Under Different Stars

by Amy A. Bartol

  I just nod, feeling empty and afraid. After watching Manus leave, I hold my head in my hands. I have no sense that I’ve changed anything regarding the events about to unfold. I fall back on the bed, staring up at the ornately carved ceiling. At least I saved Trey, I think, feeling an ache in my chest thinking of him. Now I have to figure out a way to save myself.

  **

  There isn’t much time to compose myself the next morning. Aella ushers me out of bed early, going straight to work on making me into a debutante for the swank. By the time my gown arrives, I’m ready for Aella to be gone.

  “Now, when you’re done here, you promise that you’re going to take Sergen and leave for the night?” I ask her for the hundredth time.

  “Yes,” Aella says. I can see her rolling her eyes in the mirror in front of me, so I try a different tack.

  “I hear that there’s a hot club downtown that has thumpin’ music,” I say, holding still while Aella fastens the intricate hooks on the back of my strapless, floor-length, lavender gown.

  “You heard that from me,” she says, grinning at me in the mirror.

  “Right, so everything is set. Don’t even think of coming back here tonight. I can manage without you.”

  “I bet you will,” Aella replies with a smug smile. “Haut Manus will make sure this dress comes off tonight.”

  “Yes, well…just as long as you know not to come back here,” I say evasively, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment. “I have something for you,” I say as she finishes the last hook that attaches the long train to the gown. “It’s on the dresser.”

  Going to the dresser, Aella picks up the envelope on it. She opens it and her eyes go round and her mouth drops open. “What’s this?” She stares at the wads of fardrooms I’ve stuffed into it.

  “A bonus,” I say, “I want you to celebrate tonight. Buy a bottle of the best fazeria and invite as many of your friends from the palace as you can.”

  “But…this will buy more than a bottle of fazeria,” she breathes.

  “The rest is for you,” I say softly, feeling choked up.

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re the best liaison I ever had,” I reply, feeling my eyes blur with tears.

  “Well, thank you, Kricket,” she says with a teary smile.

  “You’re welcome.” I wipe the moisture from my eyes with a tissue. “I think I’m ready.”

  “You look stunning,” Aella exhales the words, her eyes going to the tiara woven into my hair.

  “Such a difference from the jumpsuit I used to wear. If only my friend, Enrique, could see me now. He’d be so jealous of my tiara.”

  “He probably couldn’t wear it like you can,” Aella winks, handing me the small jeweled clutch. “Oh! You should go. The Regent will be waiting for you by the grand staircase in the ballroom! Remember, you’re to enter from the third floor, like we practiced.”

  “I know—it’s like a hundred and fifty stairs or more. I should just slide down the banister.”

  Her eyes flare wide and she puts up both her hands. “NO! Don’t do that!” Aella warns, looking appalled.

  “It wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen tonight,” I mutter grimly.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Well, at least Haut Nim won’t be there,” Aella says absently.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Oh, I wasn’t supposed to mention it…they were going to execute him last night, but he killed himself instead,” Aella says with a shiver. “Can you believe it? He doesn’t seem the type, you know?”

  “He killed himself?”

  “Yes.”

  “Kyon?” I say in disbelief.

  “Yes.”

  “They’re sure he’s dead?”

  “Well, yeah…I guess so,” she says, shrugging her shoulders.

  “How do they know…did they do an autopsy of…they’re sure it’s him, right?” I ask, latching on to her upper arm and searching her face.

  “Yes, I’m sure they would’ve checked…I heard the body was burned badly, but it was in his pod so… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have told you this right before the swank. Manus thought we shouldn’t say anything about it…”

  “No, it’s fine. I’m fine. You should go now…have fun,” I reply, feeling cold inside as I let go of her arm.

  Nodding, she walks with me to the sitting room where Ustus and a few other agents are waiting to escort me to the ballroom. My hands are trembling by the time I arrive near the stairway of the ballroom. It’s virtually empty up here on the third floor, since it’s been cordoned off so that I can make my debut in a grand style. But now that I’m here, fear has my arms feeling heavy and my knees weak.

