The Haunted Way (Champions of the Crystal Book 5)

Chapter 10.1

Tirqwin could hardly bear the delay, though he could feel the strain Khediva was under as she pushed past her normal top speed through the Way.

"We may not be able to assist them," Aurora said, sitting ramrod straight on the edge of one of the seats.

"I have to at least be there," he replied. "Mara lives. But she may be hurt."

Aurora kept her theories on the Crystal's behavior to herself. There were none that he would find comforting.

"It is not just Mara," Tirqwin said after a minute. "I want to find Niavar and Sabrina and Scotty as well. Some of them may have survived."

Aurora's fingers twisted in the fabric of her long tunic. "I hope so," she said softly.

"But you do not believe it?" he asked, stopping to look at her.

"I think," she said, pausing to collect her thoughts, "that if Scotty was with Her Majesty when she...came so close to death...that he could not have...." She stopped and tried again. "I know that Scotty could not have been nearby and remained intact if something so catastrophic happened to Her Majesty."

Tirqwin hesitated, then nodded. "He would have thrown himself in the way of whatever it was, if he were there. And there is no reason to suspect he was not."

Aurora gave a choked laugh. "Have you ever known anyone so consistently in the vicinity of trouble?"

Tirqwin's smile was grim, but twisted with amusement. "They were in trouble when I met them," he said.

They were silent after that, until Khediva said, "Prepare for emergence. I am not slowing down, so that we will be at top speed when we enter normal space. This will give us the best chance of avoiding any Reissian ships in the area."

Tirqwin took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. "Let us try not to start a war," he said.

"Hold onto something," Khediva advised.

Tirqwin reluctantly sat down and braced himself. Aurora sat back in her seat and tried to breathe normally. Emergence was jarring, and they hardly had time to recover before a tactical display coalesced on the wallscreen. Two Reissian ships were circling a target almost directly beneath them.

"The Flight of Awani," Aurora said.

"She is too close to the planet," Tirqwin added, frowning.

"Distress beacon from the Praxatillian ship," Khediva announced. "Automated. The Reissians have seen us and are bringing weapons to bear."

Tirqwin's fingers flew over the control panel, and an instant later they were catapulted into a Way. Aurora said, "But you—"

"Prepare for emergence," Khediva said. Then they were in normal space again, the Praxatillian ship some distance away. "Grapples released."

"Are they able to speak to us?" Tirqwin asked.

"Audio only," Khediva replied. "I have Captain Cordun."

"Captain," Tirqwin called, "do we need to retrieve anyone from the planet?"

"No," came the staticky reply. "We managed the retrieval before we were attacked. We have Her Majesty aboard. She's alive, but in surgery."

"The others?" Tirqwin asked.

There was a chilling pause. "Everyone is accounted for," Captain Cordun reported finally. "My medical staff is too busy to give details, but I believe they are all alive."

A long, shuddering sigh was Aurora's only reaction. Tirqwin swallowed, allowing himself a tiny smile. "May we come aboard, Captain?"

"Certainly. If you have any Miahns aboard, we would be especially glad to have their assistance."