<Daena,> he thought to her. <Remember when you said you sensed something special coming from the Kriar void ships?>
She paused. <Yes.>
<Maybe we just need to find and follow one of the ships to the door.>
<Find a ship? That’s like trying to find a pebble in the ocean. I’d have to be close.>
<Those ships were docked, not under way. I’m thinking there’ll be a lot more to sense.>
He felt Daena shrug. <Nothing to lose I suppose.> She seemed to compose herself, then they shot forward again. Her speed was so great that a complete orbit of the gargantuan sphere took only the span of a long breath. As she finished a circuit she altered their course slightly so they would cover a different area. After their fifth circuit Daena paused, and headed for the surface. They stopped and hovered over a single larger trench that could be no less than ten leagues across and more deep. The giant notch continued in both directions to the limit of their vision.
<Whoa, how did we miss this?> Bannor asked.
<It all looks the same from a hundred million leagues away.>
<Did you sense this?>
<Didn’t sense a whit, I just kept seeing this irregularity. It’s like a seam between the two halves of the globe. Safe bet the door will be somewhere along this.>
<Agreed.>
They streaked along the trench, moving slower but still at a velocity that made tens of thousands of leagues blur by in fractions of an eye-blink. The enormity of the structure left the mind numb. What did the Kriar use it all for? Every living thing on Titaan would fit in one of those square raised areas they saw from far out. Even though Counsel Solaris had told them Homeworld was this big, it simply didn’t register in the mind as something that could possibly be true—a fabrication, an exaggeration of the largest kind.
Even at Daena’s terrific speed it seemed to take forever, they did after several long breaths find an area that was unmistakably a “door”. A vast canyon hundreds perhaps thousands of leagues across honeycombed with openings. Here, Homeworld was anything but dead, dozens of the voidships like the ones they saw at the way-point were heading in or leaving.
A soft-blue radiance emanated into the void from the area, making Bannor wonder why they had been unable to see it from further away.
<Why couldn’t we see this before?> Daena echoed his question. <We should have seen that light from a hundred million leagues out.> She turned and streaked away from the surface and into the void.
As they turned back to look, the vast docking area and its radiant light were gone. It looked like any other area on Homeworld they had seen.
<Spit.> Bannor murmured. Mentally, he smacked himself for not thinking of the possibility. <Camouflaged. They could be all over the place and we wouldn’t know it.>
<Why in Hades would they do that?!> Daena demanded.
He gave his best mental impression of shrug. <If they have enemies, it’s to their advantage to hide the doors.>
Curiosity appeased, they dove back to the surface. As they closed with the dock, the enormity continued to awe as titanic vessels drifted gracefully in and out of the many league-wide bays. Now, with only a distance of thousands of paces separating them from the surface, it was possible to make out glowing view ports looking into the docking area.
Smaller vessels not much larger than a wagon were making their way from the bigger ships to smaller areas cut into the canyon walls. Daena picked one to follow.
As they pursued, Bannor grew wary. <Better dim down your aura and cloak us. They might sense us.>
Daena frowned. <Yeah, who knows what they can do if they can build something like this.> He felt the girl focus her energies and shield them.
They flew deeper into the construct, the areas growing continually smaller until the craft settled down on the floor of an area that was merely the size of ten battle arenas placed together.
The young savant glided ahead to the obvious openings. Flitting into a giant corridor much like ones they saw at the way-point. The area opened into a gathering area with a circular central desk where dozens of Kriar were going about whatever it was they did here.
Daena was shaking her head. <And Wren is in this place—somewhere?> She turned slowly. <It’s a damn good thing we have a trace to follow. Even with it. We can’t go through solid metal and this place is like a maze!>
Bannor was focused on the activity below. From above it appeared little different than the port authorities back on Titaan where ships and crews checked in. Of course, the Kriar artifice magic made it look different—alien—and everything was on an enormous scale, magnified to the point it seemed ludicrous.
<Follow those Kriar in red,> he advised. <If those aren’t enforcement people I’ll eat my axe.>
Daena found the Kriar he indicated and she followed the male and female as they entered a spherical mechanism that zipped along with amazing speed down an adjacent passage.
They pursued the two Kriar through dozens of chambers at a velocity that was hundreds of times faster than a horse at full gallop. The views that flashed by were nothing short of wondrous; the Kriar seemed to be the smallest population of creatures roaming about. Even with their quick movement it was possible for Bannor’s thread sense to ‘taste’ the dozens of different kinds of entities interacting in the various markets and open areas.
<This place is pretty wizard,> Daena said. <If you can get over the size. There’s so much stuff!>
<Yes,> he agreed.
The machine with the two Kriar inside it went into a much more confined tunnel. After what must have been a league of darkness, the confines became a tube of clear material that looked out into what must be the internal structure of Homeworld.
