by M. Garnet
“My momma gave it to me.” She looked as if she was going to cry.
Quill pulled everyone away and knelt down on one heel in front of the child. “Hi, I am the one you were sent to give the message too. Is your mother okay?”
The child looked into his eyes and at last smiled. “She seemed to be really scared, but she smiled when the scary fella said I could leave. So I am a good daughter. I did what she said and ran all the way up here to give this to you.”
Quill took the little piece of metal with writing on it. He then looked up at Baloko.
Baloko didn’t need instructions to know what must be done. He looked at some Elite Guards in the door. “Go to her home and if necessary, use force to rescue her mother. Take this child to a Royal Rest Area and bring the mother to her. See that they get med help and food.”
Quill looked at the writing on the thin metal slip. He threw it down. “I have to find the Assassin. The killer has her.” With that the Son was gone, too fast for his guards to keep up with him in the narrow hallways.
Baloko picked up the crumpled slip and spread it on the desk. It was a strange poem miscopied from some ancient author’s thoughts.
A little yellow cup,
A little yellow frill,
A little yellow Star,
And that’s a Minel. Are you missing your flower?
Baloko was yelling at all guards to stay with the Heir. A fact that was almost impossible, as the Heir had already disappeared. Reports were coming into him and his assistant as the Heir was sighted moving upward in the cavern city.
At the same time that he was trying to track Quill, Commander Sachim was sending more guards to the Slave/Queen’s quarters. He was also sending out a wide announcement to all the military within the city cavern to go on Red Alert and to tell the Assassin to go upward to contact the Heir.
Baloko would have started upward himself, but he felt it would be better to stay here with his assistant and monitor what he could. He started by ordering the Advisor to find a seat and stay with him where the older male would be safe.
Next, with the help of his assistant, he set in motion to seal off hallways and put civilians into safe areas. Since Quill was going upward, Baloko believed in the Heir’s instincts. The killer had to be on the top floors somewhere. As large as this city cavern was, any way to eliminate a good portion of it was helpful.
His assistant suggested they not turn on the sirens, but instead have all the red warning lights enacted, along with whatever instruction signs could be flashed with information.
“Good decision. Joo, get the right type of info on those boards and I will take care of the military moving the civilians in a nice manner.” He went immediately to his floating directional com unit, giving instructions to his group leaders. No matter how busy he was, his mind still wandered to the Heir.
Quill had one thing going for him. He had a contact with Mine. He had felt her from the start, from the first time he had seen her in that confined area. But after the kiss, after the taste of her entering his body, he felt her through the planet.
This strong independent female who had fought her way up in a military complex that didn’t accept female officers, was now a prisoner again. He knew she would survive. The killer wanted him, still the male holding her would destroy her when it suited his purpose.
This male had made two serious mistakes. The first one was taking Mine. The second one was going topside. Quill had an evil smile on his face as he felt the planet respond to him. As he ran through the upper curving hallways, he started stripping off his clothes. He took a moment to lean against a wall to get rid of the tall boots. It was with long looping strides, as he dropped the rest of his clothes.
He finally burst out into what used to be a garden. He had on only his tight jockeys and the amulet. The winds whipped his long braid around his shoulder, pushing loose strands into his face. He looked at the damage of this top world. He cursed the enemies and their greed that had caused them to bomb his beautiful hardy trees.
There were animals and birds, plants that weren’t found on any other world in the universe. This was a violent world that allowed life to develop, as long as the life was strong and persistent. Like someone else, he felt the first sticky seed hit one of his legs. Yes, this topside would once again return to its natural condition. He might even help it.
But now he had someone else to help. He moved out, not staying against the high rock face, even though he knew the killer was holding her somewhere against the rock. He also knew the male would expect him to come from against the rock also.
Those who were not of this world and many who were, wouldn’t expect someone to be crazy enough to walk out in the winds and storms on this plateau.
As Quill walked, he looked to the distant ocean and called for the storm that he saw over the waves. It was only a few more steps when the wind increased and the first strikes of lightening was seen from the dark moving low clouds.
The killer shifted in the sheltered lee of the rock with the high crags above him. He had his hand looped through one of the many ropes he had wrapped around the female.
She had been a real fighter, so he had just knocked her out with a slam to the back of her neck. After finding out what a fighter she was, he had tied her hands behind her and then twisted rope around her body to keep her arms tight to her body. He really didn’t care if he made it hard for her to breath. He continued to surround her body with the rope down to her knees. This allowed her to stand and take small steps, but prevented her from running.
Once, during his movements he had hoisted her on a shoulder in order to move faster. He didn’t care what damage he did to this female, as she was not going to live thru this encounter with the bastard Heir. He intended to see the pain in those strange green eyes as he ran this short blade through her heart.
