“At the moment, they mean us no harm, elder,” says Keela. “Besides, Berek will be there with me.”

“They are heavily armed, and we don’t know how many [...]]]>  
Secret Meetings
“I don’t like it,” says her elder advisor.
“There’s no way we can protect you tomorrow when you visit the emperor on his ship.”

“At the moment, they mean us no harm, elder,” says Keela.
“Besides, Berek will be there with me.”

“They are heavily armed, and we don’t know how many guards are on each ship.”
“Berek’s fighting skills are unmatched, but without the web, how can he defend you against hundreds of enemies?!”
“One energy blast is all it takes to kill you!”

“I agree with the elder,” says Berek.
“It’s reckless to meet them on the ship.”

“This is my decision,” says Keela.
“We need to learn more about the Kizak.”
“Maybe we can convince them to leave us alone.”

“Let me go first, without you, to make sure it’s safe.”

“I am queen, Berek.”
“A leader does not act like a coward.”
“Another word, and I’ll go alone!”

“I’m sorry,” he says.
“I’ll see you later.”
Berek walks out of the commander’s office, goes outside the building, and activates the flying armband.
Ten minutes later, he leaves Tshuan behind, and passes over a great forest.
Beyond that is a mountain range.
Berek rises toward a snow-covered mountaintop, and lands there.
He activates a nullifier briefly and scans the area for miles around.
There’s no one here, and no sign of any equipment that could detect communications.
The Kizak disk glows slightly when he turns it on.

The emperor is alone in his chamber, looking at images of his family, when his sons were little, and his wife was still alive.
A familiar pattern of tones signals an important message.
He activates the communication disk.
“What is it?”
“I left orders that no one should interrupt me for the next hour.”

“Yes, emperor, but one of the commdisks that we gave to Tshuan has been activated.”
“He says he will only speak with you.”

Teyus sighs, and connects.
“Who is this?”

“Berek.”

“What do you need, Lord Berek?”
“If you want to reschedule our meeting, any of my staff can do it.”

“No, emperor.”
“I wish to meet with you alone, today.”

“The queen asked you to contact me?”

“It’s my idea, and I need to keep this meeting secret, for now.”
“The queen might not approve of it.”

“Why should I agree, and risk upsetting her?”

“I can convince the queen to join the empire or reject it.”
“Meet with me, and you’ll get my support.”

“You’re far from Tshuan, Lord Berek.”

“Yes, so I can be picked up without anyone noticing.”

“We have ships in the guild lands, building healing centers.”
“I’ll divert one of them to your location.”
“It will arrive in a few minutes.”

While he waits, Berek hides all of the tech he carries except for the Kizak commdisk.
He wears the long knives that the emperor gave him as gifts.
The ship lands, and one of the guards steps out.
“Wear this,” says the guard, handing him a belt, and eyeing the knives.

“What does it do?” asks Berek.
“Wenri has lower gravity than Siksa, and we keep our ships the same as the homeworld.”
“I’ve set your belt to simulate Siksa’s familiar gravity so you can move normally on the ship.”
“Press here to activate it, once you go aboard.”

“Show me how to adjust the device.”

The guard looks troubled.
“We have orders not to show you any of our tech, without specific permission.”

“That makes sense, but you’re giving me this to use while I’m on board.”
“I should know how to use it.”

The interface is simple.
The user enters a number which indicates the desired multiple of Kizak standard gravity.
Siksa is 1.32.

I’ve trained in Mayla’s simulations to handle high and low gravity, and I’ve continued to practice high gravity activity in Tshuan using heavy weights, but I won’t tell that to the Kizak.

Berek waits a few minutes before turning on the gtech device, to see if he remembers his low gravity training.
He has no trouble walking or handling objects, despite the lower gravity.

“I’ll take your knives now,” says the guard, nervously.
He has been told that his passenger is extremely dangerous, but to treat him with the greatest respect

“I’d rather keep them.”

“You have to surrender them before you set foot on the ship.”
“Visitors are not permitted to carry weapons.”

“The knives are a gift from the emperor,” says Berek.
“Ask him whether I can keep them.”

The guard is reluctant, but he contacts his commanding officer using the headset he wears.
A few minutes later, he gets the surprising answer.

“You’re allowed to wear them, Lord Berek, even when you meet with him.”
“Forgive me.”

“No apology needed.”
“You were only following orders.”

 
Safety
Berek is led to a beautiful room with elaborate furniture.
He sits alone for a few minutes, while the walls display shifting views of great cities, oceans, forests, and mountains.

He stands when the emperor enters with several guards.
“Good day, emperor,” says Berek.
“Are these views of Wenri?”

“Yes, Lord Berek.”

“A beautiful world.”

“Perhaps you will see it, someday.”

“I would love to travel to other worlds.”

The emperor smiles.
“Out,” he says to his guards.

“We can’t leave you with him,” says one of the palace guard.
“The alien has proven that he’s dangerous, plus you’ve allowed him to be armed.”

“If he wanted to kill me, he would have done it on the planet.”
“Go.”

“Why are you here, Lord Berek?” asks the emperor, after the guards leave.
“To plead with us to go away, and leave the energy web alone.”

“No.”
“You truly believe that energy abilities are dangerous.”
“Belief is not easily pushed away by argument.”

The lights fail, and the room goes dark.
The gravity adjuster shuts off, and Berek feels the gravity shift.

“What have you done, Berek?” shouts the emperor, reaching for a communication device around his neck.

“Nothing.”
“Every device in the room seems to have stopped working, including communication, and the gravity belt.”
“Maybe there’s a problem with the ship’s power.”

“No.”
“Your belt and the commring have their own power source.”
“Every device in this room is being jammed by a tech screen.”
“Maybe the whole ship is being jammed.”

The emperor feels his way to the door, and bends down to find a manual release hidden behind an access panel.
He pulls on the release and the door opens.
The corridor outside is also dark, but lights are approaching.
Three guards enter the room holding lights and active weapons, and wearing gravity belts.

The lights are pointed at Berek and the emperor, making it difficult to see.

“What’s happening?” asks the emperor.
“Where is the tech screen coming from?”
“How did you get your lights and weapons to work?”

One of the guards pushes the emperor away from the access panel, and manually closes the door.

“How dare you!” shouts the emperor.

The guards turns their lights to the side.
Their faces are covered with masks.

“Quiet, fool.”
“The tech screen is ours.”
“We’re rebels, here to kill you.”
“Stand aside alien, and you won’t get hurt.”
“Your people know the blessings.”
“We have no fight with you.”

They activate a gtech device which doubles the gravity in the room.
Their own gravity belts are set to compensate, so they’re unaffected.
The emperor falls to the floor, and is unable to rise.

“The three of them are still close together,” thinks Berek.
“An easy target.”
The gravity is about 1.5 times Siksa’s, but with his heavy gravity training, and Kruta movements, he can still fight.
A few moments later, their throats are cut.
It takes him another minute to shut off the gravity projector, and restore the normal gravity in the room.

Berek helps the emperor rise.

“I could barely breathe,” he tells Berek.
“You killed them all, even with the heavy gravity.”

“Training,” says Berek.
“That’s all.”

The emperor pulls on the manual release again, and walks out the door with Berek, carrying one of the lights.
“We need to find loyal guards.”
“There may be more rebels on the ship.”

Several palace guards approach, and the lights in the corridor come back on.
“This is the alien’s doing, emperor,” says one of them, pointing a weapon at Berek.
“We’ll kill him, and bring his body back to the queen.”
“Let them all know what happens to those who threaten the Kizak!”

“Stop,” says the emperor, knocking the weapon from the guard’s hands.
“He saved me from rebels.”
“Look in the room.”

“I recognize them,” says one of the guards when he returns.
“They’re all palace guards, for many years.”
“How could this happen?”
“The rebels must be everywhere!”

“Why were there no guards outside this room?!”

“There were guards here, but they never suspected that their friends would attack them.”
“We just received a message that the bodies were hidden nearby.”

“Walk with me, Berek, while they clean up the room.”
The emperor brings him to a garden.
Berek sits down.

“You look troubled,” says the emperor.

“I’ve never killed anyone before.”

“But everyone says that you avenged the king’s death.”

“An alien spirit took over the body of the queen’s brother.”
“I drove out that spirit, so that it can never return.”
“That struggle is nothing like watching a man die at your hands.”

“Every soldier must face this moment, Berek, when he feels the power of life and death, and chooses to kill one person, and save another.”

Berek stands.
“I feel different.”

“Yes,” says the emperor.
“It’s a great moment in one’s life.”

Berek takes a deep breath, and absorbs the sights and scents of the garden.

“You could have let them kill me,” says the emperor.
“Why did you stop them?

“Your men would have blamed the attack on me or the Jiku.”
“We’re safer with you still alive, and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep Keela safe.”
“That’s why I’m here.”

“I believe you.”
“The best way to keep her safe Berek, is to convince her to bring Tshuan into the empire.”
“It’s in her own best interest.”
“There are traitors in Tshuan who want to kill her.”
“Without us, she will lose her throne, and probably her life.”
“We can strengthen her position, and give her a great role to play.”
“She will lead the empire in this galaxy, and you will walk at her side.”

Berek pauses and the emperor continues.

“I know you love the power that the curses bring you, but you can have a rich life without them.”
“It’s the only way to keep her safe.”

“I’ll do as you suggest,” says Berek.
“Anything to protect her.”

 
Dinner and Doubt
“What will you say to the emperor, Keela?” asks Berek.

“That we’re honored by his offer, but we only kill when necessary.”
“We won’t go to war against other races in the galaxy.”

“But we can still become part of the empire.”

“Why would we do that?”
“Pay taxes, and compromise our freedom?”
“For what?”

“Their tech is impressive.”
“It would improve the quality of life across the planet.”
“Besides, if they conquer us, we’ll have much less freedom, and thousands of Jiku lives will be lost.”
“We should join the empire, until we find a way to steal their tech, and become stronger than them.”

“Why are you so sure that they’ll go to war?”
“Maybe they’ll just leave when we refuse.”

“The Kizak came here from another galaxy, Keela.”
“They’ve chosen us.”
“Do you think they’ll just go away?!”

“Why did they pick us?”
“We’re far from the edge of the galaxy.”

“When the empire moves into a new area, they identify worlds which harness the power of the web.”
“The first emperor said that such worlds are evil and the source of all wars.”
“Every emperor after him has followed those words without hesitation.”
“Worlds like ours must accept the Kizak peacefully, or be conquered or destroyed.”

“Why are you so afraid of them, Berek?”

“I’m not, but I don’t think you should be so quick to send your people to their death.”

“Better to die with honor than be a slave.”

“That’s not the choice.”
“Are you going to reject the Kizak, no matter what the cost?”

She sighs.
“I’ll listen to what the emperor has to say, Berek, but I won’t promise more than that.”
“Then, as queen, I’ll decide what’s right for Tshuan, whether you like it, or not!”

“I know it’s your decision, but you don’t have to tell the Kizak everything you’re thinking.”
“Stall the emperor for a few months.”
“My father will return, and find a way to fight them.”

“Master Yagrin?!”
“I wish he would come and save us, Berek.”
“I really do.”
“But he’s not here, and he may never come back.”
“It’s up to us, now.”

Dinner is served aboard ship in the same ornate room where Berek met with the emperor.
The emperor and two of his advisors describe the glory of the empire — its size, technology, culture.
Then he speaks about the great role that Tshuan could play, leading the search for new worlds in this galaxy.
Keela listens politely until he finishes.

“You’ve been quiet, queen Keela.”
“Tell me what you think.”

“I think that the empire has achieved great things.”
“But I don’t think that the Jiku are ready to play the role that you’ve imagined for us.”

“Why not?”

“The guilds and Tshuan have been enemies for a long time.”
“Siksa needs to solve that struggle before it can be a leading world in the empire.”
“And we have old fears about going into space that will be difficult to overcome.”
“We’re not ready to be the leaders that you need us to be.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Will you accept our offer of membership in the empire?”

“We have little to offer you, emperor.”
“We’re too immature as a people.”
“Maybe in another century or two, we will be ready to accept this honor.”
“I’m sorry that you’ve traveled so far, for nothing.”

The emperor stands.
“It’s not that simple.”
“Your world is full of the cursed.”

“But you’ve stopped them with your technology.”

“For now.”
“You have the knowledge to build ships, even though you pretend not to use it.”
“We would never have found you, but for your probe that reached our galaxy.”
“Someone on Siksa is actively building ships.”
“Your cursed will go to other worlds, and fill this galaxy with war.”
“We can’t let that happen.”
“You must join the empire now.”

“Let us delay for a year, emperor.”
“Leave some of your advisors with us, and help us prepare for the great changes that will come to Siksa.”

“That’s too long.”
“Anything can happen in a year.”

“Will you take this world by force, and kill us if we resist?”

“You are the first one to speak of force and killing.”
“It would be much better for everyone if you simply agree.”

“Tshuans are a proud people, emperor.”
“You may conquer us for a time, but one day we will have our revenge.”

“No one has to die, queen Keela.”

“My father already died because of you,” shouts Keela.

“What are you talking about?”

“You’ve heard the story of the invading spirit that took over my brother’s body and killed my father.”

“Yes, but what does that have to do with us?”

“It was a Kizak spirit, named Harkus,” says Keela.

“That’s impossible.”
“My son was named Harkus, and it was a rare name.”

“It was your son,” shouts Keela, “or at least some shadow of him!”
“He told us that when his body burned, his spirit found its way here.”
“Harkus pretended to be my brother, but when we discovered the truth, he begged us to let him stay.”
“When we first tried to drive away his spirit, he killed my father.”
“Berek eventually drove him out of the body and killed him.”

“You killed my son!” says the emperor.

“No,” says Berek.
“You suppress energy talent, and it bursts out in dangerous ways.”
“You’re the ones who made his body burn, and sent him to his death.”

“You killed one cursed son, and your father killed the other.”

“What are you talking about?” asks Keela.

“His father Yagrin came to Wenri, wearing a Kizak body,” says the emperor.
“He used many names among us, including Yagrin and Neyima.”
“Neyima convinced my son Disu to follow the way of the curses, and Disu died because of it.”

“How could a Kizak man in your galaxy be Berek’s father?” asks Keela.

“I don’t know for sure, but those knives are unique, and they were carried by Neyima, as well as Berek’s father.”
“And Berek has been trained in their use.”
“Neyima had a mental shield that we’ve never seen anywhere else, until we came to Siksa.”
“I don’t expect you to admit it,” adds the emperor.
“Just go.”
“Think for a few days about what I’ve said.”
“We can still resolve this peacefully, before more children die for nothing from the curses.”

Three guards escort Keela and Berek back to the ship, while the emperor sits down with his advisors.
“Lord Berek never confirmed that Neyima was his father,” says one advisor.

“No, but he didn’t deny it.”
“He knows that it’s possible.”

“Will you take your revenge on them?”

“My sons were corrupted by the curses, and the boys have paid the price for their weakness.”
“Siksa is not responsible.”
“The only revenge I want here is against the curses themselves.”

“What would you like us to do now?”

“The queen is unlikely to agree, and the guilds give vague replies.”
“We need to find other friends, so we can avoid war.”
“Publicize the wonders of the empire, and the right of the people to have a voice in the future.”
“We want upheaval in the governments of both lands, so everyone will look to us to bring order.”
“If the people take over, it’s even better.”
“In our experience, we’ve found it easier to convince democratic governments to join us.”

 
Debate
Three days later, just after first sun, the Tshuan infonet is flooded with reports of miraculous cures, and images of beautiful Kizak worlds.
There are dramatic moments from political debates that took place on the Kizak home world when Teyus’s father was alive.
The old emperor suggested the introduction of an elected council with real power, and the Kizak media debated the benefits of such a change.
Everything that appears on the infonet is translated to the Jiku language, using expressions and slang common in Tshuan.

The Kizak follow a different approach in the guild lands, focusing at first on the healing centers.
The centers are located in heavily populated areas, and are full of Jiku, even though they’ve only been open a few days.
As each center is built, the guilds and the public wonder why the outside walls of the centers have huge display areas.
When the center is complete, the walls light up, and display information about the centers.
When people are cured from serious injury or illness, they’re asked to speak of their healing experience.
Those stories are displayed for everyone to see, encouraging others to come in for treatment.

Now the walls have another purpose.
At first sun, the walls go dark, except for the word watch.
A few minutes later, sounds and sights of exotic Kizak worlds appear, followed by excerpts of the information released in Tshuan.
Citizens are encouraged to look for more information on the guild infonet, beginning at mid-day.
The guild infonet is separate from the one in Tshuan.
Everyone here has access to it, but the council discourages its use.
On a normal day, the young are the greatest users, ignoring the council’s advice that technology is dangerous.
As the morning continues, more and more Jiku are talking on the infonet, commenting on the excerpts shown at the healing centers, waiting for the full content.

Even more Jiku rush to the infonet when mid-day comes.
The net becomes a place to discuss everything that is wrong with the guilds, and what should be changed.
Soon, the majority of people in both lands are talking about the empire and change.
In Tshuan, some start to call the infonet the changenet, and the Kizak carry that name to the guild lands.
Discussions lead to demonstrations, larger than any ever seen.
The Tshuan guard comes out in force, in case there is trouble, but the demonstrations are peaceful.
In the guild lands, the demonstrations are more chaotic, and there’s damage to buildings near the council hall.

Berek comes to Keela’s office, a week after their visit to the emperor.
“We have a problem, Keela,” he says.

“That’s obvious,” she says.
“There’s growing chaos, and the Kizak are responsible.”

“Yes, but the people’s discontent is real.”
“Still, that’s not why I’m here.”

“What do you want?” she asks, frustrated.
Keela doesn’t know how to deal with the political unrest.

“This morning, one of the sisters disappeared.”
“Her name is Hanli.”

“So she grew tired of the school, and took a trip.”
“So what?”

“She’s not like that.”
“I know her well.”
“Ilaz and I are her students.”

“Perhaps she’s mentally unstable.”

“She disappeared in the middle of the night, Keela, and her room shows signs of struggle.”
“And there’s a note: The masters will rise, and Tshuan will fall to the guilds.”

“Do you think the guilds really did this?”

“Unlikely, but some of the people will think so.”

“We must keep this quiet, and search for the woman secretly.”

“It’s too late for that.”
“News of the event appeared on the Tshuan and guild infonets, only a few minutes after we knew about it in the school, and there’s a rumor that you’re planning to attack the guild lands, now that they have no powers.”
“In the guild lands, they say that the Tshuan guard kidnapped the woman at your request to give you an excuse to attack.”

“It’s not true, Berek!”

“I know that, Keela, but there are people in both lands that believe it.”
“Two days ago, the guilds gave transport technology to the emperor, in appreciation for the healing centers, and as a sign of friendship.”
“The aliens completed several platforms aboard the emperor’s ship, only a few hours after they received the plans.”
“This morning shortly after the kidnapping appeared on the infonets, the Kizak offered to mediate the dispute, and help keep the peace.”
“The guild council accepted their offer, and give the Kizak transport security codes.”
“Hundreds of armed Kizak traveled through the platforms, and are patrolling the streets in several cities.”
“Additional Kizak transport ships have landed, with weapons and supplies.”

“This all happened too quickly and conveniently!”
“The Kizak must be behind this.”
“They want us to attack the guild lands.”

“I agree, but we can’t prove it.”

“What do I do?”

“Make an announcement to everyone (your people, the Kizak, and the guild lands) that you don’t believe that the guilds are responsible for the kidnapping, and that you won’t attack.”

Keela goes off to issue the message, and returns ten minutes later.
Ilaz is waiting with Berek.

“How are you, Ilaz?” asks Keela, giving him a hug.

“Terrible, without my master.”
“What are you going to do about Hanli?”

“I’ve ordered hundreds of the guards to search for her throughout Tshuan.”

“That’s pointless.”
“It’s the guilds that took her.”
“Message the council, and tell them to return her.”

“Don’t be a fool,” says Keela.
“There’s a cage in place.”
“The guilds are too weak and too timid to openly act against us.”
“The kidnapping is a Kizak plot to make the Jiku fight each other.”

“Then contact the emperor, and tell him that you know what he’s doing.”
“Dare him to deny it!”
“Don’t just abandon Hanli!”

“I can’t accuse the emperor, Ilaz,” says Keela, “without putting Tshuan and all of Siksa at risk.”
“He’s just waiting for an excuse to attack us.”
“Soon the Kizak will see that the kidnapping has no effect, and they’ll release your teacher unharmed.”

“How long will it take?”
“What if the Kizak are mistreating her?”

“I don’t know.”

Ilaz walks away, upset.

“The school should close, Berek,” says Keela.
“What’s the point of teaching about the web when you can’t draw power from it?”
“Why is Ilaz still there?”

“First of all, the children are orphans, and have no place else to go.”
“We mostly teach them about ordinary subjects, like math, science, language, history, art and music.”
“And it’s still important to teach about the creator and the web that he put here to support all of life.

“But what good is it to have a movements class?”

“Some of the movements still enhance our connection with the web, even with the cage.”
“They have a noticeable, though diminished effect.”

 
First Vote
The eldest of the queen’s advisors enters, and activates the wall.
“Look,” he says.

There are two large columns of numbers displayed, changing every few seconds.

“What is this?” asks Keela.

“The infonet.”
“The people are voting whether to join the empire, and change Tshuan’s government.”

“You’re joking.”
“Who agreed to such a vote?”

“It’s not official in any way, but a rumor was spread that there would be a real vote soon.”
“Someone set up the link, and people started voting.”
“As of now, over half of Tshuan has voted.”

“Half?!”

“Yes, and seventy percent of those who voted want you to revive the great council, and join the empire.”
“The numbers are similar in the guild lands.”

“We can’t take this seriously.”
“The Kizak have faked the entire thing.”

“I’m sure they’re involved, but there’s no way to know how much they’ve adjusted the numbers.”
“We’ve randomly monitored many of the messages moving through Tshuan today.”
“Everyone is talking about the vote, and they’re clearly excited about getting a new council and joining the empire.”

“But the percentage of positive messages about the vote must be smaller than seventy percent.”

“No, they’re about the same.”

“Issue a public announcement.”
“Tell the people that we’re proud of their initiative in wanting to improve the government, and their willingness to welcome visitors to our planet.”
“However, stability is critical to Tshuan’s success.”
“The current government will manage any discussions with the empire.”
“Changes to the government will only be explored after the matter with the empire is settled.”

The advisor returns fifteen minutes later.

“Did you post the announcement on the infonet?” asks Keela.

“Yes.”

“What are the people saying about it?”

“More of our people have voted, a total of seventy-five percent of the adult population.”
“The level of support for empire membership, and a change of government is still high.”
“There’s more.”
“You know that members of the guard are prohibited from attending public political events, or making public political statements.”
“Of course, they’re allowed to vote, and express their opinions in private communication.”
“We’ve been looking at guard messages, especially after your latest announcement.”

“I’m sure the guard overwhelmingly supports us.”

“Most of the guard avoids politics, even in their private messages, partly because they suspect that we monitor their communications.”
“Today, almost half of the guard are speaking about the vote in their messages, and a third of them agree with the public.”
“They want a change in government, and membership in the empire.”

“One-third don’t support us?”

“We can’t be sure what they would do in a crisis.”
“I suspect that many of them would follow orders, but for how long?”

“How is the guild council responding to the vote in their lands?”

“They’re encouraging the people to express their opinion.”
“The council is promising to review the results and take action as soon as possible.”

“They’re just stalling.”
“They won’t act anytime soon.”

“You’re right, but their response seems more supportive of the people than yours does.”
“They’re pretending that they’ll take action, while you’ve said that you’re going to ignore the results.”

