Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

O n Board The Reaper

Ashlyn stood at Zade’s bedside, her heart pounding like a relentless drum against her ribcage. The sterile smell of antiseptic and the soft hum of alien machinery filled the room, but her focus was on Zade. Her throat tightened as the medics hovered over him, their advanced alien technology working to heal his mortal wounds.

The Caldorian healers worked with speed and precision. One waved a cylindrical device over Zade's body, the tool emitting a soft blue light that scanned and repaired tissue at a microscopic level, while the other adjusted an intravenous line that dripped a translucent blue fluid called maju water, into Zade’s veins.

She knew maju water accelerated cellular regeneration, and within a few minutes all traces of injury disappeared. Despite his healed body, Zade remained unconscious as the hours passed, his chiseled features pale and unmoving. Medics came and went, trying everything they knew to wake him. Each time they left, unsuccessful, her heart sank a little more.

She knew enough about Caldorian physiology to recognize that, by all rights, he should be awake by now, so why wasn’t he? Tears ran unchecked down her cheeks. Was he in a coma?

Next to Zade’s bed, opposite Ashlyn, a tall, imposing male warrior materialized out of thin air. His skin was a deep, rich brown with patterns of opalescent blue whorls and swirls tracing his muscles and veins. His eyes, a piercing shade of silver, studied her with an intensity that made her breath catch.

He wore armor; a silver camouflage pattern that flickered in and out of sight like a sputtering candle. On his back, a rune covered sword and scabbard shimmered and swirled with silver and black smoke, a mixture of solid and liquid metals. The runes, if one could call them that, appeared alien and incredibly old. The hilt was worn smooth with use, and a clear crystal was embedded in the pommel.

Oh my god. He’s a Lumerian Knight?

“Ashlyn,” the Lumerian said, his voice a low rumble, “I am Brennar Phavaen. We must speak.”

“You know my name? I mean, I..I think Zade mentioned you. Are you Bren?”

“I am.”

“What’s happening to him? Why isn’t he waking up?”

Bren’s expression softened in sympathy as she moved closer to Zade.

“He is Saltrec,” Bren began, his tone heavy with meaning. “Some of them have learned how to enter a state of near-death, a survival instinct unique to their kind. It is a dangerous form of stasis that not even my people were able to master,” Bren explained, his eyes fixed on Zade’s face.

“I don’t understand. Are you saying he’s some kind of…of,” she mentally searched for the right word, came up with nothing that made sense. “Like a vampire?”

“They can lay inert, like stone, immune to hot and cold, for several hours or days––long enough to survive until help arrives. Unlike your myths of the vampire, the Saltrec do not drink blood. I believe Zade put himself into this state when he realized how close he was to death.”

Stasis. Not dying. Not in a coma. Like stone. The word echoed in Ashlyn’s mind, both a comfort and a terror. Like a gargoyle? No freaking way.

“Unfortunately,” continued Bren, completely unaware of the shock she was in, “Zade is only half Saltrec. He was raised in a royal house, surrounded not by the Saltrec, but by his father’s people in the Northern Sector. His mother was the only connection he had to them. She encouraged Zade to learn the ways of her people, but his father forbade him from learning this particular technique after the first attempt nearly killed him.”

Ashlyn gasped, her eyes giant round orbs of horror. “Oh, no. What happened?”

“He was unable to pull himself out of the trance on his own.”

“How long ago was that?”

“It was many years ago. I cannot be certain,” he hedged.

“I know you guys live a long time. Take a guess.” Ashlyn crossed her arms.

“More than a hundred years have passed. He was a very young man at the time.”

Ashlyn glanced at Zade, the weight of Bren’s words sinking in. “So, you’re saying his mind is trapped while his body is in some kind of hibernation? He might not be able to get out of it and it’s been more than a hundred years since he last tried? Unsuccessfully tried,” she corrected herself.

Bren’s silence was answer enough. A fresh surge of desperation poured through her. “I have a friend. She’s a healer. Really powerful. She saved my sister when the base on my planet was attacked. Saved a lot of people, actually. Maybe she could help him.”

Bren shook his head. “No. He doesn’t need physical healing. His body is now free of injury.”

“Then what can we do? How do we help him?”

“That depends..”

“What does that mean? Please, don’t fuck with me. Just tell me what to do.”

