Zoe Thanatos

by Cierlak, Crystal

  The woman sighed and then sat for a moment in silence. Only the rhythmic beeping of the machines Zoe was hooked up to made any sound. They were alone for the first time ever, The Heir and The Usurper.

  “I always doubted whether I had truly killed the great Thea Thanatos. Even as I sat on the throne with the Crown of Terra securely on my head I knew she was somewhere in the world, biding her time. Of course, I never imagined she’d one day find you. You were the only Thanatos child unaccounted for and I just assumed she or Zopyros had sent you away to another world, never to be found again.” She sighed again, the sound contemplative. “If only you knew how many Crown Soldiers I sent out into other worlds to find you.”

  “Of course, I had no real interest in the Thanatos children at first. Your brother Zarek was easy enough to get rid of. His age made it easy to change his name, construct a new identity and export him to another world. I have it on good authority he’s lived his generation quite comfortably in a family of mineral excavators in a nearby world. You have to admit it was kind of me to spare his life so generously. Then again, I’ve always had a soft spot for children. Your sister especially. Even as a child she was fit to be Queen. Not that Thea would have ever ascended her to the throne. I had hoped my own daughter would ascend after me, but the disease she inherited from my husband’s side of the family took her as it had him.”

  She sniffled solemnly but did not cry. Korina Straton never cried.

  “It was easy. I’d already changed the identity of one Thanatos child, why not a second? Zara was still young enough to adapt to the change. It took a while for her to recognize the name as her own, but she did, and eventually she was Kyra Straton. Imagine my surprise to learn she had grown to love a Nero. Just like her mother before her.”

  Korina shuffled in her seat, adjusting her position while crossing and uncrossing her legs.

  “You may think there is a whole life for you here, but there isn’t. If you had only stayed away in whatever universe you were sent to, none of this would have happened. But that doesn’t mean anything has to change. My nephew’s treason had provided me with an opportunity to correct a mistake I’d made with your sister a long time ago. I should have known all along she’d had her heart set on Evander, but my motivation was political, and for that we’ve suffered. I won’t make the same mistake again. My daughter is Queen, she’ll have the husband she always wanted, and the King of Terra will, for the first time in our history, be a man worthy of the title. You, on the other hand, don’t belong here.”

  She stood. One-by-one the wires plugged into the chamber that housed Zoe’s healing body were pulled out, machines beeping incessantly at every absent power supply. As the last wire was pulled the beeping stopped and was replaced by the sound of a flatline.

  “It’s really too bad you went to all the trouble to get here only to die.”

  Chapter 24: The Family Reunion

  Evan sat alone in the common room if his residence, deep in thought. Just outside the doors the Throne Room was filling with Residents from Royal City and beyond, each invited guests of the Crown to witness a historical occasion. The Queen would be addressing her people, putting to rest the gossip and giving an official account of the latest goings-on of the Crown. There hadn’t been such royal fanfare since Kyra’s coronation and wedding ceremonies, and the announcement of her betrothal prior. These occasions didn’t come around often, and when they did they were big.

  At the end of the day he would be in a different residence, with a different life all together.

  A loud knock at the entryway startled him from his thoughts. Without hesitation the doors opened and a line of Crown Soldiers proceeded into the room. They were each in dress uniforms, with Hector and Alcander bringing up the rear of the formation.

  It may have been his imagination, but he thought he saw them each bow their heads before him.

  “Her Highness is waiting for you in the Royal Residence. We will escort you to her now.”

  He did as instructed, not taking a second look around at the place he had called home for most of his life. In the Throne Room a great partition had been built to create a barrier between the entrances to the residences and the throne itself. He couldn’t see over the wall but he could hear the sound of dozens of Residents talking excitedly amongst themselves, all likely wondering what was happening on his side of the barrier and behind closed doors.

