“Do you understand why we are doing this?” Ghera hid behind a bush looking at the house in the distance. “Does Laird really believe that people are watching what we are doing? Do you think she really cares about any of us?” He moved next to Alin, who was trying to concentrate. “I get that we are going to rescue your brother, but do you really think Orex wants to see Lucan?”
When Alin ignored him, Ghera stood behind Lucan. “What are you still waiting for? They left almost an hour ago.”
Lucan turned slowly and looked at Ghera with obvious disdain. “You know the way back.”
Ghera sneered as he stepped out into the open and toward the house. He pulled a curved dagger that was hanging from his belt and kept moving. Alin looked at Lucan, who angrily hit a tree before following Ghera.
“Do we have a plan?” Alin called quietly to Lucan. “What if there are more Alkaskre in the house?”
Lucan shrugged and pointed at Ghera.
The three met at the front door, where Ghera was standing. He knocked loudly and waited. When there was no answer, he turned the knob and pushed the door open as he glared at Lucan.
“We were wasting our time hiding. No one is even—” Ghera ducked as something whistled over his head.
Lucan rushed in and grabbed a cane from the old man, who was preparing for another swing.
“You know better than to come in here!” The old man stood still and looked at Alin. “You think you can trick me?”
Alin stood in front of the old man. “Alix? Is that you?”
The old man laughed and then began to cry. “You are dead. That’s the only reason you never came.” He stumbled back and sat roughly in a chair. “Why are you doing this?”
Alin knelt beside the chair and stared at the old man. “Alix, it really is me. What happened to you?”
“I lived my life.” Alix touched Alin’s face. “Why didn’t you come sooner?”
“We came as soon as we could. It’s only been days for me. How long have you been here?” Alin wiped away tears.
“More than fifty years, maybe sixty. It doesn’t make any sense, why did they do this to me?” Alix looked at Lucan and Ghera. “None of you have changed.”
“Where is Orex?” Lucan interjected.
Alix sighed. “He died close to ten years ago. I was going through a very bad time then. His remains are in the backyard.”
“You buried him by yourself?” Ghera wondered.
“The only nice thing the Alkaskre ever did was leave his ashes in an urn. It’s in the shadows of the garden out back, where he loved to read.”
Lucan handed Alix his cane as he stood up. They followed closely behind as he began shuffling through the house.
“It’s a real shame we don’t have any more of that medicine Laird gave us,” Alin said to Lucan as they followed Alix. “Do you think it would reverse his aging or just stop him from getting worse?”
Ghera felt a wave of compassion come over him, and he reached for the unused vial Laird gave him.
“It’s a real shame we’ll never know,” Lucan said, patting Alin on the shoulder.
“Real shame.” Ghera tried to look upset when Alin turned.
“I’m sure Laird will know what to do.” Alin nodded and once again followed his brother.
“Laird knows what she’s doing all right. I just wish I knew too,” Ghera mumbled to himself.
When they were all outside, Alix pointed with his cane to the spot, where a gold urn was left in the long grass.
Lucan picked it up and showed it to Alix.
“Are you ready to leave?” Lucan felt a wave of remorse knowing Orex died never seeing his people again.
“What are you doing with that?” Alix asked indignantly. “Put that back.”
“I am going to take it to his world. Don’t you think that is the right thing to do?” Lucan pursed his lips and looked at the others.
“As long as Laird says we have the time,” Alin added. “We need to get my brother back to see if anything can be done.”
“There is another Way nearby, the one the Alkaskre used. We can open it, drop this off, and return to Laird. She doesn’t even have to know until we return.” Lucan could tell that he wasn’t convincing anyone. “Fine, go back, and I’ll catch up.” He shooed the others and walked away to hide his annoyance.
“Wait.” Alix looked at Alin and shrugged. “I guess it would be nice to see where such a good friend was from. One last adventure before people start poking and prodding me.”
“Did you have anything else that you wanted to take?” Alin asked Alix. “Laird wanted us to bring back everything you brought here.”
“There was one thing that Orex had, a book he always had with him. I hid it so the Alkaskre wouldn’t find it. We should return it too, don’t you think?”
Alix looked at Lucan. “Maybe his people would like it.”
Ghera stepped forward. “Where is it?”
“Upstairs there is a room with some other books. In that room, open the closet, and bring the cloak. The book is in the inside pocket.” Alix smiled at Ghera.
“Thank you.” Ghera ran quickly into the house, up the stairs and into the room. He opened the closet and grabbed the cloak. After removing the book from the pocket, he looked through it quickly. “Laird will want this,” he snarled. “I wonder how mad she’ll be if it just disappears.”
Theterm opened his eyes but saw nothing. When he tried to move, he found his wrists were held tightly to whatever he was sitting on, as were his ankles. The room was completely dark and cold.
“Hello,” he called.
“You are awake, good.” The voice seemed distant, probably from a speaker in the room.
“Where is Jory?”
There was laughing and then silence. “I hope he is nowhere near here.”
