Maxim & Ivy's Story Read online

  “Did you close this door?” she asked Ellora.

  The older woman looked at her and shook her head.

  “No,” she said. “I assumed that you did.”

  “I must have,” Ivy said uncertainly. “I don’t remember closing it, but…” her voice trailed off.

  They opened the door cautiously, but the war room was empty. Ivy stepped inside and looked around slowly. Ellora stepped up beside her and Ivy saw that her head was moving in the same way, her eyes slowly scanning over the room, looking at every surface and item as if she was attempting to see through them. Ivy no longer saw just the few weapons that had been left behind or the shelves, tables, and cabinets that lined the walls and floor. She saw secrets, the purpose and meaning of each seeming to have two sides; what they could immediately see and what each might be hiding.

  “There’s something different,” Ellora said.

  Ivy felt as though Ellora were giving voice to exactly what she was feeling. She continued to look around the room, trying to put her finger on what was different about the space. There was nothing that immediately stood out to her as having been altered since the way that it had been when she had left, but she could feel it. Something had changed.

  Chapter Four

  The group had fallen into a steady, comfortable rhythm as they headed across the desert. The sun was getting closer to the center of the sky, telling Maxim that even though they were surrounded by what looked like exactly the same surroundings that they had seen since they left the ship, they were actually making progress in their journey. Even those who were struggling with injuries and the women whose pregnancies had made Maxim worry that they wouldn’t make it through the long and treacherous walk were managing well, none of them complaining or showing any signs of giving up as they pressed on through the heat and glare, and the sense of tension and fear that was so obviously pressing down around them though none ventured to mention it. It seemed that each of them were staring ahead independently, their own thoughts creating an invisible path that guided them, kept them steady as they walked and reassured them. Maxim wondered what was motivating each of them to keep going. He knew that it went beyond the promise of the compound at the end of the walk. Each of them had something in their hearts that they were using to fuel them and sustain them, and whatever it was, it was making their steps steadfast and their pace consistent.

  They had maintained near-constant silence throughout their progress, but from behind him Maxim heard Samira’s voice. She spoke in a quiet voice, though it didn’t seem that she was trying to prevent others from hearing her. Rather, her soft tone seemed more an effort to soothe herself and pretend that she was starting a simple, completely normal conversation with her mother, who walked along beside her.

  “What type of research did he do while you were married?”

  “Martin?” Valerie asked.

  The name caught Maxim’s attention. The only other time that he had ever heard it was when Avery had talked about the pilot to the Nyx 23 ship.

  “Yes. Did you get to hear much about the type of work that he was doing at the University? I would love to know if my interests are in the same fields as him.”

  “Honestly, I don’t really know very much about it. We didn’t talk about his work much when we were together.”

  “Was he secretive about it?” Samira asked.

  There was a blend of emotions in her voice, shifting between nervousness and a hint of excitement at the thought of this man concealing something about his work. Valerie gave a short, soft laugh.

  “No,” she said. “It wasn’t that he was secretive. I mean, I know that whatever he was working on was classified and that he wasn’t supposed to talk about the details, but he never made me feel as though he was hiding something from me. Your father was exceptionally good at compartmentalizing his life. Whether he was supposed to talk about it or not, I know that he wouldn’t have spent the time that we had together talking about work. He left that behind him when he left work for the day. When he was home with me, he wanted to talk about us and the things that we enjoyed doing together.”

  What she said struck Maxim as strange. Valerie had referred to Martin as Samira’s father. He remembered that when Samira had come to Uoria it was because Ero had rescued her from her stepfather, a concept that Maxim hadn’t understood. Now he was even more confused. He pulled his attention away from the conversation that they were having behind him and back to the path that they were walking.

  It seemed that at every turn they were discovering something new, something different that made the situation ahead of them more complicated. People who had seemed unrelated to anything that was happening, who weren’t even there and had never been a part of it, were linked to different elements and people in ways that didn’t make sense but were inextricable. Even this man, who he could only assume had been dead for many years, worked on classified projects within the same University that the others did. It was almost as though it had seemed that people were coming together in unrelated, random ways, binding together only in terms of loyalty to the people of Uoria and to their convictions against Ryan and his work. The more that they learned, however, the more it seemed that this wasn’t random at all. Each of the people and groups that came together were there for a specific and related reason, even if they didn’t fully understand all of those reasons yet. Instead of this being at all reassuring to him, the realization was unsettling. It made Maxim feel like they were being manipulated, their every move and decision somehow known and controlled even before they made them. It made him determined that he would overcome this, break beyond whatever control was being held over them so that they could pursue the end that they all wanted.

