Mourning Ember Read online

  Mourning Ember

  Book Two

  Odin V Oxthorn

  Contents

  A note from the author

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Epilogue

  Language Appendix

  Also by Odin V Oxthorn

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2019 Mourning Ember

  by Odin V Oxthorn

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  ISBN: 978-0-9998349-2-3 (Ebook)

  ISBN: 978-0-9998349-3-0 (Paperback

  Edited by: Valorie Clifton

  Cover Art by: Karolina Jędrzejak (RinRinDaishi)

  https://www.facebook.com/rinrindaishi

  Formatting by Erica Alexander

  https://www.facebook.com/SerendipityFormatting/

  Dedication

  To Jess, M., and all the fantastic kindred spirits at the Broke Writers Cabal. You are all fantastic <3

  Honorable mention to my cat Hermes. If it weren’t for him sitting on my wrists at every opportune moment, I would have finished this on time.

  A note from the author

  This work was inspired by a severe lack in representation in fiction. I wanted to create a world that is not so focused on what society pressures us to be. A language that focuses more on what the individual can accomplish, not predetermined by status or biology. Consent and consequence are the primary ideals of this place. While this is an alien world, I wrote this to be accessible, and to make it seem not so far-fetched that we could take from it as humans.

  But all in all, it is still a piece of fiction. A story that takes the reader on a trip through the imagination.

  No matter your take, my ultimate goal is to entertain, and I hope you get something a little more than just enjoyment.

  -Odin

  Prologue

  ##0.1##

  The pathetic sea of misguided creatures ambled toward her, stumbling as they pawed at their hollow eye sockets, demanding answers. Demanding penance. She refused to face them, their wails and moans berating her defiance.

  One by one their forms sparked, igniting the forest with an ethereal crimson glow. The legion of burning forms carved a trail through the trees, a jagged path stretching toward oblivion.

  Hot, breathy air danced around her slurred stride. The warmth seared her spine, her withdrawal halted, her aching bones creaking with the strained effort. Their pleading voices tore through her ears, pain flicking across her brain with flashes of light. She cursed her syrup-laden joints, pushing her protesting body forward.

  The drove lurched on with arms outstretched, clawing their way up the mound of earth she stood upon. “Peacekeeper.” The arid murmur of the host eroded her nerves. “Nara.”

  Her voice evaporated as her jaw clamped shut. Cracks echoed through the trees as she ground her teeth to dust. A trickle of fragmented bone spilled over her lips as she fought to gain control of her insolent limbs.

  A bellow resonated from her throat, shuddering the leaves as she manifested her wrath with a torrent of wind. Her force beat back the advancing flames, splicing the blaze at the neck. But her efforts only provoked their ire. Their enkindled forms intensified, swallowing the foliage with voracious light.

  “Nara…”

  The creatures raised their ashen hands to the flickering sky, their ember-studded digits unfurling into serrated points. A web of sharpened tendrils cast a shadow over her, piercing the air with a rending shriek as the snare plunged toward the earth.

  She challenged the crowd as they latched onto her, claws ripping through her soft flesh. A scowl radiated through the inferno. Her skin burned as her own fire churned inside, threatening to break free of her control as the blades snaked up her arms. The collective pulled at her, tearing out sinew and flesh in streaming banners. Her throat cinched shut as she endured the rite, her resentment exploding inside her.

  Plumes of smoke expelled from her wounds, choking out the air with her spite. Billowing clouds surrounded her form in blackness, impeding the advance of the discontented crowd. Hisses coaxed her ears as the fingers corroded away from her skin, their liquid metal forms dripping onto the soil.

  “Nara!” Louder the cacophony shrieked. Her suffering was not enough to satisfy them.

  She refused to acknowledge, casting the noise out of her head as she imbibed the featureless smog. Silence approached as she sank into the ground, watching intently as she embraced the darkness.

  ##0.2##

  “Hey, Nara!” Garrett’s voice burst through the murk of her consciousness.

  “Fucking… What?” She leered at the meek human leaning over her.

  “Sorry.” He promptly retracted his hand from her shoulder. “We’re approaching Ara’yulthr territory, and we need you at the front before they blast us out of the solar system.”

  “Nrgh.” She groaned, laboriously rolling off the bed. And again with this bullshit. What in nine hells could Xannat want from me now?

  “How’s your leg?” Garrett gently prodded.

  Nara wiped the grime from her face as she ambled toward the cockpit. “I’ll live.”

  Both Nara and Cain had spent the flight in solitude, each drowning in the quandaries of their personal despair. The tension made awkward company for Garrett, who had to find other creative means to amuse himself through the journey. Refreshing the signal of the market trade boards in search of the fleeting trends in antiquities quickly grew tedious. It was only a meager distraction from the brevity of the situation, and while he was relieved the trip had finally come to an end, he was worried for the one person he tentatively considered a friend.

