T Southwell - Prophecy

The following morning, just as she finished dressing in a pale blue one-piece suit trimmed with grey, the apartment door chimed. She hurried to press the button that opened it, and found the two guards on her doorstep.

One stated in a gruff voice, "The Shrike will see you now."

Rayne wondered if the thrill that raced down her spine at his words was terror or excitement, deciding it was probably a bit of both. She followed them along several uniform grey corridors at a brisk march before being whisked up several floors in a high-speed lift. It seemed that she was in the same building, but she was not sure, for the route was confusing and the scenery monotonous.

The guards stopped outside a door and stepped aside as the portal slid open. She took a deep breath and walked in with all the confidence she could muster. Most of it drained away at the sight of the tall masked man who stood gazing out of a massive window. When he turned to face her, she found her mouth dry and her knees weak. Her eyes flinched from the mask.

The Shrike gestured to a chair with a gloved hand, and she sank into it. Four soft cream chairs were arranged around a low, polished red wood table in the centre of a plush room decorated in pale grey and soft blue. A bank of huge windows overlooked the gleaming white and green city. Tarke walked over and sank into a seat opposite, the table between them.

"So, the frightened slave girl has now become what? An Atlantean messenger? A spy?" His soft voice made her shiver. "Few dare to seek me out, and even fewer have the temerity to come to one of my bases. What makes you so bold?"

She gulped, brave words dying on her tongue. Several seconds passed in silence, while she cursed her blank mind.

"What happened to Elliadaren?" he murmured.

"It was attacked… by an Envoy." To her relief, his words kick-started her brain, and her voice was steady.

"Who told you that?"

"My guide, an entity called Endrix."

"Go on."

"I've been there. I've seen the remains of the Crystal Ship that carried the Envoy to your world." Words tumbled off her tongue in a nervous flood. "Your people were suffering terribly when you found them. You were forced to kill them. There was nothing else you could do. The Envoy came from another universe. He fed on your people's suffering. Another is coming to Atlan, and I have to stop him."

The Shrike was silent for several moments, his emotions guarded. "I never had a name for the monster that tortured my people. What else do you know about this Envoy?"

"Not a lot. They're patriarchal, cannibalistic and sadistic. He controls the Crystal Ship, and forces it to use its telepathic ability to inflict pain on his victims. He and his minions feed on the pain of others."

"But you didn't come here just to tell me this."

"No. I need your help. Endrix told me to seek you out. He said you would help me."

He tilted his head. "Why should I help you?"

"You don't want the Atlanteans to fall. You said so yourself."

"That's true, which is why I killed Drevina and her brother."

She gasped. "You did that?"

"I thought it would throw the Draycons into confusion long enough for this situation with you to blow over or resolve itself. Otherwise they would have tried to interfere again, and next time they might have succeeded."

Rayne stared at him, longing to tear off the horrible mask. He seemed hostile, and she knew she trod on thin ice, for he could have her removed from his base any time he chose. She decided to be blunt.

"Will you help me?"

"That depends. Who is this Endrix, and why did he tell you to come to me for help? What do I have that Atlan can't offer?"

"I don't know what, or who he is. I've never seen him. All I know is he's in the huge black ship that can use the transfer Net to transport itself instantly. He saw what you did to Elliadaren. He understood why you did it, as I do. I saw it through his memories. I can't even begin to imagine what it must have been like to be forced to make that kind of decision, and I'm sorry about what happened."

He stood up, making her tense, but he only walked back to the window and stared out. "That was a long time ago."

"I'm sure the memories haven't faded."

"No, they haven't. I knew they were all going to die, but to share in that wordless agony was a thing no one should have to endure. The silence that fell after the bombs exploded was like… paradise, after the torture of their pain."

"You should have told the Atlanteans why you did it."

He gave a soft snort. "Do you think they would have believed me?"

It all made terrible, tragic sense as the last pieces of the puzzle fell into place. "So you became a slaver, because you were already condemned to death, and nothing mattered anymore."

"Don't try to analyse me." He turned to face her. "What do you want?"

"Endrix says I need a ship, and only one of yours will be good enough."

He walked over to lean on the back of the chair beside her. "You want a ship? You expect me to just hand over a multi-million regal ship to you?" He laughed and shook his head. "You amaze me. Why don't the Atlanteans give you one? It's their necks you're supposed to save, not mine."

"If Atlan falls -"

"I know that. I told you, remember? Why must I give you a ship?"

"Endrix says only one of your ships will be good enough to do whatever it is I have to do when the time comes. He didn't go into the details. And you don't have to give it to me, a loan will do."

He chuckled. "A loan. This Endrix seems to think he knows everything."

"He also said you're not what you appear to be, and if you told me the truth it would surprise me."

"Did he? Yes, I suppose it would."

"But you're not going to tell me the truth, are you?"

He stepped around the chair and sat in it, appearing friendlier and more relaxed. "No. But I might loan you a ship."

Her heart leapt. "On what conditions?"

"Conditions?" He paused, and she wished she knew what he was thinking, or at least could sense his emotions, but his guard was up. He shook his head. "Only one. That you stay the hell off my bases and away from me. When you're finished with the ship, it will return to me."

Rayne stared at him, shocked. "Why?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you. It shouldn't be a problem, since you find my company so abhorrent."

"I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry. It's just that what you did was so terrible, so shocking, killing that slaver in cold blood like that, setting a trap for him. Using me as bait. Now that I'm over the shock of it, I don't dislike your company. In fact, I'd like to get to know you better."

"Would you?" he murmured. "A dangerous ambition. Few people know me well, and they're utterly loyal. They would die before revealing anything about me to my enemies. You, on the other hand, are an unknown quantity, and might still be working for the Atlanteans. You have no proof that anything you've told me is true. I only have your word for it."

He held up a hand when she opened her mouth to protest. "Granted, you're right about the Crystal Ship, so you've been to Elliadaren. But that doesn't prove anything else, does it?"

"No." She lifted her chin. "But I would never betray someone who helped me. You can trust me. Read my mind if you don't believe me, I won't try to stop you."

"I never delve that deep into the thoughts of others. It lays bare far too much that's private. Which shows how little you know about the subject."

"But I can sense when…" She frowned, confused. Usually she could sense when someone was lying, but she had failed with him.

"If you know when someone's lying, you're an empath, and that's really dangerous."

"Why?"

"Why?" He snorted. "How many people do you know who would like to be caught lying?"