2199 Extinction

Four hours were wasted. We never did figure out what V want. Nor did we figure out who V might be. So, we just decide to wing it.

“I don’t like it. I don’t like to wing it. That’s how we always get into trouble.” Amlican says.

“But we always find a way out, a solution. We work great together.” I say.

“Yeah, we are great together. So great that we barely escape.” He says, rolling his eyes.

“We may barely escape, but we do escape. We always get out, alive.”

“Well, let’s get married then.” He says, crossing his arms.

“Let’s get….what?! Amlican, what does that have to do with us getting into trouble?” I ask annoyed.

“Nothing. I just wanted to change the subject. Obviously, we aren’t going to agree about how crazy your ideas are.”

I roll my eyes and sigh. “My ideas may be crazy but at least I come up with something. Now, try to be serious. Please. If you don’t like my idea, I suggest you come up with one of your own.”

“Look, I would prefer if we don’t end up in another dangerous situation, escaping by the skin of our teeth. And that’s me being serious.” Amlican says getting up and digging through each of the dressers.

“Can I help it if trouble seems to be attracted to me?” I ask. “Wait. What are you looking for?”

“Trouble may always seem to follow you, but we aren’t going to make it easy, tonight. Here I want you to wear this.” Amlican pulling my long, black, hooded, cloak out of the last dresser.

“Ugh. This thing, again? I just took it off.”

“Would you like to go to prison, and be executed?”

“Hm,” I say, pretending to think about it. “I guess not. Ask me again, tomorrow.”

It’s Amlican’s turn to roll his eyes at me. I take the cloak from him.

“What did you do with yours?” I ask.

“I don’t need mine. The guards aren’t out looking for me.”

“Good point,” I say, putting it on and pulling the hood over my head. “How do I look?”

“Like a person in a black cloak,” he says.

“Seriously?” I say, annoyed.

“Kidding. You look like you should be well hidden, in the dark. A little more of that skin dye would be nice, but we will just have to deal without it. In the meantime, we have to hope that no one sees you.” Amlican says.

We leave the room, and he follows me through the narrow, hidden, hallways; round corner after corner until we reach the end.

“This door leads to the outer courtyard,” I whisper, my hand on the doorknob. “Most of the guards are facing out, so as long as we stick to the wall, we should be good. Once we reach the far side of the wall, there is a hidden door we can take to reach the outside. We have to hope there aren’t any Dolokki inside. It’s the door they use to get from the wall down to ground level.”

“Do I even want to know how you know all of this?” Amlican asks, quietly.

“Probably not,” I say quietly laughing.

“Let’s just say I was quite the troublemaker when I was younger.”

“I imagine you were.”

“I still can’t believe we didn’t know each other until we started school.”

“I knew you since you are the only princess.”

“You knew of me, but you didn’t know me.”

“That’s true.”

“So, are we going to chit chat or are we going to do this?” I ask.

“Move. Let me go first, and you wait here. Just to make sure there aren’t any guards.” He says.

“You don’t know where you are going.”

“No, but you can use hand signals. And this way you can get out without getting caught. Or would you prefer to rot in the dungeon?”

“Again, with the dungeons. No, I don’t want to rot, but how are you going to see hand signals? It’s nighttime, remember?” I ask.

“Hm. Good point. Don’t worry about it, we will figure it out as we go. We will wing it like you wanted. It was your idea.”

“I don’t like wing its.” I sigh, throwing his words back at him. I let go of the doorknob and step back.

“One. Two. Three.” Amlican takes a couple of deep breaths, opens the door, and steps outside. For a moment, he disappears into the darkness before coming back. “All clear.”

I follow behind him, easing the door shut, all too aware of the amazing perception of the Dolokki guards. They don’t miss much of anything, even in the dark. Being this close to the castle, there is enough light to make out the faint outline of Amlican as he moves slowly forward. If I can see that much of them, they will be able to tell exactly who I am. As we creep along the castle wall, I realize that I’m already soaked in sweat from the night air. I wish the wind would blow. Anything to break this oppressive heat. Even though everyone is asleep for the night, it’s by no means quiet. I can hear the chirping of the adacia bugs and the occasional screeches of the nocturnal Gult, out looking for small mammals to eat.