Keela’s Kizak commdisk starts flashing, indicating an incoming message.
She accepts the message, and an image appears, a foot above the disk.
It’s the emperor.

“Have you seen the results of the vote, queen Keela?”

“You know I have.”
“I’m sure you’ve seen our response.”

“We’re concerned that this may lead to civil war in Tshuan, and possibly the guild lands.”
“I’m offering my troops to help maintain order, if you need them.”

“Thank you for your generous offer, but we can handle the situation.”

“I have a suggestion.”
“Accept our offer of membership now, and end the crisis before it escalates.”
“The people would feel that you were listening, and I think that you could indefinitely postpone any change in the government.”

Keela is angry at his interference, but she pushes the emotion away.
“I’ll discuss it with my advisors, and respond soon.”

“Good,” says the emperor.
“I look forward to it.”

“I’m just stalling him, Berek,” says Keela, after the link is broken.
“I have no intention of joining the empire.”

“Still,” says the elder, “the law requires that the whole council meet to discuss such a vital issue, my queen.”

“I’ve made my decision, but let them talk.”
“Message them to come right away, to discuss it.”

The full council of seven advisors takes two hours to assemble.
“I’m tired of discussing this issue,” says Keela to the council, as they get ready to enter the conference room.”
“Form your own opinion, and then message me to join you for a summary of your thoughts.”

Keela walks away.
An hour and a half passes before they call her back to the room.
The elder looks upset when Keela enters.

“What’s wrong?” she asks.

“I don’t agree with the council’s conclusions, my queen, so they have chosen a new speaker to present their viewpoint.”

One of the youngest advisors stands up, a woman about thirty years old.
“My queen,” says the advisor, “the majority of your council, five out of seven, believes that Siksa should accept membership in the empire.”
“We’ve been isolated and stagnant too long.”
“We sit and wait for visions to come true, and do almost nothing to improve the lives of the people.”
“Siksa needs to grow and change.”
“Further, we think that one week after the terms of membership are settled, we should complete and publicize a plan for restoring the great council.”

“Thank you for your advice, council, but in this instance, I will not be able to follow it.”
“The empire is bad for Tshuan, and bad for Siksa.”
“We must reject the empire, send them away, and restore peace.”
“If we succeed, then, in a few years, we can discuss the great council again.”

“We’re confident that our plan is best for Tshuan,” adds the speaker.
“This is what the people truly want.”

“I am the voice of Tshuan,” says the queen, raising her voice, “and I will decide its future.”
“My opinion will never be based on what’s popular or easy!”

“We hoped you would listen to us,” says the speaker, “but we expected you to respond like this.”
“It is your decision, according to current law, but we can no longer support you.”
“The five of us resign, effective immediately.”

“You’re going to resign now?” asks Keela.
“That’s irresponsible.”
“The people are troubled, and only a strong government can reassure them.”
“And we need to convince the Kizak that Tshuan does not want them, so the aliens will leave us alone.”

“We don’t agree,” says the speaker.
“The people are upset with you and this government.”
“They want something new, and welcome the coming of the empire.”

The five council members walk out.

 
First Kill
The council’s resignation is on the infonet within minutes, along with the details of their disagreement with the queen.
A few hours later, there’s a suggestion on the net that they plan a general strike, and form a new government.

The strike takes place the following morning.
Almost all of Tshuan closes down, and thousands of people meet in public places to talk about what they must do.
In the capital city, they decide to march toward the commander’s headquarters.
The guard tries to turn them away when the crowd reaches the first checkpoint, a mile away.
When the people break through the checkpoint, one of the guards fires a stun blast, which knocks out a dozen people.
There are only three guards at the site, and they are quickly overpowered.

When the crowd reaches the next checkpoint, they’re met by hundreds of guards, heavily armed.
“Go back,” says the captain.
“We don’t want to hurt anyone, but you’re approaching a military facility where most civilians are not permitted to go.”
The crowd advances, but the guard fire a wide stun ray.
Everyone is knocked out, falling all over each other.

The guards move methodically through the crowd, putting restraints on each person, and then reviving them.
There are some injuries from the falls, including some broken bones.
But in the middle of the group, they find an eight-year-old child, with four adults covering her.
She’s not breathing, and the guard doctor is unable to revive her.

The death ceremony takes place the next day.
The queen wants to attend, but the crowd is angry, and the guard advises her to stay away.
The parents get up to speak when the ceremony is over.

“Tshuan was once a place of justice,” says the girl’s mother, “but there is no justice today.”
“How can the guards kill a child, and dismiss their murder with a short apology?”
“We have no leaders anymore.”
“It’s time for the great council to return, and the queen to go!”
“Only a new government can bring us justice!”

Niyta, and three of the other sisters come to the queen.
She agrees to meet with them, but only for a few minutes.

“Tshuan is crumbling,” she says.
“What do you want?”

“We’re skilled negotiators, my queen,” says Niyta, their leader.
“I suggest we facilitate negotiations between you and some of those who are leading the crowd.”
“You could form a government similar to the old kingdom.”
“You would still be queen, but you would work with the great council.”

“I’ve already said that we can’t make any changes in government until the Kizak leave.”

“The people will never accept that.”
“Form the new government first, and maybe you’ll be able to convince the council to reject the Kizak.”
“Compromise, or there will be civil war and death.”

“Never,” says Keela.
“Go back to your school.”
She sends them away.

“Am I wrong, Berek?” asks Keela, when the two of them are alone in the room.
“Is compromise the only solution?”
“How can I let my people welcome our enemies?”

“I don’t see how you can save Tshuan without compromise, but the people may be too angry and troubled to accept any compromise with you.”
“Maybe we should just go, so your people will have no reason to fight each other.”
“We could leave Siksa in the starship, or hide in the sleeper’s cavern.”

“I am not a coward.”
“Whatever happens, I will stay here, among the sacred hills, where my father and the other kings before us ruled.”
“I will stand with any of my guard who support me, until we are victorious, captured or dead.”
“You can stay or go, as you wish.”

Berek smiles.
“There’s no place for me, except here, with you.”

 
Revenge
“What did the queen say, Niyta?” asks Shazira, when Niyta returns to the school.

“She’s stubborn, and believes that we must send away the Kizak.”

“What will happen?”

“More than half the guard will defend her if she is attacked.”
“If she sends the guard against the people, before she’s attacked, I don’t know what they’ll do.”
“I suspect that there will be civil war, with or without the active involvement of the Kizak.”

Tzina bursts into the room.
“Oodah, one of the children found Hanli.”
“Come quickly.”

“Where was she found?” asks Shazira, as she and Niyta follow Tzina outside.

“At the edge of the nearby forest, near the entrance to the busiest one of the trails.”
“That trail is used every day.”
“Whoever took Hanli, must have brought her back, and left her there in the last few hours.

A few sisters are with Hanli when they reach her.
She’s alive, but her breathing is shallow, and her pulse slow.
A note by the body claims that this was done by the guilds.

Niyta sends away the older children who have gathered there, and most of the other sisters.
Then she lays down next to Hanli, and activates one of the nullifiers that Berek give her, placing it between them.
Niyta scans the damage.

“Every organ is failing, and there’s severe brain damage.”
“I can’t heal her fast enough to save her, even if I had the strength, and the nullifier worked for hours.”
“Besides, her mind will never recover, after so much trauma to her brain.”
“I’ll do what I can to stabilize her temporarily, and reduce the pain.”

Tzina reaches out to touch Hanli.

“What are you doing?” asks Niyta.
“You’re not a healer.”

Tzina stops.
“No, but I can read some of her memories and find out what happened to her.”

“Too dangerous,” says Shazira.

“We need to know who did this,” says Tzina, “and why, or no one in the school will be safe!”

“The Kizak put a mind cage around the planet,” says Niyta.
“How do you expect to reach Hanli.”

“Mind Weavers can overcome the cage, if we touch the other person’s skin.”

The woman is unconscious, but still moaning.
“She sounds like a wounded animal,” thinks Tzina.
Tzina takes one deep breath, and makes contact with the sister’s cold, clammy skin.

Her mind web is a mess!
I won’t be able to access her ordinary memories.

We think that memories are only recorded in the brain, but key events are copied and stored within the energy body.
Tzina finds the memory center, and links to it.

So much pain here.
The Kizak were hunting for secrets about weapons or starships, but there was nothing for them to find.
They refused to believe her, and she was tortured.

“Stop,” says one of the interrogators.
“She’s not holding back, and she doesn’t have the information we need.”
“This is pointless.”

The other guards laugh at Hanli’s pain, and the emperor is there, laughing with them.

“Continue,” he says, “and don’t you dare feel any compassion for her.”
“She’s a worthless alien, one of the cursed they call sisters.”
“We’ll see what they know, and then they die.”

“The queen’s cousins are also among the cursed,” says one of the advisors.

“Leave them.”
“When the new governments are established, we’ll turn our attention to the rest of the cursed.”
“We have the guild membership records, so we already know who they are.”
“All the cursed will die, except for a few, like the queen’s cousins, that are useful to us.”

“The woman is unconscious, emperor, and nearly dead,” says the interrogator.
“It’s impossible to continue.”
“What do you want us to do with her?”

“She’ll die on her own?”

“Yes.”

“Write a note that blames her death on the guilds.”
“Leave her near the school, in a place where she’ll be found before she dies.”
“The Tshuans will be more angry if the woman dies in front of them.”

“What are you doing here,” says the emperor to a tech that enters the room.
The tech’s face shows that he’s shocked by what they’ve done to Hanli.

He stutters when he responds.
“We’ve just changed the security codes on the shields and the transport platforms.”
The technician hands a small storage device to the emperor.
“I was ordered to personally give you the new codes.”

“Are you familiar with the healing tech that we’ve given to the aliens?”

“Yes.”

“Tell your supervisor that I want you to leave immediately for the surface, and bring fifty more healing devices to the Tshuan medical facilities.”
“I want them to believe that we’re their friends.”
“Spend a few days there, installing the tech, and training the aliens how to use it.”

“Understood.”

“Now get out.”
“You don’t belong here.”

“The tech is probably still in Tshuan,” thinks Tzina, “and I can pull the codes from his mind.”

Tzina looks on the infonet to see the schedule of installations.
The technician is working today at the largest medical facility in the capital.
She activates her armband, and reaches the building in ten minutes.

It takes her a few more minutes to locate him.
He’s been trained in Jiku, but he’s naturally shy, and afraid of the aliens, so he spokes to almost no one.
Tzina bumps into him, and falls on top of him, so she can hold a connection to his mind for half a minute.

“I’m sorry,” she says in Kizak, after she gets up.
“I’m so clumsy.”
“Did I hurt you?”

“I’m all right,” he says.
“You must work for the queen, or she wouldn’t have chosen you to learn our language.”

“Yes,” she lies.
The truth is that Berek brought her to her father’s ship to learn the Kizak language from the AI.
During her brief contact with the Kizak’s mind, she copies all his memories from the last few days.
Then she finds a quiet place to review those memories, and plan her next move.

The tech’s memories are full of treasures.
She sees the layout of most of the ship.
There are ten working transport platforms, one of them only a hundred feet from the ship’s mind cage projector.
She needs to destroy that device first, so she can twist the minds of the whole crew.

The platform and shield codes are here, as she expected, but she has to act quickly.
The codes change every two or three days.

Back at the school, Tzina changes her clothes and arms herself with weapons shielded against the Kizak tech screen.
And carries three nullifiers, each giving her ten minutes of freedom from the cage around the web.
Finally, she takes a light shifter, which will make her invisible under the right conditions.

Just before she leaves, she records a visual message, and schedules it to be delivered to her mother, several hours from now.

I’m sorry, oodah, but someone has to make the Kizak pay for what they’ve done.
The emperor was present when they tortured Hanli.
I saw it in her mind.
He seems friendly when he visits Siksa, but he’s a vicious man.
He plans to kill all the sisters, and energy masters across the planet.
I’ll destroy the ship and kill him.
There are other ships, so I know this won’t be the end of the war, but after this, the Kizak will be afraid of us.
I don’t think I’ll see you again.
Tell everyone I love them, and tell Dilasa and Berek that I’m sorry that I didn’t say goodbye.
There’s no time.

Tzina finds a quiet transportation platform on the edge of Tshuan, and enters the destination codes to pass through the ship’s shield, and land on the platform.
They’ll have a tech screen in place, but her weapons are designed to block it.
She knows that there’s only one guard at the platform this time of day, and the guard will be bored.
The platforms aren’t being used much.

She fires her weapon as soon as she reaches the ship.
The guard is dead before he has a chance to react.
She turns on the light shifter, and heads for the room that houses the mind cage projector.
Her heart beats fast as she walks past guards in the hallway, but soon she turns a corner and goes down into a small deserted hallway, and reaches the room with the projector.
There’s no guard for this room.
The projector is not considered critical tech, but the door still requires a security code that she doesn’t have.

She could make contact with other guards, and look for the code, but she decides to take a more direct approach.
Tzina blasts through the door.
Guards will come, but it won’t take long to destroy the projector.
After that, she can easily twist the minds of anyone who comes near her.

The projector control asks for a code.

It would have been safer to shut it off before I start firing, but I have no choice.

She lays the weapon on the control panel to give her a more precise aim, and starts firing at the projector.
The weapons she carries are designed to kill people, so it takes a half a minute to damage the projector beyond repair.
She’s about to shut off the blaster when there’s a power surge that knock her out.

Tzina wakes up sitting in a chair.
There are restraints that hold her arms and legs in place.

“The alien is awake,” says one of the guards.
“Get the emperor.”

With the mind cage gone, she can twist their thoughts and get free.

Better to wait until the emperor comes.

As soon as he enters the room, she takes control of the minds of everyone in the room, except the emperor.
His mind is protected.
Ina told her about a device he wears that repels the mind touch.

She directs one of the guards to fire a stun blast at the emperor, and then free her.
When the emperor wakes, he’s sitting in the interrogation chair.

“What’s going on?” he yells.
“Who fired on me?!”

“The guards are mine,” says Tzina.
“I thought about torturing you with my own hands, to pay you back for what you did to that harmless woman, but I’m not cruel enough.”
“Don’t worry, though, I’ll have no trouble destroying your ship.”
“You are going to watch, helpless, and wait for death.”

“Stop,” says the emperor.
“We’re not responsible for that woman’s death.”

Tzina ignores him.
She builds a simulation, and pulls the minds of everyone on the ship into it, except for the emperor, and two of the guards in the room.
She sets the blaster to low stun, and fires at the emperor.
“Carry him to the central control room, and tie his hands and feet.”

They stand there with no expression on their faces, waiting empty for her will to move them.
“Scramble the security codes that other ships need to be recognized and dock with this ship.”

“Done,” replies the guard.

She identifies one of the pilots, and pulls his mind out of the simulation.
She hands him a control pad.
“Lock in a course for the sun at maximum speed, with a two minute delay.”
“Tie it into this display.”

“Wake the emperor,” she says to the other guards.

“What are you doing?” he asks, looking at his surroundings.
“You’ll never get off the ship.”

“The course is set for the sun.”
“The engines will activate two minutes after I press this control.”
“You’ll sit here helpless and just watch.”
“Ten minutes after that, you’ll get close enough to the sun that you’ll burn up.”
“It’s a better death than you deserve.”

“What kind of monster are you,” asks the emperor, “killing a whole ship as revenge for one woman’s death?!”
“And we’re not even responsible!”

“Do you think I care what you think of me?” she screams at him.
“You started this!”

She taps into the pad, and hands it to the guards.
“Change the codes for the transport platform to the ones shown here.”
“Then destroy the communications root for the ship.”

She sends the guards and the pilot back to the simulation.
Two virtual worlds are waiting there.
Most of the crew lives in a quiet place where their life will just fade away.
But the Kizak who tortured Hanli suffer in a nightmarish world until death frees them.

Tzina remembers a strange mind she touched for a moment when she exiled the bulk of the crew into the simulations.
“It doesn’t belong on this ship,” whispers an inner voice.

She pulls it back from the simulation, and sees images of a black creature in a cage, at the far end of the ship.
There are old memories of this creature on a starship with others of its kind.
Their language is unfamiliar, but they are energy masters, and they call themselves Madar.”

The creature directs silent words to Tzina, using the Kizak language.

Help me escape from here, but don’t let go of my mind.

She puts images into the Madar’s mind, showing it the path to a nearby transport platform, and gives it the codes to reach Tshuan.
Tzina awakens a guard at that end of the ship for a few seconds, to free the creature, and give it a weapon.
Then she waits a minute while the Madar finds its way to the platform, and disappears.

Tzina taps the pad she holds.
The timer counts down as she runs for the nearest transport room, where the door is waiting open for her.
She sets the destination codes and steps onto the platform.

The inside of the ship is still in its last moments of life.
The crew dies from heat before the hull explodes, but the emperor is not with them.

“If only we had the shaping device that Mayla showed us,” thinks Berek. She never gave us plans for it, [...]]]>  
Unprepared
“It’s going slowly, Berek,” says Keela.
“We have no experience in manufacturing the carbon fibers.”
“And we don’t have enough engineers to redesign the airships, weapons, and other devices to incorporate the material.”

“If only we had the shaping device that Mayla showed us,” thinks Berek.
She never gave us plans for it, only a limited version with built-in models for a few weapons.
That was long ago, and those weapons would be useless without the fibers, once the Kizak activate a tech screen.

“We’ll be able to produce some devices that can resist the tech screen, but not enough.”
“Can you use flow to shape the weapons, Berek?”

“Not without a nullifier, but even then, my flow skills are surprisingly rough, and I can’t shape a complex device.”

“What can we do?”
“We’re running out of time.”
“Weeks have passed since your father’s ship came.”
“The Kizak could arrive at any moment.”

“My control improves when I take off the Shield.”

“How can you suggest that?”
“You’re the protector of Tshuan.”
“My father gave you the Shield to carry with you at all times.”
“No one has ever been given that honor.”
“And you promised that you would wear the Shield until the danger passed!”

“I’m grateful for his trust, Keela, but I need you to release me from my vow.”

“You told me that the Shield makes you stronger.”

“Stronger, yes, but I can’t control that power when I use it to flow.”
“I’m better off with the nullifier, and no Shield.”
“I’ve connected a few nullifiers to an external power source.”
“They’ll operate for an hour or more, until they burn out.”

“Will you just ignore the visions?”
“They say that the Shield will save Tshuan.”

“I don’t know how to use it, Keela.”
“No one does.”
“I’m more help to you without it.”
“And I’ll still keep it nearby, and wear it when the nullifiers are gone.”

Keela frowns.

“I know this is troubling,” says Berek, “but what choice do we have?”

“Do it,” says Keela.
“I release you from your promise.”
“If you won’t carry the shield, we have to return it to its resting place in the cavern.”

They go to the cavern, and put back the Shield.
“Perhaps this is necessary,” she says, “but today we dishonor the commander’s memory.”
Her eyes fill with tears, but Berek is silent.
He knows that no words will comfort her now.

When they leave the cavern, he says goodbye, but she doesn’t answer, and he returns to the school where he has a workshop prepared.
Even with the nullifiers, progress is slow, and Berek can only flow materials close to his body.
With the ship’s help, he improves the efficiency of the portable nullifiers so they run for ten minutes off a single charge.
Still, it’s not very long.

Over the next few days, he cancels his classes, and flows hundreds of armbands, multifunction disks, and small weapons.
His days are busy, yet they seem empty.
Dilasa and Tzina visit him, but Keela stays away, and she doesn’t respond to his messages.

One day, Niyta, the head of the sisters, enters his workshop.
“Time to stop, Berek,” she says.

“I can’t stop.”
“We don’t even have enough weapons for the guard.”

“Your little weapons won’t save us against ships and armies.”
“The Kizak are here.”

“Where?”
“I’ve got to go.”

“Slow down.”
“They asked permission to land a small ship in the morning.”
“Five diplomats will meet with the Tshuan council, and arrange a meeting with the queen.”
“The request was made in perfect Jiku.”

“Did Keela contact you?”

“One of her advisors.”
“The queen wants you to meet with the Kizak and the council.”
“Stop your work, and rest.”
“You’ll need all your strength tomorrow.”

 
Diplomats
Berek wakes after a full night’s sleep, but he feels strange.
It takes him a moment to clear his thoughts, and then he knows.

He can barely feel the web.
The cage is fully in place.
He tests a nullifier, and takes a deep breath after he sees that it still works.

Berek dresses in the formal clothing sent by Keela, in the royal colors of red and black.
He hides the nullifier under his shirt, and slips a gold communicator armband over his jacket.
Normally, when he walks past the children, their thoughts jump out at him, even if he doesn’t try to listen.
Today is different.
He can still raise and lower his own mind wall, but the world around him is quiet.

His father’s message explains it all.

The regular cage doesn’t block our mind skills, but the Kizak have another device which creates a mind cage.
There’s a division of their military called the mind corps, full of those who can touch minds as we do.
We’re stronger than them, or at least I am.
Since the mind cages are everywhere, the agents carry jamming devices which let them selectively disable the cage, so they can read a nearby mind.
Keep your wintzal active at all times, and remind the leaders in the guild and Tshuan to do the same.
I don’t know if you have my strength, but I can touch Kizak thoughts whenever I make physical contact, even when the mind cage is active.

Berek tenses up when he tries to glide on the web and nothing happens.
Then he remembers how the world has changed, and activates the flight circuit in the Tshuan armband, to fly to the meeting place.
“I’ll save the battery in the nullifier, for when I need it.”

The Kizak will be here soon.
When he arrives at the landing pad, the guards send him to the queen.
“Out,” she says to the others.

She fingers the cloth of his jacket.
“The royal colors look good on you, Berek.”

“I’m sorry I upset you,” he says.
“I never meant to disrespect your father.”

“I know,” she says, squeezing his hand.
“I just needed a few days to cool off.”

“It was strange not to see you for a few days, Keela.”
“I didn’t like it.”

“Good,” she says smiling.
“Are you ready to meet the Kizak?”

“Yes, but I wish I knew what they’re planning.”

“Can you go into their minds and touch their thoughts.”
“You told me that the ship taught you their language.”

“I could do it, but some of them may have mind skills, and would notice the intrusion, or slip into my mind.”
“Better for us to keep our mind walls closed at all times.”

“The council is protected, Berek, and some of the guard, but not all.”
“We can’t hide all of our secrets.”

“We’ll do what we can, for as long as we can.”

“I know you won’t like it,” she says, “but the council will introduce you as Lord Berek, my cousin and trusted advisor.”
“Be safe,” she adds.
“On the surface, I think this first meeting will be the usual diplomatic nonsense.”
“Still, I’m going far from the meeting place, in case the ship that lands tries to attack us.”

Berek is the tallest of the Jiku at the landing pad, when the Kizak arrive.
They are wearing some kind of dress uniform, in blue and gold.

“We bring greetings from our emperor to your queen,” says the oldest of the Kizak.
“We’ve traveled from another galaxy to ask you to join us in a great empire.”
“Yours is the first world that we’ve invited from outside our own galaxy.”

“You honor us,” says the elder of the Tshuan council.
“Of course, we must learn more about your empire before we can make a decision.”

“Agreed,” says the Kizak.
Each of the Tshuans introduces himself or herself, and the Kizak do the same, until only Berek remains.
He feels pressure on his mind wall, but whoever it is, can’t penetrate it.

“And who is this?” asks the Kizak elder.

“Lord Berek, the queen’s cousin and advisor.”

“How did you learn our language?” asks Berek.

“We sent intelligent unmanned ships to learn your history and language, and prepare the way.”

“Prepare?”

