The enormous disc moaned as it came loose, then dangled from the ceiling. Zania rushed for cover. The huge computer dropped and crashed upon hundreds of pods, creating more smoke and sparks. There was nothing here for Zania anymore. She’d done her worst. Now she had to escape, before the Collectors realized what had happened.
Rushing toward the door through dust and smoke, Zania lit and threw several bombs at a run, not checking for how much damage they did. Would it be enough to destroy the lab? Zania hoped so. But she had to return to the shuttle and that might prove a challenge.
A wave of the tablet opened the door. Once in the corridor, Zania heard running footsteps and hurried in the opposite direction. Hiding behind a reinforcement beam, she took out the electronic tablet and studied it carefully. A list of symbols on the side reminded her of the script on the doors. She found the sequence of symbols she’d seen on the landing bay door, an elongated infinity sign, a long stem mushroom, and an approximate letter G. She pushed it.
When she started running again, the corridor stopped suddenly, but the door at the dead end looked promising. Zania recognized the script. Thank Aries for small favors.
She waved the tablet in front of the door. As it opened, she entered the landing bay. Several guards, already roused by the alarms, rushed toward her.
Using the cane, Zania fired upon them. Unprepared for such an attack, the guards retreated, away from the Earth shuttle. Zania couldn’t believe that they only carried electric prods. Did the Collectors fear mutiny on their vessel more than outside aggression? Despite all their technology, they were a bunch of cowards.
Zania ran to the shuttle and pounded on the hatch. "Grayson? It’s me. Open the door."
Grayson’s head appeared in the porthole frame. He looked scared but opened the hatch then shut it behind Zania.
"Let’s get out of here, fast!"
Grayson nodded and fumbled with his seat belt.
"Now!" Zania ordered
Grayson flipped a few switches and the shuttle levitated. Then he turned it toward the open end of the landing bay. "Getting out without authorization could be risky."
"Staying here is more dangerous."
An explosion rocked the bay and the shuttle wavered from right to left. Grayson tried to correct the trajectory, but the Collector ship shook in unexpected ways.
"What did you do?" There was reproach in Grayson’s voice as he redressed the shuttle.
"Never mind. The satellites are dead, but I pissed off the Collectors. Drive!"
Grayson looked fearful as he engaged the speed. When the shuttle ejected into space, he relaxed slightly. "So far, so good."
"As fast as you can." Zania remembered the swarm of silvery darts and didn’t want to deal with such weapons. The shuttle wasn’t even armed.
Sweat rolled down Grayson’s temples. "I’m pushing the propulsion to the maximum. Hang on for a rough reentry."
The shock of reentry almost knocked Zania out of her seat, but she clutched the armrests with both hands. Would they be safe from the darts once in the atmosphere? She didn’t know.
As the shuttle sped on its descent toward Dagora, Zania caught herself praying. Aries, God of War, please, smile on your humble servant once more. At this rate, Zania feared she might have exhausted her reserves of divine favors.
Chapter Fourteen
Zania leapt out of the hovering shuttle onto the landing platform atop the short, truncated pyramid. She stared at the pure blue sky. Magnified by the city shields, the Collectors’ ship resembled a tiny metallic moon. How much damage had she wrought?
Shading her eyes with one hand, Zania squinted against the sun. The ship seemed to expand then exploded into a ball of orange fire. Successive blasts shook the Collectors’ vessel.
"By Aries!" Zania cheered, slapping her thigh. The Collectors wouldn’t be in any shape to retaliate.
The last explosion scattered the spaceship into thousands of chunks. Soon, the fragments hit the atmosphere, blazing trails of black smoke like a rain of meteorites. Most disintegrated before reaching the ground, but a few larger chunks fell into the lake. One crashed into the jungle, and soon black smoke from many small fires rose toward the sky. Fortunately the fire, far to the south beyond the lake, wouldn’t threaten their escape route.
