by K.N. Lee
“My family doesn’t need me to take care of them. The only person more important than my own life is my lover. And what I had been trying to do was to finish off a job, buy a ring, and propose to her. And see what that got me!” He yanked again at his shackles and said, “I can’t imagine how much more trouble I’d be in if I had to take care of something more important than that ordinary human affair.”
“I see you’re a sentimental kind of person.”
“Should I be embarrassed about that?”
“Most human males would be. But you don’t look at all embarrassed about showing affection toward your woman.”
“I don’t need to live up to anyone’s expectations. And I guess I’m selfish.” Lorcan took a closer look at the man. “You must be someone of high authority.”
The man shook his head. “They have my family in here for a piece of jewelry, which if I knew where it was, I would give to them.”
“Is that all?”
“Yes, that’s all.”
They heard a loud bang right in front of the door to their cell. Then the door swung open. A lanky man walked in, flanked by five creatures, all with small lizard-like heads and scaly green skin but human-like bodies. They were armed to the teeth, with a variety of weapons dangling from their vests.
The lanky man didn’t wear much armor. He walked straight up to the old man.
“The great Fabian?”
“Who are you?”
“My name is Pexami. Your daughter sends me.”
“I don’t have a daughter.”
“This is the only cell in which they keep the royals. Look, I don’t want to be disrespectful, but I’ve lost fifty pets, thirty soldiers, and seventeen inter-world mercenaries trying to get in here to see you. That’s much more than your daughter paid for. I don’t have time to waste.”
Before Fabian could say anything further, Pexami yanked Fabian’s shirt open. Seeing the tattoo of two crossed tridents, he turned and said to the lizard mercenaries, “He’s the right one. Take the son.”
One of the mercenaries moved to the wall to break the shackles. Pexami asked another two to break the lock on Fabian’s restraints. The old man said nothing, but Lorcan was sure there were millions of strategies running through the man’s head.
Lorcan figured Fabian was not only royal but was perhaps at the highest rank in his court or some equivalent governmental structure in this dimension. Perhaps he could hitch a ride out of here.
“It sounds like you endured a massive fight to get in here, but we didn’t hear any noise. If they let you get in too easily, it might be a trap,” Lorcan said.
“Who are you?” Pexami asked.
“No one important. But I worked my way in here via a tunnel, and no one saw me until a prisoner shouted. If you break my chains, I’ll take you out through that tunnel.”
Pexami nodded and signaled the remaining mercenary to free Lorcan. The left the cell through its already open door and stepped out into a hallway covered in the blood and gore of dead creatures, wardens, and guards.
Lorcan remembered the way and navigated precisely back to the tunnel. This was one of the important skill sets he had acquired after being a spy for so long.
Once they entered the tunnel, Lorcan knew it would lead them back to the cave, and then they would swim out to the sharks if they still lurked nearby.
He slowed down and whispered to Fabian, “There were sharks at the mouth of the cave. I don’t know if they’re still there.”
Pexami turned around. “There is no time for chatting.”
The lingering pain in Lorcan’s side intensified, and he rubbed at it absently. “You’re walking too fast,” he said. “I can’t keep up. The mouth of the cave is straight ahead. You can’t miss it. You don’t need me anymore.”
Lorcan sat down on a large rock.
Pexami shrugged and signaled the mercenaries to keep going. Then a mercenary Pexami had sent ahead to survey the grounds hurried back in, speaking in a stream of language Lorcan didn’t understand. But he could tell by the look on Pexami’s face that he was in trouble.
Chapter 17
Fabian cast a glance at Lorcan and was pleased to see he wasn’t shaken by Pexami’s intimidation. He liked this young human, but he disliked the aura around Pexami, the contractor his daughter had hired.
“My sharks are well-trained pets,” Pexami growled. “When I send them after prey, they don’t give up. As long as their prey is still within this dimension, they will find it.”
Lorcan backed away, and his back struck the cave wall.
Pexami approached slowly. “You are the only human prey I sent them after!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“You’re the human from the boat. The one with the key.”
“I don’t know anything about a key.”
“Faye is such a bitch. She paid me to get you. She knew you were with her family. She sent me to rescue her family and you, paying the same amount of money!”
“I don’t like the way you’re talking about my daughter,” Fabian said and let out a long whistle. The sound penetrated the air and the dark water ahead. Fabian inhaled the air in the cave again, enjoying the freshness of it.
He whistled again, calling for his daughter. Not only he would have his freedom back now, he had a feeling his reign would be returning. God had finally answered his prayers.
Before the mercenaries could react, Fabian’s eyes sparked a bright purple shade. All five of them dropped to the ground like sacks of potatoes. Fabian smiled to himself. That was one of his many talents—he could vacuum the energy out of any person or creature he wanted.
Generations of his family had descended here from Earth. They were living happily in Nepolymbus as royals before being overthrown. It pained him to think about Faye being out there by herself, struggling to survive in disguise, working nonstop to rescue the family so they could resume their government. His daughter was not a commoner. One day, she would be the rightful queen of this submarine dimension.
Pexami grabbed his chest and slumped to the ground. He spat out black blood. “Poison!” he muttered. He looked up at Fabian. “Trademark of your daughter. I curse your entire family…” he said and then fell to the ground, dead.
Fabian looked at Lorcan. “Something has to give for the greater good. He farms the killing sharks, and that is unforgivable under my reign.”
