The Twisted Way (Champions of the Crystal Book 3)

Chapter 26.1

Illustration by D. Denise Dianaty

In the next moment Sabrina was aware of Scotty yanking at her arm. "Bull's-eye!" he hissed.

They were on Sribarak's control deck, dark and deserted, only a few of the control panels functioning. Sabrina's fear and anxiety became tinged with sadness as she remembered the living Wayship this had once been.

Scotty was using the sensors built into his suit to scan for life forms. "I got two in the infirmary," he said over the suit's com. His voice sounded hollow and artificial to Sabrina, and she didn't know if it was the com system or a sign of tension. "I'll go first. I'll take out Malvarak, and you get to Tirq. I'll cover you. Don't stop for anything. Got it?"

"Right," Sabrina said, drawing a deep breath and trying to drive everything but her goal from her mind. She had to get Tirqwin back, for Mara, for Khediva, and for themselves. Otherwise, even the success of the peace mission would be moot.

She saw history's path forking in front of her so clearly it paralyzed her for a moment. Tirqwin was the fulcrum of peace between two ancient enemies of the same family. Without him, old patterns of behavior would reassert themselves; Mara wouldn't have the heart to reach out to Homeworld, or to anyone, probably.

"Rina, you okay? We gotta go!" Scotty hissed.

"I'm ready," she said. "Let's do it."

Scotty tossed her an encouraging grin, dimly visible in the gloom and faint reflections on his faceplate, and together they started forward.

Almost immediately they were paralyzed by a stifling premonition of doom. Sabrina's steps faltered to a halt; Scotty's fist clenched even tighter on his blaster. The darkness seemed to grow denser, enveloping them in an eerie fog that defied all reason. Sabrina made out shapes swirling in it and caught her breath.

"What...is it?" Scotty ground out, a high tone of terror lurking just behind his words.

Through her own fear, Sabrina made the connection. "It's like the Way! It's the Pharon crystal, Scotty. We have to ignore it, refuse to accept it. Come on."

She reached for his hand, and together they made their way through the terrible barrier, step by step. Sabrina concentrated on putting her feet on the deckplates, noticed every vibration conveyed through the soles of her boots, tried to calculate whether the ship's artificial gravity was the same as Khediva's—anything to keep her thoughts away from the horrors in the air around her. She knew Scotty was doing the same.

At last they were at the infirmary door. The corridor lighting was nonexistent; they stood for a moment eyeing it by the light of the readout panels embedded in the left arms of their suits. Scotty held up three fingers, and Sabrina nodded, tensing herself, ready to run. Scotty held up one finger. Two fingers. Three.

His fist slammed into the manual control, and Sabrina dived through the opening door.

The infirmary was bright and clear, a shock to her senses after the murky darkness of the corridor, and she blindly ducked into the shadow of one of the beds as she heard Scotty fire once and curse.

"Stop!" Malvarak's enraged voice rang out. "Stop, or he dies!"

Sabrina stared up and found she was nearly at Malvarak's feet. He held a sinister-looking device, a slender tube with a white-hot tip. She yanked her helmet off and had the satisfaction of seeing his astonishment.

"Sabrina!" His expression slowly turned to one of derisive humor. "Then the gunner must be Scotty. Well. I should have expected you, I suppose. Things are desperate indeed for your little Queen to risk you on such a hopeless mission! I am flattered."