For those wishing to start the series from the beginning, here is Chapter 1 of Book 1.
For those wishing to read the beginning of this book, here is Prologue - “Memories”.
To return to the Table of Contents, click the link here.
I hope everyone will enjoy!
Ashurra stood behind the tracking specialist. The monitors were filled with graphs telling them everything about the Mith Lord in the Deep Desert. Everything but what I want to know, she thought.
The heart rate tripled in an instant.
“There it goes again,” remarked the specialist. “Profile doesn’t suggest an attack—”
“Why not?” Bondar asked.
“His lungs are stable. No, it’s more like he’s dreaming.”
“But he’s still walking,” Bondar protested.
“Staggering is more like it,” corrected the specialist. “He’s not doing good—it’s really incredible that he’s still on his feet at all. I don’t think he’s slept in a week.”
The Mith Lord’s breathing shot upward and his muscles convulsed. The heart rate remained high. Then the muscles relaxed but only for a moment. All the limits were pegged and they stayed there.
“This looks like an attack,” said the specialist. “Whatever is out there is making his life hell.”
“Do you suppose he is being eaten?” Ashurra asked.
“Eaten, Majesty?” Bondar asked, her eyes wide.
“Yes, eaten. Or swallowed whole?”
“It’s possible, Majesty,” answered the specialist. “We don’t have that profile on hand. At least, not being eaten by anything larger than a lion. The other possibility is that everything is happening in his head. There’s actually nothing out there. He’s just seeing things.”
“But what is he seeing?” Ashurra asked. This was greatly to her interest. How did Mith Lords think? What motivated them?
“That is a good question with no easy answer, Majesty,” answered the specialist with perfect diplomacy.
“Then here’s a question that you can answer,” she sneered. “When will he collapse?”
“He can’t last beyond…what time is it?”
“Oh-five-hundred local time,” Bondar replied.
“Give him six hours max, Majesty,” answered the specialist. “At this rate, he’ll go down much sooner. Besides, he’s only a kilometer from the Edge and coming straight for us. Give him a few more hours and he’ll be yours, Majesty.”
Shyra glanced behind her to see Reed just behind her. Mangol followed Reed, whispering something to Jeev, while Killigan brought up the rear. The thought of reemerging onto the surface of the desert made one and all excited. We aren’t gophers, Shyra thought, with a wry smile. Of course, she had no idea what a gopher looked like or how it behaved, other than they lived underground—a thought that made her cringe. A person needed broad, open spaces where they could stretch out and breathe.
The passage turned abruptly to the left. Almost instantly, it curved in a tight loop, climbing steeply. The light of the desert dawn filtered into the passage as the glowing lichen faded and ended. The intensity of the light made her blink. Instinctively, she reached for the tinted visor on her absent swith. She grimaced and squinted. The passage ended under a massive boulder which had several other boulders tumbled around it and leaning against it.
At the edge of the passage, she paused, peering outside with narrowed eyes. The space under the massive boulder was empty but for the sandy surface of the desert. Stepping from underground to the rocky chamber made her smile but her wariness did not wane. The air was full of news. There was so much movement that she felt a wave of dizziness. It was almost impossible to distinguish what was happening. One thing was very clear: danger was close.
Reed followed her, cautiously.
With every step, Shyra felt the increasing weight of danger. Her senses were razor sharp, just waiting for the revelation of the danger. Coming to the massive boulder, she moved along its bulk to the nearest opening which faced northwest. Even as she came to the rocks below the opening, she froze and then whirled, waving for the Tessians and Killigan to hide.
Killigan faded back into the passage. Mangol and Jeev backed in after Killigan while Reed crouched behind Shyra, pressing against the massive boulder. Shyra, herself, sank into a crouch, looking up toward the opening.
After a moment, voices came into hearing. Shyra listened but could not distinguish the words for several minutes. The voices faded into silence and she heard Reed take a breath of relief.
“That looks like a cave,” said a voice from outside.
“Be careful,” growled another voice. “A guy from the Ninth went to check out a cave on this fracking pile and wound up with a busted leg.”