The sight made Daena stutter to a stop in awe. The perspective made Bannor’s mind hurt. The sphere, which they knew was millions of leagues across, was not solid. A glistening lattice of tubes similar the one they were in connected various oddly-shaped ‘chunks’ that appeared to float in the vast sea that was the interior expanse. The only thing that seemed to anchor these roughly cube-shaped pieces were hundred pace-wide cables that seemed ridiculously thin in proportion to the ‘worlds’ that were suspended from them. Bannor internally called them ‘worlds’ because they ranged in size from a few tens of leagues on a side to larger sections that must be more than a thousand leagues cubed.
<Lords,> the awe was back in Daena’s mind. <You could lose a thousand worlds in here.>
<More like a hundred thousand,> he murmured, feeling every bit of the awe she did. <Maybe a million. What’s it all for? Why? Just because they could?>
He felt Daena draw a breath. <We’re wasting time. It’s been more almost half a bell and we’re not even close to finding Wren.>
<You’re right. Find an opening and get us out of the tube.>
It wasn’t difficult for Daena to find an access probably used to do repairs on the structure. Free of the tube they could shoot anywhere in Homeworld by staying in the spaces between the planet-sections.
The young savant took up Wren’s trace again and they shot on an erratic course, zigzagging through a sea of crystalline threads. Because Daena could not go at her full speed without ramming into a leagues-thick chunk of metal, it took a distressingly long time to isolate the area where the blonde savant must be.
It wasn’t the biggest planet-section they had seen but it was plenty big enough, Bannor guessed a couple hundred leagues cubed. Distance was so hard to judge when everything went so far as to converge into a single point.
They entered one of the crystalline tubes and followed it into the interior of the section. Inside was what could only be called a world. Shortly after penetrating the league-thick skin of the section they were flying over an ocean. The change was so startling that Daena had to pause again and look back. The tube seemed to vanish into the distance, and even where the water obviously ended there was some kind of illusion that made it appear to continue. Daena found a way out of the tube and floated down to the sea surfac
e. It was alive. Bannor could feel the threads of what must be fish and all manner of life forms.
After dipping her hand in the water she continued to follow Wren’s thread past islands covered with strange vegetation. Birds flew in patterns around the shores on which blue-green breakers crashed. If he hadn’t come through the wall he wouldn’t have known they weren’t on the surface of a ‘normal’ world.
Daena floated on her back and looked up to the sky that appeared no different than staring up into the clouds back home. <The weird thing is I can sense another ocean above us. There’s just an illusion covering the ceiling. There’s probably enough area distributed through the levels to have all of Titaan in this one section.>
<The part that frightens me Daena, is the Kriar can do these miraculous feats on such a grand scale—and they’re scared of the Baronians. What am I missing?>
<I was thinking the same thing,> Daena remarked. <Of course, you noticed how few Kriar there were. I saw like one or two for every hundred or so of those other creatures. Maybe it’s just a numbers thing.>
<Maybe.>
The ocean gave way to a large landmass, mountain ranges capped with snow rose into the pearlescent sky. Storm systems swirled over forests and plains. Perhaps fifty leagues inland the signal ended in what looked like a wide caldera surrounded by lakes. All around the basin, waterfalls churned down steep cliff-sides in glistening cascades filling a series of tree-rimmed lakes at the base. The floor of the area looked like a faerie-land of low rolling hills and covered by thick knots of trees. At the very center lay a crystalline-appearing spire that must be four or five furlongs high.
As they drew near, it more closely resembled a castle with many wings and hundreds of open balconies for looking out over every possible vista.
<You have to say Quasar lives in style,> Daena remarked. <Kul’Amaron is like a peasant hut compared to this place.>
<She could have the whole country of Malan for sleep-over in that thing,> Bannor said. <I think I sense Wren near the top.>
<Got it,> Daena answered. They hissed up the side of the structure to a point close to nearly a thousand paces up and onto a broad railed balcony. Wide crystal doors lay open on the side of the building.
Beyond the opening stood a sumptuous chamber filled with every imaginable appointment. The roughly circular area had a large hearth-like device as its hub. Bookcases crammed with books ringed a chamber lushly appointed with divans, drawing tables, a kitchen, sleeping arrangements, and what looked like areas for training and entertainment. It was the most comfortable-looking jail cell Bannor could imagine.
Reclining on one of the divans with a book in her hand and bowl of fruit at her elbow was Wren. She didn’t look distressed or in much hurry to find a means of escape. Hands behind his back, Wren’s brother paced back and forth in obvious agitation.
Daena drifted up to Wren’s side and made herself more solid. Wren noticed them and smiled. She placed a purple-velvet mark between the pages of the book, closed it, and sat up.
“Took you long enough,” she said with a grin.
Her brother looked around startled. He gripped his head with his hands. “They did come!” He breathed.
Wren rolled her eyes. “I told you they would.”
Daena put hands on hips. <You don’t seem to be putting much effort into escaping.>
“Oh yeah,” Wren said with a frown. “Like to where? Even if I could teleport—which I can’t—I don’t think I’d have the range to get us out of here.”
<You wouldn’t,> Bannor said. <She’s just giving you a hard time. I can’t get out this far, Daena barely made it. So, you’re okay—not hurt?>
“Bannor?” Wren said looking around. “You’re here too?”
