"Troy, Orion!" Atlas runs up to Troy. "Brother . . . I'm sorry."
"Where did they move to? What happened here?"
Atlas puts his arm around Troy's back. "There was a fire. Apollo soaked everything in gasoline and lighter fluid then struck a match."
"Did everyone get out? Tell me everyone got out."
Atlas sighs. "I'm sorry."
Troy watches the flakes of white fall among the ashes. The cold wind penetrates his thick coat, making him shiver. He kneels down and removes one of his gloves. Digging his hand under the snow, he scoops up a handful of the grey and black ashes. He holds them up to his nose and breathes deeply of the hickory scent. Hundreds of memories from his childhood flood his mind. "When did this happen?"
"A short time after you fought in the arena. Apollo lost his mind and locked us all down in the basement. Zodiac managed to save some of the little ones, but they died later form complications. The newborn, Rhea, was killed by Uriel. You and I are the only ones left."
Troy takes Atlas's hand and shakily stands. "Let's go. I can't keep my bride waiting. We will deal with this later."
"Troy . . ."
"There's nothing I can do now." Troy lets the ashes sift through his fingers and be blown away on the wind.
* * *
The temple's warmth is comforting against the fierce winter storm raging outside. Bouquets of red roses and pink lotus flowers surround the golden altar where Troy stands alone, nervously awaiting the arrival of his wife-to-be. While he wasn't nervous before, he certainly is now. He tries to block out the crowds of people and solely focus on not freaking out.
Orion walks up to him and pats his shoulder. "You'll be fine. Are you nervous? You look nervous."
"More than you know."
Orion leans close and whispers extremely quietly to Troy, even hiding his mouth behind his hand. "Just filling you in on recent developments back on Himmel. Mistress, Samuels, Clara, and Annette stayed behind to keep an eye on things. Early this morning, while Gabriel was busy and not guarding the guild hall, Isidore went missing. Someone stole him and all his equipment. Every file and backup we had has vanished. Whoever took Isidore also wiped the hard drives of our other computers. There's nothing."
"Where is Gabriel?"
"With Mistress and the others. I literally just found out about five minutes ago."
"Keep me posted."
"Will do. I have my sensor on. So, if anything happens, I will be instantly notified." Orion sits back down next to Silver.
A security breech is never a good thing. Missing data and losing their most important artificial intelligence computer is an even worse issue. And it had to happen today of all days.
When the side doors open and Nova steps out in her flowing white gown, Troy's worries are quickly vanquished. His heart flutters as he stares at her. Her curly black hair is gathered up on top of her head with her undying lotus flower pinned in the middle underneath her veil. Pearl strands hang from her neck and rest on the top of her breasts. Before he realizes it, Nova is just inches from him. He can feel her warmth and smell her delicate vanilla fragrance. He has never wanted her more than he does right now.
An elderly priest in long white robes steps up to the altar. He smiles at both of them then holds up his hands. "Welcome everyone. We have assembled here to celebrate the union of Troy and Nova. Love is a beautiful treasure from the gods. Hera watches over both of you, leading each of you to the other, forming a union, and guiding your souls to desire each other. Marriage is a gift beyond any other form of alliance between mortals. Tonight, you two will become one. If anyone has a reason these two shouldn't be joined together in the eternal bonds of marriage, step forward now."
There is a gust of wind and snow is blown into the aisle as the temple doors are thrown open. Everyone turns to look at the man in all black whose hair covers half of his face. His thigh-high leather boots click on the marble floor, sending the sound echoing against the vaulted ceiling. The silence is deafening as the entire wedding is halted by this one man who makes his way down the aisle.
No expression shows on his face as he stops at the altar, locks eyes with Nova, and bows a deep elaborate bow. A dark grin spreads across his lips as he turns to face the crowd of people. "Hello, my faithful subjects." He brushes his bangs out of his face to reveal the rough pink scars.
Troy gasps and takes Nova's hand. "Paris!"
"It's King Paris to you." Uriel, with his wings spread high, struts inside and closes the door behind him. "This is a lovely wedding, isn't it, Master?"
