I led the search team deeper into the cave. We went straight to the main, sphere-shaped chamber. The pods were exactly as we’d left them—cracked open. Footprints were still pressed into the mossy floor. And the computer mainframe on the wall was still off, despite all the glowing cables.
“Whoa...” Dmitri gasped, gazing around with the fascination of a human child during his first trip to a planetarium. He looked as though the entire world had just opened up to him, in one splendid but overwhelming wave. He was trying hard to take it all in. “This is incredible…”
“Have you seen anything like it before?” Ben asked him.
Dmitri shook his head. “Only in the movies. Oh, and I read about stasis chambers extensively during my sci-fi period,” he replied.
“You had a sci-fi period?” Elonora shot back, raising a skeptical eyebrow.
Dmitri raised his chin, pride oozing out of him. “I’ll have you know I’m quite the scholar on the topic.”
“Is that why you kept getting yourself electrocuted by live circuits?” Kailani cut in, chuckling.
“Hey! That came before I started reading up on the tech stuff!” Dmitri retorted, pointing a finger at her and feigning outrage. Their dynamic would’ve been absolutely hilarious, had we not been here searching for my missing parents and their grandparents.
Dmitri gave both Kailani and Elonora a grin, then settled in front of an open pod. He passed his hand along the edges, checking every screen and circuit board in sight. He even pulled the padding out, revealing more complicated systems underneath. He then frowned as he looked up at Ben and me.
“This is definitely a stasis system,” he said. “Not like anything I’ve ever seen. It’s obviously… alien, for lack of a better word. But! Like with the cables outside, it functions on the same physical and chemical principles. Something is being fed in. See these openings here?” he added, as we followed his finger pointing at various parts inside the capsule. “One of them is for the air. The second and third release some kinds of chemicals. The second reeks of ammonia, by the way, so that’s where that comes from. I don’t recognize the third, but it has a hint of mint to it.”
Hunter joined him in his survey, sniffing around the capsule.
“You know, the longer I smell this ammonia gas, or whatever it is, the drowsier I get,” Hunter said thoughtfully. “It takes a minute away from it to regain my focus.”
“Hah. It smells like ammonia because we don’t have enough Stravian knowledge to name its equivalent, but I’m willing to bet it’s a knockout gas or something,” Ben chimed in, his eyes lighting up with the realization. “Maybe it’s what kept them all in stasis!”
“And the minty stuff woke them up?” Dmitri asked, raising both eyebrows.
“That makes sense, actually,” Hunter said. “You get air through this slot. They keep you asleep with ammonia-like gas through this slot. And—”
“And if my grandma pulled the plug on one of these guys and the oxygen was depleted afterward,” Elonora cut in, “the wake-up protocol would dictate that the system floods all the pods with the minty gas through the third opening. Right?”
We were definitely on to something. Nowhere near finding my parents, but much closer to understanding how this whole cave system worked. The optimist side of me fed on this discovery. It was the best I could do to stop myself from worrying sick over my family’s disappearance.
Dmitri then followed the pod’s cable to the mainframe. He stared at it for a while, cocking his head to the side. One by one, we joined him, quietly waiting for him to give us something more to go on.
“Anything?” Ben asked him.
“Nothing about this big-ass contraption, if that’s what you were hoping for,” Dmitri replied dryly. “I do look forward to tearing it apart, piece by piece, and understanding how it works. It’s definitely a computer. And most laws of physics and mathematics are universally applicable, across dimensions,” he added.
“But there’s that lemony scent again,” Hunter said.
Dmitri nodded, then smiled at Ben and me. “The lemony trace absolutely belongs to the pod people,” he concluded. “I caught a faint whiff of it at the resort, in the jungle, too… not to mention in here. It’s extra strong in a closed space.”
“The pods, in particular,” Hunter agreed. “So, we’ve got five hundred and five unknown creatures with a lemony scent.”
“They were at the resort. Maybe not all of them, but some were there. 100 percent,” Dmitri added.
