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Rayen climbed off the tortalone in a clearing barely wide enough to contain the two creatures. The heat here was thicker, with a dirty yellow hue and a sulfuric smell like rotten eggs. Maybe it was because of the TecKnati presence, or maybe because the trees and shrubs in this area looked stilted, more bleached bones than soft foliage.
Kaz had maneuvered his mount to come in very slowly until it dropped vertically out of the air.
He’d shown her how to handle riding one by herself so that they could bring two for the trip back to the village. He said the creatures didn’t mind several people, but they tended to become unstable with more than two riders of their size.
That was fine by her.
It meant she and Callan would be riding home together.
She was not leaving here without him. She could already feel his arms around her. He would hold her close when they rode back to the village and Kaz could fly on the second tortalone.
The TecKnati camp sat three hundred feet ahead.
Dropping down beside her with an easy move, Kaz pulled the laptop out of a shoulder sling. He’d carried it so that she could focus on handling her tortalone.
Once he handed the precious computer to her and tossed the sling on top of his tortalone, he whispered to the creatures. They immediately settled down and tucked inside their shells.
She asked, “Do you think any of the TeKs will come out here?”
Kaz shook his head. “They should keep all of their scouts in close to have as many as possible for when we return, but I do worry about the tortalones being here. They disappeared on me once yesterday.”
If they had to return on foot, they’d just suck it up and do it. “Do you think the TeKs have hurt Callan?”
“Possibly, but they want this computer, or they want the one you traveled here through if that is indeed the Genera-Y. To harm Callan ahead of moonset would work against them.”
She hoped he was right.
Speaking of moonset, she had made a decision on the way here so that Kaz would understand why they had to break Callan out before the red moon disappeared. “About Callan’s BIRG Day—”
He scowled at her. “I wish I hadn’t told you about that. It is important to MystiKs that we hold true to our ceremonies, but the celebration of his birth is trivial at this point. Stop obsessing.”
She hoped Callan would forgive her, but she couldn’t leave Kaz in the dark and expect him to be as committed as she was to getting Callan out now. “You don’t understand, Kaz. Callan’s birthday is not trivial. He’ll die when the moon sets unless we can find a way to protect him from another threat in this Sphere besides the TeKs.”
That clearly surprised Kaz. “What are you talking about?”
“I gave my word to Mathias, but I think he would understand why I have to break it, given this situation.”
“Mathias? You think I care anything about a leader of the Governing House who left our people here to fend for themselves?”
She understood his feelings since Kaz didn’t know the truth, but she was about to enlighten him. “We don’t have much time, so I need to tell you this quickly and explain more later. The minute the moon sets on any MystiK celebrating an eighteenth BIRG Day while in this place, that person will die a horrible death from these awful wraiths. That is what happened to Mathias. I saw it.”
Kaz’s lips moved with his struggle to form words. “Why would—”
“I’ll explain later, but Mathias was the second one to reach eighteen and die in this place. Callan will be the third if we don’t get him out of the TeK camp and give him a fighting chance. I don’t know what it will take to stop the wraiths, but I intend to unleash all my power on them.” She swallowed and still that lump of worry wouldn’t go away. “I don’t care what we have to do to free him now, but we’re not leaving without Callan. Understood?”
The dark gaze of a ferocious warrior slid into Kaz’s eyes. “Agreed, but we have to rescue two captives.”
“The girl who is here? Who is she?”
“Yes, her, but just as you said, we have no time. I will explain later. Let’s get moving.”
Something told Rayen she wasn’t going to like that explanation, but nothing could be worse than Callan facing death with his hands tied and no way to fight.
They hurried through the woods. Her palms were damp. She clutched the computer tighter to prevent dropping it. When they reached the edge of the bone-colored trees, Kaz held up a hand and studied the terrain.
