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Book: Maia and the Xifarian Conspiracy (The Lightbound Saga Book 1) by S. G. Basu
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Authors: S. G. Basu
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have any windows in here?” Maia wondered aloud, eager to change the subject.
“The whole wall above these railings is a giant window. It was clear when I arrived, but fogged up shortly afterwards.” Kusha latched on to the new topic like Maia had hoped. “Maybe we would get dizzy if they kept it open, since this craft probably travels at incredible speeds.”
“And where are we going now?” Maia asked.
“I think we’ll stop at various points on the Second Continent. Once they have gathered all the participants from this sector, we’ll take off for Arpasgula.”
“Arpasgula?”
“It’s the gateway into Xif.”
“Who was that white-haired guy in the tent?” Maia asked, wondering about the person who had scanned her pass-key.
“He was a Tokii clerk,” Kusha replied. “They are rumored to be a very powerful force on Xif.”
Before Maia could ask her next question, the floor shook and then stilled again.
“Seems like we landed,” Kusha said.
They did not have to wait long to find that Kusha had guessed right. The curt mechanical voice sounded, repeating the same instructions they had heard before. Soon, the door of the pod opened and some boys and girls came up the stairs. Most of them flocked together in their own little groups; a few offered a smile or a shy wave. Then, after the expected announcement, the pod took off with a brief shudder, and Maia eased back into her chat with Kusha. Conversation drifted to their families and homes. Kusha spoke of the lands he had visited with the Solianese Circus and of the people he had met on his journeys.
As they chatted, the Holding Pod made several more stops. Every time the door opened, Maia caught glimpses of the landscape outside shifting dramatically, from mountains to valleys to deserts, and back and forth.
The circular room filled up slowly. Maia was happy that they were left alone. The most anyone ventured was a hesitant hello, with a few exceptions. A wiry boy named Jiri, who looked a little older than Kusha, shook everyone’s hands and introduced himself. A brother and sister duo joined Maia and Kusha for a while, but that conversation soon turned into an argument over which of the two had performed better at the Selectives. Maia was relieved when the pair finally headed to the opposite side of the pod, all the while arguing bitterly.
When the walls of the pod finally cleared after the tenth stop, they were flying low over an unending expanse of the brightest blue water Maia had ever seen. Countless waves rose and fell; the pod skimmed over their foamy white crests and then plunged headlong into the shimmering surface below.
“Hope we’re not crashing.” Maia grabbed the rails with all her might.
“I think we’re entering the Jjordic porthole for Coloni Centrei, the central colony. That would fall within the borders of this sector,” Kusha ventured a guess.
Maia could barely suppress a scream when an enormous funnel suddenly emerged from the depths of the water, swaying like the flared hood of a snake, and effortlessly swallowed the pod. The craft careened forward like a miniscule crumb through the sinewy insides of the tube, twisting and turning through the seemingly everlasting darkness. Before the bleak, shadowy passageway could engulf Maia’s senses, the pod bobbed up inside a small, bulbous cave lit vividly in cerulean light. The sudden brightness after the dark stretch made Maia blink; her eyes struggled to adjust to the change. When her sight steadied, she saw a group of men and women dressed in crisp white uniforms standing on the ledge that bordered the circumference of the cave. Once the craft was secured, the door fell open.
About twenty Jjord children marched inside, all dressed in blue and white, their abalone talismans draped proudly around their necks. They strutted in, ignoring everyone else, and sat down in a circle at the center of the pod, except for one girl who stood at the doorway, whose right hand rested on the
“The whole wall above these railings is a giant window. It was clear when I arrived, but fogged up shortly afterwards.” Kusha latched on to the new topic like Maia had hoped. “Maybe we would get dizzy if they kept it open, since this craft probably travels at incredible speeds.”
“And where are we going now?” Maia asked.
“I think we’ll stop at various points on the Second Continent. Once they have gathered all the participants from this sector, we’ll take off for Arpasgula.”
“Arpasgula?”
“It’s the gateway into Xif.”
“Who was that white-haired guy in the tent?” Maia asked, wondering about the person who had scanned her pass-key.
“He was a Tokii clerk,” Kusha replied. “They are rumored to be a very powerful force on Xif.”
Before Maia could ask her next question, the floor shook and then stilled again.
“Seems like we landed,” Kusha said.
They did not have to wait long to find that Kusha had guessed right. The curt mechanical voice sounded, repeating the same instructions they had heard before. Soon, the door of the pod opened and some boys and girls came up the stairs. Most of them flocked together in their own little groups; a few offered a smile or a shy wave. Then, after the expected announcement, the pod took off with a brief shudder, and Maia eased back into her chat with Kusha. Conversation drifted to their families and homes. Kusha spoke of the lands he had visited with the Solianese Circus and of the people he had met on his journeys.
As they chatted, the Holding Pod made several more stops. Every time the door opened, Maia caught glimpses of the landscape outside shifting dramatically, from mountains to valleys to deserts, and back and forth.
The circular room filled up slowly. Maia was happy that they were left alone. The most anyone ventured was a hesitant hello, with a few exceptions. A wiry boy named Jiri, who looked a little older than Kusha, shook everyone’s hands and introduced himself. A brother and sister duo joined Maia and Kusha for a while, but that conversation soon turned into an argument over which of the two had performed better at the Selectives. Maia was relieved when the pair finally headed to the opposite side of the pod, all the while arguing bitterly.
When the walls of the pod finally cleared after the tenth stop, they were flying low over an unending expanse of the brightest blue water Maia had ever seen. Countless waves rose and fell; the pod skimmed over their foamy white crests and then plunged headlong into the shimmering surface below.
“Hope we’re not crashing.” Maia grabbed the rails with all her might.
“I think we’re entering the Jjordic porthole for Coloni Centrei, the central colony. That would fall within the borders of this sector,” Kusha ventured a guess.
Maia could barely suppress a scream when an enormous funnel suddenly emerged from the depths of the water, swaying like the flared hood of a snake, and effortlessly swallowed the pod. The craft careened forward like a miniscule crumb through the sinewy insides of the tube, twisting and turning through the seemingly everlasting darkness. Before the bleak, shadowy passageway could engulf Maia’s senses, the pod bobbed up inside a small, bulbous cave lit vividly in cerulean light. The sudden brightness after the dark stretch made Maia blink; her eyes struggled to adjust to the change. When her sight steadied, she saw a group of men and women dressed in crisp white uniforms standing on the ledge that bordered the circumference of the cave. Once the craft was secured, the door fell open.
About twenty Jjord children marched inside, all dressed in blue and white, their abalone talismans draped proudly around their necks. They strutted in, ignoring everyone else, and sat down in a circle at the center of the pod, except for one girl who stood at the doorway, whose right hand rested on the
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