Ruin of Dragons Page 16

  She looked down, for the first time seeing him clearly. He was taller than average, lean, with gray eyes, short pale hair, and ears that extended to prominent points at the top.

  Her eyes widened. "Are you—?"

  "Security?" he guessed. "No."

  Petra shook her head. "Not what I was going to ask," she said. "Are you an elf?"

  A slight smile creased the man's face. "Most of us are."

  "Most of us?" Petra echoed. She looked back toward the rear of the ship, where loading crews had already begun removing stacked containers from within the hold, and noticed that most of them had similarly fair features and pointed ears.

  "I take it you've never been here before," he continued.

  "I don't even know where here is," Petra said, turning back to him. "I'm sorry, this is a lot to take in and, well … you're the first elf I've ever met."

  "Then I'll try to live up to your expectations," he said, his voice softening at the overwhelmed look on Petra's face. He took hold of her shoulders and gently turned her back toward the rear of the ship. "Come on, let's get you off the platform."

  Petra wobbled, but she followed, heartened by the genuine concern she seemed to be able to sense as she was led away from the ship toward the building entrance.

  "My name is Cray," he continued, smiling. "I'm one of the supply supervisors. I would say 'Welcome to Aelden,' but that seems insufficient under the circumstances."

  "Thanks all the same," Petra said, her unsteadiness easing. "I've never been this high up and I think my legs forgot what they were for. I'm Petra, by the way."

  As they stepped into the shadow of the loading entrance overhang, she looked back to the ship behind her. Two men stood at the top of the loading ramp, consulting a handheld device, one of them large and intimidating with an angry scowl on his face, and Petra walked a little faster. Cray seemed to notice her apprehension but didn't comment.

  He led them through the staging area into a small office complex, and Petra noticeably started breathing easier once they were inside. She stopped by a window at the back while Cray walked up to the desk and picked up a metallic tablet. "Now," he said, stepping over beside Petra. "Be honest with me. I saw you scurry off that ship like you didn't want to be seen."

  She was looking out toward the forest, her hands on the sill. He put a hand on one of hers, his voice dropping slightly as he continued. "Are you in trouble? Are you running from something? Someone?" Petra turned to see him smiling, again feeling a sense of concern, but tinged with something else that she couldn't identify, something behind his eyes that made her slightly uneasy.

  She pulled her hand away and turned back to the window. "It's not like that, it's … really a long story," she said.

  "I'll take the short version."

  She felt her sense of despair returning as her words tumbled out in a rush. "I was trying to get to a different world," she said. "Barrast, I think. This ship was the only chance I thought I had, and I panicked and snuck aboard rather than lose it. But we rerouted here, and now … well, I don't really know what to do next."

  "Well, I wouldn't worry about it," he said, his tone reassuring. "I can take you to the transit authority here, I'm sure they can get this sorted out for you."

  Relief broke through Petra's fog as she turned back to the elf, who was gesturing to the door on the opposite side of the suite. "That would be great," she said.

  Petra was led through to a long curving corridor that emptied out into a large circular open space. Along the left were wide windows, matched by a similar set across the opposite side. All around the perimeter, doors and smaller corridors led off to other areas, and at the very center, a circular railing bordered a wide shaft of open air that formed a column through the center of the building. They weren't close enough to the center for Petra to see how far up the space extended, but she could see rays of sunlight lancing down into what looked like a faint mist rising from below.

  Cray led her along the outer edge until they reached a wide set of stairs that hugged the outer wall of the building and led down to the lower levels. He stayed close to her, occasionally guiding her with a hand on her shoulder, or at her elbow. He was never discourteous but gave every impression he didn't want her getting very far from him. She took the pretense of wandering left to look out the windows to put some distance between them, but Cray kept pace, never more than an arm's length away.

  The stairway continued to wind its way down through several similar levels, all of which seemed to have the same open shaft cutting up through the center, and the farther they descended, a sound became apparent, a low rumble, steady and persistent, reminding Petra of the sound of the high falls near the mountain that she and Viv used to swim beneath. Petra couldn't imagine what would make a similar sound inside a building.

  "So why were you trying to get to Barrast?" Cray asked, deciding to break the silence. "You have family there?"

  Petra shrugged. "Maybe."

  "You don't know?"

  Petra opened her mouth, then closed it again. "I'm looking for someone," she said instead. "He's part of the Kingsguard, and there's supposed to be a field office there."

  Cray looked surprised. "A dragonhunter?"

  Petra nodded. "And a wizard."

  "I take it you've not met many Acradians."

  "Many what?" she asked.

  "If you did," he continued, "you'd know they usually prefer not to be called wizards." He looked at Petra and found a quizzical expression on her face. Smiling again, he explained. "While their physiology does allow them certain … unique abilities, no actual magic is involved. And you may have a bit of a search ahead of you. We're not connected to their data network."

  Petra frowned. "Is there a Kingsguard office near here at least?"

  "Unfortunately no," Cray said. "There aren't any known dragon species on this world, and if there were, there aren't any populated areas not currently protected by EM shielding."

  Petra looked back out the window, falling silent for a moment as they walked, trying not to get discouraged. "Could you maybe point me in the right direction?"

