Seren grabbed Staf, and another guard used his gun to push them out the door.
“Come sit by me, nephew.” Lothen eyed his sister’s son with interest. “They say you are the new Darracia, why?”
V’sair looked out the ports of the room. “What does it matter now that you will destroy it?”
“I have no need to do that. I merely need a new place to make my home.”
“You came with Nuen.”
“He is a graphen addict, oh yes. He is far gone and useless. We could do great things together.”
“Your Geva and the Elements will not coexist together. They are fundamentally different.”
“Yes, V’sair you are right.” He spun and shouted to the room, “Do you hear that, Geva? You can’t coexist with Darracia’s precious Elements. What do you think of that!”
The air rippled around them, almost gelling. V’sair felt the oxygen being sucked out of his lungs. A small whirlpool started over Lothen’s head, filling the room with rushing air. It swirled around the room, caressing him with its slimy heat, then narrowed to a long, thin stream to fly out the window. Once outside, it grew into a huge black cloud, filling the sky to skirt through the buildings. It looked like a living thing, expanding and contracting, covering whole areas, obliterating the skyline, and taking a leisurely route to the volcano. The giant mass settled on the beach. V’sair watched his soldiers look up as it blanketed them like a black blizzard. There were muffled shouts, followed by blood-curdling screams, and then a stillness that screamed louder than sound.
The dense thing lifted, leaving the beach strewn with bodies, their gray faces bleached white and bloodless. V’sair gripped the back of a chair, then turned to his uncle. “You are despicable, pure evil.”
Lothen bowed his head, a smirk on his lips, as if V’sair had bestowed a compliment. “Thank you. I do try my best.”
V’sair turned to attack, and Lothen froze him with his next sentence. “Try it and Geva will smother your city in the clouds. Oh, look, she engages with your Ozre.”
They turned to see fire spitting from the roof of Aqin, the sky darkening with the ash spewing out of its cone. The vaporous being moved aggressively toward the volcano, and V’sair watched in astonishment as it expanded to cover the entirety of the huge mountain. The atmosphere clouded with sulfuric fumes, while a battle raged behind the screen of the entity that cocooned the majestic volcano. An explosion rent the air, rocks flying, huge plumes of fire, and for a minute V’sair felt the relief of knowing Ozre had overcome the enemy. A second explosion, followed by the racket of thousands of rocks hitting the walls of the volcano, reverberated the air, echoing back at them. Lothen laughed like a wild thing. “You think Ozre will triumph over Geva? Watch, V’sair, and understand you never stood a chance.”
The sky slowly cleared to reveal Aqin hollowed out, broken like a weak tooth, reduced to a great pile of rubble. Shaken to his knees, V’sair sank onto a chair, turned to his uncle, and said in the barest whisper, “Do what you want to me, but leave the people alone.”
Lothen threw back his head, roaring with laughter that shook the very rafters of the ship.
“I will not help you,” V’sair told Lothen in a low voice.
“Then you will die.” Lothen walked out of the silent room.
Naje waited until they stepped out of an elevator before she flicked two graphen packets behind her, shoving Staf before her so they wouldn’t get caught in the explosion. Seren flew backward into the lift, the wind knocked out of him, losing consciousness when a guard fell on top of him. Staf stumbled, and Naje grabbed his hand, but not before relieving a dead guard of his firearms.
She threw one to Staf, who deftly caught it. “I will not use this!”
“Oh, grow up!” she shouted back. Turning, she fired on three Plantans running toward them, their guns drawn. “Let’s get off this ship.”
“I will not run. I was promised the throne.”
“Lothen’s forked tongue talks two ways. We have to get out of here!”
They ran to the pod level, squeezing into the tiny escape vehicle, and Naje ejected them out of their enemies’ clutches and into the unknown.
Chapter 26
Bobbien covered the young Darracian’s eye with the sap of the Caylet tree, but held little hope. He was awake, but not speaking. She liked the girl and her devotion, but the hulking young man was shriveling up. She had no time for his self-pity.
