by Edward Lake
A burst of anger ignited in her eyes. “I knew it. Look, Evander is not my father. I’m old enough to do as I please.” She quickly went back to her soft, angelic demeanor. “So if he tries to punish you, tell him you lost sight of me for a second and somehow I escaped.”
“But if someone sees me with you at the ocean, it will get back to Captain Cain. Then I’ll surely be—”
“Perhaps I should have someone else take me,” she blurted over me. Sadie flashed a playful smile and slowly placed her smooth, sweet-smelling hand on my cheek. “Trust me, Declan. Take me to the ocean—now.”
I found this side of Sadie a bit unnerving. I wanted to say no, but because of who she was, I wondered if she would find a way to punish me for rejecting her. She seemed like the kind of woman who didn’t take rejection kindly.
Finally, I showed her a fake smile. “Okay, sure. I’ll take you.”
Before we made our escape, though, Sadie whispered her plan into my ear. When she finished explaining all the details, she snuck out the rear gangway on the far right side of the dance hall. After a minute or two, I stood up and pretended as if I was looking for her. I hurried across the dance floor, peering over everyone. I made my way to the rear passage and jogged outside. I spotted two of Sadie’s Holy Servants looking all around for her, too.
“Has anyone seen Sadie Saros? Please, anyone, have you seen the High Priest’s daughter?” one of them pleaded.
I hurried to the access lane that led to the ocean, right where Sadie said it was, outside the Temple of Learning. At last, I found her hiding behind a statue of the Holy Star symbol. She had changed into a gray hooded robe, too. The hood hid her face well.
She stood with a tall, bulky fellow who also wore gray. He was a devious-looking brute with a scowl that rivaled that of a wild beast.
I ran over to Sadie and took a deep breath. “Geez, you’re fast.”
She giggled. “Yes, I used to run here at the temple. There is a competition every year. I actually won it a few times.” She looked up at her big friend. “Declan, this is Trace Knox, an old friend from my younger days at the temple.”
He extended his large hand to me and placed it on my shoulder. “Pleasure to meet you, Declan. Sadie tells me you’re a slave soldier from the North Star. Is that right?”
I nodded. “Yes, I am.”
He flashed a mischievous grin. “So you’ve probably never seen an ocean, have you?”
I nodded again. “That’s right.”
“Well, you’re in for quite the adventure.” Trace led us over to a beat-up glider marred with rust, dents, and plenty of scratches. He got on, pressed a button that started the machine, and stretched his chubby fingers to the handlebars. “Hop on, Sadie. We’ll have you sit in the middle between me and Declan.”
I got on after Sadie and wrapped my arms around her waist. Putting my hands on her body made my heart thump. Even better, I caught a nice whiff of her long black hair, which oozed with a sweet fragrance.
She firmly secured her arms around her friend’s midsection. Within seconds, we were up in the air and floating high over the city.
“Hang on tight, you two. We blast off in five, four, three, two…”
The glider took off like a rocket, ripping through the sky and blazing past the traffic. I closed my eyes and squeezed Sadie hard. Trace was a good pilot. He zipped and weaved through the sky with ease. Only a few minutes went by and we arrived at the ocean’s shore. Trace slowed the glider down and landed by a group of parked ships.
Several speakers were stationed in the sand, blasting funky beats and blaring flashing lights. The partygoers were all splashing around in the water.
Sadie and I hopped off the glider, but before we headed down to the party, she reached into her robe and pulled out a stack of golden cards.
“What is that?” I asked.
“Payment for your ride to the ocean,” Trace said with a smirk. He kindly took the cards from Sadie and gave her a bow. “Have fun, Declan, and take care of my old friend.” Lastly, he gave her a wink. “Send me a message when you’re ready to return to the city, Sadie. But for now, have yourself a drink and dance the night away.” He flew his shabby glider up into the air and took off.
Sadie snatched my hand and shouted, “Come on!” She ran down to the shoreline, dragging me along.
The music was snappy, rhythmic, and unlike anything I had ever heard. Sadie slowed down and turned around to face me. First, she ripped the sides of her robe, allowing her legs to move more freely. She took my hands and danced her way into the crowd.
