by Edward Lake
Outside the building, I heard more missiles hit the palace. Rocks and dust flew on us as we battled from room to room. I closed the distance and grabbed Evander’s neck. In my head, I saw flashes of Declan’s dead face. I squeezed and watched his face turn red, my eyes stinging with tears.
Evander pushed me backwards and grabbed my neck. He choked me, spit flying from his mouth. All at once, our legs wobbled and we crashed into the wall. I rammed my knee into his groin. Evander gasped and sank to his knees. Looking down at him, I applied more pressure. His face turned purple and his eyes glazed over.
From behind me, someone hit me in the head with something hard. I winced and spun around.
It was Taft, aiming at me with his gun. “Zena, please stop! I’m sorry about your brother. But we can still save the rest of your family!”
I kicked his gun out of his hands and knocked him out cold with one punch. I didn’t want to hurt Taft, but my anger was too strong. The pain of watching my brother die was so clear in my mind, and all I wanted to do was avenge his death.
Evander tackled me from behind, panting and wheezing. He blasted me with a barrage of punches. I covered up and rolled away. But Evander was relentless. He came right after me, blood dripping from his nose.
He caught me with a stinging punch that made me dizzy. Finally, I staggered back to my feet and shielded my head. I leaned against the wall and ducked and weaved. Evander kneed me in my chest. I bent over and cried out in pain. But I wasn’t going to let him beat me. My brother deserved vengeance.
He kicked at me, and I managed to catch his leg. I bent his leg in the wrong direction. Evander shouted and yanked his leg away from me. He reached down and held his knee. Wasting no time, I sent a damaging kick into his side. He fell to the floor and touched his abdomen.
Before I could pounce on him, the ceiling above us caved in. Huge stones came crashing down all around us. I ran ahead and jumped over Evander. I peeked behind my shoulder and saw him get up. He ran after me, dodging the rocks as they fell.
I made it to a stairway at the end of the hall and ran down the stairs as fast as I could. Evander was close behind. When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I looked around and realized I was in the dancehall. The same room where Saros found me and Sadie kissing. With seconds to spare, I turned around and saw Evander leaping through the air.
He crashed into me and knocked me to the floor. He hurried to his feet and took a deep breath. “Zena, you can hate me for the rest of your life. I can live with that. But please, help me stop Vault before it’s too late.” He put his fist up as he watched me get back to my feet. “You thought Saros was bad? Vault will prove to be much worse. Unless we end this now.”
“Killing Vault won’t stop the rebels. His son, Jax, and Ada will continue his mission if he dies.”
“Then help me stop them, too.”
I put my fists up and squared off against him. “No! You killed my brother, Evander. He was my hero! All you had to do was listen to me and stop shooting, and Declan would still be alive!”
“It was an accident, Zena. Please, I beg for your forgiveness.” He quickly backed up. “Come to your senses, and you will see that God does not want us fighting.”
I screamed and ran after him, swinging wild punches.
Evander quickly ducked. He used his long reach and responded with a blazing jab, hitting me right on my cheek. I stumbled backwards. He came after me, throwing punches. He hit me again and again, forcing me to cover up. I caught him with another knee to his groin. He bent forward and grabbed his pelvis. I gripped his head and pushed it down. I kneed his face and watched him fall to the floor.
On my left side, a ship crashed into the building, breaking through the wall and into the dancehall. I stared at the window and noticed it was a Holy Army ship. Inside the cockpit, it appeared two soldiers had been overcome by smoke. They were hunched over the control panel, gasping for air, barely moving.
When I looked back at Evander, I was met with a stinging elbow to the head that knocked me to the floor. He climbed on top of me, his fist raised high over his head. His chest puffed in and out as he stared down at me. He clenched his lips, his face quivering.
“Curse you, Zena!” He punched the ground, missing my head by a few inches. He got off of me and ran to the stairs we came down. He dashed up the stairway and disappeared into the shadows.