“We’ve set up security screens to protect the emperor, so he’s not threatened by the curse.”

“Tell me about this curse,” says Berek.

“You call it energy ways.”
“These abilities have brought great destruction to you in your history, as they have to us.”
“We can remove the security screens when we leave, but we hope that you will consent to keep them in place.”
“We know about your inhibitors.”
“You resist the curse, just as we do.”

“We will consider your words,” says the Tshuan elder.

“Honored guests,” says Berek, “the queen has asked me to personally welcome you to our world and to the kingdom of Tshuan.”
“We honor our guests,” says Berek, “with a physical greeting.”
“Not knowing your customs, I ask permission to greet you in this way.”

“Continue,” says the Kizak elder.

Berek gives each of them the greeting of palms.
While doing it, he lowers his mind shield for a few seconds, and listens to the thoughts of each of them.

“How old are you, Lord Berek?” asks one of the Kizak, after the greetings are finished.
“You’re tall, strong, and confident, and yet you look very young.”

“Thirteen,” answers Berek without hesitating.

“So young to lead a diplomatic delegation,” says the Kizak elder.
“We don’t know your ways, but it’s difficult not to think of this as an insult.”

One of the Tshuans steps close to the Kizak.
“Lord Berek is trusted by the queen in all ways.”
“He is wise, far beyond his years, and one of the greatest fighters among us.”
“Lord Berek personally avenged the death of our king.”
“His presence here is one of the greatest honors the queen could give you, without coming here herself.”

“We mean no disrespect,” says the Kizak elder.
“Our emperor will want a full report of our meeting, and we must anticipate the questions he will ask.

“The queen’s cooks have prepared a meal for you,” says one of the Tshuan council.
“Come eat with us.”

They sit down together, the table covered with serving dishes full of food.
One of the Kizak pulls out a device and scans the food.

“You think we would try to poison you?” asks one of the Tshuans, standing up in anger.

Berek stands and rests his hand on the shoulder of the Tshuan elder next to him.
“Elder, she is just scanning our food to make sure that it’s compatible with their bodies.”
“We look similar enough, but there may be foods or spices we eat that their bodies can’t tolerate.”

The Tshuan sits down.
“Thank you, Lord Berek,” says the Kizak woman, “for your thoughtful explanation.”
“That is exactly what I’m doing.”

The meal continues, and Berek is quiet, as the diplomats negotiate the details of the meeting between the emperor and the queen.
Berek leads the delegation as they walk back to the Kizak ship.
When they near the ship, the Tshuans present the Kizak group with gifts, including artwork, and a hand-made sword with gems embedded in the handle.
The Kizak respond with gifts of their own, including two helmets.
The first one is made of a bright silver metal, and decorated with the image of a lightning bolt.
The second one is smooth like glass, but has a metallic feel.

“I wish we could learn your language as easily as you have learned ours,” says Berek.
“We should honor you as you have honored us, by conducting the next meeting in the Kizak language.”

“An excellent suggestion, Lord Berek.”
“We hoped that your delegation would make such a request.”
“The silver device we’ve given you is a teaching machine.”
“With a few hours of use, it will provide a working knowledge of our history, customs and language.”
“However, there are differences between our races in neural structure, so we can’t be sure that the device is safe for you.”
“We recommend testing it on a criminal or enemy prisoner before using it yourselves.”
“After that it will distribute its content to twenty-five more minds, before it ceases to function.”
“We’ll give you a few days to make full use of the gift before your queen meets with the emperor.”

“The machine will burn out from use?”

“No, but it’s programmed to allow only twenty-six uses.”
“When you join the empire, we will share our language and technology with you freely, but until then, we must be more cautious.

“What is the second helmet?” asks Berek.

“A healing device.”
“It activates the inner resources of the body to accelerate healing.”

“Extraordinary!”
“When will it stop working?”

“This is our most precious gift, and it’s unlimited.”
The Kizak elder hands over a small device.
“This player contains the plans for the accelerator, translated to Jiku, and compatible with your power sources.”
“Produce as many as you wish.”
“We want your people to experience the benefits that will come from joining the empire.”

The Kizak return to their ship, and it quickly disappears from sight.

 
Reports
Teyus, the emperor, is already in the conference room when his people arrive.

“Well?” he asks.

“We couldn’t listen to the thoughts of the delegation.”
“They all have a mental barrier in place.”
“However, there were soldiers standing guard who were unprotected.”

“What did you learn?”

“We confirmed what our hidden probes reported.”
“There is a long history of distrust between Tshuan and the guild lands, along with a fear of energy ways.”

“Good.”
“The Tshuans will have no trouble with the cage, then.”

“It’s complicated.”
“A few hundred of the cursed live in Tshuan.”
“They’re called sisters of the long path.”
“The soldiers believe that the sisters are a thousand years old, from a time when technology was much more advanced than it is today.”

“A foolish tale,” says the emperor, walking back and forth.

“Perhaps, but they believe it, and the queen favors these women.”
“Who knows what is possible with the curse?”
“The Madar live that long.”
“There are also a few of the cursed who have come from the guild lands, including relatives of the queen.”
“Lord Berek is one of them, and the queen trusts him.”
“Some of the soldiers think that he will become king someday.”

“What are the Tshuans like?”

“Strong, confident.”
“You read the summary we sent you?”

“Yes, but I want more.”

“From the little we’ve seen, I think they would be an asset to the empire.”
“Their kingdom is built on a military structure, like the empire, and they understand discipline.”

“Tell me about this child that was part of the delegation.”

“The queen’s cousin is no child, emperor, in body or mind.”
“They say that he personally avenged the king’s death.”
“One of the soldiers witnessed a fight where Lord Berek was unarmed and faced five adult fighters with knives.”
“I saw the memory.”
“The youth’s fighting skills are extraordinary.”
“He’s also cursed.”
“There are reports of him flying and healing without technology.”
“And it’s said that weapons won’t work against him.”

“What about his family?”

“Confusing.”
“Our ships penetrated guild records.”
“They indicate that Lord Berek has parents in the guild lands who adopted him ten years ago, at age five, after his birth parents were killed.”
“Yet there are recent notes that suggest that his birth father is the most powerful of the cursed.”
“The soldiers thoughts confirm this, although one soldier thinks that Berek’s father is some kind of demon, both dead and alive.”

“Where is the man now?”

“Guild council notes suggest that Master Yagrin has left the planet, but there is no indication of how.”
“Officially, neither the Guilds or Tshuan have ships that can leave the atmosphere.”
“And the soldiers have only seen airships.”
“None of them know where Berek’s father has gone, only that he hasn’t been in Tshuan for years.”

“You’ve only stolen thoughts from a few minds,” protests the emperor.
“The ships may be carefully hidden.”
“We know that the Jiku have complete plans for the ancient ships.”

“Yes, but neither group is interested in leaving their world.”
“There is a widespread fear of being found by an ancient enemy.”
“The guilds, in particular, use very little advanced technology.”
“They prefer the powers that their curses bring them.”

“There are starships!” insists the emperor.
“How do you think we found this world!”
“One of their probes came to our galaxy, and was captured.”
“When we deciphered its data, we determined the planet’s position.”
“The probe itself is proof that there is dangerous technology here.”

“The probe was old, my emperor.”
“Perhaps it was sent from a facility that was destroyed in one of their wars.”
“Tshuan’s weapons offer little challenge to us, and the guild has nothing.”

“There is more here than we see.”
“We programed the probe to return to its launch facility, and it sent out a signal confirming its arrival.”
“That was the last we heard from it.”
“Can you explain what happened to it?!”

“No.”

“The guard will keep watch in space for any sign of Jiku starships.”
“We will find them.”
“This Lord Berek child will cause us trouble.”
“I feel it.”
“He will unit Tshuan and the guilds against us.”

“No, emperor.”
“The guild council has published an order, forbidding all contact with Lord Berek, his two sisters, and stepmother.”
“The order accuses Berek’s family of being traitors, loyal only to Tshuan.”

“Still, the queen is too close to the cursed sisters, and her cousins.”
“She may not agree to the cage.”

“There are others in Tshuan who might be more agreeable, if the queen fails us.”

“Explain.”

“In ancient times, there was a group called the great council.”
“They wrote the laws that governed the kingdom.”
“Most of this council was elected by the people.”
“Today’s royal council is full of shadows.”
“There are a few elected advisors, but they have no real power.”
“There’s a growing desire in Tshuan to limit the influence of the queen, and give the people a voice again.”
“The citizens are tired of preparing for war, and letting the military run the country.”

“I’ve heard that the Jiku believe in visions that promise another war.”

“It was the queen’s ancestor brought the world to war.”
“And there are many in Tshuan who believe that it will be the royal family who will start the next war, supported by the queen’s cursed cousins.”
“The Tshuan people are suspicious of the energy ways, and the guilds who are associated with them.”
“There is talk about replacing the queen.”

“Could these dissidents stage an effective rebellion?”

“They could start a civil war, but it’s unclear whether they could win it without our help.”

“Is there anyone who will support us in the guild lands?”

“We intercepted and analyzed many of their communications.”
“The guilds are a small percentage of the people, yet they have complete control of the government.”
“The majority of the inhabitants there are ordinary people who want more technology, and more power.”

“Tell me about the thoughts you stole from the soldiers.”
“Do the Tshuans plan to ambush us at this meeting?”

“No.”
“The soldiers have been instructed to treat us with the greatest respect, and not to take out or use their weapons unless the queen herself is threatened.”

“The Tshuans agreed to the terms of the meeting?”

“Yes.”
“The meeting will take place on a hilltop, with twelve armed guards accompanying you and twelve protecting the queen.”

“Good.”

“They also agreed to let a few of our unarmed diplomats visit various public areas in Tshuan and speak with the people, accompanied by their guards.”
“We’ll find a way to make private contact with citizens who are unhappy with the queen, in case we need to work around her.”

“How was your first contact with the guild council?”

“We landed there a few hours after we left Tshuan.”
“It was tense.”
“With their cursed abilities gone, the guilds are frightened.”
“They know about the cage, and they blame us for all they have lost.”

“You took their thoughts?”

“No.”
“Everyone we met from the guilds has that strange mind block.”
“Fortunately, they don’t have the military discipline of Tshuan.”
“Their emotions are visible on their faces, and their leaders are too quick to say what they’re thinking.”

“What will they do?”

“What can they do?”
“Nothing.”
“However, they’re trying to negotiate.”
“Their council offered to join the empire, in exchange for us lifting the cage from their lands, or even their major cities.”

“What did you say?”

“I thanked them for their thoughtful offer, and said that we would consider it.”
“I suggest that we agree to their condition.”

“I will not allow any part of a colony world to live with the curses.”

“Of course not.”
“We’ll just pretend to agree.”
“Once we’ve established a base in their lands, and arranged for free elections, they will no longer control the government.”
“Then the ordinary people will be happy that the curse is gone.”

The emperor laughs.
“We’ll do with them as you say.”

“One more issue.”
“The guild council accused us of murder.”

“We’ve harmed no one.”

“True, but their healers are powerless without their connection to the energy web.”
“And the guild lands have very limited medical knowledge outside of their healers.”
“Some of the sick and injured will die because of us.”
“As a sign of good will, we offered to build twelve healing centers equipped with the accelerator and other devices.”
“Our staff will manage the centers, until they can train the Jiku.”
“The council is uncomfortable accepting our help, but they have no choice.”
“It will take us only a few days to set up the centers.”
“Once the people see what we offer, the guilds will be nothing but ordinary men, and we will be the masters.”

“You’ve done well,” says the emperor.
“This planet will soon join us, whether or not their current leaders agree.”

Teyus is alone with his thoughts when the others leave.

The name Yagrin is hauntingly familiar.

He’s confident of his memory, but he looks up the name on the ship’s infonet, just to see it again.
The traitor Neyima had several identities, including one called ‘Yagrin’, a tech on a fringe world.

It’s a strange coincidence, that’s all.
Neyima said he was really Madar.
But what if he was lying?

 
Understanding the Kizak
“How do we find out if the teaching helmet is safe?” asks Keela.
“We need to learn their language and history, so we can better understand the Kizak, and predict how they will act.”

“Forget the helmet.”
“I’ll take you aboard the ship, and it will teach you their language.”

“No, Berek.”
“It’s not enough for you and me to have this knowledge.”
“I need my advisors and staff to understand how the Kizak think.”
“And we can’t use the ship to train my people, without revealing its existence!”

“I touched the thoughts of all the visitors.”
“I only had a few seconds with each one, but they look at the helmet as a true gift.”
“There’s no sign that it will drive us crazy, or steal our memories.”
“The emperor is prepared to conquer us by force, or pressure us into accepting, but he would like us to join the empire willingly.”
“They’ll wait a few weeks to get our agreement, as long as we seem to be considering their offer.”
“Still, even if they don’t intend to harm us, the helmet could be incompatible with our physiology or minds.”

“We have no choice.”
“We have to try it.”

“I’ll go first, Keela.”
“I won’t let you use it, until I’ve proven that it’s safe.”

“Do you think that I would let you take that risk, Berek?”
“You’re too important to Tshuan and to me.”
“I’ll ask for volunteers.”

Keela returns in a few minutes with a man and a woman, two of her advisors.

“Are you aware of the danger?” asks Berek.
“The aliens aren’t trying to harm us, but the process could still be dangerous.”

“We understand.”

“Lower your mental shields.”
“I need to do a thorough scan before you start, to see if your mind webs are affected by using the helmet.”

When Berek is finished, the advisors go off to a quiet room, one at a time, and complete the training.
They return later in the day.
Berek scans them again, looking for alien commands that have been implanted in their minds, or any kind of damage to the integrity of the webs.

“Thank the creator, there’s no trace of damage,” says Berek.
“How do you feel?”

“Great,” they answer.
“If anything,” says the woman, “I feel more alert than before.”

“Raise your mind shields,” says Berek.
“And thank you for your help.”

It takes a few days for the rest of the advisors and selected staff to complete the training.
The queen is the last one to put on the helmet and close her eyes.
When her training is complete, she awakes to find Berek waiting quietly in the room.

“How long have you been here?” she asks.

He doesn’t answer, and looks embarrassed.

“Tell me, Berek.”

“Hours.”
“I pretended to leave when my training was complete, and came back a few minutes after you started.”

“I don’t understand.”

He doesn’t answer.

“Tell me the rest.”

“I couldn’t bear the thought that the helmet might harm you.”
“I’ve been watching your mind web the whole time, to make sure you’re all right.”

“No one else had a problem.”
“Why worry about me?”

“I can’t help it, Keela.”
“I feel sick when I think of anything happening to you.”
He pauses.
“And I don’t know what I’m going to do when you take a bondmate.”

“Shh, Berek,” she says.
“You have nothing to fear.”

 
The Emperor’s Sword
Night passes.
The Tshuan group lands on top of one of the seven sacred hills, before first sun.
They dance the greeting to the sun, without delay, led by the queen, so they will be ready to meet the emperor.
Soon he comes in a small, bright ship, covered with colorful designs of blue and gold.
Other Kizak ships hover at a distance, ready to protect the emperor if he’s threatened.

Keela and he walk toward each other, meeting at the center of the hill, while their advisors and guards wait.
Even Berek stays behind with the others.
The first contact between the queen and the emperor is for them alone.

Keela is tall, and stands a full eight inches above the emperor.
The emperor is average height for a Kizak, five inches shorter than Jiku.
But unlike the Kizak, Jiku women are often as large as the men.

He was warned of her size, and dismissed the thought, but he finds that it troubles him when he stands near her.
They exchange the Jiku greeting of palms, as she speaks to him in the Kizak language.

“Emperor, welcome to Tshuan.”
“It’s an honor for you to visit us.”

“This is a historic moment, commander Keela.”
“The Kizak empire first reaches beyond its own galaxy to share its gifts with others.”
“And we find in the Tshuan kingdom the same discipline and honor that we cherish.”
“How wonderful that you prefer to be called commander over any other title.”

“Your words are kind, emperor, but to us in Tshuan there is little choice.”
“Those who cannot lead in battle are not worthy to lead when the days are quiet.”

“I agree completely.”

“Do you have children with you on this mission, emperor?”
“My cousin and I would be pleased to show them the best of Tshuan.”

His face is filled with pain, despite his efforts to ignore her words.

“I don’t know what I’ve said, emperor, but I’m sorry that I’ve troubled you.”

“You had no way to know, commander.”
“I had two sons once.”
“It’s not enough that the curses bring war to every world they touch.”
“Now, they have taken my children from me.”
“I will not rest until the curses are forgotten from every world of intelligent beings.”

“We guard against the energy ways, emperor, but we do not dismiss everyone who follows them.”

“Your planet and people have been cursed by these ways, the same as ours.”
“Your own ancestor, Botzar, almost destroyed this world.”

“He tried to stop a war,” says Keela, disturbed at the mention of his name.
The royal family knows what he did, but they don’t speak of it.

“Yes, but look what happened.”
“In the end, the curses will never bring anything but destruction.”

“Perhaps you’re right, emperor.”
“We must carefully consider your words.”

“Of course.”
“Let the others come now.”
“I want to meet your cousin, and your other advisors.”

The Tshuan and Kizak groups join the emperor and queen.
The emperor’s group hands him three boxes.
He opens the small one, and takes out a beautiful necklace of precious stones.
“For you, Keela,” he says.

“Thank you, emperor,” she says, putting it on.
She hands him an ancient Tshuan sword, within an ornate sheath.

“You learned your lessons well from the teaching device, Keela.”
“Every emperor is well trained in the use of swords, although the skill has little practical use.”

He pulls out the sword, and tests its weight, swinging and thrusting it, as he moves across the hilltop.
Everyone stands aside to give him room, but he moves closer and closer to Keela.

“Does he assume that everyone will move for him? she wonders to herself.
“Is he blind to my presence here, or does he test my courage?”
His own people seem troubled by his actions, and her guards are unsure how to react.

“Step out of his way, commander,” says one of her advisors, but she stays in place.
The emperor moves all around her, his sword coming closer and closer.
When his next thrust is aimed at her stomach, she moves out of the way.
The emperor finds his hands empty, and the sharp sword at his throat, held by Berek.

The Kizak guard point their weapons at Berek and the queen, and Keela’s soldiers raise their weapons.

“Stop,” yells the emperor in Kizak and Jiku.
The Kizak guard lower their weapons, and Keela’s guards do the same.

“You can give me back my sword now,” says the emperor.

“No one attacks my queen.”

“I knew she would move eventually,” he says.
“I was just testing her courage.”
“And I was curious to see if anyone would try to stop me.”

Berek holds the sword in place.
“You have your answer,” he says coldly.

The emperor laughs.

“You must be Berek,” says the emperor.

“Yes.”

“Do you think that I mean to threaten your queen?” asks the emperor, pretending to be offended.
“I’ve heard that she is a great fighter, and I thought she would take the sword from me.”

“Stepping out of the way was more diplomatic,” says Keela.

“Berek doesn’t agree with your choice.”
“He would fight a dozen armed men to protect you.”

“Give him back the sword, Berek!”

Berek frowns, but he puts it in the sheath, and hands it over.

“Don’t worry,” says the emperor to Berek.
“I’m not offended.”
“I admire your fighting spirit, and your loyalty to your queen.”
“Do you have any skill with swords and knives?”

“Yes.”
“My father trained me.”

“Good.”
“Then you will appreciate my gift.”
The emperor opens a second box, and takes out two knives in sheaths, and hands them to Berek.

Berek pulls one out of its sheath, and is shocked at what he sees.
At the moment, he feels someone trying to penetrate his mind wall, without success.
These weapons are driga, the long knives that his father carries.
Even the designs on the handles are the same!

“Beautiful workmanship, emperor,” says Berek, “although they seem a strange size.”

“They are extremely rare, Berek, made by a great fighter.”
“I called him Neyima, but he was also known as Yagrin.”
“He saved my son’s life with these knives.”
“Months later he revealed himself as a traitor, and caused my son’s death.”

Berek slows his heartbeat, and lets his shock subside.

“You seem troubled by these knives,” says the emperor

“I was thinking of my father, who also carries the name Yagrin.”
“That’s all.”

“Berek moves extraordinarily fast,” says the emperor to one of his guards.

“Yes, great father.”
“I’ve never seen anyone who could move like that.”

“Neyima could move like that,” says the emperor, “but no one else.”
“Will you keep my gift, Berek, or do you find it too plain?”

“It’s my pleasure to accept it, great father,” says Berek.
“Life blesses those who share its gifts,” he adds, using the ancient Kizak expression of thanks.

The emperor takes the third box, and removes five disks.
He hands one to Keela, one to Berek, and the others he gives to the Tshuan elder.
“These are communication devices,” he says.
“One for the queen, and one for Lord Berek.”
“Give the others to whoever you wish.”
“When next we meet,” says the emperor to Keela, “you will join me on my ship for a meal.”
“Bring Berek with you, and whoever else you like.”

“Our meeting was not what I expected, emperor,” says Keela.

“It was perfect for me,” he replies.
“You and your cousin are exactly the sort of leaders that I was hoping to find here.”
“I’m looking for more than another world to join us.”
“I need a partner in this galaxy, to lead the fight to expand the empire, and crush the curses.”
“We’ll speak more of this when you visit me.”
He gives Berek and Keela the greeting of palms, and returns to his ship.

Few Jiku have seen the [...]]]>  
Home
Watchtower island is two hundred fifty feet across, a circle of rock surrounded by a strip of sand.
No more than a dot in the ocean, if not for the thin, sharp mountain that rises a thousand feet before leveling off, and the tower that rests on top.

Few Jiku have seen the base of the island, except for the guardians and their children.
Why would anyone else be interested in the thin beaches here, when they could visit the tower?
Besides, there is better swimming on other islands not far away.

Berek walks around the edge of the island, waiting for the sun to disappear over the ocean.
The sand is still warm from the day, and welcomes his bare feet.
He stops, crushed by a longing for his father, Yagrin, gone for two years, and perhaps, forever.
“Why do I suddenly miss him so much?” he wonders.
Instinctively, he steps back from the onslaught of emotion, and the feeling fades.

“There’s something strange about this place,” he thinks, and he opens his inner sight.
A spinning vortex extends a foot from the surface of the sand, filled with tangled strands of energy.
He touches its edge, and the feeling returns.
One deep breath for courage, and he steps forward until his energy body covers the vortex.

The energy races to his heart, then rushes out along his arms, and circles around him.
The tangled look of the energy fades, as it spins faster and faster.

He stretches out his arms, until his hands meet the shell of energy.
The longing returns, stronger than ever, but only for a few seconds.
Then the energy passes along his arms, up through his head, and radiates toward the sky.

“What was that?” he wonders.
The world is quiet for a few moments until an answer comes.
“An echo of long ago,” says a small voice within him.
“Yagrin was here once, and his energy left a mark.”
“This is where his spirit came to Siksa.”

Berek sits and spreads his listener across the water and up into the sky.
The sound of the waves fills him, and leaves him empty of thoughts.
Minutes pass, and the sun fades, but the darkness never takes hold.
Far above him, the watchtower glows, and fills the sky with light.

He pulls back his listener and stands up, his inner sight resting on the tower, where his adopted parents are the guardians now.
Berek comes every few weeks to spend a day with them, but the visits grow more and more tense.
His parents feel that he has abandoned them, and his mother cries every time he leaves.
“Why won’t you come home!?” she asks.

He tries to explain, but he knows that no reason is good enough.
He is their only child, and lives half a world away, in Tshuan, of all places!
That land and its king have been enemies of the guilds for a thousand years.

Berek loves and misses his parents, but home is not with them anymore.
Tshuan is ruled by the young queen Keela, his best friend.
Tzina and Dilasa, his sisters, are there.
He feels like he can do anything, when he is with them.

