The whole time they made sure to view and experience as much of the city and its populace as they could. Tulak seemed bemused by their strange need to visit what, to him, seemed to be the most mundane places. He indulged them, however, and showed them such sights as the blacksmith’s shop, the marketplace, and the tanner’s, as well as the city’s water supply and the ingenious system of aqueducts that made sure the entire city had access to the fresh water.
Everywhere they went they tried to ignore the fact that, thanks to their arrival in the hands of a ‘goddess’ the entire city seemed just as fascinated by them as Nick and Sophia were with them.
“People keep wanting to touch my hair!” Sophia grumbled after swatting away what seemed the like fiftieth curious and grabby person.
Nick nodded. “I know! Everybody wants to compare skin tones with me. I’m pale! Okay? I get it.”
They spent several hours combing over the city, but eventually night fell and Tulak led them back to the temple where he had prepared accommodations for them.
They entered the massive monolith and were met with a beautiful and massive sanctuary on par with any cathedral, mosque or temple back on Earth. The room was at least seventy feet high, made of a rose colored marble and stained glass windows. The ceiling was adorned with a mural of strange looking birds with bluish white feathers and silver beaks, and antelope-like animals with jewel eyes and golden antlers.
There were amazing stained glass pictures in every window and at the center of It all was a massive stone alter behind which stood a thirty foot tall statue of a woman, which they took to be a representation of Pryvani.
The statues arms were raised and in her hands she held a strange silver disk with a mirror-bright finish.
“What is that?” Nick asked Tulak, pointing at the disk.
“That, my young friend, is the most dangerous artifact we possess. Our Goddess presented it to us many years ago and charged us with its safety. She says that it is the key to the continuation of the entire world.”
Nick blinked. “Wow.”
Tulak nodded. “Yes. It is a heavy burden. But, come, you must be tired. We may speak more of such things in the morning.” He signaled them to follow and he led them to a small side alcove of the sanctuary where mats and blankets awaited them.
*.*.*.*.*
Trell had decided she’d had enough of these stupid cloak and dagger games. She knew where the data was, and it was time to go get it. Her original plan was to somehow get ahold of a human and bully him into pilfering the data from the city for her, a plan which would have taken a while to enact, but would have been much more subtle and leave almost no evidence of her involvement.
Of course, that was before her sister reappeared.
Trell was still seeing red after what her sister said to her. How dare she suggest that the way their family had treated her was her own fault. It wasn’t her fault that Brinn had always been the favorite.
Regardless, Trell had decided that she couldn’t spend the next few weeks “conditioning” a human to do her dirty work if her sister was around to poke her nose into things
She decided that the time for subtlety was over.
Trell hefted her bag of supplies (and her personal belongings, since she knew one way or the other she wouldn’t have a chance to collect them after what was about to happen.) and walked down the corridor. She stopped at one of the public communication terminals that were arrayed along the walls.
Trell took a small device out of her pouch and inserted it into a port in the terminal. A small red light blinked on the device, then turned solid. Trell nodded in satisfaction. The device would remove any evidence of the call she was about to make from the system, and hide the call while she was making it.
After another moment, the face of a brunette woman with tan skin and green eyes appeared on the screen. “What do you need Trell?” She asked.
“I need a ride out of here. I’m going after the data tonight. Here’s what I need you to do…”
Alex looked around the duffle bag. He was among giant articles of clothing, mechanical equipment and other items which he couldn’t identify in the darkness. He just barely had time to find himself a hiding spot before the bag lifted and his immediate surroundings were rocked by the Titaness’ steps.
Trell hoisted the bag onto her shoulder and headed down the corridor towards the portion of the compound that Pryvani claimed as her own. At the entrance to this section was a door with a guard’s station that was manned at all times. She smiled winningly at the young man stationed there, even as she surreptitiously reached into a pouch at her hip and withdrew a thick, stubby tube.
“Hello!” She beamed. “I really need to speak with Pryvani, is she in right now?”
