Changeling Chronicles Ep. 25: Intercepted

Genie won’t come back this time. She’s sure of it. She rode in the ship with them until just before the crash—no way they survived it. Now she can go back to nowhere and be successful in the running of her private universe.

That was what she’d been thinking. Now she’s on a ship—the Falling Star, she’s already learned. She’s immobilized and surrounded by space pirates. Genie’s little friend, Paige is also there. Not just there, she realizes. Captain of the ship somehow.

“We know who you are,” Paige says as she steps forward. “We know what you’re after.”

“You can’t.”

“Oh yes. Genie gave a starship to one person already, why not a band of space pirates? Except he gives them—us a job. W’re to keep this,” she brandishes the dragon figurine, “away from you.”

“Didn’t work out. I’m here. It’s here.”

“True, true. But I think all I need to do is keep you separated from it and keep you from chasing us around and around. Best way to do that is to keep you here.”

“How will you do that?”

“Simple. Remember when you let have the people think you made the universe? Don’t know if you meant to or not, but you got them to believe that if the lost dragon is ever found and returned that it would be the last days. You already took a small part back and things are already starting to go wrong. I’ve had time to study up on what you and Genie know and I’m betting you won’t risk destroying your creation—failing again.

“I don’t need to make a special effort to keep you prisoner, Skyler. You’re doing that.”

She decides to stay. To stay and to remain on the watch for a way out. When she finds it, she decides, Paige will be made to answer for her actions here.

In nowhere, in the green sky that is always clear, clouds appear on the horizon. Lightning flashes in the clouds.