Page 33 of Spectral Seas (Spectral Worlds #2)

T HE SAPPHIRE GARDEN was lit as brilliantly as any neon nightclub of the Low and for that reason, oddly reminded Abby of home. The garden’s wide concave floor was alight with glowing shards of sapphire crystals, some as high as a meter, and scattered throughout the tunnel, tending to the crystalline outcroppings, were a dozen more faceless syns.

Sss’kallion’s smooth reptilian face took on the hue of the sapphire crop. “Asss you can sssee. The gardensss are in order. You’ll find in your inspection that nothing hasss changed sssince the lassst.”

“On behalf of the Bureau and the Syndicates, I thank you for your hospitality,” said Abby.

Sss’kallion gently bowed then, in unison, he and his guards took a step back to the side of the corridor.

Abby looked over to Uhgwaa. “Will you be joining us?”

“No, Abernathy Squire,” said Uhggwa. “We trust the Benediximus to carry out the inspection. We will observe from here.” Then he and his guards took one step back to the opposite side of the corridor opening .

“Sure thing,” said Abby.

Sss’kallion turned his head toward Uhggwa, slowly tilted it to the side, then straightened again. “Pleassse,” he said, “return with usss to the ssstorage and ssshipping area. We can compare notesss.”

Uhggwa didn’t immediately answer. He adjusted himself so that he was face to face with the Sss’kallion. Then, through his digital vocalizer said, “We would enjoy an opportunity to optimize our system. I accept your invitation.”

The acting abbot nodded then entered the corridor with the two other monks. The three suited Viridians followed.

“Wow,” said Leta. “Can you believe that?”

“Maybe something good will come out of this,” said Abby.

“It’s a start.”

“Okay,” he said. “You know what to do.” Then, in a whisper, he said to Soren, “As soon as I walked in here, I noticed a difference in smell. It’s similar to the Emerald beds. Is the odor possibly coming from the crystals?”

“It’s coming from the moisture in the air,” said Soren. “It’s different than the Indicus fog. It’s the moisture of Viridis.”

“He detected it at the pavilion,” said Leta.

“That’s what he was doing,” said Abby. “I thought he was meditating.”

“He was focusing on the scent. And that’s not all.”

Soren nodded. “I picked up a trace of the device.”

“You were able to recognize it?” asked Abby.

Leta said, “He is a level eight, after all.”

“Right,” said Abby. “Where do you think they’re hiding it? Nothing seems out of place.”

“I believe it’s there,” he said, pointing to a bed midway across the tunnel. “That’s where the odor is the strongest.”

The three wove through the groomed beds of crystal, side-stepping the bald blue syn workers. Near the center of the tunnel, Leta pointed toward the garden floor.

“Over there,” she said, then quickly stepped over to the spot and stooped down. “Look,” she said. “This triangular imprint in the floor. It was made from something heavy.” She reached down and rubbed the edge with the tips of her fingers. “And it’s fresh.”

Abby knelt down beside her. Leta possessed an extremely acute sense of touch and though she had never come out and said it, he assumed she too was at least a level six.

“How recent?” asked Abby.

“It was just here,” said Leta.

“It’s still here,” said Soren, and shifted out of phase.

Leta’s sudden blank gaze told Abby that she was listening to something he couldn’t hear.

“What is it?” he chipped.

“Soren’s found something,” she chipped back. “I’m going to help.” She stood and stepped forward, fading from view midstep.

There were four blue headed syns kneeling nearby, and Abby gave each a quick inspection. None seemed disturbed by the vanishing Umbra. They went on with their tasks—painting the emerging crystals with chemical enhancers, chipping away mal-forming non-mono lattice gems, and brushing away debris—not one eyeless face turning toward Abby.

Seconds passed slowly. Abby raced the tip of his thumb across the tips of his fingers, pointer to pinky then back again. “What’s going on?” he chipped again. “Leta?”

No answer. He switched the finger gymnastics to his other hand.

“Leta? ”

“Just a minute,” she chipped.

One of the four faceless syns tending a near sapphire bed gathered up its bucket of debris, rose to its feet, then blindly walked directly toward Abby. To avoid a collision, Abby stepped back, hitting something hard with his heel. The syn paid him no regard and continued his course. Abby glanced down at his boot and the large metal strut materializing beneath it, in the imprint Leta had discovered. Slowly, he turned to face the six-meter-high object forming above—an eight-legged, pill shaped, chrome machine with a small glowing orb attached to its belly. The two Umbra rematerialized beneath the machine, each with a hand on the orb.

“Well, I’ll be,” Abby said aloud. “So this is what’s been pillaging the planes.”

“It’s a mining apparatus,” said Soren.

“Attached to modified remote quant device,” added Leta.

A warm loud VWOWMMM filled the tunnel, followed by a crackling krrkrrk . Abby recognized the sounds as the charge and arc of an electro stave. He spun to face the direction of the sound, the mouth of the corridor, to find a staff in the hands of Sss’kallion himself. The reptoid had the weapon centered on the three, and in the weird lizard way of the Indici, stiffly tilted his head to the side, flitted his tongue, then straightened his neck back again.

Rather than reach for his saber, Abby raised his hands to his shoulders. “You expected we’d find this,” he said.

“I did,” said Sss’kallion. “But ssstill. It’sss ssso unfortunate.”

~*~