CHAPTER FOUR
KYRION
Asterin didn’t say anything as she led me through several corridors, but anger and tension radiated off her like heat from a Tropics sun.
I considered asking Asterin if she wanted to talk about her latest argument with Siya, but I decided against it.
I knew better than anyone that talking simply wouldn’t—couldn’t—fix some things, especially when it came to messy, complicated familial relationships.
All my talking had never roused my father out of his grief after my mother died or convinced Chauncey just how much I needed him.
I didn’t know what, if any, comfort I could offer Asterin now, especially since Vesper’s and my arrival had created even more problems between my friend and her stepsister.
Asterin marched down some steps, then punched in a code on a keypad.
The door buzzed open, and the two of us stepped through to the other side.
In front of us, the maze loomed up and out like a mushroom cloud about to swallow everything in its vicinity.
Admiration pulsed through me, along with more than a little wariness.
I let out a low whistle. “It is truly impressive.”
Asterin’s shoulders relaxed back and down, and some of her anger and tension drained away.
“Roderick and his family never do anything halfway or on the cheap. It took them years to design and build the maze, but now it’s the largest, most sophisticated and comprehensive training facility on Sygnustern. ”
Pride rippled through her voice, and I thought of how her face had softened whenever she looked at Roderick.
The two of them had obviously been involved, although I wasn’t going to pry into their relationship, especially since Roderick seemed to be another point of contention between Asterin and Siya.
Asterin moved over to a control panel positioned in front of one of the maze entrances.
I trailed along behind her. “Have you ever trained here?”
Asterin nodded and started hitting buttons on the panel.
“Several times. All members of House Collier are required to go through basic combat training when they turn eighteen, along with refresher courses every two years. That includes everyone from the chefs at the Collier estate, to the account managers in the mineral exchanges in the city, to the heavy-equipment operators in the shipping yard. Folks who join House Collier later in life are also required to complete the training. And of course, Siya and the other House Collier Hammers and guards come here every other month to plan and prepare for various doomsday scenarios.”
“Like an army of mercenaries invading the Collier estate?” I asked in a sardonic tone.
Asterin blanched at the reminder of the recent attack by Esmina Reston, Pollux Lamont, and their Serpens Corp mercenaries. “Exactly like that.”
Asterin turned her attention back to the control panel and yanked on a few levers.
The sharp, wrenching motions matched the churning of guilt in my gut.
Esmina and Pollux had a long-standing feud with Aldrich and Verona Collier and a burning desire to destroy their House, but Vesper and me staying at the Collier estate had played a large part in the mercenaries deciding to attack, and several people had been killed as a result.
Vesper and I had been searching for a safe haven, but we had ended up with blood on our hands.
I just wondered how much more innocent blood would be spilled before we killed our enemies—or they killed us.
I sighed and scrubbed a hand through my hair. Asterin glanced over at me, as though she could feel my guilt. Perhaps she could with whatever psion powers she had.
“Where will you and Siya be while Vesper and I are in the maze?”
Asterin jerked her thumb over her shoulder. “Upstairs in the control room with Jeffrey. All three of us will monitor your progress, along with your vital signs.”
I poked my right index finger into the silver holocuff on my left wrist, jiggling the embedded holoscreen. My heart rate was climbing in proportion to my growing annoyance. I despised personal monitoring devices even more than I did cameras.
“After he finishes his work, Roderick will probably join us in the control room,” Asterin continued.
“Roderick says that studying other warriors, especially folks like you and Vesper who have never experienced the maze before, gives him and the technicians ideas for new and more challenging obstacles and environments.”
Her voice practically hummed as she sang Roderick’s praises, and her eyes sparkled with warmth. Asterin noticed my curious stare, and a blush stained her pale cheeks. “Roderick is an old friend.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Old friend? Is that what you call it in the Erzton?”
Her blush burned a little brighter and hotter. “Roderick and I have . . . dated a few times over the years. In many ways, he was my first love.”
Asterin’s gaze grew distant, and her lips curved into a fond, dreamy smile.
Suddenly, a silver light flared, and a second version of Asterin appeared, hovering in the air like a hologram.
