Wandering Star: A Zodiac Novel (6 page)

The statement is as gratifying as it is terrifying. Seeing my mixed reaction, his grin widens. “She used to get just as worked up with Dad whenever he didn’t want me to skip a day of school to help her with her latest cause. Remember how she was always trying to save a community from something? Poverty, pollution, natural disasters?”

I nod. I was rarely around for those discussions because I was in the midst of Yarrot or Centering or reading the Ephemeris. On those days, Mom would leave me to train alone, while she’d set off with Stanton to work on her newest project, and when she got home she would test me.

“The speech she used to convince Dad to let her take me to Naxos Island after Hurricane Hebe must’ve been amazing,” says Stanton thoughtfully. “And she was right. I found a baby in the wreckage.”

Aryll nods reverently, and I get the sense he’s heard this story before, and it’s maybe even why he worships my brother so much.

Stanton looks from Aryll to me. “You’re right, Rho. You and I want the same thing: We want to save Cancer. Only you’re doing it by rescuing its people, and I’m taking care of our wildlife.”

He pulls me in for a hug, and my heart falls as I realize he’s not coming with me. “Promise you won’t do anything daring or brave,” he whispers in my ear.

“I’m a coward,” I say when we pull apart. “It’s official, the Plenum held a ceremony and everything.”

“It would’ve been nice to have been invited—”

“I’m going, too.”

The grin freezes on Stanton’s face, and he turns from me to Aryll.

“I’ve never liked this planet, you know that,” says Aryll nervously. “And I’m no good with wildlife—if anything, Stan, I’m slowing you down.” He holds up his hands, which are covered with nicks and cuts. “Look, I’ve never known what I’m good at. I don’t have any talents or skills that make me special. I just want to fight back. I want to be a part of this.”

His electric-blue eye looks directly into mine, as if committed to the assumption that this is my decision and not his or Stanton’s. This is the first time I’ve seen Aryll so animated.

“Are you sure?” I ask. “You’ve been through so much . . . don’t you want to get away from the violence?”

“Don’t
you
?” he shoots back.

I sigh and turn to my brother, who’s still staring at Aryll. Somehow, his shock seems to have already settled into resignation. “What if you came with us, too?” I ask hopefully.

He shakes his head. “That’s not me, Rho. My place is here.”

“I’m going to bed,” announces Aryll, turning around. “We can talk tomorrow . . . or something,” he throws back as he slips into his room.

Stanton and I stay up watching the newsfeeds late into the night, neither of us saying much until we’re ready for bed. “Can’t you talk Aryll out of coming with me?” I ask.

My brother shakes his head. “Just . . . give him a chance. I’m starting to think there’s more than choice and chance at play in everything that’s happening here.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know . . . like in the story of Hurricane Hebe.” I shake my head and arch my brow, completely lost. Stanton sighs in frustration. “You’re going to make me spell it out?” I nod. “Fine. I think
the stars
may have put Aryll on our path
for a reason
.”

He rolls his eyes at himself, and he sounds so much like Mom that I can’t tell if he’s being serious. Stanton’s never been big on fortune-telling—like Dad, he’s spent his life looking down more than up. He pecks me on the forehead and walks toward his room.

“I still don’t know what you’re actually saying,” I call after him.

“Aryll saved my life once.” He looks back at me from his doorway. “Maybe this time he’ll save yours.”

BEFORE GOING TO SLEEP, I
hail
Equinox
from my room. Hysan checked in with me on my Ring earlier to make sure I was okay, but we didn’t have time to really talk.

Since he’s programmed ’
Nox
to patch me right in whenever I call, I hologram myself into the ship’s front nose using the hotel room’s transmitter, which is more powerful than my Wave. I stand in front of the wall device, and it beams a holographic replica of ’
Nox
’s crystal-capped front nose into my room just as it scans a holographic replica of me into the ship.

My mouth curves at the sight of the last place that felt like home. Hysan must be near the Seagoat constellation, because the transmission signal is so clear that the time lag is barely perceptible.

“Rho Grace. A pleasure.”

My smile wilts at the sight of a buxom, blond-haired bombshell at the control helm. I’m so taken aback by her presence I don’t immediately say anything.

She watches me mysteriously, undisturbed by my sudden appearance
or muteness. Her immaculate beauty has an ageless quality—she could just as easily be a teenager as a forty-year-old—and her stare is admirably inscrutable.

“Don’t think I packed enough pistols,” says Hysan, striding into the nose from the back of the ship. He’s barefoot and wearing only boxers, baring a more cut upper body than the one I knew a month ago.

“Rho!”

He freezes upon spotting me, his demeanor uncharacteristically frazzled. “I didn’t expect—it’s lovely to see you, my lady.” He pulls on the gray coveralls, which are dangling over a chair. “How may I be of service?”

