by Darby Cupid
“They’re fine,” Jaik says. “They want to know what’s happening in here.”
“So, tell her,” I say.
“I don’t know if I can.” Jaik picks at the dusty floor. “It’s been years since I used an amulet for communicating.”
Oakstone frowns. “You used it in the storage unit, to send for help.”
“I didn’t really have to do anything,” he grunts. “Crystal channelled the power from both our amulets.”
“Well, it’s time to figure it out,” I say, placing a hand on his shoulder. “We need a line of communication – and you’re it.”
Jaik gives the smallest of nods before reaching under his black long-sleeved shirt for his amulet. He holds onto the green stone and closes his eyes.
“Put her in the middle.”
I freeze. Jaik’s eyes fly open. They’re early.
Trying not to make a sound, I turn in the direction of the voice. Crouching low between Oakstone and Jaik, I’m acutely aware of the volume of my breathing. Footsteps echo across the concrete floor accompanied by a screeching noise that makes my teeth hurt. They’re dragging something across the floor.
Jaik rises a little and peers over the pile of pallets. After a moment, he signals for Oakstone to take a look. I wait, swallowing as his face changes to match the look of dread painted on Jaik’s. With a deep breath, I take my turn.
There are at least ten men, all dressed in shades of black and grey. Some have their faces covered, but more worryingly, all of them are wielding weapons. The object I’d heard being dragged across the floor must have been the chair which has been placed in the centre of the room. My eyes widen as I look at Sera, hands and feet bound with plastic ties, her usually bright blonde hair hanging limply over her face as she slumps forward.
Someone tugs on the back of my shirt and I reluctantly crouch back down. Oakstone shakes his head and when I look at Jaik, I see my own despair and hopelessness reflected. There are too many of them. We’d only expected three. Four at most. There’s no way Sera is going to be left alone and we can’t take them all out. Unless Oakstone is a secret black belt, Jaik is the only one who knows how to fight. My stomach churns so violently, there’s a very real chance I might vomit. This is such a bad idea. It’s time to signal the police. We just have to get a message to Jordan.
“Jake?”
A deep, booming voice echoes around the room. I freeze. Jaik has turned deathly pale.
“Jake? Or, I suppose it’s Jaik now? I know you’re in here. You may as well save me the job of finding you and come out.”
Cadicus’ cruel, rumbling voice bounces from wall to wall. Each lingering syllable seems to affect Jaik as though someone is hammering nails into his body. He clenches his fists so tight the skin turns white, his teeth gritted. What do we do? We didn’t plan for this.
The silence is deafening.
“Okay, okay,” Cadicus sighs. “I’ll send my men to find you but know this: if they find anyone with you,” he pauses. “Well, I think you know me well enough to know what would happen to them.”
I watch, horror struck, as Jaik crumbles before me. My heart attempts to batter its way out of my chest. We’re dead. We’re all dead. Jaik takes a shaky breath and tucks his amulet back inside his shirt. My eyes widen and I wave my hands wildly at him in protest. No! Oakstone reaches out to try and tug him back down as he starts to stand.
“It’s just me,” he calls out. His voice echoes around the empty room.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Jaik
“How wonderful!” Cadicus turns to face me, his face lit with a wry smile. He waves an arm for me to come join him like we’re old friends.
I make my way towards him, glancing at each of the men surrounding us as I pass. Some I recognise. Pete, Aaron and Tom have all been on several jobs with me before. They struggle to meet my eyes.
“Where is she?” Cadicus raises his eyebrows as he glares down at me. He’s a monster of a man both inside and out.
I shake my head, feigning confusion. “Who?”
“You know who!” Cadicus spits. “The princess.”
I keep my face blank. “The what?”
Before I can react, Cadicus’ arm swings out, the back of his hand meeting with my face and sending me flying backwards to the floor. The concrete knocks the breath from me, scraping the skin from my right elbow and my back.