Bren’s gaze met hers, and in their depths, she saw a flicker of hope. “For now, we need to take him back to his homeworld, to Caldor. The Saltrec elders might be able to draw him out of this state, as they did once before. We cannot take all of Caldor’s ships out of Earth’s orbit with a Dark One so close, but we could take this one. The Reaper . The other princes of Caldor will remain to assist with Earth’s defense.”

Ashlyn nodded, determination hardening her resolve. “Then we go to Caldor.”

As Bren contacted the crew and directed the ship to change course, Rachel and Cam entered the room. Rachel’s eyes were heavy with sadness as she took in the scene, her hand instinctively reaching for Ashlyn’s.

“Sorry it took so long to get here. We thought they would take Zade to the medical bay on the base, so we went there first, then Cam was delayed with emergency meetings. How is he?” Rachel asked quietly.

Ashlyn quickly explained the situation, and Rachel’s expression turned steely. “We’re coming with you.”

“That’s good, because I think we’ve already left Earth’s orbit.”

Cam stepped forward. His windswept, sandy brown hair and warm amber markings belied the worry in his keen, intelligent brown eyes. “I will inform Dagan of the new development. He has ordered all base personnel to begin preparing for war with the Dark Ones.”

“War?” The idea of being at war with those things, when Earth couldn’t even hold a candle to Caldorian technology, made her nauseous. “What about the Council members? Do they have ships? Are they going to help? Are the Dark Ones going to attack Earth? How did that Dark One know about the Lumerians?” She glanced from Cam to Bren. “Well? How did that thing know?”

Cam sighed and glanced behind him to make sure the door to the medical room was closed. “There have been three incidents this past year resulting in the deaths of Dark Ones. The fire that involved C'Bor and his human wife was the first ,” he said, stressing the last word meaningfully.

First of three? What? “And that thing’s mate died?” Ashlyn blinked, trying to understand. C'Bor's human wife was Juliette. She was mated to a Lumerian, so that checked out. Ashlyn already knew the secret about the maju paste and how it affected humans. She hadn't heard about any 'incidents' involving 'Dark Ones', though.

Was that surprising when she'd spent the last year avoiding talking about all things alien? “Zade told me 'Dark Ones' were interdimensional, or some weird thing, that they were almost impossible to kill.”

“He spoke true,” Bren confirmed, rejoining the conversation. “Bone Crusher's mate could have been killed during any of those incidents. There was no evidence that Lumerians were involved. The likelihood that anyone else could destroy a 'Dark One', however, is slim.”

Ashlyn frowned. If anyone could kill one of those creepy things, she'd bet on Lumerians, too, so why did she feel like she was missing something? Think, damn it! Juliette was one of the human women transformed by maju paste, right? She got powers . How many other human women have somehow ended up getting exposed to the paste and transformed? Two? Three? Is that what Cam is trying to tell me? Three humans––three incidents? Oooohhh....Fuuuuuckkkk. Lumerians are involved, but so are their human mates?!

“How—” Ashlyn stepped away and returned to Zade’s side, taking his hand in hers. “Never mind. I don’t care. The Saltrec people can help Zade. I just know they can. They have to. I can’t lose him.”

“Of course they can. Everything’s going to be okay.” Rachel assured her. “And if they can’t, we’ve still got Sasha.”

Ashlyn nodded, grateful both her sister, and Sasha—who happened to be an amazing healer—would be on Caldor with her.

She brushed back a lock of hair from Zade’s brow, disturbed by the coldness of his skin. She leaned down and kissed his forehead. “Hang on, my love,” she whispered. “Help is coming.”

Ashlyn's heart raced in her chest as she stared out the window of the tiny transport ship descending toward the docking station. She had never been away from Earth, never traveled in a spaceship, let alone gone to a distant planet.

Caldor was ten times the size of Earth, and one of the most technologically advanced planets in the Intergalactic Trade community. Her fear for Zade dampened her awe of the vast, rugged landscapes dotted with towering mountains and deep valleys as they traveled across the land, bathed in the light of three moons. They’d skimmed high above modern, bustling cities full of alien architecture, vast empty stretches of deserts, oceans, and icy tundra. She’s watched as hovercraft zipped in and out of the spaceports with the ease and frequency of human cars weaving in and out of traffic on a busy highway. None of it mattered.

She turned her gaze away from the window, her thoughts never far from Zade. They’d been traveling through space for three days and he showed no signs of waking.