I realize my arms are crossed and unfold them. “I was just—I didn’t mean to intrude.” I look again at the blonde, who’s so stationary she might not be breathing. She’s still watching me.

“You’re not—you never are.” His voice softens on the second half of the sentence. “Miss Trii and I were just going over supplies.”

“Miss Trii?”
I stare at her in astounded disbelief. “You’re—I mean—
oh
, nice to meet you!”

“Yes, I’m an android,” she says, her voice and expression exceptionally pleasant. She seems to have completed her examination of me, and I can’t help wondering how much of his face-reading talent Hysan programmed into her.

“Would you like to sit a moment?” she asks, turning to him. “Your heart is beating unusually fast.”

“I’m fine, Miss Trii,” he says quickly, his ears going pink. “Actually, if I could have a private moment with Lady Rho—”

“Of course, but first, she has so many questions for me. They’re bubbling up all over her face. It would be rude to leave before answering some.” She flashes me a conspiratorial smile full of Libran charm. Turns out she’s even more clairvoyant than he is.

“Hysan’s parents were Knights in the service of Lord Vaz’s Royal Guard,
and they died on duty the very year Hysan was born.” I look at him when she says this, but he’s busied himself with one of the ship’s holographic screens, averting his face from my view.

“His father was a very clever inventor.” Miss Trii moves closer to regain my attention, and I focus back on her. “He built me while his wife was pregnant, to have someone to watch over Hysan during their working hours, programming me with the lessons he wanted to pass on to his son. You see, Librans write their first will at age twelve and are legally obligated to review and update it every year. In theirs, Knights Horace and Helen Dax stipulated I would continue bringing up Hysan if they should pass.”

Her quartz irises have a crystallized texture, and they reflect back a million fractured versions of myself. “He was lucky to have you,” I say.

“I’ve always been the lucky one.” Her expression fills with so much warmth that I can’t believe she isn’t human. “As I began imparting his father’s lessons, Hysan quickly surpassed him. By then I was becoming an outdated model, so Hysan used me to test out his theories and ideas, making me one of the most advanced robots of our time.” She looks at him like a proud parent, and even though his face is still turned away, his ears are pink again.

“When he was eleven, he and Lord Vaz finished building Lord Neith, and I asked Hysan to fashion me a human form from Kartex, like his. Not only did he do an exceptional job, but he even let me design myself.” She does a slow twirl to show off her enviable figure. “Nice, right?”

“Stunning,” I say, resisting the sudden urge to laugh at her human-like pride.

“I now have a question for you,” she tells me, and though her manner is still amiable, there’s something dangerous in her sharp expression. Even Hysan comes over to join us, looking more alert. “If you’re so afraid to give in to your feelings for my Hysan, why do you keep reaching out to him?”

“Miss Trii,
please
,” says Hysan, his voice gentle but firm, “I would really like to speak with Rho alone.”

“Hysan Dax, I’m the android who raised you; show some respect,” she chides him. “I have every right to get to know the woman you—”

Something flashes from Hysan’s Scan, and Miss Trii stops speaking mid-sentence, her face relaxing into a placid expression.

“Sorry about that,” he says, avoiding my eyes. “It’s what happens when you give your robots too much freedom. First it was designing her own body, then she wanted access to her programming, now she’s making her own personality adjustments, overriding my behavioral modifications, and—”

“She’s amazing,” I say, my focus now completely on the handsome golden face before me. Hysan’s close enough that if he were really here my skin would sizzle from the proximity. “
You’re
amazing.”

This time he accepts the compliment in true Libran fashion, his dimpled centaur smile resurfacing. “She was recharging on the ship when we landed on Capricorn; otherwise, I would have introduced you. I’m sending her back to Libra as soon as we land on Sagittarius. Is that what you’re calling about?”

I nod. “I wanted to see what you were doing.”

“I changed headings mid-flight the moment I heard the Marad’s message. Guardian Brynda is a friend of mine.”

“I’m meeting Nishi and Deke. It sounds like they’ve tapped into a network of people who want to fight. If we can get organized, and if we can get support from Guardian Brynda, maybe we can actually help.”

“I’ve spoken with Nishi and am meeting her as well.” His gold-green eyes gleam. “Would you like a lift?”

“No, we’ll just hitch a ride with the Capricorns. There are shuttles to and from Sagittarius here daily.” It’s a mutually beneficial relationship: Since Sagittarians are curious about everything, they’re in and out of the Zodiax constantly, and since Capricorns love amassing wisdom, they’re
always intrigued by the new gadgets and ideas the Sagittarians bring with them.

My gaze veers away from Hysan, toward the ship’s familiar surroundings, and I bite down on my inner lip. I suddenly see Mathias everywhere. By the helm, the teaching crown, the curving glass windows. When I meet Hysan’s eyes again, he’s watching me.

“I like talking to you this way,” he says, though he sounds sad. “It feels honest.”

“Honest how?”

