Plague of Mybyncia (19 page)

I don’t realize how much time has passed
until Salva is standing in the tunnel’s entrance, looking over at
us. “Princess,” she clears her throat, “it is late. It is time to
go.”

Ariana is still laughing, throwing back the
last swig of her Allnnis as she stumbles to a stand. “This was so
much fun—thank you.”

“Thank
you
for bringing the Vair,”
Pratt reaches for another packet. “This is delicious.”

“Yes, thank you, Princess,” Mae grins up to
her, giggling as she cleans out the rest of her drink, “we should
do this more often.”

Ariana goes to take a step and nearly
stumbles but I fly to my feet, catching her. “Careful there,
Princess. If I send you back injured, they’ll
really
boot us
out.”

“Nonsense. You are staying with us,” she
swings her arm over my shoulder. “My mother
adores
the Fychu
way more than Blovid.”

“Princess…” Salva frowns.

“What? It is true. We know it, they know
it.”

“Go sleep it off,” I laugh, transferring
Ariana’s arm to hang over Salva’s shoulder. “You’ll feel better in
the morning.”

In one quick swift move, Salva sweeps the
princess up in her arms, cradling her to her chest. Before Salva
leaves, she turns to me, speaking quietly. “Reid is here. He wants
to see you.”

“Oh…”

“You cannot talk in here,” she indicates to
the room. “He is waiting for you at the end of the tunnel.”

I blush. “Okay, thank you.”

Once Salva leaves with a sleeping Ariana and
Pratt and Mae have finished teasing me, I head down the passage, my
heart racing in my chest. Gulping, I reach the end of the tunnel
and see him.

Gloriously clad in the same scarlet loin
cloth, the sight of his hardened chest and powerful arms steal my
breath. But it’s his handsome face and his hypnotizing eyes that
still me.

“Hey…” my voice comes out quaky.

He grins, lighting up his face. “Hey.”

I cross my arms, mirroring his gleeful
expression. “What’re you doing here?”

“Uh…” he trails his finger down the wall.
Watching it, his mouth widens to a full smile, “Not sure,
actually,” he gulps with a bit of a laugh before looking up. “Wait,
I remember.”

Cupping my face, Reid pulls me to his mouth,
melting my insides as he slips his tongue inside me. We’re
entangled, hot breath exchanged, fire blooming between us. He has
me against the wall, holding me gently as he kisses me with
absolute veneration. My heart is racing, my entire body lit up with
the touch of his. Slowing, Reid breaks off the kiss, pulling back
to rest his forehead against mine.

I bite my bottom lip, still eyeing his.
“Reid…”

“Yes?” he breathes.

“What—”

“I had to,” his eyes flicker between mine,
“for a while now—I’ve had to. Every day. Everyday I’ve wanted you,”
he gulps. “I
want
you.”

I kiss him again and he cradles my face in
his hands, deepening our connection. He holds me like I’m precious,
like he’s handling something breakable and it weakens me. Suddenly,
his fingers dip to my waist and he squeezes me, his lips moving to
my neck. My body is on fire and I’m not sure if I can take this, if
I have the ability to
feel
this. Kissing down my throat, he
starts to push into me harder but quickly withdraws, running his
hands through his hair.

“I uh… I should probably go,” he breathes,
moving for the opposite wall. Placing one hand high above his
head—as if to hold himself up—he pants out the difficulty of
stopping himself. After a long minute, he finally spins back to me,
a thought ticking away. It looks like he has a whole mouthful of
words, an entire monologue waiting to fall from his lips. But he
keeps them shut, merely watching me across from him. Finally, he
inhales. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

I’m unable to do anything other than nod.
Reid mirrors the gesture and after a final push, he heads away from
me, down the tunnel. But before he’s gone too far, I find my voice
and call after him.

“Yeah?” he spins quickly.

I bite my lip, trying to find the words to
use. But there’s too much to say in this moment, too much to ask,
so I decide on the only thing I can manage. “I’m… really glad you
stayed.”

He smiles, stealing my breath again. “So am
I.”

“Alright,” Qippert clasps his hands together,
gesturing to the ocean behind him. “Let us try this again. We have
all of your Millix here, so we are going to try for another swim.
Now,” he looks around us, “you remember the key points?”