  Despite its modest size, Cain’s ship had proven comfortable enough to call base camp for the duration of their travel. While the craft was legally classified as a light cargo freighter to curb GaPFed’s suspicious dock foreman, it was more accurately described as a heavy attack vessel that occasionally ran as a courier. Though considerably larger than a fighter, it had the speed and maneuverability to surpass overconfident pirate flyboys who might attempt to harass them. And more than triple the teeth.

  The three spent most of their time in the modest living quarters, with enough space for the troubled passenger to have a reasonably sized pacing lap. Furnishing was sparse, composed of two bunk beds that doubled as medical units, utilitarian shower facilities, and a small storage unit for prepackaged food and sundries. The rugged interior décor left little to the imagination, its brushed gunmetal paneling serving its purpose to reinforce the hull, and nothing more.

  An emergency airlock divided the quarters from the cargo hold, the border of the blast door emblazoned with glaring yellow and black stripes. The entryway extended into a chrome-railed balcony, opening into the adequately-sized hold containing a few parcels of supplies and spare hardware for ship repairs.

  The control deck sat on the opposite side of the lodgings, accessible by a short ladder climb upward. Cain rarely occupied the lonely command seat during the trip, depending on AI piloting while only periodically checking on its status to ensure no hostiles tailed their ship.

  Nara pulled herself into the cockpit, firmly leaning against the pilot seat as Cain coordinated their flight p
ath. She begrudgingly pried her eyes from the glittering controls, braving a glance through the viewscreen at the space she had once called home.

  The horizon was engulfed by a giant orb of swirling cerulean blue, the planet’s orbit flecked with the magnificent presence of the Ara’yulthr vanguard fleet. Metal bone-plated draconic beasts soared across the viewport, their plumes of bright blue fire pushing them along. The resplendent battleships led the brood around the nest, sensory wings outstretched as their hatchlings accompanied them, remaining vigilant for intruders encroaching their hunting grounds.

  “So that’s what a full-scale navy looks like,” Garrett breathed, pulling himself on deck as his eyes remained transfixed to the screen. “It’s beautiful.”

  Before Nara could decide whether to dignify his observation with a reply, a fledgling cruiser broke formation and swooped around, homing in on the visitors with a wing of fanged interceptor drones in tow.

  A sharp chirp jittered the flight deck as a notification flashed on the panel, accompanied by a shallow hum of warning from the targeting sensors. Cain reached for the strobing blue light, flicking the switch to acknowledge the hailing ship.

  “You are approaching Ara’yulthr territory. Our borders are closed to trade,” an authoritarian voice stated in Galactic Trade. “Please revert your heading and we will direct you to the nearest inhabited port in this system.”

  Cain looked up at Nara, who nodded in defeated approval.

  “I have a high-priority shipment to be delivered planetside,” Cain responded. “I was directed to ask for Commander Tosk of the Armored Wake.”

  The communication line quieted, leaving the three simmering in apprehension.

  “They don’t seem pleased,” Garrett vocalized.

  “Don’t expect swift results around here.” Nara scoffed. “It takes a century to decide who has the authority to take a piss.”

  The drones darted in agitated loops, their sharpened wings flitting violently as they adjusted trajectory, impatiently awaiting orders from their elder while its commander deliberated over the fate of their quarry.

  “Patching you through to the Armored Wake now,” the cruiser finally conceded, closing off the communication line. The ship remained still, maintaining their imposing presence and keeping Cain within range of their weaponry.

  “Tosk here,” a new voice announced from a separate channel. “State your business.”

  “Priority cargo for qu’ol Fariem of Pa’arthex clan,” Cain obliged.

  Another biting silence replied to the declaration, leaving Garrett squirming in discomfort. He glanced between his two companions, but neither was willing to acknowledge his concern. Reading a stone would be more productive than searching Cain’s face for a reaction, and Nara was far too distracted to acknowledge him.

  “A squadron has been deployed to meet you. They will take you to the Wake,” Tosk flatly announced. “And don’t test me, mercenary. I have no patience for deceit.”

  Four of the drones broke away from the cruiser, speeding toward their position. They situated themselves around Cain’s ship, one at each cardinal point. The sensor screens on the control deck flickered acknowledgement as the drones transmitted homing beacons to his navigation computer, broadcasting their position and heading.

  Cain matched speed to let the fighters guide him toward the battleship, the Wake’s monstrous form surpassing the limits of the computer display. The drones ushered them over the starboard side, guiding them along an orderly row of weapons batteries projecting from the ship’s jagged plating.

  They stopped at a break in the spikes, edging toward the gaping maw of one of the Wake’s numerous fighter bays. Crackling pink energy sealed the expanse, protecting the crew from the external elements while they worked on the deck. As the entourage centered over the bay opening, the drones removed themselves from Cain’s bow, lining up at his exposed side while keeping their weapons focused.

