by Edward Lake
The boy was clearly angry with Zena. All I had to do was feed into his rage. Declan and Petra didn’t matter. Once they were dead, one good lie about them dying in the war would be all I needed. “You see, God has blessed me again.”
“If you kill us, Turk and Lydia will hate you forever.”
I put a finger up. “That’s if they discovered the truth. Which they won’t.” I put my hands together and turned my back to him. “Soldiers…shoot the grandmother. Maybe watching the blood ooze from her dead body will make you reconsider.”
My men raised their guns and prepared them for a full blast; a faint buzzing noise echoed all around me.
“Wait! I’ll do it.”
I touched my chest, trying to calm my enthusiasm. “You are wise, Declan. All you have to do is send a message to Zena. I’ll broadcast it at the stadium if she makes it past my fleet.”
“Fine. What’s the message?”
I waved my hand to the left. “Petra, would you please move aside?”
She moved away and placed her hand over her heart. She closed her eyes and shook her head. “Dear God! Save us from this evil man. Can you hear me, Almighty God? We need your grace.”
I scoffed at her pathetic prayer. “God does not love you. That is why you are here. Under my control.” I turned and stared at the soldier to my right. “Prepare your communications device. I want you to record Declan after I give him instructions on what to say.”
“Yes, My Priest.” The soldier put his gun back in its holster and prepared his device. “Ready, sir.”
I stared at Declan and pointed at my face. “Okay, pay close attention. I want you to say these exact words when I give you the signal to start.” I paused for a moment and went over the message in my head. “Zena, Pastor Saros has us held up inside his palace. He wants you to meet him there. He’s going to kill us if you don’t.” I glanced at the soldier and pointed at him. Then, when the recording started, I pointed at Declan.
He let out a miserable sigh. “Zena, Pastor Saros has us held up inside his palace.” His face tensed. “He wants you to meet him there. He’s going to kill us if you don’t.”
The soldier stopped the recording and looked at me for further instructions.
“Send that to Vin Naas. Immediately.”
He nodded and pressed a few buttons on his device. Once the message was transmitted, he pulled out his gun and went back to his post.
I turned around and headed towards the door. “You did well, Declan. When we capture your sister, I’ll let you see her before I kill you and your grandmother.”
On the other side of Station Four, I went to the room where Turk and Lydia stayed. I opened the door and stepped inside. Agnes was on the floor with the children, making funny faces while they played with toys. I stood there and watched for a while. She had a great imagination. Far better than mine.
After watching for another minute or two, I walked to her and knelt. She saw me, but she kept making the faces. Turk and Lydia seemed happy, bouncing their toys off the floor, shyly peeking at Agnes.
“Are you two having fun?” I asked, smiling.
They nodded.
I touched Agnes and gave her a serious stare. She stopped playing with the children and stared back at me. Then Turk and Lydia looked up at me, their eyes flickering.
“There are some very bad people coming for us. But you don’t have to worry. God will keep us safe.”
“Why are they coming for us?” Turk asked.
“Because they are misguided and very ill.” I reached out and touched his tiny shoulder. “Do you believe in the Holy Spirit?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, I think so. It’s God, right?”
I smiled and gave him a nod. “Yes. God is the Holy Spirit.”
“My family told me about God.” The boy’s eyes grew somber. “Please don’t hurt them.”
I moved closer and tapped his back. “No, young one. I’m not going to hurt them.” I talked slower as I went on. “You see, your sister Zena and your brother Declan are misguided and ill, too. I brought them here to help them. To save them from themselves.”
Turk looked down. “Declan said you’re a liar. He told me not to believe anything you say.”
I chuckled. “Did he now?” I exhaled and rolled my eyes. “I’m sure your older brother said a lot of things about me. But none of it is true. You’ll see. When God saves us from the bad people that are coming, I promise you, I will help Zena and Declan get better, so that all of you can stay here with us.” Realizing I had forgotten the grandmother, I quickly added her to my promise. “Oh, and your grandma Petra, too.”