  As he thought about this, Maxim wished that Aegeus was there with them. Even as this wish crossed his mind, though, Maxim felt the boost of knowing that at least he had the luxury now of having that thought. It was no longer an abstract concept to think of Aegeus being with him to help him through any situation that he might be facing. He was actually able to see his father now, to talk to him and to ask him for the guidance that he had so miserably longed for when he was younger. As soon as they got back to the compound he would be able to go to Aegeus and talk to him about the situation, explain his concerns and questions, and let his father talk him through them in any way that he could. This was at once reassuring and sobering. Though he knew now that he had his father and would be able to rely on him throughout the rest of the challenges that lay ahead of them, it was also a stark reminder of everything that he had missed. There had been so many times in Maxim’s life that he would have benefitted from having Aegeus with him and felt like he might have made the wrong choices or not done as he should have because he didn’t have the support and guidance of his father. Maxim forced the negative thoughts out of his mind and took a long swallow of the water that he carried with him, hoping that the coolness washing down his throat would help to distract him and allow him to instead look forward to the chance that they had now to rebuild their lives together.

  ****

  Ivy took a step back, leaning against the wall and running her hands over her belly in an effort to calm herself. She knew that there was something seriously wrong, and not being able to identify what it was that was wrong or what they could do about it was unnerving, worsening the fog in her mind and the uncertainty in her belly. Where was Athan? Where could he have gone, and why didn’t he tell Ellora that he was leaving? Could he be with Malcolm and Icelyn, and if so, why did they need to leave so quickly? She thought about how much Ellora had emphasized the danger that she felt Athan was in. Could they really be in that much danger? If they were in such serious danger, Ivy wanted to understand it, to know who was threatening them and what they could be facing. She knew that the Order was a constant threat, but it didn’t seem that that was enough for them to have to run. If they were so frightened of what the Order could do to them, she would think that they would make efforts to get the entire group off of
Uoria and on their way to Penthos so that they would be protected from the Order rather than just the few of them disappearing.

  Her mind drifted to Aegeus. She remembered how she felt when Maxim had first told her the story of what had happened to him and how Ellora had struggled without him. She briefly thought that in that moment she was feeling what Ellora must have experienced in those dark first days without her husband. As soon as she thought it, though, Ivy forced herself not to allow the thought to remain in her mind. For right then she was without Maxim, but she knew that he was alive. They were only on different planets and there would be a time, very soon, when they would be back together. She couldn’t claim the pain and emptiness that Ellora had to have suffered when she thought that Aegeus was dead and that she was going to have to live out the rest of her life raising their sons alone.

  Even as she put this thought aside, she felt the deep ache of how much she missed Maxim. The feeling of her growing belly and the occasional gentle shifts of the baby within her increased her longing. They should be experiencing this pregnancy together and she knew that if he was there, he would protect her and reassure her through all that she was facing, giving her the strength that she needed to see her through and ensure that she was able to do all that she needed to do for herself, for him, for their baby, and for the future of the world that they were meant to share.

  Chapter Five

  The group stayed close together as they finally stepped through the arch into the compound. There was a tremendous sense of relief as they all made their way out of the open desert and into the defensive surroundings of the high stone wall around the compound, but Maxim could still feel the hesitation and nervousness that kept them close together, as if it drew them together out of the camaraderie that came from the hours that they had just spent crossing the planet, as though that experience had created a link that strengthened them and made them unwilling to step out of it even now that they knew that they were in the most safety that they could be on Penthos.

  Though long and exhausting, the walk from the ship to the compound had been uneventful. They hadn’t seen or heard any signs of the hybrid army, or of the Valdicians. Maxim wanted this to be encouraging, but in truth it was only more disturbing. They hadn’t been brought to Penthos for no reason. They hadn’t been redirected here just to sit and wait in the desert. Ryan had told them that there would be a war, that they were going to have to fight for their lives and for their futures against the living weapons that he created. It didn’t make sense that after only one battle the army seemed to have fallen back and disappeared into the edges of the planet. Maxim knew that they were still there. They weren’t hesitating. They were waiting, preparing, and calculating the next move that they were going to make. This made them even more of a threat. Part of Maxim had hoped that this war would be brief, that it would blaze with the intensity of the hatred that he felt for Ryan and that that would ensure it would burn out quickly. Now it seemed that this wouldn’t be the case. The conflict would linger on, dragging them further into mental and physical exhaustion. He knew that it was up to him to stay strong and not to allow this to wear him down. That was what Ryan wanted, and he wouldn’t give it to him. If Ryan wanted him and his brother, he was going to have to go through hell to get them.

  After a few moments, others from within the compound started streaming out of the buildings and coming toward the group. As they approached, the group loosened and some of the people broke off to rush toward them. Maxim watched as those from Uoria reunited, Ty sweeping Samira up into his arms and Eden running toward Pyra with Lysander cradled in her arms. Some of the women gathered around the Meldor, waiting as the warriors helped those who had ridden the animal to get down from his back. Once they were down, the group helped them toward the building that they had established as their infirmary so that they could check their condition and bring Ciyrs and Elianna in to provide any healing or other care that they might require to help them recover from the journey.