Bobbien had set up a base of sorts under the low-hanging trees of the Eastern Province. They were surrounded by the muddy quicksand, and if a body didn’t know their way, they would be swallowed by one of the many sinkholes and end up roasting in the thermal springs underneath. She glanced up sadly at the ruined face of Aqin. So many dead, so many, she thought sadly. This was indeed a dark day for Darracia and its people. Soon, the Quyroo would find her and she would help them. They would be rebels, for she knew V’sair was gone. Perhaps this one, Drakko’s other son, would lead them to victory. When he woke up to stop feeling sorry for himself and realized he could do everything he needed to without his sight, he would be their savior. Yes, Bobbien thought, he would lead up to victory against the advancing evil.
Reminda looked out the tiny pod window and watched the stars speed by. She was no longer shackled; she didn’t need to be. She was a prisoner, programed to land in Bina where she would be destined to live on the cliffs, her name forgotten, only a number to identify her when death claimed her. Her only comfort was that then and only then she would be joined to Drakko forever. She only hoped it would not be too long.
Staf and Naje flew toward a new unknown, homeless, friendless, and without any idea of how or when they would come back. But the one thing they both knew with certainty was they would return to destroy Lothen and take the throne.
V’sair walked toward the metal cage, his hands tied behind his back. Seren stood by the control device, a giant bruise covering half his face. Lothen stood on the highest point of the ship, a speaker in his hand. “Behold, Darracia, your king will be dead. Long live Lothen!”
The air was still. Crowds of Quyroos watched silently from the treetops, their red faces barely distinguishable from the foliage.
Darracians lined up on the balustrades; Generals Swart and Vekin, broken old men, watched helplessly as their king was escorted to his destiny. V’sair looked for the face he wanted imprinted on his final memory. When he saw her stricken look, their eyes locked, and for a second no one existed but them. Tulani shook her head, her hands covering her mouth in mute shock.
V’sair walked to the golden cage, stepped inside, and held out his tied hands. “Surely I don’t need to go to my death shackled. One prison is enough?”
Lothen looked at his nephew. “Your bravery does you credit. Untie him!”
“But Sire!” Seren interrupted.
Lothen turned a fierce glare on the Quyroo. “I said untie him, else you will join him in his watery death.”
The ropes were cut away, and V’sair solemnly stepped into the stark jail. The door clanged loudly behind him, and he faced outward toward his home, seeing only Tulani. His lips formed the words “I love you.”
The nasal whine of the winch echoed over the water as V’sair was lowered into the lapping waves. He refused to look down. Soon the icy water chilled his body as it closed over his legs, his waist, and finally his head. Tulani’s wail of horror carried long after the water covered his hair.
Automatically he held his breath, his eyes closed, waiting for the last bubble to escape so he would sink into nothingness. His head got light, his arms floating within the cage, his body weightless. V’sair’s breath hitched, and he released a final exhalation, feeling his lungs fill with water, and a peacefulness surrounded him. He heard music, ethereal and beautiful, angels singing. It was a holy choir, and in his mind’s eye he saw a white light coming closer. It split into two globes of light, one with a red center, the other blue. Reaching for it, he felt the last of his air escape and then nothing more.
/> The cage sank slowly to rest on the deep ocean floor. The young king lay in the ripples and eddies, small fish swimming around him. His tunic lifted, billowing out in the gentle wave of the water. The two orbs hovered over him, expanding to surround him, caress him, invade his still form. V’sair’s body became incandescent, the inner light of blue and red balls shining from his chest. A pulse started in his neck, his heart warming to the light of the orbs. The tight skin of his sides split. One, two, three slits appeared, opening like gentle flowers, bubbles of air filling the young kings lungs. Slowly the tiny gills struggled to move. Unused, underdeveloped, they worked hard to breath, and then they did. V’sair’s eyes popped open.
Watch for Risen: The Battle for Darracia, Book 3
If you find this book enjoyable, I really hope you’ll leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or Barnes & Noble under Collision: The Battle for Darracia. If you have any questions or comments, please contact me directly at [email protected].
Other books by Michael
Brood X: A Firsthand Account of the Great Cicada Invasion
Stillwell: A Haunting on Long Island
The Hanging Tree: A Novella
About the Author
Born and raised on Long Island, Michael has always had a fascination with horror writing and found-footage films. He wanted to incorporate both with his debut novel, Brood X. After earning a degree in English and an MBA, he worked various jobs before settling into being a full-time author. He currently resides on Long Island with his wife and children.
[email protected]
Collision: The Battle for Darracia - Book 2 (The Darracia Saga) Page 12