“Wait here.” He whispers when we reach the end of the wall. Amlican looks up, dashes to the outer wall, that surrounds both castle and courtyards, and disappears into heavy darkness.

I hope he isn’t waving for me. It’s way too dark for that. I wait a few minutes and then decide to go for it. I look up, see no signs of guards, and make a dash for the outer wall as well.

“What took so long?” Amlican whispers as soon as I get to the wall.

I’m bent over, panting. As soon as I calm my breathing I answer, “I couldn’t see your hand signal. I told you it would be too dark.”

“I knew this whole sneaking out thing was a bad idea,” he whispers.

“It’s too late now, we are almost out of here,” I say, pushing him forward. “Let’s keep going.”

My hand is wet where I touched the back of his shirt. He seems to be sweating as well. Gross! I wipe my, now sweat-covered hand, on my pants to dry it. We continue moving slowly along the outer wall, the door to freedom just in front of us when Amlican stops. Above us, I can hear quiet talking.

“Dolokki!” Amlican whispers. “I can take him,” I whisper, stepping towards the door. Since Dolokki were lab-created, they are all males, all missing certain body parts. I was told this kept them focused on their jobs instead of extracurricular activities.

“No. Wait. Listen.” Amlican grabs my shoulders and pulls me back.

“There’s more than one. Sounds like three or four. Even you can’t take on that many.”

He is right. What are we going to do? Suddenly beams of light are lighting up the ground, in front of me. My toes are almost lit up in one of the beams of light. I back up quickly, pulling my feet back, as far as I can. I pull the black hood, tighter around my face, and flatten myself against the wall. I do my best to try and blend into the shadows. Please don’t see us.

“Who’s there?” Calls a gruff voice, from above us. “Show yourself!”

Amlican steps forward, into a beam of light. “It’s just me, Amlican.” What is he doing? I want to snatch him back, but that would prove someone else was out here. For now, I’ll have to pray that no one notices me and that he knows what he is doing.

“Does he have permission to be out here?” the voice asks someone above us.

“I don’t have any orders about him.” a second voice calls.

“What are you doing out here?” the first voice calls down.

“I couldn’t sleep. I thought I would go for a walk.”

“Where to?” the second voice asks.

“Into the woods. Maybe down by the pond. I don’t have a particular destination in mind.”

“Don’t you know how dangerous it is out there, alone?” a third voice asks.

“I’m not afraid.” Amlican answers.

“If you want to get yourself eaten, who am I to judge.” the first voice says.

“You may proceed.” the second voice says.

“Just don’t expect us to rescue you.” the third voice says. They go back to quietly talking amongst themselves and Amlican walks back to me.

“Are you crazy?” I quietly ask, punching his left arm. “You could have gotten in trouble. Or worse, gotten me caught.”

“But I didn’t,” he says, rubbing his arm. “And now you know how I feel every time you come up with some crazy plan.” With that, he opens the door, and a small rectangle of light cuts through the darkness. He looks both ways and then sticks his hand out to wave me in.

I don’t even stop to look around, as I race in one door and out the second. Thankfully, it’s just a small area to cross, maybe six feet wide. Ahead I can see the woods, the place I will be safe. We race towards the woods and don’t slow until we are swallowed by the darkness. I look up and can see the clouds have passed and Lila Luna is shining bright. Or rather, reflecting bright since Lila Luna is our moon. Nice and purple. Just as it should be.

We continue walking through the woods until I hear the sound of a small waterfall, emptying into a pond, up ahead. I stop behind a tree and wait, as per our agreement. Earlier, Amlican and I decided that he would go first, to see who is waiting, just in case it is a trap. I look from behind the tree and can see a shadowy figure in front of the pond.

“Hello,” he says, stepping into the moonlight.

