***
“What coordinates, Elan?” Masi asks.
Elan tells him a bunch of numbers, and Masi’s nimble fingers push the ship into a sharp bank. We skim over the forest and soon leave anything familiar. I realize I’ve never seen anything outside of a twenty-mile radius, and while some landmarks look familiar, everything is different from this perspective.
“Where are we going?” I lean between the two chairs so I can see as much of the view out of the window as I can.
Elan looks over at me, trying to wipe some of the soot off his face.
“Our nearest base.”
“There’s not a revolutionist base out this way,” says Masi as he swivels in the chair to face Elan. “At least not a significant one, or we would know about it.”
It doesn’t escape me that he uses the plural we this time, when referring to the Kreon. Elan levels his gaze at Masi, narrowing his eyes. Then he looks up at me.
“How long have you known?” he growls.
“It’s a long story,” I sigh. My head is pounding, and we don’t have time for this discussion, but I know I can’t avoid it.
“He could be a spy. This whole thing could be a trap, to expose New Terra. Don’t you get it, they let us out, then follow us to the base.”
I grip Masi’s arm and he winces in pain. Dark blood oozes down his wrist.
“Does it look like he’s faking?” I say, holding up his shaking fingers.
“The Kreon left him to die in the mines, just like us.”
“But he’s one of them.”
“Not anymore,” I say, biting my lip. “Just trust me on this.”
The muscle in Elan’s jaw flexes as he stares hard at me.
Then he slowly turns and faces Masi. “Fine. For now.”
He waves his arms at the lit up console.
“Can your people track this ship even in the invisible mode?”
Masi nods. “Of course. The royal ships have many levels of security and tracking. They can follow its unique energy signature, or by the many elements it’s made of.”
“It’s not just made out of the Kreon metal like all the other ships?”
“The royal ships utilize the best materials from each civilization we conquer.” Masi’s voice lowers at the end of his sentence. He looks up at me and shrugs.
I shove the revulsion down as I try to stay in the moment.
“So we’re obvious no matter where we go.” I look at Elan. “We might want to ditch this thing before we show the Kreons exactly where your base is.”
Elan looks out at the trees speeding underneath us.
“Fine. Let’s head to the old air force base.”
“Are you all right with the Kreons tracking us there?”
“It’s expendable, mostly used as a supply drop or rendezvous point. It’ll take a few days, but we can hike to the base from there. All the Kreons will find is this thing and a few old prop planes.”
Elan turns in his chair towards Masi and me. He glances back at the men behind us. I follow his gaze. It’s too crowded for most of the men to see us, but I notice a few pairs of nervous eyes and some quiet grumbling.
“My people aren’t going to like having a Kreon on base,” Elan says quietly.
“He saved all of our lives today. That should count for something,” I hiss back.
Elan keeps his mouth shut and stares out the window. It’s nearly evening, and the sky is turning pink, with sun poking through bright orange clouds, like the horizon is on fire.
“There!” Elan points as a clearing comes into view.
As we get closer I can see that the cement runway is cracked, with vegetation growing over it. Even so, the large, flat area stands out against the thick forests. Large white buildings stretch across grassy fields to the side, surrounded by scattered machinery and the remains of several grounded airplanes.
Masi slows the ship to hover above the airstrip, looking to Elan for confirmation. “Just land by that large hanger over there. I’ll jump out so they see me first. Otherwise, they’ll think we’re Kreon and start shooting as soon as we land.”
A violent jolt goes through the ship. I catch myself on the back of Elan’s chair. I pull myself up and stand between Elan and Masi.
“Too late,” I said. “Seems like your friends are already shooting at us.”
“The shot came from behind,” Masi said quietly. His fingers fly over the console again. We look up and in the corner of the view screen a square appears showing the view behind us.
Panic seeps through my pores as I recognize another Kreon ship, trailing close behind. It emits a blast of light and our ship trembles with the impact.
“Will they shoot us down? Even though they suspect we have the artifact?”
“I honestly don’t know, Rya. But if we land here now, out in the open like this, they’ll execute everyone on this ship.” Masi banks sharply away from the airstrip, just clearing the jagged treetops.
“What if we land in the forest? Would that give us enough time to get away before they land?” I ask, desperation making my heart race. I can feel the light start glowing within me, feeding on my adrenaline.
Elan clenches his jaw, looking up at me.
“We wouldn’t survive a landing at this speed.”
I glance back at the girls, who are clinging to each other, fear in their eyes.
“You have any other ideas, Elan?”
“Not dying is definitely a must, whatever we do,” he growls back.
“Rya may have a point.” Masi turns toward me. “The ship has its own defense mechanisms to brace for a landing. If they think they’ve shot us down, they’ll stop shooting. It would be better to do it on purpose than for real.”
He then turns his helmet toward Elan.
“As long as you have somewhere safe we can all escape to once we’re on the ground.”
Elan’s eyes widen as he glances between us.
“You want to crash, on purpose?” he grumbles. “You’re both crazy.”
