“Sedaya’s dead,” I said, my expression losing all traces of levity. “His essence, his likeness has been appropriated by an Aleal named Blorb. He’s the one who launched the attacks on the Quad. He’s the one running the show in this installation. And while I don’t think he wants to eradicate humankind, he does want to subjugate us to his species’ control. His control. It doesn’t matter which evil you’re helping. You’ve still been aiding and abetting, and using your son as nothing more than a tool to do it.”

  She looked away again, her lips pressed tightly together, her eyes tearing up as she returned her attention to David. “ I was only trying to protect you. To ensure your survival and the survival of our descendants well into the future.”

  “I don’t understand,” David said. “How does giving Sedaya more power help with that?”

  “It’s not about Sedaya,” I told him. “It’s about Sucaath.”

  “I still don’t understand,” David said, his voice cracking.

  “Sucaath is a member of a powerful race,” David’s mother explained. “One with the potential to destroy humankind. His kind has been locked in a stalemate with another equally powerful race for thousands of years. Sigiltech could shift that balance of power enough for his kind to win.”

  “And that helps us how?” David asked.

  “We have an agreement with Sucaath. We provide him with the archons and sigils he needs to win, and in return, humankind remains untouched for at least ten thousand years.”

  “Sedaya claimed to be in on the arrangement,” I elaborated. “Only he decided to keep the sigils and the archons for himself, and use them against the Hegemony. He figured Sucaath wouldn’t be able to attack the Spiral if we had enough sigiltech wizards. Except I don’t think there are enough genetically compatible humans to protect the entire galaxy. In any case, his pet alien assassin decided he wanted to be in charge and ate him.”

  “This is all very confusing,” David said.

  “The bottom line is not to negotiate with individuals with bad intent. They’ll stab you in the back the first chance they get. Your mother—”

  “My name is Ayane,” she interrupted.

  “Ayane here had you making sigils for Sucaath to fulfill her deal with him even though it meant giving Sedaya, now Blorb, enough power to take over the Spiral. Two wrongs don’t make a right.”

  “I think I get it,” David said, looking at his mother. “Maybe you thought you were doing the right thing for me. And I can’t be mad at you if you had good intentions. But if what Ben says is true—”

  “Go outside and count the dead Royal Marines,” Quasar said. “And then question whether or not it’s true.”

  David’s face paled again. “We have to help him stop this. Now.”

  “David—” Ayane said, as if to argue.

  “No. You had your chance. Two chances, actually. Ben’s never lied to me, and I’m sure he isn’t lying now. You can either come with us and help, or stay here by yourself. But if you stay, I’m not giving you another chance.”

  Ayane pursed her lips, slightly angered and embarrassed by the way David was talking to her. I was proud of him for sticking up for himself. And for me.

  “Fine,” she said. “We’ll do it your way. But if the Relyeh come and destroy the Spiral on their way to Earth, it’s on your head.” She thrust her finger at me, making sure everyone knew who to blame.

  “I’m okay with that,” I said. “Zar, did you find Grizz’s wife and children?”

  “No. Sorry, Cap. This place is old. No cameras, no sensors, not even any door locks. Sashkur must have really trusted the people who worked here. If we’re going to find them, we’ll need to search the place.”

  “Wonderful,” I replied sarcastically. “At least there isn’t an army out there.”

  “We can take ‘em, Boo,” Emerald said. “We have another wizard and a witch with us now.”

  “Who are you calling a witch?” Ayane said.

  “You,” Emerald answered with her sweetest smile.

  “Em, stand down,” I said. “Ayane, we’re looking for an elderly woman and her two grown children. They’re the immediate family of one of my crew members, and Blorb is holding them hostage here. Do you know anything about that?”

  She shook her head. “No. I haven’t seen anyone like you describe. Mostly just soldiers that Sedaya said were here for our protection.”

  “It was to keep me from getting to you. Like Quasar said, a lot of Royal Marines died so we could get you away from Blorb.”