This second Asterin was only a teenager, and she was wearing a long frilly dress and twirling back and forth, like she was practicing a dance in front of a mirror.
I blinked. The second, teenage Asterin vanished, and it took me a moment to focus on the real woman in front of me. Vesper’s seer power flared up when I least expected, and I was still getting used to the odd visions it showed me from time to time.
Asterin’s gaze sharpened, and the dreamy smile plummeted from her lips.
“But Siya has never liked Roderick, not even when we were children. She claims Roderick only cares about himself.” Asterin shook her head.
“Siya just doesn’t understand that Roderick has certain duties as the heir of House Battis and that those duties sometimes conflict with what’s best for House Collier. ”
Two weeks ago, during the marriage mart, Siya had told me how proud she was to serve House Collier—and how much always putting her House and people first weighed on her.
Siya knew exactly how demanding being an heir was, but I held my tongue.
Vesper and I had already caused enough tension between our friends without my jabbing my thumb into the sore spot Roderick Battis represented between Asterin and Siya.
A holoscreen embedded in the panel beeped, drawing Asterin’s attention. “Jeffrey says Siya and Vesper are in position on the opposite side of the maze.”
As if in response to her words, the metal wall blocking the maze entrance rolled back. Through the opening, a gray stone path led straight ahead like an arrow pointing toward unknown dangers. My gut churned again, this time with a mixture of jangling anticipation and nauseating dread.
When Lady Verona had first suggested the training exercise a few days ago, I’d been eager to prove how much progress Vesper and I had made, not just in using our bond and respective psion powers but in trusting ourselves and each other and especially in dealing with our fears.
But standing in front of the maze hammered home just what a massive challenge this truly was.
Cold, familiar doubt flooded my chest, making my inner monster whimper, but I clenched my jaw and ignored the noise.
Conquering the maze was a necessary step, not just for training but to prove to Vesper and myself that we could handle all the dangerous enemies circling around us like sharks trailing the scent of blood in a Tropics ocean.
“Obstacles are hidden along the paths and in the biodomes, many of which have extreme climates that are dangerous in and of themselves,” Asterin said.
“The maze also features psionic dampeners and other equipment that will make it difficult for you and Vesper to use your telepathy to talk to each other.”
“I would expect nothing less,” I murmured.
Asterin waved a hand at the maze. “Everything in there is designed to draw your focus, use up your energy—physical, mental, and psionic—and disrupt your bond, just like a real-world enemy would do everything possible to keep you and Vesper apart. How fast it takes the two of you to find each other will indicate how quickly you can identify and solve problems, both as individuals and as a couple.”
I looked at the towering walls. “And I’m guessing that Vesper and I using our psionic abilities along the way should also help us understand how much psion power we can pull from each other without completely draining each other’s energy and abilities.”
Vesper and I had already been testing those limits, but so far, our collective well of power was much deeper than I had ever imagined it could be.
“Yes,” Asterin replied. “The training should give us a baseline of how strong your bond is compared to other bonded couples who have also been through the maze.”
“Sounds like it will be a real challenge,” I drawled, “in every sense of the word.”
Asterin nodded. “That’s the idea. Good luck, Kyrion.”
“Thank you.” I nodded back at her, then squared my shoulders, strode forward, and stepped into the maze.
The instant my boots touched the gray stone path, electricity crashed over my body like a tidal wave.
I jerked to a halt. The uncomfortable sensation crackled across my skin for several seconds before dying down to an annoying hum.
Psionic dampeners always made me feel like mosquitoes were whining in my ears.
More doubt flooded my chest, but I swatted it aside.
The purpose of training was to hone your abilities and push your mind, body, and psionic powers to their utmost limits.
Our enemies wouldn’t show us any mercy, and Vesper and I had to be at our best and ready to protect ourselves, especially against Callus Holloway.
We needed a fresh challenge to keep us on our toes, and I was determined to overcome every obstacle in the maze, just as I had vowed in the cold depths of my heart to do whatever was necessary to protect Vesper—no matter what it cost me.
I glanced back over my shoulder and waved at Asterin. She returned the gesture, then hit another button on the panel. The metal wall rolled forward, blocking the exit and sealing me inside the maze.