Chapter Ten

Ivy had to concentrate on each step that she made as she followed Mhavrych and Ellora. They had left the kingdom and were walking across the large open space that had hosted the army training. She didn’t understand where they were going or what they were doing, and was starting to get nervous. Though she was willing to go along with what Mhavrych asked of her if it gave her hope that she would soon be with Maxim and that he would be able to be with her as she gave birth to their child, it seemed that they were getting further and further from the safety that she wanted.

She was still struggling to accept that she was truly in labor. This was something that she hadn’t thought would come for several more weeks and she had hoped that by the time the day of her baby’s birth came, all would have been resolved and she would be able to experience a gentle, peaceful birth that would welcome her baby into a world that was welcoming and calm rather than uncertain and chaotic. Now, though, there was nothing more that she could do. This was the time that the baby had chosen, and she could do nothing more to create the world that she wanted for it. All that she could do was trust her body to bring the baby into its life safely and then her arms to protect it from that first breath.

They continued on through the field until Mhavrych suddenly turned and started in a direction that she had never gone. He was moving faster and faster, and Ivy worried that if he continued increasing his pace she wouldn’t be able to keep up with him. The hope that she had been holding within her was starting to fade as they moved further into a section of the planet that she had never seen and that felt strange and unfamiliar to her. It occurred to her strongly in that moment that she didn’t know anything about the man that they were following. She didn’t know who he was or why he was there, and yet they had fallen into step behind him and were allowing him to guide them wherever he pleased. It was an unnerving thought and she scurried a few steps ahead to get close to Ellora.

“When are we going to stop?” she asked.

“Stop?” Ellora asked.

She looked ahead to Mhavrych who had pulled out in front of them slightly and was continuing on with little regard to whether they were close to him or not.

“So that he can get Maxim,” Ivy explained. “Aren’t we going to find a place for me to be so that Mhavrych can get Maxim and then we can go back to the kingdom?”

“No,” Ellora said. “We aren’t going back to the kingdom tonight. We’re going to Penthos.”

Ivy felt like the breath was taken from her lungs. She could barely fathom what Ellora had just said. Penthos? How was that possible? She felt new fear trailing down her spine, but she couldn’t say anything else. She had promised Mhavrych that she wouldn’t ask any questions as they made their way. She was concerned that if she went against that promise he would stop and not bring them the rest of the way.

They soon found themselves walking into a thick stretch of trees that made darkness close around them. It was difficult to see Mhavrych ahead of them and Ivy strained to hear the sound of his footsteps so that she could follow them. As they continued on she started to feel new worry about giving birth, especially the thought of not delivering on Uoria. She didn’t know what to expect, but at least on Uoria she would have the midwife to help her through. Though Ellora had said that they were going to Penthos and not returning to the kingdom, Ivy could only hope that they would change her mind and that they would be able to find Maxim and bring him back to the kingdom.

****

Maxim flipped over onto his back and stared at the ceiling. He didn’t know how long he had been struggling to sleep, but he knew that he had gotten only brief periods of rest since he had laid down in the same pod where he had slept the first time that he had been in the ship. Each time that he had fallen asleep he had snapped back awake only moments later, his mind racing with thoughts about Frederick and the ship around him. He felt like the vessel itself was taunting him, like it knew the secrets that it held and was tormenting him with them. The questions rushing through his mind left him feeling like he couldn’t breathe and his entire body buzzing with the last vestiges of energy that his muscles were dragging out of him so that he couldn’t relax.

He felt disadvantaged when he thought of the situation with Frederick. He had never met the pilot, leaving him looking for someone and trying to understand something that he didn’t know anything about. After changing positions several more times and not being able to rest, Maxim decided that he was wasting time with his restlessness. He climbed out of the bed and dressed, deciding that he would do a little more exploration to assuage his mind and relax his body. As he made his way through the dimmed ship, he noted the differences between this ship and the one that he had ridden that brought him to Penthos. He could understand now why Avery had been hesitant to offer his assistance, claiming that he didn’t know enough about this ship. If he had spent the majority of his time on the ship that he was piloting when it was redirected to Penthos or ships similar to that one, he wouldn’t be familiar with all of the features of this one. In even just the few moments that he had been exploring it, he had identified several differences that were somewhat disorienting when he tried to compare them directly to the first ship.

Maxim found his way back to the main gathering room of the ship and looked at the door. Though he knew that it was incredibly dangerous, he couldn’t deny the draw of going outside and doing a more thorough exploration. Alone and with at least the small amount of rest that he had gotten strengthening him, Maxim hoped that he would be able to identify something that they hadn’t seen when they first approached the ship.

He input the code into the keypad and listened to the door’s locks release. The air outside was mercifully cooler now that night had fully set in and Maxim took his time as he walked down the steps into the sand. Understanding the threat that existed around them, he input the command for the steps to withdraw back into the ship, providing more protection to the men still inside. He walked around the ship, examining it carefully as he ran his hand along the still sun-warm metal in an effort to find any anomalies that might give some indication of what happened to Frederick. When he returned the front of the ship, discouraged that he had found nothing, Maxim didn’t know what to do next. He didn’t want to just go back inside. He thought about the first time that he had explored Penthos and the moments of panic when he realized that Kyven was missing. This thought reminded him of the quarry where he had gone to rescue his brother.

Though the quarry where Kyven had been was closer to the compound, Maxim thought that it couldn’t be the only one on the planet. There had to be another quarry or something similar in this area, and if there was, it would offer Frederick, or anyone else, an ideal place to hide. Taking another lightstick from the small bag that he had brought out with him, Maxim took a breath and started away from the safety of the ship into the dark unknown of the desert beyond.