“Look, Sadie Saros is here!” someone shouted from afar.
Right then, after the loudmouth made it known that the High Priest’s daughter was there, the crowd slowly found her and surrounded us.
She waved to the crowd with one hand and pulled me close with the other. “Can you dance, Declan?”
I moved my face in even closer, nearly touching her nose with my own. “I never did much dancing as a slave.”
Sadie smiled and swayed her body to the music. She rubbed her nose against mine and deeply moaned. She bent her head low and rubbed her lips along my ears. “Listen to the beat. Let the music take over your body.”
I wasn’t sure if I was doing any good as a dancer, but no one seemed to care. It was just a good time, and I wanted it to last forever.
Minutes later, we moved into the water and splashed around with the others. Sadie had a breathtaking glow on her face that made me smile. She seemed so adventurous and daring, which was a wonderful surprise from what I thought she would be like.
Then a slow, grumbling sound blared from afar. I turned my head and peered at the dark blue water. Inch by inch, the sound drew closer and closer to the shoreline, like a dangerous bug buzzing near me with its stinger aimed at my body.
Sadie noticed the sound, too, and looked to check herself. “What is that noise?”
Soon, everyone caught on as the eerie hum grew louder and louder and the music slowly faded away.
All at once, from the shadows of the ocean, a massive blast rocked the sandy ground, sending all of us tumbling into the water. From all around, screams echoed as the throng of partygoers scrambled to higher ground. Trembling, I quickly grabbed Sadie and helped her up. She was shaking worse than me—and rubbing the water out of her eyes. Could this be another attack?
Flashbacks of the attack on the North Star ignited before my eyes. Seconds later, a massive fleet of black, narrow ships rose from the water—the same ones I saw on the North Star.
“It’s the Serpents! We’re under attack!” a horrified voice screeched.
I moved ahead as fast as I could, pulling Sadie along with me. Together, with our heads ducked low, we pushed through the crowd of panic and chaos. Waves of rapid fire from the black ships came raining down on us as we scampered away. Larger blasts followed and sent everyone stumbling to the ground again.
My God, not like this. I can’t let her die like this. I quickly pressed the button on my helmet to close it. Once more, I pulled Sadie up. But this time, I boosted her onto my shoulder like a bag of clothing and jogged to the nearest cover.
“Get me to a ship, Declan. Hurry!” she cried out.
“I will! Just hang on as tight as you can!” With all my strength, I dashed ahead into the blooming cloud of black smoke. From behind, larger blasts came from the Serpents’ ships.
Up ahead, a swarm of Serpent ground troops, armed with guns, approached and fired in our direction. Chunks of sand and rocks flew everywhere, making it difficult to see. I sank to the ground and shielded Sadie with my body. In the air, I heard a resounding boom.
Still trembling, I looked up and saw thousands of Holy Army ships swoop into action. The Serpents quickly redirected their fire to our troops, giving me a chance to rush Sadie to safety. I jumped up and tossed her over my shoulder again. More and more lasers and blobs of sand whizzed past us, making it even harder to see where I was going. Even so, I jogged onward and used my comm
unications device to call for help. “This is Declan Ezra. I have the High Priest’s daughter! I repeat, I have Sadie Saros! Send her a ship immediately, please!”
Within seconds, a voice buzzed through the speakers on my helmet. “Copy that, Ezra. Help is on the way.”
18
Zena
The Holy Empire ships locked in on me as I scurried through the battlefield with Sadie draped over my shoulder. One by one, like leaves falling from a tree, thousands of troops swooped down from our ships on ziplines and charged the Serpent army.
“I am closing in on Sadie Saros! I need everyone to cover the soldier known as Declan Ezra!” one of the nearby pilots said over the radio.
From above, the battleship zoomed down to us and the ramp opened. Two soldiers waited at the edge of the ramp. They ordered me to boost Sadie up as high as I could. I stretched her out as far as possible, screaming with every gasp. Together, the two men reached down and secured Sadie from me, then pulled her up and closed the ramp. The ship rocketed her away to safety, and I breathed a heavy sigh.