Paris walks over to a vase of flowers and pulls one of the red roses out. "Yes, it is quite lovely. Though, something is missing. Don't you think something is missing, Uriel?"
Uriel moves along the back few rows of benches, looking at each of the guests. "Something is positively wrong here. This wedding isn't complete yet."
Paris plucks the petals from the rose and drops them as he paces around Troy and Nova. "That's very true. How observant of you."
"What is the meaning of this interruption?" The priest steps up to stop it, but he is pushed roughly back by Paris.
"Shut up, old man. You really know how to interrupt a good back and forth speech, don't you? Art is wasted on you filthy swine." Paris draws a silver revolver from under his black trench coat and aims at the priest. "Listen up, fools. As your king, I get to make the rules here."
"You're stopping the wedding?" The priest asks.
"Oh, no. Of course not. There's still going to be a wedding. Though, not between these two beautiful people. No. Nova Cunningham will marry me."
"No way in hell." Troy holds up his cane and pushes Nova behind him. "Bring it on. I don't care if you are a false king or not. I don't care if you tricked and bribed your way to the power you have. You will never be my king. Nova is my bride. She will be my wife and my queen once I kill you like the mangy rabid dog you are. You're a scavenging buzzard. That's all you are. You swoop in when the people are at their lowest so you can pick at the carcass. You're disgusting."
"Me?" Paris giggles like a demented child. "Look at you, Troy. Branded like a worthless slave? Marked by your owner with that ring in your nose? I used to be pathetic and powerless like you. Then I got off my ass and did something about it."
"Oh? Interesting." Silver stands and pulls out his .44 magnum revolver from the holster on his thigh. "How spotty your memory has become, Paris. That's not the way I remember it. We saved you from Hector. Or are you going to admit that you liked being used like the little bitch you are?"
"Enough! Stand down, Jarred Cunningham."
Troy looks back at the doors to see the mass of guards and soldiers file in and line the walls of the temple. They are wearing full power armor and are equipped with a type of green glowing rifle that Troy has only seen once and it was a prototype. Are those plasma rifles?
Uriel joins Paris's side and holds out his arms. "Everyone will comply with the orders of our King Paris or you will face a slow and extremely agonizing death by plasma. Jarred, you don't want to watch these innocent women and children die because of your anger, do you?"
Dax is the next one to stand. His hands are tightened into fists as he very obviously struggles to contain his anger and refrain from attacking. "I couldn't care less about these people you say are innocent. I have no ties to most of them. The one person I do have to defend right now is my sister."
Troy almost dies right there. Sister? "Zodiac?"
"Sorry you had to find out this way, buddy. But I'm done hiding behind a false name and false personas. Yes, I am Zodiac Cunningham. Yes, I am alive. And yes, I will risk everything to keep my sister from marrying you, Paris!" He pulls his bow from his back and nocks an arrow.
"You will want to make your next moves very carefully, Zodiac." Paris cocks his revolver and takes aim at Troy. "You draw that bow and I will kill your friend here."
In a flash, the arrow flies through the air, but Paris doesn't flinch. Everyone either gasps or whispe
rs frantically to each other.
Paris giggles as he spins the arrow in his fingers. "Nice shot, but I'm afraid the nanobots won't let me die just yet. Guards, restrain him."
Troy watches in horror as the guards throw Zodiac against the wall and secure handcuffs around his wrists. He is then pushed down to the floor. Troy becomes more concerned with his own fate as he stares down the barrel of the revolver. Paris wouldn't actually shoot him, would he?
"Now, I told you if you drew that bow, that I would kill Troy."
"No! Kill me instead. It's my fault, not his."
"In order to show everyone how merciful and forgiving of a king I am, I will give you a choice, Troy Lifestone. We're going to play a little game."
"Paris, what are you doing?" Uriel asks. "It's not time for that."
"Don't tell me what to do!" Paris pulls the trigger.