Rachel sat beside her, gripping her hand tightly. "We’re almost there. Hang in there. He’s going to be okay," she whispered, her voice lacking conviction.

Cam stood behind Rachel, his features devoid of emotion. "If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to check in on Lee one more time before we land. The nanny is threatening to get rid of his sling if he doesn’t stop throwing his toys out of the playpen.” He turned toward Ashlyn. “Try to stay positive, the Saltrec elder will know what to do.”

Ashlyn could hear the sadness hidden beneath his calm exterior as he bent down to give Rachel a tender kiss before heading back to their temporary quarters.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay on the ship with Lee?” Ashlyn asked. “It’s enough that you’re here with me. Honestly.”

“No way, sister. Start to finish, I’m in it.”

“Cam is amazing, you know. And he’s a great dad.”

“I know,” Rachel smirked. “Come on. I think we’ve arrived. Time to layer up. We’re past the edge of the Northern Sector. Cam says it’s cold as fuck out there and metamaterial is practically useless.”

“Time to go native?”

“If by native you mean astronaut suits, then heck, yeah, let’s do it. I’ve always wanted to wear one of those things.”

“Actually, I was thinking more like extra layers. Hats, coats, and gloves. We’re not going hiking in Antarctica, are we?”

“From what Cam’s told me, we might wish we were.” Arm in arm, they made their way toward the docking bay.

As the seal on the hatch door released, a gust of icy wind howled through the opening. Ashlyn's fingers trembled as she donned the fitted mask, the biting wind and swirling gusts of snow gnawing at her exposed skin.

Once fitted, the mask covered her entire face except for her eyes, which she covered with the special goggles she’d been given. Both were designed to withstand the most brutal conditions Caldor had to offer. Small, strategically placed vents managed airflow and reduced condensation buildup inside the mask, with removable filters around the nose and mouth to aid in warming the outside air to prevent her from breathing in tiny ice particles that could freeze her lungs and kill her within minutes.

She’d been tutored on how to use the mask in preparation for the two hour ride into the village located far into the glacial mountain range towering majestically in front of them. She glanced at her sister, Rachel’s masked and goggled face mirroring her apprehension as they prepared for the final leg of their journey.

"Ready?" Ashlyn asked, her voice muffled but audible through the integrated comms system. A nod of affirmation from Rachel, and with a collective deep breath, they stepped out into the howling gale, the world transformed into a surreal blend of blinding white and relentless cold.

Just beyond the door, Sasha and Dagan waited, outfitted similarly in heavy duty winter snowsuits and masks.

Ashlyn started to run down the length of the hatch door before it had completely settled, eager to embrace her friend.

Even through the masks, Ashlyn could see her friend’s blue eyes were full of worry. No words were needed as they hugged, rocking back and forth.

Eventually, Ashlyn gave a self-conscious laugh and tried to swipe at her tears, only to be blocked by the goggles. With a choked laugh, she shouted over the howling wind, “Look at me! I’m a mess!”

“You look great!”

“You’re a terrible liar!”.

“Hey, no fun starting without me,” Rachel chimed in as she joined them. After a long group hug, they broke apart as Zade’s stasis pod floated past on its way out, directed by a medic, a stark reminder of why they were together.

Snow crunched underfoot as they stepped farther from the transport, each step a struggle as the blowing swirl of frozen white flakes threatened to sweep them away. She tapped Rachel on the shoulder and shouted, “I thought you said it was spring here?!”

“It is! Now you know why no one wants to live this far north! No one sane, anyway!”

“What are those?!” Ashlyn pointed to a long line of sleek, aerodynamic craft that looked suspiciously like faster, scarier, alien versions of snowmobiles, with some kind of emitter device attached to the front.

“They’re called skimmers ! You’ll love ‘em!”

“What? No pack mules?”

“Ha! Very funny!” Rachel shouted back. “Cam took me for a ride on one of them the first time he brought me to Caldor, but I don’t want to ruin the surprise!”

Ashlyn glared at her sister. "Are you kidding me right now? I’m not in the mood for surprises! We’re on an alien planet and the man I love is in some kind of freakish coma about to die!" Her voice got higher and more stressed with each shouted word.

Rachel reached for her and gave her a fierce hug. "I know, Ash. I was trying to distract you, okay?"