The guard’s eyes widened nervously. “Uh, well, no Trell mam. And even if she were I have strict orders not to let anybody pass without Pryvani present.”
Trell sighed theatrically. “Oh well. I understand. Sorry about this.” Before the guard could react, she shoved the tube in his face and squeezed, causing a cloud of blue gas to erupt from the end of it. The guard gasped in surprise, inhaling the fumes. After about a second, his eyes rolled in his head and he collapsed, unconscious.
Trell checked the man for a pulse, noting that he was still alive.
Stepping over to the door she slid her security pass through the receiver. A loud buzz informed her that she’d been denied access. This didn’t surprise Trell, but it had been worth a try.
There was always the backup plan.
Stepping over to the security station, she opened up an access panel and snipped the wire that activated the alarm if the door was ever tampered with.
Mostly because Trell intended to tamper with it.
She unzipped her bag and dug around inside until she pulled out three items, a heavy pair of gloves, a pair of goggles with dark shaded lenses, and a tool with a long thin flat blade. She donned the gloves and the goggles, picked up the tool and pressed the “on” button on the side of the handle. Within thirty seconds the metal “blade” had heated to white hot intensity. She thrust the inferno-hot blade into the seam that separated the two halves of the door and began cutting away the interlocking teeth that held it shut.
It was a long, laborious process because each tooth had to be cut before the door would open, but eventually she managed to reduce the last one to slag. Then it was a simple matter (relatively speaking) of pushing the door open.
Once inside she quickly headed to Pryvani’s stables (which also had the exit leading to the outside environment of the moon.) and discovered where she kept the gravity dampeners. She donned a set for herself, and then used a small explosive to destroy the rest, ensuring that no other Titan would be able to follow her. (This was assuming Pryvani didn’t have another set stashed somewhere, which Trell doubted.)
She considered saddling one of Pryvani’s beasts and riding into the city, but rejected that idea. She was a terrible rider, and would be able to move faster on foot rather than having to stop every thirty seconds because she’d fallen out of the saddle.
She headed towards the exit. It was night, this worked out well for her, because she might be able to sneak up on the city. The only question was how much damage did she want to inflict?
With a satisfied smile on her face, she headed out into the night. So far this plan was working wonderfully.
It was an uneventful walk towards the city, the gates were closed which Trell figured meant they didn’t know she was coming.
Trell marched right up to the gates and kicked them as hard as she could. They bent slightly, but didn’t fall down. She kicked them again, the crossbar holding them closed splintered. A third kick, powered by her rage, shattered them and sent them sprawling into the street. Curious onlookers had started to gather, staring at her like frightened little rodents in front of a predator.
She grinned, and wished she had more time to play with them, but her ride would be arriving soon. She had decided on the walk over that she wouldn’t go out of her way to cause destruction, but she wouldn’t tiptoe around it either.
“Don’t mind me, I just came to pick something up, then I’ll be on my way.” She heard a crunch and felt something collapse under her boot as she strode into the city. She looked down and discovered she had crushed a wagon full of barrels under her foot. The wine those barrels had contained leaking out from under the sole of her boot.
“Oops.” She giggled, kicking the debris out of her way. “Hope nobody needed that.” She continued walking down the pathway through the city, ignoring the screams of terror as the stupid little creatures at her feet finally figured out she wasn’t there to play nice with them. Occasionally she would feel a bump as something else was decimated under her feet, but she stopped caring what she destroyed. It didn’t matter to her if it was another wagon, a small home, or a human.
She was nearing the temple, which seemed to her the most obvious place for Pryvani to hide the disk. As soon as it came within view she quickened her steps.
There was a guttural shout to her left an suddenly sharp needles of pain erupted along her cheek. She looked and realized a line of humans with bows and arrows appeared on the rooftop beside her. They were beginning to reload and before she could react, they fired another volley into her forehead, just barely missing her eyes.
“You little pests!” She growled and lashed out with her arm, knocking the entire line to the ground with a sickening thud. “You’re lucky I’m in a hurry, or I would rip every limb from your body!” She stomped the ground where they had fallen, then continued her trek towards the temple.
