by S. J. West
CHAPTER four
As I pace back and forth in my prison cell, I begin to understand why so many people who are held captive for years on end lose their sanity. The four walls surrounding me are white. The floor is white. The ceiling is white. There is nothing to sit on except for the floor which is kept at such a cold temperature standing is preferable for the most part.
I have no way to judge time except for counting the meals which are teleported inside my cell. If I assume they are feeding me three times a day, then I've been trapped inside these walls for at least two days.
As I make what has to be the thousandth lap around the perimeter of my prison, my mind races with thoughts about what might be happening on the outside. I have no doubt my father is trying to arrange my release, but I know he will fail. My Auggie isn't my Auggie anymore. I don't know what's wrong with him, but I do know the man who accused me of treason isn't the boy I grew up with. He is not my best and most trusted friend any longer.
I'd heard rumors that a technology existed which allowed you to change yourself into whatever human form you wanted. However, that type of science was outlawed because...well... no one wanted someone else to have the ability to look exactly like them. It didn't mean someone couldn't gain access to the technology though. There were always black marketers who could procure whatever you wanted as long as you had the money to pay for their services.
With no warning, my father suddenly appears in the middle of the room. I go to him, but know it isn't really the flesh and blood him, just a holographic projection.
“Anna, don't say anything,” my father warns me not only with his voice but his eyes. “They're only allowing me to speak to you for a few moments to explain things.”
I see my papa's eyes dart around him, and I know he isn't alone in whatever room he’s in. He's being watched, and his words will be chosen carefully.
“I'm sorry you were accused for a crime that I myself committed.”
“Papa...” I say about to ask him why he's confessing to something he didn't even know about. No one knew about the messages I received from Gladson for Auggie except the three of us.
My father holds up a hand to signal me to not say anything more.
“I should have told you about my dealings with the rebels, but I knew how loyal you were to Empress Catherine and Emperor Augustus,” he continues to say.
I stand there speechless but let him continue to spin his false confession.
“The emperor and empress have accepted my declaration of guilt and have agreed to release you, my little cherub. They have also agreed to keep to the marriage contract even in the face of my betrayal.”
“What will happen to you?” I ask, needing to know this above all else.
“The emperor knows how close you and I are,” my father says. “He has agreed to not execute me since he knows how much it would upset you. I guess you can consider his compromise a wedding gift to you. Instead, I will be sent to our furthest settlement off-world. It will take me half of my remaining lifetime to get there. So, even if I tried to come back, I would die before I ever reached Earth again. I’m so sorry that this has to happen, Anna, but I want you to know that I will always love you and carry you in my heart until the day I die.”
My eyes well with tears, and I feel the sting of my heartache leach the last bit of hope I have left for a happy life. Even though my father will remain alive on a distant planet, which I'm grateful for, he might as well be dead to me. Our life together has come to an end, and I'm not sure where to go from here. I will have no one left to lean on. I'll be all alone.
“I won't be allowed to contact you again until I've reached my destination,” he tells me, his voice breaking over our loss of one another. “I hope you will trust in your instincts since I will no longer be around to help guide you, my little girl. The best advice I can give you is to seek out your true friends and always remember to be mindful of things around you. Take nothing for granted, Anna. I love you, my little cherub, and I wish you the happiest of lives.”
I reach out a hand to my father, but his hologram disappears, taking him away from me forever.
I bury my face in my hands and begin to cry uncontrollably. I drop to my knees on the cold prison floor, bereft of hope. It takes me a few minutes to pull myself together, but one thought creeps into my consciousness sustaining my sanity.
I need to find out where my Auggie is. If I can do that, maybe I can piece back together the shattered remains of what was once a happy life.
As I wipe my tears of self-pity away, filled with a new determination and purpose to save not only my father but my best friend, two guards teleport into my cell. They are the same two guards who have always escorted me to my lessons with the empress.
“We’ve been ordered to take you home, Lady Annalisse,” Christopher says as he and Clark walk up to me.
I stand to my feet as they both touch my shoulders and transport me to the front entrance of my home. Without another word, they teleport away leaving me completely alone. I open the front door and walk in.
“Millie!” I call out, closing the door behind me and walking towards the living room to search for her. “Millie!” I call again, even more desperately, but still receive no answer.
“Anna! Anna!”
Vala comes barreling down the stairs from the second floor and launches herself into my arms.
“Vala, where is Millie?”
“Some of the palace guards came and took her, Vivian, and Eliza away two days ago,” she tells me. “I've been here alone ever since. What's happening Anna? What's wrong?”
I tell Vala what transpired at the ball and whisper to her the sacrifice my papa made to secure my freedom.
Vala whines. “Lord Andre is gone? Forever?”
“Not if I have anything to say about it,” I whisper in her ear.
Vala's little brow furrows and her eyes look troubled.
“What's wrong?” I ask her.
“Nothing, I just miss Lord Andre. Do you think we could go to his study?”