  Breathing heavily, I’m finding it hard to catch my breath. Ustus, seeing my fear, asks, “Nervous?”

  “I feel like I’m walking into an execution,” I reply, trying to breathe deeply.

  “Just do as you’re told and there won’t be any problems.”

  “Would it make a difference if I told you it was your execution?”

  Ustus considers what I said for a moment. “Kyon is dead. Whatever you saw, or you think you saw, can’t happen.”

  “What if you’re wrong? It feels the same, Ustus.” I wring my hands because I know that I didn’t try hard enough or this wouldn’t be happening. “What if nothing has changed? If you make me go down there, people will die.”

  “We have orders to drag you down the stairs if necessary,” Ustus replies, but he pales as he looks over the balcony to the reception area far below.

  “Ustus!” I say his name like a plea and see him stiffen.

  “Manus is waiting for you.” He lifts his hand toward the stairs. “He won’t like it if you’re late. Are you going on your own or do I need to guide you down?”

  I take a deep breath and compose myself. “I’ll go by myself, but if I don’t see you again, enjoy your flight. Baw-da-baw.” Straightening my shoulders, I walk beyond the sweeping curtains to the top of the staircase.

  The scene below reminds me of the elaborate miniature ballroom I had seen in one of the picture windows at the Water Tower in Chicago. It had featured regal figurines gliding along an exquisite floor, dancing in rings from the mechanized magnets beneath it while the crowd looked on in admiration.

  Chamber music begins to play, and as I stare at the hundreds of elegantly-attired people below, I realize that this is real. I’m now trapped within the display and there’s no way out. Composing myself for a moment, I see Manus step to the bottom of the staircase, waiting for me.

  Descending the stairs on shaky legs, I search the crowd and the upper balcony. A terrifying sense of déjà vu is settling in, because I’ve already experienced all of this a little more than a day ago with grim consequences. One thing is different though, I think, taking the last few steps to meet Manus. I can’t find Trey in the crowd, like I could before. Holding on to that difference like a lifeline, I greet Manus with a formal nod. Extending his hand to me, I take it, walking with him to the center of the room as it clears for us.

  Casting his gaze around, Manus announces to the assembly, “May I present Fay Kricket, Coriness of Rafe, Priestess of Alameeda, and in less than a fortnight, my consort.” Applause erupts from the assembly and heat stains my cheeks at the bitter pill I have to swallow. Gathering the train of my gown, I sweep it up over my arm.

  “You look breathtaking,” Manus compliments, holding me in his arms as the music begins again. Leading me in the waltz-like dance that I’ve practiced with Tofer, I feel numb, like I’m still in the future, not the present.

  “Thank you,” I reply softly. My eyes meet his briefly before darting back to the floors above us.

  “You seem worried—you shouldn’t be,” Manus comforts me. His hand at my back presses me closer to him as we dance.

  “Really? I look worried?” I ask, meeting his eyes again. “Because I feel terrified…so I guess worried is a step up.”

  “Why?” Manus as
ks, his eyes widening in surprise.

  “I told you…I saw you die here,” I reply, frowning at him for not taking this seriously.

  “Yes, but you also said that Kyon killed me,” he counters with a smile, gliding effortlessly with me around the floor.

  “I did. That’s how I saw it…when I was here before,” I reply, feeling off kilter because even the scent of him is the same as I remember.

  “I took care of it…there’s no cause to worry. I want you to enjoy tonight. It’s our celebration!” Manus says, relishing the moment as he wheels us closer to the staircase again.

  “Yes, you said that, but everything still feels the same to me,” I reply, tensing as we pass the steps.

  “How was I killed?” Manus asks, sounding entertained. “Before I mean.”

  “Kyon’s snipers were up there,” I say, indicating the second and third floors with a flick of my head. “He was up there, too.”

  “So, he shot me from above?” Manus asks, looking around at the floors above us, amusement in his raised brow.

  “No.” I shake my head slowly. “First, he killed your agents, but we didn’t know that they were dead until he threw Ustus over the railing. His head shattered like glass on the floor in front of us.” I pale, feeling ill. “Then, Kyon casually walked down the staircase, spraying the crowd indiscriminately with forty-caliber shells that tore some of them in half.”