The fenced area where the TecKnati had captured Callan now stood empty, which explained why there were no guards around it. It was seventy feet wide and covered in fine-powdered orange dirt that had hidden a dangerous grid capable of stealing power. She had to assume the grid was still in place. Between where she stood and the single-story metal building at the far end of the camp, a series of tents had been erected in two rows that bordered the walkway to the metal building. The tents had been painted in colors that matched the woods, hiding them from the sky if she and Kaz hadn’t already known the location.
The TecKnati had removed trees, leaving a broad sweep of cleared ground around the camp with the widest open area at this end.
She saw little activity and, even at that, it was all down near the metal building where a handful of scouts moved around.
Kaz said, “They must have Callan locked inside the building.” He eyed the sky where the moon dipped closer to the horizon.
“We need to go, Kaz.”
He grunted, his gaze sweeping the TeK camp once more.
She was done waiting and started to move.
He caught her arm. “You must do as I say when we meet with the TeKs. I know them better than you do.”
Her first thought was to remind him that she was not receptive to being ordered around, but there was no give in Kaz and Callan when they were in protective mode. “I understand.”
“No, you don’t. I shouldn’t even be bringing you here, Rayen. Callan will be furious with me, but after seeing how Tony brought V’ru out of his kamara, I had to leave Tony to watch over him.”
“That TeK Thylan is expecting me, not Tony or you,” she reminded him. “Callan can’t be angry unless he’s alive. I’ll smooth everything over with him, but if you try to tell me to leave before we have him back, I’m not going. Are we clear?”
“Yes, but—”
She didn’t want to hear any more. “Callan doesn’t get to make that choice and neither do you. Besides, we both know what I can do.”
“If your power comes when you call to it,” he pointed out.
He would bring that up when she was already worried about making this computer work. She ended the conversation by telling him, “The longer we wait, the less time I have to make this thing work.”
He waved his hand forward. “Go.”
As soon as they emerged from the woods and started across the open space between them and the structures around the camp, TecKnati scouts came out of the tents. The scouts followed them on their way to the building that sat dead center. Ahead, more boys from age ten to older teens poured out of the camouflaged tents.
She and Kaz moved through a sea of metallic gray-green uniforms and clipped haircuts much like Tony’s short hair, but that’s where any resemblance ended.
Tony would never mistreat someone.
Several of the younger ones spun around and shouted for Thylan.
That was the arrogant TecKnati who had taunted her after he captured Callan. Thylan had enjoyed telling her how he was going to cut parts off Callan if she showed up after moonset today.
She hated watching that red moon. It drifted toward the horizon with no care for what was happening here. In another thirty minutes, it would be gone.
The scouts they approached jeered at them, and the ones following behind picked up the mantra, lifting the noise to an angry rumble. There had to be sixty or more. Kaz continued walking, not giving heed to anyone or anything.
Of course, the scouts all stood back from the menace emanating from her and Kaz.
The Teks wanted blood?
Harm Callan and she’d show them their own.
Fifty feet from the building, guards stepped into her path. “No further, MystiK.”
Should she correct him and say she was a C’raydonian?
Kaz would kill her. She said nothing, waiting for the all-powerful Thylan to make his way to her.
The men parted for Thylan and filled in behind him as he moved toward her with a cocky gait. He stopped in front of her, grinning and sweeping a slow look over her in a way that made herskin crawl. “I can see why Callan would want you, but not why you’d want him.”
She hadn’t seen that comment coming.
An arm bulging with tense muscle went around her shoulder. She looked up at Kaz who didn’t spare her a glance. What was he doing? It looked as if he was staking claim in front of Thylan.
Did Kaz think she cared what this creepy guy thought? Or that she couldn’t take Thylan in a battle? The mouthy TeK was slow and, in a fight with her, slow would lose.
She tried to ease away from Kaz, but he squeezed her tighter against him.
Then Kaz pinned Thylan with a bold stare, making it clear who he was addressing. “She and Callan are friends. Just as Callan and I have been friends for many years. We’re here to deliver your computer and take our friend back to the village.” His voiced dropped with an edge of threat. “Just to be clear. She is mine. If you insult her again before our exchange is completed, you will regret your words.”
