“We are on level-5 lockdown. No one leaves the premises.” The soldier stared hard in Samiah’s direction and his hand curled tighter around the handle of his weapon.
Lochiana ground her teeth. Has the stress fried Samiah’s brain? Why is she acting so stupid? She didn’t have time to ponder that. She had to act fast if she wanted to avoid an idiotic confrontation between her friend and the soldiers. Lochiana scanned their black uniforms and spotted the higher-ranking soldier by the insignia on his chest. She stepped directly in front of him, surprising the man. His eyes widened, but before he could utilize his electroshock rod, Lochiana had already ensnared his gaze. She felt the power surge within her core as her irises began to swirl. The soldier’s jaw slackened right before his eyes lost the fire in them.
“You will let us pass.”
Lochiana didn’t need to venture deep into the man’s mind to know her compulsion had worked. She stepped back and waited. A second later, the soldier blinked and then said to his colleague, “Let them through, soldier.”
“But sir—” his companion started.
“I said let them through. That’s an order!” Lochiana’s victim barked. His companion had no choice but to obey.
They stepped into the night, and once the castle’s double doors had closed behind their backs, they broke into a run. They arrived at a small construction similar in style to the castle in less than a minute. That’s where the elevators down the tower were. Usually, the place had several royal guards on duty, but there was only one man there. Lochiana didn’t pause to thank their good luck, heading straight for the kill. She stepped in front of the guard and repeated what she had done to the Nox Elite soldier.
Once inside the metal box, Lochiana leaned against the wall and let out a heavy sigh. She hadn’t realized how smothered she had felt in that castle until she was out of it. She turned to Samiah when she felt the weight of her friend’s stare.
“What?”
“You used your gift on those men without a thought.”
Lochiana didn’t like the implication of Samiah’s comment. She stared at the woman through slits. “So? What’s your point? I got us out, didn’t I?”
Samiah shook her head. “You misunderstand me. I’m not judging you. I had always felt strongly about the use of compulsion, even on other alien races. I always thought it was immoral in a sense. But now I’m glad you used it against those men.” Samiah watched Lochiana with bright eyes, and Lochiana could see the turmoil there. “I’m such a fucking hypocrite.” She lowered her gaze and pinched the bridge of her nose.
Lochiana’s aura-reader powers came unbidden, but instead of seeing Samiah’s aura, she saw the festering dark energy wrapped around the other woman’s core. Guilt and lack of self-worth were smothering Samiah’s bright gift.
She took a step closer and wrapped her arm around Samiah’s shoulder, her irritation suddenly gone. “You’re not a hypocrite. You are a survivor. This is war, Samiah. By the time this is all done, we will all have smears on our souls. There’s no helping it, so don’t let the guilt drag you down.”
Samiah wiped a lone tear that had escaped her eye. “You’re right. I’m sorry about the moping fest. It won’t happen again.”
The elevator lurched to a stop and the sliding doors opened. Lochiana prepared to use her gift again in case they were approached by another soldier, but the two royal guards didn’t say a word when she and Samiah stepped out. As soon as they were out of sight, they broke into a run toward the industrial district, for there was no time to procure a rover transport.
Lochiana followed Samiah because the few times she had visited she never went farther than the upscale neighborhoods in the capital. Lochiana saw the change immediately and knew they had arrived at the industrial district. The beautiful mansions that surrounded the palace disappeared, and in their place, large square buildings appeared. They all looked the same, though.
“How in the world are we going to find warehouse eighty-nine?” she asked as she slowed her pace. In their haste, they had forgotten to ask Durgin for clear directions.
The sound of a rover transport approaching drew their attention right before they saw the glow from its headlights. They jumped behind a dumpster and hid from view. It was an armor transport manned by heavily armed Nox Elite soldiers.
“Wanna bet they’re headed to Lord Droom’s secret lab?” Samiah said.
No, Lochiana didn’t want to bet on anything. But logic was telling her that Samiah was right. “Let’s follow them.”
