Chapter Two

Maxim gave the Meldor a final pat on his side and left the bay where they had secured him for the night. He had gone down to him as soon as he woke, spending the time in the predawn light before anyone else rose connecting with the powerful animal as he fed it. This creature was such a source of conflict for him. It was difficult for him to separate the animal from the horrifying injuries that had been inflicted on Kyven, and yet now that he had spent more time with him, Maxim was building a sense of understanding, as if something within him was connecting to the creature in a stronger way. He could feel the pain and torment that this animal had gone through and the horror of it having to attack and destroy just to survive. As he released the bitterness that he had felt, Maxim was learning to trust and rely on the Meldor, to accept the animal was as much a part of their group as any of the other species that had come together to stand against their common enemy.

He walked back through the ship, weaving his way through the corridors of empty chambers. As he went he let his eyes travel along the walls, taking in the strange buttons, screens, and lights. He knew that there was a time when his kind traveled extensively and that they had some of the most advanced technology in this area of the Universe. In fact, the vehicles that Athan had revealed when they were on Uoria were only a small part of what they had been able to create. Use of the technology had been starkly, aggressively restricted to the point that there were many people within the kingdom who didn’t know that any of the technology existed. What he was seeing within this ship was unlike anything that he had ever seen or heard his father or Athan ever talk about. He didn’t know what the controls did or even how he would begin to operate such a huge ship. It was daunting in a way, but also exhilarating. Just being on this ship felt like he had stepped out of an invisible cage that he had never realized held him. Though he had always known that there was more than the kingdom and even the sections of Uoria that he was permitted to see, Maxim had never spent much time thinking about it. He was fiercely loyal to his people and to leading the type of life that he hoped would have made his father proud had Aegeus been able to watch him grow up. This had been a struggle, a challenge to overcome the reality that he had not been chosen to be in the Order and the hope that he was still fulfilling what his father would have wanted for him.

Seeing all that this ship offered created a strange dichotomy of feelings within him. On one hand he felt suddenly and uncomfortably aware of the constraints that he had experienced throughout his life and how much he was not aware of and had never been able to see or do. On the other, being on this ship and seeing all of the complex technology made him feel released, as though he had broken free and could now accomplish so much more. Though he could never imagine a life that would take him permanently away from Uoria and the kingdom of his childhood, just walking through this ship was filling his heart and mind with imaginings of a world beyond everything that he had ever known and all that he could do if he continued to step beyond the barriers that had held him and discover the opportunities that lay there.

Pyra was standing in the kitchen when Maxim stepped inside. The massive Denynso warrior leader took a long drink of the thick fruit nectar they had found in one of the cooler chests inset into the kitchen wall. After downing nearly the entire glass bottle, he sat it on the counter and looked at Maxim.

“We should get everybody else up and get ready to leave. I’d rather get back to the compound as early as we can.”

Maxim knew that the journey that they had ahead of them was going to be more difficult than the one that brought them to the ship. They weren’t just crossing the desert any longer. Now they were going to have the injured and the pregnant women with them and be concerned not just with making sure that they were able to get through the walk, but also with staying vigilant to ensure that everyone was kept safe as they made their way back to the protection of the compound. It was reassuring to know that the Meldor was with them. Just as he had carried some of the wounded from the battlefield to the compound, Maxim knew that this creature could be instrumental in bringing those who were not strong enough to handle the entire journey on their own to the compound where they would have care, comfort, and protection throughout the rest of the time that they needed to be on Penthos.

They separated and went in opposite directions in the ship so that they could rouse everyone and get them started on their preparations. Though the people left on the ship had no personal belongings with them, there were supplies, tools, and equipment on the ship that they wanted to bring with them so that they would be available in the compound, and they needed to be packed in the most efficient way possible so that they could get them across the hot, oppressive expanse of the planet without slowing them down too much.

Nearly an hour later they reconvened in the main room of the ship, bags, satchels, and crates gathered around the people who stood there in preparation of leaving. Some looked unsure of what they were about to do, their eyes occasionally flicking over to the door as if trying to convince themselves that they were able to step beyond it. Maxim scanned the group, taking count of everyone that they would be bringing with them and devising in his mind the most effective strategy for transporting all of them and the supplies efficiently. When he felt confident that they would be able to handle it, he turned to Pyra.

“We’re ready,” he said. “All we need to do is get Frederick.”

Pyra nodded.

“I still don’t know what we should do with him.”

“We’ll keep him controlled on the way to the compound and then secure him. We’ll figure out from there what we are going to do. Maybe in different circumstances he will be more cooperative.”

Together they walked to the elevator and went up to the floor that held the containment unit. Pyra opened the door and Maxim heard him take a sharp breath in. Assuming that Frederick had been lying in wait and attacked the warrior as soon as the door opened, Maxim took hold of the weapon at his hip and stepped into the room, ready to fight the pilot back into submission. When he got beyond the doorway, however, he found something far more disturbing than a clash between the aging human man and the Denynso warrior.

“He’s gone,” Pyra said, stepping into the center of the room.

Maxim spun around, scanning every corner of the room.

“What do you mean he’s gone? How could he be gone?”

“He’s gone,” Pyra repeated. “He’s not in the unit anymore.”

