Plague of Mybyncia (8 page)

Sampson’s eyes fly to mine, and then Mae.

“Pratt didn’t have her head gear or suit,” I
keep the panic from my voice. “How will she survive?”

“I should have known they would try
something,” the chancellor shakes his head, strumming his chin,
“with the attacks here and on the Southern Waters… so many
Mybyncians killed…” his words drift. “I knew they would be angered.
But
this
?”

“Will she
survive
?” I ask again,
angered.

He nods. “They will keep her protected until
they get her where they want her.”

“Which is?”

“Their home base—the Musko lair. But no one
knows where...”

“Sampson,” I turn to him, “what do we
do?”

“Very little,” the despondency is painted on
his face. “We promised the queen our visit would be in peace.”

“And it is.
They’ve
initiated
conflict.”

“Fallon…” he exhales, “if we attack
any
Mybyncians, they’ll lump us together with the Vermix.
We’ll only gain an enemy in all this.”

“So what are we supposed to do?” I gasp. “Let
her die?”

“Fallon!” Reid rushes to me, Clarence and the
other Rogues right behind him. With alarmed, almost angry eyes,
Reid holds my face in his hands. “Are you okay?”

“What happened?” Jace asks.

“They’ve taken Pratt.”

“What?” Clarence gasps, looking to Sampson,
then Salva. “Where?”

“We don’t know.”

“When?”

“Just now,” Salva answers. “He threw a
lillulu.”

“It is like a tiny bomb,” Qippert quickly
explains, glancing nervously to Sampson.

“Jesus,” Reid curses, his hands still
gripping me. He tilts my head to the side, examining for
injuries.

“I’m fine,” I pull back, turning to the
chancellor. “What are we going to do about Pratt?”

“I am not sure there is much we
can
do.”

“Bullshit,” Reid drops his hold on my face,
grasping my hand instead. “We’re not doing nothing.”

“
Reid
…” Sampson starts.

“No. I’m not sitting here while they have
her.”

“It’s not that simple,” Sampson shakes his
head but looks to Chancellor Keller quickly. “Maybe the queen
should be notified.”

“She has retired for the night,” he exhales,
quickly running through his options. “I am unable to speak with
her. Salva can send word but I doubt anything will be done until
morning.”

“It’ll be too late then!” I cry.

“My hands are tied,” the chancellor looks
between us, “The best we can hope for is the lair’s location. If we
had that…”

“Is there any way to find out?” Mae asks.

“Not that I am aware. The Musko’s lair has
eluded us for some time. I can call a quick meeting of my guard,
but like I said, I am sure very little can be done before
morning.”

“It’s worth a try,” Clarence shrugs.

“Very well,” Chancellor Keller nods,
obviously dismissing any good it’ll do. “Fychu, Clarence, Qippert,
Salva—will you accompany me?”

“And what about us?” I ask as the five of
them start to leave.

“You will return to your quarters,” Qippert
says.

“Are you kidding?”

“Fallon,” Clarence clears his throat.

“They know where we’re staying and you expect
us,” I glance to Mae, “to go back there?”

Qippert sighs. “For the time being, you can
move to the West—”

“They stay with us,” Reid steps in front of
me.

“It is not custom…” Chancellor Keller starts
as Reid crosses his arms, standing like a wall between us. He
blocks my body with his as Jace, Tucker, Booker and Werzo all step
in front of Mae and me, creating one impenetrable shield. The
chancellor sighs. “I guess… circumstances being what they are…we
can, for this
one
night, allow a
rare
exemption…”

“Good,” Reid nods, indicating the tunnel
where they arrived. “They’ll room with us tonight.”

Chancellor Keller tries to hide his recoil at
the idea but goes along with the compromise. “Very well.” He
indicates for the rest to follow him. Sampson and Clarence toss us
a
please behave
look, Qippert and Salva on their heels, all
quickly trailing behind the chancellor. Once they’re gone, the boys
round on Mae and me, Reid still inspecting me for injuries.

Jace shakes his head. “Geez—are you guys
okay?”

“I arrived afterward—Fallon got the brunt of
it,” Mae wraps her arms around herself.

“Where were
you
?” Werzo asks.

