by S. J. West
Jered smiles. “Who knew you would finally find your soul mate? And a princess to boot.”
“She could have been the lowliest of scullery maids, and I would still feel the same about her.”
I can’t help but smile at how Brutus made his declaration of love without actually having to say it in so many words. I knew exactly how he felt.
It was then I sensed the five interlopers into our private moment together.
I know they are standing on the second landing above us. If it hadn’t been for the slight flash of light I saw out of the corner of my eye, I wouldn’t have known they teleported in. I sense more than see Jered and Brutus tense up.
“What do you normally do at a time like this?” Jered asks in a conversational tone in order to not tip off the men surrounding us that we're aware of their presence.
Brutus shrugs. “Doesn’t take much to take care of things. Just enjoy your drink. I’ll handle it like I always do.” Brutus looks at me. “Would you like some milk while you wait?”
The question catches me off guard, and I assume it’s for a purpose.
“Yes, that would be nice,” I tell him.
I see Brutus reach underneath the counter like he’s getting me a glass, but instead I hear the distinct sound of a sword being drawn. Apparently, I’m not the only one who hears its metallic song.
The people on the second landing suddenly jump over the railing to the ground floor behind us.
“Sorry about this,” Brutus tells me with a wink. “I’ll just be a minute.”
Before I know it, Brutus leaps over the bar to meet his intruders head on with sword in hand.
I turn around swiftly on my stool and reach for the hilt of my sword preparing to help him.
I feel Jered’s hand on mine and hear him say, “Don’t bother, Anna. Brutus will have this handled quick enough.”
I don’t feel comfortable just sitting there while Brutus fights five men alone, but the nonchalant way Jered said his words relieves some of my tension.
I watch as Brutus uses his sword with practiced precision against his five assailants. Three of them try to rush him with their own swords pointed straight out. I suppose they assumed strength in numbers would give them the advantage. Just as they get close, Brutus sweeps his blade against theirs and sheers them clean off, almost to the hilt. They still try to tackle him, but Brutus pounds his elbow into the face of the assailant on the far right, smashing his nose and making the man fall to the ground, shrieking in pain. The one in the middle tries to hit Brutus in the face with his fist, but Brutus grabs his hand, crushing it and making his attacker cry out in agony. The third man raises his hands in a defensive martial arts stance. Brutus just sighs at him and spins on his left foot hitting the man upside the head with a firm roundhouse kick, completely knocking the man unconscious.
The two intruders left seem to have more sense and don’t charge Brutus head on. They get on either side of him, hoping to divide his attention. The one in front lunges at Brutus with his sword. The swordplay which follows is exhilarating to watch. It makes me want to jump in and join in the fun. However, it doesn’t take Brutus long to have them both disarmed. He smashes their skulls together just hard enough to knock them out but not kill them.
Very little blood is shed, and I think Brutus made his point clearly enough.
The two invaders who are still conscious quickly teleport themselves and their unconscious comrades out of Brutus’ bar.
“Sorry about that,” he tells me. “They know I keep supplies here. I’m guessing the new black marketer in town thought he could come in and take what he wanted without asking. Next time, he’ll think twice about it.”
“Next time?” I ask. “You don’t think this taught them a lesson?”
“Probably not,” Brutus tells me. “It usually takes them two or three times before they understand not to interfere with my business.”
“Are they that desperate for alcohol?” I ask.
“No…my other business,” Brutus says, looking a little uncomfortable all of a sudden.
“Which is?” I ask, trying to prod him for a clearer explanation.
“I guess you could call me a barterer. I acquire things from people and trade these items to others for certain supplies.”
“Brutus,” I say putting two and two together for myself, “are you a thief?”
“I wouldn’t necessarily call it stealing,” Brutus says, apparently not liking the connotation of the term I used. “Think of it as taking from people who have too much. I use those items of luxury to help people who can’t survive without the food and other supplies I trade them for. Anyway, it makes me a target for those who want the things I can acquire. Speaking of which, have you been to Daniel’s yet?”
“No,” Jered tells him. “I thought we would go there last.”
“Good, I have some medicine I need you to take to him.”
Brutus motions for us to follow him, and he takes us to the room behind the bar.
The room is small and rather ordinary with shelves built into the walls holding miscellaneous items such as glasses and more bottles of alcohol. Brutus closes the door behind us and pushes a recessed button in the wall by the door. I wouldn’t have even known it was there it was hidden so well in the knots of the wood panel. I jump slightly because I suddenly feel as though I'm freefalling, but my feet stay firmly planted on the floor as it drops a good ten feet.
“A warning would have been nice,” I grouse, feeling a bit disoriented by our descent.
Brutus smiles. “But then I wouldn’t have gotten to see the surprised expression on your face. It was absolutely priceless.”
I just shake my head in exasperation at Brutus and look around at the hidden room I find myself in. Beneath Brutus’ bar is a virtual treasure trove of plunder. Jewels, paintings, and other precious artifacts are all neatly displayed on gray metal shelves within a cement room so big you could fit a good size house into it. Brutus walks off the wood platform we’re standing on and goes directly to one of the shelves. He pulls off a medium sized blue box marked with a white cross indicating it contains medicine. He walks back over to Jered and hands him the box.
