SHARDFALL
Chapter 7: The Cracks Within
The first whisper came at 03:17.
Sithra was awake when it happened.
She sat alone in her quarters aboard the Nightingale, a half-finished cup of tea cooling on the table beside her. The lights were dimmed to the ship's artificial night cycle, and beyond the viewport, distant stars burned with the indifferent patience of eternity.
Her staff rested against the wall.
The crystal embedded in its head was glowing.
Sithra stared at it.
"No," she murmured.
The violet light brightened, then faded, almost like a heartbeat.
She rose slowly, her long white hair falling over the shoulders of her sleeping robe. Her silver-scaled fingers closed around the staff.
The moment she touched it, a sensation passed through her mind.
Not a voice, exactly.
More like the memory of someone speaking in another room.
Alone.
Sithra tightened her grip.
"I am not alone."
The crystal pulsed.
Are you certain?
Her eyes narrowed.
She had heard things before. Fleeting impressions. Thoughts that seemed to arise from nowhere. She had attributed them to exhaustion, to the strain of everything that had happened on Kheln.
But this was different.
This had felt like an answer.
Sithra set the staff down and stepped away from it.
"Enough."
The glow diminished.
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then the chime at her door sounded.
Sithra nearly jumped.
"Enter."
The door slid open to reveal Rain, carrying a medical scanner and wearing the faintly weary expression of a doctor who had been summoned out of bed one too many times.
"You're awake," Rain observed.
"So are you."
"Occupational hazard." Rain offered a small smile. "I was checking the overnight medical telemetry. Your neural activity spiked about five minutes ago."
Sithra glanced toward her staff.
"Did it?"
Rain followed her gaze.
"Another headache?"
"No."
"Sithra."
The healer looked away.
"A little discomfort. Nothing more."
Rain stepped inside.
"Mind if I take a look?"
Sithra hesitated.
That hesitation surprised her.
Rain had shown her nothing but kindness. She had treated her injuries, listened to her fears, and offered help without demanding anything in return.
There was no reason to distrust her.
And yet—
She wants to know what you are.
Sithra's head turned sharply toward the staff.
Rain noticed.
"What is it?"
"Nothing."
"You're sure?"
Sithra forced herself to meet the doctor's eyes.
"Quite sure."
Rain lowered the scanner.
"All right. But if something changes, I want you to tell me."
"I will."
The words came easily.
Too easily.
Rain studied her for another moment, then nodded.
"Try to get some rest."
When the door closed, Sithra remained standing in the center of the room.
She stared at the staff.
"That was not my thought," she whispered.
The shard gave no answer.
Elsewhere aboard the Nightingale
Deep within the ship's secured research laboratory, the second shard hung motionless inside a containment field.
It had remained there since its recovery from Murder Mountain.
Three independent energy barriers surrounded the crystal. Sensors tracked its emissions continuously. The chamber was isolated from the ship's primary power distribution, and access required command authorization.
By every measurable standard, the artifact was secure.
At 03:17, its energy output increased by 0.003 percent.
At 03:18, it returned to normal.
The monitoring system classified the fluctuation as insignificant.
No alarm sounded.
No one was notified.
But for one brief instant, a hairline fracture of violet light appeared across the crystal's surface.
Then it vanished.
At 07:40, Niena Connor entered the laboratory with Commander Charlie Hunter.
"Tell me something good, Charlie."
The raccoon engineer looked up from his diagnostic display.
"Well, the coffee machine on Deck Four is working again."
Niena gave him a sideways look.
"About the shard."
"Oh. That."
Charlie turned the display toward her.
"Containment is holding. Power consumption is steady. No radiation leakage, no unusual gravitational effects, and nothing trying to eat the ship."
"That last one sounds suspiciously specific."
"I've learned to be thorough."
Niena folded her arms and studied the suspended crystal.
"Anything else?"
Charlie hesitated.
"One little thing. There was an energy fluctuation overnight."