Turk seemed upset with me. He made a fist with his little hand and slammed it on the floor. “I don’t want you to save Zena! She left us! She doesn’t care about us.”
Hearing the boy speak this way about Zena made my eyes widen. “Turk? That’s not a very nice thing to say about your sister.” I peeked at Agnes. She seemed just as pleased as me.
“We should have stayed together. If she cared about us, she wouldn’t have left.”
Lydia slapped his arm. “She left to save Declan! Don’t you remember?”
The boy glared at his sister, his cheeks turning red. “No! That was a lie! She left because she wanted to be a soldier. She didn’t want to be with us anymore.”
Agnes touched his chest. “There, there, calm down. It’s okay. I’m sure Zena will explain everything when she arrives.”
Turk stood up and ran to the corner. “No!” He huffed and puffed, staring back at us.
Agnes and I stood up at the same time. We glanced at each other, grinning. Turk’s hatred of Zena was exactly what we needed. His young mind was ripe for manipulation, vulnerable and confused. The seeds had been planted. All we had to do now was nurture him into a ruthless killer.
18
Zena
The battle in space raged on for what felt like an eternity. My hands were numb from all the shooting, and staring at the screen above the control panel was making me dizzy. Ada, however, seemed to be unfazed. Perhaps she had done this so many times that she was used to the pain and wooziness of fighting in space.
The Holy Army ships were falling one by one at an astonishing rate. They were slightly outnumbered and appeared to be overmatched by our intensity. Ada swooped past a group of burning ships as they drifted away into the blackness of space. She was an amazing pilot, gliding our fighter ship from place to place like a bird whooshing through the sky.
“Keep the pressure up, Zena! Don’t stop until we have a clear path to Sodus.” She blasted her cannon at the nearest enemy ship. Her face was sweaty and her eyes had reddened around the edges. I was happy to see her like this. It gave me hope that she had not lost any intensity from the last battle.
On my side, I kept shooting, blinking my eyes as I tried to focus on the black dots zigzagging all over the screen. Using my red targeting dot, I shot at the nearest black spot until it disappeared from the screen.
Outside the ship, a huge explosion erupted. Ada made a sharp turn and flew around the blooming flames. She zoomed past a collection of enemy ships, and together, we blocked their incoming fire with our lasers.
Suddenly, the ship began to swerve. Ada? I glanced to my left and saw her bent forward. She was breathing heavily, trying to regain control of the ship. I dashed to her and grabbed her waist. I moved her to the other side of the cockpit and took her place.
“What are you doing?” she groaned.
“I can pilot the ship, Ada. I’ve been watching you.”
She spat out a nervous laugh. “You’re going to get us killed, blue eyes. Step aside before we—”
“No more talking! Prepare your cannon and maintain pressure on the enemy ships. I want their fleet destroyed before we reach Sodus.” I pushed down on the throttle. The ship blasted forward, causing me to jolt backwards. Copying Ada, I used the lever on my left to turn left. I fired a few shots at the enemy, then turned right with the lever on the other side.
/> I blasted ahead and turned the ship around. I rocketed back into action and fired a missile at the incoming ships.
“Don’t use up the missiles. The ship only holds seven.”
I checked the artillery gauge on the screen. It showed two remaining missiles. “Okay. I’ll save those for Sodus.”
“Good idea.” Ada grunted as she blasted the enemy ships. “You’re doing better than I thought you would, Zena. Very impressive.”
Her approval of my piloting made me smile. I pulled back on the throttle. The ship went up high and flew backwards. I turned right and blasted ahead when I saw enemy fire coming our way. The excitement of flying a ship for the first time seemed to have numbed the pain I felt in my hands and arms. I blazed across the darkness of space, my eyes sharp and wide.
Ada was doing great on her side, working with our allies to take down the enemy fleet. She destroyed two ships within seconds, then moved on to the next. Watching her work was a real treat. Her anticipation was outstanding, and the speed she used to fire the lasers from her cannon was impeccable.