  The walk was short and soon he was in the royal residence. The Queen’s ladies were in their usual purple gowns with their hair piled high above their heads, running about making sure the Queen had everything she wanted. As he was escorted through the room many of the ladies side-eyed him, knowing smiles on their faces as they passed by him. When they reached the doors of the Queen’s private residence the Soldiers stopped, forming two parallel lines on either side of the entrance. Hector and Alcander each took a door and opened them wide, waiting to close the door behind him.

  The Queen’s private room was much quieter than the one that preceded it. There were no Crown Soldiers or any of the Queen’s ladies. The Queen herself was nowhere to be seen. He didn’t know what to do with himself.

  “Evan, is that you?” she called from an adjoining room. He knew the layout well enough to realize she was in the powder room, likely dressing and putting on the finishing touches before addressing the Residents.

  “Yes,” he called back.

  She emerged from the corner, a brilliant sight in a floor length gown in a shade of green that reminded him surprisingly of Gaia. The dress sparkled under the lights and her smile radiated beautifully, lighting her face considerably. For a moment he was completely lost in the sight of her, forgetting why he was there to begin with and remembering the Kyra he had come to love in his own way. In that moment she wasn’t the Queen, but the woman he had shared an intimacy with.

  “I’ll take the look on your face as a compliment,” she laughed. “Here, help me with this.” She handed him a rectangular black box that was much heavier than it looked. She opened the lid and smiled as she looked down into its contents. He peered over the lid and into the box and saw two golden crowns, one for the Queen, and one that belonged to the King. She picked up the first and held it up to him. “Would you do me the honor?”

  Evan set the box down on the bed with great care before taking the delicate golden tiara from her hands. She turned so her back was to him. Her hair was gently pulled back to the crown of her head, elongating the form of her neck down into the bodice of the gown. He lifted the crown up above her head and placed it back down gently so that it rested on her head, the gold contrasting against the deep brown of her hair.

  She turned around and smiled at him. “What do you think?” she asked. She had never looked more beautiful.

  “Her Highness is always beautiful,” he said before dipping his head forward in a bow.

  “That won’t be necessary,” she said. She took his hand and led him to the bed, taking a seat beside him. They had spent so much time there before in the privacy of her residence, especially in the bed. It was difficult not to think of their shared times together when she looked as beautiful as she did in that green dress.

  “Look, I know everything has changed for both of us. For everyone, really. I can’t imagine how disappointed you feel knowing that Evadine went behind your back to aid Thea and Owyn.” She squeezed his hand in her own. “I’m just as shocked as you are to learn of his betrayal. We expect so much more from our families, and even more from the people we love. That being said, I can’t deny how happy I am that you’ve decided to stay in Terra.”

  It wasn’t as if he had a choice. With both Evadine and Zoe in Terra there was no reason for him to be anywhere else. Kyra didn’t need to know that the woman he had told her about was the very one lying in a chamber in a Reproduction Unit. Like Eva and Owyn said, everyone had a part to play, and he was merely playing his.

  “Evadine has always been like family to me and while her transgression is not minor, I’m w
illing to overlook it for the sake of our relationship.” She smiled as though she genuinely believed what she was saying. Even if it were true, he knew that Evadine would have balked at the suggestion. Still, it was difficult to tell with Kyra what was real, and what was not. He had no doubt that her feelings for him were real, but couldn’t help but wonder what his sister’s fate would be otherwise.

  She continued. “Evan, you’ve always been loyal and faithful to me. That’s more than Owyn could ever do. And I think you know by now how I feel about you. How I’ve always felt about you. I love you. You can’t begin to imagine how much light you brought into my life. I was lonely; in a passionless marriage to a man I could barely stand. And then you changed that.” It was the version of Kyra he loved the most. Not the Queen, but the Woman. What could he say?

  “Evander Nero, you’re the man I choose to be with. And if you’ll do me the honor of choosing me as well, I would love nothing more than to make you my husband, and the King of Terra.”