Minel knew immediately that the male, dressed in the dirty work clothes, was the killer. She had left her own work group to look for a stronger float lift and had been told to check at the edge where the storage for the large items waiting to be taken to the ships.
It was late and she should have held back until the next work period, but it was within her own nature to finalize any task. His heavy steps and the sound of his work clothes were behind her, as she moved through the dim stacks of storage cubes and equipment.
Her own natural reactions and thoughts were still honed well as a soldier. She knew within moments that she was being tracked. She also knew from all the talk and warnings that there was only one person in this city who was hunting females. The killer had her in his sights.
She realized she didn’t have many good places and she couldn’t get out of this maze, so she just turned with her back against a solid crate and slugged him as soon as he got within reach. It was the only blow she got in. He was trained and extremely strong, even though he was a couple inches shorter than her.
He kicked her in the stomach and as she doubled over, he slammed the edge of his hand on the back of her expose neck. She was down and out.
When she came to she was tied in such a way she could hardly move and found it difficult to get air into her lungs. There was tape over her mouth and they were in a lift going up.
“Ah, you are awake. Good, stand up.”
She felt the killer yank her upright by some of the ropes encasing her body. She was surprised, as his voice sounded young. She looked around trying to see him and feeling the pain in her neck where he had hit her.
She shuddered as she looked at this young male. He was without expression and almost without a face. Oh, there were all the usual pieces in the right places. He had a mouth under a nose. He had eyebrows over two eyes and check bones. It was all there, but it was like what would be created on a robot without feeling. There were no wrinkles, no frowns lines and no emotions.
The pale eyes glanced over at her and then back at the door showing the floor numbers as they moved up. This male scared her more than anyone or anything she had ever fa
ced in battle before. He had no feelings. Something had happened and he was not complete.
The problem for Minel was that he was going to kill her as soon as he had no use for her. For him she was a throwaway like a tissue. Now she decided she would do anything to stay alive. It would start by her remaining calm.
She was surprised as they got to the top floor and he had a splinter that allowed him to open the door. That was rare, as entry to the higher floors was restricted. From here he made her march with her short fast steps up the curving hallway, all the way to the top. Here there had been a gate that was now open. Someone, probably this killer, had been here before and broken the lock to force the gate back against the stone.
He had removed her boots before she woke up. She felt the rough stones that had tumbled down onto the polished floor of this exit. She looked around at the seared plateau. She thought the storms would prevent anything from ever growing here again, but as he pushed her into the wind and rolling pieces of plants, she looked down at her feet to see small green leaves on bent stems crawling along the ground.
Suddenly this small strong male was pulling her backwards, dragging her bare feet in the ground that was cutting them. She couldn’t move fast enough with her legs tied. The wind was slicing at both of them of them, but soon the killer pulled them back into a corner of the rock that gave them some small protection.
She could hear him muttering against her head. “He will come for her. He will know where she is, even up here.”
She felt the point of the sharp knife prick her skin between the loops of the tight thick rope biting into her arms and chest. He was pointing it into her back, right through the ribs at her heart. She knew he had the strength to thrust the thing blade to the point that would kill her.
She could hear him mumbling the words, but she was more interested in the storm that was growing and throwing out lightening. They had no protection even against this rock at their back. She wondered if it made a difference if she died from his knife or from a storm on this mountaintop?
At the same time, she saw a dim figure in the distance, through the dust whipped up and the first drops of rain. A creature of the storm was moving forward, as the storm increased and it got dark up here on top of this mountain sticking out of the sea.
Lightening bolts commenced to hit the ground and the rain was starting to push the dirt and seeds and the dead plants along the ground, over the stumps. It was difficult to see the figure in the storm, yet it continued to move forward. How could that figure move in such a storm?
Minel felt the killer behind her slip, as the wind blasted them from the rock. The knife that had penetrated between the rope and into her clothes to pierce her skin, sliced sideways with his movement.
At last the tall figure was close enough to be recognized, even through the dark storm and the rain in their faces. It was the Heir, surrounded by a pale green balloon that seemed to shield him. Minel sucked in a breath, as he looked magnificent.
All his tall beautiful lean muscles outlined in the glow of the pale green light was nothing compared to the reflection of his eyes. His eyes were not those of a living individual. They were glistening green refracted stones.
The killer holding her, screamed into the rain and wind. “I am going to take her heart and it will damage yours. I will kill you in time, but the storm prevents me today.”
She could hear the Heir’s voice even with the lightening and the storm.
“You think you are getting off this plateau alive?”
The killer jerked her by the ropes, as the winds pushed them both further away from the rock ledge. It was so hard for her to suck in air through her nose with the wind so heavy and her mouth still covered by the sticky tape. Finally the rainwater and the wind was beginning to loosen one end. She just kept moving her face muscles as much as possible.
