Return of the Ascendant (The Ascendant Series) (4 page)

Chapter 6

The vehicle was quiet as Ty followed the map in his mind to the location where the transition would take place. Sem and Avana had been prepared for this moment. They had no reason to converse, knowing what to expect. Kyr, on the other hand, still had no memories of her Alametrian life.

Yet she believed them, he thought. Considering she was even then covered in Shelvak dust, he supposed she had little choice.

Some might still have resisted the truth. People had a way of rationalizing even the most irrational things. She might have tried to convince herself that the battle with the Shelvaks had been carefully staged by her friends with props or the special effects humans used in films. She could have chosen to believe she’d been drugged or otherwise influenced to see something that wasn’t really there.

But she didn’t.

“What made you believe us?” he asked her in a quiet voice.

She turned her gaze to him. For the first time, he saw the woman in the girl he once knew. Her time on Earth had changed her, he realized. Matured her.

“Avana’s fear,” she said equally as quietly. “I knew she was genuinely afraid. She’s a terrible liar and even worse actress.”

“She’s been lying to you for two years without you knowing,” he pointed out.

“No, she hasn’t,” she argued. “Avana’s my friend. She just left out a few things about her background. I imagine she’s just as colorful on…”

“Alametria,” he supplied.

“Right. Anyway, I’m sure she didn’t have to act much here.”

“An interesting way to look at it.”

He felt her gaze on him as he drove. Although he tried to read her thoughts, he couldn’t. Sem’s, however, were coming through loud and clear. He didn’t like the fact that Kyr was up front with Ty and not in back with him. He also wanted to know what they were talking about, since the engine and road noise masked their low voices.

“Where have you been all this time?” Kyr asked. “If you’re supposed to be watching over me, why weren’t you here with Sam and Avana?”

He hesitated, glancing in the rearview mirror as he considered his response. “I’ve been monitoring you,” he said at last. “But my abilities have been needed elsewhere while you’ve been training. No one else can do exactly what I can. Since Sem, Avana, and your Kyndred have been keeping a close eye on you, I knew you weren’t in any danger. Until the Shelvaks found you, that is.”

She considered that in silence. Hopefully it was enough to satisfy her curiosity. He couldn’t give her any more information with so many ears in the vehicle. His other missions had been unrelated to her lessons on Earth.

After they drove a few more miles, she asked, “Do you think I’ll remember anything about Alametria? Maybe my, um, birth parents?”

Guilt rose within him, but he pushed it back. It wasn’t his fault the barrier between them was there. He’d damned well figure out how to get around it.

“Yes,” was all he said.

She nodded. Although he imagined she must have tons of questions, she didn’t speak again. Her gaze remained fixed on the passing landscape. The moonlight bathed her profile, enhancing her beauty. She looked calm and collected, but he sensed the painful loss that she did as she realized she’d soon be leaving this place behind. It was as though she was trying to memorize every detail, fearing she’d forget it as thoroughly as she’d forgotten her former life.

Why could he sense her emotions and not read her thoughts? Was it because they originated in different areas of the mind? Whatever the reason, he sensed the emotion swirling through her and felt her tamp it down. That level of control was something she’d never conquered before. It surprised and impressed him.

What else had she learned here on Earth? Had she finally learned…?

A familiar pain made his forearms grow warm. Tightening his grip on the steering wheel, he forced the thought from his head. He thought instead of the fight with the Shelvaks and the transition to come. Anything to keep his mind from dwelling on things it shouldn’t.

Things it couldn’t.

“We’re nearly there,” he said loud enough for everyone to hear. “If the Shelvaks found the university, it’s possible they have found the transition point. Everyone needs to be on their guard.”

“Do you have another one of those light swords?” Kyr asked.

His eyebrow rose. “They are called de’llums, and no.”

“What about a gun? Do you guys use those? Maybe with lasers or something?”

“No.”

She gave him a disbelieving look. “You came to Earth without a gun?”

“We stopped using projectile weapons some time ago. Why would you even need one?”

Frowning, she said, “I don’t have anything to defend myself with. I don’t even have my phone or shoes this time.”

“You have me.”

She looked at him. He expected a sharp retort about what she conceived to be his arrogance, something she would have done in the past. But she looked worried, not irked.

“I don’t want anything to happen to you,” she said. “All of you are at risk because of me. I can’t stand that.”