Zania rejoiced. Those dark traders wouldn’t mess with anyone’s life anymore. She wondered whether the Collectors had other ships out there in the many universes. But even if the crippled vessel had called for help before exploding, their cowardly brothers would rather flee than risk the same fate for no profit.
"Did you do that?" Grayson laughed nervously behind her.
Zania turned to face him, unable to erase her grin. "It appears so."
Grayson smiled back. "May the Goddess of Eternal Peace forgive your infraction and bless you nevertheless."
Goddess of Eternal Peace? Zania wondered what kind of religion the people of the city observed. She had no knowledge of their culture except for their non-violent ways. They would consider her a monster for killing the Collectors.
Grayson shaded his eyes and gazed at the shimmering dome protecting the city. "I have to see to the shields. They have started to expand, but not nearly enough."
Zania nodded. "I’ll go help Svend with the evacuation. Do you know where he is?" From her vantage point, looking south toward the lake, Zania could see the dome of the Capitol to the left. In the absence of wind, the smoke and dust from their morning incursion hung like a haze above the building.
Grayson pointed at a large rectangular flat roof to the right, half a click away. "The refugees are gathering on the temple esplanade." He grimaced. "Be gentle with them. They’ve never seen warriors. Besides, you and your friends can understand them, but they won’t understand anything you say."
"Why?" This could cause serious misunderstandings.
"Only those of us in contact with the outside world have universal translator implants. The regular citizens had no need for them. The population will need someone to translate for them."
Grayson bowed, then turned and walked away around the hovering shuttle to go down the other side.
"Thanks for the tip," Zania called after him.
From her vantage point, she could see citizens in the streets, and they seemed calm.
She stepped down the many stairs of the wide pyramid toward what looked like a marketplace, paved with white stones. The temple lay only three blocs away. Here and there, inert fighting robots sat on the pavement like abandoned cylinders with half-retracted arms, waiting for instructions that would never come.
Zania couldn’t wait to tell Svend about her victory. Her pulse quickened at the thought of him. The relief of seeing her alive would no doubt clear the air between them. Zania also needed to share the sadness she felt about the loss of her alter ego. Hopefully, he would understand and give her comfort.
As she walked along the streets, Zania noticed the absence of sidewalks. The pavement looked like large slabs of white stone. The glistening white buildings, like perfectly aligned cubes of the same size, had the same flat roof. All had two stories, with shops, restaurants and businesses on the street level, and balconies on the upper floor. An outside stairwell led to each apartment above. The only difference between shops resided in the cuneiform inscription above the door.
Outside a shop, a family loaded an anti-gravity plate with victuals and supplies. Zania wondered how long the plates would function in the wild. She’d conducted evacuations before, but this felt very different. Did these people even realize they were in serious danger?
No other vehicles hovered along the smooth street. Citizens in gray robes like monks, some with children, hurried on foot in the direction of the temple. Up close, they looked shorter than the warriors. Most of them carried hastily made bundles wrapped in gray blankets.
As they noticed Zania, the natives gave her a wide berth. They stared fearfully at her revealing Amazon garb and at the sword and knives hanging from her belt. Th
e sudden appearance of armed warriors in skimpy outfits, for a culture that denied sex and violence, had to come as a shock.
A couple, burdened with supplies and a crying child, tried to coax him with a toy, but he refused to follow them. When Zania walked up to the family, the little boy stopped crying to stare at her. Crouching to the child’s level, Zania picked up the five-year old and lifted him to her shoulders.
The parents didn’t interfere but fear filled their faces. They followed Zania closely, hurrying to keep up with her long strides. They obviously did not trust her dangerous appearance.
Who did these people think she was? A barbarian? A cold-blooded killer of children? Unfortunately, the fact that they couldn’t understand her could make things worse if she tried to explain. So Zania didn’t talk. Even the sound of her foreign speech might frighten these people.
*****
Svend wondered why Dakini would call him so urgently away from the preparations. He had to leave Gray to deal with fitting makeshift shoes on children. Had something gone wrong?
