Chapter Twenty-Eight

Erik was gone...and they had made sure he would never come back to life in any form.

I didn't know how I felt about that. He had been a friend, even if only for a short time. Erik had taught me quiet a bit about Merak and watched after me. Suddenly, I felt a sense of guilt. I should have stepped in and stopped her from changing him. I was a member of the Regency. I might have been able to stop her. This was on me that he was gone.

My entire body felt numb. Where were Aurora and Theo? We had to find them. We were too vulnerable separated. I should have focused more when I was in the arena to really see just how strong I was on this planet.

Slowly, I raised my head. "Is there anyway to track Theo and Aurora?"

The middle sister quickly responded. "Marie would be the only one who knows the answer to that question. We have never liked to get bogged down in the day to day activities of our people."

I bit down on my bottom lip forcing myself to keep my mouth closed. I didn't believe a word she had just said, but I also knew that now was not the time to challenge any of the sisters. I thought about the mirador who I had called "brother." Samuel would also know if there was a way to track Theo and Aurora.

"Is there a way to find Samuel?"

One of the sisters looked back at me in disgust. "Why him? He is a nothing and we're not even sure why Marie selected him."

"He is or was Marie's right hand person. He knows everything about our systems. I'm sure he also knows how to track one of us," I placed my hands on my hips as I continued to think. "And, Marie chose him because he's brilliant. I'm sure she knew that all along."

"That doesn't surprise me, but Samuel as you call him is not allowed to come into our quarters."

I looked around "Why not? What's so special about this place?"

"Because he is not a member of the Regency. You can go find him, but do not bring him back here. He is not welcomed. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Then go away. We are done for now."

My heart began to race. "I still don't know how to travel on Merak. Erik is the one who got me from different points."

"Esadore, this is ridiculous. You have royal RaCO flowing in your shell of a body. Just use your imagination and it will take you to the place you desire."

"But, how do I know where Marie is? The place I desire most definitely will not be the location where I find her."

They laughed. "True Esadore. We agree. Close your eyes and Jump."

My closed eyes jutted open at the sound of that word. "Did you just say 'Jump'?"

"Yes. It's how we travel."

"So, you use a different variation of the Jump Line."

"We use the only variation."

"But I don't have my medallion."

"What medallion?" The sister standing on the far side tilted her head to the side. "What did it look like?"

My hand reached up and rubbed at my empty breast plate. "For years, I had a medallion that hung around my neck. It was round and perfectly smooth. The medallion never came off. I tried many times to "

"It was RaCO?"

"Yes."

"RaCO is all around you Esadore. There is no need for a medallion on Merak, although, that was smart of our sister to put it around your neck to help regulate your systems."

"It brought me a sense of peace."

"We're not surprised. RaCO has many capabilities. It is very powerful. You must never forget that. Without RaCO you are nothing. We are nothing."

The planet seemed so alive for not really having a hard surface. It was different from Earth. Everything almost felt dream-like. I knew my feet were walking on ground, but when I looked down it seemed as if they disappeared into liquid. A layer of fog seemed to constantly cover everything.

I missed my medallion. It had been the only thing with me through everything. Where had it gone to?

"Do you know when she took it off of me?"

"Who?"

"Marie. She's the only one who could have taken my necklace."

The sisters looked at one another. "We're not sure what you are asking?"

"I just want to know where my necklace is at—"

"And, you think we know the answer?"

"Yes. Yes. I believe you know the answer. I've suddenly lost the one thing that matters to me and you all are acting like you have no clue about what I'm talking about. I would really like to have my medallion back."

"We don't have your necklace."

"I know you don't, but I'm really hoping you can point me in the direction of where I can find it."

"Why? You no longer need the medallion Esadore. You have returned to Merak."

They didn't get it. I was fully aware of where I was at right now, but the medallion had been the one consistent thing in my life. It had been the only thing that I felt sure about in this chaos. I knew they didn't understand. How could they? For the Regency, RaCO was everywhere, but for those of us who had lived on Earth, RaCO was different. We hand't known about its capabilities.

"Where is Marie at? Please tell me her location so that I can easily jump there and ask her about my necklace."

"Marie is hiding on that vessel she calls the Napoleon. She is too afraid to stay off of it for very long. I'm sure she knows that last time we were unprepared for her games, but now we are ready and she will not be able to get away with what she did to our world before."

All of the sisters suddenly turned into a silver liquid and dissolved into the floor below. I closed my eyes and thought about the one place I wanted to visit right now. It would provide me with better clarity of my situation.