Once upon a time, Kyr would have thrived on the knowledge that she was important enough to justify others risking their lives for her. She wouldn’t have thought twice about someone getting hurt to protect her. In fact, she would have expected it, maybe even demanded it.

He knew on the last world she’d visited that she’d finally learned humility. Now, he knew she’d also learned to care about others beside herself.

Which meant he was in serious trouble.

Tightening his grip on the steering wheel, he said, “It’s our duty to protect you. We’ll be fine.”

Fortunately, they pulled into the parking lot of their destination before she could say anything else. His focus returned to the present situation. Once the vehicle stopped, they all studied their surroundings.

The warehouse was abandoned and miles from any inhabited dwellings. Transitions always took place in such locations, as far from human view as possible. The Shelvaks knew this, though, which meant they could have reasoned out the location and set up a trap. He had no idea how many of them were on the planet. He and Sem had dispatched a good number of them back in the dormitory, but that didn’t mean there weren’t more.

“Avana, did the vision you receive feature this location?” he asked.

Her gaze moved from him to Kyr. “No,
Dem-Shyr
.”

He knew that was as much as she would say. Divyners were forbidden to reveal visions until there was a reasonable certainty they were about to happen, and then only if they prevented tragedy. The craft of divination was an uncertain one. More often than not, the visions never became reality. Avana’s answer was good enough for him.

Not seeing any movement, he opened his door, sending a thought to Sem to do the same. “Stay seated, Kyr. I’ll come around and get you. Avana, stay with Sem.”

Kyr nodded. As Ty got out of the vehicle, he stood for a moment and sniffed the air. He’d deliberately chosen a spot downwind of the warehouse. Nothing unusual reached his senses.

He glanced at the ground as he walked over to Kyr’s side of the vehicle. Small stones and a few shards of broken glass littered the parking lot. He wished he hadn’t made her shed her shoes. He’d have to carry her, which was troublesome for two reasons.

One, he’d be handicapped in the event they were attacked because his hands wouldn’t be free. Two, she’d be pressed up against him, her warm, soft body—

Stop it
, he ordered himself.

That was easier said than done. Her scent reached him as he opened the door. He couldn’t prevent himself from breathing deeply to take it in. She started to get out of the vehicle, but he reached in and picked her up.

“Ty, you can’t carry me,” she protested, trying to wriggle free of his grasp as he shoved the door closed with his foot. “You have to be able to fight.”

“If I have to fight, I’ll drop you. Does that please you?”

She stopped squirming. He breathed a small sigh of relief. His attention then turned to the shadows at the edge of the warehouse. The parking lot lights still worked, but the warehouse itself was dark. The transition point was on the far side of the warehouse, so they’d be walking partially through darkness.

“How does—?” Kyr started to ask.

He shushed her, still listening to the environment. Her jaw clenched in frustration, but she held her tongue.

Yet another change.

Nodding at Sem, he started forward. They crossed the parking lot, their eyes moving and every sense on alert. Nothing seemed out of place. He didn’t expect trouble in the light, though. It was the walk through the shadows that concerned him.

When they reached the edge of the parking lot, they paused. He glanced at Sem.

You have your locator, correct?
he thought.

Yes. Avana has hers, too
.

Good. Draw your weapon. Let’s go
.

I should carry Kyr so that you’re free to—

Ty silenced the thought with a look. Sem pursed his lips and drew his de’llum. His anger was easy enough to detect.

Focus
, Ty ordered.

Sem nodded abruptly.

They stepped out of the light. Sem took the lead, walking slightly in front of Ty and Kyr, lighting the way. Avana walked beside Ty on the left. She clung to her bag as though it offered her some form of armor.

Just as they reached the back of the warehouse, Ty realized his error. The aroma belonging only to the Shelvaks hit him like a right hook. They had placed themselves so closely to the back of the building that their scent hadn’t reached the other side. It was more strategy than the Shelvaks had ever shown, but that didn’t excuse his failure to predict it.

The shadows moved. Sem cursed and launched himself forward to draw the enemy away from the rest of them. Ty released Kyr and drew his weapon in one fluid motion, barely managing to deflect the weapon of a Shelvak who charged him. He mimicked Sem by pushing forward, trying to draw the enemy away from the females. His eyes scanned the enemies as he deflected strike after strike. There were no more than sixteen…two crews, since the Shelvaks worked in groups of eight.

