The Arc of the Universe Book Four: The Crucible

By Mark Whiteway

The Agantzane—masters of a vast interstellar alliance known as the Consensus. Who are they? Where do they come from?

Quinn and his band of misfits arrive at the Haven, a world alone in a null universe - a world that cannot exist and yet does.
Can Quinn secure the help of the enigmatic Elinare before Earth is swallowed by an all-pervading artificial intelligence?

"The Crucible" is the fourth volume in a four book epic which will transport you to worlds as diverse as Nemazi - a desert planet, wracked by storm fronts of fractured time; Pann - a layered world where civilizations build atop one another and The Haven - a lone world in a null universe - a world that cannot exist and yet does!

“Morals, politics, and the need to survive all come head to head in this exciting and action-packed continuation of the series. For me, what made this book almost jaw-dropping to read, was the expanse of the world that Whiteway has created.
“The story is a complex web of moving parts all centered around Quinn. Whiteway does an excellent job of making sure that each of these pieces feels well-rounded and intriguing.
“An epic science fiction adventure with high stakes and fascinating characters!” - Emerson Craig – Literary Blogger

“Back again in book four is Vil-Gar, an individual whose personality and backstory render him worthy of an entire book of his own. Zothan also plays a major role as a mysterious alien warrior whose rigid upbringing has nevertheless led him to be Quinn’s unlikely but truest friend. As usual, Whiteway excels at populating his books with bright and colourful characters.
"The book is well laced with uniquely described creatures, and in-depth, satisfying explanations of the politics and science at work within the book's universe.
"With political machinations every bit as complex and robust as one might find in Game of Thrones, this book deserves a careful read to absorb the details.
“Protagonist Quinn, lone human navigating the complex politics and alien cultures of the worlds-spanning Consensus, constantly has his assumptions challenged as he tries to understand what motivates members of many different species.
“The storyline surpassed my initial expectations. I was expecting it to be of high quality and it was but it was a gripping story that constantly makes you question. It has multiple layers and utilises alien characters effortless so that they add to the rich fabric of the story-line. Terence P Ward, Allbooks Review

“It was no surprise that Quinn emerges as a greater hero in this book. He’s grown substantially and feels just as real, if not more, in this novel. The strength of this character is that he regularly experiences all the emotions, the doubts and fears of any real person and this makes him a strong character who keeps the reader interested.
“Thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. Those who read it will definitely wish to read the next book on the strength of this one." Annette Young, The Creative Competitor

“The Arc of the Universe is fast-paced, full of action and adventure, and presents a lot of very interesting ideas; particularly in regard to politics and morals.
"The book is well laced with uniquely described creatures, and in-depth, satisfying explanations of the politics and science at work within the book's universe.
"Whiteway just keeps getting better!"

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mark Whiteway
• Release date: Mar 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9780463997161

Mark Whiteway

Mark Whiteway (1959- ) lives in rural West Sussex, England, near the former home of H G Wells. The Lodestone series of novels is built around the concept of negative matter-an extension of Einstein's Theory of General Relativity. Mark lives with his wife Sandra.

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The Arc of the Universe

Knuckles Knuckles 7 5 2023-03-14T02:36:00Z 2023-03-14T02:46:00Z 96 77736 443099 3692 1039 519796 14.0

Book Four

By Mark Whiteway

Science Fiction

Copyright © Mark Whiteway

All Rights Reserved.

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By the same author

Lodestone Book One: The Sea of Storms

Lodestone Book Two: The World of Ice and Stars

Lodestone Book Three: The Crucible of Dawn

Lodestone Book Four: Seeds Across the Sky

Lodestone Book Five: The Conquered Shore

Lodestone Book Six: Eternity’s Shadow

The Arc of the Universe: Book One

The Arc of the Universe: Book Two

The Arc of the Universe: Book Three

www.markwhiteway.weebly.com

Knuckles Knuckles 7 5 2023-03-14T02:36:00Z 2023-03-14T02:46:00Z 96 77736 443099 3692 1039 519796 14.0

Table of Contents

Part One: The Haven

Part Two: The Nebula

Part Three: The Desert

Part Four: The Ruins

Part Five: The Crucible

Knuckles Knuckles 7 5 2023-03-14T02:36:00Z 2023-03-14T02:46:00Z 96 77736 443099 3692 1039 519796 14.0

Part One: The Haven

Regan Quinn stepped from a shining globe onto the shimmering surface of a world that could not exist yet somehow did.