“I was trying to find everyone. Lolin
wouldn’t let me leave… I tried finding the chancellor… Lolin only
left when we came within feet of the queen.”

“She would’ve recognized him,” Tucker nods.
“What’d he say?”

Mae looks to me, “Probably the same thing
Kendal said to Fallon. Just wanted to know where we were
staying.”

“Can’t believe they took Pratt,” Jace shakes
his head, running his fingers through his short, yellow hair.

“Wonder why they went after you,” Werzo
crosses his arms. “We were all here. All exposed.”

“Females are the bigger slight,” Princess
Ariana says from the other end of the hall. Glancing around—a final
confirmation she wasn’t followed—she jets towards us and Tucker
freezes immediately. When she reaches our group, she frowns. “We
are held to a higher importance, so it would be a greater insult
and travesty to harm a foreign female,” a great guilt sweeps her
face. “I heard what happened—I am so terribly,
terribly
sorry.”

“How’d you hear?” Werzo narrows his eyes.

“I could not sleep. I begged my attendants
for a quick stroll and overheard… well, anyway…” she looks around
again, convinced we’re not alone. Satisfied momentarily, she leans
in. “They
will
kill her. Tonight, in fact… but I know where
they have taken her.”

“You know where the Musko lair is?” I
ask.

“Well—um—yes,” her sage cheeks bloom a deep
crimson.

“How do you know?”

“Well… Perio and I… use to be together.”

Tucker flinches. “Who’s Perio?”

“He is the leader of the Muskos.”

“And they are?”

Princess Ariana sighs. “
Extreme
loyalists. Similar to the Vermix… but, it is not like there is any
sort of civil war here. They just take it upon themselves to
preserve and protect Mybyncia and her interests.”

“So it’s not organized by the queen?” Reid
asks.

“Oh, no…” Princess Ariana shakes her head.
“Mybyncia thrives on the ideology of the Arizal—in fact, we are
made up mostly
of
Arizals. That is why Blovid and all of you
are welcome here. But, there are some who still believe Mybyncians
are more important, and should be put first. So… if there are any
‘non Arizals’ among us… it would be the Muskos.”

“So how do we get Pratt back?” I cross my
arms.

The princess looks behind her again, lowering
her voice as she leans in. “I can get you there, but you will need
defenses.”

“We had them when we arrived,” Reid says.

“They will be in your quarters then, but I
doubt they will do much good. I suggest you take our Enidds—they
travel better in water.”

“What are they?” Jace asks.

“Similar to your rifles—they hit a target
from a distance—but they function in water
and
air. There
are always a few stocked in the visitors’ quarters.”

“Good.”

“Grab them, suit up, and I will take you to
my Stancimis, Mimi,” Princess Ariana leads us through the tunnel
towards the boys’ quarters. “She will know how to get you
there.”

“What about you?” I ask as we reach the room.
It’s set up the same as ours, with the wide, circular bed in the
middle and on it, the Rogues clothes and suits.

“Me?” Princess Ariana asks as the guys grab
their clothes and start redressing into their tee shirt and
jeans.

“What if they find out you helped us?” I ask,
turning around as they change.

“I guess they will be mad,” she laughs.

“We don’t want to cause you any trouble.”

“
We are
the ones who caused trouble,”
a sudden shamefulness emits. “You are guests of
ours
.
Chancellor Keller knows it is likely your friend will be dead in
the morning. He has this one night but there is too much at
stake.”

“Then why are you helping us?” Mae asks.

“I am an Arizal,” the princess says matter of
factly. “No one life is worth more than another.”

“Where are the Enidd’s?” Jace asks once he’s
fully clothed in the black suit.

“Under here,” the princess directs him to a
pile of devices next to the AKs under the bed. Selecting one, she
goes through a quick run-through of its basic functions and use.
“Very similar to yours. In fact, I think yours were designed from
ours.”

“How?” Reid asks as Jace retrieves them,
passing one to each Rogue.

“There have been several visits between our
Worlds and galaxies. During some, souvenirs were collected and
exchanged.”

“And mine?” I ask, watching the boys handle
their new toys.

“In your quarters.”

“You’re going?” Mae asks, surprised.

“Of course,” I head out of the tunnel, the
princess following, and matching me with each step.

