Guardian of the Storm (21 page)

Kiran frowned questioningly.

Tempest shook her head instead of trying to explain, glancing around the room they found themselves in. A huge computer took up the entire rear of the room. It flickered to life as they moved toward it. The ghostly images of the people who’d designed and built the ‘temple’ sprang to life. One, who by his garb alone was set apart from the others, began to speak and to gesture toward the global map that appeared behind him.

Kiran’s brow creased. It was obvious to Tempest even without a knowledge of their language that he was having trouble following whatever it was the man was saying, whether because the language had changed so much in the intervening years or because the technology was completely incomprehensible to him. At last, the image disappeared and was replaced by a view of Talore, but it was Talore as she’d never seen it. A deep shadow fell across nearly half, so deep that it appeared that half of the bright globe had been bitten off.

Kiran turned to look at her. “This is now. He says this is happening now.”

Tempest felt her heart contract painfully in her chest. “The alignment!” she said breathlessly. “It’s already begun! What do we do? What does he say we must do?”

Even as Kiran gestured toward the computer, a round disk on the floor began to glow. Tempest studied it and then watched as two pillars rose up from the floor and locked into position. It clicked in her mind what it was that she was looking at—a detonator. She glanced uneasily at Kiran, but she didn’t know if he would understand even if she tried to explain and she could see she didn’t have time to try. Tightening her hold on his hand, she stepped onto the highlighted disk, stopping when she was level with the column that had risen from the floor.

There was an audible click when Kiran was in position, as well, and the lasers verified the mark burned into her hip and the one genetically implanted in Kiran. She saw uneasiness in his eyes when he looked at her and then his gaze skittered away as the humming sound around them rose. His hand tightened on hers until her bones began to feel the strain. The noise rose until it was nearly deafening. Tempest’s heartbeat seemed to keep time with it until she began to feel almost faint with the rapid pounding.

The hologram began to speak again, gesturing toward the columns beside them and then at the image of Talore. Tempest looked down at the column when she was directed to and saw that an imprint that matched the shape of her hand had been designed into the top of it.

Fear and doubt began to war inside of her. The designers believed they’d created a safe bunker for her Kiran. She knew that, but how could they know, after so many centuries especially, that it was still the haven they’d envisioned?

How could they have known any of the things they seemed to know? Was it some sort of natural gift that made it possible? Or had they developed some sort of technology that had allowed them to actually see the future of their world?

And if they had, why hadn’t they prevented what had happened?

She realized it didn’t necessarily follow that they had the technology to prevent it.

But had they had the technology to bring life back to their world?

Her attention was caught by the flickering images behind the narrator again. Almost as if they’d known the doubts that would be flickering through her mind, she saw a global map appear again, replacing the image of Talore. This time, the computer zoomed in on specific points. They flashed across the screen too quickly for her to capture anything particular about them, but then she had no idea what she should be looking for. As the image zoomed outward again, the computer simulated explosions as bright blossoms.

Tempest’s racing heart clenched painfully as understanding dawned. They were standing on a detonator that was keyed to set off a series of explosions all over the globe. Trying to close her mind to the possibility that they might start a chain reaction that would blow up the entire planet, she glanced at Kiran again.

He looked almost as pale as she felt. As if sensing her gaze, he turned to look at her, swallowing a little sickly. Abruptly, he snatched her close, dipping his head to kiss her a little feverishly as if he feared, as she did, that it might be the last time he would ever know her touch. “I love you, Tempest,” he said a little hoarsely when he’d lifted his head to stare down at her.

Tempest felt her chin wobble, but she mastered the urge to burst into tears. “I love you, Kiran.”

He tightened his arms around her briefly and released her, stepping back to the column. Feeling weak kneed, Tempest returned to her own.

The narrator, she saw, almost seemed to be watching them, his expression one of amused tolerance. He spoke, gesturing toward the hologram of Talore that reappeared. She could see that nothing more than a sliver remained.