And his father will come there, if he ever returns.

There’s so little time left before the war tears at their lives.
When the chaos is over, Keela must take a bondmate.
Even now, her advisors push her to start dating.
“Tshuan needs a queen and king,” they tell her.

She refuses again and again.
“I’m already the commander,” she shouts at them.
“What does Tshuan need with a king, now?!”
“War is coming, and there is no time for distractions.”

“Someday the war will be past,” thinks Berek, “and Keela will find her mate.”
“What will I do then?”
“There will be no room for me in her life.”
“I’ll have to go back to the guild lands, to forget her, but how can I leave my sisters?”

He thinks of war every day, at first sun.
Will the enemy come today?
There are visions that show an alien race conquering Siksa.
His father, Yagrin, told him that the future promised in visions can be changed.
Yes, but usually the vision comes true.
“Why fight?” he asks himself, “if we know there is little hope of winning?”

He steps into the ocean, feeling the wet sand beneath his feet, and fingers the Tshuan necklace that he wears.
It’s called the shield, and he must find a way to use it to protect Keela and his sisters when war comes.

Berek always waits for sunset before he returns to Tshuan, so he can see the watchtower bursting with light.
It comforts him.
He was a mute child for five years after seeing the Krale kill his birth mother, and the man who he thought was his father.
Zias and Bintar took him in, and one day they brought him here, where he found comfort in music and art.
Berek’s voice returned in the heart of the tower, after long years of silence, when Yagrin fought the Krale to save him, and died for the first time.
Berek thought Yagrin was his uncle, then.

The tower gave him everything.
His art came alive here, and he met Tzina, who became his best friend.
Later he learned that Yagrin was his true father, and Tzina, his sister.

The tower is home and strength.
At one time, only the tower’s light could stand against the Krale.
The creatures are dead now, but the sight of the tower still makes him feel safe.

Berek rages against himself for chasing after that feeling.
“Safe?” he yells to the night.
No one is safe anymore.
What use is the watchtower against the Kizak?
And where is ina?!
Did he find and stop the enemy?
When will he come and tell us that the danger has passed?
What if he’s lost somewhere, or the Kizak have found a way to capture or kill him?
Either way, he’s never coming home.

“Stop,” he yells at himself and his wandering thoughts.
No more listening to visions and the doom they promise.
And no more waiting for ina to solve our problems.
It’s up to us.
The guilds will do nothing to prepare.
At least in Tshuan, we train, and build weapons, so we have a chance against the Kizak.

He looks at the sky filled with the tower’s light.
“Next time I come,” he thinks, “I’ll leave before dark.”
I’m not a child anymore.
It’s time to stop pretending that everything will be all right.
He said goodbye to his parents an hour ago.
Berek sighs as he looks at the beautiful tower.
Then he turns his back on it, and flies away.

 
School
Keela’s days are filled with her duties as queen and commander.
Still, she visits the school several times a week, to see Ilaz and Berek.
“Return to the palace, Ilaz,” says Keela, frustrated.
“Help me rule, or command a section of the guard.”
“You’re the only family I have left, and you’re a prince, not a teacher!”

The school is run by the sisters of the long path.
They’re almost a thousand years old, hidden away until a few years ago in a strange child-like form, and called old ones.
Now, they look twenty years old, but they’re the most powerful energy masters alive, along with Yagrin and his family.

Ilaz came to the school more than a year ago, to visit with Berek and Tzina.
Tzina was in a class when he arrived, and he came to the open door for a moment to see what she was doing.
He stood for an hour, watching the teacher and students move, unable to look away.

When the class ends Tzina sees him, and comes over.
The teacher follows.

“Hello Ilaz,” says Tzina.

“Is this the prince?” asks the teacher.

“Call me Ilaz,” he says.
“I never wanted to be a prince.”

“Welcome to the school, Ilaz.”
“My name is Hahnli.”
“Did you enjoy watching us?”

“I did.”
“I hope that was ok.”

“Join us anytime,” says Hahnli, and walks a few feet away to speak with one of the other sisters.

“How long have you studied the dances?” he asks Tzina, when the teacher is gone.

“I started soon after I came to the school, Ilaz.”
“Before the energy wars, there was a group of masters who practiced an art called movements.”
“It disappeared after the war, although some of the movements are still practiced.”
“Three of the ancient masters survived as old ones, and then became sisters.”
“Hahnli is one of them, and is part of our school.”
“Soon after she came here, she started to teach the simplest moves to the children.”
“I asked to join them.”

“Do you need energy talent to study the movements?” asks Ilaz, with a troubled expression on his face.

“No.”
“Anyone can join the beginners class, although it takes a special type of talent to become a master.”

He’s quiet, and looks away.

“What’s wrong?” she asks, seeing the confusion in his eyes.

“I don’t know,” he answers.
“The movements have woken something strange in me.”
“At first, I thought it was a trace of the alien who once possessed me.”

“He’s gone, Ilaz.”
“Berek killed him.”

“Still, I feel like I’ve lost something important, and I have an aching hunger to search for it.”
“What’s happening to me?”

“The movements are powerful,” says Hanli, returning, “though it’s unusual to feel their strength when you’re more than a few feet away.”

“I’ve never seen anything like them.”

“You have, Ilaz, but you don’t realize it.”
“The healing movements are widely practiced.”
“And the greeting to the sun is a simplified remnant of the ancient art, and found all over Siksa.”
“Once, there were movements to mark every important occasion in life, but that was long ago.”

She looks sad.
“Most of them are gone now, or twisted beyond recognition.”

“How old are the movements?”

“No one knows.”
“The Bizra taught a few to the Jiku when we came to this world, but other movements were discovered later.”
“A master of movements has the power to sense what others need, in body or spirit, and find a movement that will take a person from where they are to where they need to be.”
“Sometimes this is an old movement she knows, and sometimes she must create something new.”

Ilaz stayed at the school, and the sisters found that he had great talent for the movements, as well as other energy ways.
In the last few months he has moved from beginner to advanced apprentice, and teaches the movements class for the youngest children.
He loves their fresh simple spirits, and the attention that they shower on him.
The children run to their classes, and often follow their teachers around when the school day is done.

Keela thinks that all of this is a waste of time.

“This is my choice, Keela,” says Ilaz, getting annoyed.
“I need you to respect it.”

“Some choices aren’t ours to make.”
“What about duty?”

“Your friend Berek teaches art and music here with Tzina.”
“Do you question his choices, too?!”

“Berek is like his father,” says Keela, quietly.
“None of us can measure what they are capable of, or what they need to do in this world.”

“You’re wrong, Keela!”
“We could all be like that, if you would just give us a chance!”
Ilaz walks away angry, and she stands there watching him, until he disappears around a corner.

 
Fools
Berek is sitting outside, surrounded by children, when Keela finds him.
The children stand up and bow to her, as she approaches.
She is their queen.
Berek gets up, but doesn’t bow.

Keela greets them all, and then picks one of the children to speak with for a minute.
She chooses a different child each time she visits.
When she’s finished, Berek says goodbye to the children, and he and Keela walk outside.

“When did you get back?” she asks.

“Last night.”

“How did it go?”

“Not well.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asks.

“What’s the point?” he asks, frustrated.
“It won’t change anything.”
“My adopted parents will never understand why I’ve chosen Tshuan, my sisters and you over them.”
“Like other guild masters, they don’t believe that aliens will come.”

“How can they deny the danger?” asks Keela.
“They can feel that the web is different, and Master Yagrin told them that the alien probe caused the weakness.”

“The guilds may have half-believed him once, but years have passed without an attack.”
“He’s gone, and they’ve seen me and the rest of his family move to Tshuan.”
“The guilds don’t trust his words anymore, and they don’t trust us.”

“You’re here to help us prepare for war.”
“When we fight, we fight for all of Siksa, whether Tshuan or guild.”

“The council refuses to see the truth.”
“They think that Tshuan is preparing for war with the guilds, and that I’m helping you.”
“They’ve convinced themselves that you used inhibitor technology to weaken the web, so the guilds can be easily conquered.”

“What more do they want?!”
“You gave them plans for the most powerful hand weapons that Siksa has ever seen!”
“Why would you do that if you’re helping Tshuan prepare to fight them?”

“They think it’s an elaborate trick.”
“Some masters believe the weapons will stop working the moment you attack.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“The guild has never trusted the use of weapons.”
“They think that technology has become a crutch and a poison that will ruin the energy ways.”

“How many of the weapons have they made?”

“None.”
The council has just agreed to form a committee to decide when and if they start production.”

“We don’t have time for this.”

“You’re right.”
“It will be months before they take action.”
“And if they do anything, it will only be because they’re afraid of you.”

“Tshuan will fight the aliens,” says Keela, “even if the masters stay in their beds!”

“We can’t defend all of Siksa by ourselves.”
“We need the help of the guilds, but I don’t know how to convince them.”
“If ina was here, he could get them to work with us.”

“Maybe, but he’s not here, Berek, and who knows if he’ll ever return.”
“We’ll have to go to war without the guilds.”
“Eventually they’ll see that the threat is real, and join us.”
“Then, they’ll wish that they took your weapons, and learned Kruta.”

Kruta is an ancient, and deadly martial art that was outlawed before the energy wars.
Practitioners learn to draw power from the web, and move at unnatural speeds, killing as many attackers as possible, as quickly as possible.
The training is highly dangerous for the student, especially if they’re not suited to it.
The guilds ordered all traces of Kruta wiped out, but knowledge of it was secretly preserved in Mayla’s library in the City of Life, and she taught it to Yagrin and Berek.

Berek tried to teach it in Tshuan, without success.
Kruta requires an advanced sensitivity to the energy world that comes from talent and energy practice.
Until the sisters came, Tshuan had no schools to teach energy ways, and even now, only orphan children are allowed to attend.
The queen would happily allow others to join, but her advisors tell her that the people will not accept it.
There is still too much mistrust of energy masters.

Prince Ilaz is the only Tshuan adult who has taken classes in the school.
He sees Berek practicing the Kruta movements and is intrigued.
“Who created it?”

“A movements master.”
“Most of the other masters rejected it, but the practice continued until it was outlawed.”

“The movements are graceful.”

“Come practice with me.”

“How could I ever move that fast?”

“You don’t move like that at first.”
“Just focus on the way you have to move, not the speed.”
“You haven’t been at the school for long, but everyone sees your natural talent for movement.”

A few days later he tells Berek that he has to stop.

“Why?”
“You’re doing so well.”

“Hahnli doesn’t like it.”

“Did she forbid it?”

“No, but she’s my master.”
“I trust her.”
“Don’t feel bad, Berek,” he adds.
“Kruta’s not right for me.”
“I’m not a warrior, and I never will be.”
“I can’t imagine killing another living being, even to save my own life.”

Shazira and Tzina will not train.
“Too violent,” they say.
“It’s like carrying a bomb with you at all times!” says Tzina.

Dilasa would love to train, but Shazira forbids it.
“Yagrin would never permit it.”
“You’re too wild already,” she adds.

Dilasa thinks that Yagrin would allow it, but she doesn’t speak.
And her father/brother is gone, so no one can ask him.
Will he ever return?

The only other energy masters in Tshuan are the sisters of the long path, and they refuse to learn Kruta, offended that Berek would even ask.
Kruta is a violent skill, and they are dedicated to peace.

Keela’s voice interrupts Berek’s thoughts.
“You should speak to the council again about Kruta.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I just can’t!!” he yells.

“What’s wrong, Berek?”

He waits a few seconds until he calms down.
“You know what happened when I first offered to teach Kruta, months ago.”
“The council stood up and screamed at me.”
“They called me a liar for suggesting that I knew Kruta, and they nearly threw me out.”
“When I gave a demonstration of my speed and strength, it was even worse.”
“Yes, they were convinced, and quiet, but they stared at me in horror.”
“The guilds believe that Kruta corrupts the spirit, and turns the practitioner into a murderer.”
“They council said they would call for me when they make a decision.”
“I could feel their fear.”

“Months have passed.”
“Maybe they’ve calmed down.”

“No.”
“I found out that they’ve been debating this whole time what to do with me!”
“My adopted father told me that they will issue an order of isolation against me, my sisters, Shazira, and Tshuan.”
“The order makes it forbidden for any guild member to speak with us.”
“And the order takes effect today, after first sun.”
“Once a year, the council will review the order and decide whether to continue it.”

“With fools like the council in charge of the guild lands, the aliens will conquer us easily!”

“I don’t care about the war, Keela!”

“I’m sorry, Berek.”
“I didn’t think about what this means to you.”
“You need a way to speak with your parents without the guilds finding out.”
“I’ll get you secure communication disks today.”

“No.”
“My parents won’t defy the council.”

“How could they obey?”
“Aren’t they furious?”

“My father has known about the order for weeks.”
“He’s upset about it, but he thinks the elders made the right decision.”
“He’s sure that I’ve been corrupted by Tshuan, and he hopes that such a drastic step will shock me, and make me change my ways.”

“And your mother?”

“My father asked the council not to tell her until the order took effect.”

“Why not?”

“She’s hot-headed.”
“He thought she would storm into the council hall and threaten them.”

“He could have told her right before you left, so she could say goodbye to you!”
“Who knows when you’ll be able to see her again?”

“He thought the news would ruin our last visit.”

“Isn’t that better than pretending that everything was normal?”

“My life has never been normal, Keela, but I’ve always been expected to pretend that it is.”

“So now you calmly accept the council’s actions?!”
“You should be boiling inside!”

“I am angry, but I hide my emotions so no one can use them against me.”
“There’s nothing else I can do.”

“You should have said something to your mother before you left.”

“I did.”
“It’s hard for me to express my feelings, but I forced myself.”
“I told my parents how much I love them, and promised to visit as soon as I can.”
“My mother was surprised by my words, but she kissed me, and didn’t cry as much as usual.”
“My father looked into my eyes, and hugged me.”
“Then he whispered, Don’t forget us.”
“When he let go, I looked at them quietly for a few seconds.”
“I mouthed the word never, and then I left.”

 
The Future
Keela walks with Berek along flower-lined paths that lead into the hills.
Two heavily-armed bodyguards shadow her wherever she goes, except inside her bedroom.
At first she couldn’t stand it, but now she just pretends that they aren’t there.

“Will all of Tshuan support you in the war?” asks Berek.

“Why would you ask that?”

“When I fought Ilaz’s friends, someone in the crowd called for an end to the queen and wars.”

She pauses.
“There are groups of Tshuans who feel that the military should be separate from the government.”
“We meet with some of them, at least once a year, to hear their recommendations.”

“How many of your people want this change?”

“We don’t know exactly, but we suspect that at least a third of the people want it, maybe closer to a half.”
“And the movement is growing.”

“How long can you let it go, without taking action?”
“Why not give them a voice?”
“In ancient times, most of the great council was elected by the people, and it had real power.”

“My council of advisors is still dominated by individuals chosen by the people.”

“Yes, but they have no ability to make laws.”

“My father, and many of the kings before him, considered this issue.”
“The visions promise that a war will come, and we must be ready for it.”
“Can we wait days or weeks while a council debates?”
“Look how long it takes the guild council to act!”
“When the war is done, we will re-establish the great council, not before.”

“What if the Kizak try to use this disagreement to weaken Tshuan?”

“The people have their demands, but they are still loyal.”
“They will stand with their brothers and sisters, and set aside their differences until the war is done.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“Don’t worry, I am.”
“What about you, Berek?”

“What do you mean?”

“Will you stay with us when the war comes, or go back to the guild lands.”

“I always planned to fight along side you, even before the guild council issued the order of isolation against me.”
“Now, I have no choice.”

“What about after the war?”
“What will you do then?”

“I don’t know.”
“I haven’t thought about it.”

“Not at all?!”

“Maybe a little.”
“I can’t look past the war.”
“Besides, I’m only fifteen.”

“Your age is just an excuse,” she says angrily, and starts walking fast.

He follows.

“You never let anyone in Tshuan treat you like a child,” she accuses.
“Another year and you’ll be an accomplished warrior, and sixteen.”
“You can bond then, or do anything you want.”

“Bond at sixteen?”
“I can’t imagine being ready for that.”
“Do you have some girl in mind for me?”

“You really are a child,” she says, disgusted, and walks away.

“Why is she mad at me?” wonders Berek.
He takes a deep breath, and turns to go after her, but before he can move, his head is filled with a faint, low-frequency hum that only he can hear.

The starship is here, and signaling me!
But why hasn’t ina touched my thoughts?

“Keela!” he yells after her.
She keeps walking.

He moves at high speed to catch her.

“Get out of my way, Berek!” she says, when he stands in her path.
“I’m too angry to speak with you right now.”
The guards move in, and point their weapons at him.

“Lower your weapons,” says Keela.
“They’re useless against him, and I can handle this myself.”
She turns to Berek.
“Go!”
“I have nothing to say to you.”

“This is urgent,” says Berek, “and my words are for you only.”

“Leave us until I message you,” says Keela to the guards, annoyed at Berek.
The guards move a half a mile away.

“What do you want?” asks Keela, expecting some sort of apology.

“My father’s ship has returned,” says Berek, quietly.

She takes a deep breath, and some of the anger drains away.
“That’s great news!”
“Now, we have a chance against the Kizak.”

Berek is quiet.

“Where is master Yagrin?” asks Keela, surprised at Berek’s silence.
“What news does he bring of the enemy?”

“The ship signaled, but my father hasn’t contacted me.”
“I don’t even know if he’s on the ship.”

“You have to find out!”

“Of course.”
“The ship is only a few miles from here.”
“I chased you because I want you to come with me.”

“All right.”
“Let’s go.”
She contacts the guards, and tells them to stay where they are, while she takes a short trip with Berek.
The guards don’t listen, and come to her.
“Commander,” says one of them, “protocol is clear.”
“You can’t go anywhere without us, especially with someone from the guilds.”

“Disobedient fool!” she says, striking the guard in the face.
“Berek has royal blood, and may be your king someday.”

“King?” asks Berek, confused.

“Go back to where you were,” she tells the guards.
“I’ll meet you there in ten minutes.”

When they’re gone, she turns to Berek.
“Take me to the ship.”

He picks her up, and flies toward the signal.
The ship opens when they come within fifty feet, but the door is only visible to them.

“Empty,” says Keela, disappointed, after they pass through the airlock.

“Report,” commands Berek.

The ship projects images of what it has seen, and begins to speak, summarizing Yagrin’s travels over the last two years.

“Never mind the history,” says Keela.
“Where is master Yagrin?”

The ship ignores her and continues with the report.

“Answer her, ship,” says Berek.

“Yagrin is planning to kill their emperor.”
“He hopes that will stop their attack.”
“In case he fails, he sent me back with technology that could be useful against them.”

“How long have you been traveling?” asks Berek as he handles the armbands that his father sent.

“Yagrin opened a portal into this galaxy, and sent me through it about a week ago.”
“The Kizak fleet will arrive in another few weeks if they follow through with their plans.”

“These are really images of another galaxy?” asks Keela.

“Yes,” says Berek.

“It’s hard to imagine.”
“Tshuan has airships, but nothing that can leave the planet.”

“I could take you into space right now.”

She smiles, but the smile quickly fades.
“Duty comes first, Berek.”
“You need to review the technology, and any other information the ship carries, and see how we can use it.”
“I must return to my guards.”

 
Messages
Keela flies away, and Berek brings the ship to an open space near the school, where it hovers ten feet above the ground, unseen.
He listens to the message that his father left him, again and again.
Then he brings his sisters to the ship to listen to the messages that his father left for them.
Finally, Berek waits on the ground with Tzina and Dilasa as Shazira listens to her message.
She looks both happy and sad when she comes out.

“It’s so good to hear his voice,” says Tzina, taking her mother’s hand.

“Yes,” agrees Shazira.
“I never thought he would be gone this long.”

Dilasa asks the question that they are all afraid to voice.
“Do you think he’ll come back?” asks Dilasa.

Shazira gives her a hug.

“The Kizak have millions of soldiers, scattered across their galaxy,” says Berek.
“He can’t fight them all, especially with the cage in place.”

“Why doesn’t he just wipe out their home planet?” asks Dilasa.

Shazira looks at her, shocked that Dilasa would suggest killing billions of people.

“Ina spoke about that to me,” says Berek.
“The Kizak aren’t coming here to kill us.”
“We would lose our independence, and our connection with the web.”
“Ina won’t kill millions or billions of intelligent beings to protect us from that.”
“Still, he thinks we should fight them when they come, if we have any chance of driving them away.”

“But he’ll kill the emperor,” says Dilasa.
“Then they’ll forget about us, and he can come home.”

“Their society is built on conquest,” answers Berek, “and their guard is disciplined and powerful.”
“Even the death of their emperor won’t stop them for long.”

“What do you think, oodah?” asks Tzina.

“I think that we should prepare for war, as ina asked, while we wait for his return.”
“The technology he sent will help, at least here in Tshuan, where they’ll use it.”
“The guild council will never accept it, especially now, that there’s an order of isolation against all of us.”

“I’ll bring the tech to Keela,” says Berek.
“Tshuan will build the armband cage nullifiers for us and the sisters.”
“Each one lasts for about five minutes.”
“We’ll carry several of them, and hide others in key locations, so we can reach them in emergencies.”
“Tshuan will immediately start manufacturing weapons that are shielded from the Kizak tech screen.”
“I’ll ask Keela’s advisors to transmit the information to the guilds.”
“The guilds hate Tshuan, but there’s no order of isolation against Keela and her staff.”
“The advisors will explain that the tech was sent to us by ina for the war, and he wants the guilds to have it.”
“Maybe the council will surprise us, and decide to use it.”

Berek returns to the ship, and sits at the pilot’s console.
“There’s another message for you, Berek,” says the AI.

“From my father?”

“No.”
“It’s from Mayla.”
“Did you know that she still lives?”

“I know that a copy of her survives, somewhere near Siksa.”
“My father said to tell no one.”

“Yagrin ordered me to broadcast a message to her as I passed through this planetary system.”
“He hoped that Mayla would break her isolation and respond.”
“The message included details about the Kizak fleet that will attack us, plans for the nullifiers, and some additional tech that could completely neutralize the cage.”

“Why didn’t he give me the tech that will undo the cage?”

“That tech relies on anti-matter, difficult to create, and dangerous to handle, even for those who understand it.”
“Without that knowledge, the tech is useless to us.”
“Yagrin couldn’t find information about it, and I know nothing about anti-matter.”

“What about Mayla?”
“Maybe she has knowledge of it in the library.”

“She responded by sending an untraceable probe with a brief message.”
“Her words are worse than silence.”

Berek, you will not see my help in this war.
I will stay hidden, and wait for a better future.

I analyzed Yagrin’s information about the Kizak fleet, and the tech he sent.
I ran simulations about how the guilds and Tshuan will react to the aliens.

Nothing can change the outcome of your first battle.
I have no knowledge of anti-matter, and can’t undo the cage.
The web will fail you.
Your weapons and planning will not stand against the enemy ships.
They will conquer you, and thousands will die for nothing.

Your only hope is to pretend to accept them, so you may discover their weaknesses, steal their weapons technology, and rebel someday.

 
 «Read Part 3: Fire and Light

Neebol and Vala back away from the tower, and the opening closes.

“How long will this take?” I ask. “I need to leave for Siksa as soon as possible.”

“What’s wrong with you?” he asks, a moment later. “You were a master when you first met us.” “Now you have no strength at all!” “How can [...]]]>  
Watchers
My energy sight is gone.
I can’t feel the web, or the movement of energy.
Still, I have a vague sense that Kihyez is scanning me.