I grit my teeth and hurried to my feet. Still staring at the staircase, I screeched and kicked at the debris from the wrecked ship. This isn’t over, Evander! I swear to you, Declan. I will destroy him for what he did to you. But for now, my hunt for Evander would have to wait. I had to try and save Grandma and the little ones.
Part 6
A New Path
21
Evander
I reached the top of the stairway and sprinted down the hall to where Taft was. He was still there, buried under rocks and dust. I knelt beside his lifeless body and checked his mouth. He was still breathing. I quickly brushed the rocks and dust off his body. I reached behind his back and draped him over my shoulder, jogging down the hallway. I went all the way to the end and turned left. With the palace in ruins, it was hard to tell where I was.
There were so many thoughts and worries racing around in my head, crashing into each other. Learning that Vault was the man behind the rebels sparked a cold sting down my back. I had heard rumblings about a long-lost son, but never once did I see a connection between Vault and Jax. With those two in power, I feared a society far worse than anything Saros ever created or condoned.
Zena, I’m so sorry. My desire to stop Vault blinded me at a time when I should have been wise. Seeing that bloodthirsty hatred in her eyes was upsetting and sad. That was not the woman I met on the North Star. Something had changed in her, and I feared Vault may use that hatred to turn her into a godless soldier.
I didn’t believe any of Vault’s yapping about freedom and giving people a chance to live as they chose. He had an agenda, a dangerous one that would put all my friends and family at risk, as well as the rest of the galaxy who refused to fall in line with his crusade.
Finally, when I saw a cracked painting of Pastor Saros and his wife on the floor, I knew the main entrance was up ahead. I hopped and skipped over the rubble and broken furniture. I made it through the passageway and hurried to the front door. Luckily, the door had been damaged from the battle. I kicked it open and ran outside.
The sky was swarming with rebel and Serpent ships. Most of the fighting had stopped. The few remaining Holy Army ships were flying to safety—trying to escape Sodus while they still had a chance. I hoped my mother Juno had made it out. I wanted to search for her and make sure, but there was no time. Yet she was a survivor, like me. I prayed to find her someday, far away from this endless war.
I quickly snuck to the end of the palace. Up ahead, I saw a civilian ship choked with debris on the side of the road. I hurried down the rear stairway and dashed to the tiny ship. It was red and black, lined with custom trim and fancy golden boosters. I opened the ship and stuffed Taft in the passenger seat. I jumped into the driver seat and turned the ship on. The controls were simple. They reminded me of the toy ships I once played with when I was a child. I pressed a few buttons, and the aircraft turned on.
I flew low, desperate to escape the warzone. Civilian ships weren’t made with deflector shields or cannons. If anyone from Vault’s gang saw me, a few shots would be all it took to bring me down. There were also no radar capabilities on the small spacecraft. I would have to use my eyes and ears to avoid an attack.
I made it a few miles away from where I took off. Then it happened. Several rebel ships came after me, firing lasers and missiles. I turned on the boosters and flew up high. I rocketed into the sky, spinning and weaving, evading the fire as best I could. Finally, when I made it to space, I sped up and flew backwards.
Thankfully, there were a few Holy Army ships still battling the rebels, which briefly distracted the ships chasing me, giving us a c
hance to escape the fighting. I pushed down on the throttle and blasted off. But the ship had no oomph. We were moving at maximum speed, but compared to the ships I normally flew, it felt like we weren’t moving at all. Even so, it appeared we had made it to safety.
I bent forward and touched my brow. Why couldn’t I see that it was Vault? It made all the sense in the galaxy, yet it never crossed my mind. We had to get as far away from the war as possible. I needed time to think of a plan. Regardless of what had happened, I was still a soldier of God. I vowed to fight for the Holy Spirit until my dying day. That was my duty. My mission.
I prayed that Zena would forgive me and help us. Killing her brother was a terrible mistake that I would have to live with for the rest of my life. All I could see was that boulder and Vault hiding behind it. If only I had looked up, I would have seen Declan and stopped shooting.
