Star Wars_ Fate of the Jedi 06_ Vortex - Denning Troy [24]
After a few minutes, wisps of dark fume began to drift through the fronds and moss, and Ben felt Vestara’s hand tense on the back of his belt. He pretended not to notice, but kept his lightsaber ready and his thumb near the activation switch. He could feel their fathers and Taalon a few hundred meters down the slope, wary and alert, more suspicious of his unexpected return than alarmed by it—and that meant Ben still had time to warn his father about Ship.
They continued to descend, and the jungle began to grow less dense. The ruins slowly came into view below, set in a small gorge at the foot of the volcano. The ancient complex had a simple plan, with a gray stone courtyard ringed on three sides by an arcade built into the face of a ten-meter cliff. The open end of the court overlooked a steaming swamp draped in moss and vines, but the centerpiece was a gurgling fountain swaddled in acrid yellow vapor.
Thirty meters from the fountain stood Gavar Khai, a dark-hooded figure feeding chopped fronds and chunks of fungus to a large, smoldering pyre. Ben’s father and Lord Taalon were nowhere to be seen, but their Force presences could be felt under the opposite slope, presumably exploring a warren of subterranean rooms beyond the arcade.
Ben stopped and spoke over his shoulder in a near whisper. “Remember your promise?”
“How could I forget?” Vestara replied, also whispering. “I don’t make that many of them.”
“I’m flattered—I guess.” Ben stepped to the edge of the cliff, which was actually the roof of the arcade on their side of the ruin, then said, “How’s your vision?”
“Good enough to imagine my father’s face,” she said. “I won’t be able to stall long, so I hope you’ve thought of a good reason for abandoning our post.”
“Not really,” Ben said. “But by the time that matters, it won’t matter anymore.”
Vestara’s Force aura rippled with confusion. “What does that mean?”
“Just trust me … and be ready.” Ben turned sideways. “The next step is a long one.”
He stepped off the roof, trailing one hand along the stone wall and using the Force to slow his descent. Behind him, Vestara released his belt and simply dropped. At the last instant, she extended a hand over her head and broke her fall by pulling against the top of the arcade, landing well ahead of Ben—and as gently as a feather. It was a sobering reminder of just how naturally the Sith of the Lost Tribe used the Force, and of how little the Jedi really knew about them.
By the time Ben was on the ground, Vestara was already crossing the courtyard toward her glowering father, her stride purposeful and confident despite her injured shoulder and the trouble her oozing eyes were causing her. Ben paused to brush off his robes, allowing Vestara ample time to betray him … because he knew she would not. She would realize the opportunity was intentional and suspect a trap, and Vestara feared mistakes more than she feared death. Rather than risk looking foolish in front of her father and Lord Taalon, she would honor her word and discover how good it felt to keep a promise … and once she had taken that first step toward redemption, Ben would have her. He would keep drawing her into the light a little at a time, just as his father had done with his mother, and eventually Vestara would grow accustomed to its warmth and move out of the shadows forever.
But Gavar Khai barely glanced in Vestara’s direction as she stopped before him. Instead he kept his gaze fixed on Ben, one hand ready to launch a bolt of Force lightning and the other resting on the pommel of his lightsaber. Ben allowed father and daughter a few seconds alone, then smiled like