Glancing from the skimmer to Cam and Dagan, who were already busy prepping their own vehicles, Ashlyn nodded and gave a small, watery smile. "Sorry. I’m just stressed out. I know you’re trying to help. Forgive me?"

"Always. Besides, Zade is going to wake up and be better than ever, proving we were worried over nothing, and then you’ll kick me for letting you ride one of these bad boys without showing you how cool they are. I know you’re secretly a science nerd."

Ashlyn’s lips quirked. "Geeking out over sci-fi movies does not make me a science nerd."

Sasha chimed in, "I think it does! Remember how you nerded out over those Star Wars movies when they rode those flying things? You got online and searched up everything you could about how they would work, and almost changed majors in college. To engineering! So, I agree, total science nerd!"

Rolling her eyes, Ashlyn shrugged uncomfortably and huffed, "Well, they were cool!"

"Hey, Cam!" Rachel waved to get his attention. "Ash needs to know how the skimmer works!"

Cam stopped what he was doing and motioned for them to join him next to his skimmer.

"Before we go anywhere, we activate the wave displacement shields." He flipped a switch on the instrument panel, and Ashlyn felt, more than heard, a low hum.

“That’s it?” She was about to be epically disappointed when the air in front of the skimmer became visibly distorted, like heat waves shimmering above a hot road in summertime. "Whoa. What did you call it? Wave shield something or other?"

"Wave displacement shields. They operate by generating powerful, focused sound and electromagnetic waves that interact with, and displace, matter using phased array technology to focus the waves into a concentrated beam in front of the vehicle. This beam can be directed and adjusted to target specific areas, creating a ‘clear path’ effect."

Squinting in concentration, she tried to make sense of her brother-in-law’s highly technical explanation. "Are you saying these waves blast stuff out of the way?"

He nodded. "Yes. You have these technologies on your planet. Ours are simply more advanced. We use a sophisticated LiDAR system, or light detecting and ranging sensors that analyze the object in front of us and adjust not only the type of wave emitted, but meticulously calculate the frequencies needed to either push the object out of the way or, in some cases, disintegrate it, leaving a clear path forward. High frequency ultrasound has a ‘push’ effect, but low-frequency infrasound waves actually weaken the structure, breaking it apart."

"And electromagnetic waves? I know we have all this stuff on Earth, but I never understood how it works."

“They can heat, ionize, or otherwise destabilize an object.”

Ashlyn stared in awe as all of the falling, blustering snow within about five feet of the skimmer seemed to magically change direction, blowing around the vehicle, leaving the space eerily clear. "Oh my god. That’s so cool."

She looked at her sister, who had a smug grin on her face. "Shut up, Rachel."

Laughing, Rachel held up her hands in surrender. "I didn’t say a word."

"Your face says it all, so shut up."

Her heart thudded with both fear and excitement. "What if it’s a big boulder, or diamonds that are super hard? Or ice? What if it can’t break it up fast enough? Do we crash?"

Cam shook his head. "No. The skimmer’s speed is linked to the shield. Less resistance equates to greater speeds. The AI unit constantly adjusts the shield's emitters to adapt wave frequency, amplitude, and phase based on real-time feedback from the sensors that analyze not only the distance to the object, but the properties of the matter needing to be cleared. Ice has a dense, crystalline structure, with unique challenges that I won’t bore you with, other than to say moving through ice requires a lot more energy, so to minimize expenditure, we use the physical properties to our advantage by tuning the shield’s waves to the ice’s natural resonant frequencies."

"Bruh. That went right over my head. What about fuel?"

"We use the same source of energy to power spaceships, the maju stone, so fuel is not a problem."

Overcome with curiosity and without taking time to think it through, Ashlyn cautiously extended her hand into the shimmering, distorted air. Immediately, pressure, vibration, and a faint warmth pervaded. Her hand began to tingle, making her skin prickle as if tiny bubbles were forming and popping beneath the surface. It was a little like holding two repelling magnets, but more intense. Way more intense.

She yanked her hand out with a tiny shriek as her skin began to prickle with more intense heat and the soft tingling became painful stabbing. "Holy shit. Guess I should’ve asked if it was safe first."

Cam frowned. "Brief contact is relatively safe at this time. If you were to do that while we were moving, you would lose your hand almost instantly."

