Stolen - Nhys Glover Page 0,27

across before?’ I asked.

Charsus shrugged, using our shoulders. Most of the time he was the one in control of our body, as he had more experience with it. Only in situations such as on the holocall with my family and when rappelling had he handed it over to me. I only hoped I’d get more access to the body if—no, when—we got Jenna back. I wanted to be the one who kissed and held her. The idea of Charsus touching my podmate filled me with a rage I couldn’t explain or deny.

‘I will not intrude,’ Charsus said gently. ‘When the time comes, I will not intrude.’

That assurance, at least, gave me a little more control over my volatile emotions. Unfortunately, it only lasted until we saw a bright blue figure crawling toward us from the closest hut. I couldn’t see her face, her long honey-brown hair was a matted mess covering it, but there was no doubt in my mind it was her.

Jenna! My heart soared. She’d escaped on her own. All we had to do was …

The yells and cries went up, dashing my hopes. Zuaire came rushing from everywhere to congregate around the crawling figure. One of the witches stuck Jenna with a stick.

Rage erupted so fast I couldn’t contain it. Luckily, Charsus could. He took firm hold on our body and refused to let us move in to assist.

‘They’re hurting her!’ I cried, desperately fighting for control.

‘Listen to them. They want her for their master. They won’t damage her unduly.’

Argghh! Unduly? How could he say that about a fragile human woman? What did Charsus know about their species? Nothing!

Jenna had rolled into a ball, covering her head with her arms. The witches began dragging her along the ground, back the way she’d come. I wanted to roar and rant and pound at Charsus with my fists. But I could do nothing but watch and seethe.

As the interminable day progressed, we sat in our blind and listened in on the talk around the village. The females were growing excited and a little worried. The celebration was planned for the night to come. The Master would claim the troublesome female then, bringing her into the fold so she could be used against the powerful Danan they’d controlled for twenty years.

Bring her into the fold? What did that mean? I didn’t like the sound of it, that was for sure.

“When the two moons kiss, it begins. The Master will be very pleased.”

I heard this, or a version of this, over and over again during the rest of the day. I imagined that moons kissing must be a point during their cycle when they shared close proximity with each other. Of course, it couldn’t be too close, or their gravitation fields would interfere with each other’s transits. But from this planetary perspective they could cross each other’s paths and appear to kiss or blend into one, in much the way a solar eclipse occurred.

‘Check to see if there is any information on this planet,’ Charsus suggested.

He allowed me to draw out his comms device and access our databases. Because Danans were a significant force in the Confederacy we had access to all the Hub’s information. Or we were supposed to. From what my grandfather had said on occasion, there was much that was kept hidden, even from the upper echelons of power.

I consulted the database. It took longer because I was using such a small, somewhat outmoded device, but I soon had the information I needed. My heart took a dive.

‘The two moons of Jallak pass within miles of each other once a year. The gravitational force exerted by the two spheres on the planet itself at that time causes massive seismic and atmospheric upheavals. The sky isn’t this color all year around. This time of year is called the Obliteration. Storms, quakes, you name it, rip through the place until nothing remains. These trees have grown since the last Obliteration. It’s why they’re so stunted.’

I felt Charsus considering the information before offering his own take on the problem. ‘I assume the Darkness chose this location for the ceremony because it reflects Its destructive power. Or the Zuaire chose it for that reason. This may not even be their home planet after all. They may have come here especially for this celebration. I’ve seen no children, and no normal signs of village life. The huts are flimsy and thrown together. I just can’t work out what the midden heaps mean. Usually