The Shattered Way (Champions of the Crystal Book 7)

Chapter 15.4

They were both silent for a while, thinking. Scotty ate while he thought; Sabrina picked at her food, trying to do the same. She was grateful for the interruption when her comlink chimed. "Yes?"

"Sabrina," Khediva said. "Would it be convenient for you to come up and speak with us now?"

"You're back? Yes, of course!" Sabrina jerked to her feet, jostling the table.

"I'm coming too!" Scotty insisted hastily, grabbing her hand.

"Bring us both up, please, Khediva," Sabrina said.

An instant later, they were standing on Khediva's control deck. Tirqwin had his back to them, working at a control panel; when he turned, the expression on his face made them both stiffen. Sabrina put her free hand to her mouth but could not stifle an involuntary sob. Scotty squeezed the hand he held, hard.

"No," Sabrina said in a trembling voice.

Tirqwin closed his eyes for a moment, then cleared his throat. "We traced the route the Adventure took from Lthos. We are still analyzing all the data, but it appears that the Way was interrupted by the formation of a new black hole. It would have pulled the ship back into normal space within the event horizon."

Sabrina was shaking all over now. Scotty pushed her down onto the nearest seat and cleared his throat. "But don't things slow down in an event horizon? Isn't there time to—"

"We found nothing but debris," Tirqwin said.

"And did you analyze—" Scotty began.

Tirqwin began to answer, choked, and stopped. It was Khediva who replied, "We did, Scotty. Of course we did. We found material in the debris that we believe came from the Adventure. Though of course it is not possible to be entirely sure." She paused. "Sabrina, my dear. I am so sorry."

Sabrina put her head down on her knees and let out a heart-rending wail that made Scotty wince. "But don't Wayships survive things like this?" he asked.

"Rarely. And the Adventure is not a Wayship," Khediva said. "That kind of emergence can easily be deadly. I believe it possible that they never even knew what was happening after the first shock of emergence. The ship would have been torn apart. It would have been quick."

Scotty looked over at Tirqwin and quickly looked away again, unnerved by the sight of his tears. He suddenly wanted Aurora fiercely; he didn't know how to respond to such searing grief.  Finally he knelt and wrapped his arms around Sabrina as she wept, trying not to think of what it must feel like to lose a spouse or a child. Either, he thought, would surely kill him.

After a moment, Tirqwin came over and sat beside them, putting an arm around Sabrina and reaching out a hand to Scotty. Sabrina fell into Tirqwin's embrace and held on as if her life depended on it; Scotty clasped Tirqwin's hand hard. They remained huddled together for what seemed like a long time.

Finally Scotty said, "Tirqwin, where's Mara?"

Khediva responded, "Maratobia does not accept that Niavar can be dead. She says she would have felt such an event. She is still looking."

"But you don't think she would have?" Scotty asked.

"It would have been quick," Khediva repeated. "And Sabrina felt nothing."

"She was sedated," Scotty said.

"Not so heavily that she could not have felt panic from Niavar, had he time to feel any."

Scotty sighed. "He wouldn't have sent that down the link. He would have wanted to spare her."

"Scotty," Khediva said, sounding very old and very tired, "we would not have come here and brought such grief to Sabrina if we were not certain. The evidence in the Way and in the event horizon is compelling."