“You’ll get it to him a lot faster than my smuggler can. Daniel told me the kids needed it when I saw him in Cirrus.”
“We’ll make sure he gets it,” Jered assures Brutus.
Brutus walks over to me and gives me another bear hug.
When he pulls back, he says, “And don’t you worry. We’ll get all of them away from Levi safely.”
I nod. “I know. I just wish it was sooner rather than later. I think waiting for the meeting to happen is likely to kill me.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t count on that,” Brutus says. “I have a feeling Linn and Daniel will be able to find things to keep your mind busy, for a little while at least.”
“How so?”
Brutus looks over to Jered. “You didn’t warn her?”
Jered shrugs. “I thought it would be more fun to watch her expression.”
“What is it with you guys and watching my reaction to things?” I ask, completely mystified by why they keep wanting to do that.
“I guess it’s because we had to miss so much of you growing up,” Brutus tells me, a melancholy smile on his face. “Andre was the one chosen to raise you. He got to watch you experience all the day to day surprises in your life. We loved you just as much as he did, but we weren’t able to share in those little moments. They may seem inconsequential to some people, but it’s those moments that shape you into the person you will become. Don’t think poorly of us for trying to make up for lost time.”
Now I feel bad.
I place a hand on one of Brutus’ arms.
“No, I understand. I just didn’t realize you all felt that way about me.”
“You’re a part of our family,” Jered tells me. “And we knew it was better for you if we didn’t confuse you with our presence. Now that you’re a grown woman, we can get to know
you which is all we ever wanted to do.”
“In a strange way, I feel like I already know you,” I tell them. “You’re so much like my papa. I can see bits and pieces of him in all of you.”
“We’ll get Andre back,” Brutus promises me. “I’m not sure how yet, but we will.”
“I know we will,” I tell them both. “I have faith that we’ll be reunited soon.”
Brutus kisses me first on one cheek and then the other.
“And if Malcolm ever gives you any grief,” he tells me. “You have four uncles who will knock him into tomorrow to teach him a lesson.”
I giggle at the promise.
“I don’t think you have to worry about that,” I tell him. “I just want to get him back, and make Levi pay for what he’s done.”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Brutus says with a look of certainty. “That pompous ass will get what’s coming to him. People like him always do in the end.”
“Well, we should be going,” Jered tells Brutus almost apologetically for having to cut our visit with him short.
Brutus hugs me one more time and then reluctantly lets me go.
“I’ll see you soon,” he tells me. “And don’t worry. We’ll get your family back together.”
As I look at Brutus, I realize that my family has just grown with the addition of four very overprotective uncles.
Chapter 7
When Jered and I phase back to the teleporter terminal above Barlow’s hideout, we’re met by an unexpected welcoming party of one.
Christopher, one of the two guards who always escorted me to my lessons with Empress Catherine, is standing there waiting for us. He’s holding a medium sized black box tied with a silky red ribbon secured into a bow on top.
“What are you doing here?” I ask. I know he isn’t really the Christopher I knew anymore. He’s one of Levi’s minions now, and his presence can’t bode well.
“Emperor Augustus sends his regards,” Christopher says to me, handing over the box. “He asked me to bring this to you as an added incentive to do what he wants.”
I take the box and feel its weight. It has some weight to it, making me wonder what sort of present Levi has sent. I stare down at it worried over what I might find inside.
“I’m supposed to wait here until you open it,” Christopher says. “He wants me to report your…reaction.”
I look back up at Christopher and note the concerned expression on his face. It’s a fleeting look, and one I probably wasn’t supposed to notice. It makes me wonder why he would bother to worry over how the contents of the box will affect me.
“I can open it for you,” Jered offers, tucking the box of medicine Brutus gave him for Daniel under one arm and holding out his hands to take the box from me.
“No,” I say, pulling on one end of the red ribbon and letting it fall to the snow covered sidewalk at my feet, mimicking a trail of blood against the white.
I lift the lid and look inside the box. I find a piece of black velvet material covering something lumpy. There is a hand written note on a white card lying on top.
In case you are thinking of double crossing me, I thought you might need a little reminder of what I can do to the ones you love…
L
I lift the piece of fabric and almost drop the box on the ground because my whole body goes completely numb.
Lying inside the box, like a broken doll, is Vala. Her head has been ripped from her body and the milky white nutrient which cycles through her system is pooled around her, matting her fur. I have no doubt in my mind that Levi performed the deed himself. Why wouldn’t he? His greatest pleasure in life seems to be causing pain. What haunts my thoughts the most is the knowledge that Vala’s last memories would have been filled with fear. She would have fully understood what was happening to her, and I feel an immense sense of guilt over not being there to protect her when she needed me the most. I just hope Levi didn’t do it in front of Lucas. But knowing him, he probably made Millie and Lucas watch his cruel act against Vala. He wouldn’t have missed an opportunity to teach them what might happen if they tried to cause trouble.
