Page 95 of Fractured Souls

And just like that, the angry spirits left them alone.

“I don’t like ghosts,” Ektans muttered. “You can’t shoot ghosts.”

“They’re not exactly ghosts,” Alexis said softly as she rushed to Nythian’s side. “Sorry,” she whispered. “There wasn’t time to explain. Everything’s okay now. The ithari understand. They won’t bother you anymore.”

“Ithari?” Ektans raised an eyebrow.

“Thats what Tharians call themselves when they’re at the second and final stage of the Tharian lifecycle. We’re used to thinking of life as a physical thing, as bodies made up of cells, but it’s so much more than that. Tharians have evolved for billions of years. They’re able to survive outside their physical bodies in the form of pure energy.”

Ektans snorted. “So ghosts, then.”

“They’re not ghosts.”

“Whatever they are, we need to get moving.” Nythian moved closer until his body pressed against hers ever so slightly. He craved this closeness, this physical connection, especially after he’d had to put up with some cursed ithari occupying her body.

The irrational savage in him couldn’t stand the thought of sharing her with another.

But he knew that without Anuk’s bond, Alexis wouldn’t have been his to claim in the first place.

He couldn’t undo the destruction his people had wrought on this planet, but he would make sure the Tharian reached her portal.

He owed her that much.

Twenty-Five

“Here it is. The Aukon. The Eternal Portal of Souls.” Rucha’s voice was a hollow echo as he stared up at the domed ceiling. Alexis squinted, shielding her eyes against the sunlight.

At the top, a perfectly round window revealed the cloudless blue sky. The afternoon sun shone through, forming a spectacular shaft of light that sparkled with tiny dust motes.

An intricate geometric design was etched into the smooth pink stone, a spectacular fractal pattern that extended from the top of the dome right down to the floor.

No human mind could have conceived of such a thing. The sight sent a little shiver over Alexis’s skin, raising goosebumps. She quietly switched off her light device. There was no need for it in here. In the back of her mind, Anuk began to stir. Her energy felt different; more intense somehow.

Rucha’s green eyes glowed. “My Queen has instructed me to explain our evolution to you. Listen carefully. It is important. I will keep it simple and quick. We do not have much time.” Sunlight fell across his elegant features, and his expression was haughty, giving her the impression that he considered them inferior beings. “Ever since the first Tharian learned how to survive beyond the physical form, we have had a two-stage lifecycle. There is the physical stage, in which a child is produced and grows to maturity, and then there is the ithari, the incorporeal stage. All ithari must bond with a host. If this bonding does not occur, the host remains unenlightened, and will not be able to join the group mind. The ithari remains unfulfilled and cannot pass on.” Rucha sighed. “The ithari have gathered here whenever one of their own is ready to join the Universe. At the point of transcendence, there is a moment of connection where all ithari become one. It is only possible because of this structure, which allows our energies to merge. Every time we do this, we take another step towards enlightenment. That is how our knowledge is passed on. We do not have a written history anymore. We are our history.” His face showed no emotion, but his voice was full of barely restrained anger. “An ithari can only pass through the portal after it has bonded with its true host and the host has matured. It is part of the lifecycle. You see what your Kordolian recklessness has done to our people? You have destroyed our history and condemned an entire generation.”

“Not us,” Nythian said, his voice low and dangerous. “Kordolians did this, but it was not us. Don’t mistake us for your enemies, Tharian. We don’t kill indiscriminately.”

“You lie, Kordolian. I can almost smell the blood on you. You’re soaked in it.”

“Times change.” Nythian shook his head in irritation. “What you are telling us doesn’t even make sense. You pass your history down at the point of death, through some mysterious process of transcendence? Why not keep physical records? You Tharians are an ancient species. Where is your technology?”

Rucha’s expression became disdainful. “Records are imperfect. They are always manipulated and distorted; they always lead to war. We are long beyond the point of technology. It has been hundreds of thousands of revolutions since we had need of primitive machines.”

“And look where that has gotten you. You couldn’t defend against the Imperium when they invaded your planet.”

Alexis gave Nythian a cautionary look. This wasn’t the Nythian she was used to. This man was cold and harsh and unrelenting. Why did it feel like he was on the verge of doing something terribly violent?

Rucha went quiet for a moment, his expression distant. “Your people are not as advanced as you think, Kordolian. You are about a million revolutions too early to try and understand. The same goes for you, human. We don’t invade other planets. We do not need to kill to survive. We were in perfect balance until your kind came here.” He turned to Alexis, his green eyes ablaze. “Progress is not always what you think it is.”

“I couldn’t care less about your enlightened ideals, Tharian. You have to survive before you can progress.” Nythian’s fangs were bared. Damn, he looked angry. “We protect what is ours. At all costs.”

Clearly, the Kordolian and the Tharian had a difference of opinion.

Unconsciously, Alexis placed a hand on Nythian’s arm.

It’s okay.

He would fight to protect what was his. She got that.

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