Sudden Storm [Tales of the Cidatel 21] Read online

  Vexa felt the seals lock them in place, and she looked through the front viewer to see the interior of the massive structure that was the shuttle bay.

  Burn unlatched himself from the harness and extended his hand. “They are waiting for you.”

  Vexa nodded and removed the harness, standing with only a slight wobble to her legs. “Then, we had better not keep them waiting.”

  Without a world to feed her, her knees were weak. In only the few hours since they had left Ki, she had grown hungry for the second time in her life. The first time she had landed on Ki, she ravaged the area around the base that had been created for her by Ichadra specifications. It had gone from green to desert in hours as she took in water, soil and heat from everything around her until nothing but barren dirt and sand had remained. A blast of wind had swept the area clean after she finished her personal restoration. After that she had gotten to work at defending the surface.

  The air of the orbital station had two things in it that she could pick out. The first thing was the medical tang that was unmistakable in labs. The second was green loam and growing forest. Her body ached with hunger in seconds.

  “What is it, Vexaniali?” Burn was at her side with a concerned expression on his face.

  He looked as if he would reach out to touch her, and she raised her hands to fend him off. “No. Don’t touch me. I am hungry, and I am afraid of what contact will do.”

  He blinked rapidly. “I don’t remember seeing any rations down in your cavern. What have you been eating?”

  “I have been consuming Ki. Heat, water and earth are what I consume.”

  He nodded and looked around. “Right. Of course. It explains quite a bit. Come with me.”

  She followed Burn down a hall and paused at a safe distance as he spoke with one of the crewmen in military uniforms. They looked at each other and used coms on their shoulders to ask a question. When the answer came through, they nodded with relief.

  Burn turned and gestured for her to follow. She was amused by the diffidence that the guards treated him with and even more amused when they stopped outside a lab door.

  Burn beckoned for her to follow him into the lab. “It is proofed against fire.”

  She entered, and the guards closed the heavy door behind her.

  Vexa stood in the centre of the room lined with metal. “What now?”

  Burn walked toward her, and the marks on his face started to glow. Light poured out of him, and with the light came waves of heat.

  Vexa sighed and closed her eyes as the heat poured into her, satisfying her hunger with the energy he was putting out. “Thank you. I was afraid of what came next.”

  She opened her eyes, and he was standing right in front of her. Fire was still coming off his body, but she could stand in the heart of a volcano and not be touched.

  At this close range, she could see the glow of more tattoos or bands on his skin. His bodysuit gave off a slight scent of being overheated, but it didn’t melt as flames licked him, blue white in the light of the fire lab.

  There was a strain on his face. “Do you have what you need?”

  “I do.”

  “Then, please stop eating me.”

  His words were plaintive, and she stepped back with sudden realization that he was so hot because she was pulling it out of him.

  She cut down her consumption and continued backing away. His temperature gradually cooled, and he sighed in relief.

  “Sorry.” She blushed and ran her hand through her hair.

  “Don’t apologise. I haven’t every tried to burn that hot before. It is nice to know that I can survive it. Now, if you are content, we can proceed to the briefing.”

  Vexa laughed. “I think I should offer you dinner or something. You look a little pale.”

  He smiled and offered her his hand. She stepped back toward him and touched him. There was a spark, but her body didn’t hum with hunger, so they were able to make their way out of the lab and into the heart of the station. The guards still eyed her warily, but since Burn was content to stay next to her, their fear didn’t bother her like it would have on Ichadra.

  The briefing room was huge with a large globe rotating as a hologram in the centre of it.

  Vexa asked, “Neehash?”

  Burn nodded. “Yes. Dr. Argee and Dr. Heshla will tell you what you need to know. I am going to get myself a snack.”

  She winced as she realized that she had depleted his energy to a dangerous level.

  The two doctors in question came around the hologram and inclined their heads. The Dhemon female had scarlet skin, dark hair and an easy smile under the petite horns. “Good day, Vexaniali Webko.”

  “Good day.” She inclined her head.

  The male was an Enjel. He had dark skin and midnight hair, but his wings were snowy white. “I am Dr. Heshla, this is my wife, Dr. Argee. You have met our son, I see.”

  Vexa looked toward the doorway where Burn had disappeared. “Burn is your son?”

  Dr. Argee smiled. “I know. No wings, no horns. We were trying to end the animosity between our peoples by showing that we could interbreed, but we had to engage in some alteration to his genetics to bring him to term.”

  Vexa looked from one to the other. “Gene silencing?”

  Dr. Heshla looked surprised. “You are aware of it?”

  “I was given a fairly extensive explanation of how I came to exist. I did my own research after I was dropped on Ki. The computers actually ran for the first five hundred years.”

  She smiled at the shock on their faces. “Did you assume that I was kept in a coma when I wasn’t working as an Elemental?”

  Dr. Argee winced. “Well, from what we heard of the Destroyer, we assumed that you were the same.”

  Vexa shook her head. “No. I was not as dangerous as the Destroyer was. It was noted that I need to consume, but as long as I keep my feet on the ground, I can maintain myself properly.”

