“Lucius has them,” she said. “Suki—she’s been shot.” Lena’s hands were shaking.
Gideon faced her and took her hands in his.
“He’ll turn them over to Selene,” Lena said.
“Calm down,” he said. “We’re not going to let Lucius take them.” Gideon grabbed her hand. “Come on.” He ran up the stairs pulling Lena behind him, taking the stairs two at a time. At the top of the stairs was a door that opened onto the upper level of the courtyard. The door was set in the wall that went around the consulate. The music still played below and the crowd seemed to be louder and more relaxed than the last time she’d heard them. Gideon, still holding Lena’s hand, pulled her along the edges of the wall.
Lena saw Lucius first. She pulled on Gideon’s hand to stop. Lucius spotted them and came toward them. Gideon yanked on Lena’s hand to run. They only got a few steps when a Defense soldier materialized from the shadows and planted himself in front of them. Looking over her shoulder, Lena saw another Defense soldier behind them. Lucius pushed back his suit coat to reveal a gun. The Defense soldiers had their guns holstered but had their hands on the handles. They were surrounded.
“That’s the funny thing about security systems,” Lucius said. “When you know where to look, you can find practically anybody.”
Lena braced herself. Widening her stance, she readied herself to fight.
Lucius raised his eyebrows like he was amused. “I have your friends. On my word, they will both be shot. Unless you come to me without a fight.”
Lena stayed silent. Moving her eyes, she analyzed the situation. She and Gideon could fight three people and win with ease. But would they shoot Suki and Tern? She looked to Gideon, he also scanned the soldiers and Lucius. Gideon relaxed, Lena raised her hands.
“Take the Captain and put him with the others,” Lucius ordered. “I’ll keep Lena with me. I want to present her to the Priestess myself.”
Lena jerked her eyes to Gideon. He looked panicked. Both soldiers enclosed him and grabbed his arms. As they pulled him away, she could see his fear. She felt it too, but she didn’t know if it was the fear of facing the Priestess or of loosing Gideon.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Lena stood on the top of the stairs that looked down on the courtyard below. Lucius stood next to her. His gun was still hidden in his suit coat, but now he pressed it into her side. Party goers barely gave her a passing glance before returning to their cocktails and dancing. It would have looked to them like Lucius was escorting her through the party. Nobody would know she was being held captive. Lena’s eyes were focused straight ahead.
Aldebaran stood in the distance talking to some guests. As if feeling eyes upon him, he stopped talking, turned and looked towards Lena. Straightening his posture, he glanced back and forth between Lucius and her. She couldn’t read his emotions, he only looked curious as to what might happen next.
Lucius pointed to the far side of the courtyard just opposite them. “Are you ready to meet the Priestess?” he whispered. Lena felt her heart stop beating. She looked towards where Lucius pointed. She didn’t dare move. From the entrance opposite Lena, the crowd began to split, and as they did silence followed. Clicking footsteps could be heard above the quieting crowd. The Priestess was here.
Selene moved straight towards Lena. Her form-fitting gown fanning out behind her as she walked. Her hair was in a tight bun on top of her head making her eyes seem even more daunting. Her walk commanded the attention of all. The crowd silenced as she passed. Lena half expected the large man at the gate to be with her, but Selene was unaccompanied.
Lena clenched her hands into fists at her side. Lucius leaned in so close to her ear, she felt the moistness of his breath. She shuddered under his touch. “You aren’t so tough now, are you, servant?” he whispered.
The clicking of the Priestess’ shoes pierced Lena’s ears as Selene climbed the stairs. The Priestess stopped one step below her. She lifted her hand and brushed her finger under Lena’s chin. With a sudden surge, the Priestess slapped the side of Lena’s face. Lena’s head whipped to the side. The throbbing started instantly.
“Did you really think you could elude me?” she sneered, taking the final step up. She laughed causing Lena’s veins to feel frozen. “You are nothing. Your dad was nothing. And you are going to die knowing it. Bring me the others,” Selene demanded.
A door in the wall of the courtyard opened. Soldiers pushed Gideon into the center of the crowd, a gun pressed into his side. Two guards dragged Suki between them. Her leg bled freely, dripping onto the cobbled stones of the courtyard. Tern walked next to her with a Defense soldier behind him.