Her hand trembled as she lifted it and allowed it to hover over the key pad designed just for her.

It flashed through her mind as she stared at the imprint of a hand, that it matched hers. It wasn’t just close, it matched, and then she realized—accepted—as she hadn’t before that she
was
the one. They had seen it all, recorded it for their descendents. They’d never intended for the people to see her as deity, but they had known that technology would be long lost to their own people before the time came when the attempt could be made to reclaim their world. Kiran
had
needed her. It had always been intended that
she
would see and understand the technology—because she was a star child, had grown up with technology that had been lost to Kiran’s people long ago—that she would be able to figure out the plan they had made so long ago.

A sense of calm descended over her. She turned to look at Kiran. “It’s alright. I understand now.”

A question flickered across his features, but he returned her smile. Some of the tension seemed to ease from him. He lifted his hand and held it above his own trigger, waiting.

“Now!” the narrator ordered abruptly, clearly in English.

Tempest jumped reflexively, but settled her hand on the control, matching her fingers and palm. Kiran did the same.

For a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath, and then Tempest felt a vibration beneath her feet. It grew rapidly, punctuated by hard shudders she knew was from explosions. The room around them began to shake so hard that silt began to rain around them. The lights began to blink on an off like strobes.

Removing her hand when she’d set off the explosions, Tempest dove into Kiran’s arms, holding herself tightly to him. He crushed her in his embrace, glancing worriedly at the shaking walls as cracks snaked across the walls and small chunks of rock joined the rain of silt. After whipping his head around in search of a more secure place, he dragged her to the arch where they’d entered the room.

The noise rose in volume until Tempest clasped her hands over her ears, the upheaval so violent that it tossed the two of them back and forth beneath the arch and finally knocked them from their feet. Kiran gathered her closely to him, hunching over her to try to protect her from the larger and larger chunks of stone that crumbled from the walls and ceiling, some striking the floor and shattering, sending out painful missiles.

And then the lights went out.

* * * *

The noise that brought Tempest to awareness sent a jolt of fright through her. She jerked reflexively, discovering that the tight bands around her were Kiran’s arms. He eased the pressure when she jumped, whipping her head around fearfully to discover the source of the scraping noise she’d heard. To her relief, she saw in the dim light that filtered into the room that the doors had slid open. They caught before they’d opened more than a small wedge, jammed by the crazy tilt of the walls.

The blast doors beyond began to rise. It, too, jammed before it had completely opened, but brighter light spilled through the opening. Slowly, Kiran relaxed his hold on her and finally released her altogether. Getting to his feet, he reached down to grasp her hand and help her up.

Tempest swayed a little dizzily, thrown off balance by the odd tilt to the room. Kiran steadied her, urging her toward the open doors. She stared at the small opening a little uneasily. Clearly their haven had been severely damaged. The light, she discovered, was filtering through fishers in the walls and ceiling, not from the artificial illumination they’d had before.

The thought that the doors might close again and trap them inside finally convinced her to squeeze through the opening. Kiran had to pry the doors further apart to get through. Silt and rocks rained down when he did, making Tempest’s heart leap into her throat fearfully. She got down on her knees and rolled quickly under the blast door, though, to clear the way for Kiran. He managed, to her relief, to squeeze under it more easily than he’d escaped the other set of doors.

Glancing around as soon as she’d gained her feet, she saw that the enter temple was leaning crazily and that the entrance was in far worse shape than the room where they been. Dust filled the air from the stones that had fallen. A portion of the outer wall had collapsed. Outside, the light of early morning spilled over the piles of debris that lay in the courtyard.

They made their way down the corridor and across the foyer as quickly as they could, forced to climb over shifting rocks a good bit of the way. To Tempest’s surprise, the porch seemed relatively untouched, but the statue had fallen from its pedestal and now lay its side.