  Dr. Heshla widened his eyes. “So, our son took you to the lab because…”

  “I was hungry, and I can eat heat as well as water or earth. He fed me, but I think I continued a little too long. He was looking peaked when he left.” She twisted her lips and walked forward to see the rotating globe. At closer examination, there were spots of light and a corresponding spreading of darkness.

  “What is this?”

  Dr. Argee moved to stand beside her.

  Vexa tried not to calculate the solid mass, the water and the heat in her body.

  “This is a generated recording of the disease packets that are spreading across Neehash. We have crafted a cure and an inoculation for those not infected, but it has to be administered quickly. Death is taking the population quickly, but we have no way to act globally. We just don’t have enough people.”

  Dr. Heshla spoke. “When Burnoriel told us he was being sent after the Elemental, we did research on you. You have the ability to move the very air of an entire world and that is precisely what we need to administer this treatment.”

  “You have it in gaseous form?”

  “Over a thousand canisters that we can launch the moment you are ready.”

  Vexa looked at the blotches of darkness that were spreading across the surface. “When can I get to the surface?”

  Dr. Argee frowned. “Can’t you do it from here?”

  “No.”

  Dr. Heshla shook his head. “It isn’t safe. There is a plague raging, and you might not have immunity.”

  She waved her hand at the darkness spreading across that globe in steady increments. “My life for millions. I am willing to take the risk.”

  Dr. Argee shook her head. “No. You can’t. It’s too risky. Can’t you do it from low orbit?”

  Vexa turned to her. “I cannot move the air unless I can touch another element. It was how my people kept me tied to the world I was on. I can only work with an element when I draw energy from the other. For this kind of movement, I have to be in a place that I can destroy. Preferably ro
cks or a mountain.”

  Heshla asked, “Do you have to destroy it?”

  “No, but it is best to be prepared. I might get hungry.” She smiled brightly, and they looked at each other with hope and horror in equal measure. “Get me down to that world, please. We are wasting time.”

  Chapter Four

  Being in a launch pod was not pleasant. She descended rapidly, and the snug cocoon wrapped around her slowed until it landed with a soft thump.

  Vexa blew the pod and got out, smiling at the empty plateau that was her landing site.

  She stretched and the rock beneath her disappeared in a wave, giving her the strength for what came next. Vexa heard a beep from the wristband they had slapped on her before she had climbed into the pod.

  She looked up and watched as the canisters fell from the sky, across the horizon and beyond.

  There was one nearby, and as it hissed and jetted its contents into the air, she concentrated on moving that air.

  Her mind linked to the planet’s surface, and she felt the caress of the medicine-laden air. She moved the air of the entire world and spread the cure to every nook and cranny in hours.

  Vexa continued to swirl the cure around Neehash until a chirp came from her wrist once again. “Now for the hard part.”

  She reset the weather patterns to what they were when she landed. It took her the same amount of time as disseminating the cure, but as she slumped to her knees and exhaled softly, she enjoyed the feeling of a job well done. She took the band and squeezed it, triggering the call for a pickup.

  If she was able to sweat, she was quite sure that she would have been drenched in it, but her body didn’t part with water or body heat or its mass. Her body didn’t even like to breathe, but she convinced it it was necessary to blend in with people around her.

  The chirp surprised her. It showed her that her pickup had been in low orbit the entire time.

  Vexa stumbled to her feet, and when the shuttle dropped and opened its door, she walked into it and followed the protocol they had drummed into her. A baggie of sorts was ready for her, and she stepped into it, sealing it and stumbling inside. She crouched on the floor while Burn took them off Neehash and back to the orbital station.

  Once in the station, she was going to be boxed in a sealed decontamination unit until they were sure that she was clear. After that, she was free to move about the ship and resume her journey to Arcani.

  Vexa had stored up enough energy and food on Neehash to last her a few days. Burn was going to be perfectly safe from her unnatural urges.

  She wasn’t fond of the baggie, and she was less fond of the decontamination chamber. She was sprayed with chemicals that she didn’t like, and the air came in in bursts. It wasn’t enough. The moment she was pronounced safe, she took the air moving in the chamber, focussed it and blasted one wall to nothing.

  The medics around her stood back, and she stepped out, careful not to touch anyone. She called out, “Burn!”

  He popped around the corner with a grin. “You called?”

  “Are we good to go?”

  “You are clear, and the new outbreaks have halted, while others are recovering. You did a helluva job.”

  “Good. I am not a science project, and I don’t like being confined.” She mentally muttered, not anymore.

  “Then, allow me to escort you home.” Burn winked.

  He offered his arm, and she took it, weary beyond belief. She hadn’t moved that much air in a very long time. It had been a game when she first landed on Ki to move the air and try to bring pollen back to her after it did a circuit around the globe. She had been exhausted then too but had no one to lean on.

  “You are very brave to offer me your arm.”

  “I am sure you are both full and too tired to try anything. My virtue is safe.” Burn grinned.

  She followed him through the halls of the station until they were once again on a shuttle with Recon at the helm. Vexa dozed off once she was strapped in and didn’t even feel the first jump toward Arcani.

  When she woke up, they were already there.