"How little?"
"Three thousandths of a percent."
"Could be instrument drift?"
"Could be. But the waveform was unusual."
He brought up a second display.
Niena leaned closer.
Two violet peaks appeared on the screen, separated by a narrow interval.
"That looks almost like a signal," she said.
"That's what I thought."
"From where?"
Charlie scratched behind one ear.
"That's the interesting part. I checked the ship's internal sensor logs for the same period."
"And?"
"There was a matching energy signature."
Niena straightened.
"Where?"
Charlie looked distinctly uncomfortable.
"Deck Eight."
"What's on Deck Eight?"
"Guest quarters."
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Niena closed her eyes.
"Sithra."
Charlie nodded.
"Yeah."
Niena looked through the containment field at the dark crystal.
"Does she know?"
"Not that I'm aware of."
"Keep this between us for now. I don't want her frightened over something we haven't established."
"Understood."
"And Charlie?"
"Yeah, Captain?"
"Find out whether those two things are communicating."
Charlie glanced at the crystal again.
"That's what worries me."
Niena turned toward him.
"What does?"
He enlarged the waveform.
"Communication usually involves sending something and receiving an answer."
Two peaks.
Two identical patterns.
One originating from the containment chamber.
The other from Deck Eight.
Charlie swallowed.
"Captain, I think something answered."
Sithra stood before the mirror in her quarters, carefully fastening the clasp of her robe.
She had slept perhaps an hour.
Her reflection looked tired.
She raised one silver-scaled hand to her temple.
They are talking about you.
Sithra froze.
"No."
They have discovered the connection.
"Be silent."
They will take your staff.
She turned toward the weapon resting beside her bed.
The shard was dark.
Ordinary.
Silent.
And yet, for the first time since joining the Guardians, Sithra found herself wondering whether the kindness she had been shown came with conditions.
She hated herself for the thought.
Rain had helped her. Niena had welcomed her. The crew had offered her friendship.
She knew these things.
She remembered them.
But somewhere beneath those memories, something had begun patiently, almost imperceptibly, to pull them apart.
Sithra picked up her staff.
"I trust them," she whispered.
A moment passed.
Then the voice returned.
For now. The First Misunderstanding
By midmorning, the Nightingale had settled into the comfortable rhythm of an ordinary day.
Or as ordinary as life aboard the Guardians' flagship ever became.
In the main galley, Aren was preparing lunch while simultaneously supervising two junior kitchen assistants and arguing with a malfunctioning food processor.
"I am going to throw you out an airlock," the leopard informed the machine.
The processor emitted an indignant beep.
"Don't beep at me."
From a nearby table, Clawrence looked up from a plate piled with enough breakfast to feed three people.
"Have you tried asking it nicely?"
"I asked it nicely twenty minutes ago."
"Maybe it didn't hear you."
Aren pointed a wooden spoon at him.
"Clawrence."
"Yes?"
"Eat your breakfast."
"Okay!"
The fox returned happily to his meal.
At another table, Charlie Hunter was examining a small engineering component while sipping coffee.
Aren glanced over.
"Commander, please tell me that's not something radioactive."
"Nope."
"Explosive?"
"Not currently."
"Charlie."
"It's a replacement regulator for the coffee machine."
Aren stared.
"You took apart the coffee machine?"
"It was broken."
"It was working this morning."
"You're welcome."
The galley doors opened.
Sithra entered, carrying her staff.
Clawrence immediately raised a paw.
"Hi, Sithra!"
She smiled faintly.
"Good morning, Clawrence."
"Want breakfast? Aren made these little potato things. They're really good."
"They're hash browns," Aren called.
"That's what I said."
Sithra approached the serving counter.
"Perhaps some tea."
"Coming right up," Aren replied.
He selected a clean cup and began preparing it.
Clawrence watched Sithra for a moment.
"You okay?"
She looked toward him.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"Oh, nothing. You just look tired."