Something inside Lena surged to the surface. Her friends were going to be imprisoned by Selene. Images of Birdee lying helpless on the tower flashed through her mind. She wouldn’t let this happen. She needed to act. Now.
“My name is Evageline Adhara,” she yelled. Her words caught in her throat. Her heart pounded. The Priestess snapped her head towards Lucius to silence her. Lucius yanked on her arm, pulling her backward and away from the crowd. She cleared her throat again and tugged against Lucius’ pull straining towards the people on the court below. “My name is Evangeline Adhara,” she yelled. “Daughter of the murdered General Marcus and Lillyanne Adhara. I seek sanctuary,” she yelled.
Selene grabbed Lena’s cheeks with one hand and pressed against the sides of her jaw. “You will be silent,” Selene said. “Did you really think you were are so important that other worlds would help you?” Lena jerked her head away from Selene’s grip.
“I will not be silent,” Lena said. “And I will do everything in my power to stop you from hurting any more of the people I love.”
“Not if you are dead,” Selene said. She motioned to Lucius to take her away. She felt the tug on her arm but held her ground refusing to let Lucius lead her away. He pulled her harder, causing her feet to slip across the stone.
“Selene, stop.” Aldebaran’s voice boomed. Anticipation filled the air. Aldebaran stepped forward. “You have no claim to her here. I give her the sanctuary she asks for.”
Selene stood taller and paused as if she hadn’t heard the words correctly. She turned to face Aldebaran giving him a tight smile. “Are you going to stop me from taking my prisoners?” she asked, forcing a pleasant tone that didn’t work. A heavy pulse hung in the air as the crowd waited for Aldebaran’s reply.
“Yes,” Aldebaran said, stepping up the stairs and placing himself between the Priestess and Lena.
“And the others?” She motioned to Gideon, Suki, and Tern. She was now scowling.
“They also have sanctuary. They are not to be imprisoned while in the walls of the Genosee consulate. That includes your son,” Aldebaran said. The soldiers looked back and forth between Selene and Aldebaran. When the soldiers didn’t move, Aldebaran yelled. “Release them or suffer the laws of the Genosee.”
The Priestess flipped her hand towards her soldiers. They looked scared. Slowly, the soldiers lowered their guns and released Suki.
Suki fell to the ground unable to support her own weight. Tern stepped to her side and knelt. Taking off his leather tie, he wrapped it around Suki’s wound.
Gideon rolled his shoulders and pulled himself free of the soldier’s grip. Straightening his posture he walked up the stairs towards where Lucius held Lena. Lucius lowered his gun. His face had turned an angry shade of red. Lena yanked her arm out of his grip. Stepping forward, she met Gideon at the top of the stairs. Gideon reached his hand out to her. She grasped it in her own. Together they turned to face Selene.
The Priestess’ eyes turned to ice. “Captain Gideon,” she said.
“Mother,” he replied. Lena thought she heard a small intake of breath in all those around them, but nobody purposely stood out.
Selene looked at their clasped hands then back to her son. “So this is where your loyalty truly lies?” Selene asked.
“Is it even a question?” Gideon said.
&n
bsp; Selene clamped her jaw so tight, Lena thought it might break. “Then you will be the one to kill her,” Selene said.
She turned to Lena. “You have no idea who you are standing against,” she said. “You may have hidden behind the consulate this time, but next time, who is going to help you?”
Tarek stepped from the crowd. Walking up the courtyard stairs, he placed himself on the other side of Aldebaran. The Priestess’ eyes flashed when she saw the gold markings stitched on Tarek’s suit. Lena wondered what they symbolized.
Another man stepped from the crowd and joined Tarek at the top of the stairs. Lena blinked on her lens. His name was Bartolomeu Fuller. He was also from Allayah, the same planet as Tarek. As he reached Tarek’s side, he gave a formal bow. The whole time he walked, he stared at Selene in defiance. A woman joined them. Minako Roi from Genosee. Soon a small band of defiant people stood around Lena. With Lena. Against Selene.