No problem.

He and Sem made swift work of cutting through the Shelvaks’ lesser defenses. Although the Shelvaks were working on improving their fighting techniques, they were still nowhere near the level of the most skilled Alametrians.

Nine
, he thought as he dispatched another. Seeing Sem get one, he thought,
Ten
.

He cursed loudly then. There were only four left.

Turning, he left those four to Sem and ran after Kyr and Avana. They were running back towards the light. The two Shelvaks that had managed to break away from the group soundlessly pursued them, moving fast. The females were only a few feet from the light when Kyr cried out and fell hard.

Fear gave Ty added speed. He all but flew the remaining distance to get to her. His de’llum preceded him, beheading one of the Shelvaks before the creature even sensed him.

The other one swung its weapon at Kyr at the exact same time. Ty knew he’d never reverse his momentum in time to stop the blow. A furious roar issued from his throat.

She rolled, taking a glancing strike across her shoulder blades. Before she’d even issued a scream of pain, he slayed the Shelvak who struck her. The death was far too swift, in his opinion.

“
Kyr
,” he shouted.

He dropped to her side and stopped her from turning back over so he could assess the extent of the damage. With Shelvak weapons, it wasn’t so much about the depth of the injury as it was the poison on the blade. He’d been regularly dosed with the poison since his youth, so he was immune to its effects. Kyr, however, had never been subjected to the deadly venom. He knew even the smallest dose could kill her.

“Here,” Avana said pulling something from her bag. A water bottle.

He grabbed it and squeezed the liquid over Kyr’s back. Her blood ran along her back to the ground, staining the pavement dark red as it mixed with the black Shelvak poison. She started shivering.

Damn it. That was a very bad sign.

Knowing he had no other choice, Ty gritted his teeth and slashed his sword across her back, right over the injury. Her scream went through him like a lance.

I’m so sorry, Kyr
, he thought.

He held her still, knowing she would thrash as she fought the pain. Her blood flowed freely, pooling underneath her in a dark morass that made him feel ill. Not because it was blood…because it was
hers
.

Sem joined him, cursing when he realized what had happened. He ran a blackened hand through his dark hair, his eyes pained.

Will she die?
he thought towards Ty.

No
, Ty returned.

He wouldn’t allow it.

After a couple of minutes, the blood ran clear. Kyr was sobbing by then, begging them to stop the pain. If he could have done anything to spare her from it, he would have. But he had to cause her more pain by cauterizing the wound with his de’llum.

By the time he turned her over, her frantic thrashing had stilled. He was afraid that his efforts had been wasted…afraid that she’d died anyway. So when her blue eyes met his, his relief was instantaneous.

She pushed herself into a sitting position. One of the straps of her dress fell to the side, having been cut by the Shelvak’s blade. Ty reached out to steady her when she swayed.

“Ma’jah Kyr, are you all right?” Avana asked in a tremulous voice.

“Sure,” Kyr said, right before she fainted.

Chapter 7

Consciousness was slow to return. Kyra surfaced in long increments, feeling like she was struggling to emerge from a deep sleep.

The first thing she saw when her eyes finally opened was the familiar face hovering over her. Ginger colored curls surrounded a cheerful, round face only lightly wrinkled by time. Dark blue eyes glistened with unshed tears.

A second face joined the first. Dark hair worn too long, at least in his wife’s opinion. Warm brown eyes and a mouth that frequently turned up in a smile. A straight, aristocratic nose that Kyra had always thought she’d inherited from him.

“Mom?” she whispered. “Dad?”

When they smiled, she felt almost giddy with relief. It had all been a dream! Of course it had. Sure, it had been intense, but—

“
Dem-Shyr
, she’s awake,” her mother said.

Shit.

She realized then that she was still on the ground, but her head was in her mother’s lap. Her father’s face was replaced by Ty’s. He studied her like she was a science experiment and he needed to know the results.

“You cut me,” she accused.

He frowned, but didn’t comment.

“He had to, honey,” her mother said. “The only way to purge Shelvak poison in someone who isn’t immune is to bleed it out. If
Dem-Shyr
TaeDane hadn’t been quick about it, you would have been dead before we got here.”