“Then why am I still restrained?” Theterm heard a hissing noise and felt the pressure release that was keeping him still. “Thank you.”
“You are welcome. I am curious. Can you tell me why Jory wants you dead and why Laird was willing to pay so much to save your life?”
Theterm stood up and put his hands out as he tried to find the edge of the room. “How much time do we have?” He chuckled.
“What does time have to do with it?”
Theterm reached the wall and began feeling around for a way out. “It’s complicated.”
“Then can you make it simple?”
“Can you turn the lights on in this room? Please.”
Light from above flooded in slowly as a piece of the roof slid sideways, revealing a glass dome.
Theterm could see a beautiful blue sky with wispy clouds floating by peacefully. “Where am I?”
“You should not answer a question with more questions. Some consider that rude. Please begin telling me your simplified story.” The speaker hummed softly and then went quiet.
“Jory didn’t always want me dead, but he apparently never really liked me.” Theterm sat back in the chair and watched the clouds.
“Are you trying to lie to me?”
“Laird and I are friends,” he said ignoring the question. “I hope that was simple enough.”
“Too simple.”
Theterm smiled. “Good. Now are you going to answer my questions?”
“I propose a compromise. If you promise to answer my questions truthfully and completely, I will answer yours in a like manner. We can take turns, and you can go first.”
“Fine.” Theterm coughed and stretched. “Who are you?”
“I am not a who, I am a what. Why does Jory hate you?”
Theterm sat up. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“Do you need further clarification?”
“Yes.”
The speaker crackled. “Then wait your turn and ask another question. Why does Jory hate you?”
“I think he is jealous of me, but you’ll have to ask him for sure.” Theterm relaxed again. “Is that complete enough?”
“No, but it is my turn again. In your opinion, what specific rivalry made him jealous?”
“You do not play fair. I guess he thinks I can never do anything right. Although most of what I’ve done would be considered a complete failure, in his mind everything is my fault. What makes him jealous is that other people are willing to help me do better. There was even one that loved me despite my shortcomings.” Theterm sighed.
“It is your turn to ask me a question.”
“With as much detail, I’d like to know what the plans are to return me to Laird.”
There was silence. “That was not a question, so I will not respond.”
“What are the detailed plans for returning me to Laird?” Theterm tapped on the arm of the chair.
“There are no plans for you to be returned to Laird. Why did Laird pay so much money to save your life?”
“I don’t understand your answer. You just told me you don’t plan to return me to Laird, but she paid to save my life?”
“You have done it again. Please refrain from answering a question with a question.”
Theterm stood up. “Stop it!” He moved around the room, looking for some way out. “Let me out of here. Now.”
“Answer my question.”
Theterm pounded his fist on the metal wall. “I do not know why she freed me from Jory, only to trap me here answering question after question. The last time I talked to Laird she—” he stopped and hung his head. “She doesn’t want anyone to know what happened.” He sat down in the chair again.
“Exactly what did Laird pay you to do?”
“Laird did not pay me. The last time you talked to Laird she what?”
Theterm laughed. “I get it now. You aren’t a person, you aren’t even real. You are just taking bits of what you hear and making it sound like conversation. All right, I can get out of this now. Open the door to this room.”
“There is no exit. What did Laird try to do?”
“She tried to kill me. What are all the specific instructions you were given regarding me?”
“I am to give you whatever you want or need within this space. Why did Laird try to kill you?”
Theterm shook his head. “That game is over. I want you to stop asking me questions.” There was a whirring noise and then silence. “Good. I need to know where I am.”
“You are inside a ship.”
“I know that. Where exactly?”
“In a chair.”
Theterm laughed loudly. “I am very good at this myself. I’ve lived my entire life saying things an exact way, so I wasn’t really lying. I was, of course, but others usually found that out later.” He rubbed his chin and looked out at the clouds. “I want to know, is that Storality’s sky I am looking at through the glass?”
“The sky is outside this space.”
“You have to give me what I want, and what I want is information.”
There was a clicking sound and then nothing. “Yes, you are looking at the sky above Storality.
Theterm concentrated and tried to contact Laird. Pain made him weak, and he grabbed the arms of the chair when he felt like he was falling. “I do not want to feel pain like that again.”
“I am not causing it, so I cannot stop it.”
Theterm felt around his head and neck for any bumps or bruises. The machine he was hooked up to earlier let him bond with Laird without trouble, so something else was interfering. “I want to talk to Laird.”
“Laird is not here.”
“She did something, I’m sure, but why?”
“There is insufficient data to answer that.”
Theterm shook his head. “Sorry, I was thinking aloud.” He looked out of the window again. “I would like to see my keep through this window.”
“Please sit in your chair so I can restrain you while we travel.”
Theterm smiled and put his arms and feet in place. He once again felt a pressure keeping him immobile. The ship moved slowly but silently.
“Wake me as soon as we arrive, please.” Theterm closed his eyes and tried to think of how to trick the ship into letting him out.