“Hello, Amlican.” the shadowy figure says. Female! The voice is female. An elderly female at that. That will make it a lot easier if I have to defend us.

“Who are you?” he asks.

“No one that you know. And no one that will hurt you.” The mysterious female says.

“How do I know that?” he demands.

“I guess you don’t know for sure. You’ll just have to take my word for it. My name is Vos. You may call me V. But before I answer any more questions, why don’t you join us, Astra?” the shadow says.

Panic momentarily fills me at the mention of my name. Who is this person? How did they know I was there? I shake off the panic, after all, I’m a Copaie, and a natural-born fighter. I take a deep breath and then step out from behind the tree.

“How did you know I was there?” I ask, pulling down my hood. “And who exactly are you?”

The shadowed figure steps into the moonlight and I can see that she is wearing an old, faded, black cloak. In the bright moonlight, I can see holes in various places on the cloak, as if it had been worn, a lot, for several years.

“I just told your friend that my name is Vos. And I knew you were there because I knew your curiosity would get the best of you. I knew that you would have to talk to me for yourself. Curiosity and a sense of adventure are how you usually find yourself in dangerous situations. Am I right?”

“Maybe, but how do you know that about me? And why are you still wearing the hood? I’m not going to talk to you anymore unless you remove it.” I say, annoyed.

“I knew you would ask that as well,” Vos says, reaching up and removing the hood. The first thing I notice is the dark black hair, the brown eyes, and then I see it, yellow skin.

“You’re a Copaie?!” I shout.

“Hush! You will get us caught.” Vos says. “Yes, I’m a Copaie. But I’m not here to hurt you, as I’ve already stated.”

“How did you get here?” I demand. “How did a Copaie make it past security?”

“You’re here,” she says.

“Yes, but I live here. I belong here. I was raised by the Talfarian Queen.”

“Hm. Good point. Let’s just say, I know a way around security. But enough of this talk. Do you or don’t you want to know why I asked you to meet me?”

“Yes, I do,” I say. “But wait. You look familiar. I’ve seen you before, haven’t I?”

“I don’t know, have you?” she asks.

I’m quiet for a moment as I think back. Where have I seen her, before?

“Tomorrow is the funeral of the Queen, is it not?” she asks.

“Yes,” I answer, still thinking. Funeral. Tomorrow. Memory Feast. That’s it! “I know where I’ve seen you! You are the old Copaie that was arrested at the Queen’s Memory Feast!

But how did you get away? You were locked up in a cell.” I say.

“I have my ways. Do you want to know how she died, or not?” Vos asks.

“I already know. Malum murdered her.” I state, bitterly.

“You already confronted Malum?”

“Yes.”

“Hm. I forgot that happens right after I get home.” Vos mumbles.

“What do you mean ‘after I get home’?”

“I said I? Sorry I meant after you get home. You will have to excuse me. After five hundred years, a body tends to mix up I and you. One of the many joys of getting older.” Vos says.

I narrow my eyes, suspiciously. I don’t buy her story. But maybe it’s best to wait and see what else she has to say. “Is that all you wanted? To tell me something I already know?” I ask.

“No. No. I came to ask you if you want to save your mother.”

“I don’t like where this is going,” Amlican speaks up.

I jump, startled. I was so focused on who V is and what she wants that I had momentarily forgotten he was there. “You can’t save a person who is already dead. She’s been dead already for four days. Her body has already been prepped for the funeral.”

“You can with this,” Vos says, reaching in her cloak and pulling out a silvery jacket.

“With what? A jacket?” I ask.

“This isn’t just any jacket,” Vos says.

“Astra, I know what this is, and we need to go. Now!” Amlican interrupts, grabbing my arm.

I shake him off. “So, what is it then? Because it sure looks like an ordinary jacket to me.”

Vos unfolds the jacket, double tabs on its sleeve, and a panel appears. “It gives you the ability to travel in time.”

“That’s dangerous and not to mention, illegal. Punishable by death on every planet,” Amlican warns.