Lena looked through the crowd. She was surprised to see General Carina standing at one side of the courtyard. The general pursed her lips in a tight line. It was obvious she wasn’t happy about what was happening. Lena stood taller, breaking the general’s gaze. Lena continued to scan the crowd. Her eyes stopped once more. This time on Azara.
Lena couldn’t help noticing that even with the appalled look on Azara’s face, she was striking. Azara shook her head in disgust, her long black hair swaying perfectly from side to side. Then taking one last look at Gideon and Lena’s clasped hands, she turned on her heel and walked out of the courtyard with her lavender gown trailing behind her.
“I will honor the law, Aldebaran,” Selene said. “But you must honor it too. They have forty-eight hours to remain at this consulate before law governs that they must be removed to Genosee.” Her eyes landed on each person who surrounded Lena. “And remember, the airspace between here and Genosee holds no such law.” She stepped towards Gideon. Bringing her lips to his ear, she whispered loud enough for Lena to hear, “I do keep my promises, Gideon. It may not be today, but I promise—you will be the one to kill her.” She smirked at Lena, then turned. As powerfully as she came in, she left.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
They were in the room Aldebaran had let them use before, the one just off the main hallway. Suki lay on the couch, her leg having been attended to by the Genosee medic. Tarek sat in an arm chair adjacent to her. Handing her a glass of water, he helped her sit against the arm of the sofa. Taking a sip, she looked curiously at Gideon and Lena who stood across from her. Tern stood on the balcony, looking over The Port.
“You’ve presented me with quite a problem,” Aldebaran said walking through the room to the balcony overlooking the city. Lena joined him. He smiled kindly at her. “That was a very bold, and brave thing you did Miss Adhara. And at the same time, very, very dangerous. I will honor your sanctuary and give you the ship that you need to leave here. But I can not put my citizens at risk to transport you off the planet.”
“You won’t need to put anyone at risk Ambassador? I’m not leaving Mir.”
“What?” Gideon blurted out before Aldebaran could react.
“I’m staying on Mir,” Lena said, turning away from the view of the city to look at Gideon.
Aldebaran stepped away. “If you’ll excuse me, the less I know of your whereabouts, the better. It was quite the experience meeting you, Miss Adhara. You are so much like your Father. You are safe within the Port for the next…” Aldebaran glanced at his watch, “forty six hours. There will be a ship for you to do as you wish with. After that, you must be gone from here.”
Gideon nodded and shook his hand offering his gratitude.
Aldebaran grabbed Lena’s hand and kissed it. “It’s been a pleasure meeting you, Evangeline Adhara.” Aldebaran left the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.
Gideon glared at Lena while Suki, Tarek, and Tern looked anxiously between the two.
“She’s going to kill you!” Gideon said, before Lena had a chance to say anything.
“Well, then I don’t have much time to do what I need to to help rescue Birdee and figure out what’s happening to your Father, do I?”
“You’re not thinking this through,” Gideon yelled.
“My mind has never been clearer, Gideon. I’m needed here. You know it just as much as I do,” Lena responded.
“The longer you’re here, the more people you put at risk. All those people who surrounded you out there,” Gideon swung his arm so it pointed towards the courtyard. “They are now on Selene’s list. Their lives—including Suki, Tern, and Tarek’s—will never be the same.”
Lena glanced at Tarek who still sat silently in the chair. She didn’t know how to read him. He wore the same calm expression that he always wore, but when he looked at Lena, she could tell in his eyes that he knew there would be repercussions for standing with her. She wondered if he regretted it. If the others regretted their rash actions in surrounding her. Protecting her. She looked at the other two. A pang of guilt clenched Lena’s chest. Still, she knew what she was going to do.
“Gideon, I’m not leaving,” Lena responded.
Gideon’s face showed a mixture of emotions. Rage, relief, sadness.
Lena wanted to take his hand. To plead with him to understand where she was coming from. To beg him to fight the Priestess with her. But how could she? He’d risked his life, time and again, for her. For the direct purpose of keeping her safe. And here she was throwing his sacrifice away.