She got another block closer and noticed another line of archers forming. Before they could get a shot off, she kicked at the building they were standing on and shook it enough to cause the entire line to fall, some of them tumbling over the edge of the roof they were standing on.
“Serves you right.” She muttered.
She had almost reached the temple, when a line of men with long spears and hatchets appeared at her feet. Amused, she paused and watched them as they charged at her boots, only to be repelled when the leather of her footwear proved too thick for their weapons to penetrate.
“You scuffed my boots!” She pushed them away contemptuously with the side of her foot and stepped up to the Temple.
It took most of her strength and a few tries, but eventually she was able to rip the roof of the sanctuary. She peered inside the flames from the torches on the wall inside reflected golden light off her face. She was grinning like a child who’d just been given a present.
There, in the center of the temple was the disk. It was being held in the hands of a statue that Trell assumed Pryvani had arrogantly carved in her own likeness. She was just about to reach in and pluck the data disk, when a bold little human stepped in front of it and demanded that she stop.
“Well, well, well.” She smirked in amusement. “If it isn’t the head toy man himself.”
Tulak brandished a ceremonial spear as he faced down the Titaness. “Be gone from here, demon woman! False goddess! In the name of the true goddess, I command you!”
Trell snorted. “Yeah… I’m not taking orders from her anymore. And I’m certainly not taking them from you, Tiny.” She reached into the temple again to take the disk.
“I said be gone!” Tulak thrust his spear, catching Trell between the edge of her glove and the hem of her sleeve. The blade bit into the flesh of her wrist causing a long shallow cut to appear.
“Ouch!” Trell withdrew her hand reflexively. “That actually hurt, you nasty little filth!” She growled angrily and plucked the little priest into her grip before the human could react. His spear fell to the floor with a clatter.
“And now you made me mad.” She snarled as she brought the tiny creature up to eye level. “Too bad for you!” She opened her mouth and raised the struggling human above it, the corners widening in a hungry grin.
“Trell stop!”
She jumped, surprised at being addressed by name, and looked around for another Titan. After a moment she looked down into the temple and found the source of the voice.
“Oh!” She grinned. “If it isn’t Brinn’s little doll man. And look, you’ve got that idiot Zara’s little pet with you. How cute.” She raised the human in her hand above her face again. “Just be patient, I’ll be with you in a moment.”
She licked her lips as she turned her eyes to the doomed high priest. “Do me a favor, Bite-size, struggle all you can when you get to my stomach, okay? And do try and stay out of my intestines for as long as you can… I want to enjoy this as much as possible.”
Without further comment, and while the two humans below looked on with horror, she released her grip on the priest and swallowed him as soon as he fell to the back of her throat.
“Pity.” She muttered, licking her lips. “I didn’t really get a chance to taste him. Oh well, I’ll be able to take my time with you two, won’t I?”
She leaned down and reached into the temple again.
*.*.*.*.*.*
Pryvani awoke suddenly as the Comm unit next to her bed crackled to life and Rixie’s voice flowed into the room from the speakers.
“Pryvani, I’m getting an emergency alarm. It’s coded a priority one, from… the temple?”
The heiress sat bolt upright as the other woman’s words penetrated her sleep addled brain, jolting her into full wakefulness.
She pressed the call button on the unit. “The temple? You’re sure?”
“Absolutely.”
“I’m on my way!” She leaped from her bed and, barely taking the time to grab a robe from a hanger on the door, sped out of her sleeping area and through the compound until she reached the main security control area.
“Let me see the alert!” She pushed her way towards Rixie’s station, not even bothering to greet the ther woman when she entered.
“Right here.” Rixie pointed to the alert that was blinking red on her screen.
Pryvani stared at the message in disbelief for a moment. “This is bad. Someone’s activated the alarm on the temple building. Someone’s attacked Atlantis.”
Rixie’s eyes widened. “Should I get a team out there?”