The Elinare called it Haven.

Silver fronds waved beneath a burnished sky. A jumble of geometric structures lay scattered on the plain below like a giant child’s abandoned toys.

Behind him stood a cohort of misfits—Rahada, clad in the close-fitting black of the Shanata, bright-eyed and severe; winged Vyasa with her straight, silver hair and leathery wings; Zothan the Nemazi, skin the colour of an oil slick and limbs permanently crooked for action and towering above them all; the flat-faced dolin, a giant construct fashioned out of living stone.

White-robed Keiza materialised beside him, smiling. Ready?

Quinn glanced at the others, but they were looking past him.

That’s right, she said. They can see and hear me.

Keiza of the Elinare had dwelt in his mind as a mere presence until now, invisible to anyone else in the real world. He fought back the irrational jealousy of a child forced to share a favourite toy.

Come, Keiza continued, "the Qan-ho-nah awaits."

The Elinare ruling council—she had said that was the best way to think of them—were responsible for overseeing a plan to save two universes. According to her, the plan would take some two billion years to execute.

A rhythmic thudding cut off Quinn’s response. The sound was coming from the dolin. Conor.

Quinn raised his eyes to the giant. I think my son needs to be let out.

The dolin picked Quinn out with an orange beam from its only functioning eye then knelt. A hatch on its back swung open, and a fair-haired youth shimmied to the ground.

He looked around, caught sight of Quinn, and grinned. Hey, Dad!

Quinn returned the grin. In truth, the boy was a reanimate, an Agantzane-engineered copy of his dead son, but Quinn had long since turned his back on that technicality.

Rahada moved to Quinn’s shoulder, her fingers hovering near a baton at her belt. Elinare! You should know that we will do whatever it takes to protect Quinn from harm.

Keiza doused her frown with a warm smile. Your threats are irrelevant. Quinn is in no danger here. She set off down the hillside, arms swinging like a little girl’s.

He set off after her, the others trailing behind.

The arc of golden sky stretched from horizon to horizon like a sea of brightness. A shadow passed over him, as shocking as a snowflake in July. Vyasa landed and folded her leathery wings against her back. She fell in step beside him, uncomfortably close. After being absorbed by the Damise’s Artificial Intelligence on Pann, she, too, had reappeared as a reanimate to be used as their mouthpiece. When the Damise ship was destroyed, she had switched her allegiance to Quinn and the others, but was it all a ruse? Was she merely biding her time till the rest of the Damise showed up?

Zothan the Nemazi loped along next to him in silence. Golden eyes burned like embers on the sides of his axe-shaped head. He was the least humanlike of all of them, yet Quinn’s trust in him was implicit. Under the rigid Nemazi code, they were magatha rashan, brothers bound by water and part of the same omesku, or clan. Their relationship mirrored those found within the nomadic clans that fled before the time distortions tracking across their world like storm fronts.

The Shanata had landed on Nemazi and released the gormgast, semisentient machines designed to wipe out all life. The clans had banded together to resist. Were they still holding their own, or had the gormgast wiped them out? If the question occupied Zothan’s thoughts, he never voiced it. His loyalty was as implacable as the sun that beat down on his desert home.

Whoops and hollers drifted on the air. A group of half a dozen Elinare rounded a plain cubical structure. They were engaged in a childlike chase yet had the appearance of adults.

Quinn caught up to Keiza and nodded at the laughing Elinare. What’s going on?

They are exploring quantum-field interactions, she replied.

Quinn’s expression was blank. Looks like a simple game of tag to me.

She paused, looking him up and down as if he were a laboratory specimen. Naturally. Then she resumed her jaunty gait.

Human offspring use play to learn about the world around them, do they not? Zothan’s voice was like an iron rasp. On Nemazi, his consciousness had merged with Quinn’s, giving each an understanding of the other that went beyond words.

I suppose, Quinn replied.

The more complex a life-form, the greater the need for play.

The Elinare gambolled like kittens. How can I even speak to these people? Quinn’s feet dragged after Keiza as she led the way like some pied piper into the heart of the Elinare community.

~

Quinn wandered among cylinders, cones, pyramids, and dodechahedrons, observing the Elinare. Clad in white robes identical to Keiza’s, they swayed, pirouetted, or sat cross-legged in silence, oblivious to the five alien creatures and the giant construct passing by.