I quickly shifted my focus to the raging battle and linked up with my fellow troops. I drew my weapon and held it in the upright position. All around, the Serpents blasted us with relentless fury. Right away, after scanning the marching Serpents, I noticed a few rebel troops, too, charging toward us with their Serpent allies covering them. The few rebels I spotted wore all black and had black paint smeared across their faces. If only I could reach them somehow. Seeing them here on the Holy Planet, so close to Pastor Saros, gave me hope. Sure, I still had to save my own skin, but I wanted that man dead.
In the air, several rebel ships blazed into action and fired missiles at our ships. At first, it was hard to tell the rebel ships apart from the Holy Army ships. The only difference on the rebel ships was the big black X marks painted across the Holy Star symbol.
“Commander Vault! This is FV101, sir! Send reinforcements at once! The Serpent ships have us outnumbered,” a pilot in the sky pleaded.
“Copy that, Falk Vera 101. Reinforcements are on the way,” Commander Vault swiftly replied.
I bent low and blasted a few shots at the snarling Serpents. The shots bounced off their army and disappeared into the air. My comrades by my side, I moved in closer. We fired more and more laser blasts from our guns, doing our best with the limited numbers we had. The thrill of it all was utterly captivating. I could have been shot dead at any moment, but it didn’t matter. After all those years of dreaming, I finally had my moment on the battlefield, and it was everything I had hoped for and more.
Seconds later, the sky filled with a massive fleet of Holy Army ships. They created a perimeter around the Serpents and rebel soldiers and bombed them with powerful missiles. The impact of the missiles was so great they sent me and a few others stumbling to our knees.
“All right, drop the slave soldiers on them. It’s time we flex our muscles and show our enemies the power of numbers,” Commander Vault hooted through the speakers in our helmets.
Throngs of slave troops zipped down from the battleships and flooded the area. We now heavily outnumbered the rebels and the Serpents. Still, I charged ahead and fired away. The swarm of laser blasts ripped right through the Serpent troops, pushing them back and even dropping a few of the gnarly beasts to the ground. Seeing more Serpents die calmed my nerves somewhat. They seemed even more heartless than the High Priest, which made me wonder why the rebels would fight with them.
“Listen up, men. I need you to detain as many Serpents and rebels as possible. We must interrogate them and find out who’s working for them within the Holy Empire,” Commander Vault ordered.
The battle raged for hours. The Serpents were a resilient bunch. We managed to corner them and break them down one by one. Yet what happened next caught me off guard.
The remaining Serpents leaped through the air like shooting stars. They hopped to different spots, too, covering more ground. The massive beasts used their overwhelming strength and large whipping tongues to lash our troops. For a moment, the tactic worked. The Serpents steamrolled packs of soldiers like boulders rolling down a hill, smacking them away like flying bugs. I trembled at the sight of such raw power.
Several Serpents rushed through my nearby comrades, knocking a few of them into me. I fell and dropped my gun. I desperately tried to scramble for my weapon, but there were too many bodies in the way. I rose to my feet and ducked through the mayhem. Right before I reached my gun, a Serpent sprang into action and kicked it away. The growling monster swiped me with his enormous claws. I shrieked in pain and crumbled to my knees. I hugged myself, wincing from the pain and gasping for air.
Inside my helmet, a computerized voice echoed, “Sustaining critical damage. I repeat, critical damage sustained.” My helmet flashed with red lights, and a loud beeping alarm went off.
The Serpent lashed his long tongue out and wrapped it around my neck. I looked up at the eerie fiend and gripped his slimy tongue. I tried to pull it off me, but it was no use. I wheezed and choked as the brute applied pressure. Then, finally, a shot from a ship whizzed through the beast’s head and sent him crumbling to the bloodied sand.
I let out a breath and collapsed to the ground. I breathed in deep, then slowly exhaled. From all around, the noise rapidly decreased.
“Commander Vault, this is Captain Cain of the Holy Guard. The enemy attack has been neutralized, sir, and we have several Serpents and rebels in custody.”