“What’s wrong with you?” he asks, a moment later.
“You were a master when you first met us.”
“Now you have no strength at all!”
“How can you be a watcher like this?”
“The others will crush you.”

“Others?”

He grabs me without answering, and flies toward the second tower.
The towers are great stone cylinders, fifty feet wide and two hundred fifty feet tall, that glitter in the daylight.
The surface of the towers is decorated with thin streams of colored crystal that move up the towers in gentle spirals that branch, merge, and disappear.
A sharp crystal spire rises another thirty feet above the cylinders.

The base of each tower is surrounded by a garden with flowers always in bloom, and a single path to the tower.
As I watch, a glowing, mostly transparent mist rises from the gardens to form a spiral around each tower.
The mist takes the color of the tower, while the rest of the mountain goes dark, suddenly shaded in grey or black.

Just before we reach the door, seven tones fill the air, one from each tower, like trumpets with a pure, clear sound.
Kihyez tries the door, but it refuses to open.

“Aren’t we going in?”

“Too late,” he answers, and flies away from the towers and down the mountain.

“Why are we running away, Kihyez?”

“To save your life, fool!”

I’ve encountered AIs that are capable of emotion, but Kihyez has always seemed more like a machine until now.
Is it possible that he grieves for Sindar?

“A tower is bound to its watcher,” adds Kihyez, “and soon after Sindar died, his tower sealed itself.”
“I thought your presence, as his twin, might keep it open, but I was wrong.”
“An alarm sounded in the other towers, and the watchers were woken by their assistants.”
“A meeting is called to choose his replacement.”

“Sindar chose me.”

“Yes, but we must hide that from the watchers as long as we can, and pretend that you came after his death.”
“The designated successor or anyone found with a watcher at his death must be tested.”

“Why?”

“To see if you’re fit to replace him.”
“The tests would kill you, as you are now.”

“How did Sindar became a watcher?”

“The towers were empty and quiet when he first saw their light.”
“It was a hundred thousand years ago, but they looked as beautiful then as they do now.”
“Sindar barely noticed.”
“He was here to get his brother far from Nilaisa, their homeworld.”
“Benzu was troubled and dangerous, searching for a weapon that would make him invincible, so he could crown himself king.”

“Why did Sindar help him?”
“Twenty years later Benzu returned with a weapon, and destroyed their world!”

“Sindar never thought that Benzu would return.”
“He thought that he was sending his brother to die, alone, on some strange world.

“Sindar should have killed him.”

“It was his brother, and yours too.”
“Besides, Benzu hadn’t killed anyone yet.”
“Sindar promised himself to never look on the towers again.”
“They were a symbol of his betrayal of his only brother.”
“When Benzu unleashed the artifact’s energy, Sindar and some other Jiku survived, but Benzu and the other dead disappeared in the energy storm.”
“There were no bodies to bury, no trace of Sindar’s parents or his bondmate and children.”
“He blamed himself for the destruction, and his spirit was broken.”

“Yet he returned here.”

“Sindar was forced to break his vow.”
“It was the only way to find a new world, where the survivors could start again without him.”

“What about his promise to his father to protect the embryos?”

“He thought that they were all cursed, and he wanted to destroy them, but he couldn’t do it.”
“Instead he explored this world, looking for a site where the embryos could sleep forever.”
“No place seemed right, until he stood before the second tower.”
“It seemed to call to him.”

“The towers are huge, Kihyez.”
“What’s in them?”

“Dozens of empty, sealed rooms, invisible to outsiders, even with energy sight.”
“Sindar found only two open rooms, one large one at ground level, and another near the top.”
“He brought the stasis machines here.”
“We came to serve him, and guard the embryos.”
“Soon after, he left us here, and searched for a world that would welcome his Jiku.”
“He brought them to their new home, and stayed with them for many years.”
“Then, he returned here, and slept for a hundred thousand years.”
“We woke him one day, when we found that his people had been caught in a great war.”

“The Fiklow wars.”

“Yes.”
“Sindar discovered that some of the Jiku had escaped to a new world, but he couldn’t find it.”
“He explored all the towers, trying to uncover their secrets.”
“He found a gateway in each one, but they wouldn’t open.”
“The next day, the gateway in the second tower opened from the other side, and Sindar passed through, to the world that hides behind the gate.”

“One of the worlds of the seven races?”

“Watchers are forbidden to speak of those worlds, except to those who know of their existence.”
“Why would Sindar tell you about them?”

“He didn’t.”
“The high priest of the Madar told me that there are seven races, the Bizra and Madar among them.”
“Wehdija was a prisoner of the Kizak, who were once students of the Madar.”
“I helped her escape, and brought us here, to the tower world.”
“She entered the red tower, and passed through the gateway to her home.”
“I went back to the Kizak to find out when they plan to attack my world.”

“Were you successful?”

“I know their plans and their technology, but I can’t get home.”

“Why not?”

“Even if I had the strength to open a PathFinder gate, the gates won’t open within light-years of my world.”

“I can’t help you with the gate,” says Kihyez, “but perhaps if you rest for a few days, your strength will return.”
“When it does, I’ll make you a ship, and you can open a gate far from Siksa.”

“Tell me about the paths to the seven worlds.”

“The way is different than an ordinary PathFinder gate.”
“Any of the watchers can show you how to find it, once you are accepted as one of them.”
“You touch the gate with your energy, and the inner world senses your presence.”
“Then, if they wish, they open the gate from the other side.”

“Why did Sindar tell you to keep me from the gate for a year?”

“I don’t know.”

“If no one can open the gates from this side, then why do the towers need watchers?”

“It’s not the towers that need watchers, Yagrin.”
“This place is a hub that connects countless worlds.”
“Once a master reaches here, he can go anywhere.”
“Look at the sorrow that has spread since Benzu came here, and took the artifact from a distant world.”
“Planets have been destroyed, trillions of beings are dead.”

“The inner world asked Sindar to be a watcher when they met him?”

“Not at first.”
“Sindar told them about his brother, Benzu, and suggested that they appoint watchers over each tower, to limit the travel of masters through this world.”
“Sindar was admitted to all seven worlds, and worked with the races to write the laws of the watchers.”
“The fourth race chose him to be their watcher, but he refused.”
“They were persistent, and forced him to agree.”

“How?”

“They showed him a vision.”
“He saw himself visiting the Jiku on an unfamiliar world, again and again, always returning to the towers.”
“One of the races recognized the world, and promised to tell him how to get there, if he would agree to be a watcher.”

“The Bizra!”
“They were already living on Siksa when the Jiku arrived.”

“Yes.”
“Before the Fiklow wars, while Sindar still slept, the seven races met here, among the towers, following a common vision that they all received.”
“It was time for them to teach others about the creator and the ways of energy.”
“Three universes were chosen, seven galaxies in all, one galaxy for each race.”
“They sent ships, and founded colonies to teach about the great web.”
“There was a second part to the vision.”
“Someday soon, the tower world would need to be guarded, to control who would be allowed to pass through to other worlds.”
“The vision showed an energy master would come in search of the races, and he would be the first watcher.”

“Sindar.”

“Yes.”
“They asked him to recruit watchers from among the masters who pass near the towers.”
“Each of the seven watchers is responsible for one day per week.”
“We guarded the tower in Sindar’s place when he slept, but we were commanded to wake him when danger or visitors came to the tower during our weekly watch.”

“By the time, you wake the watcher, visitors will pass through to another world.”

“No one except the watchers can open a gate from this side.”
“Those who come here are trapped, until a watcher allows them to go.”

“I’ve done it.”

“Yes, I know.”
“Perhaps it’s because you are Sindar’s twin.”

“How often does a watcher die?”

“The inner rooms of the tower have a stasis field like ours, which prevents aging.”
“Each watcher is served by machines like us, and woken when he is needed.”
“Some have chosen to leave their posts, but Sindar is the first to die.”

 
Circles
When we return, the watchers are standing next to Sindar’s body, with the machines that serve them.
Each watcher is surrounded by an energy field, that protects them, and hides their forms.
Still, I can feel that some are humanoid, and some are not.

“This is Sindar?” asks one of the watchers, speaking in Madar.
It’s the common language that the watchers use.
“The species looks so weak!”

“The watchers only see the bodies of the watchers that are appointed after them,” says Kihyez softly.
“Sindar was the first, so none have seen him before.”

“Who has come, Kihyez?” asks one of them.
“It looks like Sindar.”
“Do all of the species look so much alike?”

“I’m his brother,” I tell them.

“He has come for the death ceremony,” says Kihyez.

“How does he speak Madar?” asks one of the watchers.
“They stopped teaching a long time ago.”

“Some still remember,” I answer.
“And a few of them remain as captives among their former students.”
“I learned their language, took their form, and spoke with two of them.”

“Enough words,” says another watcher.
“We’re here for death.”
“Why do we delay?”
“Are there others who will come?”

Even with the PathFinder gates and a ship, it would take days to bring Botzar and Dilasa here.
“We have another brother, and a sister, but they know nothing of Sindar’s death, and have no way to get here.”
“No one else will come.”

I’m being scanned again.

“Leave me alone,” I shout.

“How could he change shape, or reach the towers?” asks one of them.
“He has no strength.”

“He can’t be Sindar’s brother,” says another.
“His energy is strange — bits of Jiku, Bizra, Madar, and other beings.”

“He has taken many shapes,” says Kihyez, “and his fire has echoes of them.”
“You’re right that his strength is gone, for now.”
“His fire body was damaged in his journey here.”
“Before that, he was more powerful than Sindar.”

Kihyez lifts Sindar’ body and takes it to an open area, near the edge of the plateau.
Three of Kihyez’s other bodies are waiting there.
The four of them form a circle around me.
Then they project an energy net and raise Sindar’s body eight feet above my head.

Each of the other watchers forms his own circle with his assistants.
Six concentric circles in all, with Sindar, Kihyez, and me at their center.
The watchers fly slowly around their circles, singing.
In one circle they fly clockwise, while in the next, they fly the opposite way.
Two of the songs are Jiku, but the others are full of strange languages that I don’t recognize.
I am no master today, but I can still sing with the voice I had when I was an old one.

We sing, and minutes pass.
Then the outermost circle becomes quiet and comes to a stop.
All of the circles end their songs and their movement, one at a time.
Then Kihyez lowers Sindar to the ground, at my feet.

I pour salt water over Sindar’s eyes from a stone flask that Kihyez gives me.
Then we fly to his burial site, far from the towers.
I don’t like being carried, but I have no choice.
We land in a crystal forest that reminds me of the one on Gunal.
The six watchers form a circle around Sindar’s body, and turn it into blue crystal.
One speaks.
The words are Madar, but the familiar voice sounds like a Jiku woman.

“Sindar was older than all of us, but his long years are done.”
“May his light find peace in the world of eternal energy, where we will meet someday.”

“He’s gone forever!” I announce, bitterly.
“His fire body was destroyed.”
“Ask Kihyez.”

“Is this true?”

“Yes, the accident that killed him also shattered his energy.”

The circle is quiet.

“Go back to your towers,” I tell them.
“There’s nothing more you can do here.”

“We must find another watcher,” says one, “according to Sindar’s laws.”
“Will you accept?”

“I have no strength now,” I tell them, “but maybe it will return.”
“Put off the decision for six weeks, and let Sindar’s assistants guard the tower until then.”
“If my strength returns sooner, I’ll ask your assistants to wake you.”

“Agreed,” they answer, after discussing it.
Then they rise to return to their towers.

 
First World
One of the six remains, speaking with Kihyez.
She drops her shield, revealing a Jiku woman with grey eyes.
I’ve seen her image before.

“Kihyez tells me,” she says, “that you know of the seven races.”

“Wintu?”
“Was it you who designed the murals of the living city, and left me the vision of the Spiral?”

“What do you know of the city?”
“How did you get close enough to see the murals?”

“We did what was necessary.”
“I am the bird on the mural, and I opened the wall, and entered the city.”

“What are you called?”

“Yagrin.”

“Was my vision true?”
“Do Jiku live again on Sinesu?”
“Did you save them from that strange creature?”

“There were Jiku living there, but they have left for nearby worlds.”
“The planet itself is gone, transformed into a sun.”

“Then you failed.”
“The Spiral attacked and drove them away.”

“No.”
“My sister and I destroyed the Spiral of that universe, and freed the Jiku from it.”
“It was the destiny of the planet to become a sun.”

“The fierce child from Sinesu is your sister?”

“Yes.”

“I would like to meet her and other Jiku from the old universe,” she says, excitedly.
“And Siksa…I must see how it has been rebuilt after the energy wars.”
“Maybe I can see the city again!”
“Will you take me someday to these places, Yagrin?”

“I’d like that, but I can’t look past tomorrow.”
“If my strength returns, I’m needed on Siksa.”
“Enemies from another galaxy are on their way.”
“War is coming, and Siksa may be conquered.”"

“Kihyez says you’re powerful.”
“Stop them!”

“My strength is gone, and until it returns I can’t go home.”
“The Kizak may have already arrived, while I’m trapped here.”
“But you can help me, Wintu.”
“You’re a Dream Hunter!”
“Tell me what’s happening on Siksa.”

She closes her eyes, and is silent for almost a minute.
“On the tower world,” she says, “it’s hard to see visions of other places.”
“Today, I can’t see Siksa at all, but I see you, getting your strength back.”
“Hear these words:”

Sea, sky, and stone float on a blinding fire.
Song, possibility ,and transformation scatter like sparks from death’s axe.
Seven shadows give their gifts, restore an ancient light, and send it home.

“What does it mean?”

“Did you know, Yagrin, that the seven races live only in the inner worlds, and the seven galaxies where they’ve gone to teach?”
“Nowhere else.”
“They call themselves the seven lights, based on an ancient tradition, passed down from their ancestors.”

Once, the creator made a beautiful being, like the others, all of light, but she was too bright and pure for the other beings to look at.
They were embarrassed in her presence.
The creator carried the bright one far away from the others, to a strange, solid world that he had made.

“What is this place?” she asked.
“How can light live here?”
“Why did we leave the others?”

“This place is for you,” he answered, “but you can’t live here as you are.”

He gently pushed the bright one through a rainbow that surrounded the planet.
The rainbow split her into seven bursts of light that circled the planet and spread apart.
Then they rushed toward each other and turned toward the stone below, as thunder filled the air.
When they crashed into the ground, the light disappeared into the mud.

Seven glowing towers rose from those seven spots, and seven beings, of light and earth, stood next to them.
They remembered their life of light, and cried for what they had lost.
The creator made worlds for each one, and he called the new creatures inner lights.

“Do you mock us?” they asked, when they heard the name.

“No.”
“It’s a name of honor.”
“The light is still in you, only hidden.”
“I need you here,” he told them, “so you can teach others about energy.”
“Someday, when your work is done, even stone will become light.”

After they were safely settled in their new homes, the creator looked back on the mud next to the towers, and saw that seven more creatures had risen.
They looked something like the inner lights, but they were smaller and weaker.
They had little energy and strength compared with the others, so the creator called them shadows.
He took away some of their intelligence so they would not be embarrassed when they met the seven lights who looked like them.

The creator made many universes, and filled them with worlds.
He multiplied the shadows beyond measure, and put them in every universe, except the worlds of the seven lights.
He bound each universe to the first world, by paths of light.

“It’s a beautiful story, Wintu, but is any of it true?”

“The inner lights believe it, Yagrin, and they say that this is the first world.”
“They’ve met the seven creatures that look like them, here on the tower world, and the lights believe that the shadows are found in every universe.”

“Let me finish the story.”

The creator scattered the shadows, never letting more than a few of them live together on one world, except for the first world he created.
He blessed them, saying, “there is only a spark of light within you, but that spark will never be extinguished.”
“Those who are greater than you will seek you.”
“Your touch will have the power to brighten their energy when they lose faith in themselves.”

“Why would the creator put the shadows in every universe, Wintu?”

“No one knows, but one of the races has a theory.”
“They believe that the paths between the tower world and each universe are anchored by the shadows.”
“Without them the paths would disappear.”

“There are so many paths.”
“Why so few visitors?”

“The universes are meant to live apart, Yagrin, and PathFinder talent is extremely rare.”
“Even then, it takes another PathFinder to train and activate the skill.”
“Once trained, PathFinders can only open the paths within a universe.”
“You and your brothers are the only ones strong enough to open paths to the towers.”

“But many people have traveled to the towers.”

“Once a path has been opened to or from the towers, ordinary PathFinders can travel it.”
“Sindar was the first to come here.”

“How did the inner races go out to teach in three universes?”

“Sindar found and trained a few PathFinders among each race, and opened the paths for them.”

“What does all this mean to me?”
“What do I do to get my strength back, and go home?”

“It’s simple, Yagrin.”
“The shadows will help you find your strength again.”

“But how do I recognize them, Wintu?”
“I’ve only seen the Bizra and Madar.”
“What do the other races look like?”

“I’ve seen no more than you.”

“What about Kihyez?”
“He’s been with Sindar since he came to this world.”

“Kihyez may have seen the lights, but he’s not allowed to describe them.”
“Trust yourself, Yagrin, and you’ll feel it when you find them.”
“After your strength returns, come to the red tower and tell my assistants to wake me.”
“We’ll speak more of the war with the Kizak, and those who can help you in your fight.”

She flies away, and one of Kihyez’s bodies approaches.

“You won’t tell me what the races look like?”

“No, but I can give you tech that will help you in your search.”

He flies me back to the second tower, and leaves me in one of the open rooms.
Then he returns with a waterproof pack and a thick belt that holds a multi-function disk.

We go outside.
“Put on the belt,” he says.

I feel a subtle current moving through me.

“Try to fly, but not too fast.”
“You have no shield.”

The disk responds instantly to my will, and I rise up until I’m just above the towers.
Then I fly a few circles before landing.

I take a deep breath.
My energy strength is still gone.
I’m only flying because of the tech, but for now, it brings me some peace.

“The pack contains simple food that will last for a week.”
“There’s only a day’s supply of water, but it’s easy to find in your travels.”
“I’ve also given you special clothing.”
“It will take the place of a shield, and protect you from cold, heat, and other dangers while you fly or swim.”
“There’s a water-tight mask that provides air in places where you can’t breathe, and a communications headset connected to the disk.”
“You can access maps of the entire surface.”
“The disk can sense where life is concentrated, and display real-time images of the creatures who live there.”
“Contact me if you need help.”

Kihyez returns to the tower and leaves me standing alone.

He gives me a series of three security codes.

Can you remember them?

Easily.

Your identity has been authorized for full access to [...]]]>  
Alone
I walk slowly, letting the crowd move past me toward the shuttle.
Mayani takes my arm, and we stop.
He pushes on my mind wall, and I drop it.

He gives me a series of three security codes.

Can you remember them?

Easily.

Your identity has been authorized for full access to the facility, Lukara.
Enter the main storage area, and find the control surface.
Touch in the codes without requesting a command, and a hidden door will open, giving you entry to a ship hanger.

Thank you.

Where will you go?
Do you have another ship hidden on another world that can travel between galaxies?
How long will it take you to reach your home?

The ship you’ve given me will be good enough.
As soon as I get far enough from this planet, the effects of the cage projector will fade.
I’ll be home shortly after that.

Do you look anything like us?

Not so different.
Brown skin, sharper teeth, and no webs between our fingers and toes.
Even without the webs, though, most of us love to swim.

Long life, Lukara.

And to you.

Come back someday to see if we’ve overcome the Sehtoo and the emperor.

If I survive, elder.

May you find sweet waters.

Once, the Kizak language was full of references to the sea, but few use those greetings any more.

I watch Mayani walk away for a few seconds, and carefully slip into a utility corridor and out of sight.
He told me that he hacked into the shuttle and main ship’s systems, so they will show that I boarded one of the shuttles and returned from the planet.
The pilgrims and elders will be told that I’ll be alone in my room for the return trip.

That lie will last for a few days, until the guard boards the pilgrimage ship, and look for me.

I enter the storage room and sit in silence, waiting for the last shuttle to leave the planet.
The facility goes dark, and the life support systems switch to maintenance mode.
The ventilation system is off, along with the scrubbers that clean the air of carbon dioxide.
The temperature will drop to just above freezing in thirty minutes, but it doesn’t matter.
I’ll be gone soon.

I use a portable light to find my way back to the cavern, and try to open a PathFinder gateway.
The gate won’t open, even when I strengthen myself with well energy.
The cavern blocks the gate.

I return to the storage rooms, touch the codes, and a doorway appears.
Lights come on in the small hanger, and reveal three ships.
I tell the building’s AI to run full diagnostics on them.
None have weapons or shields, but the hulls are solid.
Life support, navigation, and the star drives all check out.
Time to go.

The Kizak always name their ships.
The one on the left is called LightRacer.
I like the name, so I enter the ship.
The air is thin and stale, but life support activates automatically, and the lights come on.
I keep the robes on for now.
I’ll flow new clothes for myself once I get free of the cage.

I take out a beam generator from under my robe, one of the ones that the elders used to activate the caves.
Mayani gave it to me.
“Remember us,” he said, as he gave me the generator as a souvenir.

I also carry a crystal chip from each of the seven caves.

The pilgrim’s ship begins moving toward the center of the ring, to find its way home.
Hyperspace gates won’t open within a dozen light years of the ring, except at its very center.
Worse yet, for me, something inhibits a connection with the web within the same area, except inside the caverns.
Kizak scientists can’t explain either phenomenon.
There’s no real need for the cage projectors in orbit around the ring worlds, but the empire maintains them anyway.

In ninety minutes, the pilgrims will reach the center and jump.
The ship’s AI will inform me when they’re gone, so I can follow the same path to the jump point.
Meanwhile, I familiarize myself with the ship’s capabilities.

 
The Black World
My ship is slower than the pilgrimage ship.
It will take me three hours to reach the center.
I spend most of the time meditating, waiting for the AI to tell me that we’ve arrived at the jump point.
Instead, the ship sounds a loud warning, four million miles from the center, and comes to a stop.
“Unidentified body, moving directly across our path.”

“Another ship?”

“Unknown, but it seems too large.”
“It’s invisible to our ship’s scanners, but a wide area of stars behind it are slightly dimmer than normal.”

“How can you tell that it’s moving?”

“The right edge of the dimming effect is moving to our left.”

“Why did you stop?”

“The engines shut off by themselves, and something absorbed our momentum, like we were passing through a thick liquid.”

“How far away is the object?”

“Impossible to tell, but we should be free of it in thirty minutes.”
“We can only wait, and hope that I can restart the engines when the hidden body passes.”

The ship starts accelerating.

“Did the engines come back on?” I ask the AI.

“No.”
“It’s pulling us in.”

A few minutes later the ship begins to slow, and then comes to a rough stop.
“Whatever it is,” says the AI, “we’re right on top of it.”
“The scanners show a solid body made of some kind of black crystal.”

Black?
There are seven, relatively accessible energy wells, and an eighth well, black and hidden.
Is there a hidden black world here?
“AI, are there any reports of a black planet in the ring?”

“One ship mentioned it, but the words are cryptic.”

The heart of the ring is alive, flashing through space.
It fills a sphere, twelve light-years wide.
The heart has a shadow, an eighth planet, black and clear, a phantom that is only seen when it wants to be seen.
It brings worthy pilgrims to paradise, and crushes those who disgrace the ring.

Something glows within me when I hear the words.
It sounds like a vision.

The AI continues.
“Every twenty or thirty years, a pilgrimage ship disappears after entering the ring, with no trace of debris or radiation.”
“Empire bureaucrats hate to leave events unexplained.”
“Catastrophic drive failure in hyperspace is the official explanation, but it’s illogical.”
“There are no proven cases of failure in the last two centuries.”
“The safety systems prevent it.”

