Log 1 Matter | Antimatter (54 page)

“Jamie, I need your help. My name is Aed. I’m
from the planet Lavenia, Heito. Where’s Ara? This was supposed to
lead directly to her.” His pale face reflected his annoyance and
worry. On his back, he carried two rapiers. On one handle Jamie
identified the symbol for the blackbird.

Jamie also noticed a strange sight on the
other side of the dark, swirling tunnel. The creature was over
seven foot tall, with large eyes, and was bright green. Almost
glowing.

Aed gave him a grim smile. “She’s a Songra of
the Sounds. Only she could penetrate the Vakar shields on this
station. Please, we must find Ara.”

It annoyed Jamie that Aed seemed to know more
about where they were than he did.

“She’s in the next room,” the Songra called
out in a musical, high-pitched voice. “Regretful is my
telling!”

“She’s unconscious.”

Aed strode forward so fast Jamie had just
blinked and another tunnel was opening to Ara’s room.

“You’re a Vampire?”

Saffron stepped out. “Hello, Aed.”

“Saffron. Please move aside.”

Jamie saw indecision on the pale face but
Saffron nodded and stepped aside. Jamie heard thuds behind him and
saw a six-foot humanoid with black skin, which looked almost scaly,
and no hair. He smiled at Jamie as he strode past. “Bastra, at your
service. I’m Luxon.”

He closed his mouth as Bastra strode in and
picked Ara up and carried her back to Jamie’s room and then into
the tunnel with Jamie running behind. No one stopped him but he
stopped short, seeing they were at the end of a strange looking
lake. It swirled a myriad of colors. Bastra laid Ara down gently
and placed her left hand in the mass. Aed placed a restraining hand
on his arm. “You don’t understand I know, but I am of the Legendary
Damned. We serve Ara in all things.”

Jamie glanced at Xavier who just stepped out
from the shadows. “I have not heard of that syndicate, Aed.”

“The Celestial Legion.” Aed lifted up an arm
and a flash of light blinded them all for a moment. Xavier had
disappeared by the time Jamie was able to see. Aed turned to Jamie.
“We need you to help protect her now.”

“I am,” he said tightly but aware he didn’t
seem to be doing a good job of it; then again, neither were
Korbet’s top Shadow Warriors. He was sweating too, it was
incredibly hot and he suddenly noted there was no sky. They were in
some kind of massive cavern. The Songra brought a long bag and Aed
rummaged through it. He stood up.

“I mean right now.” Aed handed him a curved
blade. “We have incoming.”

Jamie glanced back at Ara who was still
unconscious.

“It’s the Lake of Sawol’s—”

Jamie gasped. That was supposedly where all
the souls went once a person died. No one knew of its location but
it was linked to the Artifacts.

“—they are coming for her.”

He looked back at the tunnel.

“Not them. But we have to return you
there.”

“That’s—” Jamie heard the screeches now and
ran up, with Aed, to the ridge that ran around the entire
circumference of the lake. In the distance, he saw what looked like
hordes of dark creatures.

“They are the Angra and the Speed demons, the
Hazak Warriors and the Ishlari Tribes. Earth gets the heaven and
hell stories from our world you know.”

“I didn’t know that.” He wiped the sweat from
his eyes. “This is hell, I take it?”

“Mmmm. The Avatara considered it another way
to test control.” He gave Jamie a sharp look as he slid his two
rapiers out.

“Aren’t we a little outnumbered?”

Aed nodded and glanced back at Bastra and the
Songra. They gave him a small nod. “Almost done but it’s why we
have to send you back to the Vakar. No time to create another
tunnel and we are, as you say, outnumbered.”

Aed ran towards the frontline attackers.
Jamie saw a few break away and judged they would reach them before
they could return. Jamie ran with Aed after he saw Bastra pick Ara
up and head towards the tunnel.

“We just need to hold for a few moments while
Gressen winds up. She’s as powerful as she ever will be. She’s
about to shift colors.”

“Okay.”

Since the Songra joined them and smiled coyly
at Jamie, battering her long, black lashes, he guessed she was
“Gressen”. She was tall and gangly but also looked aristocratic. He
noticed her green skin actually shift before his eyes to a blue
green. It was evidently some alteration in her life.

“No time for flirting, Gressen. Get
ready.”

