Ferral was drowning.
He floundered in a vast, cold sea, the sky overhead blank and starless. The sea had no bottom. He had been swimming for ages, fighting the waves, trying to keep his head above water. But he was so tired. His limbs would barely move anymore. And the waves grew ever higher, rising above his head.
"Banner," he panted. "Show me the way home!"
"I can't," whispered the ghost. And he was there in the water, too, floating, his blue eye fixed desperately on Ferral.
Ferral grabbed him. "Hold on, Ban, I've got you."
"So ... tired," Banner whispered.
Ferral tried to float, but this water didn't allow that. He either kept moving or he slipped beneath the surface. Beneath him waited nothing but Darkness, waiting to devour him for being weak, for serving the Light, for daring to defy it with love and kindness.
He looked to the blank sky. "Traveler," he gasped. "Help me.
But the Traveler slept, deaf to his plea. No Light appeared.
The Deeps encircled him and he sank. Fought to the surface, trying to save himself and Banner.
Sank again.
Limbs too weary to swim any longer.
He inhaled water.
Sank deeper until he could no longer find the surface.
Drowning.
Cold.
Pain.
Darkness.
Ferral awoke with a cry and sat up, tearing off the strangling blankets. He was tangled in them. It was so dark. Where was he? Had the Darkness claimed him?
"Banner!" he screamed.
A light clicked on. A lamp. Gasping, Ferral realized he was in his room in the Dasa compound, and he'd managed to wrap every blanket on the bed around himself. Lethia stood beside the lamp in her undershirt, blinking sleepily.
Banner phased out of the blankets, where he'd been buried. He swung and staggered in the air, disoriented, then flew to Ferral.
Ferral clutched him close. "I'm sorry," he stammered. "We were drowning in the Deeps."
"It's all right," Lethia murmured, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I'm right here."
Then Ferral had his arms around her, breathing the fragrance of her hair, feeling the softness of her skin. He held her and let the shakes take over, the ones that had plagued him so often lately. She gently lifted Banner out of his hand and cradled him in her free arm. Banner closed his eye.
Her Void Light calmed them, balancing the terror that flickered within them both. She gently reconnected Ferral to the Traveler's Light, helping him find that part of himself the Darkness had tried to drown.
"Why is this happening?" he whispered. "I'm falling apart, Leth."
She let Banner go, then stroked Ferral's hair. "I talked to Delsaran about who shot you."
"You did?" Ferral exclaimed in astonishment. "He actually spoke to you?"
Lethia smiled wolffishly. "People are really compliant when you hold them at gun point."
The mental image of Delsaran at gun point made Ferral chuckle. It felt good to laugh about something. It had been a long time since he had laughed.
She went on, "He insisted that he's on your side. But there's politics happening in the Reef since the invasion. Have you ever heard of the Ascendant Hand?"
"Aren't they a cult?" Ferral said. "A bunch of nut jobs who think we should join the Hive or something?"
"They're a lot more than that," Lethia went on. "They've actually been planning to join the war against the Traveler and the Guardians. The Queen kept them in check, but they were useful as sources of information on the Hive, so she let them exist. But she's gone, and they've decided to speed things along. They've actually commissioned weapons from the Hive. One of the experimental models was used on you as a test."
Ferral considered this, bitterly. "I didn't know the Hive accepted anything but death as currency."
"You don't want to know," Lethia said. "Seriously, don't ask. But the point is, the Ascendant Hand had people ready to take over the Dasa properties. They need money and businesses to finance their war machine. Then Delsaran found you. He's using you as a shield against them, believe it or not. He hoped that you, being a Guardian, would intimidate them into backing down."
"Let me guess," Ferral said. "They weren't intimidated."
"No, actually," Lethia replied. "They're terrified of you. Especially when they hit you with this Darkness weapon and you didn't die. I think Delsaran could tell us more."