  Eva sat alone in a cell deep within the Military Complex, wondering how long she’d been there. Dull light illuminated from thin strips of glass in otherwise concrete walls. A blunt headache in the back of her head was forming from the constant adjustments her irises were forced to make. There was barely enough room to stand so she sat with her legs folded, alternating sides to avoid the loss of blood flow to each limb. It was difficult to remain hopeful in such bleak surroundings.

  Had she heard Hector correctly? Did he really find Zoe ‘nearly dead’ in the Forgotten Gardens? When Zopyros sent her back to Royal City Zoe was fine. What happened in so little time that rendered Zoe ‘nearly dead’? Could it have been some kind of trap? No, that didn’t seem likely. No one apart from Thea and Owyn knew who Zoe was, and she doubted anyone else would go to such elaborate lengths to incapacitate her. What would happen to her now that she was in the custody of the Crown? Was that part of the plan all along? The King only said Zoe would know what to do, nothing else. Had Thea anticipated such a turn of events?

  Poor Thea. She’d spent half a generation planning for her lost daughter’s return and now it seemed as though she wouldn't even get the chance to see her one last time. She couldn’t imagine any scenario where Thea wouldn’t be put to death. From everything she witnessed the Queen Mother would see to it that Thea was gone, and for good. She wasn’t likely to fail a second time.

  It didn’t seem right that the Queen Mother could get away with her crimes. Her only real source of power was the Crown Soldiers, her ‘paid thugs’ as Thea had aptly named them, and without them she would never have managed to usurp the Crown from the Thanatos family. And to think that the Residents of Terra just collectively accepted the new paradigm of a royal army. From her observations of other words she knew that what set Terra apart from them was its peaceful nature. One power hungry woman had changed the entire history of their world just by militarizing it.

  Zoe was the key to making everything right again. As the rightful heir to the Crown of Terra she was the best candidate to lead the charge. If she could rally the Residents into action, to fall behind her and stand up for Terra, the new regime could certainly be toppled. Terra was changed once; it could be changed again. They just needed their champion.

  Nearly dead. She couldn’t possibly have come all the way to Terra just to die. It had to be a part of the plan. Zoe would wake up and be in a Reproduction Unit, undoubtedly surrounded by Crown Soldiers. What then?

  And what about Evan? By the looks of things he was still in the good graces of the Queen and Queen Mother, and that seemed to keep him safe. But with Owyn stripped of his title there was a vacant seat on the throne, and Eva knew Kyra well enough to know that she wouldn’t let it stay empty for long. Would Evan accept a proposal to be the King? To be her husband? Could he make that sacrifice in spite of his feelings for Zoe?

  She heard a sound from outside the cell. Was it her imagination or did it sound as though someone were approaching the door? She locked her eyes on the solid steel door and strained her ears, hoping to hear even the faintest ruffle of fabric. A soft succession of footsteps grew in volume before stopping. Someone was just outside the door! She drew her knees up to her chest and lifted her torso until she was sitting on the balls of her feet. A clinking metal sound reverberated throughout the small room before the door opened, light pouring in like a bright sun that burned her eyes. By the time she adjusted a pair of hands was on her arms.

  “What’s happening?” she asked as she tried to recoup her senses.

  “You’re being released,” a gruff-voiced Crown Soldier replied.

  “What do you mean?” She could barely keep up with the tugging and pulling, her limbs aching from the sudden increase of blood flow as she was forced into a standing position. Pins and needles pricked at her feet with every step as she was guided from the room and into the bright light.

  “The Queen has ordered your release,” the second Soldier replied.

  The Queen? But that could only mean… No, she thought. Evander what have you done?

  “Zoe! Time to wake up, Little Princess.”

  Zoe’s eyes opened still full of sleep, her mind not yet ready for comprehension. She was still in the land of far away dreams and did not want to come back to the land of reality.

  “I’ve made you your favorite doughy cakes!”