Quinn caught up to Keiza. This place is remarkable.

Her smile was glowing, childlike. I’m glad you like it.

That wasn’t quite what he meant. He tried again. A planet without a sun… That goes against everything we know.

We considered creating a sun, but time constraints forced us to seek a different solution.

Right. Two billion years till the end of everything. I can see why you’d need to hustle.

Is that what humans call a joke?

He weighed his response. Sometimes when humans feel overwhelmed, they use humour as a defence. I meant no disrespect.

I understand. However, as I mentioned back on the ship, the hole in this universe is already some three billion light-years across. In the time you took to tell your joke, it has expanded by a further eight point two kilometres, according to your measurement. Both this universe and the one you know will be destroyed if we do not… hustle.

A red globe floating past flickered like a carnival lantern.

Quinn spread his arms wide. Look, if the whole of existence is threatened, why not declare a truce? Why not call a meeting with the Damise, the Agantzane, and the entire Consensus and form an alliance to work together for mutual survival? Heck, I’ll bet even Earth and its dependent worlds would join you once they realised the stakes.

The Agantzane are strategists at heart, Keiza replied. If they still controlled the Consensus, your plan might have merit. But they now operate under the Damise’s shadow, and the Damise value dominance above all else, even survival.

But that makes no sense.

To a human, perhaps. To the Damise, their concept of purity is paramount. Achieving total order in the universe prior to its destruction would, in a sense, be their ultimate fulfilment.

As they approached a shining dome, Keiza announced, "This is the place of the Qan-ho-nah. The Circle has granted you an audience, Quinn. It is a great honour."

Uh, right.

Remember, their time is precious. Try not to waste it with human banter.

He nodded. "Can I bring the others?

I told you on the ship their presence is irrelevant. They may come or remain here as they wish. It is of no consequence.

The dome was a hundred metres high and seamless.

I don’t see a door, he said.

She beamed. Follow me. She walked forwards and disappeared through the wall.

When Quinn made to follow, Rahada blocked him with one hand. I will go first to make sure it’s safe.

Quinn glanced at the nearby Elinare. One sat against a wall, while another bent his body to form an arch, and a third traced patterns in a sandbox. They reminded him of inmates in an asylum.

He began, I really don’t think—

These are highly advanced creatures. We cannot be sure of their motives. And your survival is paramount.

He shrugged, and she vanished into the structure, only to reappear a moment later. Frowning, she reentered, only to emerge once again. Quinn recalled his own frustration upon encountering the multidimensional paths in Ximun’s dwelling. He recalled that Ximun’s secret allies, the Damise, were a Founder Race, just like the Elinare. Did his advanced knowledge come from his association with them?

Zothan cut across his train of thought. The Elinare wish you to enter first, Quinn.

Obviously. He swallowed and started forwards.

Be careful, Dad, Conor called from behind.

Quinn briefly considered ordering the boy back inside the dolin’s compartment, but the denizens of this shining world with no sun seemed able to alter the fabric of reality. If they decided to move against their visitors, Quinn doubted anywhere would be safe. Keiza had insisted they were in no danger. For now, he saw no alternative to trusting her.

The dome loomed large before him, its surface giving off a pearlescent glow. He inhaled and stepped through, into a sea of light. The ground rippled like water, though it was utterly stable. He glanced over his shoulder but could no longer see the dome wall. The light appeared to stretch on forever. Keiza stood a half step in front of him. She reached out and grasped his hand.

Panicking, he pulled away, but she did not collapse. Rather, she smiled.

There is nothing to fear, Quinn. In the distant past, your death touch would have expired our kind, but we gave up our corporeal forms long ago when we entered the null universe.

Following the destruction of the Eire colony fleet, the Agantzane had inflicted him with the ability to cause instant death to any member of the Consensus, the vast interstellar alliance over which they presided. They had claimed they were providing him with a means of exacting retribution under a justice system they referred to as one plus one equals two, but their macabre gift had turned out to be part of a far more intricate plot to start a war with the Shade races and to draw the dissident Mercy Faction out into the open. He balled his hand into a fist. I’ll never become the monster they want.

He felt the softness and warmth of her palm. You seem real enough to me.

The field surrounding this world allows us to experience life as material beings once more, but we are energy, not flesh and blood. The pathogen within you cannot harm us.

Quinn felt a rush of relief. Trapped among the worlds of the Consensus, he had been deprived of the comfort of touch with anyone other than his son. Slowly, he released her hand.