Kyra processed that. She thought about the excruciating pain she had just experienced, first at the hands of the Shelvak and then from Ty. She also considered the fact that she was still alive.

“Thank you,” she told him.

If she hadn’t been watching him so closely, she might have missed the surprise that crossed his features. As it was, the neutral expression that he seemed to wear like a cloak settled into place so quickly that she wasn’t sure she hadn’t imagined it.

“Of course,” he said. “The time has come to transition. I will carry you to the location.”

Kyra saw the look her parents exchanged, the sorrow on her mother’s face, her father’s pinched lips. She pushed herself up into a sitting position. Ty and her mother both held hands out to steady her in case she faltered, but she felt okay outside of some soreness between her shoulders. She did allow Ty to assist her to her feet as her father assisted her mother up, though.

Meeting Ty’s gaze, she said, “Please give us a minute.”

He looked between her and her parents before nodding. She watched as he stepped a few feet away. Avana and Sam stood there watching her. Not wanting them to worry, she gave them a small wave. They each returned it, Avana looking relieved and Sam looking…well, she couldn’t really tell. He gave Ty a dark look, though, and Kyra wondered if he was blaming Ty for hurting her.

Moving closer to her parents, she asked, “How did you get here?”

“
Dem-Shyr
TaeDane contacted us,” her father said.

He sounded as though she should know that. It hit her all at once that she had no idea how the Alametrians communicated with each other. She didn’t know a single thing about their society. She would be the only person on the planet who didn’t know who she was.

“We’re so sorry we’ve kept the truth from you, honey,” her mother said quietly.

“Kyndred aren’t allowed to reveal their true identities to their charges,” her father added. His hand was settled on her mother’s shoulder in a show of support.

Wringing her hands, her mother hurried on, “Even though you’re not our birth child, we’ve loved you ever since we left Alametria with you. It’s been more than an honor to serve as your Kyndred. I hope you’ll forgive—”

Kyra flung her arms around her mother. “Stop, Mom. Please. I love you both so much. I don’t want to leave. Can’t we just stay here, a happy family?”

Her mother sniffled and hugged her tight. “I wish it was that simple, honey. I truly crave exactly that. But you’re far too important to Alametria for us to be that selfish. We’ll be traveling with you, and we’ll be at the palace with you and the Guardians. We’ll get to see each other whenever we want.”

Palace
? Kyra thought. “Who are the Guardians?” she asked, pulling back from the hug.

“Your birth parents,” her father said.

Her father…

That thought lodged in her head. Fighting back tears, she asked, “If you won’t be my parents there, what will I call you?”

Her mother gave her a watery smile. “My Alametrian name is UllahOwar. You’ll call me Ullah.”

“And I’m WykOwar,” her father said. “So you’ll call me Wyk.”

Her breath shuddered out of her chest as the reality of her situation hit her. She was really about to leave everything she knew to travel to a place she didn’t remember. Everyone on this other planet believed her to be something she knew she wasn’t.

“I can’t do this, Mom,” she whispered. “Please don’t make me.”

“Oh, honey,” her mother said as a tear traveled down her cheek. “It’s because I love you so much that I must make you do this. I know you can. If you look deeply enough, you’ll know you can, too.”

Her father pulled her into a hug. “Don’t worry, Kyr-bear,” he said, using the nickname he always used. “Everything is going to be fine.”

Kyra sensed that they weren’t telling her everything. She knew they were as upset about the coming separation as she was. Because they were trying to be strong for her, she knew she could offer them no less. Pulling away from her dad, she managed a smile.

“Okay, you two. If you say it’ll be fine, I’m going to believe you. But you can’t pretend you don’t know me once we get to Alametria.”

Her mother looked genuinely aghast at the suggestion. “Oh, honey—”

“She’s teasing, Ullah,” her father said with a deep chuckle. “Kyr-bear knows she won’t be able to walk two steps without you hounding her, no matter the solar system.”

That brought a genuine smile to Kyra’s face. “Okay, let’s get this over with. I’m sure Ty’s about to come over here and drag me along.”

They turned as a group and started to walk over to join the others. She hadn’t even taken two steps before Ty hurried forward and scooped her up. She’d almost forgotten about her bare feet. Surprisingly, the foot that had stepped on the sharp rock as the Shelvaks chased her didn’t even hurt anymore.

