Free The Zygan Emprise: Renegade Paladins and Abyssal Redemption by YS Pascal Page B

rest of him.
“I dread to ask, but who are ‘they’?”
    “A few of your old friends,” Eikhus returned
with a wry smile. “And a few of your old enemies.”
     
    * * *
     
    An hour later, Eikhus had brought us to a
hundred-foot waterfall that crashed into a turbulent whirlpool
below the small, slippery ledge under our feet. Behind the
splashing cascade was a small opening to a tiny cave that led to a
dark, narrow tunnel, which, lit by our Ergals, seemed to go on
forever. Eikhus led the way, and Spud gladly walked behind me, as
far away from Eikhus as possible, as we squeezed single file
through the winding, cramped passage. With every step, the ground
below us became drier and drier, save for the moisture of Eikhus’s
occasional sweat balls. Our Ergals kept us bathed in halos of
light, and we marched forward like incandescent ants.
    “And we’re not M-fanning in to the Chidurian
Enclave why?” Spud asked, irritated.
    Eikhus hesitated. “I’m not exactly persona
grata there.”
    “How does that not surprise me.”
    “Spud!” I scolded. Eikhus’s expulsion from
Mingferplatoi was still a painful subject. The Kharybdian’s abrupt
eruption after learning of Benedict’s devastating raid on his home
planet had almost drowned two classmates—and had led to questions
about his solidity under pressure and his fitness to be a Zygint
operative. Reminding Eikhus of those humiliating events was not
very kind at all. Spud did sometimes tend to be a little deficient
in his social skills … and his empathy. Besides, he should know
that M-fanning could leave unwanted tracks, in case our colleagues
at Zygint Central developed a yen to locate us for being AWOL.
    After another hour of hiking, we climbed
above ground and found ourselves behind a field of Sabras, tall
cactus-like trees, inside the periphery of Zyga’s Chidurian
Enclave, avoiding detection—we hoped. The planet Chiduri, located
at the tip of Orion’s sword, is noted for its parched desert
climate, baked by Hatsiya’s three suns. A testament to Zygan
bioecological technology, the Chidurian Enclave was, unfortunately,
as hot and dry as the planet Chiduri itself. I began to long for
the relative chill of desert Sidon. One glance at Spud’s face
revealed that he was equally distressed by the literally hellish
conditions.
    We’d ditched our parkas and raingear and
Ergaled ourselves into beige hooded robes. The blistering heat now
actually made us grateful for Eikhus’s cooling perspiration, and we
stayed close by our companion for the last kilometer of our journey
as we crept down deserted back alleys and dusty roads.
    To reach Matshi’s kalyvi, his cave-like
dwelling, we would unfortunately need to cross some busy streets.
In order to avoid the curious gazes of the crab-like Chidurian
pedestrians, Eikhus misted himself on us, with Spud’s grudging
approval. Looking appropriately sweaty for a pair of tourists to
the Enclave, we made our way to Matshi’s kalyvi across the crowded
thoroughfares, dodging combatively-driven six-wheeled autogamil
vehicles. Chidurian drivers are among the most aggressive in the
Universe, which, I suspect, is why many of Zyga’s best fighter
pilots are Chidurian.
    Fortunately, we arrived at our destination in
one piece. Except for Eikhus of course, who was still dispersed on
us as scattered droplets. Matshi, a seven-foot crustacean sporting
a purple Chidurian anorak that draped from his cephalothorax over
his eight appendages, answered our knock and led us into the kalyvi
with solely a nod. The moist coolness of the cave was a sharp
contrast to the desert outside, and Eikhus was quickly able to
merge into a slightly less viscous version of himself. We crawled
underground down a long circular passageway for what seemed like
several storeys, passing closed doors along the way. By the time we
reached our meeting room, Eikhus had grown back to nearly his full
height and density.
    My jaw dropped as we entered. Seated around a
large