Finally, Taft woke up and looked around. “Evander? Is that you?”
“Yeah. It’s me.”
He touched his chest and let out a deep sigh. “Did you kill Zena?”
I didn’t want to talk about her. I hated myself for accidentally shooting her brother. She was my friend. I had taken on the responsibility of grooming her into a great combatant. I failed at that—and I failed to protect her from Vault, Jax and the rest of the rebels.
“Are you going to answer me?” he snapped. “She’s my friend, too, Evander. I deserve to know.”
“I didn’t kill her!” I looked down and buried my face in my hands. I stayed in that position for a moment, hiding my tears. When I looked up, I put the ship on autopilot and leaned back.
From the corner of my eyes, I saw him staring at me. “So what now?”
I thought about his question long and hard before answering. We didn’t have many options. Vault and his gang of nonbelievers, Serpents and ex-slaves had become the ultimate superpower in the galaxy. Aligning ourselves with any remnants of the Holy Army seemed amiss, too. We were on our own.
“It’s just me and you, Taft.”
He chuckled. “Well, at least we survived Vault.” He tapped my arm. “I never suspected him. Did you?”
“No. But I figured it was someone with great power and influence.” I shook my head. “Commander Castor Vault. The security breach should have been a dead giveaway.”
“To be honest, for a moment I thought you were involved.”
Grinning smugly, I glanced at him. “Why would I join a group of thugs who believe God is a lie?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Why would you serve a man who enslaved millions?”
I felt a sudden pain in my chest. “I helped you, your friends and Zena escape from Sodus because I finally saw the error of my ways. Remember?”
“I do, my friend. And I will always be grateful. My point is, maybe we should rethink our approach. Maybe we should join Vault.”
I turned my head and glared at him. “Have you gone mad?”
“Look, I know it sounds crazy. But look at what he did from inside the Holy Empire. Do you think he would have been able to pull that off if he wasn’t so close to Saros?”
It was an interesting perspective. But pretending to acknowledge God as a lie wasn’t something I was willing to do. “Sounds like a bright idea, Taft. But I can’t do that. I’m not a liar.”
“So we’re just going to run and hide for the rest of our lives?”
“No. We’ll return when the time is right. But for now, we need to find a safe place to regroup.” I stared out the window and wondered if God could hear me. “Guide us, Lord. We pray for your grace at a time when all seems lost.”
He chuckled and scratched his forehead. “Are you one of those fanatics who believes they can talk to God?”
Right away, I thought of my mother. When I was a boy, she told me she had spoken to God before. She said it happened in her sleep, and when she woke up, she knew that her mission in life was to spread the word of God and promote peace in the galaxy. I always admired her for that.
Unfortunately for me, I had never spoken to God. But I hoped I would someday. “Yes. I do believe I can talk to the Holy Spirit.” I glanced at him. “Maybe you should, too.”
22
Agnes
I was in a lot of pain. But not just from the fall. The pain of losing my husband and everything we had built was unbearable. I didn’t understand why God would let this happen to us. We had been loyal servants to the Holy Spirit all our lives. We deserved so much better.
Vault’s betrayal shook me to my bones. Day after day, he had looked into our eyes, lying to us, pretending to keep us safe. Meanwhile, his mongrel son was leading the rebels, right under our noses. I felt like a fool. We should have been able to see through Vault’s lies. I should have been able to see through the lies. If so, my husband might still be alive.
I didn’t know how I would manage to go on without Linus. But I had to find a way. I had to fight for our Empire. Vault and the other rebels might think they had defeated us, but as long as I was alive, none of them was safe.
Zena Ezra and Evander Cain were engaged in an intense fight. The former captain of the Holy Guard had just killed her brother. It was a perfect chance for me to escape with Turk. The boy was still in my arms, but the fall had knocked him unconscious. He was breathing steadily, a few bruises on his face.
I struggled to my feet and crept into a narrow passageway. I made it to the end of the hall and escaped through an exit on the side wall. In an instant, I found a Holy Army ship and waved it down. By the grace of God, the pilot saw me and swooped to my level. He opened the ramp, and another soldier came into view.