Over the radio, Jax sent everyone an urgent message. “Their fleet is waning! Move into Sodus now! We must kill the High Priest!”
I reached out to the control panel and pressed the button to respond. “Copy that, Commander Jax.” I turned on the boosters and pushed down on the throttle. Our battleship boomed away, soaring past the explosions and wrecked ships.
We descended into Sodus and were immediately met by more Holy Army troops. I flew high and zipped past a group of civilian ships fleeing the planet. The enemy ships followed me, blasting their lasers as I zigzagged around the skyscrapers.
From behind, several Serpent ships blazed across the sky, firing missiles at the enemy. The slave soldiers swarmed the Holy Army, too, then a few rebel ships came into view. I wasn’t sure, but it seemed like the enemy ships were outnumbered by a two-to-one ratio. Or maybe a three-to-one ratio.
Oh, the thrill! It was finally happening. All my life I had dreamed of the day the Holy Empire would crumble to its knees. The pain of slavery. The agony of being hungry every day. It was all over. There was no way Saros was getting out of this alive.
Sadly, innocent people had died on Agholor. More innocent people would die on Sodus. I wanted to stop the casualties. I wanted to end the bloodshed and have peace. But there would never be peace for people like me unless Saros and the Holy Empire were destroyed once and for all.
I flew into the city and checked the area. More and more citizens were boarding their ships and flying away. On the ground, more civilians pushed and shoved past each other, ducking and weaving as they tried to find safety.
“Zena, look at that,” Ada said and pointed ahead.
I gazed out the window and saw Declan’s face on the giant monitor that hovered over the Stadium of Sodus. I sped the ship up and flew right to the stadium. I landed near the tunnels and opened the ramp.
“What are you doing?” Ada yelled.
I ignored her and ran outside. I looked up and realized the image of Declan was a recording.
“Zena, Pastor Saros has us held up inside his palace. He wants you to meet him there. He’s going to kill us if you don’t.” The recording was on repeat.
Standing there, looking up at his face, my knees became weak. It was so good to hear his voice. “Hold on, brother. Keep the family safe. We’ll be together again soon.” Tears rushed out of my eyes. I flashed my teeth and screamed. “Saros! I’ll kill you!” I was so close I could feel it in my bones. Still, I had to calm my nerves and refocus. This was my one chance to make things right.
“Zena! Get back on the ship! We are in the middle of a warzone!” Ada ran to me and grabbed my arm. “Now! Before the enemy blows us into smithereens!”
I yanked my arm away and ran back into the ship. I waited until she came back before closing the ramp. I took off in a flash and flew to the High Priest’s palace. “I have to save my family, Ada! Don’t try and stop me.”
I thought she was going to yell at me again and tell me I was insane. Instead, she stood there and looked me over. “Fine. Let’s go save your family.”
I was pleasantly surprised. All along, I thought she was all about the war, too driven by her desire to rid the galaxy of Saros and his followers. Still, I was grateful, and I hoped we survived so that I could show her my appreciation someday. “Thank you, Ada.”
“Yeah, sure. Just don’t get us killed.”
Up ahead, I saw the pastor’s palace. I trembled as we got closer. There were only a few enemy ships guarding the area. Once we reached the long stairway, I took the ship down and landed. In haste, I opened the ramp and grabbed my gun, my hands shaking. I took a quick glance at Ada. Like me, she was ready, gun in hand.
“Let’s go,” I said and dashed to the ramp.
Ada ran after me. “Zena! Wait!” She gripped my arm.
I spun around and stared at her. “There’s no time! Saros has my family! I’ve come too far to lose them to that monster!”
Ada touched my head and gently caressed me. “Listen to me, for once!” She groaned and took her hand off me. “If you want to save your family, you’ll have to be smart. Running into that palace, guns aimed, screaming like lunatics won’t save them. We have to be careful, covering each other, being mindful of our surroundings.”
She was right. I was letting my emotions get the best of me. I took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay. We’ll go in slow. Check things out.”