She cringed, rubbing the offended hand with the good, unaffected one. "Definitely won’t be doing that again. I bet Earth could use some of those shields."

"Yes. In fact, the same technology in defensive shields can be used to neutralize incoming projectiles by destabilizing their structure or detonating them at a safe distance. Now, if you have no more questions, I believe we should be on our way."

Reality slammed back into place. Zade. How could I let myself get distracted? Guilt hit her hard. "I’m ready. Let’s go."

He nodded in understanding, his eyes full of sympathy. “Rachel will ride with me. Dagan and Sasha will ride together. I thought perhaps you could ride with Bren?”

“Sure. I didn’t know he was coming with us.”

Just like in the medical bay, Bren decloaked a few paces from them. Clearly, he’d been listening. Ashlyn didn’t know how she should feel about that. Worry about it later. Zade is all that matters.

Bren gave a curt nod. “I assumed as much. I have attached Zade’s stasis pod to the back of the skimmer and we’re ready to go.”

Relief and gratitude flooded Ashlyn. She didn’t want Zade out of her sight. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust everyone else, she just wanted to be close to him as much as possible, in case something happened. Or until he dies. No! No! Don’t think like that. He’s going to be fine. He’s strong. Stronger than anyone else I’ve ever known. And brave.

Fresh tears threatened to spill over. She stiffened her spine. Stop it. Zade needs you, she lectured. “I’m ready, Bren. Lead the way.”

Bren settled on the skimmer’s bench seat and waited patiently as Ashlyn settled into place behind him. Once they were both locked in place with the security harness—and Ashlyn had her arms wrapped securely around his waist—he took off, gradually increasing their speed. “Tell me again why we couldn’t just transport directly into the village?”

“When we transported him up to The Reaper, we nearly lost him. We didn’t want to take the risk a second time. This way is slower, but safer for him, even though the mountain passes are quite treacherous.”

She nodded her understanding, glad Bren had taken the lead and thought ahead. If she’d been on her own, she’d probably already be dead. Zade, too. Her heart squeezed at the thought. She couldn’t lose him now. Somehow, he’d become her sole focus. She knew her feelings didn’t make any sense. How could she be in love when they were practically strangers? She’d been drawn to him from the moment she saw him behind that glass wall. They’d worked together, laughed, argued and fought, had the most incredible sex of her life, but would that be enough to build a future together? Don’t think about it right now. Focus on what you can control in the here and now. Focus on saving Zade. Focus on the ride.

She’d always liked the sense of freedom she got when riding on motorcycles, but the skimmers made them seem noisy, clunky, and outdated. As they rode through the storm, she couldn’t help but notice how different everything sounded with the wave displacement shield activated. Instead of the deafening howl of the wind, there was a distant, muted roar, as if the blizzard were happening miles away rather than all around her. The low hum of the shield's emitters filled the air, a constant, almost comforting presence that vibrated through the vehicle.

Gone was the incessant pelting of snowflakes against her. Instead, a soft, shushing noise surrounded her as the snow was effortlessly deflected away, creating an almost serene bubble of calm. Occasionally, she heard a faint crackle or pop, signaling the shield's interaction with denser chunks of ice, breaking them apart or vaporizing them before they could become a threat.

The skimmer’s engine sounded different too, quiet, with an added deep resonance that she could feel in her chest. It was as if the vehicle was gliding through the storm, the usual jolts and rattles smoothed out by the shield’s protective barrier.

She glanced around, marveling at the way the blizzard seemed to part before them, the shield leaving a clear path in its wake. She could see the snow swirling wildly just beyond the shimmering distortion, but inside, everything was calm, almost peaceful. It was an eerie contrast that made her heart race with both fear and excitement.

Her fingers tingled with the memory of the shield’s energy, a reminder of the power they wielded as they sped through the alien landscape. She tightened her grip around Bren’s waist, full of determination. This may be their last chance to save Zade, and she wasn’t going to let anything stand in her way.

As the skimmer raced through the blizzard, she fought against her fatigue, but the low hum and gentle vibration slowly lulled her to sleep.

An hour later, the lack of motion and Bren’s deep voice jolted her awake. “We’re here.”

Stiff from the ride, she unbuckled and eased off the skimmer to take a quick look around. When she was finished, she turned to ask Bren where exactly ‘here’ was, since she couldn’t see anything more than three feet in front of her, but he’d already vanished.