A perfectly innocent observation.
Clawrence had meant nothing by it.
But something shifted behind Sithra's eyes.
He notices.
She tightened her grip on the staff.
"I slept poorly."
"Oh." Clawrence nodded sympathetically. "I hate when that happens."
Aren set the tea on the counter.
"Here you go. I put a little honey in it."
"Thank you."
"And Sithra?"
She paused.
"If you're feeling under the weather, Rain's probably in medical."
Sithra's expression changed.
"Did she ask you to tell me that?"
Aren blinked.
"What?"
"Rain. Did she ask you to send me to medical?"
"No. I just thought—"
"Then why mention her?"
The leopard's ears shifted backward.
"Because she's the doctor?"
For an instant, Sithra felt a flash of irritation.
Not at Aren's words.
At the tone she thought she heard beneath them.
They think you cannot look after yourself.
She set the untouched tea on the counter.
"Of course."
Aren frowned.
"Sithra, I didn't mean—"
"I know what you meant."
She turned and walked toward the exit.
Clawrence watched her go.
Then he looked at Aren.
"What happened?"
Aren stared at the abandoned cup.
"I have absolutely no idea."
Charlie slowly lowered his coffee.
"That was... unusual."
Clawrence's ears drooped.
"Did I say something wrong?"
"No," Aren said quietly. "I don't think you did."
But none of them sounded particularly certain.
A Conversation Between Friends
Sithra walked briskly through the corridor.
She was being foolish.
She knew it.
Clawrence had simply asked whether she was feeling well. Aren had offered tea. Neither had done anything remotely unkind.
So why had she become angry?
She stopped beside a viewport and closed her eyes.
"Control yourself," she whispered.
They were discussing you before you arrived.
"No."
You saw their expressions.
"They were surprised."
Because you interrupted them.
Sithra opened her eyes.
The reflection in the viewport stared back at her.
Silver scales. White hair. Tired violet eyes.
Her staff began to feel unusually warm in her hand.
"You're lying."
Am I?
She looked down at the crystal.
For the briefest moment, something moved deep within it.
Not light.
Not shadow.
Something resembling a crack.
Then—
"Sithra?"
She turned sharply.
Niena Connor stood several paces away, her draconic tail resting in a gentle curve behind her.
The Prime Guardian's expression was one of mild concern.
"I've been looking for you."
Sithra's heart gave an uncomfortable little jump.
Of course she has.
"Captain."
"Niena, please. We're not on duty."
Sithra inclined her head.
"Niena."
The dragonfox approached.
"Rain mentioned you weren't sleeping well."
Sithra's fingers tightened around her staff.
"Did she?"
"She was concerned."
"I see."
Niena studied her.
"Is something wrong?"
"Why does everyone keep asking me that?"
The question came out more sharply than Sithra intended.
Niena's ears lifted slightly.
"Because you seem troubled."
"And if I am?"
"Then I'd like to help."
Sithra looked away.
Help.
That word again.
She had heard it so often since coming aboard.
Help with her injuries. Help with her quarters. Help adjusting to the ship. Help understanding the technology.
Always help.
Always someone watching.
Always someone asking questions.
Niena spoke gently.
"Sithra, you don't have to tell me anything you're uncomfortable discussing."
The healer turned back toward her.
"Then why did you come looking for me?"
Niena hesitated.
Only for a moment.
But Sithra noticed.
There. She is hiding something.
"I wanted to see how you were settling in," Niena answered.
It wasn't a lie.
But it wasn't the whole truth, either.
Charlie had told her about the matching energy signatures. She wanted to speak with Sithra before deciding whether further investigation was necessary.
She hadn't wanted to alarm her.
Unfortunately, Sithra interpreted the hesitation differently.
"You needn't worry about me, Captain."
Niena's expression softened.
"That's rather difficult. Worrying about people is part of my job."
"Then perhaps you should worry about someone else."
Silence.