  She stretched in her harness and felt the unmistakable tug of gravity on her limbs. Recon was occupied with the command console, but Burn was sitting across from her.

  “Good morning. We are in time for the noon meal, so we can grab lunch, meet the director and take a tour of your quarters. How does that sound?”

  She unbuckled her harness and got to her feet. “You had me at lunch.”

  Vexa followed Burn out of the shuttle and into the light of Arcani. The gravity was slightly different than that of Ki, but it wasn’t uncomfortable.

  A figure walked toward them, robes swirling in the slight breeze. “Burn, I see you found the prize.”

  Vexa raised her eyebrows and waited for Burn’s response.

  “Vexa, this is Turan, director of the Arcani Citadel. Turan, this is Vexa, the Sudden Storm.”

  Vexa inclined her head, but she felt a sudden pressure on her mind. Out of reflex, she lashed out at the source and sent Turan flipping end over end with a sharp gust of wind.

  Burn stifled a laugh. “He tried to read you?”

  “He did. I felt a pressure and followed it to its source. Apparently, it was him.” She shrugged. “You mentioned lunch?”

  His shoulders were shaking as they approached the flattened form of Turan.

  He grimaced as he fought his way upright once again. “I apologise.”

  She paused on her way and helped him up. “I accept your apology. I am pleased to meet you, Turan.”

  He smiled and gestured for her to precede him.

  Burn waited, and they moved under the welcoming archway together.

  Vexa took in the bustling activity, the figures in robes and the large spire that reached to the sky. So, this is a Citadel. It certainly looked the part, but it had the feel of an educational centre rather than a bastion of defence. The air of Arcani was far more humid than what she was used to, and the people were friendly but far too close.

  Turan explained, “We have arranged quarters for you off the main buildings. There are uniforms and some light casual clothes waiting if you would like a change.”

  Vexa looked down at her suit. “This was designed for me. It does not degrade or suffer under high winds. Do the suits you provided?”

  Turan smiled brightly. “They will protect your skin under all circumstances. The suits have been designed by one of the most powerful talents of our time.”

  She blinked. “Interesting. I look forward to trying them out.”

  Burn chuckled, “First, let’s get some food in you. I am not eager to see you get hungry again.”

  Vexa admired the marks on his skin as he settled her at a table with Turan. She asked the director, “What does Burn do here?”

  The director smiled eagerly at her interest. “He teaches classes on self-control in matters of radiological emissions. We have many types of classes and courses here if you are interested.”

  Vexa felt a slight smile cross her lips. “I will look and see. I am still trying to keep my calm with all these people about.”

  “Is it difficult for you?”

  “I have spent close to seventeen hundred years alone. Guess.”

  He blushed.

  She sighed, “So, what will I do for the Citadel Arcani?”

  “We would like you to go out on missions like the one you were just on and do what you can to move the elements around to save lives. What do you need from us?”

  Burn returned with a tray covered with small plates, and he deposited them on the table before he left again to get more.

  “I need a place to live, some high concentration of elements to feed on when I get hungry, a terminal so I can learn about the modern world and my place in it. What I would like is an active purpose on a daily basis. A means to mark my time, and if it is possible, I would love to meet the Destroyer. She was just on the drawing board when I was moved to Ki as far as I know.”

  Bur
n returned and sat down as he distributed his second load of small plates. “Seriously? There were actual schematics involved?”

  “The Rain and I were asked to put in our comments on what we would like our lives and bodies to be like. We asked for the ability to sleep when we were not active. Even at rest, our minds do not turn off. We register everything around us, and we live for a very, very long time.” She rubbed her forehead. “It can be a little overwhelming at times to see and register everything, no matter how small.”

  Burn started reaching for tidbits from the plates. “I can imagine.”

  Shrugging, Vexa followed his example and made her selections based on size, colour and smell. One by one, she tasted her picks and smiled happily when she had a success and frowned deeply when there was a failure to deliver what the scent promised.

  Turan looked very nervous when he happened to lock gazes with her, but he kept his mouth shut until they finished their lunch and dining room staff had removed the plates. “How long do you think you will live?”

  Burn spluttered as he drank his tea. Apparently, the question surprised him.

  Vexa shrugged. “I will live until I don’t. There is nothing more to it. If I have food, water, air and heat, I will probably be able to regenerate my body infinitely. If I don’t, I could be dead next week.”

  Turan nodded and turned to her companion. “Burn, can you show her to the promontory? We have built a small home there for her that will allow her privacy and proximity to the Citadel.”

  Burn nodded. “Of course.”

  “Try not to offend her.”

  Vexa started laughing and didn’t stop for several minutes. When she finished, Turan was gone and Burn was watching her with his chin propped on his fist. “Are you finished?”

  She shrugged and wiped her eyes. “I think so. Offending me is the least of your worries. I agreed to come here, the problem now will be getting rid of me.”

  He grinned. “Once you agree to stay, you lock in, right?”

  She nodded. “Something like that. I wasn’t emotionally attached to Ki because there was nothing there. It was home, but it was simply shelter until the Ichadra reassigned me. They disappeared and I was left.”