Ferral sat there a moment, thinking about this, trying to ignore the memory of sinking and drowning. "We'll definitely do that in the morning. And ... what are you doing in here, anyway?"
"Sleeping on that sofa over there," she replied. "I haven't accepted your marriage proposal yet."
A sofa across the room had blankets and a pillow on it. Ferral wished, powerfully, that she was sleeping with him, instead. Not for sex - just the comfort of having her within reach, helping to keep the nightmares at bay. Falling asleep with his arms around her sounded so relaxing.
Although, sex would be pleasant, too.
She got up, and he reluctantly released her. "Rest," she told him. "You've only been out for six hours, and that's not nearly enough."
He straightened out the twisted blankets and lay down again. Lethia turned out the light and returned to the sofa.
Ferral gazed into the dark and was thankful she was at least in the room with him.
"Lethia?"
"Hm?"
"Where did you grow up?"
She sighed. "Years ago, Reefedge was a lot smaller. We lived in this tiny neighborhood in the filter forests. I was born after the migration, and after the Awoken split and went to Earth. Mara Sov was encouraging big families to build the population back up, but my parents were only able to have my sister and me. There were lots of other children to play with, though ..."
She kept talking about light, comfortable things. Ferral listened. He had no memories of his own childhood, but he could infer it, partially from what he had learned about the Dasas, and partly from Lethia's storytelling. He would have had lots of siblings, and would have moved between the Dasa compounds seasonally. But knowing what he knew about the icy disposition of his family, his childhood was likely not a happy one. Maybe not being able to remember it was a blessing.
He dozed off with Lethia's soft voice in his ears, and slept without dreams the rest of the night.
Delsaran was working in his office the next day when the Guardians walked in.
He looked up warily. Dasa wasn't so bad - he had good days and bad days - but that warlock was downright awful. She had pointed a gun in Delsaran's face, and she probably would have used it, too.
"Can I help you?" Delsaran said, keeping his face blank.
"Yes," Dasa said. "I have a few things to discuss." He picked up a chair from its spot near the wall and set it facing Dalsaran's desk. The warlock did the same.
Dalsaran grimaced. His office was arranged just so to aid the energy flow throughout the room, focused on the three narrow windows in the far wall. Now he'd have to fool with the chairs again to situate them properly.
Dasa said without preamble, "Lethia told me about the Hive weapon that was used on me."
Delsaran nodded. "Yes?" He still didn't know why the Guardian hadn't died.
"Do you know who used it?"
"I have my suspicions," Delsaran replied. "I highly doubt any of your workforce were involved, if that's what you're asking. They may not care for Guardians, but they care for the Ascendant Hand even less."
"So, it was a member of the Hand?"
Delsaran shrugged. "As I said, all I have are suspicions, not proof."
Dasa looked better today - not quite so gaunt and weary. But the warlock looked so hard and fierce, Delsaran wondered what Dasa saw in her.
"Del," said Dasa, "I want to sell several of the businesses. But I don't want the Hand to get them. Would you help me do that?"
Ah, that's what this was about. Delsaran arched an eyebrow. "I thought you would dump them long before this. You don't intend to sell them all?"
"No," Dasa replied. "I want to retain the two construction companies. Our people need places to live, and I want to see that the construction is done right. But the rest - it's too much. I just don't want to sell to the Hand."
Delsaran's respect for Dasa increased. This was a reasonable, thoughtful request. While it would vastly diminish the Dasa holdings, it would keep the company running for many more years.
"I never expected such a request from a Guardian," Delsaran said with a smirk. "Perhaps a little of your family's blood still flows in your veins. Very well. I will compile a list of prospective buyers for each company. I should have them by this afternoon. You will need to make the initial contact, but I can handle negotiations. You will need to be present."
Dasa nodded. "I understand."
But the warlock rose from her seat, drawing her sidearm. She gripped it in both hands, not quite aiming it at Delsaran. "I swear, if you make one more crack about him being a Guardian, you won't like what happens."
