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Authors: J. Barton Mitchell
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Holt.
And then there was the Menagerie, less than a mile away, two full ships. Every time Southlift lowered down, Holt expected to see it full of pirates, all wanting to drag him back to Faust to pay for what he’d done, even if what he’d done had been the right thing.
Holt’s thoughts stopped as a bright flash to the southwest caught his eye, away from Southlift but near the edge of the quarry. It was like the sun flashing off metal.
It was gone just as quick as—
Two more flashes to the Southeast, visible near the edge again.
Holt’s eyes narrowed. Two more made three. Three of anything made a pattern. And a pattern meant something was real.
But what? What was up there? Whatever it was, it seemed to be slowly moving to either side of the city. He looked down at the beads, thought of sliding one up … just one. What would be the problem with—
“What are you doing?” It was Mira’s voice.
He looked behind him and saw her above the same opening that had let him up, standing still and looking at him.
“There’s something along the edge of the quarry,” he told her. “Something flashing.”
But Mira’s eyes were on the abacus in his hands. “I meant what are you doing with that? ”
He felt a stirring of guilt at the question. “I … I just wanted to make sure it still worked, that’s all.”
“It’s a major artifact, Holt, why wouldn’t it still work?” Mira asked with forced patience. “And you aren’t supposed to be using it, even if it does.”
Holt felt the anger fill him again. Everything from the last few hours combined with the tone in her voice boiled over in him. He saw Ben lift Mira up, saw him kiss her.…
“Why shouldn’t I use it?” he snapped.
“Because you promised me you wouldn’t.”
Holt froze. She was right. Something about the dishonesty, or the casual way he had forgotten his own oath, stopped him. He looked down at the Chance Generator.
“The abacus makes you paranoid,” Mira continued. “It becomes an addiction, and you’re being affected by it. If you keep using it, you won’t be able to do anything without having it turned on. That’s what it does. ” Mira looked at him with sad concern. “I want you to shut the artifact off—and hand it to me.”
Holt looked up at her.
“It’ll be tough,” she continued, “there’s no doubt, but after a week or so without it … you should be okay. You should be yourself again.”
Holt was silent. He looked back at the abacus. Was she right? Was this thing really affecting him? If it was, shouldn’t he be able to tell?
“Think about how you were before the artifact,” Mira said. “You were strong, self-sufficient. It’s what meant the most to you, your ability to survive. And you hated artifacts. Can you honestly tell me you would rely on something like the Chance Generator instead of yourself?”
Holt was silent. What she said, it made sense. Didn’t it?
“I need you where we’re going, Holt.” Mira’s voice sounded raw. He wasn’t sure what had happened with Ben, but it had been emotional. “The real you. I rely on you, don’t you see? I don’t know if I can make it with you like this.”
Words that were meant to placate him cut like a knife. He looked up at her with a new look, a heated one. “You don’t need me, you’ve got him now. I’m a liability here, you and I both know it. That’s what you really want to say, isn’t it?”
Mira sighed and looked away. “What happened between us at the dam … happened because I wanted it to, but it wasn’t fair to you. I had things that weren’t resolved, things that—”
“You told me,” he said, cutting her off. “Not in so many words, but you did. I just didn’t listen, like an idiot. I stuck around when I shouldn’t have, when everything pointed for me to leave. Survival dictated it—but I stayed anyway. I keep doing it over and over again with you.”
Mira looked up at him, and her eyes were glistening. “I wanted
And then there was the Menagerie, less than a mile away, two full ships. Every time Southlift lowered down, Holt expected to see it full of pirates, all wanting to drag him back to Faust to pay for what he’d done, even if what he’d done had been the right thing.
Holt’s thoughts stopped as a bright flash to the southwest caught his eye, away from Southlift but near the edge of the quarry. It was like the sun flashing off metal.
It was gone just as quick as—
Two more flashes to the Southeast, visible near the edge again.
Holt’s eyes narrowed. Two more made three. Three of anything made a pattern. And a pattern meant something was real.
But what? What was up there? Whatever it was, it seemed to be slowly moving to either side of the city. He looked down at the beads, thought of sliding one up … just one. What would be the problem with—
“What are you doing?” It was Mira’s voice.
He looked behind him and saw her above the same opening that had let him up, standing still and looking at him.
“There’s something along the edge of the quarry,” he told her. “Something flashing.”
But Mira’s eyes were on the abacus in his hands. “I meant what are you doing with that? ”
He felt a stirring of guilt at the question. “I … I just wanted to make sure it still worked, that’s all.”
“It’s a major artifact, Holt, why wouldn’t it still work?” Mira asked with forced patience. “And you aren’t supposed to be using it, even if it does.”
Holt felt the anger fill him again. Everything from the last few hours combined with the tone in her voice boiled over in him. He saw Ben lift Mira up, saw him kiss her.…
“Why shouldn’t I use it?” he snapped.
“Because you promised me you wouldn’t.”
Holt froze. She was right. Something about the dishonesty, or the casual way he had forgotten his own oath, stopped him. He looked down at the Chance Generator.
“The abacus makes you paranoid,” Mira continued. “It becomes an addiction, and you’re being affected by it. If you keep using it, you won’t be able to do anything without having it turned on. That’s what it does. ” Mira looked at him with sad concern. “I want you to shut the artifact off—and hand it to me.”
Holt looked up at her.
“It’ll be tough,” she continued, “there’s no doubt, but after a week or so without it … you should be okay. You should be yourself again.”
Holt was silent. He looked back at the abacus. Was she right? Was this thing really affecting him? If it was, shouldn’t he be able to tell?
“Think about how you were before the artifact,” Mira said. “You were strong, self-sufficient. It’s what meant the most to you, your ability to survive. And you hated artifacts. Can you honestly tell me you would rely on something like the Chance Generator instead of yourself?”
Holt was silent. What she said, it made sense. Didn’t it?
“I need you where we’re going, Holt.” Mira’s voice sounded raw. He wasn’t sure what had happened with Ben, but it had been emotional. “The real you. I rely on you, don’t you see? I don’t know if I can make it with you like this.”
Words that were meant to placate him cut like a knife. He looked up at her with a new look, a heated one. “You don’t need me, you’ve got him now. I’m a liability here, you and I both know it. That’s what you really want to say, isn’t it?”
Mira sighed and looked away. “What happened between us at the dam … happened because I wanted it to, but it wasn’t fair to you. I had things that weren’t resolved, things that—”
“You told me,” he said, cutting her off. “Not in so many words, but you did. I just didn’t listen, like an idiot. I stuck around when I shouldn’t have, when everything pointed for me to leave. Survival dictated it—but I stayed anyway. I keep doing it over and over again with you.”
Mira looked up at him, and her eyes were glistening. “I wanted
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