He hoped the feisty Amazon queen hadn’t fomented some strife among the warriors. Svend could scarcely afford anymore bad news. The organization lacked in everything, from shoes to weapons. Even the food wasn’t fit for eating on the go, and it wouldn’t keep long in the warm, humid jungle.
He entered the temple in a hurry, slowing his pace when he noticed the citizens paying their respects to the Goddess of Eternal Peace. His boots echoed as he walked to the far end of the rectangular expanse, lined on both sides by thick columns. He circled the towering silver statue of a woman sitting atop a round fountain.
In the private space behind it, Dakini paced impatiently. The Gorgon, leaning against the fountain rim, saw him and hissed something lost in the noise of the gurgling water, then she walked away.
"What happened?" Svend couldn’t help the sharpness in his voice. The very sight of Dakini and the Gorgon together reminded him of their plot to kill Zania in the arena. He pictured the Amazon queen as a deadly scorpion.
Dakini’s dark eyes flared. "You are forgetting your duties to me. That’s what happened." Even the waterfall didn’t dissipate the angry whisper disturbing the serenity of the temple.
"This is not the time. What happened between us is in the past." Their brief fling had ended only weeks ago, but to Svend, it felt like years. So much had changed since he’d met Zania.
"Everything was fine between us until that upstart showed up." Dakini resumed pacing, her boots echoing on the stone floor. "She has you eating out of her hand. But you forget that you took me to your bed first. Do you deny that we slept together?"
"We had a good time, but we were only slaves. We took what pleasure we could, knowing we had no future." Svend wondered why she brought that up just now.
"The circumstances have changed." Halting, Dakini planted herself in front of him and stared into his eyes. "Now that the tribes are free, we must enforce the tribal laws."
"You can’t be serious!" Svend couldn’t believe Dakini would enforce obsolete traditions. "I never agreed to marry you."
"You don’t have a choice in the matter." Dakini’s cold voice chilled the air. "When a leader sleeps with a queen, the law is clear. It means that they must soon wed."
The reminder of the tribal law fell on Svend like an icy downpour. "And if I’m not willing?"
"I’ll make sure you are willing enough." Her lascivious smile spoke volumes. "Besides, according to the tribal law, nobility can only wed nobility."
"There is nothing noble in your blood... or in your heart." Svend spat the words. "You became queen by killing anyone contesting your authority."
"That’s the way of the Amazons." Dakini lowered her voice as if appealing to reason. "Now more than ever, our laws apply. This is a time for order, not more chaos."
"May I remind you that Zania defied you and survived? You didn’t kill her despite your dirty tactics." Svend enjoyed the surprise on Dakini’s face and pressed his advantage. "The Amazons may not obey you anymore if they learn about your treachery. Zania would make a far better queen. Your title is not iron-clad."
"Do not tempt me." Dakini smirked. "If you do not honor our engagement, I’ll make sure your precious Zania dies a painful death, and the Amazons will declare war against the Vikings."
Svend’s hand went to the battle axe at his belt. It took all his self-control not to draw it and hack Dakini where she stood. "If anything happens to Zania," he uttered in a dangerous whisper, "I will personally slaughter you and your Gorgon pet."
Dakini’s mirthless laugh echoed eerily above the waterfall. "Then for sure the Amazons will declare war upon the Vikings!"
Svend shuddered. With freedom came responsibilities he hadn’t quite evaluated yet. "How can you be so selfish? The other tribes would be forced to take sides! Such division would spell disaster for us all." He didn't mention the population caught in the middle. Dakini wouldn’t care.
"Our union is the only reasonable solution. There is no other way." Dakini flashed a victorious smile. "As long as you are mine, your precious Zania is safe, and the tribes will thrive. But if you ever stray..." She drew her dagger and pretended to slit her own throat with much delight.
"Don’t you dare!" But Svend’s hand froze on the battle axe. He felt trapped.
"Try me!" Dakini’s glare held him transfixed. "I would take pleasure in killing her. Do we understand each other now?"