I scoffed. “Great, so five hundred and five potential hostiles.”
“Or peaceful creatures who are dazed and have no idea what year it is?” Dmitri replied, trying to look on the bright side.
“If they’re peaceful, what happened to our parents?” Ben asked. “And your grandparents. And our friends. They’re all missing, and they were definitely in touch with these creatures. I feel like I’m repeating myself, at this point,” he added, then sighed.
Kailani raised a hand, demanding our attention. “I wouldn’t be too worried about them. We’ve got a fire dragon, a Dhaxanian prince, a fae, and, well… me,” she said, trying her best to stay modest without selling herself short. “Whatever they are, I doubt they stand a chance.”
“On top of that, think about Derek and Sofia’s group,” Elonora added. “Vampires with plenty of combat experience. Fae with fire abilities. Plus, a seasoned witch and a warlock.”
Ben let out a long and heavy sigh. “I like how we’re trying to convince ourselves that it’s not all that bad.” His lips stretched into a bitter smile.
“Tell you what!” Dmitri said. “Let’s find that pier. The image stamp was the sunset before their cave expedition. Let’s see what’s in that area. They could be there, or nearby. Or the pod people might be there. Just spit-balling here, but it beats staying here and theorizing over what might’ve happened. Besides, Derek’s and the others’ scents have already faded. I can’t smell them anywhere in the area. The last trail for them is back at the beach house.”
I looked at Ben and instantly recognized the look of determination on his face. He didn’t need to say anything. I knew exactly what we were going to do next.
“Okay. Let’s look for it,” I said. “Northwest of the resort.”
“And once I’m there, I can try my True Sight again, on another three-to-four-mile radius,” Elonora suggested.
That was a good plan. It was pretty much our only plan.
And it was better than nothing, as my nerves were already stretching too far and thin.
Elonora
(Daughter of Ash and Ruby)
We headed northeast from the beach, using the boats that had been left behind. Moving slower gave us all the time we needed to take in our surroundings, and for our trackers, Hunter and Dmitri, to capture every possible scent along the way.
There were twenty islands ahead, each approximately three to four miles in length and width. From an aerial perspective, they looked like blobs of sand splattered across the turquoise ocean. Tall armies of palm trees rose from their centers, with large fruits hanging heavily from their tops. There were plenty of wild animals living on each island. Occasionally using my True Sight allowed me to spot some of the primates that Derek had seen near the pod cave, as well. They were beautiful and hilariously playful by nature, from what I could tell, and their big, bluish eyes were strange and mesmerizing.
Turquoise felines prowled at the base, prompting gazelle-like creatures to hide deeper in the palm woods, and the funky monkeys to climb all the way to the tops of the trees. Some were devious enough to set some of the fruit loose from their clusters, turning them into projectiles that hit some of the predators.
“Well, that’s one way to get rid of those who want to eat you,” Dmitri muttered, following my gaze as he manned one of our four boats.
“You know, it’s weird. This place is so pure and quiet,” Zeriel chimed in. “I find it hard to believe that something nefarious could be at play here.”
“Most of the places we go to are apparently nice, pretty, and whatnot,” Ben said. “Until you peel away at the first layer and discover the nightmares hiding below.”
“True, but we actually checked this planet before we even built the damn resort,” I replied. Deep down, I was a little mad at myself, too, for not having dug deeper during the scans. “We should’ve checked better.”
Rose shook her head. “Don’t beat yourself up over this,” she said. “Dad found the cave by accident. It’s very well hidden, and we’ve already agreed that the metal casing of the pods may have tampered with our scanning equipment, making that entire place go unnoticed.”
I couldn’t help but sigh. I knew she was right, but still.
“Let’s stop on that island,” Ben interjected, pointing at the next patch of land, which was situated just fifty yards away. The waters were getting shallow already. “Once you reach the shore, you can do another scan of the area, Lenny.”
I nodded, and Dmitri, Hunter, Ridan, and Ben paddled our four boats toward the slim white beach. Once we were on dry land again, the guys gathered several long and thick pieces of wood, which they hammered into the shore and used as pillars to tie our boats to.