Pryvani shook her head. “No time. I have a better idea. Activate the security drones. Let’s see who’s decided to trespass.” Although, needless to say, she already had a better than good idea who it was.
“Deploying security drones now; E.T.A is less than two minutes.” Rixie’s fingers flew across the control pad as she maneuvered the three drones into a flight path towards Atlantis. After a few seconds, three windows appeared on her monitor that showed the views from the drones’ onboard navigation cameras.
Pryvani appeared behind Rixie a moment later and leaned over her shoulder so she could see the monitor.
“Activate their holographic shells” She told Rixie, pointing to one of the command controls on the keypad.
“What for?” The soldier wondered absently as she focused on piloting the three drones.
“It will give them the image of a Frostbird. It’s a sign to the people in Atlantis that I’m trying to help them.”
Rixie sighed, but complied with the other woman’s wish. After all, Rixie could see the wisdom in doing everything they could to calm the people caught in the middle of this attack. She pressed the button and after a second, each of the drones shimmered and was replaced with the image of a bird with ice blue feathers and a razor sharp beak and talons. Each drone was about half the size of a Titan.
“There she is!” Pryvani pointed at the screen. “It’s Trell, just as I thought.”
Trell was standing in the middle of the city square, reaching down into the hole in the temple roof. After a moment, her arm withdrew and they both could see that she had a data disk in her hand, as well as two struggling humans.
“I think those are the humans the research team was using to scout the city.” Pryvani muttered as she peered at the screen.
“I don’t suppose these things have any lethal armaments do they?” Rixie asked as the drones closed in on their target.
Pryvani shook her head, “No. They were built to subdue, not kill.”
“Well, that’s unfortunate.” Rixie muttered savagely. “Have to deal with what we have though. Engaging the target.” She executed a string of commands to the drones. After a second the drones opened fire, unloading several rounds of electroshock ammunition into the other woman.
They watched as Trell staggered but didn’t fall. “Damn!” Rixie muttered as she watched the sparks explode on Trell’s back. “She’s a lot tougher than she looks.”
“It got her attention though!” Pryvani cried. “She’s leaving the city! Stay with her!” The images on the monitor spun crazily as the three drones wheeled around in order to continue pursuing the blonde Titaness as she fled into the wilderness.
“I’ve got her!” Rixie growled as she unleashed a second wave of the electroshock guns. Most of the projectiles ricocheted off the trees around Trell, but a few hit home. Trell staggered and screamed again. Suddenly she whirled around and there was a flash of light. One of the drones spun out of control and crashed to the ground, its viewer turning to static.
“Well.” Rixie muttered as she resumed control of the two remaining drones. “I see she has lethal weapons.”
“Wait a minute, where did she go?” Pryvani and Rixie scanned their monitors, but there didn’t seem to be any sight of Trell.
Rixie swore again. “I must have lost sight of her when she blew up that drone.”
“You have to find her again, Rixie!”
“I’m trying!” Rixie growled in frustration. “I just need to…” Suddenly there was an urgent beeping sound from her station, and a fourth window popped up on her screen.
“Unknown craft entering the moon’s atmosphere!” Rixie cried in alarm.
“What? How?” Pryvani turned her attention to this new window. “How did it get past Valhalla’s sensors?”
Rixie studied the sensor readouts on the screen, even as she continued flying the drones in a search pattern, looking for Trell. “My guess is they had a sensor cloak, and a good one at that. I think Trell has a ride coming.”
Pryvani turned to another control station and began typing commands into its interface. “I’m ordering Valhalla to deploy its security patrol ships!”
“Acknowledged. I just hope they can move fast enough.”
Rixie turned her attention back to the drone cameras. “Found her!” Trell’s image appeared on the two images again. She had stopped in a clearing and donned a crash helmet that covered her entire head. As they watched she reached into her bag and pulled what looked like a long thin tube and attached it to her hips with a thick strap.
“She’s got a skyline!” Pryvani gasped, pointing at the screen. “You have to stop her.”