Sithra immediately regretted the words.
Niena did not look offended.
She looked surprised.
Then a little saddened.
"All right," she said quietly.
Sithra swallowed.
"I didn't mean—"
"It's okay."
"No. It isn't. I—"
Niena raised a paw.
"You don't owe me an explanation. If you need some space, you can have it."
She offered a small, reassuring smile.
"My door's open whenever you want to talk."
Then she turned and continued down the corridor.
Sithra watched her leave.
A terrible heaviness settled in her chest.
She had just been rude to someone who had shown her nothing but generosity.
Why?
Why had she done that?
"Niena," she called.
But the captain had already rounded the corner.
Sithra lowered her head.
You see?
The whisper was almost tender.
Even she is beginning to tire of you.
The Second Shard
In the research laboratory, Charlie Hunter was becoming increasingly unhappy with his findings.
"That's impossible."
The computer offered no response.
Charlie leaned closer.
"Computer, repeat the scan."
A soft chime sounded.
"Scan complete."
The results appeared.
Charlie stared.
"That's still impossible."
"Perhaps," came a voice behind him, "the computer is simply tired of being told that."
Charlie turned.
Vae stood in the doorway, her white fur immaculate, purple hair neatly arranged, and glasses reflecting the laboratory's blue lighting.
"Commander."
"Vae. Hey."
She approached the console.
"Niena asked me to review the security logs."
"Right. Well, you're going to love this."
Charlie brought up two graphs.
"The shard in containment produced a tiny energy pulse at 03:17. At almost exactly the same time, Sithra's staff produced a matching pulse."
Vae adjusted her glasses.
"Almost?"
"Point-zero-four seconds apart."
"Which came first?"
Charlie pointed at the screen.
"The one in containment."
Vae examined the data.
"And the second pulse?"
"From the staff."
"An echo?"
"That's what I thought. Except..."
He displayed a third waveform.
Vae leaned closer.
The pattern was similar to the first two, but not identical.
"What is that?"
Charlie swallowed.
"That's the part I can't explain."
"Try."
"The containment shard sent a pulse. Sithra's staff responded. Then the containment shard emitted another pulse."
Vae's eyes narrowed.
"An acknowledgment."
"Maybe."
"Or a conversation."
Charlie nodded grimly.
"Exactly."
Vae folded her arms.
"Have you informed Niena?"
"Not yet. I wanted to be sure."
"Are you?"
Charlie looked at the suspended crystal.
"No."
The shard flickered.
Both officers fell silent.
A faint purple glow spread through the containment chamber.
Vae reached toward her communicator.
"Vae to bridge. Security alert, research laboratory. Possible artifact activation."
The crystal brightened.
Charlie stepped backward.
"Uh, Vae?"
"Yes?"
"Remember when I said the containment system was holding?"
"Yes."
"It still is."
"Then what's the problem?"
Charlie pointed at the display.
"The shard isn't trying to escape."
A second waveform appeared.
Then a third.
Then a fourth.
"It's trying to reach something."
A Voice From Kheln
Sithra had returned to her quarters.
She placed her staff against the wall and sat heavily on the edge of her bed.
Her encounter with Niena replayed in her mind.
Perhaps you should worry about someone else.
She winced.
What an awful thing to say.
Niena had offered friendship, and Sithra had responded with hostility.
She rose.
"No. This is foolish."
She would find Niena.
She would apologize.
She would explain that she hadn't been sleeping properly and that something was troubling her.
Perhaps Rain could help.
Perhaps—
The staff began to glow.
Sithra stopped.
A low vibration filled the room.
The violet crystal pulsed once.
Twice.
Then a voice spoke.
Not a whisper this time.
A voice she recognized.
"Sithra."
Her blood ran cold.
She knew that voice.
She had heard it on Kheln.
During the terrible days surrounding the shard's discovery.
It belonged to someone who had claimed to understand the crystal's power.
Someone whose words had brought suspicion and suffering.