<I’m kind of sharing spirit-bodies with Daena, only way I could reach.>
The blonde savant frowned. “Isn’t that a little—”
<See no evil, speak no evil, please… Sarai doesn’t need to know.>
Wren drew a breath. “Ah. Well, yes, I have a cut and big bruise on my back but I’ll live.” She rubbed her shoulder. “Loric is going to get some words about that.”
Azir was staring at Daena. “So, can you get us out of here?”
<Well, that was the plan originally…> Bannor told them. <We were going to lead you back to Euriel in astral form so she could do that summoning thing she does. Now…>
<I’m pretty sure it’s too far.> Daena filled in. <I might be able to absorb you two—and carry you back but I don’t know what would happen with three of you together.> Daena did a slow turn. <So, Quasar kidnapped you and left?>
Wren sighed. “Pretty much. She knows I don’t have the range to even reach with savant telepathy, she wasn’t much concerned with us running off.”
“So, how in the blazes are we getting out of here?” Azir demanded, his slim face set in a frown. “I don’t trust that gold wench, she’s trouble for certain.”
“Take it easy, Brother,” Wren said making settling motions. “They’re putting together a rescue party I assume?”
<They put together a team that makes Odin’s High Jury look like a bunch of gimps,> Daena said. <We just wanted to avoid the confrontation if possible.>
<I promised your mother I would make sure you and Azir were okay,> Bannor told them.
“You’re the best,” Wren responded with a smile.
“So, you can’t get us out?” Azir asked looking crestfallen. “I hate being caged up—even if it looks like suites in the palace.”
<I don’t know enough about the astral merger,> Daena said with a shake of her head.
“What about teleporting?” Wren asked. “You can teleport.”
Daena looked around. “Yes…” She drew the sound out and looked around. “She’s got that blocked though. If you could get the shield down I might be able to get in.”
“And how would you know that?” A female voice asked from across the room.
Dressed in a long black translucent gown, Quasar glided into the room. The Kriar’s knee length hair was unclasped and flowed down over her shoulders in glimmering blue-black cascades making her jeweled golden face look as if it were floating in shadow.
The ancient creature shook her head. “You are truly phenomenal creatures to be able to do this with so little experience. I shudder to think of your capabilities after you have been trained.”
<We want you to release Wren and Azir,> Daena thought to her with a growl.
Quasar raised an eyebrow. “Of course you do. I shall do that very thing as soon as Counsel Marna shows up. I will release them to no-one else. By that time, the commander and I shall have finished our chat.”
<But that will bring that Baronian force down on you!> Bannor burst out.
Quasar sighed and leaned her head to one side. “That is certainly my hope. I left a trail a drooling idiot could follow.”
<But even you can’t fight a whole squadron of those monsters!> Daena declared.
<Child, I think there is little chance of my fighting alone. I have disabled the Homeworld defenses around this domicile. If the Kriar council doesn’t want several thousand Baronian elite running amok in Homeworld’s inner-realms they will have to plug the hole and make ready to repel the attack that the Baronians have little choice but to stage.>
<They would have to be insane to attack Homeworld,> Daena said.
“Your point being?” Quasar shrugged. “Either they come get us, or we come get them.”
<With one of their commanders captured, they’d simply move,> Bannor said. <You still can’t go after them.>
“Yes, I can,” Quasar said with a knowing smile. “Or at least I can now. Bannor, you taught me that, and I thank you for it. With his material links to all his superiors and subordinates, magic can find them. They’d have to kill
half their command staff to keep us from finding them. Something that’s too costly even for them. No, they must get him back or at some point an armada of Kriar ships is going to appear in the sky over their heads and erase them from existence.”
<You mean if we cooperate.>
“And why won’t you, hmmm? Otherwise they will be paying that beautiful old citadel regular visits until there isn’t a single creature left alive in it.”
<Damn it,> Daena growled.
“There’s no need for cursing,” Quasar said strolling into the room and stopping a short distance from Azir. “I did all of you a favor. I forced the high council to involve itself in this—they can’t let you people go running around in Homeworld unescorted. There’s too many uncomfortable secrets for you to find. So, I suggest you return to Dulcere and the others and tell them to hurry. I don’t imagine those Baronians will wait terribly long before they send the first scouts.” She looked to Wren and Azir. “As you see, they are in no danger.” She paused. “Well, at least they aren’t now. It may be different when the Baronians come looking for their commander.”
<We’d better head back,> Bannor said. <She’s right, we have to play along until we find a better way.>
<That’s it? We just do what she says?>
“Do like Bannor says, Daena,” Wren advised. “You can’t fight her, especially not now. Thanks for coming and checking on us.”
<You’ll see us again,> Daena growled drifting up off the floor.
“I hope soon,” Quasar responded brushing at the jewels on her face. “I do so feel a need for rescue.”
Frustration burned through Daena as they turned and started the long trek home. Bannor could only give a mental sigh. They would be back, and Quasar had made the war with the Baronians inevitable.