Before Commander Vault replied, a rowdy cheer erupted from across the shoreline.
“Well done, Captain. Bring the rebels to me. Send the Serpents to Pastor Saros.”
One of my fellow troops came over and helped me off the ground. He brushed some sand off my shoulders, handed me my gun, and asked, “Are you all right, soldier?”
I sighed. “Yes, sir.”
He gave me a nod. “You fought well today.” He reached out and tapped my shoulder. “It was an honor.” He turned and headed up the sand with the others. “Head back to the academy and get yourself cleaned up. The fighting has just begun.”
“Yes, sir. Thank you.” Declan, my dear brother. If only I could share this moment with you. I looked up at the stars, wondering how Grandma and the kids were doing. I prayed that Declan could find a way to remain disguised as me for just a little longer.
“Declan Ezra, this is Captain Cain.”
I straightened my stance and pressed the button on my device to respond. “Copy that, Captain. This is Declan.”
“Find a transport to the High Priest’s estate. Pastor Saros would like to speak to you about his daughter.”
Being face to face with Pastor Saros seemed like it would be worse than running from lasers and Serpents. Why would he want to see me? Still, I followed my orders and found a transport to the High Priest’s palace. The time had come for me to meet the demon in a white robe.
19
Zena
Pastor Saros stood with his wife and Sadie on the rooftop of his home. Evander, his arms folded, stood beside them and looked down with a frown. I jumped from the ramp of the ship I had flown in on and walked over to them. My heart thumped faster and faster as I got closer.
To my surprise, Pastor Saros flashed a smile at me when I stopped in front of him. “Hello, Declan. My name is Pastor Saros, High Priest of Starlight.” He turned to his wife. “This is Agnes, my wife.” When he looked at Sadie, his eyes grew sad. “I understand you’ve already met my daughter.”
I gulped and stole a peek at Sadie. “Yes, Pastor Saros. We met this morning, and she was kind enough to invite me to the dance party at your home, sir.”
He nodded. “Yes, I’m aware. And I did not summon you for questioning, soldier.” He locked eyes with me. “Agnes and I brought you here to thank you for saving our only child from the Serpent attack.”
My body went cold and numb as I stared back at the pastor. “Absolutely, sir. It is my duty to keep you and your family safe.” I inched my hand toward my gun. My mind w
as struggling to release my weapon and shoot him down. But I was frozen from fear. He had caused me, my family, and many slaves like us so much pain, yet even with my armor and gun, I felt powerless in his presence.
“Then why did you allow Sadie to escape from the dance hall?” Evander grumbled.
Agnes snapped her eyes at him and glared. “Captain Cain! You will not speak out of turn. My daughter nearly died tonight because you failed to do your duty. You are responsible for the soldiers in your unit, and as the leader of the Holy Guard, you allowed Sadie to slip right through your fingers.”
Evander bowed his head to her. “Madam Saros, I pray that you find it in your heart to forgive me for this. I apologize for my lapse in leadership. Our security system has been breached again, Madam. Commander Vault and I were scrambling, trying to figure out how this happened.”
“My husband has updated me on the situation, Captain. The High Priest and Commander Vault will handle our security matters. You may leave to your ship.”
Evander glanced at me with that I told you so look in his eyes, then turned and marched to his parked ship on the other side of the rooftop.
Less than two full days on the Holy Planet and I had already failed him. I looked away and sank my head.
Pastor Saros walked over to me and placed his hand under my chin. The coldness from his golden rings sent a shiver down my spine. He lifted my head and gave me another smile. “We sincerely honor you, soldier, for rescuing our daughter.”
Get your hands off of me! At that moment, I wished I had a knife hidden up my sleeve. He was so close! One lunge to his chest and he would have bled to death before anyone could save him. I showed him a fake smile and gave him a quick bow. “I am honored, Pastor Saros, to serve and protect the Saros Empire. I am also humbled by your grace, sir.” Pretending to like him sparked a sickening ache in my stomach.
He stepped back and looked me over. “I would like for you to stay with us this evening and watch over my daughter. At dawn, you may join us on stage for my sermon.”