  Seeing Manus’s eyes narrow, he says, “Kricket—”

  “When Kyon got to us, everyone who could run did, but they didn’t get far because Alameeda had infiltrated the palace and were going room by room, slaughtering everyone they could find, so running wasn’t really an option. But, you didn’t run…maybe you thought he wouldn’t kill you, but you were wrong. Kyon stuck the gun in your mouth and when he pulled the trigger…” I trail off, unable to continue.

  A frown touches Manus’s face briefly. “I’m sorry that I didn’t take you more seriously. I see now that it must have been frightening to witness something like that, but you don’t need to be afraid. I will protect you. Kyon is dead.”

  Before I can answer him, Ustus’s body hits the floor just in front of us; the blood from his crushed skull spatters in scarlet patterns on the bottom of my gown. Halting near his body, the look of shock on Manus’s face is as disturbing as the screams and gunfire that erupt all around us.

  “You should try to run this time…” I say, watching his face lose color. When he doesn’t react, I shout, “NOW! GO NOW!” Pushing him hard in the chest, I try to get him to move. He just stands there with the look of disbelief still on his face, so I backhand him on the cheek. “RUN TOWARD THE GARDEN!” I yell at him, pointing away from where I know the gunmen to be.

  Manus begins backing away from me, like I’m the devil. Then, he turns and runs toward the side doors, leaving me to watch Kyon descend the grand staircase, the muzzle of his gun igniting as it spews bullets like raindrops over the crowd in front of him.

  Seeing him coming toward me, I wait patiently by the bottom of the steps for him. He stops firing when he nears me, but the clinking sound of the empty shell-casings rolling down the stairs follows in his wake. Gunfire continues around us. It radiates from rooms far and near. Forester and Lecto are killing anything they see move around us.

  Raking me with his eyes, Kyon searches my face as I meet his blue stare. A slow smile creeps over his lips. He reaches out and touches my cheek. “You knew I was coming, didn’t you?” he asks softly. “You didn’t even flinch when his body hit the floor.”

  “I knew,” I reply, feeling icy as the odor of the hot muzzle of his weapon assails my nostrils.

  “They didn’t believe you?” Understanding grows in his eyes along with a sense of satisfaction. Shaking his head, he adds, “They have no vision, Kricket. They cannot see, even when they’re told!” He gazes around at the carnage he has created, but I refuse to look, keeping my eyes on him instead.

  Kyon’s eyebrows pull together ruthlessly as he fires at a body not far away that is still moving. “You’ve turned my whole world upside down, do you know that?” Kyon asks me in a tense voice. “I came here to kill you!”

  “I know…but you won’t.” I watch him stiffen. “I think your exact words the last time I was here were…‘I came here to kill you…but where is the passion in that?’”

  Kyon lets go of his weapon, allowing it to hang loosely at his side by the strap around his chest. He reaches forward and grasps me by the back of the neck, pulling me to him. He lowers his mouth to mine and kisses me ruthlessly, bruising my lips. “I waited too long to do that,” he breathes against my mouth. “Knowing you were mine and having them keep you from me…” He kisses me again. “Do you know how special you are?” His eyes practically gleam. “You can see the future—”

  “I can affect the future,” I correct him softly, watching his eyebrow rise.

  “Yes, and you used it to thwart my rescue attempt,” he retorts with his eyebrows slicing down.

  “That was just an opportunity for you to show your resiliency, Kyon,” I counter and then tense, knowing what’s coming.

  In the next instant, Kyon slaps me hard in the face, sending me to the ground by the twisting marble railing of the staircase. I reach out and sweep the metal hilt under my dress before palming the knife in my hand that I had stashed there when practicing my entrance.

  “Why do guys all insist on hitting me in the face?” I ask while looking up at Kyon’s twisted lips. “Do me a favor next time and hit me in the stomach or something because it’s really hard to hide bruises on my face.” I hold out my hand for him to help me up.

  A slow smile creeps back to the corners of Kyon’s lips. He murmurs, “It’s difficult not to respect you, Kricket,” while he reaches down to help me up. Locking hands with him and using the momentum of his own force, I pull myself up as I arc the knife in my other hand toward his chest with all my strength.

