“No, I don't know everything,” he glared in Falcone’s direction. “This is one of the places the Queen implanted in my memory. When she had me built, she thought it was important I know of this Temple.”
“Well, we're all lucky she did. And soon we may find out just how lucky,” Nimesha walked up the path to the Temple. “If we’re really lucky, they’ll have a weapon that can wipe all the crodillians out in one swoop.”
“If only we were that lucky,” Falcone replied.
The others followed her up the path to the building. Before they could reach the doors of the Temple, they were stopped from behind by an Ovrean.
“Why do you go there?” His voice boomed through the mountains.
“We've come to speak to the Elders,” Anlon answered.
“If the Elders wanted to speak with you, they would've sent someone for you,” the rock man responded. “Seeing as they didn't, you need to leave.”
“We're not going anywhere until I say so,” Kanti stepped forward. “We're going to talk to the Elders and you’re going to take us to them.”
“You will leave this Temple immediately or I will force you to leave.”
“Do you know who I am?” Kanti asked, obviously knowing he didn’t know that answer to the question.
“No,” the rock man answered her. “It doesn’t matter who you are. If the Elders haven’t asked to see you, you’re not welcome here. This is sacred ground and I'm asking you to respect my request to leave peacefully.”
“I'm the Princess of Orion,” she ignored him. “My mother couldn't travel here due to unfortunate circumstances, so I’ve traveled in her place. If you don't know already, Orion is in a little bit of trouble and we've been led to believe the Elders may be able to assist us.”
“The Elders have said nothing about the arrival of a Princess,” he replied, standing his ground firmly.
“Ahh,” A voice came from behind the Ovrean. “So it is true. Queen Adira has a daughter. She did an excellent job of concealing you all of those years. I must admit, she had even myself fooled for some time.”
A smaller Ovrean appeared from behind the guard. He looked frail and old, with brittle cracks on his light grey body. His cane tapped on the ground until he reached Kanti’s feet.
“And what is your name, young Princess?” He asked.
“It's Kanti,” she smiled. “Who are you?”
“I am Zimran,” he bowed. “It is a pleasure to finally meet the Queen's daughter. We never believed you died, but we had no proof of your existence, so we had to accept it all these years. We’ll make sure to go back and change the records now that we know otherwise.”
“You believed she was alive?” Anlon asked.
Zimran nodded. “We’re the keepers of knowledge. We know most everything that happens in Orion, even things that are supposed to be hidden. We’ve bestowed it upon ourselves to make sure the histories are recorded correctly with as little information lost as possible. Someone must to it, so we take it upon ourselves.”
“Excellent. That’s just what we wanted to hear,” Falcone said. “Then you'll be able to help us.”
“Come in. Come in,” he ushered them. “We can talk more inside of the Temple. It is much too cold to be speaking out here. It hurts my old body being out here for too long. I’ve become sensitive in my old age.”
They followed Zimran up the stone steps and to the red wooden door. Zimran easily pushed it open and motioned them all inside. The interior was made of the same stone, as if they were in a giant hollowed out rock. The floors and walls had been polished to give it a shine, but other than that, it was natural, unaltered stone. Long banners hung from the ceiling with the emblems of all past leaders.
“Come,” Zimran motioned. “I will take you to the guest chamber.”
They followed him down the hall into a large room filled with more doorways. The part of the room they were in now appeared to be some type of lounging area with a table and couches they could sit on.
“You all can stay here as long as you need. Our doors are always open to the Princess,” Zimran told them. “This is where you can eat and relax. The other rooms are for you to rest. There is not much here, but it should be enough to suffice for a short period of time. If we’d known of your arrival, we would’ve prepared something more elegant.”
“It was very last minute and we didn’t have time to wait for word to get to you. We don't plan on staying here long either,” Anlon told him. “We came here to see if you had some information that may help us.”
“Hmm,” Zimran thought aloud. “And what exactly are you looking for?”