In the meantime, I used my True Sight to scan the area in full detail. At first, I was only looking at about another three to four square miles of trembling ocean waters, small islands, and emerging atoll ridges. Then, finally, I spotted the lighthouse, about a mile and a half away and farther to the northeast.
“I see it,” I said, pointing in that direction. “I see the lighthouse, the long jetty. It’s a small pier, but… Wait, there’s no ship.”
My brow furrowed. Hunter took out Cameron’s phone and flipped back to the image we’d based our search upon. I zoomed in on it, constantly comparing the photo to what my eyes were seeing.
“Is it the same pier structure?” Rose asked, anxiously waiting for me to say something.
I nodded. “Yes. Same length. The lighthouse is identical. But there is definitely no ship there now. It’s… I think it’s gone.”
“Would this vessel fit five hundred creatures on it?” Hunter replied, narrowing his eyes at the phone image. “It looks medium sized. Or am I seeing it wrong?”
Ben and Rose inched closer to have another look, then looked at Hunter and me and nodded. “You could definitely cram five hundred on it, provided they’re close to our height and weight. It’s a long vessel, a cruiser of sorts,” Ben said.
“So, what are we thinking? That whatever came out of the pods traveled all the way to that pier, without boats of any kind, boarded the ship, and vanished?” I asked. It sounded both likely and unlikely once I said it out loud.
Rose sighed, then shrugged. “Maybe? Dammit, I hate being in the dark like this,” she muttered.
Nevis stepped forward, keeping his chin high.
“How about we go take a look right now?” he suggested.
“We should,” I replied. “Let’s get back in the boats—”
“Don’t be a child,” he shot back with a dismissive hand gesture. My blood boiled instantly. I could almost hear my ears whistle like a teakettle. “My way is easier and faster.”
Nevis walked over to the shore and put his hand out. As his long fingers wiggled, frost spread out from underneath his bare feet. It stretched across the water, forming a long platform that measured about six feet in width. The ice was thick, smooth, and sturdy, steady over the ocean surface.
He took the lead, while the rest of us followed. I couldn’t take my eyes off the Dhaxanian frost. There was a peculiar shimmer in it that I’d never seen in ice before. It wasn’t easily noticeable, either, but it spoke to its mystical origin. Nevis’s species was truly extraordinary.
He gave me a quick glance over the shoulder, his icy blue eyes darkening for a brief moment.
“This is awesome,” Dmitri said, grinning like a kid in a winter wonderland.
“Glad you’re entertained,” Nevis replied, his tone dry and clipped.
Dmitri frowned at him. Judging by his murky violet aura, the young wolf was confused—not that I could blame him. Nevis’s passive-aggressiveness was most likely related to my little white lie about me having feelings for Dmitri, though I couldn’t understand why the Dhaxanian prince was being such a jerk to him.
It didn’t feel right to let the animosity between Nevis and me spill out and sting others, especially Dmitri. So, after a deep breath, I moved forward and walked by Nevis’s side at the front. The ice path continued to extend for the next mile and a half, as we got closer to the pier and lighthouse.
“Why are you being so hard on Dmitri?” I asked Nevis, keeping my voice low.
Nevis scoffed. “I’m hard on everybody. It’s my nature. I thought Avril gave you the rundown prior to this mission.”
I felt a tinge of relief, mainly because his reply actually made sense. Nevis did strike me as an all-around elitist who considered himself above everyone else. It didn’t make him any less gorgeous, impressive, or fascinating, but, still, his blunt self-awareness did have an interesting impact on me. Needless to say, it didn’t make me like him less.
“We’re now five miles northeast of Noagh,” Kailani interjected from behind, checking the map coordinates on her tablet.
“So, based on the images and videos alone, our people made it all the way here,” Ridan replied. He scoffed, then looked around.
The ice path ended abruptly once it made contact with the white sand beach surrounding the lighthouse. I used my True Sight once more, but there was no sign of Derek, Sofia, or the others. There were no other creatures either, besides the local fauna scattered across the islands.
