[LEGACY VERSION] The Enemy of Time (Book 2 - The Kaireyeh Chronicles)

Chapter 45 - Damon

Kaireyeh hummed and built around the ship. Damon couldn't feel it like he had when he was Aezthena, but there was a pressure in his ears, a buzzing in his head and limbs.

The guards at the bridge hatch stepped aside, and Damon was the first onto the bridge. The crew on duty--not the normal crew, as they'd all been at the ceremony--turned, and then scrambled to stand.

Damon stopped, breathless, and felt his face heat. They were standing for him. Should he say something to them? Ignore them?

But they bowed, quickly, and returned to their stations. Damon glanced at Landon, but Landon only gave him a flat look. He wasn't going to give advice, he'd said.

Alexi, what the Void am I supposed to do here?

Alexi ignored him and strode to the place beside Campa's command chair that he and Damon had taken before.

Campa took her chair and clicked her hand comm. "General quarters. First watch to the bridge."

Oji slipped past Damon in a rush to get to her own station. More crew came panting onto the bridge--they'd caught wind of the rush and come before Campa's summons.

Damon took a breath. He didn't have a purpose here. He wasn't Aezthena. And he was glad he wasn't just now--for once, Alexi could deal with the crashing will of Kaireyeh.

The hum in Damon's ears continued to build. And then it eased. The center front screen, which had been showing the blue-white swirls of Kaireyeh--faded into a murk of blue-black.

"Are we out of Kaireyeh?" Campa asked, waving her holo wrap into place around her to examine the readouts.

"Not quite," Alexi said. He was focused on the center screen, but Damon knew his real attention was outside the ship.

"Comm, try and hail The Robber Prince," Campa said.

Damon tensed. He should step out of any possible view of the comm. He reached for the circlet still on his head, but caught Landon's eye, and this time, Landon gave one small shake of his head.

Damon curled his fingers and lowered his hand back to his side. The crown felt cold, and too obvious.

"The Robber Prince is hailing us," the comm officer said.

"Front screen. Tight on me," Campa said, and waved away part of her holo wrap.

Kalec's face appeared in a haze of static. "What's your time in Kaireyeh?" he asked, partly in his own wrap.

Campa glanced at a readout. "Three days, eight hours, and forty-one minutes."

"Same," Kalec said. "Where is Damon? My techs don't like the readouts of this space. They say it's not consistent with Normal. Are we in the Eddies? I want to know how to navigate this."

"I'll talk," Alexi said. "Put Damon in the image as well." Damon, take off your crown. Now's not the time to explain this development.

Damon gratefully reached for the circlet.

"No," Landon said, and stepped up between them. "This needs to be cleared now, or it will fester." He turned to Damon and bowed. "Your Highness, with your permission."

Damon licked his lips. His nails bit into his palms. He'd exposed Landon; this was his punishment.

Campa gave them all an annoyed look and flicked a control.

On the screen, Kalec sat back. Damon heard a fuzz of another voice not included in the comm signal, and then the view widened to include Kosef, an older woman, and Talina.