  “That’s not good enough,” Ayane said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “They have catalyst here. A lot of catalyst. They’ve been making more sigiltech devices than they could ever use. Planning for the future. If we leave it here, under their control…” She trailed off. “Well, you get my drift.”

  “What do you suggest?” I asked. “We don’t have a way to destroy it all.”

  “We don’t need to destroy it. We can bury it.” She pointed to the collapsed wall. “The facility is unstable. Many portions of it are in ruins. They installed braces and supports to help prevent the rest of it from coming down in the event of another earthquake. Between the three of us, we should be able to destroy the braces and shake the ground enough to finish the job.”

  “You’d better stop talking,” Emerald said. “I might start to like you.”

  “Do you know the layout of the facility?” I asked.

  “I’m not allowed into every section, but I am familiar with some.” She paused. “Actually, a few days ago, I saw one of the soldiers leaving the mess with three trays. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but perhaps they were for the people you’re seeking. They went into the southern expansion. I’m not permitted there.”

  “That’s as good a lead as any,” I said. “I assume you can lead us there?”

  “I could, but I have another task. I can still freely move through parts of the facility. I’ll prepare the braces there.”

  “No,” David said. “Mom, we should stick together.”

  “For this to work, we need to damage all the braces. It will be much more time consuming for us to reach them all as a group.”

  “And what are the odds that you’ll sound the alarm as soon as you’re out of sight?” I asked.

  “So the soldiers can shoot my son? Don’t be stupid. I’ve made many mistakes, but that’s not one I’m going to make. If I’m to keep him alive, it’s my time to atone for what I’ve done.”

  I nodded. “Okay. What about defenses? We took out two Gilded outside. Are there any more?”

  “Part of this facility is an academy for training archons. What do you think?”

  “Shit. How many are we talking about?”

  “At least one more Gilded and fifteen students.”

  “How capable are the students?”

  “Two or three can do some damage, but they’re not of your ability. The corridors are narrow, so the number of soldiers who can attack at one time is limited. And they’ll be concerned about the braces and the stability of the facility, so they’re bound to be more cautious. When you leave this room, go to the right. Take it to the end of the corridor and turn right again. At the second passageway, turn left. You’ll go past the mess hall and directly to the southern expansion.”

  “Shaq, do you have that?” I asked. He was still sitting on David’s shoulder, but he had started licking his dirty claws instead of threatening to bite. He lifted his head.

  “Mmmhmmm. Right, right, second left.”

  “Bingo!” I said.

  “Give me a two minute head start,” Ayane said. I nodded, and she turned toward the door.

  “Mom,” David said, crossing over to her. Shaq used the opportunity to hop from his shoulder to mine as he passed me. Ayane turned back to David, and he threw his arms around her. “Be careful. I love you.”

  “I love you too, David,” she replied. “I’m sorry for all the bad choices I’ve made. I’m sorry I deceived you.”

  “It doesn’t matter now,” he said, backing away from her. He pinched his new ring between his thumb and forefinger to pull it off his finger. “Here. I showed you what this one does. It might come in handy.”

  “No. You keep it,” she said. “You may need it.” She put her hand on his cheek. “I’m proud of you, David. I always have been, and I always will be.”

  He blushed, tears in his eyes. “Thank you, Mother.”

  She looked at me again. “Two minutes.” This time, she made it out the door.

  I had the distinct impression she didn’t expect to return to us or ever see her son again.

  CHAPTER 28

  “Hey! What are you doing?” David snapped, turning and rushing toward Quasar. She had ripped the wires from his laptop and dropped the computer onto the hard floor.

  “Zar?” I questioned, equally confused by the action. “What the hell?”

  “I know how you feel about sigiltech, Cap,” she replied, swinging her rifle toward David and stopping him in his tracks. She didn’t take her eyes off him as she continued talking to me. “But Ayane’s right. Anything with the power to hurt or heal will inevitably be used to hurt more than heal. I think enough people have been hurt already.” She slammed her heel down on the machine, crushing it beneath her boot.

