wait?”
“ Sorry ,” said Vincent snidely. “Don’t worry about him,” said Vincent to Melissa, “he’s just drunk with what little power they give him.”
“Out! Out!” yelled Richard, pushing him back through the door. “I’ve had enough of you.”
Melissa couldn’t help but smile, and relaxed a little in her chair. Even Sliona’s withered lips curled into a kind smile.
“Now you know what I go through.”
Richard sat back down, his cheeks blushed. Melissa took pity on him.
“Why wouldn’t you join with my brother against him?” she asked. “He commands a sizeable army.”
“An army of Archsussa ,” stressed Richard, eager to regain the foothold he lost. “While we desire to overthrow the Freilux, we would never replace him with another Archsussa. Your kind has ruled our world for far too long.”
Sliona shook her head. “While my young friend may be a bit crude, he speaks the truth for our people. Now; have you seen any wrecks of great metal ships, like this one?”
Melissa paused, debating about whether or not to tell them. “Well . . .”
Sliona’s eyes opened, and they both leaned forward. “Speak up, child!”
“I came across several on my journey, but they all looked as if someone had been in before me. Only one ship I came across was untouched, and it lies near my home.”
“You lie,” spat Richard. “You just want us to take you home.”
“Be calm, child,” rebuked Sliona. “What was in it?”
“It had several glass panels set in metal boxes, and it had an immense hole in its side.”
“We need to go there as quickly as possible,” said Richard to Sliona.
“Why?” asked Melissa, “what is so important?”
“Not now. Get cleaned, dressed and fed, and we shall talk in the morning.” Sliona got to her feet, and Melissa felt immensely relieved. “Oh, and hopefully I don’t need to say that you would be much better off if you tried not to escape. We could turn the stabilizer back on to full for all your waking moments, and you would go insane.”
“I understand. And my offer was sincere; I could heal you.”
Sliona paused for a moment, leaning heavily on Richard’s shoulder. “If Richard were as sick as I, I would order him taken to a Levitating City, so he might be healed. But for me, the woman who leads, I cannot show such weakness. One day hopefully you will understand; the temptation of sussa is strong, and corrupts us as it does you. The only way to remain pure, to remain free, is not to use it or take advantage of one who does. That is our mantra, our firm belief.”
Chapter 12
The morning brought a hard rap at the door, and a guard’s voice yelling; “make yourself decent, we’re throwing in some warm clothes.”
She scrambled to cover herself, and in a minute the bolts slid open and in was thrown a thick pair of fur-lined pants and a thick white jacket.
“What’s this for?”
“You said you would show us where the vessel was, didn’t you?” asked Richard.
“Why should I?”
“We could threaten you. We could turn the machine on to full. Or you could just realize that staying here would be interminably boring, and choose to do this for us. Your conditions would improve immensely if you helped us in this.”
She picked up the pants thrown at her, which reeked of a foul, musky odor. “Fine, I’ll do it. Can someone at least wash these clothes?”
The door was slammed shut, and Richard’s faint voice could be heard saying; “the arrogance of an Archsussa knows no bounds.”
Just as the first sun crept over the distant horizon line, Melissa set out on her first sled-ride. A pack of ten charaks pulled two sleds over an ocean of shifting white. They were smelly creatures, who panted and growled as they pulled their cargo over steep hills and down low mist-shrouded valleys. A few complained about their stench, particularly after hard exertion, but Melissa found it warm and quaint, a welcome change from the clinical nature of the ship
“ Sorry ,” said Vincent snidely. “Don’t worry about him,” said Vincent to Melissa, “he’s just drunk with what little power they give him.”
“Out! Out!” yelled Richard, pushing him back through the door. “I’ve had enough of you.”
Melissa couldn’t help but smile, and relaxed a little in her chair. Even Sliona’s withered lips curled into a kind smile.
“Now you know what I go through.”
Richard sat back down, his cheeks blushed. Melissa took pity on him.
“Why wouldn’t you join with my brother against him?” she asked. “He commands a sizeable army.”
“An army of Archsussa ,” stressed Richard, eager to regain the foothold he lost. “While we desire to overthrow the Freilux, we would never replace him with another Archsussa. Your kind has ruled our world for far too long.”
Sliona shook her head. “While my young friend may be a bit crude, he speaks the truth for our people. Now; have you seen any wrecks of great metal ships, like this one?”
Melissa paused, debating about whether or not to tell them. “Well . . .”
Sliona’s eyes opened, and they both leaned forward. “Speak up, child!”
“I came across several on my journey, but they all looked as if someone had been in before me. Only one ship I came across was untouched, and it lies near my home.”
“You lie,” spat Richard. “You just want us to take you home.”
“Be calm, child,” rebuked Sliona. “What was in it?”
“It had several glass panels set in metal boxes, and it had an immense hole in its side.”
“We need to go there as quickly as possible,” said Richard to Sliona.
“Why?” asked Melissa, “what is so important?”
“Not now. Get cleaned, dressed and fed, and we shall talk in the morning.” Sliona got to her feet, and Melissa felt immensely relieved. “Oh, and hopefully I don’t need to say that you would be much better off if you tried not to escape. We could turn the stabilizer back on to full for all your waking moments, and you would go insane.”
“I understand. And my offer was sincere; I could heal you.”
Sliona paused for a moment, leaning heavily on Richard’s shoulder. “If Richard were as sick as I, I would order him taken to a Levitating City, so he might be healed. But for me, the woman who leads, I cannot show such weakness. One day hopefully you will understand; the temptation of sussa is strong, and corrupts us as it does you. The only way to remain pure, to remain free, is not to use it or take advantage of one who does. That is our mantra, our firm belief.”
Chapter 12
The morning brought a hard rap at the door, and a guard’s voice yelling; “make yourself decent, we’re throwing in some warm clothes.”
She scrambled to cover herself, and in a minute the bolts slid open and in was thrown a thick pair of fur-lined pants and a thick white jacket.
“What’s this for?”
“You said you would show us where the vessel was, didn’t you?” asked Richard.
“Why should I?”
“We could threaten you. We could turn the machine on to full. Or you could just realize that staying here would be interminably boring, and choose to do this for us. Your conditions would improve immensely if you helped us in this.”
She picked up the pants thrown at her, which reeked of a foul, musky odor. “Fine, I’ll do it. Can someone at least wash these clothes?”
The door was slammed shut, and Richard’s faint voice could be heard saying; “the arrogance of an Archsussa knows no bounds.”
Just as the first sun crept over the distant horizon line, Melissa set out on her first sled-ride. A pack of ten charaks pulled two sleds over an ocean of shifting white. They were smelly creatures, who panted and growled as they pulled their cargo over steep hills and down low mist-shrouded valleys. A few complained about their stench, particularly after hard exertion, but Melissa found it warm and quaint, a welcome change from the clinical nature of the ship
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