“It will be dangerous, Fallon.”

“I know.”

“For you,” she tosses me another glance. “It
will be dangerous for
you
. If they see you, they will try to
kill you.”

“They’re going to try to kill all of us,” we
move through the Great Hall, Mae scurrying after us as a stampede
of feet echo in the tunnel behind her. “So what does it
matter?”

“You are more of a prize to them. They will
want to see you dead first.”

Trying not to wince, I make for the East
Wing, and when I reach our quarters, I gather my black suit and
clothes. Mae rushes into the room just as I turn my back to the
entrance and strip off the shelled bra. I reach for my own when
Reid arrives, stopping the other Rogues with a stern command.

“Wait out here.”

Pulling on my shirt, I strip the cobalt skirt
next and apply my jeans before stepping into the black suit.
Grabbing the headgear next, I finally reach under the bed and
retrieve my Enidd. I move for the entrance, finding Reid’s back to
the room.

“Let’s go,” I enter the tunnel, the princess
and Mae on my heels again. Reid is at my side and the Rogues follow
after.

“How many can we expect?” I ask Princess
Ariana.

“It is one of Perio’s prouder moments—he has
captured a human girl—so he will want to show off. It will probably
be the entire Musko population…” she’s thinking. “Perhaps
fifty?”

“Shit!” Werzo mumbles.

“Any vulnerabilities?” I ask the princess.
“Or advantages?”

“Surprise,” she says. “No one knows where the
Musko lair is. They will not expect an attack.”

“But when they show up,” Mae asks, “won’t
they know you told us?”

“Perio will know immediately. It does not
matter.”

“Why not?”

“He…” she flushes, “…he is still in love with
me.”

“Oh…” Mae whispers. “…Are—are you?”

“No,” Princess Ariana is quick to clarify.
“That is why we are no longer together. It is his radical view that
Mybyncia is the most important of the Three Worlds. I understand
the importance of loyalty to one’s home, but I believe in the
Way
. We all are
one
people,
one
World. He
never understood this.”

“But he still wants you,” Tucker meets the
princess’ eye. “Doesn’t he?”

“Yes.”

“And your mother likes him?”

“She does not particularly favor him, but she
has no qualms with his beliefs. I think… sometimes… she might be
proud
of him.”

“Even after abducting a guest?” I ask.

“My mother wants the best for her people,”
she turns to me. “She adheres to the Arizal ideals because it is,
above all, a notion of international peace. But she is a slave to
her responsibilities and that is the protection and preservation of
her home.”

“But she allows the Muskos to exist?” Reid
narrows his eyes.

The princess looks at him. “They have never
done anything like this.”

“What do you think your mother will do when
she finds out?” Jace asks.

“I am not sure…” Princess Ariana frowns, her
eyes unfocused on the rocky wall ahead. “If it was Blovid or the
Fychu, she might order an immediate execution. But for a human
girl…” she finally looks to us, offering an apologetic frown. “…I
am not sure.”

“We’re losing time,” Reid moves faster for
the Great Hall.

“Mimi will take you up the left bank,”
Princess Ariana leads us through the Great Hall and into the tunnel
leading back to the Docking Station. “It is where I always entered
when he asked me to attend his meetings.”

“Do you miss him?” Tucker mumbles at her
side.

“No. It would have never worked. We did not
see eye to eye on things...” her thoughts drift, “…on
several
things.”

“Your mother said you barely escaped
earlier,” the Rogue Leader’s voice is raspy.

“Yes—from the Southern Waters.”

“What uh… what happened?”

“The North was already hit, so I was meeting
with Sepplia to discuss their defenses. I was there only minutes
when the Vermix ambushed the shore.”

“Did you get hurt?”

“No. Qippert grabbed me as they started
closing in. He pulled me to safety just in time, but Sepplia…” her
voice drops.

“I’m sorry.”

We reach the Docking Station and wading in
the water is an enormous gray Stancimis, its red eyes flickering
about, watching our group approach.

“Here we are,” she bends down, rubbing
beneath the massive fin. “This is my Mimi,” she continues stroking
her until the Stancimis lowers its eyelids in pleasure as tunnels
of steam escape the two slit nostrils.