Outside the ship, a huge explosion blared over our heads. The ship shook, and we stumbled forward. We headed down the ramp, our guns held high and our heads ducked low.
Ada moved in front of me, and I followed her, glancing to my left and right. Lasers zipped past our heads as we crept up the stairs. The front entryway was unguarded. She reached the doors first and got on the left side. I went to the right side and watched her. She tapped her chest, then pointed at the door, letting me know that she was going in first.
She opened the sliding metal door and rushed inside. I went in after her, my palms sweaty. The room was clear, not a soldier in sight. Ada snuck to the wall and slowly moved ahead. I crept to the other side of the room and edged along the wall. When we reached the end of the wall, she peeked her head around the corner. She glanced at me and gave me a signal with her eyes.
Carefully, I inched my head past the wall and checked the passageway. There were still no soldiers in sight. Ada marched into the hallway, aiming her gun from side to side. I followed her, alert and ready to shoot.
At the end of the hall, she found a huge art gallery, the walls filled with paintings of former Saros rulers, holy star symbols and battle stations. Statues and sculptures stood along the walls. It was sad that a culture with such beautiful artwork could be so evil and corrupt. I wondered if the artists who created the work were kinder, like Evander.
Finally, we heard footsteps approaching. Ada quickly hid behind a statue of what looked like a former High Priest. I hid behind a sculpture of a man holding a child. The artifact seemed very old. The paint was peeling, and there were several cracks in the stone. I hoped some of the art would be saved—preserved for future generations to learn about these dark times, so that they could be taught not to repeat such atrocities.
The footsteps got louder and louder. Soon, whoever it was entered the room. “Zena? Is that you?” a man said.
The voice sounded familiar. I replayed the tone in my head a few times. When I realized who it was, I cringed. Pastor Saros.
“Why don’t you and your friend show yourselves.”
Ada leaped out of her hiding spot and aimed her gun at Saros. I did the same and gradually moved towards him.
He shook his head. “Put your guns down. If you kill me, you’ll never find them.”
The red dot of my laser beam crisscrossed on his brow. “Where are they?”
Saros pointed a stern finger at me, then Ada. “I said put the guns down! If you kill me, they all die. Is that what you want, Zena?
”
Breathing hard, trembling, I lowered my gun. From the corner of my eye, I saw Ada lower her weapon, too. At the same time, we put our guns down.
I stood up straight and glared at him, my eyes shining. “Now take me to my family.”
Saros smiled wickedly. “How’d you do it, Zena?” He walked up to me. “How’d you turn my daughter into a disgusting savage?” He gestured with his hands as he went on. “How’d you fool me with that voice?” He touched his forehead. “There you were, face to face with me, on the rooftop of my home. I couldn’t see that you were a woman. I couldn’t see that you were the greatest con of all.”
“Enough sobbing, Saros. You’ve lost.” Ada snickered. “I wish I could be the one to kill you. But Master has other plans.”
He squinted his eyes. “Master?”
“Yes. The new ruler of the galaxy.”
He looked up, then to his left, then down, and then to his right. “Where is this…Master?”
She grinned. “Oh, don’t worry. You will be meeting him soon. And God can’t save you. Because God doesn’t exist.”
He pointed at her. “How dare you speak of your creator in such a despicable manner.”
I got in his face and glared into his eyes. “You should have killed me when you had the chance.”
He exhaled, his breath hot and reeking. “Killing you would be too easy, Zena. I wouldn’t be satisfied.” He gulped. “I need you to suffer. I need you to feel the pain and humiliation that I felt when you took my daughter from me.” Unexpectedly, a few tears leaked from his eyes. “I will have to spend the rest of my life wondering how someone like you could do this to someone like me.”
I wanted to kill him right then. But I resisted. “I’ve spent most of my life wishing you could feel the pain I’ve felt. And the pain my family felt, and all the other slaves from the North Star. Sleepless nights, always hungry and cold, locked in a cell.” I spat at his robe. “My father is dead because of you! My mother is dead because of you!”
