Plague of Mybyncia (22 page)

“What truth?” I ask.

“Boss,” Jace calls, panicked. “He’s saying
something—Keller.”

“What?” Reid flies ahead, crouching down with
the other two who are struggling to get him inside the suit.

“We love our people,” Perio goes on, pacing
again. “We love them so much that we are willing to show them what
cruelty can be done by those outside our World. And when all hope
seems lost, when our home is nearly destroyed, it will be
us
who will save them,
us
who will resurrect the remaining life
force,” Perio stops pacing, his wide orange eyes flickering between
mine. “You see, in order to save some, many must die.”

“It was you…” my words come out a whisper,
the truth hitting me like a shockwave. “
You
released the
toxin.”

The chancellor starts twitching more
furiously, a soft word escaping his mouth. “Tr… trap…”

“What?” Tucker asks.

Before they have time to put it together, a
sharp something whizzes past me, striking the limestone wall behind
the boys and sending pieces crumbling to the ground.

“No weapons!” Perio shrieks, grasping the
bars.

I turn just as a fist of talons crashes into
the side of my headgear, sending me flying. I hit the ground and
roll until I smack into the wall and everything goes dark...

A loud ringing in my head forces my eyes open
but all I can see are rocks. Pieces of the wall from the Traxpire’s
release. Muddied sounds echo in the background. Fear races through
me as I hear Perio laughing.

What’s happening?

I shift my head, finding Jace and Tucker a
few feet away on the ground, both lying still. Reid is on his knees
near them, gripped around his neck by a set of black talons. He’s
clawing at the fierce green hold trying to choke him. I manage to
lift myself and the Enidd in my right hand. But as I start to aim
for the Vermix, something behind him catches my attention.

It’s Booker.

He has a Traxpire in his hands aimed at the
back of the Dofinike’s head. Just as Reid is about to pass out, a
brilliant blast of orange erupts between the Vermix’s eyes,
splitting his head open with tiny fiery explosions.

“
NO!
” Perio screams, racing forward to
clutch the bars.

Reid drops to his hands, gasping for air as
Booker rushes forward, checking Jace and Tucker. Confirming they’re
alive, he races for me, extending a massive hand.

“I’m fine,” I swat him away, slowly moving to
my knees. “Help them.”

“Oh, no, Boss Lady,” he lifts me from the
rubble with ease, “you first.”

“
NO!
” Perio screams again, his voice
echoing so vehemently that Booker pauses with me in his arms.
“Pieces of filth,” the Musko leader hisses, “worthless
creatures—you do not deserve to live!”

Reid returns to a stand, his chest still
heaving as he tries to obtain as much air as possible. He moves up
the steps, as though making for Perio but instead, bends down to
the chancellor. “You hanging in there? We’ll get you back to the FH
real soon.”

“None of you!” Perio hisses again. “None of
you are good enough!”

“What about him?” Reid exhales, standing
again and looking in at the caged animal. “Should we take him back
as well?”

“No…” It’s hard for Chancellor Keller to
speak. His words come out with an exasperated effort, as if it’s
taking all his might. “Queen… Queen wanted him dead…” another full
gulp of air, “was going to execute…”

“What?” This stuns Perio.

“Leave…” he exhales. “Leave him to his
fate.”

“You lie,” Perio grips the bars. “Queen Ravan
would never allow….”

“Attempt…” the chancellor gulps. “Attempted
murder…”

“
Real
murder,” I say, my head still
dizzy. “Of your own people!”

“Deserve to die…” Keller inhales another
large gulp of air, “by your own hand…”

“Booker,” Reid says as he picks up Jace and
throws him over his shoulder, “let’s go. We’ll be right back,
Chancellor.”

Carrying me in his arms, Booker heads back
through the tunnel with Reid carrying Jace behind us. Reaching the
main room, I’m shocked to see all seven Millix waiting, Lalu
closest to the edge.

“Booker…” I gasp. “How…?”

“Followed the Vermix. There were two,” he
places me gently on Lalu, “coming to ambush you. One stayed outside
and the other went in. I snuck up on the first,” he says as he
makes sure I’m secure and then backs up to the edge again. “Hit him
from behind and took his Traxpire.”

“Nice work,” Reid positions Jace on his
Millix, steadying him.