“
Communication
,” Maris advises,
stepping forward, “is all in the mind. If you feel you are about to
fall off, tell your Millix to
slow down
. They are not just
your transportation—they are your
partner
. And as you will
recall from yesterday’s experience, they are also your
protector
.”

“So we just have to tell them to slow down?”
Mae pulls at her fingers.

“Talk to them.
Practice
talking to
them when you are riding,” she turns and leaps onto Shaya, her
Millix. “Everyone on, please. We have a lot to go over.”

Qippert and the others approach their Millix
as I head for Lalu on the end. She’s the last of the long,
periwinkle necks and watches with wide red eyes as I approach the
shore. Slowing, I send her my thoughts like yesterday.

Hello again, Lalu.

Hello, Fallon.

Lalu lowers her neck so I can climb onto her
back. Once on, I pat her down, stroking the front, tender part of
her neck until she lets out a soft purring. Finally clutching each
bair on the side of her neck, I wait until the others are situated
on his or her Millix.

“Everyone ready?” Maris asks.

Mae leans forward, using her entire body to
clutch her Millix. Werzo sits similarly, still trying to get his
balance on the giant animal while everyone else seems to have
mastered it. Reid is on Palli, his Millix, next to me and as I look
to him, he offers a secret smile.

“Let us go,” Maris submerges with Shaya as
Qippert follows right behind.

I lean in, gripping Lalu with my knees as I
tighten my hold on her bairs.

Let’s go, Lalu.

We’re under the water the same second, diving
behind a racing Maris and Qippert, the others on either side of me.
Reid and Tucker keep to my left while Pratt and Mae are just behind
me on my right. We don’t immediately head for the city, but circle
a few times around the depth of the Holding Station for practice.
Once Maris is convinced that we’ve all got the hang of it, she
leads us lower, far down until the illuminating lights break up the
ocean’s dark depths.

We’ve just rounded the city’s highest tower
when I notice something odd.

At first there are only a few Mybyncians
drifting, independent of their Millix and Stancimises who race
around them, flustered and wanting to regain their masters. There
must have been some sort of accident—a collision of the large
animals. But as we descend further and the city becomes clearer,
the few floating bodies multiply and suddenly, I can’t breathe.

They’re
everywhere
.

The ocean is polluted with drifting forms,
most lifeless while a handful of others are barely able to move
themselves, all attempting to head for the castle’s FH.

“What
is
this?” Maris whispers,
disbelief in her tone.

She slows and we all do the same, cautious as
we fall beneath the top layer of drifting Mybyncians. They pass
with the rippling waves of the surrounding Stancimises and Millix,
one lifeless body heading straight for us.

“Maris…” Reid says, pulling up next to me.
“What happened?”

“I do not know…” there’s panic in her
voice.

She stops fully, scanning the area with wide,
woeful eyes as she glances from one body to another. Swallowing,
she watches the floating body stray closer.

“Do not touch it!” Qippert warns, moving out
of the way.

The rest of us follow just as it drifts over.
Something is wrong with it. Besides being limp, it’s… discolored.
The Mybyncians have sage skin, but this body has turned a light
gray—the color of the ash that littered Harrizel’s ground. We all
back away from it, the body outstretched as though reaching for
something, someone. It’s a mayan—or was. She’s clearly dead, and
probably has been for a while. Her lips and hair are now charcoal
black and her cheeks and stomach, sunken in as though she’d starved
to death.

“Maris?” Qippert asks, the same panic rising
in his tone.

“We must get to the queen,” Maris takes off
without waiting for us. “
Now
.”

She flies straight for the Docking Station
and we’re right behind her, rushing through the opaque sea of
bodies. She’s nearly to the entrance when she slows and, after a
few seconds, falls off Shaya completely.

“Maris!” Qippert calls, racing towards her.
Maris has only begun to drift when Qippert leaps from his Millix,
capturing her in his arms. “Maris!”

But she’s unresponsive, and although he’s
trying, he’s unable to swim with her in his arms. His Millix swims
around the two of them, Shaya creating rapid waves that send the
nearby bodies flying.

Lalu, can you talk to Shaya?

Yes.

We need to get Maris on her.

Maris is unresponsive.