Jamie moved with Aed as one, what Jamie
guessed as a Speed demon, attacked. He had long legs, a narrow
body, nasty looking talons that tried to swipe him, what looked
like a central horn on his head curved down along his back, and
seemed to have a hairless, cream-colored body. Jamie rolled and saw
Aed slice off the demon’s head. Another ran to Aed, seeing him as
the greater threat. Two ran past Jamie.

Jamie saw Bastra was almost at the tunnel;
Gressen was glowing green again. Jamie yanked off his shirt, and
pushed out, calling upon his Avatara energy as his wings burst.
Power burned through him as he ran and launched soaring close to
Bastra who had entered the tunnel. Jamie held the blade ahead and
rammed a demon in the back.

Now this was Avatara fun!

He yanked the blade back out and made the
feathers rigid to turn and ground him. He ducked just in time as
the other demon stopped and made a slicing move to cut his wing. He
extended the wing fast, smashing the face of the demon. A blur shot
past and tackled the demon down.

“Return, now!” Bastra yelled at him while
pounding the face of the creature.

Jamie saw, and then heard, the high-pitched
noise as Gressen screamed out her sounds. The advancing hordes,
only meters from Aed, turned and ran, holding their ears. Jamie ran
into the tunnel and fell; he saw Aed running in with his shirt.

“Can’t have anything different you know.” He
winked at Jamie and held out a hand. He helped Jamie stand. “You
can’t tell anyone”—he lowered his voice—“and you must be very close
to Ara.”

Startled by the quiet words, he asked, “Why
do you say that?”

Aed smiled and took the sword from Jamie’s
hand. “Because the Songra found two similar signatures that’s why.”
Aed ran back and the tunnel started closing behind him.
“Jamie!”

He turned and saw Aed grinning in the
collapsing tunnel.

“Thanks for not being a pain in the arse! And
give Randy the finger for me!”

Jamie almost laughed before he lifted his
shirt, and turned. “You’re kidding me!”

They’d put Ara back in the other room and he
was in his. But then Aed had made it clear things were to be the
same. After taking a few breaths, Jamie was able to relax enough to
contract and draw in his wings. After a quick wash, he put his
shirt on and sat on the bed, staring at where the tunnel had
appeared. What had happened to Xavier and Saffron?

“It’s me, Xavier. We’re back, in Ara’s
room.”

“Thanks, X.”

The Legendary Damned? The Celestial Legion?
The fact that Aed knew Randy, and that Xavier knew Aed, made him
nervous. But the fact that Aed told him to flip his fingers at
Randy made Jamie feel somewhat relieved. That was a very “Ara”
thing. He was sure Aed said that on purpose.

Why had they placed Ara’s hand in the almost
mythical Lake of Sawol’s? There was a dark children’s fairy tale
that those who wanted to could touch the waters and disappear.
Since Ara hadn’t disappeared he decided it really was just a tale.
Thoughts of his earlier blood lust shamed him but it was a choice
he’d made some time ago. He had stepped forward many hundreds of
years ago to take his place with the Solaris. It was too late to go
back.

An hour later, Jamie’s door opened and a male ran
through, one of those in charge. He looked panicked. “Save her,
we’re preparing a shuttle for you!”

Seeing the male hovering, trying to make some
decision, Jamie moved out. “Why?”

“Because of our actions against Ara we’ve
doomed all. We’ve been warned. You must tell others who she is.”
Screaming filled the corridor. He ran to Ara’s room, unlocking the
door. “Hurry.”

Jamie heard screams outside. He turned to the
door and saw the guard being pulled out by a massive, dark red
hand. Shit, the Natal. Ara was on the bed with a now dead,
pasty-faced female beside her, either Saffron or Xavier’s doing. He
didn’t ask questions but picked her up. He didn’t want to meet the
Natal as there was anger and stomping, tearing, screaming, sounds
of things breaking, and then screaming closer until Jamie heard
bones cracking and popping. A portal opened as he stared at the
door; Aven was yelling at him to hurry up. He didn’t need another
invitation as a dark red foot squashed the guard who had released
Jamie. He felt someone tug at his arm.

Cardinal Unit 9

Shaking, he made it through, and fell with
Ara in his arms. He was caught by invisible hands. Aven jumped when
Xavier appeared holding Jamie. Saffron appeared too. “Sorry about
this.”

Saffron stared at Jamie. “Did you see the
size of that, I mean those feet?”