Delsaran eyed her cautiously. "Ma'am, you couldn't possibly understand the differences of opinion between Guardians and the Reefborn."
"Yes, I can," she snapped. "I grew up here, and I didn't have to die to become a Guardian. I know exactly how you think. And you'd better keep those remarks to yourself."
She had never died? How was that possible? Delsaran looked her up and down, unsure how to react. Best to be very polite to an angry woman with a gun.
"My apologies, ma'am," he replied. "I'll endeavor to be more respectful."
She slowly sat back down in her chair, holstering her weapon. "You'd better."
Delsaran called her several names in the privacy of his head. Then he turned to Dasa. "Right. Let's get started, then."
Lethia kept an eye on the alien bodyguards.
Unlike Ferral, who only knew the Fallen as enemies, Lethia was used to seeing them around the Reef as allies. Their spider-like limbs and eyes held no fear for her.
That afternoon, while Ferral was closeted with Delsaran to contact potential buyers, Lethia took the bodyguards out for a drink.
The compound had a small canteen that served both Awoken and Eliksni. Lethia invited the guards and set them up with tall ether bottles. Ether was a smoky substance generated by Eliksni-crafted robot Servitors. The aliens depended on it to survive, even though they were technically capable of consuming solid foods.
The aliens accepted the ether in silence. They didn't care for Guardians at all. So Lethia asked them in perfect Eliksni, "What are your names?"
Both aliens jumped and stared at her. Their faces held no expression, but their body posture conveyed surprise.
"You speak our tongue?" one of them said. It was a growling, guttural language, mostly pronounced at the back of the throat.
"I am Reefborn," Lethia replied. "There were always Eliksni in my town when I was small. I played with their young. I was not always a Guardian."
The aliens gestured at each other with their third and fourth arms. This was the Eliksni version of whispering.
"Can we trust her?"
"Negative. Trust no Guardian."
Lethia, having only two arms, had to use the gestures of a Dreg. "You are wise. But I mean no harm."
Caught, the aliens stared at her.
"What are your names?" she repeated aloud. "I am Lethia Mar."
One alien glanced at his companion, then said slowly, "Yarniks."
"Creviks," the other said.
"It is good to know you," Lethia said, smiling without showing her teeth. "I am here to protect Kymil Elvaris, as you are."
Yarniks made a gesture of dismissal. "Guardians need no protection. We here because the Dasa clan was good to our House."
"He was shot, though," Lethia pointed out. She kept herself very patient, as she had learned to be when playing with young Eliksni. The aliens were slow to trust, but loyal allies once that trust was gained.
Creviks said, "Yes, so? He is not dead. Guardians do not need us."
"Guardians do not always know their true enemies," Lethia pointed out. "What do you know of the Ascendant Hand?"
Both aliens growled and shifted their weight from side to side.
"Fools," Yarniks spat. "They wish to deal with the Hive. The Hive do not deal. They consume."
Lethia made an affirmative gesture. She'd forgotten how much she enjoyed talking to Eliksni and seeing their perspective.
"Steward Delsaran believes that the Ascendant Hand used Hive weapons to try to kill Kymil Elvaris. Do you agree?"
The aliens made noncommittal gestures. "Perhaps," Creviks said. "An Awoken fired a weapon and wounded the Guardian. Beyond that, we could not identify them."
Lethia doubted this, knowing how sensitive the Eliksni were to scent and electrical aura, things humans only dimly sensed.
"If that person drew close once more," she said, "could you point them out to me?"
The aliens made gestures that passed as a shrug. "You are a Guardian," Creviks said. "What have we to do with you?"
They were stonewalling. Lethia sighed inwardly. At least they had talked to her a little.
She made the gestures for thanks. "Favor upon your House for speaking with me."
The traditional reply to this was 'and also upon yours', but the aliens didn't give it. They only stared at her, impassively.
Lethia left, and they returned to their posts.