Standing at the top of the ramp, the man signaled for me to hurry inside. The ship was being attacked by dozens of rebel and Serpent ships, the deflector shield barely operational. I staggered to the ramp, moving as fast as I could. When I reached the halfway point, the soldier ran down and helped me up the rest of the way. The pilot quickly closed the opening and jetted away.
I set Turk down and patted his messy hair. “You’re safe now.” I turned to the soldier who had helped us inside. “Keep an eye on him.”
He gave me a bow. “Yes, Madam Saros.”
I got up and rushed to the pilot. “Get us into space, now!”
Without pause, the man flew up high and ripped through the sky. He pushed down on the throttle and got us into space.
“Find a clear path and plot a course for the planet Kantos.”
The soldier seemed confused as he searched for the planet in the database. “I’ve never heard of Kantos, Madam Saros. Why there?”
“Because Vault won’t find us there.” I hope. To my knowledge, Kantos was a covert planet only Linus and I knew about. Yet after seeing what Vault had done to our Holy Empire, there was no telling what he knew.
At last, when he had the coordinates set, he prepared the ship for interstellar speed. “Prepare yourselves for takeoff!”
I hated traveling to other planets. It always made me dizzy and nauseous. I hurried into the cockpit and got into the passenger seat. I exhaled, closed my eyes and held on tight as I watched the ship speed up. Kantos had always been our emergency safe haven, yet Linus and I never thought it would come to this. He should have been there with me, holding my hand, telling me we were going to be okay. Oh Linus, why has God let this happen to us? I cried.
The pain Zena had caused was so raw, eating at my soul, driving me mad. My life had been so great before she came along. My dear Sadie was in the arms of a woman! My husband was dead! I knew that killing Zena would not take the pain away. Killing her one hundred times wouldn’t take the pain away. But I didn’t care. I would not rest until I fulfilled my quest to slaughter her.
In no time at all, we arrived at our destination. The pilot flew into a misty rain storm, swirling past the large white birds that drifted through the cloudy skies. “Where to now, Madam?”
I stood up and stared out the window. Up ahead, I saw an island at the center of the ocean. I touched the pilot’s arm an
d pointed at the location with my other hand. “That’s it. Take me there.”
He put on the boosters and descended to the beautiful, hilly island. He landed near a long, paved roadway. In the distance, I saw several Holy Army ships parked along each side of the road. At first, I figured it would be nice to have extra security on Kantos. Then I wondered how they knew about the secret planet only Linus and I had discovered.
I found Turk and knelt in front of him. I reached behind his back and pulled the boy into my arms. I held him close to my chest as we left the ship. He needed medical attention at once. I hiked up the long road, searching for the soldiers. At the end of the road, they spotted me and hurried to us. They quickly knelt before me and bowed their heads.
The soldier at the front of the group looked up at me. “Madam Saros, is it true?” His face had dried blood all over it, and his dark skin was scarred. “Is the priest dead?”
I blinked and looked the other way. “Yes.” I slowly looked back at him, fighting my tears. “Zena killed him.”
The soldier rose to his feet and grumbled, shaking his head. “Commander Slate died, too. Make me the new commander of the Holy Army, and I give you my word, I’ll bring you Zena’s head.”
I liked his confidence. But I wasn’t in the right mental state to make any military decisions. I had just lost my husband, my home and my empire, all in the same day. I needed time to grieve. Still, I wanted him to prove himself—show me what he could do.
“What’s your name, soldier?”
“Nevis Tron.”
I showed him a smile. I liked the name, and his bravado. “Well, Nevis, if you can keep me and my son safe, I’ll do what I can to make you our new commander.”
He bowed again and stepped aside. His comrades moved, too, giving me a clear path.
“There is a palace at the top of the hill, Madam Saros,” Nevis said. “We found a man there. A man who claims to be related to the Saros family.”
