The Dreaming: Dark Star (Book 5)

14.1. Phiona

Liran arrived at the foot of the mountain with Akim far behind. Instead of waiting, he decided to do it right away, get straight to it. In part he just wanted this to be over; his stomach was a ball of nerves. And partly, he needed to get out of the sun. The cave would be cool, and maybe he could think in there. The sun was frying his thoughts in his head.

He dropped to his knees in front of the boulder, and started digging. Within seconds, he reached the first rock. Rocks he had placed there four years ago. He dug each one up and piled them beside him. While he dug, he remembered that time all those years ago, piling them onto the opening, over the opening, closing out Phiona forever. Or so he had thought.

Even though she predicted that he would come back one day, at the time, Liran had been certain that he would never see her again. And now here he was, digging her up, along with a lot of old memories.

Akim arrived and stood over him, making shade.

Soon enough, Liran could see a dark space opening up below him, and he felt a cold wind as the air came up from below. He closed his eyes and smelled that familiar scent of damp, cool earth.

"Help me," Liran asked, and Akim dropped to his knees and they both dragged sand away that had accumulated over the years.

When the hole was big enough to crawl through, Liran stuck his head into the darkness and said, "Hello," half expecting Phiona to answer.

But there was no answer.

"Hello," he repeated. "Pass me one of them lights," he said to Akim, holding his hand out behind him.

Akim handed a head lamp, and Liran shone it into the hole.

There she was, sitting there like normal. Her black, glass head covered in a fine coating of dust.

There you are, Phiona. Look at the trouble you've caused me. In the four years since he'd first met her, there had been nothing but trouble for Liran. He crawled down and stood up, looking around the cave.

Akim crawled down right behind, and didn't seem to notice Phiona at first. Instead, he seemed taken aback by the spaciousness, and he took a deep breath, smiling.

Liran crouched low beside Phiona and tapped her head. She was dead as a doornail. He picked up her head off the base, and cradled it in his arms. Then he picked up the heavy, battery base, carrying it on his shoulder.

"What is that?" Akim said, trying to get a better look at what he was carrying. "Is that it?"

"Ayah," Liran responded. He walked past Akim and started to crawl back up outside.

"What are you doing?" Akim ordered. "Step away from the mouth of the cave."

"I'm just going outside to charge the battery." He held up the heavy battery to prove his point.

"What's that in your arms?"

"This?" He held up Phiona's head sideways on his hand. Her empty, black eyes seemed to look back at him as he grasped her neck. "This is the relic. The dangerous object. It's Phiona, Sentient Attendent and Medic, Model 13.3." He lowered the head, "Here, catch!" and tossed it gently underhand at Akim.

Akim's eyes flew open in fear, and he jumped out to catch the object before it smashed to the ground. "What the hell are you doing!?" he screamed.

"Don't worry, it's made of duraglas."

"Still!" Akim argued, "It's old. This thing is over eighty years old." He babied the black head in his arms and studied her. "It used to have a body, you know?"