  The others were directed toward the fire that was kept burning so that they could get something to eat. Watching them dissipate and hearing the mixture of excitement and relief that was chipping away at the fear that had been defining them was emphasizing how much he missed Ivy. All around him people were coming together, finding refuge and comfort in each other, but all he could think about was how much he wished that she was waiting there for him, her arms open for him to rest into and her soft mouth waiting with a kiss for him. Maxim knew that he had been the one to encourage her to leave Penthos on the ship and return to Uoria. She had been hesitant, not wanting to leave him, but he had insisted, not wanting anything to happen that could put their little one at risk. He had to keep reminding himself of that, telling himself that he had been the one to make the choice and that it was the right decision. She was safer on Uoria than she would be on Penthos, and he was less distracted than he would have been if she was there. As hard as he tried, he couldn’t fully convince himself of that. He was already so distracted just thinking about how much he missed her.

  Knowing that it would do him no good to continue dwelling on his thoughts of her, Maxim forced himself to return his attention to the situation with Frederick. It simply didn’t make any sense. He had been there when Pyra put the pilot into the containment unit. He had examined the room himself. He knew that there was no way for the door to be opened from the inside and that there was nothing within the room that would have allowed Frederick to hide so that he could escape after they opened the door. Somehow, he had simply disappeared during the night and was now somewhere, uncontrolled, continuing on with whatever he had been trying to do before the women had caught him. Maxim still didn’t know what to think about what they had told him they witnessed with the pilot in Jacob and Phaedra’s bedroom. He couldn’t think of any excuse that would explain away why the man would be digging through the belongings of two people he didn’t even know, and yet Maxim also hadn’t been able to forget the look in Frederick’s eyes when he tried to explain himself. There was desperation there. It wasn’t something that Maxim would have expected to see in the expression of someone who was being purely deceitful or who was trying to hurt those who he had been pretending to help. If he had put himself in the position of being asked to join the crew as pilot specifically for the purpose of hurting them, however, it would not be beyond his efforts to masquerade as being helpful and to continue on with mock fear and horror at the thought that he had been uncovered and his efforts derailed.

  Maxim didn’t know what to think. He knew that he couldn’t just pretend that this hadn’t happened. He had to go back to the ship and do a more thorough investigation to see if he could find Frederick, or at least get a better understanding of what might had happened to him, but he knew that he couldn’t go alone. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Avery walking toward the building that they had established as their headquarters and he knew that he was the person he should bring with him. Together they might be able to figure out what had happened.

  Maxim jogged toward Avery, calling his name. The pilot stopped and turned toward him, looking at him slightly quizzically.

  “Is there something that I could do for you, Maxim?” he asked.

  “I need your help,” he said.

  “What is it?”

  Maxim quickly explained what happened with Frederick, giving him as much information as he could without taking up too much time. When he finished, Avery was looking at him with an expression that was uncertain, as if he didn’t fully understand why Maxim had approached him.

  “Why would you want me to go back with you?” he asked. “I wasn’t on the ship with them.”

  “I know,” Maxim said, “but you are the one among us who would be most familiar with the ships. Even though you weren’t on that specific one, you know the human ships like none of the rest of us do.”

  “I am familiar with the ship that I piloted,” he said. “The one that the rest of the group brought from Earth is different. It
’s newer, more complex technology that I haven’t learned completely yet. If I see it, though, I might be able to figure some of it out. I can at least give you some insight into its structure and some of the hidden features. I don’t know how helpful it will be, but I will do my best to give you any answers that I can.”

  “Now that those who were in the ship have come here, it should be easier to do a more thorough investigation of the entire ship. I want to know everything that I can about it. How it’s laid out, the emergency protocols and features, anything that he might have been able to use to escape the containment unit.”

  “I don’t know how much about that I’ll be able to help you with,” Avery admitted. “Those containment units were specifically designed to prevent any opportunity for escape. That is the whole point. They were made for the most dangerous and threatening of people that crews could encounter, from those who go rogue within the ship itself to criminals they might encounter during their mission.”

  “But there has to be a way,” Maxim said. “Frederick got out, and that means that there is something about that ship that allowed him to. We have to find it. We have no idea who this man is and what he was doing, or where he might have gone after he escaped. Wherever he went, we could be in serious danger until we find him.”

  “Or he might be.”

  Avery’s words made Maxim pause.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You assume that he escaped and that he is planning on doing something that is threatening to our group. What if what he was saying was true, and that the danger wasn’t coming from him, but someone else on the ship? You said that the door to the containment unit couldn’t open from the inside, so he couldn’t let himself out of the unit, but that doesn’t mean that he escaped. What if someone opened the door and took him out? He could be the one who’s at risk.”