Mother
,” he whispered.

Halcylon was a master at manipulation. This was something he could pull off to spin them in circles to put them off balance. “I want him bound and kept under guard. Put him back on the
Raven
,” Aaron said to the FNA soldiers.

Verona handed Aaron his comms device. Aaron thanked him and stepped off to the side to speak with Sarah.

“Are you well?” Sarah asked.

In spite of his anger, Aaron was glad to hear the sound of her voice. “I think I should be asking you that, but I’m fine.”

He didn’t feel fine. In fact, he felt as far away from fine as a person could get, and he knew that Sarah could tell the difference.

“I’m sorry about Cyrus. He was a good man,” Sarah said.

Aaron was silent for a moment. There was so much he wanted to say, but the words wouldn’t come. He wanted to see her. Hold her in his arms.

“Talk to me, my love,” Sarah said.

Though he couldn’t see her, he built a perfect picture of her in his mind.
Pregnant? They were going to have a child.
The world seemed to spin around him, and he shut his eyes. A stifled cry escaped his lips. The fall of Rexel. Halcylon’s manipulation. Bayen telling him that his choices had laid waste to the world. A child… their child… it was all too much.

“I’ll come to you—” Sarah began.

“No!” Aaron said. “It’s not safe. Please stay where you are. I need to know that you’re safe. Verona said you were in Hathenwood with Roselyn.”

There was a moment’s hesitation, and then Sarah began telling him of the events in Khamearra. As she spoke, Aaron drew in the energy and sought out his connection to her. The connection they shared ever since he had used his own lifebeat to save her life. He focused inward and followed the shimmering translucent trail to Sarah. He felt as if he could almost reach across the expanse and touch her. The golden glow of her lifebeat pulsated with the rhythm of her beating heart. This time, there was an additional pulse that flashed in between her heartbeats. Aaron gasped. Sarah stopped speaking in the middle of what she was saying.

“Oh, Aaron,” Sarah whispered. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but with everything that was going on…”

Aaron felt his lips curve into a smile, but he remained focused on Sarah’s lifebeat and that of their child.

“It’s all right. I understand,” Aaron said. He drew back to himself and wondered why he hadn’t sensed the change in their connection before. For a moment, he pushed all other thoughts from his mind but for the two most important things he counted himself fortunate to have. Sarah was safe, and they were going to have a child.

“How do you feel?” Aaron asked.

“A little tired, but Roselyn says that is normal,” Sarah said, and Aaron heard the relief in her voice. “I know this isn’t the best time. Believe me, I do, but I want this.”

“So do I,” Aaron said, and felt his heart fill his chest and a small lump grow in his throat.

He glanced at the
Raven
hovering nearby and decided not to tell Sarah about Bayen. They spoke for a little while longer, and then Aaron closed the comms device. Having seen so much death and destruction, he had never considered that life would have its presence on a day like today.
 

Tolvar was among the first to congratulate Aaron. The word spread among the people around them like wildfire. Tolvar opened a cask of ale set aside for special occasions. Every now and again, Aaron glanced up at the
Raven
, where Bayen was being held. Tolvar, who was standing next to him, caught his line of sight.

“What do you think?” Aaron asked.

Tolvar ran his hand over his bald head and sighed. “The boy believes wholeheartedly in what he’s saying, but there is more at play here than the events that have transpired.”

“Is it possible to travel through time?”

Tolvar shrugged his shoulders. “Anything is possible. We have always believed in infinite possibilities. The knowledge of such a thing is beyond me.”

Aaron nodded. “Given everything that Halcylon has done. This is something that he could do.”

“Indeed, but you need to focus on why he would do such a thing. Based upon what I’ve heard, this General Halcylon is logical almost to a fault. Cunning and ruthless. It begs the question as to why he would put together such an elaborate ruse,” Tolvar said.

“That’s the question,” Aaron said.

“One that I would like to know the answer to. For that reason,” Tolvar said, and glanced at Armel, “we will join you in Shandara.”

“Thank you,” Aaron said, sounding relieved. They could use any advantage they could get. “I’m sure we have a keystone accelerator on board the
Raven
. A portal would be able to get everyone through.”

Tolvar chuckled. “I appreciate the offer, but I think we’ll manage. We have ways to make the journey quickly.”

Aaron nodded; he should have known. Tolvar took his leave of him and went to make preparations for his people to leave.
 

Aaron turned, and a few feet away the ground looked slightly off.

Thraw opened his eyes. “You almost had him.”

“I’m glad to see you made it,” Aaron said.

“Oh, I managed to take more than a few of the Zekara with me, but I will have no rest until Halcylon is dead.”

“Halcylon isn’t going anywhere,” Aaron said.

Thraw stalked off and headed back to the
Raven
with no one the wiser. It was easy to see why the Hythariam feared the maul-cat. Aaron headed toward the
Raven
with the others, and as he walked up the gangplank, it almost felt like he was coming home.

C
HAPTER
22

TESTS

Sarah closed the comms device with shaky hands and took a steadying breath. When did they start keeping secrets from one another? She knew there was something Aaron wasn’t telling her. He carried the weight of the dead with him. It was hard to believe that Rexel was gone. Roselyn had shown her. The refugees from Rexel had found a haven in Shandara. She knew it wasn’t lost upon the people of Rexel that twenty-five years ago they gave refuge to the Shandarian survivors. She was glad that Aaron at least had Verona with him.