"Brenner?"
The light intensified.
"At last," the voice whispered.
Sithra backed away.
"No."
"You've been difficult to reach."
"You're not here."
"No. Not physically."
"How are you speaking to me?"
A pause.
Then a soft, almost amused reply.
"You've been carrying the answer in your hands all along."
Sithra stared at the staff.
"The shard."
"Very perceptive."
Her fear began to turn into anger.
"What have you done?"
"Nothing you haven't already allowed."
"Explain yourself!"
"Such hostility. And after all the kindness you've been shown."
Sithra's eyes widened.
"What?"
"Your new friends. The Guardians. Such generous people."
"Leave them out of this."
"Oh, Sithra. I would never dream of harming your friends."
The voice softened.
"But tell me something."
She said nothing.
"Why do you suppose they're keeping the other shard from you?"
Sithra went still.
"What other shard?"
A long silence followed.
Then Brenner laughed.
Very quietly.
"Oh, my dear."
The crystal pulsed.
"They haven't told you?"
On the bridge, Niena was reviewing a navigation report when Vae's call came through.
"Security alert, research laboratory. Possible artifact activation."
Niena straightened.
"Report."
"Unexplained energy activity from the contained shard. Commander Hunter believes it's attempting communication." "With Sithra's staff?"
"Likely."
Niena tapped her communicator.
"Rain, report to the research laboratory. Bring a medical scanner."
"Acknowledged."
She rose from her chair.
"Vae, maintain containment. I'm on my way."
As she stepped toward the turbolift, another voice came over the channel.
Charlie's.
"Captain?"
"Go ahead."
"I think we have a bigger problem."
Niena stopped.
"How much bigger?"
"The shard just transmitted a structured energy pattern."
"To where?"
Charlie hesitated.
"Deck Eight."
Niena felt her stomach tighten.
"Sithra's quarters."
"Yes."
"Can you block it?"
"I'm trying."
"Try harder."
"Captain..."
Something in Charlie's voice made her pause.
"What?"
"The transmission wasn't just energy."
Niena's ears flattened.
"What was it?"
Charlie stared at the translation scrolling across his screen.
"I think..."
He swallowed.
"I think it was a name."
Niena's voice dropped.
"Whose name?"
Charlie looked at the screen again.
BRENNER.
In her quarters, Sithra stood motionless before the glowing staff.
Brenner's voice had fallen silent.
But his final question remained.
Why are they keeping the other shard from you?
Sithra closed her eyes.
She remembered Niena's hesitation.
Rain's questions.
Aren's suggestion that she visit medical.
Clawrence's worried expression.
All harmless moments.
All perfectly reasonable.
But now they seemed connected.
As though she had been missing something obvious.
"No," Sithra whispered.
She wanted to reject the thought.
She knew these people.
She trusted them.
Didn't she?
Her staff pulsed once more.
And deep inside the containment chamber, the second shard answered.
For a moment, Sithra felt something inside her mind shift.
Not break.
Not yet.
Just a tiny, almost imperceptible fracture.
The sort of crack that could remain hidden for a very long time.
Until the day something finally forced it open. The Things We Keep
The chime at Sithra's door sounded twice.
She stood motionless beside her staff.
"Sithra?" came Niena's voice. "May I come in?"
For a moment, Sithra considered refusing.
Brenner's words still echoed through her thoughts.
They haven't told you?
She looked at the crystal embedded in her staff. Its violet glow had faded to a faint ember.
"Enter."
The door opened.
Niena stepped inside, accompanied by Rain.
Sithra's expression tightened.
"Both of you?"
Niena glanced at Rain.
"Would you prefer we speak privately?"
"That depends upon what you wish to discuss."
Rain's brow furrowed.
"Sithra, we're not here to interrogate you."
"I didn't say you were."
"No, but—"
"Rain," Niena said gently.
The doctor fell silent.
Niena turned back toward Sithra.