  She could see Cray nodding in her periphery. "There's a network terminal in the transit office," he said. "You should be able to find information on travel options or affiliated offices."

  "Thank you," she said, turning to him, her smile feeling hollow as she tried not to get her hopes up too high.

  They finally reached the bottom of the staircase, which emptied out into what looked to be the ground floor, in an expansive open space, the roaring sound now quite loud. They stepped out toward the center of the space and Petra gaped, stunned to find her initial impression had been correct and that the source of the sound was indeed a large waterfall.

  The central atrium, a cylindrical shaft of open air, rose up through every level of the immense building, all the way to a glittering glass dome at the top of the structure. Rays of sunlight filtered down through the dome, illuminating the curtain of water that flowed in from outside and cascaded down into an open chasm that extended into the ground beneath them, forming a natural continuation of the atrium above.

  They skirted the central opening, and Petra could see that the chasm delved deep into the bedrock, and the falling water dissipated into a fine mist before disappearing completely into the unknown blackness far below. Petra's curiosity at the marvel before her fought with her emerging fear of heights, and she compromised by keeping Cray between her and the railing as she approached the edge of the opening.

  They made it to the other side and stepped into a tunnel built under the river just behind the falls, and the rushing water was powerful enough that Petra could feel the vibration through the floor. The tunnel was plain, simple metal walls with a wide window along the right through which they could see the falling curtain of water. At the middle, Cray placed a hand on her shoulder and guided her to th
e left into a long corridor that intersected at the center.

  The corridor, like the tunnel before it, was stark and undecorated, with harsh overhead lights and doors leading off at various intervals. It was also narrow, and Petra noticed that Cray was walking almost shoulder to shoulder with her. And though he stared impassively forward, she got the distinct impression he was paying closer attention to her than anything else.

  They reached a cross corridor and she was again guided to the left by a hand to her shoulder. The corridor was short, barely more than an alcove, and ended at a set of double doors. Cray reached over, pressed a button next to the door and waited. Petra shifted where she stood but didn't have to wait long as the doors opened suddenly with a hiss, and he placed a hand on her elbow to guide her forward.

  She stopped in the doorway, however, upon seeing the room beyond. It was small, square, with no furnishings of any kind, or indeed any other doors or windows. Her face formed a question as Cray turned around in the center and reached out a hand to her, expectant.

  She was not given the chance to ask, however, as a pair of strong arms suddenly wrapped around her from behind, one under her ribcage and the other across her shoulders, pulling her bodily backward before the door slid shut.

  parley

  Vermithrax lowered its landing skids and set down on the shining deck of Kriton's main hangar bay. The hatch opened, revealing Frakes standing at attention, wearing a more utilitarian gray flightsuit trimmed in blue, flanked by four armed soldiers with weapons at the ready. Aris descended slowly, followed by the others, while a fifth soldier off to the side ran an imaging scan.

  "They're not armed," the man said as his device beeped.

  "We're not stupid," Aris countered.

  Frakes held up a hand. "At ease, Cobalt. We just need to have a little chat, is all."

  "Is that all?" Aris said, casting a significant glance at the four weapons trained at their heads. "Awful lot of theatrics for a chat." He pointed his thumb back toward Vermithrax. "I do have a perfectly functional communicator, you know."

  Frakes shrugged. "Gotta cover my basics," she said. "You all of a sudden being chummy with the dwarves is raising some eyebrows."

  Voss scowled slightly at this. "I'm standing right here," she grumbled.

  Aris was looking around the large hangar bay, noticing they were isolated, with no other ships standing ready and no other crew in sight outside of Frakes and her five soldiers. He also noticed that all the minor accessways and corridors had been closed off. "Is this a bad time?" Aris asked. "You seem to be on lockdown. We can come back later."

  "When there's less guns pointed at us, maybe?" Gareth suggested.

  "This won't take long," Frakes insisted. "My point is simple. The Republic of Free Systems is under attack from without, and it's only escalating. Our job as the Ranger Corps is to root out the responsible party before things go much further."

  "As you're fond of pointing out," Aris said, "I'm no longer a ranger."

  "Precisely," Frakes said. "It's the fact that at the moment you seem to be standing without that's giving me concern. That's why we're not simply speaking over a comm channel."

  Aris took an involuntary step forward but was caught short by a hand on his shoulder. He turned back to see a tight look on Gareth's face, and as he looked down at the wizard's fingers on his shoulder, he could feel some of his initial flash of anger ebb away. He looked back up at Gareth, who shook his head a fraction. Don't, his eyes seemed to be saying.

  Aris took a breath, feeling slightly calmer, before turning back to Frakes, who had a smug grin on her face. "Do you honestly think," he said, his voice tight and measured, "that I'm somehow involved?"

  She shrugged. "Not directly," she conceded. "But you seem to be colluding with the dwarves, who are."

  "Still standing right here," Voss frowned.

  "Who I work with is my business, not yours," Aris said.

  "Not talking about your little friend here," Frakes said, her expression hardening. "I'm talking about your audience with Kale."

  Gareth rolled his eyes. "Guess that wall didn’t stop your spy from getting a report off."

