Chapter 71: Chapter 71

Maya “At last, we get a weird-ass bug free ship,” sighed Ke, unloading the last box of glass like bugs into the chest.

“There were more there than that,” Maya glared at the beautiful sparkly things.

“How did they get out if they were touching?” mused Xhisara. No-one had the answer to that.

Slowly, everyone meandered out the cargo hold , leaving Maya alone with the mysterious chest of bugs. An urgent voice inside her head halted her reverie.

“You must hurry, there isn’t time,” Maya turned to see a Spectral shimmering in the cargo hold with her. “It’s me, Maya, I ascended when you freed me.”

“Oh my word, are you okay?” Maya was even more dumbfounded than had become usual on her peculiar journey through all that shouldn’t exist.

“There is no time. I put them there, I had to remain impartial so I left you to work it out, but it’s too late now,” the Maya Spectral informed her, making little sense to Maya.

“What’s too late, put what where?” she demanded.

“The limiters, once active they inhibit the gift. You need them in the war. Only you can control them, because you have a part of me, being my mirror and I being a Spectral. Concentrate, draw them towards you. Use them wisely in the fight, or you will put yourselves at a greater disadvantage than your enemy.”

“I use them to fight, how?” Maya was genuinely confused and aware that she was being somewhat stupid.

“Use your gift, I must leave, the fight has begun.”

“Ka, is he ok?” she asked urgently before the Maya Spectral left.

“He’s fine.” And with that, Maya was left standing in a stunned silence, trying to unravel the riddle her spiritual other half had left her with. Would one more sentence have hurt?

, thought Maya.

Maya stood and concentrated as if going to the astral plane, only she focussed on the beautiful bugs slithering their way around the ship. she felt each one, and drew them to her. The more she felt their beauty, the more she felt them, until she felt something nudge her foot. She looked down and saw that the remainder were all present and correct at her feet. She put them in the box, all made of glass already, even though they had not touched each other. She thought about it and they came to life, before she requested they slumber again.

Xhisara came hurtling in, followed shortly by the others.

“Where’d they go?” asked Xhisara, looking at the chest.

“In there, it turns out I have the power to control them,” Maya smirked, hoping there was no way Xhisara could state the obvious about that one.

“How did you know, what happened?” Joe inquired, sidling around Xhisara.

“My mirror, Maya, who is now a Spectral,” Maya paused for effect. “Appeared, told me to grab the bugs, that I had the power and the fight has started.”

“The fight has started?” Xhisara asked. “We need to go.”

“You knew?” accused Maya.

“I knew it was imminent.”

“Why the hell didn’t you tell me what was going on?” she demanded.

“Because you would have done something stupid, and all would have been lost. Think about it,” Xhisara told her condescendingly. Maya bristled but held back her anger before speaking.

“Well my mirror the Spectral says there isn’t time to think about it. We need to leave now. But she said to use the bugs wisely, they could bugger us up worse than the enemy,” she glared at the huge woman.

“I think I know what to do,” grinned Les.