For a couple of seconds, Uriel stands there, frozen as the blood drains from his face and spreads across his grey suit. Shock and disbelief show in his eyes as he removes his hand from his stomach. Dark blood drips down onto the floor. "Paris . . . why?" Two more shots ring out as Uriel drops to his hands and knees. His pure white wings are splattered with crimson as he coughs violently.
Paris spins the gun in his fingers as he approaches Uriel then pushes him down with his foot on the back of his head. Holding the archon to the marble floor, he grins as he fires the last few shots into Uriel's body. He motions to the soldiers. "Finish him off with the plasma. Melt those pretty wings of his until there's nothing left. I want him good and dead."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Now, back to our game." Paris loads his revolver again as he speaks. "You have one choice to make, Troy Lifestone. Either I kill you and everyone in this room, or I give you a demonstration of how powerful my nanobots are."
"Spare these people. They have done nothing to you."
"Ah. So you choose to bear witness to my power." Paris raises his hand in the air and snaps his fingers.
When nothing happens, everyone looks around at each other with confusion written on their faces. What just happened? Did anything just happen? Was this all a bluff? A familiar beeping comes from Orion's arm.
Paris places his hand on his hip. "Hear that beeping? You might want to check your sensor, Orion."
Orion taps on his sensor and reads for a long minute. His face goes white. "Dear gods, help us all. The capital city of Himmel has been destroyed. It's completely leveled. There's nothing left."
"What about Mistress?" Troy asks.
"No answer. I just tried calling her."
Zodiac's ensuing panic fills his voice. "Leto! What about Leto?"
"I'm sorry, Zodiac."
Paris's high-pitched giggling echoes in the temple, sending chills up Troy's spine. What kind of power is this? Why would he wipe out an entire city . . . all for show? That sparkle of hatred in the young man's eyes is blazing with a pure and uninhibited evil.
After a minute of demonic laughter, Paris takes another rose from the vase and spins around three times, ending with his arm around Nova's back. "Hey, beautiful." He drags the velvety petals of the rose up her arm, around her face, then down to her chest.
Nova's nerves of steel and innate composure are pushed to their limits. She closes her eyes as the rose moves along her body. Troy feels completely useless. With a plasma rifle pointed directly at him, his is forced to watch Paris's hands wandering over the woman he loves. When the sight disgusts him too much, he looks out over the crowd of people in the room. Guards are restraining the guild members and confiscating their weapons. How did this day go so wrong?
Zodiac isn't showing any emotions, not even anger at this point. He is staring off into nothingness with emptiness in his hazel eyes.
Silver looks like he is about to go on a rampage and slaughter every person in the vicinity. He probably would too, if he wasn't prone on the floor with rifles aimed at him.
The only person showing an emotion other than anger or sorrow is Orion. He is down on his knees where the guards placed him, but his eyes reveal that he is mentally miles away from here. The emotion written across his face is fear. It's unmistakable. Troy knows why. Orion is thinking of his family in Delphi. If Paris can remotely destroy a modern city without blinking an eye, what keeps him from eliminating a nomadic village in the middle of nowhere?
Paris replaces the revolver in his trench coat then claps his hands loudly. "Let's get this show on the road. When we're done here, take these prisoners back to Himmel. They pose no threat to me. Oh, except Jarred Cunningham. There has been a warrant out for his arrest for sixteen years. I think it's far past time he paid for his crimes. Take him to the dungeon. Enough of that. Priest, get up here and marry us. I'm ready to sleep with my first woman. How does that sound, baby?"
Nova's hands tighten into fists.
As Troy is forced to watch the ceremony that should have been his, he is fixated on Nova. When tears stream down her pink cheeks and Paris pulls her close to forcefully kiss her, Troy begins screaming inside. He curses and threatens these people, but in reality, he remains silent and defeated. There's nothing he can do.
The priest holds their hands up. "I present to you King Paris and his new bride, Queen Nova."
7
Troy hasn't said a word to anyone during the trip back to Himmel. What can he say? Nothing. They all saw what happened. They are quiet too, all watching the vast blackness of space pass by the windows as the familiar chill hangs in the air. Troy hides under his coat with the hood pulled down over his eyes. He doesn't want to see anyone and he doesn't want anyone to see him. His heart is aching and his mind is racing with a desperation that he knows won't be satiated anytime soon.