"Charlie detected something unusual in the research laboratory. We believe your staff may be interacting with an artifact we've been studying."
Sithra's eyes narrowed.
"An artifact?"
"A crystal shard."
The silence that followed seemed to swallow the room.
Sithra stared at her.
"Another shard?"
Niena nodded.
"Yes."
"And you have had this object aboard your vessel?"
"Since the expedition to Murder Mountain."
Sithra's tail moved slowly behind her.
"How long?"
Niena hesitated.
"Sithra—"
"How long, Captain?"
There it was again.
Captain.
Not Niena.
Niena felt the change immediately.
"Several days."
Sithra looked away.
Several days.
They had possessed another shard for several days.
And no one had told her.
She remembered Brenner's question.
Why are they keeping the other shard from you?
"Why?" she asked.
Niena stepped closer.
"Because we didn't know whether it was connected to yours. We wanted to study it before drawing conclusions."
"And you did not think I should be involved?"
"We weren't excluding you."
"Then what would you call it?"
Rain spoke carefully.
"Sithra, you've been recovering from a great deal. We didn't want to add to your stress until we understood what we were dealing with."
Sithra gave a short, humorless laugh.
"My stress."
Rain blinked.
"That's not what I meant."
"Of course not."
Niena raised a paw.
"All right. I should have told you sooner."
Both women looked at her.
Niena continued.
"I made that decision. Not Rain. Not Charlie. Me."
Sithra's expression softened almost imperceptibly.
"I see."
"And I apologize."
For a moment, the tension eased.
Sithra wanted to accept the apology.
She wanted to believe that this was nothing more than an unfortunate oversight.
But then Niena asked a question.
"Has your staff been behaving strangely?"
Sithra's grip tightened.
"Strangely?"
"Glowing unexpectedly? Producing sounds? Anything unusual?"
Sithra glanced toward the crystal.
Tell her, she thought.
Tell Niena about the whispers.
Tell her about Brenner.
Tell her everything.
She opened her mouth.
And then another thought intruded.
If you tell her, she will take it away.
Sithra looked at Niena.
The Prime Guardian's expression was open and concerned.
But Sithra suddenly imagined security officers entering her quarters, taking her staff, sealing it away beside the other shard.
The staff she had carried for years.
The staff that had helped her heal the sick and protect the helpless.
Her most trusted companion.
"No," Sithra answered.
Niena studied her.
"Nothing at all?"
"Nothing worth mentioning."
Rain's scanner emitted a quiet chime.
Sithra turned sharply.
"What are you doing?"
Rain looked down.
"Just checking your neural activity."
"Without asking?"
The doctor froze.
"Oh. Sithra, I'm sorry. It's a passive scan. I should have asked."
Sithra took a step backward.
"Please stop."
Rain immediately deactivated the device.
"Of course."
Niena looked between them.
"Sithra, nobody is going to force you into an examination."
The healer's eyes flicked toward her staff.
"And nobody is going to take that from me?"
Niena followed her gaze.
For the first time, she understood what Sithra was afraid of.
"Not without a very good reason," she said.
Sithra's expression hardened.
"That is not the same as no."
Niena was silent.
Because Sithra was right.
And because Niena could not honestly promise that the staff would never become dangerous.
Finally, she said, "No. It isn't."
Sithra looked down.
"Then I believe I would like to be alone."
Niena nodded slowly.
"All right."
Rain opened her mouth, then thought better of it.
The two women turned toward the door.
"Niena?"
The captain stopped.
"Yes?"
Sithra hesitated.
For one brief moment, she looked very small.
Very tired.
"I am grateful for everything you have done for me."
Niena's expression softened.
"You don't have to thank me."
"I know."
Sithra swallowed.
"That is what makes this so difficult."
Niena wanted to say something.
To reassure her.
To explain.
But she could see that every additional word might only make things worse.
So she simply nodded.
"Good night, Sithra."