“Knew they were coming after you,” Booker
shrugs, “couldn’t do nothing.”

“You did good,” Reid cups his shoulder, “real
good, buddy.”

“Huh?” Jace sits up with a groggy start,
surprised to find himself in the main room and on a Millix. He
nearly falls off, grabbing onto the bairs before he does. “What
happened?”

“Booker saved the day,” I smile.

“Just doing what any Rogue would.”

“Come on, we got to get the other two,” Reid
races back down the tunnel, Booker on his heel. A couple minutes
pass before they return with Tucker and the chancellor in their
arms, Keller in the full body suit and headgear. Booker places him
on a Millix as Reid tries to shake Tucker awake. “Come on, Rogue
Leader. Need you awake for this.”

“Yeah,” Jace rubs the back of his head, “that
Vermix came out of nowhere. Saw Fallon go flying… he got me and
Tucker before we knew what happened.”

“Tucker,” Reid places him on the Millix.
“Come on, man. Need your help.”

“Hmm…” Tucker mumbles, his eyes slightly
fluttering. He’s not fully awake, but not totally out of it either,
like he’s trying to answer Reid and not having much luck.
“What…”

“Need you to stay alert long enough to get
back to the FH. Think you can do that?”

“What happened?” his eyes fully open, but
close again.

“Tucker,” Reid holds his headgear on either
side, forcing the Rogue Leader to look at him, “just make it to the
FH.”

But as Tucker goes to nod, he falls forward,
hitting his head on the back of the Millix’s neck and slumps over
into the water.

“Shit!” Reid roars, diving after him.

Lalu, can a Millix carry two people?

It does not happen often.

Is it possible?

Yes.

Reid remerges with the Rogue Leader, and by
the looks of it, he’s out. With Tucker lost in a deep sleep, Reid
uses his remaining effort to push him on the Millix again. But as
he’s positioned with one leg on either side of her, Tucker slumps
to the opposite end, falling back into the water with a big splash.
Reid dives after him for the second time.

Lalu, can you tell Palli
to allow
two riders?

Yes.

“Reid!” I call as he emerges with Tucker
again, “put him on Palli. Have him ride with you.”

“It’ll be too much weight.”

“It won’t. Trust me. Booker,” my focus flies
to him, “help Reid!”

“You got it, Boss Lady,” he yanks Tucker’s
arms out of the water in one effort. He pulls the Rogue Leader
across Palli, his stomach at the base of her long neck and back.
Once Tucker is secure, Booker grabs Reid and with one hand, heaves
him out of the water and onto the Millix behind the Rogue
Leader.

“Thanks, Booker,” Reid pats him on the back.
“Proving yourself…” he inhales another deep breath, “very useful.
Now show us how to get out of here, please.”

Booker nods as he submerges, Jace and the
chancellor right behind him.

Reid leans forward, grasping Palli’s bairs
and securing Tucker in front of him. He dives into the dark water
and Lalu and I are right behind them, following the line that leads
into a tunnel opposite of the skinny one where we entered. This
tunnel, still completely dark, sits much,
much
wider, and
large enough for a Stancimis to fit through. Does Ariana know about
this main entrance? Or is she only privy to the visitor’s way?

She must not have known because this route is
way easier to navigate, as it only consists of one spacious tunnel
that descends straight down. Emerging from it, we’re in the deep,
murky openness once again and Booker and the others have already
started moving up, back towards the FH’s docking station. Reid—and
an unconscious Tucker—wait for me and once I’m right behind them
again, we ascend together.

And then it’s back through the thick soup of
gray, emaciated bodies.

“Heavens…” the chancellor exhales. “So… so
many.”

“Somewhere around half,” Reid says. “The
entire FH is filled up. All the way to the Queen’s chambers.”

“Is…” he’s still working for his air, “is the
Queen…”

“She’s fine,” I assure him, “but Princess
Sansa and Ariana were exposed.”

“Oh no…”

“They’ve been given Dilly, as you will be,
but right now we have to focus on getting you back. Queen Ravan is
convinced your presence will soothe the panic.”

“What…” another heavy gulp, “…ever I can
do…”

We reach the Docking Station to the FH in a
matter of minutes, all seven Millix rising simultaneously. It’s
still swarming with Mybyncians, all the way to the pool’s edge,
most not even realizing we’ve arrived. They’re too caught up with
everything that’s happening, especially trying to flag down those
administering the Dilly.