Since waking up in that desert, she’d prided herself on assessing a threat situation quickly. She didn’t understand what Kaz was up to, but he wouldn’t be doing this unless he had a reason.
He must realize something about Thylan that she’d missed. Was Kaz doing all this to prevent Thylan from thinking she was of value to Callan? If that happened, she would become a liability in this negotiation. That had to be the reason behind this posturing. Kaz was diffusing the notion that her presence had any significant value to Callan, so the Teks would focus on the exchange, which meant Kaz was protecting his friend.
In that case, their goals were the same.
Thylan rubbed his chin, taking Kaz’s measure with a long look. “Show me the computer.”
“Not until we see that Callan is unharmed.”
This commanding voice of Kaz’s was one she hadn’t heard before now.
Thylan laughed. “You do realize you’re outnumbered, right?”
Kaz’s gaze hardened. “You do realize that MystiKs sabotaged the last ANASKO space launch using only natural powers, right? Would you care for a demonstration?”
That wiped the attitude off Thylan’s face.
She wasn’t sure Kaz had chosen the right approach, considering they were at a disadvantage if they were standing above another grid.
“Show me how the computer works first,” Thylan demanded.
“No.” She and Kaz said that together.
She added, “You can’t be trusted after what you did to capture Callan.”
“Don’t like getting outsmarted, do you?” Thylan laughed. “All I’d have to do is throw a switch to capture you two.”
She wanted to use a blast of power to make Thylan think twice about that laser grid.
Kaz warned, “If you turn on that grid, you risk destroying the sentient component of this computer. Now, where is Callan?”
The Tek gave her a taunting smile. “He’s been out here the whole time.”
Thylan’s eyes lit with mean happiness. He kept his attention on her while he called over his shoulder. “Callan? We’ve got your ... well, not your girl since she’s with someone else, but she’s back with the computer. You want to say hello?”
Forcing herself to remain planted in this spot was a battle when all she wanted to do was run to find Callan.
Someone thumped against her mind so hard it jarred her, and she sidestepped to keep her balance.
Kaz jerked his gaze down at her. “What?”
Everyone else was watching, too.
She couldn’t let Thylan misread the stumble as her reaction to Callan being close by. She said, “Nothing,” and shook it off, ready to negotiate.
Callan came blasting into her mind shouting, What are you doing here? I told you—
She slammed her mental walls down, shutting him out. There was no way she could handle these negotiations with Callan yelling at her at the same time.
He thumped again, hard, and she pushed back.
That silenced him.
Thylan’s men cleared a path between where they stood and Callan.
When the crowd parted, she finally saw him. Her heart thudded.
He was alive, but he was far from unharmed with bleeding wrists and gashes along his chest and shoulders as if he’d been struck with a whip. One nasty cut had closed, but none had healed entirely.
What was stopping him from healing?
The laser grid.
She didn’t sense any such power operating beneath her feet at this moment. Based on the last time she’d been here Callan wouldn’t be able to contact her telepathically if the laser grid was activated.
Callan slung wet hair off his face and split his furious glare between her and Kaz.
It took a moment for her to realize how this picture looked to Callan.
She tried to step out of Kaz’s hold, but he had an unyielding grip on her shoulder. She tugged again.
Kaz yanked her closer and told Thylan, “She’ll show you the computer, then you will uncuff him.”
Callan’s fierce stare was all for Kaz and, after a moment, she had the feeling he was trying to communicate telepathically with Kaz, too, but Kaz must not be opening his mind either.
Growling like a trapped animal, Callan shouted, “Kaz, get her—”
Someone threw a bucket of liquid straight at Callan’s face. Energy crackled at his wrists, and he jerked as if shocked.
She flinched, the urge to fight trembling through her.
Kaz slid one word at her through his gritted teeth. “Don’t.”
