SABIRA AWOKE UNDER the dome of Loshan Bastion’s Hara. Grinding echoes bathed her in sound. Pushing herself up to a kneeling position, hot daggers of pain radiated down the back of her head and spine. Godsfall loomed beside her. Every entrance shut and vanished. She laid her hand on its base, feeling the smooth, warm surface flow seamlessly into the floor. It vibrated against her palm, synced to the pulse of the grinding echoes.
Patting herself down as she stood, Sabira found she still had the shield emitter, but no weapons. The yarist gem was gone. Must be inside with Daggeira.
Daggeira has Godsfall!
Sabira needed to be away from there. Needed to get off this godsdamned rock as soon as possible.
She scanned her surroundings. Orion’s big mechanical body was nowhere to be seen, only Zonte’s. She ran, each step a blinding flash in her skull, and knelt in the sticky red pool surrounding him. She popped off his helmet and caressed his face. His skin was turning blue, chill to the touch. Cradling his body to her chest and slipping her arm beneath his knees, she lifted. His head rested limply against her jumpsuit and the scar underneath. Her vision darkened. She feared losing her balance but managed to keep her feet, and started the long walk back to the ship.
The Hara boomed and thudded, quaking from more impacts. Images swam through her mind of being crushed beneath the rubble of a dead moon and ancient bastion, buried beside her friend in a forgotten desolation for long, cold millennia.
When she neared the high arch connecting the dome and great spiral arm, one of the few remaining transports pulled away from the queue and rolled her way. If the automaton wanted to run her down, she had no way to stop it, so she trudged on. Instead of flattening her beneath its thick wheels, the transport pulled alongside.
“We need to be going much faster than that. Get in.” Orion’s horned, yellow-eyed mechanical head was attached—no, melded—atop the transport.
Sabira sighed with relief so heavily she almost fell over. She didn’t remember laying Zonte in the payload bed. Didn’t remember crawling in next to him. When clarity returned, the dark smooth walls of the spiral arm blurred continuously past. Zonte’s head again laid over her scarred breast, pressing against her heartbeat. Everything was cold and sticky with his blood.
Through the agonizing roar in her head, Sabira heard a faint, delicate sound. It was impossible that she heard it, yet it was a sound she’d never forget. The haunting, ringing tones of Maia playing her ancient guitar.
If there is a world after death, Maia and Rain are there, waiting for him.
Encroaching darkness followed, as one by one all the glowing yellow blisters sputtered dark. Shadow hounded them. Overtook them. Until Sabira knew only the cold dark, the transport’s rumble, and the throbbing flare in her skull. On and on, into the deep silent black, they fled . . .
. . . thought I could leave them behind . . . but they stalk me . . . violence and death . . . even among the distant stars . . .
. . . and then, slowly, steadily, they came to the light. The transport rumbled to a stop.
“See you inside,” Orion said.
Two men came out of the light.
“Orion has control of the ship back” Gabriel’s strong hands gripped her shoulders. “We’re getting out of here.”
“Oh, mercy,” Derev sobbed. “Zo- Zonte. Oh, mercy.”
“I’ve got her. Please, bring him. Have the lem help you with a stasis container. We’ll keep him next to Maia.” Gabriel lifted Sabira out of the truck and carried her the same way she had carried Zonte. Gabriel felt so warm, so resilient, in comparison. She wanted to let go, melt into the security of his broad shoulders.
“No.” She pushed against his chest. “I can walk.”
“It’s fine. I can—”
“Put me down. Now.”
Gently, he lowered her to her feet. Vision swaying, head pounding, she walked up the ramp. She was halfway to the airlock before realizing Gabriel had his arm around her back, steadying her.
“Dawn is stabilized,” he said softly. “Her twins are out of danger. Coraz did great while we were gone. Torque and Edlashuul, too.”
“Zonte,” she mumbled.
“I saw.”
“Is she alright?” Sabira heard Cal’s voice but couldn’t see anything but blurs.
“Banged up, but Coraz will take good care of her,” Gabriel said.
“I guarded the airlock like you asked. No one got in.”
“Thank you.” The airlock’s lights stung Sabira’s eyes. She squeezed them shut against Gabriel’s broad chest.
“Is Zonte alright? Derev?”
“Get strapped in for takeoff, Cal,” Gabriel instructed. “Soon as we get Sabira to medbay, we’re leaving.”
If Cal said anything in response, Sabira didn’t hear it.
When she could focus her eyes again, the lights were softer. Medtech surrounded her with beeps and blinks of multicolored lights. She didn’t remember taking the lift or collapsing onto the medbay cot. Dawn lay in the cot next to hers. Sabira reached out her left hand and Dawn took it.
“We all made it,” Dawn said.
Ed and Coraz were there, too, attaching medtech sensors to Sabira and talking quickly to each other.
“So much blood, but I don’t see any lacerations?” Coraz asked.
“Back of my head.”
“We’re going to have to flip you over then, but don’t you worry, girl. This’ll help with the pain.” He pressed a patch against her neck. “Ed, get the suspensor field ready, we need her face down.”
“Not just yet.” Playa appeared at her side. She bent over Sabira and kissed her brow. “You’re safe now. Coraz and Ed are going to put you back together.”
“I’m sorry,” Sabira whispered.
“Don’t be,” Playa answered. “Torque got Orion back in control of the ship, even without that crazy old man’s weapon.”
“No.”
“What’s wrong?” Playa asked. “Where’s Zonte?”
“I’m sorry.”
“No.” Playa looked around frantically. “Where’s Zonte? Zonte!”
“I . . .”
“You said you would protect him!” Playa stumbled back. “You were supposed to keep us safe!”
“I wanted to . . .”
“Ed, I’ll handle the suspensor,” Coraz said. “You take Playa to Gabriel.”
“Zonte! No no no! Why didn’t you protect him?”
“—Let’s go see Gabriel and get ready for takeoff,” said Edlashuul’s translated voice.
“It was supposed to be different,” Playa sobbed. “Our sons were going to know us. They’ll never . . .” She collapsed into heaving sobs.
“Sons?” Sabira asked.
“Playa’s expecting,” Coraz said. “More twins. She planned to announce it after we arrived at the Constellation.”
The Shishiguchi shuddered briefly. The slightest sense of motion pushed Sabira down into the cot. She closed her eyes and pictured the ship launching into space. The dwarf planet, Loshan Bastion, Orion’s father, and Daggeira, all dropping away behind them, as the Shishiguchi dodged through the hard rain of a broken moon. And somewhere ahead of them, the Shattered Gates of Heaven waited silently in the black.