“Don’t play games with me, boy!” he roars. His voice seems to shake the walls, his eyes burning a dark orange beneath his heavy brows.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” I shout back as I scramble to my feet.
Cadicus clutches his short greying dark hair in rage and yells.
I stand in shock as the cry reverberates around the room before echoing into nothing. Around me, the men shift uncomfortably in their places, fidgeting with their weapons. I take the opportunity to glance at Sera, realising with relief that she’s unconscious but alive, before looking back at Cas.
Standing, eyes closed, he takes a deep breath. “If you want something done…” His eyes snap open but as he fixes me with his amber stare, I know the words that follow are not meant for me.
“I know you can hear me, Princess. Come out from wherever you’re hiding or Jaik dies. Don’t take too long. I bore easily. Although, I think perhaps watching my men take turns practising their skills on him might keep me amused, for a while.” His eyes never leave mine. “See you soon, Your Majesty.”
Despite the cold breeze whistling through the cracks in the boarded windows, beads of sweat drip down my back and trickle along my hairline. She can’t come in. She can’t. But then, what will happen to me and Sera? Cadicus doesn’t say anything he isn’t willing to follow through with.
Cadicus yawns theatrically before waving a hand at one of the men to my left. “You. Go.”
My breath catches in my throat as I turn to see one of the men rushing towards me, a knife glinting in his hand.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Crystal
“You can’t go in there!” Eddie hisses.
I shake my head as I get to my feet. “What choice do we have?”
“Eddie’s right,” Jordan whispers. “The plan was to keep you safe no matter what. This is definitely not keeping you safe!”
“We have no idea what you’re walking into,” Linda pleads. Her fingers clutch mine as she tries to tug me back down to our hiding place.
A while ago, we heard a vehicle pull up at the entrance to the building, but we’ve been unable to see anything besides the side of a large, white van. All I know is if I don’t go in there, Jaik dies. The situation swirls around my head like a storm, bringing flashes of pain like lightning with each possible scenario and outcome.
“If I stay here, Jaik and Sera die,” I say. “It’s me he wants. If he has me, he might let you all go.”
Linda pulls harder at my wrist. “You’re the queen of a bloody planet! We’re not going to let you sacrifice yourself!”
“It’s not your planet,” I say, unpicking her fingers as I pull away. “You didn’t know other worlds existed before you met me and once I’m gone, nothing will change for you.” I raise a hand as Jordan opens his mouth to interrupt. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but I’ve brought enough trouble to your door and for that, I’m sorry. This is my war and it ends now.”
I can tell I’m going the right way because of the shouts and yells bouncing across the floor towards me from the end of the short corridor. I push the final rusted door open, unprepared for the sight that lies before me.
The first thing I see is Sera’s long blonde hair, cascading to her knees as she droops forward on her chair. Beside her, the towering frame of Cadicus, arms folded and a dark smile playing on his lips. He’s even more terrifying in real life than Jaik’s memories. He hasn’t seen me yet. He’s too busy watching something happening in the middle of a ring of cheering men.
My hand flies to my mouth as I make sense of the scene
in front of me. Jaik is crouched in the middle of the circle, a knife in one hand, his left eye swollen and bloodied and a deep cut down his right cheek. He limps a slow circle with the other man, who is crouching, ready to pounce as he brandishes some sort of bat. Doused in the horror of what I’m seeing, the words leave my mouth in a yell before I realise.
“Stop!”
Instantly, the crowd turns to face me, their weapons raised. My eyes find Jaik’s and he shakes his head in anguish. I look away. The defeat and helplessness are just too much to bear. I need to believe that this isn’t over. That it’s going to be okay.
“Princess!” Cadicus raises his arms and takes a step towards me. “It’s so nice to finally talk to you face to face!”
I take a step backwards. “I’m sorry I can’t say the same.”
“Oh! I’m devastated! Especially after you turned up so soon, spoiling all our fun.”
He gestures to Jaik, who is now being held by two burly masked men. Not far away from them, a man lies on the floor, a pool of dark red liquid snaking out along the concrete from his stomach.