  "What spy?" Frakes asked.

  It was Aris's turn to shrug. "Whoever you had following us around down there. Gave us a merry chase, too."

  "Which brings up a salient point," Mira added. "Why are you even out here? I didn't think your jurisdiction extended this far."

  Frakes waved the comment away. "We're in interspatial territory, I can do what I want," she said. "But whoever you dealt with on Vorsk was not one of mine."

  "Yet you seemed to be waiting for us," Aris said.

  "A happy coincidence," Frakes replied. "We were following up on a Kale lead and found you instead." Another tight smile. "Imagine my surprise."

  "I told you we were—"

  "Doing your own investigation," she interrupted, "yes, I know. You'll forgive me if I don't believe you until we've cleared you. For the moment consider yourself and your entire company on watch."

  Aris scoffed. "You think the Kingsguard is colluding with dwarves to attack Republic colonies? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

  "Please," Frakes scoffed back. "The Kingsguard is a bunch of flyboys under contract. I'm talking about the Sanctuary."

  "Okay I spoke too soon."

  Mira looked more confused than Aris. "The Sanctuary has only ever been about conservation and protection," she said. "What reason could they possibly have to be implicit in terrorism?"

  "Who else could possibly utilize dragonfire?" Frakes pointed.

  "If that's the case," Aris countered, "why are you even bothering with us? If we're just flyboys under contract, we're no use to you."

  "You're partially right," Frakes said. "Which is why another arm of our investigation is following the Sanctuary leads. But since they're an interplanetary cooperative organization, there's a lot of unnecessary bureaucracy to cut through, which is the other reason you're here." Her expression softened slightly. "Truth is, I need your help."

  Aris raised an eyebrow. "After such a warm welcome, how could I possibly refuse?"

  Frakes shrugged. "You're on the inside," she said. "You can easily get past the roadblocks my agents will encounter."

  "And do what? Spy on my own employers?"

  "I just need some information," Frakes said. "Specifically, whether or not they're developing a synthetic form of dragon plasma."

  "Is that all?" Aris said, incredulous. "And you're going to provide me with the high-level clearance needed to access that information?"

  "You're resourceful," Frakes said, dismissive. "I'm sure you can figure something out."

  "Of course," Aris said. "But you're ignoring the bigger issue, namely why I should help you in the first place."

  "Leverage," Frakes said.

  "Whose?"

  "The elf is right," she continued. "I have no jurisdiction among the dwarves. But here in interspatial territory, I am perfectly within my rights to hold her for questioning." And she pointed a finger – almost lazily – at Voss.

  "What?" The dwarf tensed as four armed soldiers shifted to corner flanking positions, their weapons raising.

  "Gwinnet Voss, if you will please come with us," Frakes said.

  Voss's eyes widened as three of the guards stepped toward her, leveling their weapons, but before she could say anything, Mira took a step forward, placing herself between Voss and the nearest soldier. "Wait—" the elf said, raising her hands, but the guard reacted instinctively, striking out with the butt of his weapon against the side of Mira's head. Caught off her balance, she fell to the floor, and several things happened at once.

  Voss launched herself into the torso of the guard that had struck Mira, knocking him to the ground. Aris managed to put himself between Voss and the second soldier in the line, who
had started to level his own weapon. Gareth stepped in front of Frakes, putting a hand on her shoulder just as she was about to go for her sidearm, all while Voss managed to wrestle the gun away from the downed guard and train it at his head—

  "Voss," a soft voice said from the side. The dwarf froze, looking back to Mira, who was now sitting up, holding a hand to the side of her face. The elf shook her head, a trickle of blood showing between her fingers, and an uneasy stillness descended. Voss took a couple of slow breaths, then finally lowered her weapon.

  The two closest soldiers snapped inward, one grabbing the rifle while the other bound the dwarf's arms behind her back. She looked up as Mira straightened and stood up, holding the elf's gaze for another instant, then nodded, turning away as she was led toward the back entrance.

  Aris stepped in front of Frakes, his face drawn tight. "You can't—"

  "Save it," she spat. "Your association with Kale is likely circumstantial, but as an actual member of the Seventh House of Lords, she's directly connected."

  Aris forced a grim smile, nodding. "Leverage."

  "Don't worry," Frakes continued. "She'll likely be cleared the same time you are. Just don't make this more of a mess than it has to be. Get me what I need, and we'll talk."

  Aris stood there a moment longer, visibly composing himself.

  "What's wrong, no witty retort?” Frakes smirked. “Get off my ship, Cobalt."

  Aris exhaled and forced himself to ignore Frakes' smug expression as he turned around and strode back to his ship. Gareth and Mira fell in step beside him and all three boarded without another word.

  Sitting in the cockpit, Aris looked over at Mira as the elf started through her preflight checks, noticing a sharp abruptness as she flicked switches, her strained tension readily apparent.

  "Don't worry," Aris said finally, his voice soft. "They won't be able to hold her for long."

  Mira didn't take her eyes away from the forward viewport as the ship lifted from the hangar floor, angling back out through the magnetic shield into open space. She seemed to be weighing her words carefully.