“Still, it’s possible.”

“No.”
“There are tracking sensors installed on the ring worlds.”
“They record the flight path of the pilgrimage ships within the ring, and when the ships enter hyperspace.”
“The lost ships simply disappear in the ring, as they move toward the center.”
“There’s no sign of them entering hyperspace.”

“What’s the connection between those ships and the report of the black planet?”

“One of the lost ships launched three escape pods before it disappeared.”
“The same handwritten message was left in each of them.”

“Written?”
“Almost no one writes by hand anymore, except for a few artists and poets.”

“Everything about the incident is strange, Lukara.”

“Do the Dahwee speak about an eighth planet?”

“The elders dismiss the message.”
“They say it comes from the voices of twisted minds, born of an epidemic that damages the brain.”
“Clearly, there’s more to these words than madness.”
“This world has captured us.”

The forward view-screen is completely dark now.
At this distance, the planet doesn’t dim the view of the stars.
It blocks them.

The AI activates another screen, where the view of the stars changes dramatically every few seconds.

“What are you showing me?”

“A simple view of space from the back of the ship.”

“Why do you keep changing it?”

“You see what the ship sees,” says the AI.

“Explain!”

“We’re moving with the planet through normal space at a steady speed.”
“We seem to be orbiting the center of the ring, but every three seconds, the planet instantly shifts its position, moving up to a light-year at a time.”
“Then, three seconds later, it shifts back into its orbit.”

“How far do we move from the ring?”

“The planet stays within a virtual sphere, stretching twelve light-years from the ring’s center.”

“Are we moving through hyperspace?”

“Probably not.”
“There’s no acceleration, no sign of the typical increased radiation, and no measurable stress on our ship.”
“Perhaps this world jumps through space using the same method that the Madar once used.”
“There were many Kizak reports about instantaneous Madar travel in the past.”
“Empire investigators certified the reliability of the witnesses, but they never discovered the science behind the jumps.”

“I’m going out to explore the planet,” I tell the AI.
“I have to find out how we can escape its hold on us.”
“Without weapons or shields, there’s no way that you can get us out of here.”

“Be careful.”
“Even if you discover a way to free us, we need to escape during one of the three-second periods that the planet is close to the center.”
“Otherwise, we’ll end up light years from here, and you’ll run out of supplies long before we reach a place where we can jump.”

“Agreed.”

I put on a BioSuit, store weapons and other items in a waist pack, and go out through the airlock.
The world is still covered in darkness, but my energy senses open.
The energy web is strong and active on this world, and my connection with it seems unblocked.
With barely a thought, I cover myself with an energy shield, and rise up a hundred feet.
Then I look for a PathFinder gate to take me home.
I see the microscopic energy gates, but I can’t stretch them open.
The planet’s energy interferes.
I continue to fly up, to see if I can leave the planet in the BioSuit, but something stops me when I reach a thousand feet.

I drop down toward the ground and activate a spotlight, but the crystal consumes every drop of light, leaving the world as dark as before.
I fly slowly over the surface, looking for a way to free myself from this place.
Thank the creator, the world is still bright to energy eyes.
My flight path glows, and the world below echoes that glow with its own path.
Fountains of energy burst at random from the crystal surface, in thousands of places at once.
My senses find dozens of Kizak ships, some hundreds of years old, all perfectly preserved, but drained of power and empty of life.

The planet jumps, again and again, but there’s no acceleration, no feeling at all.
Nothing changes, except for the stars above.
I land, and spread my healing sense for miles in every direction.
I catch a feeling, a restlessness, a need, a yearning for something more.
It strengthens slowly, and peaks, just before a jump.
I try to decipher the meaning of this longing, but I can’t.
Like many worlds, this planet has an awareness, but it’s too slow, too big for me to communicate with.

I turn my attention to the graveyard of ships, five miles wide.
At the center is a structure, a perfect black sphere, ten feet high, with four arches, one for each direction.
There are energy letters floating near the arches, that spell fong, the Madar word for death.

 
Bright Darkness
The web feels normal here, and my energy senses are strong, but I’m still almost helpless.
The hand weapons I carry won’t power on.
I can fly, but not beyond the planet, and I can’t change my own shape or the shape of anything around me.
My healing sense can feel the world’s balance, but I can’t alter it in any way.
There’s no choice.
I have to approach the sphere.

It gets hard to walk, the closer I get to the sphere.
Thirty feet away, I can barely move.
I push through an invisible barrier, and everything changes.
It’s easy to walk now, and there’s visible light shining from the sphere.

My BioSuit reports that I’m surrounded with warm, breathable air, and my energy senses confirm it.
I pick one of the arches and try to move through it.
An energy field blocks the way.

I take off the suit, and try again.
I feel the pressure everywhere except my head.
The field rips my clothes, as I try to push my way through, so I leave them behind.
Finally I pass through, carrying only the beam generator and the crystal chips.
I touch the sphere, and I’m pulled down, through an opening in the stone below me.

I drift down for fifteen seconds, land gently, and the opening closes above me.
There’s no visible light, but my energy senses show me what’s here.
I’m standing on a ten-foot platform, suspended at the center of a hollow sphere of black crystal, sixty-four feet wide.
Thirty-two rings of energy stretch around the sphere, one above the next.
They’re grouped into sets of eight, tied to the eight energy wells, red through violet, and black.
The platform starts to spin, and the bands of energy begin to rise, disappearing when they reach the top of the sphere, and new bands appearing below.

A large energy gate opens before me, similar to a PathFinder gateway, and pulls at me.
I don’t know where it leads, but I’m sure that no one has returned from there.

I resist the gate with all my strength, but I’m still being dragged toward it.
I load all the crystal chips in the beam generator and fire at the ceiling above me.
The colors merge into a dark beam that strikes the black crystal, and reflects down to me.
My movement slows, but doesn’t stop.
I’ll enter the gateway in a few seconds.

The black well that drifts around me opens wide, far wider than the seven wells within me.
I direct eight streams of energy through the beam generator.
The cave glows, and the room heats up.
Seven rays of colored energy shine down on me, surrounded with a shadow of black energy.
My shape changes, and I wear Yagrin’s body again, barely able to contain the energy that moves through me from the black well.
It feels clear and colored, bright and dark, effortless and unbearable.
The black energy carries every possibility within it.

I redirect the eight streams of energy toward the gate’s edge.
It flickers for a moment, then shatters and disappears.

A voice fills my head, and I see an image of a shadow drifting, high above the possibility sea, covering the whole sea.

All is possible, Yagrin.
Accept our gift, and come to us.
Siksa was born before you, and will live when you are gone.
We are watchers.
Give up struggle, and be free.
Watch the sea, a web of dreams, and let your pain go.
Learn without end.

I will not go.

Are you so bound to your sorrow?
Death surrounds you.
Others will die because of you.

Death and war will come, with or without me.
I’m not afraid of death.
I’ve died again and again for this universe.
I am Embu, called to serve.
Death and love surround me.

Return to your pain, then.

I find myself on the surface, standing outside the arch, the black energy still trying to burst out of me.
I change back to Lukara’s form, and put on the BioSuit again.
PathFinder gates are still blocked, but the ship is powered up, ready to leave, when I return.

“How did you free us?” asks the AI.

“I refused to accept a gift.”
“We’re no longer welcome here.”

“Welcome?”
“We were trapped here.”

“Time to go.”

The AI understands that I won’t explain more.
He accelerates quickly away from the planet, until we’re far enough away, that the hidden world doesn’t pull us with it when it shifts.
Then we’re still, waiting for the planet to pass out of our way.
Finally, we move to the center of the ring, and jump.

 
Out of Control
We complete the first jump and return to normal space, fifty light years from the ring.
Jumping from the ring always leads to the same place, not like a regular jump where you control the destination.
Another strange feature of the ring.

The view-screen shows two ships nearby: the pilgrimage ship and a guard ship.
Before I can do anything, my ship loses power, leaving only the emergency lighting and communications active.
“Do not try to regain control of your ship,” comes a voice over the message panel.
“We’re coming to arrest you.”

The guard ship has a powerful cage projector whose effects reach my ship.
I activate a nullifier, and open a weak PathFinder gate to the nearby pilgrimage ship.
I arrive in an empty corridor, wearing the pilgrim’s robe, and move toward one of the common rooms.

Another pilgrim approaches me.
“What are you doing here?” he asks.
“The guards don’t allow us to move freely around the ship.”
“You’ll get us all in trouble.”

“Who are you?” I ask in return.

“Wootak, but what does that matter?”
“The guards gave me permission to leave the common room.”
“One of the elders reported Lukara for what she did in the ring.”
“The emperor believes she is cursed, and too dangerous to let live.”
“Because of her, the emperor may kill every pilgrim on this trip!”

I pull out a light stick and stun him with it.
Then I touch his arm, and scan his thoughts.
I need more information.

I can’t believe what I find, so I uncover his face.
It’s Disu.
He faked his death, full of grief for killing me, and came on this pilgrimage.
Disu was astounded when he saw what I did as Lukara in the first few caves.
He accessed the infonet and discovered that the real Lukara is still on the homeworld.
Disu suspects that it’s me, Neyima, who hides behind her form.

On the surface, he still has affection for me, but his mind is twisted from the brainwashing of the Mind Corps.
Deep within, he has a burning desire to kill Neyima or anyone who opposes the emperor.
He’ll kill me again if I reveal myself to him.

I should just go, and leave him as he is, but I feel responsible for what’s been done to him.
Mind Weavers can change the way a person thinks, but it’s considered a betrayal of our craft.
I push that concern aside, and go deep into his mind.
They tortured him until he lowered his mind wall, and told him to never use it again.
Then they twisted his mind as they pleased.

I’ve been here before, when I built the wall, and I can sense the foreign desires buried here.
I’m surprised at how easy it is to undo the effects of the brainwashing.
There are bitter memories of his torture, hidden from his conscious mind.
I let those remain lost, except for one, where he is half-conscious, and his father tells the Corps that they can do anything they want to Disu, as long as he obeys.
I give him back the use of the wall.
Then I cover his face, and wake him.

“Wake up, Disu.”

“What did you do to me, and why did you look under my robe?”
“I’m not Disu, although I look a lot like him.”
“Didn’t you hear that he died?”

I grab his arm, so I can touch his thoughts.
Then I reveal my face.

You know that I’m not Lukara, even though I look just like her.

Who are you?
Neyima?

Yes.

Impossible!
I killed you!

Yes, but I’ve come back.
Who else could do what I did in the caves?

Are you here for revenge?
Then kill me already, and end my suffering.

You had no choice.
The Mind Corps brainwashed you, so you would kill if I appeared in the arena.
I’ve freed you from their influence.

Sooner or later the guard will discover who I am and I’ll be returned to my father.
They’ll torture me and twist my mind again.
You should have left me alone.

I sense danger and instinctively raise a shield, powered by energy from the black well.
A dozen weapons fire at me, and I feel dizzy, but my shield holds.
I hear a cry, and see Disu struck by several blasts.
I cover him with my shield, but the damage is already done.

I’ve been afraid to use the energy from the wells to overcome the cage, unsure of my ability to control that much power.
I feel how easy it is to call on that energy, and my desire to protect Disu quickly overcomes my fear.
I strike out at the guards in the corridor, to stun them.
A tremendous blast fills the corridor from end to end.

When I wake, a few seconds later, the walls are scorched, and the guards gone.
I smell burnt flesh, the only trace of the guards’ physical or energy bodies.
Disu is alive, but only barely, and his fire body is damaged.
I don’t know how to heal him.
I have to get him to the Seven Towers, and put him in stasis.

More guards come, but their weapons can’t penetrate my shield.
I start to feel sick, and my fire body looks strange.
My energy senses, powered by well energy, tell me that Mayani the elder is with them.
I touch his mind briefly to give him a message.

All that I will say is false, but it may protect you against the emperor’s foolishness.

I take Neyima’s form, and drop the robe.
I want the guards to see me.
“I am Neyima,” I announce loudly.
“Tell the emperor that I will return soon to destroy the ring and the Dahwee.”
“The cage will no longer stop me.”
“Tell him that I said he’s a fool, and no threat to us.”
“That’s why I let him live.”

I change to a Madar shape, and laugh.
The guards move back in fear for a few seconds before they start firing again.
My shield still protects me.

“I wanted the emperor to see what I did in the ring, and destroy the Dahwee.”
“Only they have the power to stop us, though they don’t understand their strength.”

After the events in the caves, the emperor fears the Dahwee, but my words will make him hesitate to act against them.
I want him to fear me enough, that he looks to them for help.

 
Broken Fire
My form shifts, against my will, and I’m Neyima again.
No time to wonder why.
I grab Disu, and fly to the escape pods.
Each time I draw on the well energy, I get more nauseous, and now, I have to fight to stay conscious.

I raise a shield around the pod as soon as it clears the ship, just before the guard ship stars firing on us.
Black energy moves into me, and my shape changes again, this time to Yagrin.

We’re still within the cage, so I can’t open a distant PathFinder gate without the wells.
It takes massive amounts of power to open a gate.
Can I channel so much black energy, and survive?

I struggle with the decision, but then the energy seems to jump out of me, and into the gate.
The gate starts to open, but with strange flashes of light around the edges.
A typical gate opens in seconds, but this one takes several minutes to open, and it opens to a much larger size than I intended.

I hesitate before entering the gate, wondering if it’s stable enough for us to pass through safely.
While I decide, something comes through from the other side.

A small ship, with shields raised.

I reach out my mind toward the ship, and find a familiar passenger, who recognizes my mind touch.

Yagrin?!

What are you doing here, Sindar?

My assistants detected a strange gate opening near the towers, and an unknown dark energy spreading outward from the gate.
The AIs have orders to wake me from stasis when the towers are in danger.
I opened the gate wider, and came through with this ship.
What’s going on here?
My energy senses are gone.
Is something wrong with the web?

We have enemies here with technology that blocks our connection with the web.
Their ships have weapons that will penetrate your shields.

You have to hurry.
I opened the gate in a strange way, and it’s not stable.
Turn around now, and go back.
I’ll be right behind you.

The guards fire at the pod and Sindar’s ship.
His shields fail when he’s almost through the gate.
Another blast comes and strikes one of the bright flashes at the edge of the gate.
There’s an explosion and Sindar’s ship disappears.

Is the gate still safe?
I can’t stay conscious much longer, so I take a chance, and follow Sindar.
When I’m through, the gate closes on its own.
Then I open the pod, and crawl out onto the ground, while the world spins around me.

Sindar’s ship is half gone, already surrounded by five Jiku who look like us.
They all share one mind.
An AI named Kihyez serves Sindar, and uses artificial bodies when needed.

“What did you do to Sindar?” asks the AI.

“He did nothing,” whispers Sindar.

One of them picks him up, and moves toward the tower.

“Stop.”

“You’ll die,” says Kihyez.
“I need to get you into stasis.”

“What’s the point?”
“My fire body is about to unravel.”
“I’ve never seen weapons that can do this.”

Sindar turns his head slightly toward me.
“There’s a dying alien with you Yagrin.”
“Should we save him?”

“Yes, but his fire body is also damaged.”

“Not as badly as mine.”
“Several healers, working together, can repair the damage.”
“Kihyez will put him in stasis until you can bring the healers here.”

One of my doubles takes Disu away.
I reach Sindar, and try to cover him with healing energy.

Nothing happens.
I can’t pull energy from the web.
Even if I could, I don’t know how to heal his fire body.
As I stand there, helpless, I feel his mind touch.

Don’t blame yourself, Yagrin.

But it is my fault, Sindar.
The Kizak weapon combined with the strange energy of my gate and did this!

There’s no time for regrets.
You meant no harm.
I’m happy that we met, little brother, and I was able to start you on your path.
Wish Botzar a good life, and send my love to Dilasa.

He sighs.
My years are long enough.

“Kihyez,” whispers Sindar.

“Yes?”
“When I’m gone, Yagrin will take my place as master of the tower.”
“Do you understand?”

“Yes, Sindar, but what about the hidden world?”

“When one year passes on Siksa, let Yagrin through the gateway.”

My head starts to clear, and I sit up.
Sindar gestures to me, and I move toward his face.
He touches my forehead with his palm, and kisses me on the ears.
It’s an old Jiku way that fathers say goodbye to their sons, before a long journey.

Then Sindar closes his eyes.

The common rooms for the crew are bright and noisy, hours after the pilgrims have [...]]]> A Free Heart
 
Late at night, the inside of the ship is quiet and dark, in the areas where the pilgrims sleep.
The elders keep a close watch on the pilgrims, enforcing a rigid schedule, with an early bedtime.

The common rooms for the crew are bright and noisy, hours after the pilgrims have gone to bed.
I sleep near the crew, and I often stay up with them.
The captain lets the staff decide their own hours, as long as the work gets done.

The young body that I wear doesn’t need much sleep.
Still, if I’m tired in the morning, I sleep late, or use healing energy to restore my strength.
The ship has a cage projector that cuts me off from the web, but I can block it.
I use a nullifier sparingly, to shield me from the projector, and reconnect with the web.
We’re far from any stars, but I keep a second nullifier, capable of blocking a star cage, just in case I need it during this trip.

I eat first meal, and then walk among the pilgrims, accepting their daily greeting.
Their excitement washes over me, even before they touch me.
With the Mind Cage active, and my jammer off, I can’t reach their thoughts without skin contact, but I can still read feelings, if they’re strong enough.
We’ve arrived at red world, the first planet of the ring.
Some of the pilgrims are eager to see a different world, full of legends, while other pilgrims just want a break from the ship.

Six shuttles take us down.
The worlds are small balls of rock, with gravity half of Earth.
Each planet has a fusion power plant that provides light and life support to the domes.
There are satellites above us in stationary orbit, including a cage projector.
I’ve left the nullifiers in my room for now.
I’ll stay with the pilgrims until I’ve seen the last of the ring of worlds.

We leave the ships and enter the main visitors area.
The building is seven hundred feet in diameter, with a dome centered over the entrance to the red cavern.
There are many caves on this world, but just one that we have come to see.
The elders and the pilgrims enter the cave, followed by me and a few members of the crew.

The walls are rough, but covered in red crystal.
The floorspace is nearly filled by a round, smooth platform of the same crystal, fifty feet wide, and over seven feet high.
Metal ramps provide access to the ring, but the crew and I aren’t permitted to join the others.

We watch as the elders lead the pilgrims up the ramps, and assemble in rising, concentric circles on the different levels of the platform.
Each circle is a few inches higher than the one before it.

“Welcome to the ring,” says one of the elders to the pilgrims.
“While we stand on the crystal, you may speak, but guard yourself.”
“Do not speak to those outside the ring, and watch your words.”
“This is a holy place.”

I feel strong here.
The crystal accelerates our connection with the red energy well, and it also restores the web’s balance.
I scan the room with energy eyes.
There are faint letters of energy inscribed on the ceiling.
It’s Madar.
The words are cryptic:
Rings of words, not for Kizak, and not for Madar.
Let go of power, not heart, and be free.

“Once, the beasts ruled the galaxy, and told us to be humble,” says the elder.
“They warned that the crystal rings are dangerous.”
“We could only visit here in secret.”

“Now, the Madar are gone, or slaves, and the galaxy is ours.”
“The red gift will soon be yours.”
“Accept your destiny!”

The elder raises a strange-looking weapon, and fires an energy blast at the ceiling.
The crystal glows brightly, raining energy onto the platform of circles below.
A great sound fills my ears, like waves in the ocean.

Everything in creation is energy in motion.
Each being, place, and thing has its own movements and rhythms of energy.
We call them patterns.
Some are simple, and some complex.
Energy masters have senses that see the patterns and twist them, changing the shape of the world.
I never tire of looking at that world.
The rhythms are extraordinary, and remind me that the world is full of wonder.
I have to guard myself, or I get lost in the endless motion.

Other masters get used to what they see, and the patterns become as ordinary as the dirt beneath their feet.
I might have become like that, too, but a part of me sees the world with Bizra eyes.
They find a deeper beauty in the world’s patterns, which they experience as a song.

It’s been years since I’ve walked in that form, but if I quiet my mind, I can still hear the songs in the patterns around me.
Echoes of these songs reach far beyond their source, songs of praise to the creator.

The sound of the crystal gets brighter, until I hear its song.
It sounds just like a star!
The red gateway in my fire body opens wide, and the energy spins wildly within me.
It feels alien, and I imagine that it wants to rule over me.
I won’t give in.
It seems to be trying to establish a rhythm within me, but can’t stabilize.
I feel sick, and then I pass out.

When I wake up, my face is covered.
I reach instinctively to uncover my face, but someone grabs my hand.
“Calm down, and breathe,” says a voice.

I’m surprised to find that I can breathe easily.
My eyes open and focus, and I look through the cloth that covers my face.
I’m wearing a pilgrim’s robe, my hands wear white gloves, and my feet rest in soft white shoes.
I shake off the elder’s hand, and stand up.
“Why have you given me the robe?”
“I refused it.”

“I covered you with the robe, and brought you onto the platform to help you.”
“It’s not safe for you here, without the protection of the elders.”

I feel pressure on my mind wall, and I let the elder touch the surface of my mind.

You’ve spoken with me before, Lukara.
Let’s continue this conversation in our thoughts.
There are things we must speak of, that the new pilgrims wouldn’t understand.

There’s nothing to say.
I don’t want to be a pilgrim.

I know you’re young, and you haven’t learned Dahwee discipline, but you’re acting like a spoiled child!
You’ve come with us because you want to experience the energy of the ring.
You can’t do that as an outsider.

I felt it the same as any of you!

You’re wrong.
Most of the new pilgrims don’t feel more than a mild tingling.
You’re highly sensitive to it, maybe more than any of the elders, and that makes you vulnerable.
You were fortunate this time, Lukara.
The raw energy could easily kill you.
I won’t let you stand on the outside again, when we activate the next crystal.

And if I join you?

The gifts move differently in us when we stand on the platform.
There, your body will be able to safely absorb the energy.
You have a choice.
Become a pilgrim and join us in the crystal rings, or take off the robe and stay out of the caverns.

I wait several seconds before I answer aloud, for the benefit of the other pilgrims.
“Thank you for your help, elder.”
“I’ll keep the robe, and accept your protection.”

I hear the song again, but fainter, and feel the red energy below me, still circling through the crystal ring.
I kneel on the crystal, and shape energy hands that reach through the heart gateway to the well beyond.
I hover there in the well, and the deep green grows larger and larger, as the edges rush away from me.
Everyone I have known is there with me, and all places I have seen.
I carry them with me.

A song of energy begins.
It spins through my fire body in endless circles, and the Madar words float upon it.
This is my song, but it has endless room for others.

Far away, I see my body’s hands reach toward the crystal where I kneel.
Then the red song enters me.

I have no desire to control it, and it moves however it needs to.
My song spins with me, a true friend, and continues to shine through me.
The red gift spins through the seven gateways, faster and faster, until soon, it finds its place in the red gateway, and disappears.

I come back to my physical body.
A bright red light shines from the bottom of my spine, and fills the cave, before gently fading away.
Waves of heat radiate from my spine for a few more seconds, and then everything is as it was.
Except my gloves have turned red.

The pilgrims are staring.
“See how the gift blesses your sister, pilgrims,” says the elder who spoke before.

“We should give her new gloves,” says another elder.

“What do you say, sister?” asks the first elder.

“The gloves will turn back to white when we leave this world,” I tell them.

“Let it be so.”

We return to the ship, and my gloves lose their color.
The sleep manager moves me to one of the tiny Dahwee sleeping rooms.
I’m sorry to leave the crew, their food, and their comfortable rooms, but it’s not for long.