“And hand.”

Jamie glanced at Aven, furious with her. Aven
knew and maybe she hoped the Natal might kill Ara. The question was
whether the Natal came to kill Ara or save her. Jamie struggled
with his anger but nodded. Had he known lowering her Inner Guardian
would bring the Natal he wouldn’t have told her. Aven seemed to
know what was going to happen. All those people dying and for what?
What had she done? His pain was great because he felt them dying.
He almost screamed in the sheer waste of what happened. For the
first time he wanted to reveal his true self and kill
something—

A hand touched his cheek, gently washing away
his anger. Jamie allowed his chin to fall to his chest and looked
into the blue eyes. Her fingers touched his tears. “Don’t—”

“Ara, I can’t do this.”

“Just wait, please.”

Jamie turned his head and snapped at Aven.
“Are you going to explain?”

To her credit, Aven just shook her head. “I
can’t. You’re not authorized.”

So, ploys within ploys.

He made a note to report his suspicions, and
Aven’s comment, to Simon. Xavier helped Jamie after Saffron picked
Ara up. They headed for the cart.

Jamie pressed Aven further. “If it was
supposed to bring death and destruction then yes. Did you
know?”

Her eyes widened. “Not that.” There was fear
in her voice and Jamie saw her glance fearfully at Ara as Saffron
placed her with him. He cradled her in his lap.

The two Shadow Warriors stepped back into the
shadows.

“Are they around all the time?” Aven
asked.

Jamie nodded and stared hard at the pale
face.

“Maya is afraid of her.” Aven got into the
cart and began to drive them. She shook her head then as if trying
to clear her thoughts, her voice growing stronger. “Simon is
approaching, and they have Vin’s ranger ready to take her home.
Diane said to continue the mission. We don’t want the Vakar to know
yet that we know. Will they hurt Ara, now that their people have
died?”

“I don’t know, Aven. I just don’t know.” He
felt suddenly tired; tired of the lies, tired of the mess Ara might
have to unravel.

“I’ll dedicate myself to ensuring we keep
tabs on them.”

He nodded, determined to keep Aven close if
he decided to stay on the mission. “Welcome to the mission,
Aven.”

“Thanks, I think.”

Jamie saw her clutching the wheel hard. Her
knuckles were white. If Ara was anything it was ignorant of who she
was. Why was Ara a Vanguard to Nyx? And who the fuck was “Nyx”?

Vin’s Ranger

After she finally woke in her cabin, Jamie
left her in the good hands of non-Vakar Ziana, who had cried upon
receiving her back. Before he left, Ara had gripped his arm. “I’m
too tired to use proper ArT.”

“Okay.”

A. Don’t run off just yet, you saved me

G. I think you saved us

A frown creased her forehead. “Huh?”

He frowned now. “Tell me what you are talking
about.”

“You saved me from making a complete fool of
myself on the Planet of Law.”

A. I think I’ll correct a mistake

He didn’t ask but he felt it.

Ara started crying.

A. Dropping my Inner Guardian brought the
Natal

G. I think you are right but it was—

A. Whose idea?

He stared into her blue eyes. “Aven’s.”

“She hates me.”

A. We need to talk

G. It will have to wait

Jamie leaned down and kissed her gently on
the lips, but she reached up, pulling him down for a deeper kiss.
As he lifted his head, their eyes locked for a moment and trust
filled Jamie’s heart. He would wait before making any decision
until Ara and he spoke. The kiss surprised him and he couldn’t seem
to get it out of his head. He kept touching his lips, not
understanding why it bothered him.

Later, visiting the bridge, Jamie stored the
kiss in a secure place in his mind, and saw fear in both Vin and
Zarti’s eyes. Whatever happened, they knew about the event. He
reported to Simon on the war-ranger, relieved it wasn’t the kiss
they’d picked up on. Simon had put Jamie’s small ranger in his
hold. Aven was being inducted by Diane.

“Ziana’s been included in some things. Now
more than ever we must watch. Ara doesn’t remember anything?”

“No.” Jamie pulled himself up from slouching.
“But I will watch her and report anything unusual.”

“So, you don’t mind babysitting now?”

“No. I never did. But she is the best baby
ever.” Jamie loved her with all his heart.

Simon smiled as Jamie turned and left. He
felt a pulse of energy.

A. Get some rest