She hoped he knew what he was doing.
Thylan tucked a gadget in the pants pocket of his uniform before she could see what it was. He stepped closer to her and held his hands out, palms up.
She placed the laptop there and lifted the lid. Flexing her fingers, she hovered her hand over the keys.
Every TecKnati gaze was locked on her hand.
Callan yelled, “Do not—”
More water hit him. Just hearing him choke and the sizzle of energy shocking him hurt her. She’d thought about how she would do this on the way here. To make her power surge, all she had to do was envision them hurting Callan.
Holding the computer in one hand, Thylan yanked the gadget back out that was just big enough to fit in the palm of his hand. Silver and oblong shaped. He lifted it in Callan’s direction and Callan went silent.
What had he done to Callan with that small device? Energy stirred inside her, and she snapped back to her task.
Callan thumped hard on her mind once more. It had to be him. Kaz wouldn’t interrupt her right now.
Calling hard for her power, she envisioned the TeKs taking a knife to Callan—
He bumped her again mentally, over, and over.
She lost her train of thought. Poof. The energy settled down.
Thylan shifted his feet, getting antsy. “What’s the holdup? Does this thing work or not?”
“Yes,” she was quick to assure him.
Kaz stepped closer and questioned Thylan. “Why can’t the TecKnati build a two-way time travel computer?”
Good. He was distracting Thylan. She dug into her memory for more nightmares, such as Callan being attacked by the croggle.
But they had defeated the beast together.
Thylan said, “Who’s to say we haven’t built a portal computer that will time travel in any direction?”
“I’m saying you haven’t if you need this antique,” Kaz pointed out. His foot nudged her, which she took to mean hurry up.
She changed her mind on searching for a vision of Callan and started thinking about Tony and Gabby attacked by the deadly vine.
Heat stirred inside her once more. Thank goodness.
Energy balled and twisted, churning.
Tony warned her not to feed too much power into the computer and blow it up. She pulled the power slowly toward her arms and into her hand.
The monitor flashed on.
More than anything, she wanted to let Callan know they were close, but she kept all her attention on the three circles moving in and out of each other across the screen. The blue, green, and red colors weren’t the same as the image on the actual time travel computer, but no one here would know that. Tony and Gabby had been the only people other than her who had seen the real portal computer.
When scouts behind her saw the monitor come to life, they started murmuring.
Now was as good a time as any to turn it around and make their swap.
Kaz’s gaze tracked the monitor screen, but he kept up his conversation with Thylan. “We informed you the computer requires a MystiK to operate it. What are you going to do when you take it back to SEOH?”
Thylan found Kaz’s question amusing, but then he found everything about the MystiKs amusing. “You think my father doesn’t have MystiKs on our payroll?”
What? This was SEOH’s son? And they had MystiKs working for them?
She lost her focus in that one second.
Thylan had just looked down at the screen when it flashed twice and blinked off.
One of his guys shouted, “They’re trying to trick us.”
“No, I’m not,” she lied. “It’ll come back on in a minute.”
For the first time, Thylan was not amused. He slapped the lid shut. “Lock these two up.”
Kaz jerked her back to him and shoved past her. He lifted his hands in front of his chest, then behind him, shoving a fast kinetic blast in a circular arc to stop scouts in front and those who surged toward their backs.
They slammed into the invisible wall and bounced off.
Thylan yelled, “Blast them.”
Callan roared and lunged. Metal screamed as the chain mounts started ripping away from the wall.
She screamed inside her head, begging her power to come back. Nothing. What good was the stupid power if it couldn’t show up when she needed it most?
The noise of Callan struggling snatched Thylan’s attention and offered her the perfect opening.
She shot past Kaz, snatched the computer from Thylan’s hands, and spun around to stand in front of Kaz, holding up the computer. “Shoot us and you’ll lose the Genera-Y computer. Then who’s going home?”
Everyone stilled.
