TWELVE
JASS
SELLARUE
We journey for days. There are no modes of transportation in the sub city, so we walk, winding our way through the narrow tunnels, passing countless Pirians who stare at us with wide-eyed surprise. Off-worlders aren’t common here. Pirius is one of the last bastions of the Commonwealth, one of the few remaining planets still free from Construct control; outsiders are apparently not that welcome or anticipated. There are no drones or robotics, either. Screens mounted into the tunnel systems flicker and strobe, displaying public announcements in a strange glyph type language I can’t read, but aside from that there are very few signs of technology. According to Col, the sand storms that rage for days on the surface of the planet disrupt electronics of any kind, and prevent signals from being sent altogether. I’m not sure if he’s aware of it or not, but this is the only reason any of these people are still alive. The Construct uses highly sensitive instruments to detect advanced civilizations. If any of the fleet’s exploration vessels had found a significant power signature on Pirius, a team would have been sent down here to root out and destroy whatever they found.
As time passes, Col begins to lead us down, the tunnels burrowing deep into the bedrock of the planet. I keep track of where we go, mentally recording each turn and hairpin, making sure I can find my way out of this maze if the need arises. Eventually, we arrive at Sellarue. It isn’t a town, as I might have expected, but a large cavern that opens out, filled with people. The place is bustling, a market of sorts, packed from end to end with stalls and shops that stretch back into alcoves in the rock that borders the perimeter of the cavern. Col is stared at down here less than I am. Some of the Pirians even know his name and greet him as we wind our way through the madness.
Eyes bounce off me, as if the people know I am something not to be observed. As if even glancing in my direction causes them pain in some way.
At the far end of the bazaar, we enter into a dark alcove filled with polished crystals, shining plates made out of silver and gold, along with lamps that seem to burn without the need of fire or external energy source. A tall, slender woman with tattoo-covered hands greets us with a frightened smile. She rushes to the entrance of her shop and draws a pair of curtains, blocking out the hubbub beyond.
“Ayah,” Col says, greeting her. “This is—”
“I know who he is,” she answers quickly. Her eyes are blacker than coal, too large for her face. Her hair is white like all the other Pirians, braided on top of her head. A shard of bone hangs from a chain on her right ear, fragile and small. It looks like it once belonged to some kind of bird. She narrows her eyes at me, interlocking her hands into a knot of long fingers. “Chancellor Pakka sent word. She said we’re not to even mention his name out loud. As far as anyone on Pirius is meant to know, your friend,” she says, tripping over the word, “is a member of the Commonwealth, here to give aid. People have been talking about his arrival.”
Farren said as much. Smart. Without my Construct uniform, I could be anyone. I am human. I could easily be a Commonwealth fighter like Col, come bringing news and goods to trade. It’s strange that Erika would tell Ayah my true identity and not Farren, though. Ayah clears her throat, standing a little straighter. She’s afraid of me, but not as much as she should be. There’s a strength to her that I admire.
“There’s a problem with your next rendezvous point,” she says quietly. “Erika’s recalled you to her sector. She’s asked that you go there directly.”
I feel the immediate tension that coils in Col’s belly. These rendezvous points have been the only thing keeping him alive thus far. “We weren’t meant to meet in the first sector,” he says, shooting me a cautious glance. “I wasn’t supposed to know our end destination until we arrived.”
Ayah twists the bone dangling from ear. “Your final point of contact got cold feet. He didn’t want him anywhere his family. People are flocking to the second sector from outside the sub city, already looking for accomodations for the eclipse celebrations. He refused to put anyone in danger. There was nothing to be done. Erika chose to respect his wishes.”
I don’t even try to hide my smile. “Looks like you’re surplus to requirement now, Pakka. I can probably find my way to the first sector by myself.”
“You’d do well to stick with your guide,” Ayah says sharply. “There’ll be consequences if he doesn’t make it back to his mother.”
Consequences. The idea that I might suffer for killing Col is laughable. I’m intrigued by the woman’s confidence, though. I look into her mind. Her body tenses, her hand stilling on her earring. She doesn’t fight me, though. She allows me to search through her memories, hunting for the information I require. She even helps, forcing it to the front of her mind.
The girl. Reza’s made a bargain. The safe return of Col, and the safety of everyone else here on Pirius. And in exchange, she won’t resist me. She’ll meet with me, of her own volition. If anyone is injured by my hand, she’ll kill herself and that’ll be the end of it.
“She’s assuming a lot,” I say airily. “Why would she think I value her life so much?”
Ayah smiles, and her teeth are a brilliant white. “Come, Mr. Construct. Let’s not play such silly games.”
******
We’re met at the first sector by another chancellor, this time Col’s own mother. She exudes the calm control of a woman used to power and respect. After embracing Col and cupping his face in her hands, smiling up at him, she turns her smile on me, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “I’m very glad you’re here, Jass. I’ve been waiting a long time to meet you.”
This is far from what I expected. There is no subterfuge to her words. Her sincerity is very real, and I find I’m not really sure what to say back to her. After a moment’s thought, I say the obvious. “I’m sure you’re the only person in the sub city who feels that way, Chancellor Pakka.”
She places a hand on my shoulder, benevolence and kindness shining from her—a golden halo only I can see. “As you know by now, the Pirian people haven’t been able to access their visions, but I have an excellent memory. I saw what was going to happen here before I was blinded to the universe. It made me hopeful. I’ve been looking forward to this day for seven cycles.”
She’s still touching me, her hand burning into me like a hot brand. I would be less uncomfortable right now if she were making threats to my life instead of looking at me like I am her own personal savior. “I’m not sure what you saw, but time must have warped your visions, Chancellor.”
“Please. Call me Erika.”
I slowly incline my head. “I’m here for Reza, Erika. Nothing more. Nothing less. She promised me an audience. She also promised me she’d submit herself to me. The moment I discover she wasn’t true to her word—”
“Reza’s an honest person. She keeps her promises. You’ll recall she also swore she’d take her own life if you didn’t conduct yourself civilly. You have no reason to doubt her.”
She’s right. I don’t. The very first time I saw Reza, she was preoccupied with the messy business of dying. I commanded her not to and she obliged, but I saw the resolve in her eyes. I knew she meant it. Didn’t see it as an act of cowardice. It was an act of bravery on her part, where she took control back from the Construct. She’d definitely do it again.
I don’t like the idea of Reza bleeding out from her wrists. I shove the memory of her lying on the grating, her face a mask of death, out of my head entirely. “You don’t seem to have any issue looking at me, Chancellor. I can’t say the same of everyone else down here.”
“Looking into the eye of a storm takes practice. My people aren’t used to the idea of you, Jass. They sense your otherness, even if they don’t know why or who you are. They don’t know how to decipher the chaos. I’ve had plenty of time to study you inside my own head and in my dreams. Our visions are powerful things.”
“And sometimes wrong, I hear.”
Erika isn’t fazed by my comment. Her composure is unsettling. “Not these visions,” she says confidently. “These visions were indelible. A dye already cast, events simply waiting for their time to come to fruition. You’ll see. You’ll learn.” She beams at me, so self-assured, but I catch the flicker of doubt that twists Col’s features. He doesn’t believe as strongly as his mother, no matter what he said to Farren. He might have done before he met me, but now…
“The only thing I need to learn is when I’ll see the girl,” I reply.
Erika nods. “She knows you’re here. She’s been told she can come to you if she wishes. In the meantime, why don’t you rest?”