“She’s too far away.” Rixie grumbled through gritted teeth. “It took too long to find her again.” Rixie glanced at the edge of the monitor and watched as the blip that represented the incoming ship converged on Trell’s location.
As they watched, Trell aimed her contraption straight up, and a huge cloud of gas erupted from the end of it. There was a pregnant pause for a second, and then Trell suddenly vanished from the image. Rixie angled the camera up, just in time for the two of them to catch a glimpse of Trell hanging from a thin wire from the underbelly of the interloper ship. In another second, a hatch opened on the ship, and Trell was pulled inside.
“Where are those fighters from the station?” Rixie asked
Pryvani shook her head. “Too far away. They’ll never get within range in time.” She was beginning to sound desperate. “Can you track the ship’s course?” The heiress gripped Rixie’s shoulder tightly, as she scanned the various inputs on Rixie’s monitors.
“There are dozens of ships that pass through this system on a daily basis, Pryvani. There’s no possible way I’ll be able to pick out which energy trail belongs to this particular ship! There’s too much background radiation.”
“She’s going to get away…” Pryvani’s eyes were wide in shock.
Rixie turned away from her monitor, the full weight of what just occurred, beginning to hit her. “Pryvani… Tell me you accounted for this. Tell me that that disk in the temple was just a ruse and the real data is … I don’t know; on a chain around your neck, or something.”
Pryvani collapsed into her chair, eyes downcast; she held her head in her hands. “No. That would have been a good idea though.” She laughed mirthlessly. “I wish I’d thought of it.”
She shook her head, ruefully. “I… I never thought she’d do that. Her entire mode of operation up to this point has been one of stealth and subterfuge. She’d never shown any violent tenancies before. This… this is entirely my fault. I misjudged the depth of the hatred she had for her sister. By bringing Brinn here, I forced Trell’s hand.”
Rixie stood and placed her hands on Pryvani’s shoulders. “Come on Pryvani: think. There’s got to be something we can do. If we don’t, if we fail, those two humans will be just the first in a long line of casualties.”
Pryvani’s head shot up suddenly. “Wait. Say that again.”
“I said those two humans are going to be the first-“
“Of course!” She stood up suddenly, grabbing Rixie’s shoulder and dragging her along. “We have to go talk to Brinn and Zara. Pray that they are good, law abiding pet owners!”
*.*.*.*.*.*
Zara and the rest of the research team watched the footage of Trell’s attack that had been captured on Nick and Sophia’s hidden cameras. Brinn had tears brimming in her eyes as she watched the evil that her sister had wrought.
“Oh Trell…” she moaned. “How could you do this?”
Suddenly the door burst open and Pryvani and her chief of security came bursting through the door.
“What’s going on here?” Zara asked as she rose to her feet. “Where has Trell taken Sophia and Nick?”
Pryvani ignored the question, but glanced at the footage they were watching. “Good, you already know what’s happened. Tell me: Did Nick or Sophia have tracking chips implanted?”
Zara still looked confused. “Yes… they both did, but I don’t see how that’s impor-“
“Good. I need you to activate one. Both if possible.”
Brinn’s eyes widened. “You want to track Trell using the signal from their locators?” She chewed her lip contemplatively. “But there’s no way you’d be able to pick up the signal.”
Pryvani grinned “You can when you have the best long range sensors money can buy.” She tapped a few keys on the data pad in her hand. “Which I do.”
Rixie nodded as the two of them activated their pets’ tracking beacons. “Good. Pryvani, I’ll get your ship ready. If we leave now, we have a chance of over taking them.”
Pryvani shifted uncomfortably. “Maybe… Maybe I should stay here. Atlantis… I need to be there for them.”
“We can take care of it for you.” Zara volunteered. “Your place is on that ship, following Trell.”
“Well, but…”
Zara rolled her eyes. “I think it’s a little late for your ‘no other Titan interaction policy.’ Trell’s stunt threw that out the window.”
Pryvanni nodded. “You’re right. After we get underway, I’ll send them a sign that you’re there to help.”
Brinn stood. “I’m coming with you when you go after Trell.”