  Feeling the knife embed in the left side of Kyon’s chest, I watch his blue eyes widen in surprise as he staggers back. I stumble away from him on shaky legs while my mind screams for me to run. Instead, I continue to watch in horror as Kyon grasps the handle of the knife, pulling it from his chest. It clatters on the marble floor, as he grimaces.

  “Kricket,” he says my name grimly, panting and raising his gun, pointing it at me. “I apologize if this disappoints you, but I’m not human…I’m Etharian. My heart is on the right side of my chest.”

  “How stupid of me,” I reply, balling my hands into fists as I wait for him to shoot me.

  I flinch and squeeze my eyes shut as gunshots puncture the air. My knees go weak, waiting to feel the pain of my body being ripped apart by bullets. When I open my eyes, I see Forester dance like a marionette as slugs riddle him. Another short burst from an automatic and Lecto is on the ground, too.

  Looking toward the wide archways of the ballroom, Trey enters the room with stealthy military grace, his automatic weapon drawn up to his shoulder and trained on Kyon. Jax and Wayra flank him, while Hollis, Fenton and Drex come in through the sides, surrounding our position. They’re all yelling at Kyon to halt and drop his weapon. But Kyon hasn’t moved, the blue beam of his automatic is trained on me.

  Gigantic booms, like mortar blasts sound outside, causing the ground to tremble and the chandeliers to chatter and sway above us. I look up, thinking the roof may come down at any second.

  “DROP YOUR WEAPON!” Trey yells again at Kyon above the din of warfare from outside.

  Kyon blinks a few times, swaying on his feet; he looks like he’s trying to keep his focus on me while blood continues to seep out of his chest wound. Narrowing his eyes, Kyon’s fingers tense on the trigger of his gun, but then they ease again. Breathing heavily, sweat runs down the side of his face. “She is meant for me,” Kyon says in a quiet tone. “Do you think she’s yours, Trey? You couldn’t even keep her from Manus.”

  “Put your weapon on the ground!” Trey retorts, but Kyon doesn’t move.

/>   “Why?” Kyon smirks. “She’ll be the death of us both. I’d be doing you a favor by pulling the trigger. Don’t you know that you should eliminate what you can’t have? She’s a priestess. She’s in your head, Trey.”

  “My head, my heart, my blood,” Trey responds immediately.

  “That’s unfortunate for you, because she belongs to me. I own her. I can end her now,” Kyon says, the blue beam of light sways a little as Kyon does.

  “Gamble to win, Kyon. Kill her now and you lose,” Trey replies, his eyes narrowing as his fingers tense on the trigger of his automatic.

  “Is he telling the truth, Kricket?” Kyon asks me with a slow smile. “Will I lose more if I kill you now or more if I don’t?”

  “I don’t know,” I whisper.

  “You don’t know?” Kyon’s face twists in anger. “Pay attention, my love, because I’m tired of repeating myself. If you’re not with me, then you won’t be with anyone,” he says, his voice sounding a little slurred. “Which will it be?”

  “Kyon, please...” I breathe, feeling like I’m choking.

  Another booming mortar shell shakes the ground just as the roof begins to splinter. Spidering cracks creak along the plaster, looking like dark, wildly growing vines. Big, thick chunks of the ceiling fall around us, while pillars of marble crash to the floor, fracturing and sending clouds of dust into the air. The lights flicker and I bring my hands to my ears to block out the tremendous noise.

  “THEY’RE EXTRACTING,” Trey yells to Jax and Wayra, as the lights all die around us.

  The only illumination now is the laser on my chest and the searchlights, swirling above as the ceiling of the ballroom is torn off, exposing a shadowy outline of an E-One in the starry sky. In the next instant, bright white circles of light lock onto Kyon and me from the belly of the hovering helicopter, blinding me. The blood in my feet feels as if it’s being forced upward into my head. My tiara flies from my hair and makes a rapid ascent towards the black metallic vehicle above. I begin to follow it as I lift off the ground into the air.