“How to defeat the crodillians,” Kanti replied. “They’ve come back to Orion and are killing everything in their path.”
“And you believe that we can help you defeat them?”
“We didn't travel through that cold for nothing,” Falcone smirked. “Pretty nasty weather you guys got here. I’m definitely marking it off my list of possible vacation spots.”
Kanti glared at Falcone. “Yes, Zimran, we think that you may be able to help us tremendously.”
“I'm not all that sure there is anything we can do for you that would help you defeat them. We just keep records of histories, nothing else.”
“We just need to know how you did it the first time,” Camillus said. “And whatever else you may know about them. We know nothing and have lost almost all of our forces trying to stop them. Even the smallest bit of information will go a long way.”
“We have heard of their recent arrival,” Zimran nodded. “But the Queen has also requested peace. Not too long ago either, if I’m correct.
“You know the histories better than any of us, do the crodillians really want peace?” Camillus asked.
Zimran stroked his chin. “The histories would say otherwise. They’ve proven to be a violent race throughout their history here.”
“Then we need your help,” Kanti pleaded. “Anything that will help us defeat the crodillians.”
“I will speak to the others,” Zimran nodded. “I’ll come back once I have gathered them all and we can all speak together. You will get all the information you need, if we have any.”
“Thank you,” Nimesha smiled. “We can't defeat them without your help.”
Zimran nodded and slowly walked out of the room. Anlon and the others stood quietly, anxious for him to return. If they weren't able to tell them anything useful, then Orion could very well be doomed. Anlon was sure they knew something, the crodillians couldn't have changed that much since the last war.
“Settle down!” Kirill ordered. “I have pressing matters to discuss with you, and every one of you needs to listen carefully to what I tell you.”
The members of the Deimos Brotherhood instantly quieted down. Kirill stood above all of them and looked over the crowd. He’d brought every one of his men, and women, back from whatever missions they had been on to be here. Since the crodillians had invaded Orion, there hadn’t been much work to be carried out anyway.
“As you are all well aware, a race called the crodillians had magically appeared in Orion and are currently destroying the entire galaxy.” Boos and shouts came from the crowd. Kirill held his hands up to quiet them down so he could finish. “But there is also something that you are unaware of,” he paused a moment to make sure that everyone was paying attention. “They’re coming here, to our base, to capture me and kill anyone that tries to stop them.” Kirill let them start talking amongst themselves for a moment. The assassins all turned to each other, confused, and then back to Kirill, waiting for more. “Donnchadh has called me and said he’s personally leading the mission for my capture. He requested that I turn myself over peacefully so his new leader, Jahdiel, may kill me with her own hands. He also said if anyone as much as raises a finger in protest, he’ll launch an attack to obliterate Erebos entirely.”
Kirill grinned to himself. He could see the anger growing on the faces of his assassins and knew he would be able to easil
y fool the crodillians too. He was making Donnchadh look like a ruthless traitor and that's exactly what he’d hoped for. None of the assassins needed to know Donnchadh’s true plans. That information wasn’t any of their business. It was for him, and him alone, to know.
“I believe we should listen to him and surrender peacefully.” Boos and shouts from the crowd erupted once again, this time much louder than before. There were even some shouting to kill Donnchadh and to attack the crodillians at first sight. “We won't be prisoners!” Kirill shouted over the noise. “We’ll make Donnchadh look like the traitor he is. He should've never have contacted me, now we’ll use it against him. They should be arriving here very soon, and we’ll be waiting for them, unarmed. We’ll tell the crodillians he wanted us to attack them and take them out. And why wouldn't they believe it?” He looked around the room. “How else would we know they would be here unless he gave us a warning? They’re a strong opponent, but will be an even stronger ally!” Kirill pumped his fist in the air. “We won't attack them. Our surrender will prove we respect them and it will gain us an indispensable ally! We’ll show them what we can do and leave them no choice but to side with us. Finally, we’ll be on top, unlike the rest of the races of Orion who are cowering in fear. Soon, they will fear not just the crodillians, but us. We will rule them!”