Behind them, Rahada stepped into the light, followed by Vyasa, then Zothan accompanying Conor, and finally the dolin’s immense bulk.

You are Quinn. The voice seemed to come from all around.

Quinn spoke into the ether. "You are the Qan-ho-nah?"

We are.

Would you show yourselves?

We would not.

"The Qan-ho-nah do not explore their corporeal past, Keiza said under her breath. They have no time for… frivolities."

Avoid human banter. Right. He took a deep breath. The Damise are using an AI weapon to progressively take over our worlds. We have no power to combat it. Only you can reverse its effects. My friends and I have journeyed here to seek your help before it absorbs all sentient life.

The following pause was so long that Quinn wondered if the Qan-ho-nah had left.

Then the voice spoke again. What happened to Aurek?

Ah yes. Actually, I’m glad you asked about him because it kind of shows how dangerous the Damise’s AI really is. You see—

We dispatched him to investigate a massive spatial disturbance in your universe.

Right. That’s right. The destruction of the Shana system. The Damise were behind that, too, by the way. At first, we thought it was the Agantzane because… well, it was their ship we encountered. It was kinda funny in a way because they thought we were responsible, and we thought they—

He shared your consciousness.

He did, yes, Quinn said.

Now he is gone.

He sacrificed his life to purge the AI from a number of Consensus ships and free their crews. I guess you could say he was a hero.

A hero?

Sure. You know, someone who helps others at great cost to him- or herself.

Show us, the voice echoed.

Show you?

"Show us the meaning of hero."

I’m not sure I under—

Seven pinpricks of light appeared, circling him, faster and faster. Keiza and the others grew motionless. Before he could frame a question, the sprites merged and entered his forehead.

~

Quinn raised his head. He was seated on snow-covered ground inside a wind-battered tent. Four mounds of furs that might once have been men stared back at him through rime-rimmed eyes. Numbing cold pressed against his fingers and toes, interspersed with sharp pains like the tips of blades.

An oil lamp guttered on the verge of extinction. A handwritten book lay open before him, showing jagged letters written with agonising effort. A diary? Scott… Could this be Scott’s ill-fated expedition to the South Pole, or at least an Elinare re-creation based on the information stored in his memory? This is how they communicate, he reminded himself. This is how they learn. But would they comprehend the rituals and morality of an alien culture umpteen light-years and two hundred years removed?

The physical state of the others and him suggested they were near the end of their journey. Scott’s party had reached their goal, only to discover that Amundsen, their great rival, had gotten there first. Crushed with disappointment, they began the long trek back. Then the weather had closed in.

The storm pummelled and clawed at their tent. The opening flapped, revealing a chink of light and a sliver of the blizzard, blowing with relentless fury. No way forwards. No way back. No way out.

Quinn examined the faces of the others again, one at a time. One figure seemed familiar somehow. Beneath the weathered features, he caught an angular cheekbone, a hint of grey skin.

Aurek? He croaked the word.

The others stared back with dead men’s eyes.

Aurek rose slowly, pain etched across his features. Pardon me. He spoke with a London accent. I am just going outside and may be some time. He turned towards the tent flap.

Quinn flogged his frozen mind into service. Oates. Aurek is Oates. And I’m Scott. Oates is fatally frostbitten, and he knows it. He’s going to walk out into the blizzard. He’s going to commit suicide because he knows he’s slowing the rest of us, lowering our chances of survival. But in the end, it’ll prove a futile gesture. We’ll never move from this spot. We’ll all die, just eleven miles from a resupply point.

He recalled the Alamo scenario Keiza had reproduced on the Damise ship. She’d altered history in her re-creation. The reinforcements, which had historically turned back, kept going and reached the mission during the Mexicans’ final assault. So it doesn’t have to work out the same way as my memory records it. I’m Scott. I’m the leader. I can change the outcome if I want. Is this some kind of test? Are the Elinare watching to see if I’ll let Oates walk to his death?

Quinn rose to his feet. Aurek pushed aside the tent flap. The whiteout was a blinding wall. Quinn lurched forwards, grabbed a handful of Aurek’s fur coverings, and yanked him backwards. They both toppled and fell with a grunt. Quinn threw an arm around Aurek’s neck to restrain him. Aurek flapped like a landed fish. As Quinn adjusted his grip, he heard hoarse cries of Hell and What’s going on?