“Yes, Jaik won the first round, but we were so looking forward to seeing how he did in the second.” Cadicus pauses as if realising something. “Perhaps we should continue? After all, you did miss an impressive fight, Princess.”
My teeth grind together, and I attempt to swallow the rage building inside me. “Don’t you dare,” I manage to bite out. I nod towards Sera. “What have you done to her?”
“Oh her?” Cadicus strides over and grabs a fistful of Sera’s hair, lifting her head so I can see her face. “She’s fine. Just in a very deep sleep.”
“Let her go!”
Cadicus chuckles, raising his hands in mock surrender. In doing so, he lets Sera’s head fall limply back to its downward position. “Okay, okay. Let’s get down to business, shall we?”
“What business?” I hold my head high, trying to keep the tremors of fear from my voice. “You’ve got me, so let my friends go.”
“Oh! You think it’s that easy? You’ve created quite the mess by turning up here, Princess.”
I frown. “You asked me to come.”
“No, no! Earth, Princess. Earth!” he sighs. “My plan may have failed all those orbits ago when I tried to infiltrate the Starlatten government through Jaik’s father, but now, with my allies on Zarbilian, we are finally getting somewhere.” He pauses, sneering down at me, the disgust clear on his face. “But then you had to go and survive the attack.”
I watch, frozen, as he paces back and forth, my heart pounding almost in time with his footsteps. He’s aged since the memory I saw in Jaik’s head. Grey flanks the sides of his short dark hair and peppers the stubble on his chin. His dark, heavy brows knit together as if he’s working something out, but the deep wrinkles remain when his face finally relaxes.
“It’s worked out for the best, however,” he announces with a half-smile. “Now I have the heir to the throne of Starlatten! They might not have been willing to negotiate for an Ambassador’s wife and son, but now they have witnessed the scale of our wrath, they will be desperate to comply and avoid further attacks.”
I push the image of the Galastasia exploding into nothingness from my mind. “What are you trying to achieve? What do you want?”
Cadicus stops pacing and strides towards me. Instinctively, I start to back away and find myself blocked by two large men. They grab hold of my arms as Cadicus reaches out and fishes my amulet from my shirt.
“This!” he shouts. “This is what I want! All you idiotic people wandering around with one amulet each, putting it back when someone dies like it’s all part of some ridiculous, romantic circle of life!” He spits in disgust. “Do you have any idea the power these amulets possess?”
After a pause, I realise he’s actually waiting for a response. I turn my head away from his ragged breath. “Yes?”
He lets the amulet drop back to my chest and raises his hands in exasperation. “This is the problem! One amulet has a phenomenal amount of power if used correctly. Imagine the power of ten! A hundred! A thousand!”
With a heavy thud, the pieces of the puzzle slot into place. He wants the crystals. He wants power. All of it. I’ve never seen the crystals of Starellia. My grandparents are still alive – or I hope they are – and I won’t have to make the journey until I meet someone with whom I want to spend my life with and start a family. From what I’ve learnt in class and seen in pictures, however, and with the simple maths of knowing how many people live on Starlatten – there’s an awful lot of crystals in that pool. The stories say millions and that might not be much of an exaggeration.
“What would you do with them?” I manage to choke out.
Cadicus laughs and it chills me to my core. “Whatever I want, Princess! Well, perhaps not that frivolous. The people exiled to Zarbilian are deserving of so much more. More than a meagre existence on a barely inhabitable rock. Returning to our rightful home is top of the agenda. Oh, and revenge. Of course.”
“Exiled?” I shake my head in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“Exiled, Princess,” Cadicus snarls. “As in banished. Evicted! Have you ever been to Zarbilian? There is nothing there. It is merely a prison colony, existing only to contain us.”
I try to make sense of his words. There is no prison colony. “The Zarbilian people chose that planet,” I say weakly. “They chose to leave Starlatten.”
