Saving Hibreon Ch. 06

The sound had set Wy's ears ringing. He couldn't understand what Kytia was suddenly shrieking at him, but he knew it was bad. Both Lem and Araquies frantically pointed up toward the exit. The answer to the last question Kytia had asked was a definite no, but Lost was still working, and they couldn't leave her there.

Wy and Kytia shouted at her, but she didn't turn around. Lost was determined to have her ship. On some level, she must have registered the problem, because she threw her left hand back and cast another spell behind her. One of her portals opened, giving them an immediate exit.

Araquies and Lem dove through the magic opening, but Kytia stayed. She called out to Lost, begging her to come away. Wy would get in trouble for it, but he grabbed Kytia up and threw her through the portal. Lost's gate led to a safe spot several yards from the collapsing cave.

As predicted, Kytia turned on him and shouted a long string of expletives. Wy was almost sorry that his ears were getting better. When she had to stop for a breath, he commented, "If Lost was strong enough to open a gateway while she was still working on the ice, don't you think she's strong enough to shield herself from her own chaos?"

"What if she's not?" Kytia shrieked at him. She ran back toward the cave, yelling, "Lost!"

From behind them, Lost casually asked, "What?"

Kytia returned to the group, and everyone stared at Lost. Further away, the ice cave popped and cracked, sending out occasional bursts of water, ice, and stone. Kytia flopped an exasperated hand toward the disaster area. "I thought you were going to get buried under that."

"Pfft," Lost responded. "I no cray-see."

Several moments later, the Slumbering One awoke. Its appendages writhed as it righted itself. Then it fully rose out of the ruined cave. Natural bioluminescence rippled along its fuselage, lending a beautiful array of color to its previous mottled gray green. It floated above the mess for a few seconds, then gently lowered itself to the ground.

Lost danced and pointed, singing, "Luma! Luma!" She grabbed both of Kytia's hands and pulled her into the dance. Kytia balked at first, but she soon succumbed to Lost's joy.

Wyfrost kept his eyes on the ship and its display of shifting color. He asked Araquies and Lem, "Will the Nephilumen still fully function after all this time?"

Araquies chuckled at Lost and Kytia. To Wyfrost, he said, "The Oracle seems confident."

Lem answered, "This ship is an older model. But even back then, the Eloua designed the vessels to put themselves in a state of dormancy when they're not in use. Those colors you're seeing indicate that it's running its own diagnostics, which is a good sign. I've got an engineer going over the specs back on the shuttle. She'll make sure the Nephilumen is fit for travel."

Once the ground settled, and it was safe to approach, Lost called, "Come on!" She still had hold of Kytia as she ran for the ship. "Come on, Wy!"

The Nephilumen was a research vessel, smaller and sleeker than the Eloua battle ships in orbit around the planet. Inside, a fine layer of dust coated every horizontal surface. Wy couldn't see any damage, and the soft hum and winking lights on the consoles were an encouraging sign. Lost, Araquies, and Lem conferred with one another at the helm, while Wy and Kytia explored.

Items had been left behind, clothes, jewelry, drawings, and books. It was as though the people who owned those things had intended to come back for them. Kytia asked, "Do you think she's going to be okay? With all this, I mean. Her friends' things are everywhere in here."

Wy thought about it before he answered. "Lost needed to find something of her friends back at the grotto this morning, and she didn't. If she's going to have closure, this is where she'll find it. So yeah, she's going to be okay."

Kytia paused in the doorway to what had been Sabrael's room. She looked up into Wy's eyes and asked, "Are you?"

It was a small place, but it was made for the tall Eloua. Wy didn't have to duck to get through a door. They'd designed the interior to be lived in for long periods of time. It wasn't exactly ideal, but it could've been much worse. He smiled and said, "The merc ship we were crammed into for three months was a lot tighter than this. I'll be fine."

She nodded, resolute, but there was still worry in her eyes. "We find out what happened to Mila and your brother. We get them, and then we come home, right?"

There was a long list of names on Wy's data crystal, but Kytia took heroics better in smaller doses. He gave her the smile she needed and said, "Yeah. Right."