Quinn gritted his teeth and held on. You’re not going out there, you hear? No one is. We stick together. That’s an order.

Aurek’s struggles ceased. Gradually, Quinn relaxed his grip. Aurek’s features were peaceful, as if he had just lain down for a nap. The tent and its occupants shimmered, and Quinn was standing once more in the sea of light.

Is that a hero? the voice asked.

Quinn felt warmth penetrate his bones once more. Yes… No… I don’t know. I don’t know what you want. Look, all I know is Aurek gave his life to save me and protect the others on those ships.

No Elinare has expired since we entered this universe.

Quinn shook his head. I’m really sorry.

What of the others?

Others?

Those you chose to bring with you.

Keiza, Rahada, Vyasa, Zothan, Conor, and the dolin—all stood still and silent as mannequins. Had the Elinare pulled him out of time just as the now-extinct Japhet had done earlier?

Quinn raised his voice. They have agreed to help and support me.

Are you certain?

What’s that supposed to mean?

We have seen inside your head, the voice replied. The creature you call your son is not your son. The Harani female is also a copy. The Nemazi is enslaved to his cultural norms—he would slit your throat without a thought if custom demanded it. The Shanata serves you out of a misplaced sense of honour, and the Agantzane construct is merely following its programming.

And what of Keiza?

The voice stayed silent.

What of Keiza? Quinn repeated.

The sea of light shifted, and they were outside the dome once more.

~

Quinn sat on a glittering silver hillock, chin resting in his hands. Rahada, Vyasa, and Conor watched him with expectant faces. Zothan and the dolin wore their customary implacable expressions. Keiza had vanished soon after they exited the dome, summoned to some unknown meeting. The Qan-ho-nah’s final silence still hung in his ears.

Vyasa ruffled her wings, sat in front of him, and tucked her legs beneath herself.

Rahada moved in behind her. "The Qan-ho-nah asked you to show them something, and then we were outside the dome."

Quinn stared straight ahead. They dropped me into another of their little Elinare scenarios.

What happened? Vyasa asked.

I’m not sure. But I don’t think it went well.

Maybe we should go back to the ship, Vyasa suggested.

Rahada looked at her sharply. We cannot return until we have the Elinare’s agreement to help us.

I wasn’t suggesting we leave orbit. But it might be safer up there.

And if they seal the barrier surrounding this world, what then?

Rahada’s right, Quinn said. We have to stay and see this thing through.

What did they say? Zothan asked.

Quinn sighed. They asked about Aurek, mainly. I don’t think they understood why he gave his life. They told me no Elinare has perished since they came here. Aurek featured in their scenario. I tried to demonstrate that I would have prevented his death if I could. I’m not sure I got through to them, though. He left out the Qan-ho-nah’s stinging criticisms. Little point in souring relations further.

The dolin gazed down, the orange beam from its eye sweeping the hillock. What of their directive?

Quinn raised his head. Directive?

All things have a directive. Like all of my kind, I was designated as a weapon. Then a new master directed me to preserve you and Conor. You taught me that when that directive is fulfilled, I will need to seek my own, though I am not sure what that may be. The Elinare, too, have a directive. If we help them fulfil theirs, we may gain their favour.

The construct has a good point, Rahada said. Didn’t Keiza tell you that the Elinare could not devote endless time to shoring up their defences? They need our protection to continue their work of saving both universes. If they allow the Damise to overrun us, they’ll be cutting their own throats.

Quinn realised he should have made that argument out of the gate, but he’d assumed that because Keiza had voiced it, all Elinare must be of the same opinion. He was starting to think that, like the Agantzane, the Elinare might have different factions holding to different schools of thought.

He heard a far-off rumble and glanced skyward. The bright golden dome was seamless from horizon to horizon, with nothing resembling a thundercloud. Even desert worlds such as Nemazi needed rain to sustain life, but life here was noncorporeal so presumably didn’t require water. So far, he’d observed nothing resembling a lake or a river.

A section of sky darkened before brightening again, then another. Distant thunder rolled from the heavens.

What’s going on? he asked no one in particular.

Keiza materialised at the foot of the knoll and hurried towards the group. The dark patches expanded like evil flowers, and the thunder echoed like a roomful of timpanis. She joined them, and together they gazed at the display.

The Haven is under attack, she announced.

~

Darkness bloomed against the sky, pushing back the light. For the first time ever, Quinn saw fear cross Keiza’s features.