She paused to look at it again when they’d moved around it, feeling the warmth of thankfulness fill her that that part of the ‘prophesy’ had come true—would. She knew it would. She touched her belly, wondering if the child already grew inside of her, then glanced at Kiran a little self-consciously when she realized what she was doing.

She saw that he was studying her, a half smile curling his lips. He pulled her to him, cupping his hand over hers. “Do you think my child grows here even now?” he murmured near her ear.

She smiled, and then chuckled. “If not, it’s not from lack of trying,” she said teasingly.

He chuckled, squeezing her, nuzzling his face along the side of her neck. “If not, then I must try with more dedication.”

She met his gaze, grinning. “I always knew you were a dedicated man.”

Laughing, he released her and took her hand. “Come, let us see what we have wrought.”

The comment sobered her. Even as she began to turn away, though, she caught a glimpse of a shape at the feet of the couple depicted in the statue. It was Kirry. Around her was a tumble of baby grats.

“Kirry!” she exclaimed abruptly. “I forgot about her!”

She was alright, she told herself. She had to be! She was depicted on the statue and clearly, now, that was a future yet to unfold. She couldn’t banish the fear, though, that it wasn’t Kirry depicted but another grat.

Guilt swamped her that she’d been so focused on Kiran and the task before them, her fears and hopes for a future, that she hadn’t even thought about the little grat. She began to call to her as soon as she’d reached the edge of the porch, scanning the debris littering the plateau a little fearfully. Leaving her to search, Kiran strode to the edge of the plateau and climbed the rocks to stare out at the landscape.

After a while, Tempest realized he hadn’t moved. Something about his stillness sent a shaft of fear through her. Abandoning her search for Kirry, she hurried toward him, climbing over the rocks to join him. Her heart seemed to stand still in her chest for several moments as she finally reached him and stood up to stare into the distance as he was.

As far as the eye could see, the face of Niah had been transformed. Water plumed upward from great fissures that had opened up. Churning, boiling, thick with the red dust of Niah, now mud, the water raced away, forming thin streams that widened as other streams converged on it, and pooling in the lower areas. In the distance, Tempest saw water gushing from the side of the mountain itself, forming a fine mist in the air as it poured forth. Here and there, the greenish brown patches of
Niahten
had been exposed as the loose soil was swept from above it, patches that were slowly widening as the water swept more and more of the soil away.

Tempest discovered when she finally managed to drag her gaze from the landscape to look at Kiran that he had turned to look at her. At last she knew what the look on his face was—awe, wonder. “I have never seen water like this,” he said hoarsely.

Tempest moved closer to him, entwining her fingers with his. “I haven’t either … except in holograms from our world.” She felt silent, feeling the awe and wonder welling inside of her that she’d seen on Kiran’s face. “We did it.”

He smiling at her when she looked up at him again. Turning toward her, he placed his hands on her shoulders and tugged her against his length. “You did it,
Zheri Cha.
Without you this would never have come to pass.

“
And when the many worlds of the star system align, the Guardian and the Storm will enter the chamber in the temple of the secret valley. Before them, the doors will open and light will spill down upon them. Together they will walk to the ancient stone and each place their hand against the crystals that have been placed there for them and them alone. The world will tremble as the great darkness falls upon it. A great rumbling will be heard throughout the land as the goddess Zoe throws off the restraints that have been placed upon the waters, and they will spill forth from the depths of the chasm and onto the land, cleansing the world and bringing new life.”

Tempest smiled against his chest, placing a kiss over his heart. “
We
did it,” she said. “I could no more have done it without you than the other way around.”

He tipped her face up to study her, smiling, caressing her cheeks, caressing her face with his gaze. Finally, he shook his head. “It is a good thing,
Zheri Cha,
that you are as stubborn as I, else we would not have changed our world. Shall we see if we can find our way down from the mountain? I have a very great need to find a priest to give his blessing to our pairing and make an honorable man of me.”