Way of No Return (Champions of the Crystal Book 8)

Chapter 2.1

Mara arrived, breathless and distracted, halfway through the first course. After a leisurely dinner, they all settled in the comfortable salon next to the dining room. Ray and Ryan challenged Scotty, Ford, and Tirqwin to another round of their holo-game; Annamarie fell asleep in her aunt's arms and was handed off to the nurse to find a quieter place to sleep. Seuréa told Sabrina about her studies, while Aurora dozed off in a plush chair and Mara watched them all with a somewhat wistful smile.

Sabrina was stifling her second yawn when Mara jumped up suddenly, eyes wide. "Kashmia!" she cried out, and vanished.

Tirqwin jumped to his feet.

"What's happened?" Sabrina demanded.

"Avestar is under attack. Mara has gone to help," Tirqwin said, his voice strained. "I must go—"

"Go where? Not Avestar!" Sabrina interrupted.

Tirqwin scowled. "No. Khediva and I are well aware that we would only add to the casualty list. Though we are tempted to approach just close enough to gather more data about the disruption technology."

Everyone was on their feet by now, moving into one large group. Aurora said, "If you go, sir, please take me with you so that I may be available to the Guardian."

Scotty and Aurora's comlinks began making an eerie repeating chime that Sabrina had never heard before. Her brother and sister-in-law looked at each other, disbelieving and then aghast.

"That's the do-not-approach alert for Control," Scotty said, looking around. "I need a comconsole."

Stecklan and Kendara ran into the room, their comlinks adding to the chorus of chimes. "In the basement, now," Kendara ordered. "Orbital Platform Six has sounded an incoming hostiles alert. That's over our hemisphere."

Ford took Sabrina's hand and squeezed it comfortingly. Sabrina swallowed hard and said, "Kendara, make sure the staff knows to get to safety. Tirqwin, are you coming or going?"

"I must be aboard Khediva if hostilities are about to commence," he replied. "But we will remain in the system as long as we believe we can render assistance."

"Be safe," she told him.

Tirqwin gave her a rueful smile. "We will make our survival a priority, if only to sound the alarm." Then he was gone.

"Nice timing. Avestar is either the feint, or this is," Scotty said, picking up Ryan and herding Ray in front of him as they all hurried out of the room toward the staircase at the rear of the palace that led down to the basement. "You got a comconsole in your bomb shelter, Rina?"

"No idea," Sabrina responded, taking Seuréa's hand as they started down the stairs. "Ford?"

"No idea either. I think there's a security station down here—it's where we keep the regalia, after all," Ford said, "but I haven't paid much attention."

Stecklan said, "We probably won't be able to get through to Control if there's a do-not-approach order in effect."

Kendara added, "Incoming hostiles wouldn't have triggered that. Something else is going on up there."

"Damn, damn, damn," Scotty muttered. Aurora laid a hand on his shoulder, glancing back to make sure the nurse was following with the baby.

Various staff members were beginning to descend the staircase behind them, murmuring anxiously. Sabrina looked around and realized that she was probably the only person here who remembered the last time Praxatillus had been under attack. "Everyone stay calm. Our defenses will hold. Our biggest problem will probably be boredom."