  “No!” David screamed, balling his hands into fists. “I spent half of my entire life on that!”

  “And where did it get you, David?” she replied. “Where did it get anyone? When Sashkur created sigiltech, it sparked a war. When Sedaya and you brought it back to the Spiral, what happened? Oh, that’s right. It sparked another war. The universe is better off without sigiltech.” She pointed the rifle at the computer.

  “Ben!” David pleaded. “Stop her. Please!”

  I locked eyes with Quasar. She didn’t shoot right away, waiting to see if I would order her to stop. I could come up with a few reasons why she shouldn’t destroy David’s work. And yeah, potentially finding another way to cure my cancer was one of them. But the reality of my experience with sigiltech made it a lot harder to maintain the same optimism for its potential benefits. Cynical, maybe, but at this point, I was having trouble seeing how the technology could ever do more good than harm.

  “David, I’m sorry,” I said.

  Quasar sent two energy blasts into the computer, reducing it to a pile of ash.

  “Good riddance,” Emerald said from beside me.

  David didn’t cry out. He laughed instead, holding up his reverse ring. “It’s fine. I can fix it.”

  George grabbed his hand, smoothly pulling the ring from his finger. “What’s done is done,” he said. “Let’s keep it that way.”

  David’s lip quivered, and he slumped to the floor, head in his hands. “I should have called the guards,” he whined. “You’re supposed to protect me, damn it. Not destroy me.”

  “Come on, son,” George said, putting a comforting hand on David’s shoulder. “You’re what? Eighteen? Nineteen? You’ve got your whole life ahead of you. Don’t tie it all to this crap.”

  “That’s easy for you to say. I put everything I had into two things. Writing those algorithms and anime.”

  “Maybe you should try putting some of that energy into relationships with other people. I guarantee you’ll find it more rewarding in the end.”

  “I don’t know how to relate to people.”

  “Sure you do. Come on. A little adversity never killed anyone. Now, stand up.”

  David looked up at George. He set his face and got to his feet. Taking a moment to glare at Quasar, he nodded and put out his hand. “I’m okay now. Can I have my ring back?” George dropped it into his open palm and he slid it back on. “I still think that was a shitty thing to do.”

  “Shitty, but necessary,” Quasar replied. “I am sorry, David. It’s not personal.”

  He nodded again, turning to me. “Do I get a gun?”

  “I don’t think so,” I replied. “It’s time to go. Ixy, take our six.”

  “Yesss,” she agreed.

  “Emerald, Ki, you two have point. David, you’ll fall in between Sheri and I. Shaq, you’re on me.”

  “Always,” he buzzed, jumping back onto my shoulder.

  I stepped up to the door, and it opened ahead of me. This corridor wasn’t much different from the secret passage we had entered through, except it was lit by overhanging diodes. These pipes however weren’t leaking, the ducting piping in heat and fresh air. I scanned the passageway on the left to where it split a hundred feet away. It was clear. I made sure the other direction was clear too before motioning Emerald and Ki out into the corridor.

  When the door to the workroom closed behind us, I played a few chords to activate my construct, combining the door with the walls. Even if the outside forces had thought to check the bolt hole, the blockade would slow them down long enough for us to reach our objective.

  Starting down the passageway, we remained alert and ready for any enemy guards that might appear. To our benefit, the corridor was barely wide enough for us to travel three across. Like Ayane had said, the confines would limit the effectiveness of the defenders while making it easier for me to protect my crew. I didn’t want to jinx it, but I had a lot of confidence that I could rescue Grizz’s family and get us all back to Prestige in one piece.

  Nearly halfway down the corridor, Ki—having heard something—threw her hand up, freezing us in place. We waited, silent and ready as a pair of guards marched across the intersection perpendicular to us. For a moment, I was sure they would pass us by without looking in our direction, but one of the guards, for whatever reason, suddenly turned his head toward us. Emerald’s quick energy blast hit him squarely in the visor, shattering it and dropping him like a rock. The other guard dove away, making it past the corner and out of sight before follow-up shots from Ki and Emerald could take him down.