It was a gruesome reminder to me that he could do the same thing to both Millie and Lucas at any time. I’m not sure what Levi truly hoped to accomplish by decapitating Vala and sending me her remains. He probably expected it to frighten me. If that was his goal, he failed miserably.
“I have a message for you to take back to him,” I tell Christopher, looking up from Vala to stare straight into his eyes to make sure he doesn’t misunderstand a word I say. “Tell Levi that one day in the near future this will be his own fate. Tell him that his wife makes a vow to him that his death won’t be an easy or a pleasant one. In fact, I plan to make it as painful as I possibly can. Do you think you can remember all of that?”
Christopher bows to me. “Yes, Empress Annalise. I will relay your message.”
Christopher phases back to Cirrus to deliver my promise to the monster masquerading as the emperor.
I look back down at Vala and feel the first tears of grief threaten. Memories of my life with her flash through my mind. I can still remember the very first time I ever met my little sentient robotic friend. I was six years old, and she was a birthday present from my papa. Being betrothed to the prince of Cirrus meant I wasn’t allowed to have many friends. I was forced to stay mostly to myself for the majority of my life, only being allowed to play with Auggie. My papa knew I needed a friend so he bought me the best one money could buy. Vala had served as a confidante, someone I could share my hopes and dreams with. She knew me as well as anyone in this world, better than most. And now she was gone.
“Come on,” Jered says, an urgent quality to his voice. He hastily puts the lid back on the box and takes it from me. “We might be able to save her.”
I look up at Jered through my tears and see his face set with grim determination.
“How?” I ask. “Her brain is organic.”
“Exactly,” Jered says grabbing my arm and phasing us.
We’re instantly standing in the middle of what looks like a warehouse full of junk. Cables and metal parts of various items are stacked on and hanging above rows and rows of tables surrounding us. There’s a stench in the air that reminds me of burning plasma, but there is also a distinct metallic scent attached to it that irritates my nostrils. The tech surrounding us looks old, nothing as sophisticated as the technology in Cirrus where everything operates on cold fusion. The items around me look like things that might run on old fashioned electricity.
“Won’t Levi know where we are?” I ask Jered, wondering why we phased directly to this location.
“This is one of the few places on the planet where Levi can’t track our phasing.”
“Why?”
“The owner has a jamming device that keeps him completely off the grid.”
“Who’s the owner?”
“You can meet him for yourself.” Jered lifts his head a notch and yells, “Travis! It’s Jered. Where are you?”
“Jered?” I hear a startled male voice say from somewhere in the depths of the chaos surrounding us. “One sec!”
The sound of small wheels running along a hard surface can be heard approaching our location. A young man soon emerges out of nowhere. He’s wearing a blue and grey plaid shirt and a pair of jeans. Tennis shoes cover his feet, but apparently they have wheels hidden within the soles because he rolls up to us. He isn’t tall, maybe five foot seven. His eyes are hazel and he has shaggy, short blonde hair. He looks to be in his mid-twenties, but there is an intelligence behind his eyes that makes him appear much older and wiser.
“What’s up, Jered?” Travis asks, a friendly smile on his face. “Long time no see, dude.”
Jered hands Travis the black box with Vala’s corpse. That’s the way I think of what’s left of her anyway. There’s no telling how long she’s been dead. He could have killed her right after I phased from Cirrus or he could have done it a few minutes ago. All I know is her brai
n can’t function very long after being starved of the synthetic nutrients she needs to survive.
“Can you fix her?” Jered asks.
Travis looks confused but takes the lid off the box. I see his eyes light up when he sees Vala.
“Oh…my…God…,” Travis says in complete awe, taking Vala’s head out of the box. “Is this what I think it is? I’ve never had the chance to play with a senti before.”
“She isn’t a toy,” I tell him, trying to control my annoyance. I know Travis isn’t the one who did this to Vala, but neither am I in the mood for a stranger to treat her like she’s an object. “She’s one of my best friends. Can you fix her or not!”
Travis looks startled by my outburst.
He stares at me for a moment before asking, “Are you who I think you are?”
“Travis Stokes, I would like to introduce you to Empress Annalise of Cirrus,” Jered says by way of introduction.
“Stokes?” I ask, remembering that I know someone else with the same last name. “Are you related to Barlow?”
“Half-brother,” Travis says like it pains him to admit such a relationship with Barlow. “We don’t really stay in touch that much.”
Travis looks back down at Vala. “How long has she been like this?”
“We don’t know,” Jered tells him. “A couple of hours at most. Do you think you can do something for her?”
Travis sighs. “I’ll try. But, I can’t make any promises. It’s all going to depend on how long ago this happened. Give me a little while so I can see if there's anything I can do.”
“Her brain is organic,” I tell him, on the verge of tears. “It can’t survive very long without being fed the nutrient solution.”
Travis nods. “Yes, I know. I understand the tech used to make a senti like this. I’ve just never been able to work with one before. Sentient robots are super rare and expensive. If I can help her, I promise you I will.”
“That’s all we ask,” Jered tells him. “Do what you can to save her, Travis. We’ll make sure you’re well compensated for your efforts.”