  “You have been cleared for landing,” the Wake’s control officer declared. “Please lower your shields and divert your energy to accept the docking tracker.”

  The command deck wound down as Cain complied with the order, permitting the Wake to take control. A ray of vibrant fuchsia light ejected from a fanged protrusion overlooking the bay opening, feeling over the diminutive morsel of Cain’s ship with its energetic forked tongue.

  Garrett leaned in, a rush of excitement flooding his skin as the ship eased into the mouth of the Wake. Ever since watching the starports on Arcadia, the nuances of space travel had always fascinated him. Because of his cursed heritage, he never dreamed he would be able to witness the inner workings firsthand.

  He strained to contain a smile, staring in fascination while the craft breached the force field, its energy swallowing the hull within its embrace. When the Wake engulfed them completely, Cain initiated his landing procedures, gently planting the ship on the shining floor of the deck.

  The engine murmured a last acknowledgement before drowning the cockpit with an eerie silence. The lights on the control display slipped into a gentle slumber as the power diminished, leaving the trio inside a muted smolder of emergency lighting.

  “You okay?” Garrett watched Nara’s dour face intently.

  “Ask me after I’ve left this rock,” she rebuked as she headed down the ladder. I should have just run to another planet.

  ##0.3##

  A rapid succession of terse clangs battered against the cargo door. Cain hit the hatch control, concealing his annoyance as the pneumatic hinges slowly peeled the entrance open in a hiss of mist.

  The towering frame of Commander Tosk greeted him from below. An uncertainty with a hint of displeasure flickered through their stony features. They exchanged glances with Cain as they stepped on board, speaking wordless warnings through garnet eyes. Cain met their expression with similar mistrust, letting disdain warp his expression.

  “Not what I was expecting,” Tosk declared, scrutinizing the mechanics of the modest ship. Cain pointed to the front, directing the dignitary to the living quarters. They gave an affirming nod before making their way across the deck, taking no notice of Cain’s scornful glare as they climbed the stairs to where Nara awaited.

  “Warlord,” Tosk flatly greeted the cold figure leaning against the bunk, scanning her up and down.

  She scowled, exposing her fangs. “That is not my title.”

  “Half the Council seems to disagree.” Tosk sneered.

  “And you?” Nara challenged. “Where does your loyalty stand?”

  “I do not have all the facts regarding your situation, so I have no opinion.” The commander looked down at their nails. “But I couldn't care less who holds power as long as I can have full control of my ship back.”

  “I will bear that in mind.”

  Garrett compacted his presence as he lay on the floor of the cockpit, inching over the edge to watch the conversation below. Unable to understand the language, Garrett tried to gauge the tone of the conversation, bouncing his vision between their guarded postures as their brusque words assaulted the walls.

  Commander Tosk’s regal aura commanded authority. Every movement was succinct and calculated, even as they raised an arm to brush back their impeccably groomed slate-colored hair. They stood taller than Nara by a few inches and appeared considerably older. Their imposing frame was sharply trimmed by a modest dark-hued uniform, their build concealed by a skilled tailor. No insignia or other extraneous decoration adorned their chest, as if the garment was meant to be practical instead of showy.

  “Do you think you can fix this nonsense?” Tosk folded their arms.

  “No.” Nara hid a sneer as she shook her head firmly. She watched the commander intently, sensing the concern in their features at her admittance. Though she possessed no context to the games the Council had played in her absence, Tosk was concealing something from her. The scale of the conflict was far greater than they were attempting to play off.

  “I see.” Tosk glanced up at the nosy
human. “I suppose there is nothing more to discuss. I will take you to my transport personally and send you to qu’ol Fariem immediately.”

  “Fine.” She summoned a twinkling light from her pocket, raising a small circular badge to her throat. In a flash, her body was engulfed in a silvery liquid metal, morphing and adjusting to fit her form. When the strange intelligent material completed its task, it hardened to a suit of sleek plated armor, concealing her face in a ghoulish featureless mask.

  “My crew will not bother you,” Tosk pointed out. “Disguise is not necessary.”

  “That remains to be seen,” Nara retorted as the helmet snapped over her features.

  “As you wish.” They gave a small nod before exiting the living quarters.

  Nara followed behind, letting her expression display her full ire beneath her mask. Her angst amplified as she heard the patterning of Garrett’s boots darting for their position.

  Ugh. She stopped halfway across the deck and abruptly turned to the human. “Cain will drop you off to wherever you need to go.”

  “Oh. Uh, well, I don’t exactly know where that would be.” Garrett glanced over at the man attempting to look nonchalant while organizing the sparse pile of cargo crates. “I don’t have a place to call home now.”

  “Cain is well-traveled,” she replied. “He can recommend anywhere you like.”