“We only received a little and that was hours
ago!” someone cries. “Please! You
must
give us more!”

“
We
need more!” another voice rings
out. “My mother is dying! She needs more Dilly!”

“Look!” a young miyon points in our
direction. “It is Chancellor Keller!”

“The chancellor?” the title is thrown around
with curiosity, hope. “Chancellor Keller? Where?”

The sight of him has caused its own panic to
stir, everyone rushing forward.

“Please…”he places his hands up soothingly,
“everything…” another gulp of air, “…will be alright.”

“He’s been exposed too!” someone cries, a new
wave of fright rippling through the room.

“Fallon!” a familiar voice pierces through
the commotion. It’s Pratt, flying through the crowd toward us.
“You’re back!”

“Go tell Sampson and Clarence,” I motion her
the other way. “We’ll need help getting through here.”

She nods, darting in the opposite direction
and disappears in seconds.

“Please…” the chancellor tries again, “all
will… be well…”

“What’s happening?” the question is tossed at
him from several voices. “What do we do? How do we stop it?”

“Must… stay calm… all,” another heavy breath,
“be well…”

“We need to get you to Sampson,” I search for
the easiest path to the Great Hall. But with the amount of
Mybyncians squeezed into the Docking Station, it’s too tight to
leave any openings. There’s no space. We’ll have to make our own
route through this crazed, panicked mob, which only seems to race
forward with each passing second.

I climb off Lalu and immediately regret doing
so. I’m pushed to the side and then to the ground, others rushing
past me to get closer to the chancellor.

“
Fallon!
” Reid barks but his voice
gets lost in the crying and questions.

I struggle to get up but they’re pushing
past, walking over me and using my body as a stepping stool. But
suddenly, one by one, the weight is lifted. A terrifying new scream
erupts as the Mybyncians retreat, many being thrown backwards and
into the pool. Just when I have air again, a pair of arms sweeps me
up and I’m cradled into Reid’s chest, a look of feral, livid rage
consuming him.

“I’ll take her,” Clarence emerges but Reid
shakes his head, keeping me locked to him.

“Get Tucker,” he moves through the crowd,
everyone instantly backing out of his way. He must’ve gone Rox on
them, because that’s the only thing capable of parting a crowd like
this. With his iron arms locked around me, we make it halfway
through the room where Sampson meets us.

He looks down at me, then back to Reid. “You
retrieved the chancellor?”

Reid nods behind us, “On the Millix.
Sampson,” he leans in, “there’s got to be a place we can go.
Tucker’s out cold, Keller needs Dilly and Fallon was nearly crushed
to death.”

“We’ll put you with the princesses,” he leads
us through a different tunnel, also teeming with Mybyncians.
“They’re being kept in the attendant’s chamber. Relatively quiet.
Did you have much trouble?” he tosses the question over his
shoulder.

“Just the Vermix that attacked us.” I beat
Reid to it.

Sampson stops, turning with surprise. “There
were more?”

“Two,” Reid says quietly. “We left Booker to
wait for us but he saw them. Took the first one out, grabbed his
Traxpire and killed the second just as he would’ve killed me.”

“You don’t say?” Sampson seems genuinely
surprised, spinning and moving down the tunnel again. “Lucky he
couldn’t fit through the visitor’s entrance.”

“
Very
lucky,” I agree.

Sampson arrives at another coral door, and
after pushing it open, we enter a small but cozy space and in the
center, an enormous circular bed like the one in our quarters.
Individual golden beds line the wall and at the other end of the
room, Princess Sansa and Ariana each lay in the deep, coral
structures, Queen Ravan between them, stroking their hair.

“You made it back?” the queen looks up with
hope, frowning at the sight of me in Reid’s arms. “What has
happened?”

“She nearly got crushed,” Reid snaps through
tight lips, placing me near the princesses in another coral bed.
It’s lined with warm pink linen and is so very soft that I could
fall asleep. Unbuckling my headgear, I give it to Reid who places
it at the foot of my bed with his.

“What?” Ariana tries to get up but her mother
holds her down.

“Stay still, child. You need your strength…
they will be bringing more Dilly soon,” she looks to Sampson, as
though hoping he’d confirm her statement.