  “Mommy, no. I don’t wanna.” She could have just closed her eyes and drifted back into dreamland. Her body was still snuggled deep into the feathery soft bed beneath her.

  “Just leave her there if she doesn’t want to go!” a little girl whined. She sounded as petulant as any one child could be, her voice ringing high in irritation.

  Zoe’s eyes snapped open at once and blinked into the artificial morning light. She found Zara tapping her foot impatiently on the floor as she stood in the doorway, her eyes trained furiously on their mother who was sitting at the edge of the bed.

  “Zara why don’t you go eat with Daddy? Zoe will be out to join you shortly.”

  “She better not make us late!” Zara huffed impatiently. She cast her eyes downward at Zoe before running out of the room.

  Zoe sat up in the bed and pulled loose strands of dark hair from around her race, twisting them into a knot behind her neck. Thea smiled down at her, her cheeks full of pink and her eyes sparkling with a hint of excitement.

  “Do you remember what today is, Zoe?” she asked.

  The sleepiness still lingered but she found herself waking into comprehension as she sat. “Today is a very important day,” she repeated verbatim from memory, having heard her mother reminding her of it incessantly for some time.

  “Exactly!” Thea gently touched her index finger and thumb on Zoe’s nose and gave it a light squeeze. “Now, you haven’t got much time to get ready, so I want you to wash up, get dressed, and join your sister at the Throne Room. She’s going to make a big announcement.”

  Zoe could only blink at her mother. “What did you say?” she asked, her voice suddenly aging into the voice of a full grown woman. She looked down and saw her limbs spilling over the child-size bed she was sitting in. She looked up to her mother and found an Elder woman’s face staring back at her. Time had not been kind to her mother. While still beautiful, her face was lined with wrinkles, and dark circles drooped down beneath her eyes like grey clouds. There looked to be barely any life left in her.

  “The Throne Room, Little Princess. Only you can put right what Korina Straton made wrong. It must be you and Evander on the Throne and no one else. Our future depends on it.”

  “What am I supposed to do? The Queen has her Crown Soldiers to do as she commands. How can any one person go up against a whole army?”

  “Your sister was born a Thanatos but has lived her life as a Straton. She only needs an army because she has lost the power that lies within her, that is encoded within her very being. You, on the other hand, have not. You may have forgotten who you are, but you’ve always remained a Thanatos. There is a reason w
e are the originally family, Zoe. Don’t forget what I taught you as a child and all that you’ve learned from Zopyros.”

  “Zopyros didn’t teach me anything, Mother. He left me to die and then Korina Straton finished the job. Or maybe Evan never caught me at all and I’ve been dead since jumping off the cliff on Santa Cruz Island.”

  “You mean this place?” A slight breeze blew through Thea’s hair. They were on the cliff of Potato Harbor, the Pacific Ocean stretched out for as far as the eye could see.

  “How?” Zoe asked as she looked around, taking in the smell of the salty ocean she had missed so much.

  “Little Princess you are still clinging to the mind of your Gaian identity. You are of the original family. Our ancestors didn’t create Terra because they liked to build things; they did it because they had the power to create a new world. That power is within you and that is why you are the heir to the throne, not Zara.” Thea put her hands on Zoe’s shoulders and gave a gentle squeeze.

  “There is a path all our lives take and that is the reason you have survived three near deaths. It is you who is supposed to be on the Throne, not your sister. You must take it back from her.”

  Zoe took in a deep breath of the ocean air and stared out into the distance. A few dozen miles away was the home she had lived her Earthly life in, but it seemed like a different lifetime. “I don’t want to be Queen. I wouldn’t know how.”

  “But you do. And when you wake up you will know it.”

  Zoe opened her eyes, immediately adjusting to the bright artificial light of the Reproduction Unit. She was laying on a flat metallic surface, still dressed in the clothing Evadine picked out for her. She quietly lifted her head and took a quick glance around the room. She was alone.