What will be waiting for them on Himmel? If the city is as bad off as Orion said, will their guild hall even still be standing? Where will they go if it isn't? How will they save Nova and Silver? There are too many unanswered questions and too many variables surrounding the entire situation.
When strong arms squeeze around his chest, Troy pushes back his hood and looks at Zodiac in the dim light. "What are you doing?"
"Comforting you. I don't care if you think you don't need it. Stay still and let me hold you."
Troy closes his eyes and lays his head on Zodiac's shoulder. Honestly, it is nice to know that someone cares, that there is even one stable person in this tumultuous galaxy who is still here for him. He has missed his dear friend. Now, Troy is overwhelmed by everything as he loses control over his own emotions. The hot wetness of tears on his cheeks makes him pull away from Zodiac's embrace.
"Troy, it's okay. We will get Nova back. If you need to talk about your family, I'm right here. You know I love you like a brother. It's all right to cry. You have been through so much. Let it go."
He does. Troy buries his face in Zodiac's chest and weeps. All the pain, the fear, and the uncertainty culminates in these moments. As he cries, he feels other arms surround him. Every person on the ship, except for Donnie the pilot, is consoling him like they are all one big family. While Troy lost one family, he has gained another. They may not all be related by blood, but blood isn't the only force that can bind people together. It is now that Troy releases his sorrow, but as one emotion leaves, another takes its place. This new emotion spreads like a wildfire, engulfing everything in its path. The emotion morphs and changes into a single definitive goal: revenge.
* * *
It is night when they land on the outskirts of the capital city of Himmel. The entire planet is dark, silent, and still. An ominous feeling surrounds them as they walk below the thick haze hanging in the abnormally hot and humid sky. The stickiness clings to Troy's skin, making him sweat almost instantly. What happened to winter? It is so dark here that Orion has to use his GPS to guide them through the rubble. Nothing moves around the once bustling city. Where families would gather on the promenade to shop and dine at outdoor cafes, now piles of twisted jagged metal and crumbling bricks take their places. The cherry trees
and cedars that lined the streets are blackened and bare, some uprooted or stripped of their bark. Broken glass glitters on the cracked sidewalks where wrecked vehicles have come to rest, the fates of their passengers unknown. The only clues are the slippery puddles of dark blood spreading out from the crumpled metal and plastic cars that now serve as crude makeshift coffins. Crows and white doves litter the streets and awnings of buildings, lifeless and lying where they landed when they fell from the sky.
When they get close to the guild hall, Troy spots the first corpse. It's a young girl. Her skin is pale and bluish in the glow from Zodiac's cell phone he has been using as a flashlight. The girl's dress is tattered and dirty. A sea of blood has surrounded her, oozing from thousands of tiny holes. Troy has seen those types of perfectly symmetrical uniform holes. Nanobots made those. To make them that large, the nanobots had to have been in groups to form the cohesive dark matter like that. The sight is repulsive, making him turn away and grab onto Zodiac's arm.
"Give your cane to Atlas. I'll carry you from here. You look awful." Zodiac pats Troy's back. "Go on. It's okay."
Troy hands his cane to his brother then climbs onto Zodiac's back. He is beyond grateful. "Thank you."
"It's not a problem. We need to get you into bed before you go any more downhill. You haven't taken your medicine today, have you?"
He entirely forgot. With all the excitement and rushing surrounding the wedding, Troy didn't take his nanochems that the doctors had prescribed. That could explain some of the body-racking pain and weakness. Every inch of his body aches. "I forgot."
"That's not good, Troy. Do you have it with you?"
"No. I left it in my room."
"At the guild hall that probably isn't still there. What if the hospitals are closed down? Where are we gonna get you more medicine? You have to have that or you won't be able to function."
Orion joins Zodiac's side. "He didn't take his meds, did he? I reminded him to take them, but I'm just his owner, so why listen to me? Do we have to go back through your training, Troy?"
Paradise Forgotten Trilogy Page 46