Cadicus’ laugh is hollow as he looks me up and down. “You are so naïve, Princess. Soon, the Zarbilian people will be free again. Free to find other planets with valuable resources. Resources that we will be able to take for ourselves.”
“You can’t just go wherever you want.”
“If they haven’t evolved fast enough, then they don’t deserve to,” he sneers. “We have been silent too long! Using your amulet, I will be able to guide ships here to take me back to Starlatten, where you will help me bring any remaining government to its knees.”
“Never!” I scream, my face hot with anger.
Cadicus’ laugh fills the room, every cavity of my soul, echoing in my bones until suddenly, it stops.
“Oh! Look what we have here.”
I follow his gaze to the back of the room. As the crowd of men part, I gasp as though my lungs are filled with rocks, the weight almost pulling me to my knees.
Four men drag Oakstone and Dylan towards us. They must have been searching the building while Cadicus was talking. As I meet Dylan’s terrified stare, my mind frantically scrambles to think of a plan. This is not how it was supposed to happen. This is all so wrong.
“I knew you wouldn’t have come alone, Jaik, but Doctor Oakstone? What a turn of events! I thought I’d already killed you.” Cadicus claps slowly in appreciation before turning to one of the masked men. “Kill him.”
Before the intake of breath needed to form my scream is complete, the masked man raises his gun and pulls the trigger. As the scream leaves my lips, I pull and struggle against my captors as Doctor Oakstone crumples to the ground, his unkempt hair falling forward as his glasses shatter on the concrete, his eyes frozen wide with surprise.
“Why?” I scream at Cadicus. Damp curls stick to my face as I continue to pull against the iron grips on my arms. “What did you do?”
He shrugs. “Why not?” Then he turns towards Dylan and opens his mouth.
Time stops. Suddenly, everything is sharp. Clear. I inhale through my nose and the terror and pain melt away. Determination steels in my bones; I’m in control. I close my eyes and reach with my mind for the amulet around my neck. Instantly, the comforting purple glow races through my veins, mixing with adrenaline and filling me with renewed purpose. I open my eyes, fixing them, unblinking, on the man holding Dylan.
Almost instantaneously, he flies back as though hit by a large vehicle, slamming against the wall several meters behind, where he slides to the floor. Not caring to look at Cadicus for his reaction, I slide my eyes to the three men standing to
my right, my brain pulsing with power. The man who shot Oakstone still has his weapon raised. He turns it towards me, but before he can complete the turn, I lift all three of them, screaming, up into the air, high up towards the towering ceiling. Then I let them drop.
As the men meet the ground with sickening thuds, the arms holding me loosen their grip. I shake them off and face them, my eyes sparking with electricity. Almost tripping over each other, they turn and run.
My eyes narrowed, I turn back to the room as rage ripples through me like I’ve never felt before. I seek out the two men holding Jaik, but he’s already taken advantage of the diversion and managed to evade their grasp. He’s knocked one man to the floor and is delivering the knock-out punch to the other as I watch, his knife clattering to the floor as the room finally falls silent.
The sound of clapping brings me back to reality.
“Oh, bravo, Princess,” Cadicus chuckles gleefully. “Do you see now? Do you see? Look at what you accomplished with just one amulet! And you are but an amateur!” He glances at the fallen bodies of his men. “They were really only for show, if I’m truthful. I can manage perfectly well on my own.”
Keeping his eyes on me, he nods his head towards Dylan and Jaik. I look at the boys as they stand, panting and scared, tensed for whatever comes next. Nothing can prepare me, however, for what does.
Using his amulet, Cadicus raises the knife from the floor and hovers it in front of the two boys. “Hmmm. Which one shall we deal with first, Princess?”
The blood drains from my face as the knife glides through the air, dancing between the boys. “Please, Cadicus,” I plead. “No one else has to get hurt!” Even as I say the words, I know it’s useless. Jaik was right. He’s pure evil. There’s no reasoning with evil.
He steps closer, his amber eyes appearing as orange as flames as he fixes me with his heartless stare. “Oh, but they do, and they will.”