The worlds of the ring are in a near-perfect circle, sixty million miles apart.
It’s only three hours between worlds at one-thirtieth of light speed.
The first landing is the most tiring, so this will be our only landing today.
We’ll complete the circuit in just three more days, landing on two planets each day.
Then I’ll open a gate from the seventh cavern, and return to Siksa.

Today leaves me so exhausted that I fall into sleep’s arms, and soon forget everything, even Shazira and my home.

 
Lifeline
The orange world is smaller than the red, and has a plain round building that covers its cave.
Within, is a set of seven concentric crystal circles, like the circles on the red world, except that these grow smaller as they descend into a deep darkness.
There are more Madar words here, written in energy script:
The Dance is born, and gives birth to life.

The elders lead us into the circles.
One elder stands below us on the last platform, and fires a blast of energy at the orange ceiling.
Ropes of orange light descend, each one searching out one of the pilgrims, the thickest rope coming for me.

It finds its home in the fire body, in a place just below my navel.
I reach energy hands within, and pull my awareness into the orange well.
The words of the Madar appear suddenly, and fade, again and again, black rockets bursting into this world of orange fire.
A song rises from a place far away, and circles around me.
It disappears within me for a moment, my song, again.
Then it spreads out in all directions like a light or mist that nourishes everything near me.
I draw energy from the well, and shape my own ropes which spread out from the mist, arms of energy that connect with the orange gateways of the pilgrims.
My song sounds along all the pathways, leaving an echo of my energy throughout the ring.

The light fades from the crystal, and I’m left with orange gloves.
One of the elders approaches, and I open the mind wall.

Are you the same elder that spoke to me before?

Yes, my name is Mayani.
What’s your true form, girl, and true name?

I don’t understand.

Stop lying.
Lukara is still on the homeworld.
Are you Madar, come to crush our spirits, again?

No.

Why are you here?

To experience the ring, that’s all.

Then tell me who you are.

How long have you known that I’m not Lukara?

Since this morning.
I ordered a full search on you when I saw what happened in the red cave.

Who else knows?

No one.

Why didn’t you kill me, or send for the guard?

The crystal calls to you, as it calls to none of us.
We’ve been waiting for you for a long time.

Explain.

The Madar found the seven worlds, shortly after they came to the Kizak.
We are the closest life to the ring of worlds, and the Madar took that as a sign that our destiny is tied to it.

They taught you how to use the crystal platforms on each world?

No.
They brought us to the caves, and told us that the future will meet us here.
The Madar branded each cave with a hidden image, a hint that teaches how to use the energy properly.
We could never see all the images, and even the ones that we saw, we never understood.
The beasts refused to explain them, promising that a stranger would discover the truth, someday.
They stayed away from the caves, telling us that the ring is not for Madar.
We grew tired of being treated like children, who are never allowed to grow up.
We called ourselves, Sehtoo, ancient ones, in defiance.
The caves became a symbol of the Madar holding us back.

You attacked the Madar?

No, we were too weak then.
Instead, we looked for a way to convince them to abandon us.
The Madar always spoke of peace, so we decided to reject their teaching, and used our energy skills to conquer other worlds.
We thought this would disgust the beasts.
Instead, they rose up and crushed us.
During that brief war, we captured one of them, and tortured an important secret from her.
A certain type of energy beam, passing through a chip of the cave’s crystal, activates the energy in the cave.
That secret was preserved when the Sehtoo went into hiding.
Two centuries later, the Dahwee were born, and we began the pilgrimages to the ring.

Didn’t the Madar see what the Dahwee did in the caves?

They were arrogant, and thought we couldn’t master the crystals without their help, so they ignored us.
The caves gave us energy abilities, including the mind barrier, that remained when the emperor surrounded us all with the star cage.

These gifts are weak compared to what’s possible when the cage is lifted.

Yes.
Many of us wonder whether the caves will be abandoned when the cage is gone.
Where is the greatness in this?
Something else must be hidden here.
We hate the Madar, but some of us still wait for the future that they promised us.
Lately, we’ve come to think that we are fools, believing a Madar lie.

Until I came.

Yes.
You understand the Madar words, and use them to bring the cave to life in a new way.

The words are simple.

We see them, and can translate, but that’s not enough.
How do you know what to do?

It’s hard to explain.
You’d call it intuition.
I let an intelligence within me take over.

Will you be able to do this for all the caves?

I don’t know.
You’ll let me continue?

I have no choice.
We need you.
Usually, only a small percentage of the pilgrims feel the energy of the caves, even after several visits.
When you unleash the energy of the caves, every pilgrim feels it.
We can turn most of them into true believers.

What will happen when we leave the ring of worlds?
You’ll kill me, or turn me over to the guard.

Perhaps, but I’d rather learn to do what you’ve done, so we can turn all the Kizak into believers.
When the pilgrimage is over, you’ll have to answer my questions, and then I’ll decide what to do with you.
Even though I am first among the Dahwee, I can’t be sure that the decision will be mine to make.

Why not?

The Dahwee have kept their love of energy ways secret, first, from the Madar, and now from the emperor.
If we don’t seem to want power, then no one will fear us.
It was a good plan, but the emperor has many spies.
He must know by now what we believe, and someday, he will act on it.
There are different factions among the Dahwee.
Most of the elders on this pilgrimage follow the way as truth, and regret the wars and destruction.
I walk among them.
Many other elders think we are still Sehtoo.
Pretending to be Dahwee is a disguise that hides an endless selfishness.
They say that the universe exists for the Kizak alone.
Twenty years ago, few of the elders walked in this path, but they are the majority now.
They have a great hunger, and think that they should rule the empire, and all other races.
Soon, I will be pushed aside, or killed, and one of them will take my place as first.
Many of us can see your inner energy body, including the Sehtoo elders.
Some say that your fires are not Madar or Kizak.
I’ve suggested that you look so different because of your unusual talent, but I’m sure they don’t accept my explanation.
They’ll keep silent until the end of the trip, but who knows what they will do then?

 
Light
No permanent lighting is allowed in any of the caves.
The elders carry portable lights to push away the darkness, and the lights are shut off, just before the gift is activated.

The pilgrims descend the yellow cave through a steep path that goes down over a hundred feet.
A hill, black and yellow, rises from its center.
The top of the hill is flat and narrow, wide enough for two elders and me.
The ceiling and walls are full of the yellow crystal, but mixed with rings and speckles of white.

The black is obsidian, volcanic glass.
There are dozens of veins of yellow crystal that begin at the hilltop, and pour down the hillside in all directions, widening, and streaming to the bottom.
The elders arrange the pilgrims so everyone stands along the rivers of crystal.

I look at the walls and ceiling of the cave for Madar words, but there are none.

A different elder leads the procession in each cave.
The current leader looks toward me, as if to ask if I’m ready.
Mayani does not wait, and signals the leader to begin.
As the elder fires the burst of yellow and white energy, the world seems to slow down, giving me the time I need.
I scan the hill, and in its center I find the Madar words:
Seeds of light falling into darkness.

I clear my thoughts, and shape energy hands, which I plunge into the yellow well.
My awareness follows, and a song rolls through me.

The yellow gift spreads through the cave.
It rises from the crystal paths, and covers the fire bodies of the pilgrims.
The gift is rejected.
The yellow gateways within the new pilgrims are dark, unable to feel the light.

I shape hundreds of yellow spheres within the well, that shine like little suns.
I send them through my gateway, and into the cave.
They float like bubbles in the cave, and cover the pilgrims with their energy.
Not with rays of light, but with bursts of energy, pretending to be yellow flowers with white circles at their centers.
The energy awakens the pilgrims, intensifying and becoming visible to all.
The light gathers itself into thousands of bright, spinning winds that circle the hill, three times slowly, before disappearing into the hill.
Soon, darkness returns to the cave, except for the eyes of the pilgrims that still glow.
The elders switch on the portable lights and lead us out.

 
Breath
The green cave has a sloping, spiral entrance, that descends into an immense space, warmer than the other caves, and bright.
No portable lights are needed in here.

I feel like I’m standing in a meadow.
The floor is level, and covered in a thick carpet of glowing green grass that moves in great waves, as though it was blowing in the wind.
But there is no wind.

The ceiling and walls are also covered with the same grass.
Of the four caves, this one looks the most artificial, with straight walls, and perfect curves where the walls meet the ceiling.
The cave is a mile wide, and two hundred feet high.

“How is the air pumped into the caves?” I ask Mayani.
“I can’t find any ventilation openings, or moving air.”

“I don’t know,” he answers.
“The Madar told us that they couldn’t understand it.”
“When we started the pilgrimages, we tried to determine how the air stays fresh, but we gave up.”
“We just accept it as part of the gift.”

The lead elder brings us to the center of the cave, and into a large dark circle.
The floor is also covered with grass, except that it doesn’t glow until we stand on it.
My energy eyes scan it to explore its secrets.

The grass is not organic.
It’s a soft, growing crystal.
The green light in the center circle brightens and dims, with a pleasant series of audible tones.
The cave is breathing, not air, but energy.
The grass is calling to the world, over and over.
No words, only a feeling that says, “all is life and awareness.”
All life forms exchange energy with the web, but the more self-aware creatures, with energy bodies, often interfere with the movement of energy.
The grass embraces the energy of the web, strong in the cave, holding nothing back.
It dances with the web, and swims in it.

An energy song rises from the living crystal, and drifts through the cave, carried by the green light.
Two words from the Madar language come to mind: Galis Tsira, waves of song.

“This cave is different from the others,” says the lead elder.
He fires the energy beam at the floor instead of the ceiling, and the crystal glows brighter.
The brighter light spreads out from the center in a great circular wave, and then returns to the center.
When it reaches the starting point, the whole cave lights up at once, floor, walls, and ceiling.

Madar words reveal themselves to my inner eyes, reflecting the cave’s green energy:
Ginda Tsira, breathing a song.
I go within myself, dipping energy hands into the green well.
I sing the song that I am, stronger, and stronger.

We are great trees, standing together, growing toward the source of life, and praising the awareness that surrounds us.
Living mirrors, reaching out for light, and passing it to those who cannot see.

I let go of all resistance to the energy around me.
I let go of all fear that holds me back from embracing the world with all my strength.
My fire body glows more and more,
a moon, reflecting the green energy of the well that streams through the gateway,
a magnet, attracting and absorbing all the green light in the cave.

Soon, my physical body glows green in great waves that brighten and dim, and shine through the white clothes that I wear.

The pilgrims float upon these waves of light for several minutes, and they breathe the green gift with me.
Then the cave darkens for a few seconds, before the normal glow returns.
My whole robe stays filled with this cave’s color, not just my gloves.

A pilgrim approaches me as we prepare to leave the surface of the green world.
“What’s your name?” he asks.
The robe’s cloth interacts with the sound waves of the wearer’s voice, distorting and disguising the voice.
The elders want the pilgrims to be anonymous on the journey.

For me, it’s too late.
They all saw my face before I took the pilgrim’s robe.

“Lukara.”

“Are you a believer?”

“Not before the trip.”

“And now?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Look at what you’ve done, and all the wonders you’ve seen!”
“How can you deny the truth of the Dahwee beliefs?”

I hear the frustration in his voice.
He can’t understand why I don’t believe.

“The caves are extraordinary,” I say gently, “but they were here long before the Dahwee came.”
“No one owns them.”

“The elders are ready to welcome you as one of them.”
“All you have to do is accept the way.”

“How do you know this?”

“I overheard their surface thoughts,” he says quietly, embarrassed.
Surface thoughts can’t be trusted.
They are often full of lies, but I don’t tell him that.

“I’m surprised.”
“I would have guessed that you’re a first-time pilgrim, but that can’t be right, if you’re able to hear thoughts.”

“This is my first journey, Lukara.”
“I started hearing some thoughts after the green gift.”

“What’s your name?”

He pauses for a few seconds.
“Wootak.”
His emotions at the moment are so intense that I feel them without any effort.
He’s lying.

“I’m not denying the Dahwee way, Wootak.”
“Some of us are stubborn, and slow to admit the truth.”
“Be patient with us.”
“I’ll think more about what you’ve said, but we have to board the shuttle now.”
“It’s late and I’m tired.”

“Of course, but I hope we’ll speak again.”

I turn away from him, and move toward the ship.

 
Voice
The blue cave is above ground, but hidden within mountains.
A simple building covers the entrance.

An elder leads us through a tall tunnel, eighty feet long, and into the dark cave.
Other elders are mixed in with the pilgrims, and carry lights, so we can watch our steps.
The pilgrims also carry lights, but they’re turned off, and our lights are small compared to the lights of the elders.
“Why do we all need lights?” asks one of the pilgrims, but his question goes unanswered.

The elders place their lanterns of cool white light on the floor, along the walls of the room, revealing its shape to us.
It looks like a diamond, with a smooth disk of blue crystal in the center.
Each wall, floor to ceiling is dotted with small caves.

“The individual caves are all the same size, seven feet tall, and ten feet deep,” says the lead elder.
“Ninety-one on each wall, seven rows of thirteen.”
“While the elders stand on the platform, each of you will sit at the front of a cave, with your small light at your back.”

“How will we get to our caves?” asks a pilgrim, looking up.

The leader points to four elders, each one standing at the center of a wall, with a large black case at her feet.
He raises his arms high, and the elders remove grav projectors from their cases, and activate them.

“The elders will lift you to your places,” says the leader, “and then we’ll activate the blue gift.”
Each pilgrim’s name is called by one of elders, until only I am left.
“Where does Lukara go?” asks Mayani.

The leader shouts at one of the wall elders, annoyed.
“You are short one pilgrim,” he complains.
“Lukara goes with you!”

“She strengthens the gifts for all,” says the elder.
“How can we hide her away in a cave?”

“The traditions will be kept,” says the leader, sharply.
“She is a new pilgrim, not an elder, and the caves must be filled.”
“The gifts were here before she came, and they will still be here when she is gone.”
“Put her in the center of your wall, seventh cave of the fourth row.”

I join the group without speaking.
“Go,” says the elder to me, and she lifts me up and into the cave using the projector.
I put my light at the back of the cave, and turn it on.
Then I sit and wait for the other pilgrims to be raised into their places.

When all the pilgrims are in place, the elders shut off the strong lights, and form a circle in the center of the platform.
It’s beautiful.
I see rows and rows of the white pilgrims sitting quietly, bathed in blue light by the small lights in each cave, reflecting off the blue crystal.

“As you sit today,” shouts the lead elder, “so each of you has your own inner light that fills the world.”
“How wonderful when all the lights come together.”
The elder activates the blue energy beam, pointing it at the ceiling.
The blue energy forms a large sphere at the top of the cavern, and then bursts into four rivers which spread out along each wall, and fill each cave.

Madar words float beneath the ceiling, burning with blue fire.

Deep inside, we are not quiet, one call, one shout, that has no beginning, no end.
Life carries light through the fog, true fire, that ignites the world.

I can see each pilgrim touched by the gift, their gateways to the blue well lighting up.
Some feel the gift, but most do not.
Deeper, there is a hunger that hides in all of them, but it can’t reach the surface.
As the gift fades away, that hunger turns into a great, hidden cry.

I leap out of the cave, and into the air of the great cavern, weaving a blue stream of energy that moves around me, faster and faster, stronger and stronger, until the energy becomes visible to ordinary eyes as blue light.
The air in the cavern follows the energy stream, and becomes a spinning wind.
A song rushes from my throat, and spreads, carried on the wind.

I pull at the caves that surround me, and the pilgrims float into the air, their robes filled with the blue wind.
Their blue gateways open wide, and energy streams from their throat in all directions.
The hunger within each of them pushes its way to the surface, and they sing.
Each voice is different, some made of sweet sounds, and others a rough mix of cries and shouts.
Each pilgrim has her own song, is a song, sent out to touch the world.

The energy and the song makes their skin glow so brightly that their faces are visible through their robes.
A cloud of light forms around each pilgrim, with drifting, dancing streams of color, and sparkling energy bursts.
Our songs dance together for a few minutes, before they fade away.
I take a deep breath, give a gentle push, and watch, as the pilgrims settle back into their caves, and the air is quiet.

 
Knowing and Unknowing
The indigo cave is above ground, like the blue cave before it, but half-way up a mountain.
The visitor’s building is built around the mountain at that height.
The elders ask me to join them as they enter the cave, while the other pilgrims remain in the visitor area.
The indigo leader carries a portable light, but the cave remains dark.
“Ordinary light is useless in this cave,” she says.
“Only those with energy sight can see here.”

My energy eyes scan the cave.
The walls, floors, and ceiling are rough stone, with no sign of indigo crystal.
I look deeper into the mountain, but there’s nothing here but rock.

“Is this the right place?” I ask.
“There’s no crystal anywhere!”

“So it seems,” says the leader, “but the Madar showed us this place, and told us that it’s one of the seven caves.”

“Why have we come here without the pilgrims?”

“I wanted to give you time, Lukara,” says Mayani, “to find the Madar words, and discover what you need to do to enhance the indigo gift.”

“Does anything happen when you activate the indigo energy beam?”

“Show her,” says Mayani.

We stand in the center of the cave, and the leader activates the energy beam.
The beam looks completely ordinary to energy eyes, not like the beams in the other caves.

“What crystal did you use for the beam?”

“Do you see any crystal in here?” asks the leader.
“We’ve taken an ordinary stone chip from the wall.”

“The beam had no effect.”

“Wait,” says Mayani.
“In other caves, we activate the beam for a few seconds.”
“Here, it takes more time.”

Thirty seconds pass, and suddenly, the cave is covered with indigo crystal, but only visible to energy eyes.
Random bursts of indigo energy pass from the ceiling to the floor, throughout the cave.
After a few minutes, the bursts stop, and the crystal fades away.

“Is the crystal real or an illusion?” I ask them.

“I think there’s something here that deceives our energy sight,” says the leader, “but decide for yourself.”
“None of us feel anything, even when we’re struck by the energy bursts.”

“You still come here.”

“We follow tradition.”
“What can you tell us about the cave?” he adds.

“Nothing.”
“I see only what you see.”
“There are no Madar words here.”

“Try again,” says Mayani.
“They must be here!”

“You are a fool, Mayani,” says the cave leader, “to believe so much in the promises of the Madar.”

I quiet my mind, and ask myself how to reveal what is hidden.
The word glow comes into my thoughts.
I pull energy from the web, and radiate the energy that I call the Feldin glow.
An unbearable brightness assaults our energy eyes.

“Stop,” cries Mayani.
“What did you do?”

“I released energy to push away the shadows, and show us what’s really here.”
“Give me the beam, shut down your energy senses, and close your eyes.”
“I’m going to try again.”

I wait a few seconds, and then release the glow, this time using the blue well to power it, and directing it through the chip of rock in the beam.
The cave fills with an indigo energy brighter than before, that overloads my energy senses.
I force myself to keep my senses open, but the energy blinds me to everything else.
I scan through the fog of energy, looking for a clue.

Nothing.
The energy is the same wherever I look, boringly consistent, no strange patterns that could hide a message.
I close off my energy senses in frustration.
Where else can I look?

I listen to the quiet and chaos within me, waiting.
There’s an ache, a longing to search.
I pour out that feeling, and cover the cave with the energy.
I give it all my strength, a search more powerful than any question needs, or any answer can satisfy.

Something returns, not a seeing, but a feeling of place, of dark, thick walls, covered with something thin and fast – crystal.
Then I feel the energy still rushing through the cave in perfect circles.
There.
A brief weakness in the energy as it passes one place.
I send more indigo energy into the cave, touched with the glow, and focused on that spot.

The weakness takes shape, and forms Madar words:

Make yourself blind to what others see and fear.
Search beyond anything you can know.
See what cannot be seen, but must be.

I close down the energy, and let the cave become dull again.
“Open your senses,” I tell the elders.
“I’ve let the energy go.”

“Did you find anything?”

I give them the words I felt.

“Do you know what it means?”

“Bring the pilgrims, and I’ll show you.”
“Tell them to close their eyes.”
“When we’re all in place, close your eyes, and your energy senses, and give me the beam.”
“I know what to do.”

I feed the indigo energy and the glow, and an endless feeling of searching through the beam.
The energy fills the cave, and everyone in it.
We stay conscious, but lose control of our physical bodies.
I sense it coming, and lower us all, gently, to the floor.
Then I call out to everyone with a mind touch so they won’t panic.

Don’t be afraid.
It’s part of the gift, and it’s only temporary.

The cave disappears, and we are elsewhere, a place with no boundaries, and energy everywhere.
I see us all as clouds of light that hover and mix together.
The clouds are thick where we come together, but our spreads thinly in all directions.
No words move within us, just a feeling of reaching out, forever.
A moment later, the cave returns, empty of light and energy, plain stone.
The pilgrims stand up, and are led out of the cave, and into the visitor’s building.
“Explain,” says the leader, when she returns.

“Elder, first tell me what you feel.”

“I came to a strange place.”
“Were we all there?”

“All the elders and all the pilgrims.”
“This is the cave’s true gift.”

“I felt endless, Lukara, but now that I’m here, I feel small.”

“Nothing else remains?”

“There’s a movement within me, an endless desire to touch that which can’t be bound in words or color or place or time.”

“We all feel that,” I tell her.

“What good is a gift that makes us feel small?” says one of the elders.

“Who are you elder?” asks Mayani.

“What do you mean?”

“We are comfortable with our small self, elder,” says Mayani, “and call it home, but we are also something endless.”
“The cave gave us a glimpse of it, but now, only the endless desire hints at who we really are.”
“We were born, far away, in an infinite world, and part of us searches, wanting to find that world, again.”

“Will that feeling stay with us, Lukara?” asks the elder.

“It’s possible, but only if we work at it.”
“The Dahwee teachings speak of it:

Leave behind the comfort of the familiar, every day.
Let it die, if you wish to touch the infinite.

 
Tomorrow
I gather with most of the pilgrims to watch the last of the ring worlds appear on the ship’s view-screen.
I can feel the excitement, but there’s no shouting or cheering.
We’re still pledged to be silent aboard ship.

The shuttles will board soon.
One of the elders approaches, and I feel pressure against the mind wall.

I open the wall, and let the elder touch the surface of my mind.

Is it you, Mayani?

Yes, Lukara.
I came to warn you.

Of what?

One of the elders has contacted the guards, and accused you of being a rebel.

How do you know?

I get copies of all elder communication aboard ship.

What will happen?

The guards will not appear until after we begin our journey home.
Don’t return with us, when we leave the violet world.
Each of the ring worlds has a few escape ships, hidden away for emergencies.
I’ll give you the location, and the codes to release the security lock.
Travel won’t be comfortable, but you’ll survive it.
The ship is stocked with emergency rations, and the AI can open a hyperspace gate, and get you to a safe place.

Why are you doing this?

You’ve strengthened all the elders on this journey, and most of us follow the true way.
Many of the pilgrims have been transformed, and I hope to bring them to our side.
The few Sehtoo elders with us are rethinking their allegiance.
Soon, we will be strong enough to eliminate the Sehtoo faction within the Dahwee.
Then, we can restore peace to the empire.

I hope you succeed, Mayani.
How do I thank you?

Help us.
I’ll tell you how to safely contact me after you escape.
We’ll arrange for you to take the form and place of one of the Sehtoo elders after we eliminate him or her.
You’re more powerful than all of us.
You can crush the Sehtoo.

The Kizak have plans to conquer my world, Mayani, and the attack ships have already left.
I would like to help you, but I have to go home and defend my people.

If your sisters are like you, the guard can’t win.

The cage takes away our strength, the same as yours, and will leave us helpless.
The ring has given me new strength that the cage can’t banish.
I will be able to fight, but I don’t know if it will be enough.