I don't voice my suspicion that Vala is up to something. I simply nod and walk up the staircase to seek out my father's sanctuary.
Once I close the door to his study, Vala leaps out of my arms and scampers over to the wood desk in the room. I walk over to watch as she pulls out one of the bottom drawers. Inside the drawer is a device I've only heard about but knew to be outlawed because it essentially blocked out any surveillance the royal family had in place.
Vala jumps into the drawer and presses one tiny paw on the single red button at the top of the device.
“Now we can talk without anyone listening,” Vala says, jumping out of the drawer and sitting on the floor in front of me. “Lord Andre told me that if anything ever happened to him, I should tell you to tear his desk apart.”
“Why?” I ask, knowing how much my father treasured his link to the past.
“He didn't say,” Vala tells me. “But, I think you should do it, Anna.”
I lean down and take the blocking device out of the drawer and set it on the glass table behind the desk. Vala runs over to the middle of the room to get out of my way. As I glide a hand across the surface of one of my father's prized possessions, I grab the lip of the top and yank the thick, heavy wood off easily, setting it aside behind me.
When I look back at the desk, I notice something wrapped in a silver reflective bag laying within the empty void at the front of it. I walk around to the front of the desk and grab the bag, immediately feeling the weight of something heavy inside.
I lay the bag on the floor and kneel down beside it. Vala walks over to me and sits down.
“Open it,” she urges.
The seam is sealed with a magnetic closure which is the way most garments are sealed. I was told things known as zippers and buttons were used at one time.
I pull the seam apart and stare at the contents of the bag.
There is a broadsword and a small black box. I pick up the box and
open it. Lying within its interior is a translucent neural memo. I grab it and immediately place it behind my right ear. A hologram of my father materializes in front of me and a fount of tears immediately clouds my vision.
“Anna,” my papa says, “if you are watching this message it means something has happened to me, and Vala has told you to seek out the items in my desk. There is so much I need to tell you, my little cherub, but what you need to know should be told to you in person not through a simple holographic message. Plus, I have no way of knowing if this message will be found by you or someone else and the information you need is far too important to be discovered by a third party. I have no doubt that once my best friend learns of what has happened to me he will come here and take care of you. He is not someone you have met before, and I must warn you that he is a stubborn man. No matter what he says or how he acts towards you, know that he will protect you with his life. We have been the guardians of your family for a very long time. He will not forsake you just because of his personal feelings. I love you, my dearest Anna. No matter what has befallen me, I want you to always remember that I treasure the time I've been able to spend with you. I knew from the moment I held you in my arms after you were born that you were meant for greatness. You are going to change the world, my little cherub. I have complete faith that you will live up to your birthright. I am so proud to be known as your father and so thankful to have been given the opportunity to watch you grow and mature into the beautiful, self-confident woman you are today. Keep safe, my love. And always remember that your papa is proud of you and loves you more than anything or anyone else in this world.”
I sit motionless on the floor as tears trail down my face. I play the message again and again because it's the only link I have left to my father.
Finally, I look back inside the bag and pull out the sword.
It's not a hologram. It's real. I'm not sure how my papa was able to smuggle a weapon into Cirrus but somehow he did. And, he thought it important enough to leave for me to find.
As I heft the hilt in my hand, the silver blade suddenly ignites with red-orange flames, mesmerizing me with their flickering brightness.
“Whoa,” Vala says, her dark, little hazel colored eyes shining from the flames as she stares at the sword in my hand. “What kind of sword is that, Anna?”
I shake my head. “I have no idea, Vala. No idea at all.”
CHAPTER five
A day passes. Then two. Still no word comes about Millie and Eliza's whereabouts. I have no way to find out where they are or why they’re still being held. In truth, I welcome the silence in the house. It lets me focus on what I need to do next. I decide that if I'm ever going to find a way to bring my father back I will have to wait until after my marriage to the emperor. On the day of our wedding, I will also be crowned empress and have far more power than I do now.
I can't call the person masquerading as the emperor Auggie because he isn't my best friend. He is an imposter. Of that, I have no doubt whatsoever. I'm not sure how long it will take or what I will have to do to prove that fact to everyone else, but I feel certain the truth will reveal itself in time. I simply have to be patient and choose my actions carefully because I am also certain the dowager empress will be watching my every move. I will have to hide my real agenda from them both if I am ever going to get my family put back together.
Two days before my marriage to the emperor, the usurper shows up in my home completely unannounced. I am playing with Vala in my sitting room when he suddenly appears in front of me. I find his unexpected arrival odd because I didn't see the flash of light that usually coincides with someone teleporting. It was more like he just materialized out of nowhere.
“Good evening, Annalisse,” he says, his eyes roaming over every inch of my body with undisguised carnal interest. Further proof to me that the person standing before me is not Auggie.
“Good evening,” I reply, as Vala sits up on my lap, staring at the emperor like she'll pounce on him if he dares to try to touch me.