Rixie shook her head. “Absolutely not. You’re a civilian, and this is company business.”
“She’s my sister!” Brinn responded hotly. “No matter what she’s done she’s still… my sister…”
Pryvani sighed. “It’s okay Rixie. She’s right. Let her come.”
Rixie shrugged. “It’s your ship.”
*.*.*.*.*
Pryvani paced the floor of the office she had aboard her ship. They were underway, they had a heading, they were keeping pace with Trell’s ship, (although whether they’d be able to catch up with her was still up in the air…) but she was still worried. The stakes were too high and she’d been a fool this entire time. She had basically outsmarted herself.
She sat at her desk and turned on the monitor. She used the ship’s communication device to call Zara and Taron back on Avalon. After a moment the office’s holographic display clicked on and a three-dimensional image of Zara’s face appeared in the space in front of her desk.
“What’s the situation back there, Zara?” she asked, doing her best to keep the apprehension out of her voice.
“Not good. When Trell broke into your personal area, she trashed all of the gravity dampeners. Taron thinks he can put enough of them into working order to allow us to leave the compound safely… but it’s going to take some time.”
Pryvani sighed, but nodded. “I understand. I’ve sent messages to the city in an effort to calm the populace… but try and hurry. They’re very confused.”
Zara smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry; we’re doing all that we can.”
“I know.” She severed the link with a resigned sigh. What she really needed at that moment was a way to be in two places at once. Unfortunately, even for a Titan that was impossible.
She drummed her fingers on her desktop.
Finally, she sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. There was only one helpful thing she could do until the caught up with Trell’s ship. She opened up the communicator again and established another connection. Not to Avalon this time, however. It took quite a while for the connection to finally be opened. Considering who she was calling, Pryvani suspected the wait was probably deliberate.
Finally, the holographic projectors clicked on and an image of a woman seated behind a desk faded into view. Pryvani stared at the other woman for a moment. Her hologram projectors were so good, it looked as if the woman and her desk had suddenly appeared out of thin air.
Syon Fand, Trell’s true employer and the mastermind behind this entire ordeal, gazed across the distance that separated them. When she finally saw Pryvani, a bright- but poisonous- smile lit up her face. “Pryvani!” She gushed. “How lovely to hear from you, darling!”
Pryvani leaned forward in her chair and folded her hands upon her desk. She kept her face bland and her expression neutral. She didn’t want to expose any weaknesses to this woman that could be exploited.
“Hello mother.”
*.*.*.*.*
Trell gasped as the crash helmet was pulled off of her head. That had not been a fun ride, and if she never had to do it again, it would be too soon. She sat on the floor of the ship, breathing heavily. Her entire body was sore from being jerked off the ground at high speed, and then shot into the air on a zip line. She was dizzy, and nauseous. …but she’d gotten away.
A hand appeared in her vision and she shakily took it in her own grip. She was pulled, slowly, to her feet. Her knees wobbled for a moment, but then she was able to stand normally. She began removing the gravity dampeners, letting each one fall to the ground as she did so.
“What’s our status?” She asked the brunette woman, one of the pilots of the cruiser that had plucked her from the moon’s surface.
“We expect pursuit within minutes, but if we can get free of the solar system, I don’t think they’ll be able to isolate our energy trail from all the background radiation left by the commerce vessels.”
Trell smiled. “Excellent.” She dug a hand into her hip pouch and withdrew her three prizes. She was pleased to see the two humans had survived. They were both unconscious, but otherwise looked unharmed, except for some possible bruising. This was all to the good as far as Trell was concerned. She didn’t want their deaths to be that easy.
She hefted her bag and left to find a room on the ship that was a bit more… private.
Alex, on the other hand, was wishing that he was dead. The forces of gravity during Trell’s escape had hit him so suddenly that he’d blacked out, although he didn’t know for how long. He awoke in a puddle of his own vomit at the bottom of Trell’s duffle bag. He’d been buried under a load of equipment and now found his leg trapped. Fortunately, he was laying on something soft, and apart from not being able to move (both from soreness and from being pinned) he was relatively comfortable.