Catching Ty’s enigmatic silver gaze, she said, “Thanks.”

He gave her a curt nod.

She wanted to explain that her gratitude wasn’t for carrying her around, but they were moving and her attention turned to what was about to happen.

“Will this hurt?” she asked. Her fingers had dug deeply into his shoulder, so she forced her hand to relax.

“Will what hurt?”

She considered again her lack of knowledge and the fact that she had no idea how they were going to get from Earth to Alametria. Drawing on her limited sci-fi exposure, she guessed, “The, um, transport to the ship…or whatever.”

“No.”

His curt answers might have bothered her on any normal day, but right now, his matter-of-fact demeanor served to calm her. “And you’ll be going with me, right?”

“Yes.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. “Good.”

Realizing she had said the word out loud, she avoided looking at him. She felt his gaze on her face, though, and fought a flush of embarrassment.

It wasn’t long before they stopped. He put her on her feet. The wide patch of pavement on which they stood looked like it was clearer of debris than the parking lot had been. She also noticed that without her shoes on, she didn’t even reach Ty’s shoulders. Lord, he was big.

“Do you both have your locators?” Ty asked her parents.

“We have one,
Dem-Shyr
,” her father said. “The other was in a separate location as a matter of security and we didn’t have time to retrieve it.”

“That’s all right,” Ty said. “You can transition with Ullah.”

Kyra’s pulse raced as Ty arranged them all into the positions for transitioning. She obediently took her spot next to him. Sam stood on her left with her mother on his other side. Her father stood by her mother, and Avana stood between him and Ty. They made a tight circle.

“Stay in position,” Ty ordered.

They all nodded. Kyra’s father placed his hand on her mother’s shoulder just as Ty touched Kyra’s shoulder. Everyone who had a locator device held them with their palms out. Kyra’s eyes widened as they started glowing.

This was it. She was leaving Earth behind.

Her throat went dry. A sudden wave of nausea caught her by surprise. Confusion overtook her. Ty had said this wouldn’t hurt.

Then the world spun. She lost her balance and fell backwards. There was a bright flash of light as her eyes rolled back in her head. Two hands kept her from hitting her head on the pavement. Still, she felt a hard, flat surface beneath her. Guessing she’d made the transition, she opened her eyes to face her new reality.

Ty’s silver gaze met hers. She smiled, happy he hadn’t lied about staying with her, even if he should have told her the truth about the transition not hurting.

“We haven’t transitioned,” he said.

“We haven’t?”

Turning her head slightly, she realized that Sam was also leaning over her. His expression reflected more concern than Ty’s did.

“Is it the poison?” Sam asked.

“I don’t know,” Ty answered.

Strangely, the longer she lay there, the more normal she felt. She pushed herself up into a sitting position. They were, indeed, still beside the warehouse. Blinking to further clear her head, she looked around. Her eyes widened.

“Where are my parents?” she asked.

“They transitioned,” Ty said. “As did Avana.”

She realized that her stumble had prevented her, Ty, and Sam from transitioning. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened. I guess I wasn’t prepared for the nausea and lightheadedness.”

The two guys exchanged glances. She knew then that what she had experienced hadn’t been normal. Was it the poison, like Sam had guessed? If so, why did she feel all right now?

“I’m okay,” she said. “Come on, let’s try again.”

Ty and Sam each took one of her hands and pulled her to her feet. She waited for a wave of dizziness that never came.

“Weird,” she breathed.

“You sure you’re all right?” Sam asked.

“I really am,” she assured him.

Rather than ask about her well-being, Ty took her arm and led her a couple of feet back to her position. It was like he was looking at a brightly lit platform, so precisely did he position them. Kyra appreciated his competent manner and vowed to stand in place until the transition was complete.

Once again, Ty and Sam held their locator devices out. As if in unspoken agreement, they each put a hand on her shoulders. Since she didn’t particularly trust herself, either, she could hardly blame them. Taking a deep breath, she waited for the glow indicating that they were about to be transitioned.

And waited.

And waited.

Nothing happened. After a couple of minutes, Ty and Sam exchanged looks that told Kyra something was wrong.

“What’s happening?” she asked.

“Nothing,” Sam replied with a frown. “That’s the problem.”

“What does that mean?”

Giving her a wry look, he said, “It means that we can’t phone home.”