The races pumped their fists in the air and started cheering. He could see he’d easily fooled every one of them. If there were flaws in his speech, none of them had picked up on them. All they cared about in the end was killing and wielding power. If surrendering meant they could ultimately live to kill more, he knew they would have no problem with it. It was how he’d trained them, and why he’d personally exterminated any he thought straying from the path he laid for them.
“Everyone go on the other side of the lava lake now,” Kirill ordered. “We’ll wait for our new allies to arrive and show them how eager we are to work with them. Leave all weapons here, give them no doubt that our only intentions are to work with them.”
The room quickly cleared out as the races made their way to the other side of the lava lake. They were all using the path that traveled underneath the lake, exiting through a secret passageway on the other side. Before Kirill could follow them all out through the tunnel, he was stopped by Ulisse. The arachnid was intentionally lagging behind the others.
“This isn't right Kirill,” Ulisse told him. “We're betraying one of our own.”
“Donnchadh?” Kirill almost chuckled. “He’s no longer one of us.”
“He is,” Ulisse insisted. “We left him behind to die on Hera, but he survived. It’s partly my fault he’s not here with us right now. We shouldn't be betraying him like this now, even if he is coming to attack us. He warned us. Donnchadh is trying to help us, not kill us.”
“He's coming here to send me to a sure death along with anyone who opposes him.”
“But he warned you he was coming,” Ulisse said. “He saved all of our lives by giving us a chance to leave and now we're going to take his?”
“Would you rather see me die and him live?”
“No,” Ulisse shook his head. “But I don't think we should lie to the crodillians so that they kill him instead. We don’t need to mention him at all.”
“Ohh, Ulisse,” Kirill placed his hand on arachnid’s hairy body. “Donnchadh should already be dead, so what does it really matter if they kill him? Don't you think that we are more deserving to live? We’re stronger than he is. We’re willing to do things he isn't.”
“What makes you think that the crodillians won't kill us after they kill him?”
“I don't know if they’ll let us live, but if we're alive, wouldn't you rather not be one of their enemies?”
Ulisse thought a moment. “If we betray Donnchadh now, what's to say another one of our own won't betray us somewhere down the line later?”
“We're not betraying him, Ulisse. We're using him as a means to survive. We don't know if they'll kill him anyway, we're getting ahead of ourselves. The crodillians said they're being merciful right now. I'm sure they'll give him some type of fair trial.”
“You've seen what they've done. You can't honestly believe that.”
“Look, Ulisse,” Kirill began to glare. “You're either with me or you're not. Just know now that lying about Donnchadh is the only way you'll survive. If all of a sudden you want to be a hero, then go ahead and try to save him, but don't say I didn't warn you of the consequences. Men like us have to make hard decisions, and trust me when I say this is one of the hardest I’ve had to make.”
“Okay,” Ulisse nodded with a slight sigh. “I guess I understand. It's just, I knew him so well.”
“He's different now,” Kirill lied. “He wants us all dead, even if he did warn us. If you don't go along with this, he'll have you killed without a second thought. I can see the look in his eyes, it’s changed. He’s always been overly ambitious, and now, he’s seizing the opportunity to take out the only threat standing in his way.”
Ulisse nodded and left the room to meet the others at the lake. Kirill stayed behind so he could walk down the tunnel alone. He figured some races might be against what he was doing, but he didn't care. This was his best chance at getting what he wanted. No assassin would get in his way. If Ulisse hadn't agreed, he would've killed him on the spot and left his body to rot. It wouldn't have been any harder of a decision than it was to lie about Donnchadh's true intentions.
Chapter 10
“Jahdiel, we’re a couple of minutes from arriving at Ovrea,” the approached her from behind.
“Excellent,” she looked out of the window with her arms behind her back. “Make sure that all of the fighters and bombers are manned, ready to attack at my command. I want there to be no delay if things look like they’re going to turn against us.