He knew he had to get out of there soon, he didn’t want Trell finding him under the best of conditions, and certainly not now.
Of course, that was easier said than done.
*.*.*.*.*.*
Pryvani stared across the room at the image of her mother, the one woman she most hated in the world. Syon Fand. As far as the public was concerned she was nothing more than the poor widow who took her share of her late husband’s fortune and turned into a vast entertainment and media empire. The public saw her as a tragic success story of a woman who made the best with what she had.
Pryvani knew better.
“To what do I owe this unexpected communication from you, dear?” The older woman folded her arms on her desk and leaned back casually in her chair.
Pryvani blinked, but otherwise her face remained expressionless. “You know why I’ve called.”
Syon grinned and tapped her perfectly manicured fingernails against her desk. “Ah yes, those ‘top secret’ plans your company has been working on. Trell’s finally managed to abscond with them, and now, what? You’re going to beg me for them?”
Pryvani’s eyes hardened, but otherwise she showed no reaction. “Hardly. We’re currently in pursuit of Trell’s ship and we’ll overtake her within a few hours.”
Syon shook her head. “I doubt that. Her ship is, literally, the fastest money can buy. I do believe it outstrips the one you’re puttering around in by a good margin.”
“Why are you doing this, Mother?”
“Because those plans and every other part of your little ‘company’ are mine by rights.” Syon snarled slamming her hand down on her desk.
Pryvani remained impassive in the face of her mother’s rage. “You broke the terms of the prenuptial agreement. You should be grateful Father left you anything in his will. Especially considering the circumstances of his death…”
Syon regained her composure. “Now, now sweetie; don’t go making any accusations you can’t prove.”
“I didn’t accuse you of anything.” Pryvani smirked. “I was merely remarking on what a generous man my father was, leaving you as much as he did after you broke his heart and spat in his face.”
The older woman shrugged her shoulders. “Your father was a sentimental and foolish man, and the universe is a hard and cruel place.”
“Yes. Especially when you’re betrayed by those you think you can trust.”
Pryvani knew Syon was probing for weaknesses, but unfortunately for her- the memory of Pryvani’s father was a wound that had scarred over long ago. There would be no picking at that mental scab.
It was barely detectable, but Pryvani noticed a flash of disappointment in Syon’s eyes when her daughter didn’t rise to the bait. It was there, just for a moment, and then was gone.
“Well, darling. It was lovely to chat with you, but I’m afraid I’m expecting a delivery soon. So I really must go.”
Pryvani nodded. “I hope you won’t be too disappointed when that delivery doesn’t arrive on schedule.”
She cut the connection between them.
After a moment, she pushed herself away from the desk and left the room to enter the cockpit of the ship, where Brinn and Rixie were seated at the controls.
“What’s our status?”
“Same as it was before.” Rixie replied with an edge of frustration in her voice. “We haven’t lost them, but we’re not gaining on them either.”
Pryvani nodded. “Just keep on them for now. Gain as much on them as you can, however you can. Whatever you do- don’t lose them.”
*.*.*.*.*.*
Nick opened his eyes with a groan. His vision was blurry and his head hurt like hell. Where was he? The last thing he could clearly remember was Trell, Brinn’s sister… and Tulak…
“Oh my god.” He remembered watching Tulak drop into Trell’s mouth and then…
He suddenly felt very sick.
He looked around, but he wasn’t in the temple anymore. His surroundings were very unfamiliar. It looked something like the ship that Brinn had first awoken him on, but something felt… odd.
And where was Sophia anyway?
“Well, look who decided to wake up and play!” Something moved at the edge of his vision. Suddenly Trell’s face was looming right above him, a confident and superior smile on her face, with a twisted look in her eyes.
“Trell! What’s going on? What have you done with Sophia?”
“Oh she’s fine… for now. She’s still unconscious. I’m not too worried about her right now though… you’re the one I want to play with.”
Her hand reached for him.