“So, I could travel back and prevent Malum from murdering my mother?” I ask, ignoring Amlican.

“Astra,” Amlican says.

“It only works if you know the day, time, and where he killed her,” Vos says.

“Oh,” I say, disappointed. “I don’t know all of that, and I doubt Malum would tell me. Besides, I will not be able to get within a hundred feet of him. The guards are on the lookout for me. I would be thrown in the dungeon before his name could pass my lips.”

“Why don’t you think bigger?” Vos asks.

“Astra. Let’s go.” Amlican tries, again.

“Shut up a minute. I’m trying to think.” I say to Amlican. To Vos, I say, “What do you mean ‘think bigger’?”

“Even if you knew all of the details of her death; if you went back to stop it, who says he won’t just kill her on another day?”

“Why did you even tell me about this, if it’s impossible?” I ask, disappointed.

“I didn’t say it was impossible. I said to think bigger.” Vos says.

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” Amlican says.

Come on. Think bigger. Think. Bigger. “Wait. Do you mean before Malum? Nah, I don’t know the timing for that, either.” I say.

“Yes. That is exactly what I mean. Go back to before your mother married Malum. If you can stop her from marrying him, you will save her life.”

“But I don’t know exactly when she decided to marry him,” I state.

“No, but if you think about it, you know the year. Think about her stories. Where was she at when she met him?”

“I think she said she was in the city called Natatilis. And I believe it was the year I was born. But I’m not sure of the exact day. Wait, no. Not Natatilis. It was a planet. A place called…what was it? Earth. Yes, I think that was the name of it.” I say.

“Earth? Alright, go there, just make sure to go back to the middle of Monyon. That should be enough time.” Vos says, handing me the silvery jacket.

I take off my cloak, put on the jacket, and marvel at how light it feels. But I know our time is running short, so I put the cloak back on.

“We need to get back, it will be daylight soon, and a lot harder to sneak you back in,” Amlican says grabbing my arm, again. He starts pulling me towards the castle.

“Astra! There is something you need to know.” Vos says.

I stop, shake him off again, and I walk back towards her. “What is it?”

“Time travel will save your mother, but it will come with a price,” she says.

“How much money are you wanting?” I ask.

“No. Not money,” she says.

“Then what are you wanting?”

“You misunderstand. I am not wanting anything. The price you pay is the price of time travel. Time travel is not free. Why do you think it’s banned on every known planet? Some amazing things could be done, but the more you try to change things, the higher the cost.

And that price, that cost, of time travel, is the life of someone you love dearly. It’s a life for a life. There’s no way around it, I’m afraid. You need to think long and hard about this. Time travel is not to be taken lightly. But if you succeed you will save, not one but two lives. The second life you need to save belongs to Henric. If you save him, your mother will marry him, instead.” she answers.

Amlican shows up beside me and grabs my arm again. This time I allow him to pull me along before I follow behind him.

“Astra! I’ll see you again, soon!” Vos shouts.

We are quiet the whole walk back. I’m lost in my thoughts, the possibility of time travel. The idea that I could save my mother. The idea is that someone will have to die to save her. Who do I love dearly? The easy answer would be my mother, but that can’t be it, because that’s who I intend on saving. So, who else do I love? Amlican?

Could that be the cost of time travel? I push that last thought out of my mind and focus on the small bit of hope I’ve been given. We make it back to my hidden room, just before the first rays of light chase away the nighttime shadows. I’m exhausted from the day and collapse onto the nearest bunk.

Amlican lays down on the bunk next to mine, a mere four feet separating us, and rolls over, facing me. “Astra?” he asks.

“Yeah?”

“Are you thinking about doing it? I mean, I know you have done your fair share of crazy and reckless things, but are you seriously going to do this? It’s dangerous and not to mention illegal.”

“Yes, you’ve mentioned that once or twice. But I don’t know, what I’m going to do, Amlican. I just don’t know.” I answer, before drifting off to sleep.