Prophecy

'And the store guards?'

His smile, which had become something of a fixture, faded. 'No. Your account of the black-clad man interests me. I would like to hear more about it.'

'Like what?'

'Was he wearing a mask?'

She shrugged. 'He was too far away to see. How do you speak English so well?'

His smile returned. 'I have studied your language for this event. Unfortunately, very few Atlanteans speak it, so you'll have to learn our tongue.'

A frisson of alarm went through her. 'But surely we won't be here long enough to need to, will we?'

'I'm afraid you will. You cannot be returned to Earth.'

'Why not?'

'Your planet is dying, as I'm sure you know. Within the next five years your entire race will be wiped out. Surely you don't want to share their fate?'

Rayne glanced around, wishing Rawn would hurry up. 'Can't you do something about it?'

His brows rose a fraction. 'We're not that powerful, I'm afraid. It's far too late to undo the damage your people have done to the ozone layer and oceans. We can save you and your brother, though.'

'What about the rest of the people?'

'No. We didn't come here to rescue humanity.'

'So why us?'

Tallyn glanced past her as the sound of water stopped. 'You're special. Talk to your brother, and let me know when he's ready to meet me. You'll get a full explanation then.'

Tallyn turned and stepped through the door, which hissed shut behind him. She stared at it, then turned as Rawn emerged, rubbing his hair. He took in her pale countenance and strained expression with a glance, his gaze dropping to her empty hands.

'Where's my gun?'

'I gave it to them.'

'Are you nuts? Why?'

She shook her head. 'It's no good to us. He was very nice about it, and polite. He said they won't hurt us, and I believe him.'

'Oh, great! So you just handed it over like a good little girl. Dammit, Rayne, sometimes I think you're an idiot!' He loomed over her, scowling. 'Now we have absolutely no defence at all, and that was my gun.'

Rawn had always been attached to his gun, and, as their means of survival, it had been important. She met his glare.

'It was useless. They probably have a dozen weapons hidden in this room, any of which could drop you like that…' She snapped her fingers. '…Anytime they choose. And he said they're here to rescue us.'

'From what?'

'Earth, what do you think? The planet's dying, we know that. For some reason, he wants to save us.'

'Why?'

She shook her head. 'I don't know. He said he'd explain it all, as soon as you're calm enough to meet him.'

Rawn swung away and flung the damp towel across the room. 'Who is this guy, anyway?'

'He's the commander of this ship. His name's Tallyn, and he's an Atlantean.'

'As in from Atlantis?'

She glanced at him in surprise. 'I never thought of that.'

'What is he, green with yellow spots?'

'No. Just weird.'

'Great. So what makes him think I'm not calm enough?'

Rayne shot him a smile. 'Well, you were making threats about shooting holes in things, and he was listening.'

'Yeah, watching too, no doubt. He must have got an eyeful of you in the shower. Well, I don't have a damned gun anymore, so what's the problem?' She looked away in embarrassment, and Rawn smiled. 'Don't worry, I'm sure you're not his type.'

'Can you talk to him calmly and rationally?'

'Sure, why not? We're in deep shit now. We might as well make the best of it.'

A few minutes later, the panel that had dispensed the medicated water opened again, this time disgorging a welcome meal. Although some items defied description, Rayne assumed their hosts knew what was good for them and ate it all. It proved to be tasty, and afterwards she relaxed again, the unusual fullness of her stomach improving her mood. Despite Rawn's encouraging words, another hour passed before contact was re-established. The door slid open to reveal the commander once more.

Rawn jumped up, and Rayne rose slowly, watching them. Tallyn sized Rawn up, but gave no sign of tension, while Rawn made the most of his extra height. This did not seem to impress Tallyn, who addressed Rawn in a flat, no-nonsense tone.

'Please remain calm. You are welcome aboard my ship. I will now conduct you to a viewing room, where I will explain your abduction.'

'That would be nice,' Rawn remarked, but Tallyn turned away to walk through the sparsely furnished room they found beyond the door. It looked like an ultra-modern hospital, with a lot of strange paraphernalia parked against the walls. They followed Tallyn into a passage, glancing around. Rayne slipped her hand into Rawn's, drawing courage from his familiar presence. The corridor's seamless material was smoothly rounded, as if in a giant mould. Mellow light gave it a warm glow, and a carpet of soft grey moss muffled their footsteps. No other people passed them before a door slid open at Tallyn's approach, and they entered another room.

'Please sit.'

Tallyn indicated two chairs, which moulded to Rayne’s shape when she sat down, startling her. Tallyn went to a desk that held a huge book, bound in black leather and gold. Opening it to a marked page, he gazed at Rayne, who glanced at Rawn.

Tallyn sat behind the desk. 'This is the holy book of my people. In it, all the prophecies of the ancient mystics have been set down, so we may follow their teachings and fulfil the destinies. There is a prophecy that must now come to pass, and I believe you, Rayne, are the one spoken of.'

He proceeded to read the paragraph, and Rayne listened in amazement. When he finished, he gazed at her.

Rawn looked at Rayne and snorted. 'You think that this… this golden girl child is Rayne?'

Tallyn nodded. 'This is a dying planet, one of only a few we've found, and your sister is a young girl with golden hair.'

'But that doesn't mean she's the one you're looking for.'

'No, but isn't it remarkable that you and she have suffered no ill effects from your planet's radiation and pollution, while all the other people have?'

Rawn shrugged. 'We've been lucky, I guess.'

'Nobody's that lucky. She's different. You both are, and I can only assume that you're her guardian, which is why you too have been spared. Our task is to rescue the golden girl child, and I think we have done that.' He closed the book.

Rayne asked, 'Is that why you saved me from the mutants?'

'Of course.'

'And those other aliens who attacked me?'

'The ones in the red ship, which you told your brother about? That happened before we found you. They're members of a race called Draycons, whose ships are red. We chased four of their ships away two days ago. But they were not trying to kill you. They're slavers.'

She shook her head. 'They were trying to kill me. They reduced that house to a pile of rubble.'

Tallyn smiled a little thinly. 'They were probably trying to flush you out into the open, where they could stun you and capture you. Why would they want to kill you?'

'I don't know, but I was lucky to survive. If it hadn't been for that cellar, I'd be dead.' She frowned. 'Maybe it