Unfortunately, Dakini had the law on her side and the tribes would favor her claim. As a prince in his own country, Svend didn’t choose his bride. As the leader of the Viking tribe, he was called upon to fulfill the same kind of obligation.
The sacrifice he must make burned like a firebrand piercing his chest. But the unity of the tribes required alliances, not strife. And Zania’s life depended on his following the law, so did the fate of over five thousand people.
*****
As Zania reached the wide steps leading to the temple, she set down the child and smiled. After all, if ninety percent of communication were non-verbal, a smile should go a long way.
The parents looked relieved. "May the Goddess of Eternal Peace bless you."
Zania nodded then rushed up the steps leading to the esplanade, where citizens and warriors milled, uncertainty on their faces. She spotted Gray near the door, slipping leather boots on a child’s feet.
Zania tapped his shoulder. "Good news! Your brother and I got rid of the Collectors."
"My brother?" Gray chuckled. "Good job." He patted the child’s leg and the youngster ran back to his game of tags. "Most citizens wear only sandals. How are they going to walk in the jungle?"
"We’ll have to ask everyone with good hands to participate in shoemaking duty." Zania scanned the crowd, looking for a tall blond Viking. "Where is Svend?"
"Inside." Gray pointed to the gaping entrance of the temple. "Someone fetched him a little while ago... behind the statue, I think."
As Zania walked into the vast temple, her eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the penumbra. Tiny windows near the high ceiling filtered the rays of the mid-day sun, and candles burned in small niches in the wall. The cool air resonated with the sound of gurgling water.
Citizens congregated in small groups. They spoke in soft voices but anxiety filled their eyes. They knew now that the volcano could explode at any time. Some had folded their blankets on the polished white marble to sit in meditation.
Zania’s steps echoed between the widely spaced columns that supported the high ceiling. At the far end of the rectangular enclosure, the gigantic silver statue of what Zania assumed to be the Goddess of Eternal Peace, sat in a meditative pose on a stylized lotus flower. Serene, eyes half-closed, the goddess seemed to contemplate peace, surrounded by the splashing sound of the large fountain cascading below her.
Zania felt sad at the thought that this marvel of serenity would soon disappear along with the doomed city. But it couldn’t be helped. Unsure how to behave in this temple, Zania bowed t
o the Goddess then walked around the large circular fountain.
The Gorgon blocked her path. "You shouldn’t go there." The hiss mingled with the sound of the fountain. The snakes on her head coiled in readiness.
The evil creature looked out of place in this temple. But again, so did Zania. She worshiped the God of War, for Aries’ sake!
"Let me pass," Zania whispered back, unwilling to disturb the holy place.
The Gorgon had an obscene smile and hissed softly but didn’t dare confront her in this peaceful atmosphere. She stepped aside.
Zania walked past her with more confidence than she felt. When she saw the back of Svend, with his long flaxen hair, he stood in an intimate embrace with an Amazon! Zania halted, the wind suddenly knocked out of her.
The woman’s dark hands clawed the back of Svend’s fur vest. Their languorous kiss seemed to last forever. Zania couldn’t think or feel. Her body turned to ice. Dakini!
Dakini, still kissing Svend greedily, opened her eyes and saw Zania. She winked at her rival, an evil spark in her eyes, but she went on kissing. Svend gave no indication that he saw or heard anything.
Unable to stand the spectacle, Zania turned and ran. Her steps echoed throughout the temple. She wanted to be far away from the terrible hurt of Svend’s betrayal. Her throat constricted, tight with the anger she felt toward herself. How could she be so naive? Thinking that Svend loved her... Svend was a sex champion, had been since he was sixteen. The promiscuous lout had long ago lost all concept of love… or exclusivity.
Rushing out of the temple, Zania joined Gray in the blinding sun of the esplanade. She stopped to take a deep breath. Her heart beat so hard it might shatter. She avoided looking into Gray’s eyes as she lied. "I didn’t find Svend. What can I do to help?" She had to keep busy, or these overwhelming thoughts of worthlessness and inadequacy would drive her crazy.
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