The emperor looks around my sitting room like he is seeing it for the very first time, taking in every detail before returning his gaze to me.
“It's a pity, you know,” he says with a heavy sigh of regret.
He doesn't complete his thought, and I know exactly what he wants.
“What's a pity?” I ask, providing the slight prod he seems to need to finish what he was about to say.
“It's a pity how your life has turned out,” he finishes. “You were given everything a person needs to survive in this world, yet, look where you are. Forced into a marriage you don't want. Exiled from your father and friends. It just seems rather pathetic considering all the effort that went into placing you where you are now.”
“What are you talking about?” I ask.
The emperor makes a clicking sound with his tongue like he's chastising me for something I said.
“Come, come, Annalisse. I think we both know what's going on here. You don't have to hide your knowledge from me. You know what I am.”
“I know you're an imposter,” I say vehemently, not being able to control my temper. “Where is Auggie?”
The person masquerading as my friend narrows his eyes on me looking slightly confused.
“Don't you know?” He asks.
“How am I supposed to know what you did with him?” I demand. “Where is he?”
I watch as the man's expression transforms into one of sudden realization. He begins to laugh. It's not a joyous sound but one filled with scorn.
“I can't believe they didn't tell you anything!” He howls, completely amused by my ignorance of what's really going on.
“Then why don't you enlighten me,” I say, becoming annoyed by his mocking. “If you're so smart, why don't you share your vast store of knowledge with me?”
The man is finally able to bring his mirth under control and looks at me with no pretense of friendliness. He hates me, that much is certain. I just don't know why he hates me.
“What fun would that be?” He asks. “Why would I give up the upper hand I have over you? Plus, you really don't need to know anyway. You won't be alive long enough to do anything with the knowledge.”
My body tenses and Vala begins to growl.
“You leave her alone,” Vala threatens.
The emperor chuckles.
“I've lived longer than this world has been in existence, my little robot friend,” he says to Vala in disgust. “It will take more than you to end my life. Of that, you can rest assured.”
Even though he didn't want to give up any information that would help me, he just did.
“How can you be older than the Earth?” I ask, hoping to coerce him into opening up a dialogue. “I think you're lying.”
“How limited your mind is,” the man says condescendingly. “I can't believe Andre raised you to think so inside the box. There are powers within this world that are beyond your limited imagination. And I'm one of them.”
“Prove it,” I say. “Just what kind of powers do you presume to have that would amaze my limited intellect?”
The man stares at me, and I can see that he's trying to decide whether or not to entertain my request. Before I know it, a whip made of what looks like lightning appears in his right hand, crackling with a supernatural power. He lifts his hand and slashes the portrait of my mother which has always hung over the fireplace in my sitting room, cutting it in half and causing it to catch on fire.
I feel my heart race but try to hold back my fear. Fear isn't an emotion I want to show the creature standing in front of me.
“What are you?” I ask in a whisper.
“I hate to sound cliché, but I'm what's known as your worst nightmare.”
“Why do you hate me so much?”
“Oh, where to start,” he chuckles. His gaze is drawn to what remains of my mother's portrait. “We could start with her I guess.”
“You knew my mother?”
“I've known your family sin
ce the beginning of it,” he tells me, sounding sickened by the fact of the association. “You come from a long line of thorns in my side.”
“Sounds like I would have liked them,” I taunt.
“Well, you will be happy to know that little smart ass mouth of yours was inherited honestly.” The man snorts derisively. “The knowledge won't do you much good I'm afraid. You won't live long enough to have time to really think about it.”
“Are you going to kill me?”
“Absolutely not,” he says, looking offended by such a notion. “I wouldn't want to dirty the emperor's hands with such a task.”
“Where is Auggie?” I ask again, hoping his arrogance will prod him into flaunting the truth in my face.
“Standing right before you,” the man says with a devilish grin.
“You are not Auggie.”
“But I am in his body.”
“How?”
“I took it.”
“How do you just take over a body? Are you remotely controlling him somehow?”
The man laughs and shakes his head at me like I must be the most ignorant person on the planet.
“No, I forced his soul out so mine could wear his skin.”
“Who are you?” I demand.
“Allow me to introduce myself,” the man says, bowing to me exaggeratedly at the waist. “I am the Archangel Levi, one of the seven princes of Hell, at your service, my lady.”
My father had of course shared his religious beliefs with me, but I didn't remember him ever mentioning Hell having princes.
“Where is Auggie's soul?”
“I guess that depends on how well-behaved a boy he was while he was still alive. However, my guess would be Heaven since he seemed to be such a do-gooder.”
“Then he's dead?” I ask, my voice breaking uncontrollably over my loss.
“Afraid so.”
I take a moment to absorb this fact, pushing back my emotions for now because if I let them surface they will incapacitate me, and right now I know I will need all of my senses to outwit the creature standing before me.