Lochiana was glad the armored hover could not move very fast so they were able to keep pace. It stopped in front of one of the largest buildings in the district after they had been following it for a couple of minutes. Soldiers exited the vehicle and entered the building soon after.
“It’s warehouse eighty-nine,” Samiah said. “What do we do now? We can’t possibly go in there after them.”
Lochiana cursed because Samiah was right. But she was also too aware of the passage of time. They had already wasted too much of it. They needed a distraction. She looked around and noticed some of the buildings had cameras installed, which meant a security system. An idea formed in Lochiana’s mind.
“What happens if someone tries to break into one those buildings?” She pointed at the constructions next to their final destination.
“Probably a silent alarm is sent to law enforcement.”
“Shit. That won’t help. We need to create a big fuss.”
Samiah narrowed her gaze and focused on a particular building. It was smaller than the others with a bold red-lettered sign. “Would a fire do the trick?”
Lochiana lips unfurled into a grin. “Yes, absolutely.”
Breaking into the small fireworks factory had been almost too easy, and setting fire to its stock was child’s play. Lochiana and Samiah were now crouched behind a dumpster as they watched the flames consume the building. A high-pitched alarm echoed around them and within seconds, the Nox Elite soldiers stormed out of warehouse eighty-nine to investigate the cause.
Lochiana and Samiah left their hiding spot and dashed toward the lab while the soldiers were distracted. They found the door to the compound wide open and entered the building, frantic lab workers scurrying in a frenzy all around them. They were rattled and probably planned to evacuate the premises. Shit. They can’t run away before we get what we came for. Lochiana spotted an older woman who seemed to be in charge and strode in her direction.
“Who are you and what are you doing here? This is a restricted area.”
“I’m here under the orders of your sovereign, Lord Droom. I came to retrieve this.” Lochiana handed the fake letter to the woman, who grabbed the piece of paper with a jerky movement. Her shrew eyes quickly scanned the letter before she let out a curse.
“Of course. Today of all days he wants the H5s.” She turned around and issued a command. Two lab technicians stopped what they were doing and disappeared behind a large door at the end of the room.
“Have you two been briefed on how to operate them? she asked Lochiana and Samiah.
Lochiana traded a glance with Samiah before facing the woman. “No. There hasn’t been time.”
“For all the Sacred Powers.” She walked toward a nondescript wall and pressed her palm against it. As if by magic, a filing drawer slid forward. Clever. The lab technician pulled a stack of papers from it and lobbed them at Lochiana.
She looked down at the pages filled with handwritten notes. “What’s this?”
“The manuals on how to operate the H5s, of course.”
“But it’s handwritten,” Samiah added.
The lab technician stared at them as if they were paralyzed mummies. “Of course it’s handwritten. We can’t have any digital trace of what’s going on here, now can we?”
Lochiana and Samiah didn’t have time to offer a remark, for in that moment, the other technicians returned with the H5s. Lochiana took a step toward the animals, unable to believe her eyes. Now she underst
ood what Durgin had meant—the H5s were supersized horses.
“Now, even though I’ve written a manual on how to operate the H5s, they are not that hard to handle. There’s a small control panel on their saddles. Since there are only two of you and you are taking seven of them, you can set the unmanned animals to follow you. Their systems are connected.”
“Wait, are you saying these animals are robots?” Samiah asked.
“No, I’m not saying that all. They are something else entirely. You’ll see.” The lab technician smiled enigmatically before she walked away.
Chapter 28
Malachiax felt the ground crunch beneath his feet as he walked deeper into the strange underground maze. Lord Droom had called it the Heliex. It was a secret place buried in the bowels of the Argamanx castle. They had used one of the many hidden passages in the castle to reach the private elevator that took them all the way down. By Malachiax’s estimation, the Heliex must be submerged, buried deep in Serenity Lake.