The door closed.
And Sithra was alone again.
Rain waited until they were halfway down the corridor before speaking.
"That went badly."
Niena sighed.
"Yes."
"She wasn't herself."
"I noticed."
"Her neural readings were unusual. Elevated activity in regions associated with emotional processing. Nothing conclusive, but—"
"Rain."
The doctor looked at her.
"She asked you to stop scanning."
"I did."
"I know. But we need to be careful. She's already frightened."
Rain folded her arms.
"And if the shard is affecting her judgment?"
"Then we help her."
"Even if she refuses?"
Niena stopped walking.
She considered the question.
"That's the part I haven't figured out yet."
Rain looked back toward Sithra's quarters.
"She needs someone she trusts."
Niena's ears lowered slightly.
"Yes."
"And right now, I'm not sure that's either of us."
Neither spoke for several seconds.
Then Niena tapped her communicator.
"Connor to Vae."
"Vae here."
"Keep monitoring the containment chamber. Quietly. No additional security personnel unless there's an immediate threat."
"Understood."
"And Vae?"
"Yes, Captain?"
"Don't let Sithra feel like she's a prisoner aboard my ship."
A pause.
"Of course, Niena."
The channel closed.
Rain looked at her.
"You're taking this personally."
Niena gave a tired smile.
"She's our guest, Rain. She came aboard because she believed she would be safe here."
"And she is safe."
Niena glanced back down the corridor.
"Is she?"
Inside her quarters, Sithra sat on the edge of her bed.
She had not moved since Niena and Rain departed.
Her staff rested across her knees.
The crystal was quiet.
For a long time, she simply stared at it.
Then she whispered, "Why didn't you tell me?"
There was no answer.
"Why did you make me doubt them?"
Still nothing.
Sithra closed her eyes.
She thought of Niena's apology.
Of Rain immediately stopping the scan when asked.
Of Clawrence offering her breakfast.
Of Aren preparing tea.
Small kindnesses.
Ordinary kindnesses.
The kind that could not easily be faked.
Tears gathered at the corners of her violet eyes.
"I don't want to lose them."
The crystal stirred.
A faint warmth spread through her fingers.
Then came the whisper.
You won't.
Sithra stiffened.
"Brenner?"
You needn't lose anyone.
"Then leave me alone."
I am trying to help you.
"No."
They are keeping secrets.
"They apologized."
And yet they still have the other shard.
Sithra's breathing quickened.
"Stop."
They will take yours next.
"STOP!"
She struck the butt of her staff against the floor.
The sound rang through the room.
The crystal flared.
For an instant, the reflection in the viewport changed.
Sithra saw herself standing there.
But the reflected Sithra was smiling.
Not kindly.
Not cruelly.
Simply with the serene certainty of someone who knew something she did not.
Sithra stumbled backward.
The reflection returned to normal.
She stared at it, trembling.
Then, slowly, she sank to her knees.
"Please," she whispered.
"Someone help me."
Far below, in the secured research laboratory, the second shard pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
Then it fell silent.
Charlie Hunter, who had been monitoring the readings from an adjacent console, leaned forward.
A new pattern had appeared.
He studied it for several seconds.
Then his ears flattened.
"That's not good."
The computer chimed.
"Energy synchronization complete."
Charlie stared.
"Complete?"
He began typing.
"Computer, define synchronization."
"Both artifacts are now operating at an identical resonant frequency."
"Can we break the connection?"
"Unknown."
Charlie rubbed his forehead.
"Of course it is."
He reached for his communicator.
Then stopped.
A final line appeared on the display.
THIRD SIGNAL DETECTED.
Charlie stared at it.
"Third?"
He looked toward the containment chamber.
There were only two shards.
He checked the readings again.
One signal originated from the crystal inside containment.
The second came from Sithra's staff.
The third—
Charlie felt the fur along his neck rise.
It wasn't coming from either crystal.
It was coming from Sithra herself.