“I heard another guy thought he saw something and went after it,” said a third voice. “Fracking idiot got a fractured skull and no memory.”
“I’ll be careful, Sarge,” said the first voice.
Shyra saw the man’s shadow move across the opening. It reappeared, larger. She pressed against the rock just below the opening as the man’s figure appeared silhouetted in the opening. The stranger was a greener by his clothing and weaponry which surprised her. What are they doing here? she wondered. No greeners had come even close to the Edge—until now. How did they get here? she thought.
“Naw, it’s nothing,” said the man in the opening. “Just a hole in the rocks. You can see the ground under the rock.”
“Well, get moving, Private,” growled the sergeant. “We’ve only got five more kilometers of these fracking rocks to patrol.”
The patrol moved away from the opening.
Shyra slipped back to Reed’s position and sat with her back against the boulder.
“Those were soldiers!” Reed whispered.
Shyra nodded.
“I mean, soldiers from Leb-kamai,” he amended. “Did you see his uniform?”
She shook her head, digesting Reed’s information.
“If they are from Leb-Kamai…” She looked at him, her whisper fading into silence.
“…then the Immortal Queen is nearby,” Reed finished.
Ashurra was waiting when Bondar called her chamber. Opening the link, she saw Bondar’s pretty face on the screen. The captain was excited.
“Majesty! Tracking is asking for us.”
Without speaking, Ashurra closed the link. She went directly to Tracking where Bondar was waiting. The specialist was grinning. Coming up behind the specialist, she asked, “You requested my presence?”
“Yes, Majesty,” said the specialist. She pointed at the flowing graphs. “It’s almost time, Majesty. See how erratic everything is. The profile suggests severe trauma in a hit and run fashion. I’ve never seen anything like it. I would love to analyze the subject when you bring him in, Majesty. Nothing harmfully invasive, just a routine scan. His levels are off the charts.”
“We shall see,” she replied, watching the leaping and lunging graphs. It was similar to watching someone die, except there was no twitching body or graphic expressions, no blood and gore. There’s something lost this way, she thought. She preferred watching someone die in person. It was so much more gratifying, more worthwhile.
The graphs dropped to levels not seen for weeks—all of them at the same time.
“He’s down,” said the specialist.
Bondar looked at Ashurra.
“Well, let’s go and get him,” she replied testily. “We’ve been waiting for this.”
Atop the rocky ridge, Leref was sucking on a strip of dried busar meat. The firing of shuttle motors made him freeze. Slowly, he turned his head, hearing the squad chattering suddenly.
The central shuttle with an ornate coat of arms on its ID screen lifted from its restful hovering. He smiled around his breakfast as the large craft swiveled toward the west. The Mithren was about to be captured. The moment to strike was very close.
Mundreb, one of his sons, peered around a boulder one-hundred meters away.
Leref made the sign to prepare for battle.
Mundreb nodded and vanished.
Still smiling, Leref resumed his breakfast. It would take time for everyone to reach their position. After that…. Leref almost laughed. Even though the greeners had been reinforced by the Mithren’s northern pursuers, they would be dead in a matter of an hour. The only worry was being delayed until the eight-thousand greeners coming from the southeast arrived. The sabotage had only delayed, not dissuaded the larger greener force.
We have to win, Leref thought. The gods have given us this day. It will be our fault if we do not succeed.
The rumble of passing shuttle motors made the rock against Shyra’s back tremble. Coming to her feet, she slipped up to the opening, facing northwest. She peered out, wondering if they would be forced back underground.
Nothing moved on the rocks in her sight, relieving her. They had not been discovered—the shuttle appeared in her vision moving westward. She frowned, seeing the Edge less than a kilometer away. They’re going into the Deep Desert! she thought in surprise. Even Mithren did not venture so far. There was nothing out there…unless….
Shyra’s heart thudded to a stop, her throat tightening so as to almost choke her. No, she thought. It can’t be—it can’t be!
The shuttle roared over the desert, another following it. The leading shuttle, bearing an ornate insignia of a woman enthroned, passed over the Edge while the second shuttle stopped at the Edge. Then the leading shuttle plunged out of sight.
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