Samiah and Lochiana had wanted to venture in with him, but Lord Droom forbade it. Only Malachiax could go. Neither woman was happy about it, but Malachiax was. He didn't want to risk either of them.
He glanced back, only to be greeted by a thick wall of shrubs. He had only taken a couple of steps, but the path he had come through was now blocked. Malachiax shuddered and faced forward again. This was a test, not a walk in the park, he reminded himself. He ignited the light orb in his hand—the only object Lord Droom had allowed him to bring—and continued.
The light cast everything it didn’t touch in darker shadows, turning the maze more sinister than it probably was. Malachiax decided to put it away and waited until his eyes adjusted to the gloom. He resumed walking on high alert as he wondered what kind of spells protected the spheres. His uncle was only too eager to let him try to retrieve them, but the question was, if he succeeded, would Lord Droom let him take the prize with him?
The complete silence unnerved Malachiax, and the maze hedge walls were beginning to smother him. He had the strangest sensation at the nape of his neck, as if several eyes were on him, waiting. Malachiax noticed the path was getting narrower as the walls grew taller until he reached a dead end. Cursing, he spun around and retraced his steps until he heard a twig snap. He froze on the spot and strained his ear before looking over his shoulder. Nothing. There was another faint noise to his left. It sounded like leaves being shuffled.
“Hello?” he called out and waited for one, two heartbeats.
Despite the silence, he knew something was coming, his body as tense as a coiled spring. He took a step forward before a low growl reached his ears and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Swallowing hard, he slowly turned around and saw two orange orbs staring at him from inside the hedge wall to his right. Malachiax shuffled away, his heart slamming against his ribcage. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
A low growl came from the shrubs right before a large cat jumped from it, not too far from where he stood. The animal was huge, bigger than any wild feline Malachiax had ever seen. It had white fur and canines longer than his forearm, bathed in the glow of its unnatural orange eyes. Sheer terror seized Malachiax's heart. The large cat crouched lower, its belly almost touching the ground, and Malachiax knew his time was up. He took off in a run, not looking back when the animal let out a roar and gave chase. He could hear its paws pounding hard on the ground.
Malachiax was a fast runner, but he couldn’t outrun that beast. He came to a crossing and veered to the left right before the cat pounced, missing him by a hair's breadth. Malachiax's legs burned from the strain as he practically flew through the maze.
Suddenly, the ground disappeared from under Malachiax's feet and the loss of balance propelled him forward. He fell hard onto his belly, hitting his chin in the process and skidding across the rough surface. It took him a moment to recover—too long—but once Malachiax stood again and glanced over his shoulder, there was no wildcat hot on his heels, nor any indication of its existence. The maze was silent again. Was it a hallucination, then?
Malachiax shook his head and looked ahead of him, while his heart kept beating at a rapid pace. How was he going to find a way out of the maze? What if the real peril was to get lost forever? He let out a frustrated sigh and looked up. At first, only darkness stared back at him, but then a light blinked. Malachiax held his breath. Is that another spell? There was another twinkle, followed by another and another. It was some sort of blinking arrow, pointing in a particular direction, Malachiax realized. Would it lead to the spheres or to his doom?
He shook his head. It didn't matter. He followed the blinking lights with a new vigor to his step while his body was braced for whatever nasty surprise the maze decided to throw at him.
He walked for minutes, the long path ahead of him seeming endless. There were no more sharp corners and dead ends. Maybe this is the way to the spheres. He let hope fill his heart again.
A light breeze came through the tunnel and a weird smell reached his nose. Malachiax stopped in his tracks and took a deep breath. His heart kicked up a notch as euphoria took over his veins. The smell wasn't strange; in fact, it was delicious. He couldn’t describe it. He let his nose lead him that time, ignoring the blinking lights and leaving the straight path. He soon couldn't see the lights anymore, but he didn't care; he had to find the source of that heady scent. His body had begun to tingle and happiness he never knew flowed into his heart.
