“Let’s get going, then. You’ll only get worse.
Callum felt the old, familiar fog in his brain, the nausea in his stomach, but this time, he didn’t fight it. He allowed it to wash through him, and a sense of peace stole over him. Something whispered through his mind, not a voice—there were no words—but the need to move filled him, and a deep sense of excitement stirred in his gut.
He didn’t know why he was sure he would find his answers here when Venna had searched for years and come up with nothing. But he had always been the strongest of their kind, even among the inner Council who had all been changed with him on that day. He was the first to get the wings. And his telepathic powers were the strongest, though he still got nothing from Tannis.
She appeared strangely subdued. He’d expected her to be fizzing with excitement, even taking into account the sickness. Maybe he shouldn’t have told her about the pain, but it was better to be prepared. Besides, he didn’t think the thought of pain would dampen her spirits.
He’d asked her yesterday if she wanted to back out. He hadn’t wanted to ask, and he’d silently prayed she wouldn’t say yes. Whatever journey lay ahead, he wanted Tannis to share with him.
Maybe he was a little scared of what he might find after all. Maybe he wanted someone to hold his hand through whatever eternity would bring. He’d never believed in love, wasn’t sure he did now, but something drew him to her. And he knew she felt the same, otherwise he had a notion he would have been dead days ago.
Behind her, Venna appeared composed, if a little green. She was coming with them to the chamber, in case she could cast any insights into what he found there, but then she would return to the ship—no need for her to accompany them to where Tannis would get the treatment.
“Can we get on with this?” she snapped. “I hate this place.”
Callum realized that he didn’t. This time felt different. His head was clearing and his stomach settling. It was around midday and the light was bright, showing the harsh, hostile landscape. No vegetation grew on the planet, or at least nothing they recognized as vegetation. The rock that formed most of the landscape was a dull, gray green.
But despite the obvious lack of any familiar forms of life, the planet had always seemed curiously alive to him. He turned to Venna.
“Lead the way…”
As she set off, he allowed Tannis to go in front of him so he could monitor how she was doing, and he followed slowly. But with every step he took, a voice in his head screamed at him to stop. He tried to ignore it, but then wondered why. Should he trust Venna, who had so far found nothing? Or should he trust his instincts? Even as the thought entered his mind, he realized instinct wasn’t the right word. This was more than instinct. Something real and tangible was trying to communicate with him. At the thought, a sense of wonder filled him, and he came to an abrupt halt.
Some sentient being was trying to talk to him. They didn’t share the same language, and he could sense its frustration. He opened that part of his mind where his innermost thoughts were hidden, the place where his telepathy arose, and knew immediately what was wrong.
Venna must have realized he was no longer following. She glanced over her shoulder. “What?”
“We’re going the wrong way,” he said.
Irritation flickered across her face. “No, this is the way to the chamber I told you about.”
“That’s not where I need to be.” He turned around, closed his eyes, and allowed the inner voice to guide him. “This way.” He cast Tannis a brief glance. “You okay?”
She nodded but didn’t speak, and he set off, quicker this time. His steps sped up without conscious thought, and he knew he was leaving the women behind. That didn’t matter; they would catch up. In this wide-open landscape he was impossible to lose and need drove him on.
Finally, he came to a tall cliff face of gray-green rock and paused while he waited for the knowledge to come to him. Placing his hand flat against the rock, a sense of rightness filled him, almost like coming home, as though he somehow belonged here. He followed the line of the wall and came to a crack only an inch across, but as his hands learned the shape of it, the fissure expanded until it was just wide enough for him to slip through. He didn’t hesitate, but stepped into the opening and found himself in a narrow passageway. After a few feet, the light vanished, and he walked through darkness until, up ahead, an eerie violet glow lit the way and the tunnel widened into a large cavern.
In the center was a huge glowing mound. Violet, like his eyes.
He stepped forward and for the first time a flicker of fear ran through him.
What would he find?
What was he?
What would he become?”