Kaz whispered, “Smart, but give it to me and get behind me.”
“Not going to happen,” she murmured. Keeping her gaze on Callan, she spoke to Thylan. “The computer works. I can prove it, but I’m not even going to try again unless you release Callan.”
“Then he dies.”
That was a greater threat than Thylan knew, because that blood red moon was sinking faster every second. “If you harm him, I will destroy this computer.”
“Do that and SEOH will destroy this Sphere.”
Kaz shouted, “Have you forgotten the counter measure bespelled in the Amity treaty? SEOH wouldn’t risk killing a MystiK child and lose a TecKnati youth of equal standing. The majority of MystiKs in this Sphere are future leaders, the highest ranked in our Houses.”
“That’s the thing, MystiK. There has been no loss of TecKnati children from all the deaths here, so SEOH would destroy this Sphere.”
Kaz answered, but confidence was absent from his statement. “Yes, but none of those deaths met the requirements of the treaty.”
“Or so you think,” Thylan said, not the least bit concerned.
Callan had shared the details of the current treaty with Rayen. It was signed every five years between the TecKnati and the MystiKs. Due to a spell infused by the MystiK leaders who signed the original treaty that continued through each resigning, if a TecKnati intentionally killed a MystiK child younger than eighteen then a TecKnati child of equal political stature would die immediately, and vice versa. Callan said SEOH’s oldest son had died the minute Callan’s twin had been murdered, proving the treaty had teeth.
Thylan said, “I’ll make you a deal.”
She’d trust that as much as making a pact with a wraith. “What’s the deal?”
“I’ll trade Callan now for the computer ... and you.”
Kaz and Callan shouted, “No!” Callan lunged against the chains again.
Bolts holding Callan’s chains squealed.
Another bucket of water hit Callan. She was going to hurt whoever held that bucket as soon as she had the opportunity. There had to be an evil reason for keeping him wet.
Thylan held up his hands. “I’m trying to be reasonable.”
If Kaz got Callan away from here, Kaz knew about the wraiths and would help Callan fight. That would only happen if Callan was free to use his power.
She stepped forward. “I accept the deal.”
Kaz’s hands landed on her shoulders, pulling her back. “I said no.”
Callan drove his body hard against the chain mounts. Metal twisting against metal screamed. “Get her out of here, Kaz!”
Driving forward hard again, Callan forced the supports to give another inch.
Looking panicked, Thylan fished his gadget out quickly and pointed it at Callan’s wrist cuffs that glowed blue.
Callan arched up and back, shuddering against power being activated by Thylan’s remote controller.
She yelled, “Stop or I won’t trade.”
Thylan held the button down an extra second then clicked the device off.
Callan fell to his knees and hung forward. His arms pulled back against the chains that were stretched tight.
He was hardly breathing. Unconscious.
Thylan erupted into laughter, a nervous one, but his scouts joined in.
The noise covered her words to Kaz. “Let me make this trade. Keep Callan alive, then come back and get me out. I trust you to help him fight off the wraiths and for you both to come back for me. You trust me to deal with Thylan.”
“No.”
“It’s my choice, Kaz. I’m doing it with or without your help. If you don’t help me, we’re going to all end up captives. Or dead.”
She yelled at Thylan, “Make up your mind. Deal or not?”
The laughing died down. Thylan ordered Callan unchained and carried to just short of the tree line.
She stepped out of Kaz’s grasp. When she turned to look at him, sick disappointment stared back at her. He was worried for her. She wished she could return Kaz’s feelings, but her heart belonged to Callan. She mouthed the word please.
Kaz inhaled deeply and followed the men carrying Callan.
She hoped she would see them both again.
“Bring the girl and the computer,” Thylan ordered.
Rayen swung around and jerked her arm away from the first scout who reached for her. When Thylan snickered at her reaction, it occurred to her now that Kaz’s protective attitude might have been entirely for her benefit.
If that was the case, she would need her power for more than lighting up this computer.