The Damise have found us, she said.

How is that possible? Rahada demanded. They couldn’t navigate this space, let alone find your Haven. They don’t have the theoretical know-how.

"The Qan-ho-nah are saying you guided them here."

That’s a lie!

Their evidence is circumstantial, but it is compelling. The bombardment began only a short time after your arrival. And Vyasa is a Damise-engineered copy.

Keiza, Quinn said, do you believe we brought the Damise down on you?

She hesitated. Not deliberately, no. But it is possible they could have tracked Vyasa.

"All right, let’s table that for now. What do the Qan-ho-nah intend to do?"

That’s not been decided. The Damise fleet has opened a continuous barrage, but the planetary barrier is holding. At the moment, it’s a standoff. Of course, that could change with time.

"What do the Qan-ho-nah intend to do with us?"

That, too, has not been decided, although if the Damise did follow us, then I am as culpable as anyone. I brought you here, knowing the risks.

What about the Shanata vessel in orbit? Vyasa asked.

If its crew detected the fleet’s approach, they may have had time to escape, Keiza replied. Either way, it’s impossible to get a signal through the barrier, so there’s no way to know for sure.

The darkening sky was already casting an unaccustomed gloom over the surface of the Haven. Everywhere he looked, the Elinare had ceased their antics and gazed upwards like lost children.

What are we going to do, Dad? Conor asked.

"Keiza, please tell the Qan-ho-nah we’ll cooperate in every way possible."

And then what? Rahada prompted.

We wait and see who prevails, Quinn said.

~

Quinn soon learned that biding her time was not one of Rahada’s strengths. Shortly after Keiza vanished on another unnamed errand, Rahada began pacing incessantly, muttering to herself as though working on an insoluble problem. Quinn couldn’t decide whether she was engaged in some Shanata ritual or just being irritating, but he was at the point of yelling at her to knock it off when Keiza reappeared.

Though the glowering sky cast shadows across her features, her tone betrayed no hint of anything amiss. "The Qan-ho-nah has arranged accommodations for you. Come."

They trailed Keiza through another geometric jumble of edifices past Elinare who sat, wandered aimlessly, or stared at the darkening sky with soulless eyes.

Keiza halted in front of a white box shape with no windows, whose walls were as smooth as marble yet warm to the touch. A wave of her hand revealed an entranceway half as high again as Quinn but far too small for the dolin.

It stared down in flat-faced defeat. I will remain here and protect you from harm.

Quinn recalled Tzurel’s fate. All right. Just don’t stomp on anyone.

The dolin angled its great head towards him.

I mean it.

It turned and faced outwards, unmoving as a sphinx.

Resigned, Quinn followed Keiza into the cool interior.

White walls, split levels, and curved archways reminded him of what he had read and heard of the layout of Spanish haciendas, but the interior of this structure displayed none of the long-stemmed potted plants and bold, colourful murals that sang of Latin warmth and flair. The place was clinical, as though it belonged to a doctor with no sense of humour.

A wide table supported rows of neatly arranged cups and bowls and, at the centre, a large pitcher of what looked like water.

He licked his parched lips. He had seen no rivers, lakes, or other sources of water on this artificial world, so how the Elinare had obtained water was yet another mystery to add to his growing stack. He crossed to the table, selected a plain white cup with no handle, and raised the pitcher.

Careful! Rahada’s warning was like a tug on his sleeve.

Quinn glanced at Keiza. She gazed back with wide-eyed innocence. If her people wanted him dead, they could simply have waited for him to die of thirst. He downed half a cupful. The liquid cooled his tongue and soothed his throat. He poured another cup and handed it to Conor, who grasped it in both hands and quaffed the contents. Next in line were Rahada, Vyasa, and finally Zothan, who sipped once and handed his cup back to Quinn with a slight bow. Magatha rashan—water brother—the bond they had formed on Zothan’s arid home world was steeped in symbolism and tradition that Quinn barely understood, but he accepted the cup with a nod and drank.

Keiza pointed at a bowl filled with what looked like red candies. "These will provide you with sustenance during your stay. I must leave you now. The Qan-ho-nah require my presence."

How are your people holding up? Quinn asked.

The barrier will last for ten thousand of your years.

That wasn’t exactly what he had meant, but he let it pass.

Sleeping quarters have been prepared for when you desire rest. Keiza turned