Nathan Hystad - The Survivors - Books 1-3

A siren emanated from beyond the door at the far side of the space. This room was massive, at least twenty times the size of the last one, and the pillars stood a great distance apart. The floor was white, like pristine marble, not a speck of dirt evident to my gaze. The walls were adorned with pictures on screens, reminding me of my favorite section of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York suddenly felt like a lifetime ago. I looked up, but the light coming from the ceiling was too bright for me to see how high the room went up.

“Tell me this is your home,” I whispered to Suma, who gave a lift of her snout, which I was starting to associate as a smile.

“It is home.”

The doors opened, and a dozen beings entered, their thick legs and torsos looking a lot like Suma’s, but they were at least twice her size, dwarfing even Slate. “Oh boy,” I said under my breath as Suma stepped between us and the quickly advancing entourage of her people.

“Stop,” she said, twitching at how loud her own voice came out. She fiddled with something on her sleeve, and when she spoke again, the translator was turned off. It was a private conversation, and she didn’t want us to be part of it.

A man at the front of the group knelt as he arrived at Suma, wrapping his four arms around the smaller alien. He squawked at her, his voice much deeper and more threatening than hers. She visibly shrank at his admonishing, and I instantly knew the sight of a daughter being disciplined by her father. A minute later, he rose, lightly pushing Suma behind him, and he stepped forward until he was only two yards from us. I saw Slate tense beside me, so I reached a hand out, setting it on his arm. “It’s okay,” I said, hearing my words translate through Suma’s father’s suit.

“It is not okay. You should not be here, hoomans.” The last word came out wrong, and it felt all the more ominous for the misnomer.

“We agree. We just want to get home,” I said, adding a hint of supplication to my voice. “Suma is an amazing child, and we can’t thank her enough for helping us get out of that city.”

“From the sounds of it, she wouldn’t have been able to get back without you two either. I suppose I owe you some gratitude,” his deep bird-like words translated.

“We really just want to get back. We don’t want to waste any of your time, sir.”

He motioned for the rest of his crew to relax, and a few of them left the room, their heavy steps echoing in the large open chamber.

“You now know of the Shandra , and I cannot allow you to leave,” he said, pausing, and Slate reached for his gun, “without being trained how to use it properly.” Slate lowered it, giving me a side glance. At least I knew he was always ready to survive. I needed a guy like that at my side.

“Come, we will take refreshment.” He turned, leading us away.

“You sure this is a good idea, boss?” Slate asked when we were a good ten yards behind Suma’s father.

“If we’re going to win a war against the Bhlat, I have a feeling we’ll need every trick in the book.”

Slate’s eyes lit up, and I could see him already beginning to calculate how we could use the Shandra to our advantage. I had an inkling and hoped the training we received would be enough to implement it and change the tides of the inevitable war that was coming.

“G oodbye, Suma,” I said, hugging the small Shimmali girl. We’d learned a lot about their people in the short couple of hours on her world. I promised we’d be back, and she was excited to meet my mate, as she called Mary. “Thank you, Sarlun.” I stuck a hand out to Suma’s father, who, once you got to know him, was a strong and intelligent man. It made a lot of sense to have this man guarding their portal to other worlds. Shimmal was a small tropical world, with lush green trees rising hundreds of yards in the air as far as the eye could see. They lived on a fruit-like diet, and though they had an abundance of amazing technology, they elected to stay grounded and close to nature. It was a prime example of an elevated society.

Suma and Sarlun left us at the table, now having confidence we could get back home. I slid the tablet into my pack. It contained the star charts for every Shandra planet out there, and with it, we could go anywhere. There were also notes on each civilization from each planet they had on record. There were some that remained unknown, and Sarlun urged me to avoid many more. When he handed me the tablet, I swore I would.

I waved as the door closed, and Slate and I were left alone in the bright white room.

“What do you think, boss?” Slate asked.

“I think knowledge is power, and we’re a lot smarter after today. I also think I need to go back and make sure my fiancée and Magnus made it out safely.” If they or my sister were hurt based on our disappearance, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. Sarlun assured me some beings were drawn to the stones like a Slil to a flame, which I assumed was something akin to a moth. When I’d told him about my near out-of-body experience when I first found New Spero’s portal, he just gave what could only be a knowing smile.

I tapped the table, like I’d been taught, and found the symbol we determined to be that of New Spero.

“Ready?” I asked, and Slate nodded his assent. The icon glowed as I touched it, and the room went bright once again.

When I opened my eyes, we were inside the cavern, the etched hieroglyphics glowing softly. I now found myself recognizing some of the symbols and felt the power this new tool at our disposal had.

“Quick, let’s see if we can find any signs of our friends.” I ran for the doorway, Slate following behind, his rifle at the ready. We hurried through the caves, back the way we’d come, and at the entrance, elected to go the other direction, deep into the mountainside. Cold air filled the halls, the smell of decaying meat mixing with the stale breeze.

“This way,” Slate said, taking the lead. We emerged in a large room, where the signs of a battle were evident. I saw dozens of dead animals and a lot of blood. Scraps of human clothing lay in tatters across the floor, and I knew there was no way everyone had made it out alive. The urge to cry out for Mary was strong, but I didn’t want to draw attention to the deadly animals if they were still lingering around a corner.

“Let’s go. I think they got out. Look,” he said, pointing to footprints in the pools of blood. They were heading the way out. I saw signs of those same footprints as we went back for the exit, and soon we were back outside, freezing cold air filling my lungs as I ached to scream Mary’s name.

The snow was still falling heavily, any signs of footprints long gone. We’d been away all day, at least eight hours, and when we reached the spot where the transport vessel had been sitting, there was no evidence one had ever been there.

“Damn,” I said quietly.

“Come in, Terran Five,” Slate said into his headset. He repeated it a few times, but he just got static in return. “Looks like we’re walking. You up for it?” He glanced at my injured leg.

“I think I can make it. I’m more worried about freezing to death.”

“The sooner we get moving, the sooner we’re warm.” Slate started to walk, taking my pack again.

Terran Five was only a couple of miles away, and even though the snow was piling around us, making each step a difficult one, I knew I’d find Mary at the other end, and that was enough to keep me moving at a fast pace.

M ary and I sat side by side on a couch, hot coffee on the table in front of us. I felt like I’d never be warm again, even though I’d been inside for an hour already. Her arm was bandaged; otherwise, she looked no worse for wear.