“We don’t have time for your negativity right now. Masi says we can do it and I trust him. Do you have a place we can get to and disappear before the Kreons land, yes or no?”
Elan fiercely pushes his hair back with his hand. “Yes. Maybe.” He swears under his breath. “If we get close enough to the base of that mountain, there are underground tunnels that lead to the base. That is if we can survive the landing.”
A handful of blasts come in quick succession and the screen fills with sparks and smoke. Behind me, a few people gasp out loud as the ship veers roughly to the side.
“Do it,” I say. “Everybody hold on tight,” I call loudly. “We’re going to land in the forest and evacuate quickly. It’ll be rough, but the ship can take it.”
I bend down near the girls, trying to protect them with my arms. Another Kreon missile rocks the ship, and this time Masi swerves wildly, flipping the entire vessel once before diving sharply towards the ground. If he is simulating a crash, it’s convincing. My stomach goes into my throat and I feel weightless. The girls cry out in terror. My eyes are glued to the screen as the trees and rocks race towards us.
I feel warmth spread through my fingers, as the panic erupts into a warm glow. Then we hit the ground, and I’m jolted to the floor. I brace against the violent rumble until the ship slides to a stop.
I look up and nod at Elan, then check the rest of the ship. Masi was right, somehow we were protected from the worst of the crash. I guess Kreon tech wasn’t all bad.
“Quickly!” Elan shouts, “We’ve got to get out of here.”
Masi opens the side door and I jump out, following him into the woods. We don’t look back until we’re a few hundred feet away, shrouded by thick pine trees. I gasp at the condition of the ship. The wings are bent and torn, the metal charred and scorched. Thick dark plumes of smoke darken the sky. The old-growth trees damaged the ship’s exterior, even though it cut through the
m at first like a razor, leaving a deep grove in the canopy. It’s a miracle we are walking away at all.
About half the ship’s passengers are still on board when the first Kreon ship comes into view, hovering above the smoldering crater of our crash site like a mechanical vulture.
“Hurry!” I shout. I feel a flicker of hope—they’ll have to land to send troops after us. If we can get everyone away from the ship fast enough, we actually have a chance to escape. But then I see a flash of light as the Kreon open fire on the survivors. I flinch at the loud pops coming from the space canons, and my blood freezes as I see a man near the ship evaporate in a spray of blood and guts. Two more follow. Screams erupt as half the survivors race towards us with panicked faces, streaming between the smoking tree trunks and scorched ground. Others stay behind to help the remaining survivors off the ship. I turn back to help, but Elan grabs my arm, squeezing painfully.
“You can’t help them,” he says, his eyes filled with emotion.
Hatred and terror rise up in my chest, fighting for dominancy, but the anger wins out. Rage boils inside me, blinding and white. It’s deeper and stronger than anything I’ve ever felt before. Centuries of hatred towards the oppressive Kreon. For this senseless violence and the murder of my people.
I have to do something.
I break his grip and run back into the clearing, my dark hair blowing wildly as I stand under the Kreon vessel. Suddenly I can feel everything. The other passengers still inside, the girls looking up at me in wonder, the screws and bolts of the alien ship, the particles of ash and blood and dirt swirling around me like a maelstrom.
My hands are glowing and the blue tattoos on my neck and collar burn like hot brands against my skin. I hold my arms out away from my body. The heat distorts my vision as I focus in on the Kreon ship above us, and the propulsion tanks beneath it. I’m tired of being scared, of being helpless. Maybe for the first time, I understand how the revolutionists feel. How can you avoid a threat like this, raining down terror from above like a vengeful deity? Violence must be met with violence.
The light grows into a large bubble around me, radiating off me in waves. I can feel my jacket begin to melt around my shoulders. It’s too much, too strong. It needs somewhere to go. I glare at the Kreon ship, still firing—but in slow motion now. The world seems frozen as I cast my hands forward in a smooth motion, like I’m tossing a ball over my head. A scream rips past my lips as I let go of my rage. I shut my eyes in relief as the energy passes through me, but I can still feel it when the Kreon ship turns into a ball of fire and arcs down towards the earth, tearing a hole into the side of the rocky mountain.
I feel the warmth of the explosion against my skin and smile.
For the first time in my life, I am not afraid.
To be continued…
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Thanks for reading Worlds Between!
This story began with the cover art, and the inspiration to write a brooding YA fantasy with ancient aliens and a dystopian invasion scenario. It’s the continuation of a novella based on Antigone called Worlds Forsaken. If you haven’t read that yet, you can get it for free here.
The main crisis in the Clashing Kingdoms series is modeled on the myth of Psyche and Eros: where a girl is forced to marry a monster to save her family but can never see his face… until one night she sneaks in to have a peek by candlelight, and is instantly cast from his godly presence. But that pivotal scene will actually come in book two, Worlds Apart. If you enjoyed this story and want to see what happens next with Rya and her new friends, make sure you grab the sequel!
For more books by D. S. Murphy and his alter-ego Drake Mason, join the VIP reader’s group on Facebook or sign up by email to receive new release updates.
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Sincerely,
The Authors
Worlds Between Page 22