The path opened to a square, and in the middle stood a water fountain illuminated from within with blue light. Malachiax walked toward it, his eyes glued to the statue of the half-naked woman, which was the construction’s focal point. He was in a daze, like he was walking on clouds. Upon nearing it, he noticed the statue had been carved to resemble Samiah’s likeness, and his breath caught. He sat on the shallow lip of the fountain and dove his hand into the crystalline water without taking his eyes off the statue. His fingers tingled as he made contact, and when he cupped a handful of it to drink, it tasted better than the purest nectar. He cupped some more water and kept drinking it, for his throat was now parched and he had to satiate the sudden thirst. It wasn't enough, though, so he jumped into the fountain and went under, letting the water invade his body through his nose and mouth, becoming one with it.
When his vision began to fail him, Malachiax didn't care.
Chapter 29
Durgin cursed as he ran through the narrow secret passage that led to the heart of the Heliex. He’d thought he would have enough time to reach the Heliex and disable the worst of the traps, but he hadn’t foreseen bumping into Commander Haarx on the way there. He had lost precious minutes answering the soldier’s inane questions, and now Durgin feared he would be too late.
There were two entries to the Heliex, but his father only knew of one. Durgin entered the palace’s kitchen, ignoring the curious glances the royal cooks aimed his way. No one dared speak to him. The last time he’d come this way he had barked at the head chef and scared the shit out of him. He had just lost Drex, and he was a mess. His rotten past behavior served him well, for now the staff left him alone.
He made a beeline to one of the largest freezers where they stored meat and entered the frosty chamber without a second thought. He looked over his shoulder just in case someone had decided to spy on him through the small window on the door. He couldn’t let people find out about the secret passage.
Satisfied he had no spies, Durgin pressed his open palm against one specific tile on the wall, and a trapdoor opened on the floor in front of him. Without hesitation, Durgin took the steps down the gloomy tunnel, waiting until the trapdoor had shut above his head to bring out his light orb.
There were no security feeds here since his father didn’t know about the tunnel Durgin had discovered when he was a lad in one of his many exploration trips through the castle. The air was stale and moldy, proof that no one had used it in a long time. He reached the end of the corridor and found the rusty metal door shut. He pressed
his thumb against the electronic lock he'd installed and heard the faint click. Pushing the door forward, he came into the center of the maze where the final and fatal trap was located. He stared at the water fountain and saw the lines of power he placed there. Together, they formed an intricate design that would trigger a terrible compulsion from which there was no escape.
It was very quiet in the maze. Deadly. Durgin strained his senses, and then he saw the splash. Fuck! He was too late.
Fearing the worse, he ran toward the fountain and found Malachiax completely submerged under the clear water with eyes wide open. Bubbles were coming out of his mouth and nose, but there was no struggle from his cousin.
Cursing under his breath, Durgin dropped his light orb and pulled Malachiax out. As expected, his cousin fought him, for he was compelled to return to his water tomb.
"No, let me go! I need to go back. I need the nectar." He thrashed against Durgin’s hold.
Durgin didn't think twice before he punched Malachiax’s jaw and dragged him out while he was still dazed from the blow. Durgin knew he only had a few seconds to connect to Malachiax’s mind and break the compulsion. He grabbed Mal’s face between his hands and forced him to stare into his eyes. He felt his power stir, and a couple of seconds later, Durgin was inside Malachiax's head.
Chaos. Absolute chaos.
Durgin could see clearly the threads of his trap mixed with Malachiax's neurons. They were woven so tight he had to be extremely careful to untangle all the knots without damaging Malachiax's brain cells. Sweat pooled on his forehead as he concentrated on the task. Every time he entered someone's mind that deep, he lost his sense of everything, including time. When the final knot snapped, Durgin fell onto the floor, drained. He rested his back against the fountain's edge and tried to control the erratic beating of his heart.
After a moment, Malachiax asked, "What happened? And why are you here?"
"I'm here because I didn't want your death on my conscience."
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