She was preoccupied by thoughts of her father, for he had been unconscious still when Hanuman left. As soon as they were out of the palace, she borrowed Ostara’s wristpad to call Dockside and was relieved beyond words when Miss Clymene informed her that Quirinus was awake and waiting to talk to his daughter. His voice was croaky but full of pride for how Ravana had brought the damaged Platypus home, having heard an excited retelling of the tale from Endymion, Bellona and Philyra. Miss Clymene informed Ravana that with the power restored, the autosurgeon was ready to remove the final pieces of shrapnel. The relief in the tutor’s voice alone told Ravana everything she needed to know.
The world outside the palace was still in darkness, though occasional sparks of electricity could be seen leaping from the damaged heating and lighting units inside the sun. Hanuman had made his way to the palace on foot and was not impressed when he learned Wak’s hovertruck was on the far side of the cliff. Fortunately, upon reaching the deserted streets of Petit Havre, they found the monorail was once again running and they were soon aboard and trundling through the gloom towards Dockside. The street lamps shone brightly and the interior of the hollow moon was lit up like a starry sky.
By the time they reached the Dockside medical unit, Quirinus had been in and out of surgery and was sitting up in bed, chatting to Miss Clymene and Professor Wak. There were pads over his eyes held in place by fresh bandages, but after giving his daughter the longest hug of her life, he was quick to reassure her that everything was going to be fine.
“The autosurgeon took a piece of metal this big out of my eye!” he exclaimed, holding his hands unfeasibly wide apart. “Okay, I exaggerate. It looks like I’m going to be stuck in bed for a few days but my nurses say I should make a good recovery.”
Miss Clymene and Bellona smiled. Behind them, Endymion and Philyra were talking in excited whispers with Zotz, who having found some overalls to replace his missing birdsuit was filling them in with all that had happened.
“Hanuman says the Platypus will live to fly again,” Ravana told him. “It’s safely back in the hangar, awaiting repairs. I’ve got a maintenance robot checking the damage right now.”
“That’s my girl!” he said. “So Taranis was hiding here all along?”
“Is it true what he said?” Ravana asked. She could not bring herself to tell her father that it was he who had inadvertently brought the priest to the hollow moon in the first place. “That had I been a boy I was to be raised to rule Lanka?”
“Taranis created tales of destiny to suit his own end,” he told her. “Only you can shape your future. You must always remember that.”
“He gave me this implant. He said it was part of his plan.”
“He was a very devious man,” Quirinus said bitterly. “No one will mourn his passing.”
Ravana was not sure that referring to Taranis in the past tense was a safe thing to do. Zotz had already pointed out that the airtight hatches might have saved Taranis and his clones from immediate asphyxiation when the engine room was blasted into space. Part of her also regretted that she had not quizzed the priest further about what exactly it was he had ordered to be implanted inside her head, for many mysteries remained. She would never forget the first agonising moment when she had been torn by the pain of the Platypus, not to mention the way she had felt the dreadful inner anguish of Taranis’ disciples. She was still considering whether to voice her fears when they were interrupted by the arrival of Ostara, Maharani Uma and Surya. The medical unit was becoming very crowded indeed.
“Quirinus O’Brien,” remarked the Maharani. “You seem to have come out of this more battered than that old ship of yours!”
“An audience with the exiled drama queen herself,” murmured Quirinus, recognising her silken tones. “Forgive me if I do not stand and curtsey.”
“Behave yourself!” the Maharani snapped. “You saved my son and for that I will be forever in your debt. That goes for each and every one of you here! You certainly managed to show those political miscreants a thing or two. I particularly liked your broadcast,” she added, addressing Philyra. “I forgive you for damaging my cyberclone.”
“The cyberclone!” exclaimed Surya. “We left it in Ayodhya!”
“All the more reason to return,” she replied. “I paid a lot of money for that.”
“You’re going back to Yuanshi?” asked Ravana.
“Hanuman and Ganesa are taking us on the Sun Wukong,” Surya told her.
“We’ve hidden away in this asteroid for far too long,” said the Maharani. Behind her, Hanuman and Ganesa were at the door, but seeing the crush inside the room decided to stay where they were. “It feels right to end our exile on the eve of Diwali, assuming Kartikeya has not given in to Jaggarneth and cancelled it. Now Taranis has gone I may be able to make the foolish commander see sense and bring an end to this infernal petty war.”
“Good luck with that,” remarked Quirinus, but meant it. “Can’t say there’s much left for anyone here. Wak tells me the Dandridge Cole is a bit of a dead duck.”
“We’ll make it habitable again,” Wak replied firmly. The prospect of living anywhere else was not one he cared to think about.
“You’ll come and visit, won’t you?” Surya asked Ravana.
“Probably best if you stay clear of Yuanshi for a while,” Hanuman advised her. “Que Qiao agents will have realised by now that our mischief at the plantation was linked to the attack at Sumitra and will be on the lookout for someone with a special implant like yours.”
“I’m sure we could find you a safe port,” Ganesa added. “It was nice meeting you.”
Ravana smiled. “If I can, I will,” she told Surya. “Promise.”
“The shuttle from Ascension will be here soon,” said Wak. “There’s a few more goodbyes to get through before the day is out.”
“All my fretting over the music competition suddenly seems so trivial after all you’ve been through,” Miss Clymene said to Ravana and Zotz. “Although it’s a shame the trophy got damaged. The display cabinet at the academy is looking a little bare.”
“I forgot! I fetched it from the Platypus,” Zotz told her. He reached into a pocket and handed her the battered cup. “I’ve knocked most of the dents out.”
“School is going to be such an anticlimax after this,” remarked Philyra.
“Back to reality,” agreed Endymion. “No more aliens and mad priests.”
“What was Taranis like?” asked Bellona. She still had Fenris’ Isa-Sastra and the bits she had read both mystified and captivated her. “I never saw him.”
“Count yourself lucky you never will!” exclaimed Ostara. “Mark my words!”
“I wish I was so sure,” Ravana mused.
She looked to where her cat lay curled asleep on top of the book she had taken from the priest’s lair. Her electric pet was badly in need of a recharge after vomiting bits of the priest’s spider walker all over the monorail carriage floor. The book’s last owner, the man who had named her demon king, had cheated death at least once before.
Destiny or not, Ravana had a feeling she and Taranis would meet again.
THE END
EBOOK EXTRAS
Illustrations
Barnard’s Star system