Our silent conversation is interrupted when Mayani is called away to board the first shuttle.
I follow on the next.

The violet world is just rock, like the others, but the surface is smooth, like a polished stone.
Only one mountain interrupts the unchanging landscape.
Our destination is a great cavern near the top.
Before the visitor’s center was built, one could stand in the open cavern and look up at the sky, thick with stars.
Now the building, and the landing pad on its roof, form a cover for the cave.

The walls and floors are covered with a smooth layer of violet crystal.
The new ceiling looks like crystal, but it’s only artificial stone, painted to match the walls.
This place is broken, giving us no protection from the cage.
Still, with the strength I’ve gained in the ring, I can scan the cave.
There are no Madar words here.

“Where do you point the beam?” I ask the leader.

“The Madar we captured told us that the beam is useless here.”
“Someday,” he told us, “one of you will discover what to do there.”

“We tried directing the energy toward the walls and floor, but it had no effect.”

“How do you activate the crystal?”

“If there’s a way, we haven’t found it.”

“Why come here?”

“Maybe this cave affects us without being activated.”
“Who knows?”
“Besides, we need to says a proper goodbye to the ring.”

The leader arranges us in seven concentric circles.
This time, the elders, and even the leader stand among us.
“Now,” says the elder, “we are the same, walking the same road, all touched by the ring.”
“The gifts in the ring are bright, but the creator has gifts for us everywhere we go.”
He leads us in three prayers of gratitude.

“Time to go,” he says, when our echoes die out.
“May we circle the ring, together again, strong, in sweet days to come.”

“Stop,” I call to the leader.

“What, Lukara?”

“Fire the beam at my head.”

“The energy is strong.”
“It will harm or kill you.”

“No, it won’t.”

He hesitates, but the other elders motion to him to continue.
I can control the energy within six of the gateways, even with the cage around me, but not the seventh.
I open the six, and pour the energy of those wells toward the violet gateway, and the well beyond it.

It opens within me a moment before he fires.
A shell of energy forms around me, lighting up the cave, and making the crystal on the floor light up.
My shape changes, taking on the look of living crystal, covered with my own glow, full of all the colors.
The beam touches my crystal glow, and the cave shakes.

“Earthquake?” asks the leader.

“No,” I answer, “but move everyone next to the walls.”

The others move away, leaving me in the center.
I pull at the energy of the wells, and manage to hover just above the stone.

“Fire at me, again,” I tell the leader.

The violet well echoes the violet beam, and a flood of energy moves through me, striking the floor in pulsing waves.
I feel a gentle wind move through the cave, driven by vibrations in the floor.
A clear, high tone is heard, louder and louder, and the center of the floor crumbles.
White-hot crystal fragments rise from the deep hole, avoid me by a few inches, and form a fountain that spreads across the roof of the cave.
The scraps of stone melt together, forming a permanent crystal ceiling.
When the fountain stops, the floor seals itself, and I feel the cage disappear.

“Aim the beam at the ceiling,” I tell the leader, and he does.

The words reveal themselves:

Death calls you, birds of light.
The day disappears, and another comes.
The future weaves itself before your eyes, every moment precious.
New dreams are born, and become life.
Each face searches for itself, and finds another.
Death is midwife to all, and the world grows, hunting for itself, forever.

Violet energy pours out of me and rushes along the surface of the crystal, opening the gateway wide within each pilgrim.
A few seconds later it fades, and I return to Lukara’s form.

The pilgrims look at the new ceiling, glowing with a gentle light that fills the cave.

Most of the waiting areas are underground, beneath the clusters of landing pads. The ships rise and rest quietly, through g-tech that allows them to manipulate gravity. The [...]]]>  
Pilgrims
The spaceport near the capital city is called StarPath.
It was designed by one of the empire’s leading architects, filled with curves and high ceilings.

Most of the waiting areas are underground, beneath the clusters of landing pads.
The ships rise and rest quietly, through g-tech that allows them to manipulate gravity.
The above-ground terminal is made of three domes, surrounding a taller fourth dome, with a blue stone tower.
The smaller domes are red, yellow, and green, with black-roofed walkways at ground level leading to the larger white dome.
Each of the three outer domes has a large entrance, marked by an arch thirty feet tall.
A river of stars and planets moves across the arch, displaying the colonies of the empire.
The inner walls of the spaceport are also in motion, covered with info streams, or decorative, moving patterns.

I find the loading gate, and a place to sit.
One of the walls shows our ship, the RingShaper, waiting to leave for the ring of planets.
It’s designed for speed, not luxury, but it’s new and pleasing to the eye, with a bright silver hull, and spiral designs of green and black.
The Kizak expect their ships to be beautiful.

This one is small for a Kizak passenger ship, and carries less than four hundred guests.
We enter, forty or fifty at a time, through an elevator that takes us up into the center of the ship.

The pilgrims all dress the same, but only some are bright-Dahwee, true believers.
The rest are shadow-Dahwee, unsure, uncommitted.
The Dahwee-van, the clear way, is the dominant religion in the empire.
Nearly all Kizak go on the pilgrimage, sooner or later, even if they don’t believe.

There are other reasons to visit the ring, and many science and tourist vessels go there.
Still, it’s rare and strange to do what I’m doing, walking with the pilgrims, while setting myself apart.

I relax when I see some of the ship’s crew, dressed in ordinary clothes, like me.
One of them calls my name, and she leads me away from the others.
Soon, she stops by a large opening, edged in gold, and marked with a dark blue light.

“This is your place,” she says.
“Touch the pad.”
I put my left hand on the security pad, and the doors open to a beautiful, large room.

Not what I expected.
Dahwee pilgrims pledge to abandon comfort and rich foods during their silent journey, and the ships reflect their simple needs.

I’m confused.
“How can this be a pilgrimage ship?” I ask.
“It’s too luxurious.”

“This section of the ship is for the crew and the occasional special guest, not pilgrims.”
“We don’t take the pledge, and we like our comfort.”

For a moment, I wonder how to tip her.
Then I remember that tips are an insult among the Kizak.

“Do you mind a personal question?” she asks.

“Go ahead, but I might not answer it.”

“You’re going to the ring of worlds anyway.”
“Why not just put on the robe and join the pilgrimage?”
“Almost everyone does it sooner or later.”

“Cover myself from head to feet, and keep quiet?”
“Not me.”

“You know the rules on this trip?”

“Of course.”
“If I speak to the pilgrims, I get confined to my room.”

“Right.”

“I bound myself to the travel contract with a retinal scan.”
“I don’t agree to anything unless I check it out first.”

“Knowing isn’t enough.”
“It’s much easier to promise to be quiet, than to actually do it.”
“Most of us can’t be silent for ten minutes when we’re surrounded by others.”

“I’ll be careful.”
“I can’t stay in my room all the time, or the walls will start closing on on me.”
“Besides, I need to eat.”

“Join the Dahwee in one of the eating rooms, if you like, but you’ll have to suffer with their food.”

“Is it so bad?”

“Not bad, but really plain.”

“What choice is there?”

“Eat with us.”
“We’re loud, but the food is better.”

“Isn’t there a rule against passengers eating with the crew.”

“Not unless we force you.”

I smile.

“Good,” she says.
“Someone will message you with the meal times.”
I sit down when she leaves, and the doors close.

 
Music and Prayer
In the quiet, my thoughts turn to Disu, dead because I came into his life.
He might have traveled on this ship, if he had lived.

Most Kizak take the robe between twenty and thirty years old.
The royal family has a different custom, set by the first emperor, Dinik.

“Don’t trust the Dahwee,” said Dinik to his children, “and stay far from their ways.”
“Religion is necessary to keep weak minds out of trouble, but we don’t need it in the palace.”
“The teachings of discipline and responsibility are true enough, but what use is the rest, and all that prayer?”
“It’s just a waste of time.”

“The people follow them, father,” said his son, “and everyone goes on the pilgrimage.”
“How can we ignore them?”

“How old are you, Opri?”

“You know that father, almost fifteen!”

“You’re wise for your years, and you’ll make a good emperor.”
“We will pretend to follow the Dahwee, attending prayer meetings on the three major holidays.”
“You’ll go on the silent journey with the other pilgrims, just after your fifteenth birthday.”

“No one goes so young.”

“This will protect you from Dahwee foolishness.”
“You won’t fit in with the adults, so they’ll keep their distance from you.”

“Yes, father.”

“Be careful with their music.”
“It’s relaxing, but if you listen too much, it dulls the mind.”

It was Opri who later introduced the custom of the Madar val on the fifteenth birthday.

Disu confessed to me that he loved the Dahwee prayers, with their poetic rhythms that speak of the wonders of creation.
He wished that he could go to the prayer meetings every week, instead of three times a year.
Disu also wanted to study the Dahwee teachings.
He could never admit this to his father.

“Listen to your heart, Disu,” I told him, “and do whatever you can, in secret, here in the palace.”
“Just keep your actions and feelings hidden.”

Disu studied the Dahwee teachings, and listened to their music.
It’s called seed music, and people say that it feeds the spirit.

I listened a few times.
The music fills the whole body, lighting up the energy centers, one after another.
It leaves the body with a feeling of peace and calm.

I didn’t discourage Disu, but the music is little more than a way to relax.
It helps the listener feel spiritual, but doesn’t seem to have any long-term benefit.
There are studies in the library that support Dinik’s claim that long-term use of the music slows down the mind.

At first Disu was able to hide his growing interest in the Dahwee ways from his father.
I helped him, by giving him one hour of each study day to explore the teachings, the music, and the prayer.

This wasn’t enough to satisfy his hunger.
One evening he disguised himself, and went out to a Dahwee prayer meeting.
He loved it, but the guard tracked him, and his actions were reported.

His father was furious.
“Do that again,” said the emperor, “and I won’t let you go on the pilgrimage!”

Disu was watched more closely after that, even during our study time.

I take a deep breath, and let go of thoughts about him.
The past is gone.

Then I prepare for departure.

The bells sound for two minutes before we enter hyperspace.
After we leave normal space, the warning lights go dark, and the passengers pour out of their rooms into the common areas.
I feel like I’m in a dream, swimming through a sea of white shadows.
Their robes, gloves, and shoes are all white, and their faces are covered.

Air passes through the special fabric, so the pilgrims stay cool, and breathe easily.
The openings for the eyes are covered with a reflective material, like one-way glass.
The Dahwee see out, but no one sees in.

Their hidden faces are far more unsettling than their silence, and at first, I avoid them.
I spend the first morning in my room, writing and meditating, but soon the space gets too small, and I find a crew member to walk with.

“The pilgrims wear message bands,” she tells me.
“They’re allowed to text message each other or the crew, without voice, although elders limit this to ten messages a day.”

I’ve experimented in the past with voice fasts.
The written messages won’t relieve the thirst to hear their own voices.
“That won’t help much,” I tell the crew woman.

“You’re right,” she agrees, surprised that I know.
“The elders give them one way to rest from the silence.”
“Prayer.”
“The pilgrims are allowed to meet and recite prayers together, out loud, twice a day.”

“Can I join them?”

She looks at me strangely, wondering why I would want to join the prayers, but not wear the robe.
“No.”
“Only pilgrims are allowed in the prayer rooms.”

 
Isolation
I sit with the crew for second meal.
The food is good, and there’s plenty of it.

“I’m Tela,” says one of the crew women, as she sits down across from me.
“How do you eat so much, and stay so thin?” she asks, as she watches me eat.

I smile at her.
“Fast metabolism.”
The Kizak woman whose body I’ve copied doesn’t eat much, but I’ve brought my own habits with me.
The food brings me comfort.

An alarm sounds in the crew room, and three of the crew get up and head for the transport.
“What’s that?” I ask.

The crew woman looks upset as she reads the report on her message-band.
“Trouble on the deck below us,” she says.
“A pilgrim was declared empty, but she refuses to go to her room.”

“Empty?”

“On some trips, one or two of the first-time pilgrims can’t adapt to the rules.”
“They’ve gone through Dahwee orientation, and practiced their silence, but words still slip from their lips.”
“A few mistakes are forgiven, but after that, the elders declare them empty, unworthy.”
“An empty pilgrim is confined her to her room for the rest of the trip, and never permitted to visit the ring.”

“Those tiny rooms?”
“Doesn’t that drive them crazy?”

“Sometimes.”
“We drug them, if necessary.”
“I’ve got to go.”
“I’m needed to keep the other pilgrims away from the area.”

She starts running, and I follow her into the transport closet.
“Can I come with you?”

“No,” she says, as she reads more details on her band.
“You’d probably speak to the pilgrims and get us both in trouble.”
“Stay in the crew area.”
“The pilgrim on level four is armed and violent.”

“I can take care of myself,” I tell her, and touch the pad to close the door.

She looks at the thin, short body that I’m carrying, and doesn’t believe me, but she has no time to argue.
The transport opens on another deck, and the woman steps out.
“Go back to the crew area,” she shouts, and then goes to help with crowd control.

When the doors close, I hesitate.
I should tap in level three, and go back to the crew area, but instead I enter four into the pad.

A pilgrim is standing with her back to a door, her torn robe exposing her face.
She’s holding a knife to the throat of another pilgrim with a blood-stained robe.
A Dahwee elder and a crewman are both pointing blasters at the agitated passenger.
Other crew are standing around.
Everyone is silent, but the blasters speak loud enough.
The pilgrim is expected to surrender.

I could disarm her, but there would be too many questions.
Instead, I activate a jammer under my clothes, and touch her mind.

Her name is Willa, and she’s caught in a severe panic attack.
She suffers from claustrophobia, and went on the pilgrimage against the advice of her counselor.
Willa is from a rich family, and she used her money to buy her doctor’s silence, and his signoff on the medical forms.
She has no great love for Dahwee ways, but she just wants to go on the pilgrimage, like her friends.

The patch she wears to relax isn’t good enough.
She can barely keep from shouting when the robe covers her face.

The robe comes off when she enters her room, but then the small space closes in on her.
Willa only enters the room at night, and takes her sleeping pills right away.

When she’s nervous, she talks, and has spoken several times since she came on board.
The elders gave her a written warning yesterday, but Willa spoke again after that.
A few hours ago, the elders declared her empty, and marked the back of her robe with a large, black circle.
They ordered her to stay in her room, and informed the crew.

She refused in writing, promising to be quiet.

There are no second chances.
The elders escorted her to her room, armed with knives, their traditional weapons.
Willa took the knife from one and cut his robe.
Then she raised the knife to his throat, and won’t back down.
Willa’s more afraid of that room, than a knife or blaster.

I search her memories to find a weapon to use against her.
Then I fall to the ground in front of her, and shake like I’m having a seizure.
She’s seen her younger sister like this, too many times, and it frightens her.
She stares at me in horror, and takes her eyes off the others, who quickly disarm her.

“Are you all right?” asks one of the crew, helping me up.

“It was just an act, to distract her.”

“You were pretty convincing.”

“Thanks.”

I feel pressure against my mind wall.
An elder is facing me, and trying to probe me.
I should have stayed away.
Now, he knows that I have mind skills.
He’ll become even more suspicious if I don’t communicate with him.
I drop the wall, and let him touch the surface of my mind.

You knew how to distract her!

A lucky guess.

No, you have a barrier, and you saw her thoughts!

Please.
I don’t want people to know that I’m strange.
I shouldn’t have gotten involved.

You saved her.

I don’t understand.
You looked in her mind, and saw her sickness.
Why did you try to force Willa into her room?

We don’t look at the thoughts of every pilgrim!
I first tried to see her thoughts after she held the knife, but I couldn’t see through her panic.
You did.

Yes.

It was fortunate you were here.
She is a fool.
She knew her weakness, and chose to ignore it.

You have a vow of silence!
Doesn’t mind speech break it?

This is permitted when there’s a need.
You have power.
Take the pilgrim’s robe and join us.

We’re almost there.
When I take the robe, I want the full experience of being a pilgrim.

Your choice.
The elders thank you for your help.
I hope we will meet again, soon.

He turns and walks away.
Willa will be sedated for the rest of the trip, and kept in a medical holding area.

 
Secrets
I’m allowed to speak with the crew, even in front of the pilgrims.
When I first see this, I’m surprised.
Why would the elders permit this?
Hearing our words makes it harder for the pilgrims to stay silent.
I ask one of the crew about it.

“You don’t understand,” she tells me.
“The elders ask us to speak in front of the pilgrims.”

“Why?”
“Are they trying to torture them?”

“No.”
“The Dahwee way is full of discipline.”
“The elders want the pilgrims to see and hear us, to test their self-control.”

“Don’t some of the pilgrims avoid us, to stay free of the threat to their silence?”

“They’re not allowed to ignore us.”
“The elders require them to give a special touch greeting to those who speak, at least once a day.”

There are twenty crew members who walk the ship, but most of the Dahwee choose me for the greeting, even before word spreads about the incident with Willa, and my role in it.
I guess they wonder what I’m doing on the ship.

The greeting is intimate in a strange way, and it bothers me at first.
Still, the physical contact gives me a chance to scan their minds without a jammer.

I extend my right hand as though I was giving a handshake.
The pilgrim closes her right hand into a fist, and traces a circle on my right palm with her thumb.
Then she pulls her fist toward herself, across my palm and fingers.
The open palm of her right hand finally comes to rest against her chest.

A few of these pilgrims already have the mind block.
It’s too strong for the Mind Corps to penetrate, but I can see its weak spots, and reach through.
Over the next few days, I’m greeted by almost all of the pilgrims.
The four elders who walk among the pilgrims avoid my touch, choosing to greet the crew instead.
And there are thirty pilgrims who never leave their rooms.

I’ve read the public writings of the Dahwee-van, that discuss the wonders of creation, the mystery of the creator, and the thirst within each spirit to create, grow, and face any challenge.
The Dahwee speak of choice, personal responsibility, and the hidden power within us, but there is no mention of the energy web that binds all life together.

There’s nothing in their words that threatens the empire.
And Dahwee leaders denounce the energy ways of the Sehtoo and the rebels, supporting the use of the cage to protect us all from the curses.
The elders publicly reject the energy worlds as dangerous.
Is this just a way to disguise their true feelings?
Are they allied with the rebels?

I scan each pilgrim’s mind, concentrating on the true believers, as I look for hidden knowledge and love of the web.
I find no secrets or conspiracies here, just ordinary people from all levels of Kizak society.

One out of ten of the shadow-Dahwee, the uncommitted, resonate with the Dahwee-van, eager to find meaning and mystery in their lives.
They want to be transformed by the pilgrimage, and return home to a new life.
Too bad that change is rarely that simple or quick.

Most of the uncommitted that I scan have little interest in the teachings.
They come because everyone does it, and many break the pilgrim’s oath of silence and simplicity.
Some have hidden music players that they use in their rooms, and others bribe the crew to get better food.

I don’t care about their little secrets.
I turn my attention to the Dahwee that stay all day in their rooms.
If there’s any hidden knowledge here, it lies with them.

 
The Twenty-three
I hack into the ship’s network, and look over the records of the pilgrims who never leave their room.
Twenty-three of them are bright-Dahwee, long-time members of the sect, elders.
They sit alone, their days filled with prayer, until we reach the first planet in the ring.
Then, they’ll cast off their isolation, to lead the procession on each planet.
On the planets, the leaders and the pilgrims are permitted to speak with each other.
In the ring, only the crew and I must be silent.

There are seven half-Dahwee, uncommitted, who stay in their rooms all day for medical reasons.
They’re hoping that the old worlds will bring them a miracle, conquering the diseases that Kizak medicine can’t touch.

According to pilgrimage custom, everyone, even the thirty, change rooms each night, as directed by a Dahwee administrator.
The crew is told immediately where each of the sick Dahwee has gone.
Then, just before morning meal, the crew is given a list of the other twenty-three rooms which require meals.
The ship’s scanners could reveal the names of the Dahwee in each room, but the crew will not use them except in an emergency.
All the Dahwee, except the sick ones, become nameless after the first day when they change rooms.

I wander the ship during meal time when the the leaders are brought food.
The thick metal walls of the rooms interfere with the mind touch, even when I use a jammer, so I wait until the door opens.
It takes less than a minute for the crew member to bring in the meal and leave.
That’s not much time for me to make a connection and search for memories, but it’s better than nothing.

I follow the crew to different parts of the ship, so I can scan as many elders as possible.
Each time the door opens, I’m ready to push through a mind block, but all of their minds are open.
Their thoughts are full of the trip, Dahwee beliefs, or life back home, but no secrets.

I walk away disappointed, reviewing my contact with the elders.
I have a strong feeling that I’m missing something.
Then I get it.
The thoughts were pure, free of desire and violence, yet I felt a cloud of desire when a beautiful crew member brought a few of them food.
The emotions I sensed didn’t match the thoughts.

At the next meal, I try again, and push hard, beyond the thoughts and memories.
There should be nothing here but a chaotic mix of words, images, and sensations, shadows of the conscious and unconscious minds.
Instead, I find a mind block.

It doesn’t make sense.
The block should lie outside the mind, not within it!
I push through and find a clear chain of thoughts.
Two minds?
No.
The first collection of thoughts isn’t real.
It’s only a mask to cover the mind block.

Inside the block, I find what I came for.
The Dahwee leaders pretend to be loyal to the emperor, but they’re plotting against him.
They have always studied the ways of energy, in secret, and they’ve taken over the leadership of the Mind Corps.

This is good!
If they succeed, they’ll stop the empire from using the cage, and end the wars.

The next leader’s thoughts crush my optimism.
The Dahwee are the true heirs of the Sehtoo, hungry to conquer other races.
Like their ancestors, they believe that the Kizak are superior, born to rule the universe.
The Dahwee do want to free their people from the cage, but only so they can use the blessings in war.

The truth about the ring is hidden deeper in her thoughts.
Each of the seven worlds is tuned to one of the energy wells, and a visit there strengthens our inner connection with that well.
Some pilgrims are able to touch minds, even in the presence of a jammer.
Others gain unusual physical strength.
All the effects of the first visit fade in a few days, but additional trips through the ring bring permanent effects.
Two or three visits give some pilgrims a mind block.
A few more trips, and the use of special crystals and music, brings control over the block, and immunity to the star cage.

Not true immunity.
The cage continues to block the web, but the fire bodies draw enough energy from the wells to fuel some of the blessings:
Energy perception (what I call energy eyes), a strong mind touch, energy blasts and shields, and limited power to transform objects.

There’s a natural bond between the fire body and the wells.
Look with energy eyes at a fire body, and you’ll see seven bright colored wells, along with a black well, nearly invisible, that hovers around the fire body.
Go deeper and you’ll understand that what we see are not true wells, but gateways.

We touch the wells so easily through the gateways that the wells seem to be within us, but they are far away, one set of wells binding all energy life together.
It’s natural for fire bodies to pull a small amount of energy from each well, but the ring opens that connection wider and much more energy moves through it.
There are consequences to this unnatural use of the wells.
Many Kizak children are born with this heightened connection, but can’t control the energy, and it burns them alive.
There are masters who can control it, but their physical bodies are slowly damaged by the intense energy from the wells, and their life is cut short.

So why am I here?
There are Kizak masters who fight on the side of the guard, and I need to understand their power.
I’ll take hold of any weapon that will help me defend my people.
There will be consequences, but I have no choice.

The energy masters of most races gain their abilities from working with the web, not the intense, powerful, and dangerous wells.
The Gen use the wells for transformation, but even Gen strength primarily comes from the web.
The teachings of the Bizra and the Madar both warn against using the wells on a regular basis.
They say that it will damage the physical body, the web, and ultimately the stars.

 
 «Read Part 2: Lost Sons