Maxim felt like his head was spinning. He scoured the unit, looking for anywhere where Frederick might be hiding, but the space was small and nearly barren, containing only a bed that was attached to the floor and a cabinet that was not large enough for a man to climb inside. There was nowhere that he could be hiding. Somehow Frederick had escaped from the containment unit.

“This unit is supposed to be completely secure,” Pyra said, the anger is his voice evident. “The door can’t even open from the inside. How did he possibly get out?”

“I don’t know,” Maxim said. “There are only three of us who even knew what unit he was being kept in it and who could have opened the door.”

“None of us would have let him out,” Pyra said defensively.

“I didn’t say that we did,” Maxim said. “There would be no reason for us to release him.”

“Then how?”

“I don’t know,” Maxim repeated. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

“We need to talk to the others.”

They rushed out of the room and back into the main section of the ship. Pyra gestured at Samira, who climbed through the luggage and crossed the room toward them.

“Samira, have you seen Frederick?” Pyra asked in a hushed tone.

Samira looked between the men with an expression of confusion.

“What do you mean? I thought that you put him somewhere.”

“Have you seen him?” Pyra asked again, more insistently this time.

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I haven’t seen him since last night.”

Maxim nodded.

“Alright. Thank you.”

He gestured at Gyyx, who left Leia’s side and came toward them. Samira walked over to the place where he had stood and leaned down to whisper into Leia’s ear. Maxim could only assume that she was telling the tiny human woman that they had misplaced Frederick, the man who had struck such fear and disgust into their hearts. Leia’s eyes snapped to Maxim and Pyra, but he made no move to confirm anything that Samira might have said. Instead, he looked to Gyyx.

“Frederick is missing,” he said simply.

“He’s missing?” the warrior asked, sounding as horrified as Maxim had felt when looking around the empty containment unit. “How could he have gotten out?”

“We don’t know, but we have to decide what we’re going to do.”

“We have to go,” Pyra said.

Maxim looked at him.

“Go?” he asked.

“Yes. We need to go. We still have these people to think about. We need to get the women, the pregnant women, and the injured back to the compound so that they will be safe.”

“But we need to find Frederick,” Maxim said. “He’s somewhere. He couldn’t have just disappeared, and that means that he’s probably still somewhere here in the ship.”

“Even more reason that we need to get them out,” Pyra said. “Frederick escaped for a reason. No one here is safe. Until we find him and understand what he was talking about, our priority is protecting these people.”

Maxim thought through what he had said and nodded, realizing that Pyra was right. As much as he wanted to find the pilot, he knew that the most important thing that they could do right then was ensure that everyone who had been on the ship was safe. It had been the entire reason that they had crossed the planet and come to the ship and they needed to fulfill that. From there, they could decide what they were going to do about Frederick.

There was a heavy sense of nervousness pressing down around them as the men guided the group out of the ship and gathered them at the base of the stairs. Maxim walked around to the back of the ship to access the hatch of the bay where the Meldor had spent the night. As he released the hatch and opened it, he had a strange feeling settle over him. It occurred to him that that morning when he was roaming the ship, visiting the animal and exploring the corridors on the way back to the kitchen, that Frederick may have been close by, making his way through the ship to either make his escape or plan for his next move. It was an eerie feeling and one that only confirmed further that they needed to complete the rescue that they had intended.

Maxim led the Meldor around the ship to the waiting group. He heard a shocked gasp ripple through them and saw several of them scuttle backwards, trying to get further away from the animal as it approached. Pyra held out his hands as he, too, saw their reaction.

“You’re safe,” he said. “Don’t be afraid. This is the Meldor. I know that some of you may have encountered or heard of him before, but I can assure you, what you think about him is wrong. He is safe and loyal. He’ll help us get back across the desert safely.”

The tension in the air persisted for a few more moments and then started to release. Gyyx stepped forward and swung a thick leather strap over the Meldor’s back, settling it into place so that they could use it to suspend some of the bags on the creature’s sides. The Meldor didn’t react to the weight of the bags, unaffected by the burden even after they piled on three more straps. It was a tremendous show of strength and one that was reassuring to Maxim. He looked at the people who would be crossing with them and selected the ones who looked the most vulnerable.

“They should ride the Meldor,” he said to Pyra. “They aren’t strong enough to handle the walk. Their condition will only worsen, and they’ll slow us down, making all of us more vulnerable if they try.”

Pyra looked at the small group that Maxim indicated and nodded his agreement. He and Gyyx helped the two men and three women onto the Meldor’s back and used further straps to help secure them into place, offering the man in front the reins. Though Maxim would still be able to use the heavy ring on the front of his harness to guide the Meldor if needed, giving the man the reins freed his hands. When they were finally packed and ready, they turned in the direction of the compound. The sun was crawling up the horizon, promising another brutally hot day, and Maxim focused on the splash of rich orange light that it sent across the sand at their feet. Without saying anything else, they started on their way, taking the first steps to put the ship behind them and move toward the compound. In a way it felt like a far more powerful and impactful step than it might have appeared. Taking the group from the ship was almost symbolic, a show that they were not sitting waiting, ready to run at any given second. They were raising up arms and settling in for the fight that they had been promised.