  “Damn it!” Emerald gave chase, sprinting away from us. Shaq leaped from my shoulder, quickly catching her and passing her as we all broke into a run behind them.

  Shaq got to the intersection first, hitting the skids the moment he ran into the intersecting corridor. Digging his claws in, he made a full one-eighty and scrambled back toward us. As he passed her, he buzzed at Emerald to stop. She dropped to her knees, skidding into the intersection, an unseen force sending her tumbling the other way down the cross corridor.

  I had no choice but to throw out some improvised licks to activate my construct before she disappeared from sight and pull her back toward us. A bolt of lightning slammed into the floor, barely missing her as she slid toward us on her back, coming to a stop at my feet.

  She arched a smile up at me. “My hero.” She batted her eyelashes. “Later, Boo,” she said, leaping to her feet, only to stumble before regaining her balance.

  Unfortunately, I’d lost sight of Shaq.

  “I’ve got this,” I told her, sweeping ahead of her. Ayane had said the academy was in the opposite direction, but a handful of archons in yellow robes, led by one in a black uniform, came around the corner in front of us. Ki and Sheri opened fire, their rounds reflected into the surrounding stone.

  A commotion behind us drew my attention as several student archons and their teacher, along with a bunch of guards, ran around the corner at the other end of the passageway. Obviously, someone had sounded the alarm. Quasar and George were already shooting at them when Em knelt beside them, sending enough firepower at them to drive them back around the corner. The archons, all of them with catalyst rings on their fingers except for their apparent teacher, continued their advance.

  The teacher tried to push me, and I decided to try something different. I redirected his push from me to the students behind him with transfer, almost laughing out loud when they all flew backward, landing in a heap against the wall. I should have thought of that one sooner.

  The teacher looked confused for a moment. He looked dead a moment later, when Shaq dropped onto him from an overhead pipe and bit his cheek. The archon had just enough time to clasp a hand over his wound before dropping. Shaq jumped off him as he fell and scrambled toward me, the students quickly throwing lightning bolts at my little buddy. Clearly not well trained, none of them bothered to protect themselves. I pushed them all into the wall hard enough to break bones, some of them crying out as they collapsed, only a few conscious enough to moan and groan. Ixy’s forelimbs quickly severed the sigiltech rings from their fingers.

  I whirled around in time to see a fresh group of guards come around the corner, carrying transparent shields that absorbed my team’s firepower. Small openings allowed them to fire a barrage of plasma through the shields. I shouted out Sheri’s name, almost losing my action in my sudden panic as one of the bolts hit her before I could raise an absorb shield to protect everyone. Sheri slumped against the wall, clutching her neck.

  “No worries, Ben,” David said, kneeling beside her. His reverse ring glowed, and I watched, fascinated as the plasma bolt backed out of her neck. Before the guards could fire again, David jerked Sheri aside, allowing the lethal bolt to blaze past her and hit the other side of the corridor.

  “That is so cool,” I admitted, shaking my head.

  “Yeah well…” He glared at Quasar as the guards stood there, looking stunned by the reversal. “. this is the only one of these rings there will ever exist, thanks to her.”

  “David…” Sheri reached out to cup his cheek in her gloved hand, drawing his attention back to her.”Thank you. You saved my life.”

  “Oh…well.” His face flushed. “You…you’re welcome. Anytime.”

  Furious with the guards for hurting my sister. I sent the plasma energy I’d collected back at them, the heat burning through their shields and killing them instantly. Quasar, George, Ki, and Emerald blasted the suddenly exposed second line of enemy fighters, quickly dispensing with them.

  “Let’s go!” I spun around and ran, leading everyone down the passageway to the junction with the cross corridor, where Shaq and Ixy stood waiting for us after finishing off the archons. If there had been any other guards in this direction, they would have undoubtedly run from the two aliens.