“Still no sign of them?” Ben asked me.
I shook my head. “Sorry.”
“Maybe we need a higher vantage point,” Dmitri suggested, then pointed at the lighthouse. “We should climb up there and have a look.”
We all nodded in agreement, except Nevis, who crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. I wasn’t sure why that smug look on his face didn’t make me want to smack him, despite the fact that I kept telling myself that I should totally want to smack him. Nevis had a strange and alarming effect on me, indeed, but I couldn’t let it get in the way of our mission.
“It’s too short,” Nevis said. “Here, try this instead.”
He then put his arms out, his fingers wiggling and glowing in a gentle blue hue. Nevis drew water from the ocean, bringing out billions of droplets and turning them into ice fragments. He moved his hands around, guiding each frozen shard into a twelve-foot-wide tower. Out of nothing but ocean water, Nevis managed to build an ice tower, stretching upward and going much higher than the lighthouse.
Gasps erupted from our group. My jaw dropped as I stared at his marvelous creation.
The tower came complete with a spiraling staircase and windows on each of its twenty levels. The moonlight reflected against its smooth façade, casting blue glimmers all around. It was absolutely superb.
“Holy crap, this is something out of a fairy tale.” Kailani gawked at Nevis’s creation.
“Thank you, I presume?” Nevis replied, wearing a confident smirk. He looked at me again, but only for a split second, before shifting his focus back to the tower. “Now, who wants to go up there with me?”
Ben and Rose were the first to frown as they looked up.
“We wouldn’t be of much use up there, compared to Lenny and Dmitri,” Rose said. “Take them, Nevis. Lenny’s True Sight and Dmitri’s sharp nose will get us more data, for sure.”
Nevis nodded, then motioned for Dmitri and me to join him. We followed him inside the tower and up the narrow stairs.
“Oh, they’re not slippery at all,” Dmitri muttered, careful where he stepped.
“There would be no reason to build a staircase that you cannot climb, don’t you think?” Nevis replied. I didn’t even realize I’d been rolling my eyes until Nevis stopped to scowl at me. “Got something to say, Miss Goode?”
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I scoffed. “Nope. I’m pretty sure my silence says it all.”
“So does your eyeroll,” Nevis shot back. “I just thought you might want to add some notes to that.”
“Ugh, can we go up now?” I retorted, pointing upward.
Nevis continued his climb up the stairs. Dmitri caught my arm, making us slow down until we were a half-level’s distance from him.
“What’s up with you two?” Dmitri whispered. “Are you interested in killing each other, maybe?”
I chuckled. “No. Maybe. No.”
“Then cut it out with the jabs. The guy’s super powerful, and he’s royalty,” Dmitri advised me in a friendly tone. Deep down I knew he was right, but Nevis’s origins were not an excuse for his pompous stings. I certainly wasn’t going to let him get away with it. It would set a dangerous precedent.
“We’re a team,” I said. “We respect each other. I’m not letting anyone break that one basic rule.”
Dmitri chuckled. “Come on, Lenny. The guy’s a tad abrasive, sure, but we’re all in the same boat here. We all have our quirks.”
I sighed and decided not to continue the conversation. Dmitri was a sweet and tolerant guy by nature, and Nevis was his polar opposite. Maybe that antithesis was skewing my perception. Well, that and the fact that I’m obviously attracted to the Ice Lord.
We made it to the top, and the view simply took my breath away. Nevis’s ice tower offered a 360-degree panorama of the surrounding islands and atolls. There were thousands of white sand and jungle patches, gathered in circular clusters at distances of approximately five miles from one group to another.
“Whoa,” Dmitri murmured, his eyes wide as he took it all in. “This is beautiful.”
Nevis stood next to us at the top, his hands behind his back as he gazed out into the distance. He nodded slowly.
“It’s a superb planet,” he said. “Excellent choice for a vacation destination, indeed. It’s a shame there’s something off about it.”