THE KEEPERS RISE

Chapter 14 - Bay for Blood - Part 2

*Remember to click the play button to listen to the soundtrack as you read!*

Iyan had been lying awake for a few minutes, curiously listening to the unfamiliar sounds around him with his eyes still shut. He mostly heard the distant hum of engines, which sounded much fainter than the constant purring machine noise that he had gotten used to on the kathumis mage's ship. A bright white light directly above him invaded his closed eyelids with a harsh glare.

Not wanting to alert anyone that he was conscious, Iyan carefully slipped one hand out from under the thin blanket that had been neatly placed on top of him and rubbed the back of his neck around where he'd felt the slumbug sting him. Either the tiny wound had already healed, or it was too small to feel. Remembering how Powerstones helped to heal injuries, he guessed the former.

The young Keeper's curiosity finally got the better of him, and he tentatively opened his eyes and sat up, staring in vague surprise at the white walls around him. He only had a moment to get his bearings before he heard a snide voice say, "I see I wasn't the only one."

Looking left, he saw Titus sitting on the edge of a cot of his own. "Great observation," Iyan said blankly.

"Where are we, anyway?"

Iyan's nerves returned in full force as his vaya, Volturnus, told them, "You are both in the medical bay of the Light Council flagship. Or, one of them, anyway."

"They know I'm only half kathumis, right?" Iyan stammered, glancing around the room for any signs of Light people. It was empty apart from some assorted medical equipment.

"I assume so, since you're still here!" Titus guffawed. He nearly stood up but then seemed to think better of it, resting his hands on his rumpled blanket unsteadily.

Iyan leaned against the back rail of his bed, staring passively forward and letting the magical lights make bright spots in his vision. Despite knowing that they were safe, he was overcome by what was likely habitual paranoia. I doubt Trycho and Councilor Quin were treated kindly, he thought with a sinking feeling.

We left too quickly for me to know what was done, Vol replied apologetically. I have heard from Cha, however, that Councilor Dameon intends to send them back to the Dark Council rather than deal with them himself.

Iyan sighed. That's better than nothing, right?

Vol expressed wordless agreement. When Iyan's anxiety persisted, however, it intoned, I see you still feel a connection with Councilor Quin.

How could I not? He's a kathumis!

Iyan's head shot to the side when he heard a sliding door open, and Ivy, Pecci, and Lenora stepped in. "It's good to see you awake again," the elf said, watching Iyan shift to dangle his legs over the edge of his cot. "Both of you," she added, looking to Titus as he tried to catch his balance without success.

"Where's everyone else?" Iyan asked.

Pecci shrugged. Will'ym and Ozul were still asleep. I'm not sure about Velda.

After the boys had been briefly filled in on what had occurred since they'd taken control of Quin's ship, Lenora mentioned briskly, "We should head back to the hangar. The ship is probably ready." She strode to the door, glancing behind herself to make sure she was being followed. Ivy helped Iyan up, and Pecci stayed behind for a moment while Titus steadied himself.

Lenora put her hands on her hips as they gathered in the hall, peering back and forth down the ship's length. Her tail was flicking behind her agitatedly, and Iyan sidestepped it to avoid being tripped. "Does anyone remember how to get to the hangar from here?" she said.

Pecci tentatively raised a feathered hand. She was about to take the lead when Ivy suggested, "I should go back for Velda, Will'ym, and Ozul. They didn't get a tour like we did."

It would be silly to make them find their way by themselves, Pecci agreed.

The group headed left, and Ivy went in the opposite direction, saying over her shoulder, "We'll meet you there."

Pecci's sense of direction turned out to be excellent. She skillfully navigated the twisted passages of the ship, and within a few minutes, they had returned to the Light flagship's own veritable miniature spaceport. It was even more impressive from their new outward-facing perspective, though strangely unoccupied considering its expansiveness. A vast banner of Light Continuum space extended in both directions behind the rows of unattended ships, speeders, and cargo transporters. The only thing keeping the hangar's oxygen levels stable was a multilayered shield of Light magic that stretched over the gap, held taut by tiny, evenly spaced magical extruders.

Councilor Quin's ship had been moved some distance away from where it had first landed, but it was easy to pick out among the mostly white vessels and had been given quite a wide berth. The four Keepers weaved through the maze of other vessels and trotted out into the open space around the Dark ship, marveling at it in a way that their weary minds hadn't been able to manage before.

Filled with eager confidence, Iyan started towards the boarding ramp. He stopped short when he heard someone yelp and an unfamiliar, sly voice say, "I wouldn't go much farther if I were you." The kathumis whipped around and was stunned to find Titus with a laser rifle against his head and his hands held behind his back. A human with a red and black uniform and cape was wielding the weapon, and she looked much rougher around the edges than any of the Light officials he'd seen.

In an instant, the empty area around the Dark ship was filled with monstrous, metal-plated ships that looked intimidating but barely a week away from falling to pieces. Each was stamped with a symbol of a red, howling wolf inside a similarly colored open circle, with three black streaks across it reminiscent of claw marks. More humans, and plenty of other humanoids, began to uncloak around the unsuspecting Keepers, all heavily armed and plenty brandishing red magic as well.

Iyan backed away towards Councilor Quin's ship, but a swarm of humans with dangerously thin swords had already gathered to block their way. Looking to Pecci and Lenora for support, he saw that they were as astonished and fearful as he felt. His mouth had gone dry. Ivy! Where are you? he thought desperately, though he knew it was in vain. Even all eight of them couldn't hope to face a fighting force of this fortitude. That didn't mean they shouldn't try, though. Iyan took out his sword and linked his magic to it. "Let Titus go," he said fiercely.

The woman tittered. "That's not the point, darling." She threw the scraithon to the ground, which wasn't difficult considering his precarious state, and pressed the gun into his back. Once completely prostrate in front of her, Titus's panicked breathing was even more obvious. The Powerstone on his wrist had an unusually bright red glow around it that was magically connected to an unseen stone on his aggressor's shoulder. Iyan deduced that his stone had been blocked. Otherwise, he would have already set his attacker ablaze.

Iyan wasn't going to miss the opportunity to stall. "Well, what is the point? Who are you?"

"I'm Red Wolf Admiral Marka Canis, though that doesn't mean much to you, does it, Iyain?" He eyed the admiral confusedly. "That's right, I know who you are. I might know more about you than you do, actually," she smirked. "Please, drop your weapons, Keepers. I don't want to get violent."

Iyan stared her down past the tip of his blade, as shaky as it was. "You might have to."

"All right. Have it your way. Let's get this over with," Marka called, and the red and black mass closed in.