He trails a finger across my cheek, and though I can’t sense his caress, I feel its memory. “I can look, but I can’t touch.”

In the morning, Aryll and I manage to secure passage on a ship to Sagittarius that leaves the next day. In the meantime, he’s helping out at the settlement with Stanton, and I’m in my room, consulting my tutorial Ephemeris.

The moment I’m Centered, I hear the screeching sound and feel the distortion of Psynergy that means Ophiuchus is approaching.

This time, I manage to endure the high-pitched shrill the way Moira did, by receding into the deepest recess of my mind and steadying myself in the Psy. Then I’m ready to face him.

As Ophiuchus takes his full icy form, the stars around me start spinning wildly, transforming into the slipstream where we met before. We’re in the astral plane.

The Thirteenth Guardian towers over me, a giant carved from ice with black-hole eyes, his hulking body at its fullest strength.
At last you start to understand
, says the gravelly voice.
You are beginning to believe in your power.

I don’t waste energy speaking—there’s nothing left to be said between us. Instead, I prepare to attack him by anchoring myself in my Center, tunneling
deep into my soul, until I’m absorbing waves of Psynergy from people all across the Zodiac. The force of energy strengthens my presence and makes me powerful in the Psy—only this time, it’s a jittery and unstable kind of power.

Psynergy is how a Zodai taps into her Center: The more we access, the more Centered we become. But the more Psynergy I’m allowing in, the less steady I feel. When I’ve reached capacity, I swing my arm and unleash a shaky blow into Ochus’s stomach—the highest part of him I can reach.

He’s not expecting my punch, so the impact blasts him backward, creating a massive crater in his midsection and causing him to stumble. My fist sears with pain, but I press past it. When he regains his balance, he bellows out a deafening laugh that burns my ears.

I am not your enemy, child. Do not repeat your previous mistakes by letting your emotions overrule you. Today, we fight on the same side.

You and I will never be on the same side
, I snarl, breathing heavily from my exertion.

Ochus’s torso repairs itself, and he shrinks down to human size, so that our heights somewhat match. I’ve never faced him as an equal before, and the gesture is the only reason I listen to him.

You can feel the instability of the Zodiac in the very Psynergy feeding your presence here
, he says, making even his voice sound human-sized.
This is my master’s plan at work—he is using the Marad as he used me. He seeks to stir up enough chaos for the Houses to destroy each other. I no longer believe he has any plan to restore the glory of the Thirteenth House.

Then stop him
, I spit back
. What do you want with me?

I have tried and failed. I believe if we combine forces, we can take him down together.

My laugh is mirthless and cold, and I cut it off when I realize who I sound like.
Us work together? You ruined my life,
murderer
. You killed my father. You killed Mathias. I hate you—understand? I will never,
ever
work with you.

Ophiuchus reassumes his immortal shape, growing into a mountainous form. His icy body chills the air, making my every breath frigid and cutting. I clench my fists to mask my trembling.

Even the lowest scum in the universe deserves redemption for his mistakes
, he thunders in a voice that could belong to Helios.
There is good and bad in the Zodiac—the point is not to eradicate one but to find the balance of both that yields the greatest harmony.

Is this a lesson from your Talisman?
My words are low and whispery, the icy air stabbing me every time I draw breath.
Where did it end up? If the Zodiac needs to unite, what better way to teach us than the Talisman that stored the power of Unity?

Even though the physical change hasn’t come over him yet, Ophiuchus seems to grow emotionally older and wearier at the mention of his stone, and the temperature rises a few degrees.
The Talisman was lost when I suffered this state, half-alive and half-dead, trapped in the spirit world with no agency of my own.

You don’t have a body?

I exist only in the Psy. My master said he would return me to the physical realm, but I now believe that too was a lie. You must help me either to live again or die completely. After all, my enemy’s enemy is my ally, and that is you.

I cross my arms, his weakening state filling me with strength.
Why would I believe you?

Because you
are
me now
.

My body chills again as his voice grows quieter than I’ve ever heard it, his breath a snaky stream of vapor
. After everything you did, the Zodiac still refuses to believe in me, but they
revile
you. You have dethroned me as the new boogeyman. Now that you know disgrace, you know the way people can twist the truth and manipulate stories to further their agenda.

He cocks his head curiously, a gesture so human that for a moment I glimpse the mortal behind the immortal.
The universe has cast you as a liar without a trial, Rhoma Grace
 . . .
can you so quickly do the same to me?

The anger tastes like bile in my mouth.
How
dare
you compare me to you? You’re a
murderer
.

I will prove to you my new allegiance by betraying the old. The Marad will not strike Sagittarius, as they claim. They will select their true target on the day of the attack, so that no Zodai can foresee it—but my Sight tells me it will be Capricorn.

His eyes grow larger and deeper, twin black holes that seem to be sucking my soul within their whirlpools.

The question is, Acolyte, will you trust me in time to save this world?