We need to get her inside. Tell Shaya we’re
going to place Maris on her and that she needs to go to the Docking
Station.

Who is ‘we’?

Qippert, Reid and myself.

I will do it.

“Pratt, Mae, keep going. You too, guys. We’ll
meet you at the station. Reid,” I head for the struggling pair, “we
need to get Maris on Shaya.”

“Right behind you,” he says, leading Palli
towards Qippert who hasn’t made any distance with her in his arms.
He’s trying to kick but getting nowhere, only making frantic
ripples in the water. As we near, we both jump from our Millix,
helping hold Maris although Qippert is still trying to shake her
awake.

“We’ve got to get her on Shaya,” I advise,
just as the Millix nears.

With a group effort, we lift Maris and place
her stomach down at the base of Shaya’s neck and back. Once she’s
on, Shaya takes off towards the Docking Station as requested, Lalu
coming for me again. Reid helps me climb on and then assists
Qippert as his Millix returns. Once Reid has mounted Palli, we all
set out in the same direction, racing furiously. We’re there in
seconds, but it’s enough time for a quick exchange with Lalu. I pat
her neck as we slow for the ascent.

Thanks, Lalu.

Shaya thanks you
.

Lalu, do you know what’s happening?

There is death in the water.

Are you affected?

No.

Will we be?

No. It is inherent to the Mybyncians.

I have to go help them. I’ll be back
later.

Goodbye, Fallon.

As soon as Lalu breaks the water’s surface, I
jump onto the limestone ground and am immediately surrounded.
Mybyncians are
everywhere
. Most still retain their sage skin
but several are quickly descending into the light gray hue, their
features beginning to concave. A panicked wail reverberates about
the space, howling and crying joining the cacophonous, chaotic
scene.

Reid and Qippert are already pulling Maris’s
limp form from Shaya. Struggling at the awkward angle, Reid helps
get her into Qippert’s shaking arms.

“What the—?” Tucker exhales at the crowded
station, Werzo, Booker and Jace right behind him.

“Fallon!” Pratt calls, racing up to me. “It’s
everyone!”

“Not everyone,” Mae is right behind her.
“Almost… more than half… they’re,” she gulps, her eyes wide with
panicked horror. “Something’s happening to them.”

“No shit,” Werzo jumps from his Millix,
joining Tucker, Booker and Jace who’ve melded into the crowd, all
trying to keep close to Reid.

“We need to get to the queen,” Qippert
glances between us, frantic. “I need to get Maris help.”

“What if it’s infectious?”

“It is not,” a seemingly healthy miyon
mutters. He’s on the ground, a mayan with skin just beginning to
lose color in his arms. Her lips are a dull crimson, almost brown.
“It is from the water,” he explains. “Anyone exposed is
infected.”

“How do you know?” Reid asks.

“Everyone in the Foreign Headquarters was
untouched. Once we realized it is in the water, we started flocking
here for refuge.”

Qippert glances between us again. “We must
get to the queen.”

“And Princess Ariana,” Pratt gasps, looking
at me.

Qippert takes off down the only tunnel, which
is also heavily lined with Mybyncians. Tucker and the boys are on
his heels at first, but they pass him, darting through the thick
herd to clear a path. Qippert rushes, but with the unexpected mass
and Maris’s limp body in his arms, he’s moving slower than usual.
Reid and I keep to his side, Pratt and Mae just behind us.

“Almost there,” Qippert glances to Maris’s
unfocused eyes.

“Move!” Werzo calls ahead. “Out of the
way!”

We’re through the passage and into the Great
Hall in a matter of seconds. But it’s no better than the Docking
Station. The entire room is suffocated with Mybyncians of all
degrees. Several are fine—healthy—but many lie on the floor or
against the wall, their skin darkening and their faces sinking
in.

“Oh my God…” Mae looks around.

“Qippert!” Clarence calls, rushing toward us.
Finding Maris in his arms, he pauses, looking up. “When?”

“Just now.”

“We’ll get her some Dilly. Seems to be the
only thing to slow it down.”

“Just slow it?”

“We don’t have anything to stop it just yet.
We’re working on it.”

“And the queen?”

“Unaffected,” Clarence clears his throat.
“But… Princess Sansa and Ariana went for a swim this morning.
Before we knew anything had happened.”