“You must know by this time, Bastard Son, that my goal is to kill you or your mother. I will give you this cunt and if you can catch her, I will be able to escape and go after your mother. A good trade, yes?”
With those words the killer moved out further into the storm and winds. Now the tape was being pulled away from her face and she was able to get what her lungs needed.
Then she heard Quill speak directly to her. “Do you trust me?”
She had so many feelings about this next ruler of this world of Storms and Threads, but she knew in her heart that she did trust him. She watched as he turned his unusual eyes up at the sky, calling down more rain and winds and lightening strikes all around them, until the whole mountain shook.
“I will kill her before you can get to us.” The killer pushed the knife forward, but at the same time the Heir raised his hands and both the killer and Minel were swept up into the air.
Minel felt her body twisting in the wind, out of the hands of the killer, as he was swept away and higher. Her body was turning, and with each twist she saw the killer, screaming and slicing uselessly with the knife.
They both went over the edge of the plateau and as the winds turned her bound body, she saw the dark waves so far below. Each turn of her body allowed her to see large dark bodies, deep below the foam tipped movement of the sea, as her body plummeted downward.
She saw the killer flailing his arms and legs as if trying to fly, yet his body was falling faster than hers, face down. His terror and screams could be heard over the noise of the storms and as the wind turned her again she saw the answer.
Below, in the roiling seas were large animals rising up and opening their mouths, full of rows after rows of sharp teeth. Minel closed her eyes and let the blackness take her.
Chapter Twenty-Six
There is no end….
Minel woke up several times. Once when she was floating above the grasping teeth of the hungry sea animals. Just floating out of their reach.
The next time she was on a narrow beach, rain beating down in her face, feeling the release of the ropes as they fell aware. She turned her head away from the waves to see Quill standing beside her. He was not looking at her, instead he was looking up at the sky with his arms raised in two different directions.
From a pointed finger of each hand a thin green line flashed out into space. Then she was into her black void again. The next time she forced her tired eyes open, she was in a med unit with lights that were too bright and colors on the walls and workers too pale.
“Welcome back.” A female leaned over a smiled. “How do you feel? Do you know your name?”
She may have been through a lot, but she knew her name and what to say. “I feel okay, a little sore. My name is Minel. Where is my stuff, my clothes?”
“Well, we can’t rush these things. We will do another scan of your head. You have a broken rib that will take a bit to heal, so no lifting.” The female looked over at a screen. “You have bad bruising on your arms and legs that will make your walking difficult. I have given you some pain suppressants, but you can come back when they wear off if you need more.” She looked up and smiled. “It seems you have a visitor.”
The med female bowed as she left, passing the Heir. He entered, just leaned against the wall inside the door. He looked almost shy to Minel’s eyes. Finally she couldn’t stand the silence broken only by the machines in the room.
“So you saved me from the killer.”
“You trusted me.”
“What happened to the killer?”
He hesitated before answering. “My planet took him.”
Minel smiled, looking down at her bandaged feet sticking out from the blue two-piece medical pajamas she was wearing. Then she remembered who he was and who she was and where they were.
She was a trained warrior and she could never picture herself as a concubine. He was eventually going to rule the greatest world in this sector of the universe. They were on the storm planet GigasVnee.
She sighed. “I need to get back to work.”
He nodded. “I will continue to see you.”
Minel sighed again. �
�It is your world.” She was relieved when he turned and left.
Quill left the female he didn’t want to leave and went to a meeting with Commander Sachim, Advisor DeArmond and his mother. He walked through the long line of Elite Guards that came to attention at his appearance.
As he entered the conference room the Assassin silently appeared behind him and took the male’s usual position against the wall by the door. He had interrupted a discourse being given by the Commander.
“Please continue, Commander.” Quill stated as he found a seat. Almost everyone had stood as he entered and as he sat, this was an indication for all to sit and listen to the Commander.
“I was just explaining to everyone that the undeclared war against us has had an undeclared ending. All ships that were part of the embargo have mysteriously withdrawn. Not only that, there are two large influential governments that it is reported are in complete turmoil.”
The Commander brought up a couple of large transparent screens and threw them into the air above the conference table. He then continued.
“The Federation has reported to me, thinking I still have ties with them, that first Senior Omega Priest and half of his fleet were whipped out through some unusual explosion caused by an unknown weapon. At the same time, the war fleet of Arb also had the same destruction.”
He indicated some after scenes on both screens of debris with fleeing ships. “The thought was that these two attacked each other with drastic unknown weapons and destroyed both fleets with equal devastation. The reports are that the main home planets of both governments are going through complete disruption.”
The Commander looked around the room. “I would say the war is over.”
They all got up to leave except the Heir, Quilliam Devi GemC’him, known to those close to him as Quill. He walked over to the window and looked down at the sea. Then he smiled. No, there was one more personal war to still fight.
The End
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