“Yes ma'am,” the Captain nodded and left her alone.
She still wasn't pleased that Merikh hadn't wanted to even consider her plan. She’d been listening in to reports of the planets they’d already assumed control of and there weren't even the slightest signs of rebellion. The races of Orion had given up. A fight against the crodillians was hopeless and everyone could see it clear as day. There was no way Merikh wasn’t seeing the same thing she was, but for some reason he was being passive. Usually, he gave her a nod for whatever she wanted to do, but lately that wasn't the case. Things were beginning to change between the two of them, and she didn’t like the feeling of it. It was as if she had been a pawn, not a leader, and her use was almost up.
Jahdiel felt the ship decelerate from sonodrive and she shifted her attention back to the window. Ovrea loomed in front of her. A planet that could be called hell if it were frozen. It was the last place she’d want to lead any type of rebellion.
She looked down to the crodillians below her. “Order the bombers to depart. Start looking for places to land on Ovrea.”
The crodillians below her quickly sent orders to the pilots and it wasn't long before a stream of ships were speeding towards the frozen planet. It was one of the least likely planets of them all to rebel due to the frigid temperatures. It was crystal white with hues of light blue peeking through the layers of ice and storm clouds were scattered in clusters all over the planet. This wouldn't be one of the planets that she landed on, she hated the cold. She would just take the crodillians' word on it and leave a few hundred unlucky ones to freeze away.
“The bombers are reporting no rebelling ma'am,” one of the crodillians shouted up to her.
“Have they established control in any towns or cities yet?”
“No ma'am, I don't believe so,” another replied, pouring through feeds on the screen in front of him. “They're still looking for signs of life. I’ll have them circle back around to see if they've missed anything. It looks like a very treacherous planet to live on.”
Jahdiel waited patiently in her seat, awaiting the next update. She knew it would take them awhile, especially if the races were in hiding which was ve
ry likely. The temperatures were a good reason to hide, but the crodillians were an even better reason.
“We’ve just located a city,” a crodillian reported. “They’ve come out of their homes and are standing outside with their hands in the air. It appears they’re giving themselves up.”
“Yes. They're surrendering,” Jahdiel said under her breath. “Land some bombers in the city and take control of it. If this city is surrendering without a fight, the rest will too.”
“Would you like us to dispatch fighters to add to the numbers looking for cities?”
“No,” Jahdiel shook her head. “We can't overtake every city here. We'll just establish ourselves at a few and move on to the next planet. The only reason we’re here is to make our presence known.”
“We haven't received any other reports of cities found yet. It could be some time.”
“You will in time, just be patient,” she said. “There is nowhere else for us to go for the time being. We can wait until they’ve found enough cities to establish strongholds.”
Jahdiel pulled out her comlink and called Merikh. Usually, she wouldn't do this until she was sure the planet was taken over, but she’d seen no reason it wouldn’t be. She wanted him to know that she’d been right, and that he’d been wrong. There was no rebellion and there would never be a rebellion. His answers would reveal his true feeling towards her. If she was just being used, she’d be able to tell very quickly from his tone and responses, though she wouldn't mention anything about it. She had no true friends, she hadn't for years. Acquaintances were all she had and they were all loyal to Merikh, one slip of the tongue and she'd surely be dead.
“What do you have to report to me? I hope there was no trouble in taking Ovrea,” Merikh looked bored with the Queen chained next to him.
“No,” Jahdiel shook her head. “Quite the opposite, actually. Ovrea has surrendered with their hands in the air. They didn't even put up the slightest bit of a fight against us.”
Merikh nodded. “I'm glad to hear it. This doesn't mean that every planet will be the same. You’re still to follow your orders. I won’t put up with you defying my direct orders. Every other General has been briefed with my decision.”
Rise of the Resistance (War for Orion Trilogy Book Two) Page 10