“I’m not asking you to come with me,” Lena said “Go on with your life if that’s what you feel is the right thing to do. You’ve done what you could to keep me safe. But from now on, my choice is to stay.”
Lena couldn’t bare to look at him anymore. She felt like she was letting him down. She was beyond grateful to him. She just couldn’t bare to be untrue to herself by following him when she knew in her heart she should stay. Turning away from him, she walked from the room, praying that he’d one day forgive her.
***
Once in the hallway, Lena had no idea where to go. She walked back and forth in front of the closed doorway. She could still hear the music from the Genosee Gala coming from the courtyard. How could they still be dancing after all that had just happened? She kept pacing. She heard Suki and Gideon’s voices behind the door. She couldn’t make out their words, even though they oscillated in volume. The tone of the conversation sounded heated. Finally it was quiet. She concentrated on the orchestra. She had no idea what her next move would be. It was dark and late. Her adrenaline started to slow down and suddenly she felt hungry. She had eaten at the Zoons’ port house. But that was hours ago. Now she felt tired. The arches of her feet ached from the shoes she’d been wearing. She was sure it was a blister that throbbed on the back of her heel. Sitting on the hallway floor, she took off her shoes and rested her back against the wall. She looked at her heel. No blister, just a red spot where the shoe had rubbed wrong. Stretching her legs in front of her, she rolled her feet from side to side as she followed the rugs design with her finger. In a matter of moments her whole world had shifted direction. She felt lost. She didn’t know what her first step should be, or how she would take it without Gideon.
The door opened. Lena looked up as Gideon stepped into the hallway. He looked calmer now. Closing the door behind him, he pressed his back against it and looked down at her. He still wore his tux, but the tie was missing and his suit jacket was gone. He’d rolled up his sleeves and unbuttoned the top part of his shirt. As he opened his mouth to speak, Lena’s chest tightened. She didn’t want to argue with him again.
“Okay,” he said.
Lena’s face twisted in confusion. “Okay, what?” she asked, as her chest tightened even more.
“Tell me your plan for staying on Mir.”
“What?” Lena asked. She shook her head a little to make sure she heard right.
“Your plan. You’ve obviously been thinking about it for a while now. If you’re staying on Mir, what is your plan?” His arms
were crossed over his chest and he sounded every bit the Captain that he was.
Lena pursed her lips together. She didn’t want to tell him she had no idea what she was going to do next. After several seconds, she replied, “I want to find Thora. And I want to access the Priestess’ system again and find any information on your father and what’s controlling him. I want to fix the device Dorry gave me and figure out how to use it.” She felt like she was rambling. “I want to free Birdee and anyone else who’s been imprisoned because of me. And I want to stop the Priestess from hurting or neglecting any more of Mir’s citizens.”
Gideon raised his eyebrow. “Is that all?” he questioned with a slight teasing in his voice.
Did she hear him right? He didn’t sound mad at all. Lena replayed in her mind what she’d just said to him. She realized she must have sounded ridiculous. These were no small things she wanted to do, but she’d listed them off like they’d be easy. “I sound ridiculous.”
Gideon studied her for a moment and relaxed his stance. “Okay.”
Lena stared at him as if she didn’t hear him right. “‘Okay’ what?”
“I’ll help you, Eves.” Lena’s heart skipped a beat as she looked at him. His eyes were steady and his posture was sure. He looked directly into her eyes before he started pacing the hallway in front of her. “But one step at a time. We’ll break into the prison and rescue Birdee. We’ve seen that the Priestess has more information on my father, which Thora has. So, after we rescue Birdee, I’ll take you to Thora.”
Tears welled up in Lena’s eyes as she watched him. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She quickly wiped them away.
“We need more intel on the other things you listed. Then we can make informed decisions about what needs to be done.” Gideon stopped pacing and turned to look at her.
She jumped to her feet stepping on her gown in the process. She didn’t care. She leaped towards him, wrapping her arms around his solid build. He didn’t move as she buried her face in his chest. She felt so full of relief she couldn’t stop crying. Gideon stood still for a moment. Uncrossing his arms under Lena’s hug, he wrapped them around her.
The Children of The Resistance (The Mir Chronicles Book 2) Page 15