“The situation suggests that the reign you talk about isn’t current.”
“You’re a smart man. No wonder you’re the chosen one.”
“Look, I know nothing about a key. And if you mention it one more time, I’m going to be pissed. I’m a spy and a thief. Yes, I steal for clients, but I’m no key keeper. And if you paid me, I’d give you the key. I wouldn’t keep it.”
There was a sound like a train going past outside. Then it grew quiet again.
Faye and Kai rushed into the cave.
Faye darted toward Fabian and dropped to her knees as if she saw no one else there but him. He crouched, clutching her in his arms and letting her cry. The emotion came out of her like a storm.
Kai glanced around, pulled out a knife, and killed the sleeping mercenaries.
“Was that necessary?” Lorcan asked.
“No, but if they awakened, they would kill you without asking whether it was necessary,” Kai said.
Faye’s emotion subsided. She stood up, glanced around. Her eyes stopped on Lorcan.
“He was put in the same cell with us,” Fabian said. “You hired Pexami to grab him from the surface, so he must have something to do with the key,”
“No, Father.” She looked down to the ground.
Fabian lifted her chin up and looked into her eyes.
“Don’t lie to me, Faye.”
A tear rolled down her cheek. She nodded. “Yes, he might have information about the key. He was with it before it vanished. We’re working on finding it.”
Fabian nodded. “I understand it’s
difficult for you to be out there on your own doing all this. But without the key, we can’t rebuild our reign.”
“I understand, Father. And I’m sorry about Mother. I’m too late for her.”
Fabian wiped away a tear on Faye’s face. “Your mother’s death wasn’t your fault. I am proud of you, my daughter. Now, all we have to do is to find the key, and our years of suffering will end.”
Lorcan cleared his throat. “I’ve got to go now. Good luck with everything.”
He turned, but Kai stepped forward, blocking his way.
“Unfortunately, I can’t let you go back to the human’s world,” Fabian said, “before we have all the information about the key.”
“I told you, I don’t know.” Lorcan pushed Kai, and Kai swung his arm at him. Lorcan blocked, and Kai stomped a kick to his abdomen, hurling him into the far wall.
An white ivory object dropped from Lorcan’s pocket to the ground.
Fabian stared at it. He knew he was not mistaken. On the ground was the white piece from the three-colored Key of Pisces.
“You said you didn’t know anything about the Key of Pisces,” Fabian said.
“I don’t. That’s just merchandise for a client.”
“But you have only one piece. Where are the other two?”
“I already told you I don’t know anything.” Lorcan couldn’t back away any further as he was up against a wall. He looked toward the cave entrance and saw that Kai stood there, blocking it.
“I’m sure you’re a good human. I can tell. The key means a lot to us. There are millions of citizens and families who are depending on our return for survival.”
“If I knew anything about the key, I’d tell you. But unfortunately, I don’t.”
“Faye, does he have the information in his mind?”
Faye shook her head. Fabian frowned. He tilted her chin up. He didn’t have his daughter’s talent, but he knew how she thought and when she lied to him. He glanced back at Lorcan, who had quickly figured the situation he was in could prove troublesome for him.
“You’ve got the whole key,” he said to Lorcan.
Lorcan darted at the entrance, but after a few rounds exchanging punches and kicks with Kai, he was thrown inside once again.
“Beating him up or even killing him won’t bring us anything positive, Father. Let me work this out,” Faye said to Fabian, inching her way inside the cave to stand in front of Lorcan.
“You have a gentle soul, Faye. But any war must have sacrifice,” Fabian said.
“But this isn’t my war!” Lorcan exclaimed.
“Call it collateral damage. And you are the casualty, human.” Fabian smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.
Chapter 18
“Love!” The Keymaster looked at the toddler angel, who was sitting on a bench in a humble stone house, playing with her toys. She smiled at him, and said, “Love.”
He rolled his eyes and crouched. “Seriously? It’s been a year since you made me carve the Key of Pisces out of three stones. I have used all my resources and the knowledge of hundreds of years making keys, and I couldn’t make them snap into one piece. And now you’re telling me it’s love that glues them together?”
The toddler giggled and raised her hands.
“No, no. No clapping inside the house, please. Remember what happened last time when you clapped? I’m too busy to build one house after another just because you have a compulsive clapping disorder!”
She smiled at him and twirled her finger in a lock of his hair. “Love,” she said again.
“All right, let’s say I’m not offended at all because I’ve taken care of you for a year, and the first word you’ve ever spoken to me regarding the glue for this crazy key is love. How the hell am I going to use love to make them snap together?”
The dim light in the room made Lorcan’s hair look even darker. Faye couldn’t take her eyes off his face. He looked peaceful when he was asleep, but when he woke, she knew a storm would be heading her way. She didn’t know how to handle this. It was rare for her to be in a situation where every decision she made tended to go wrong.
She tugged at the ropes tying his hands and feet to the four posters of the bed, ensuring they didn’t cut into his skin. It pained her to do so, but she would rather he live imprisoned than be free and dead.
Her father had knocked him out using his energy suction. That meant when he woke, he would be very weak and certainly not in a good mood.
Lorcan’s eyelids fluttered and gradually opened. His magnificent blue eyes were now looking at her, demanding answers.
She braced herself against the wall. “Before you accuse me of anything, remember I saved your life, Lorcan.”
“I’m not sure about that. You hired Pexami to capture me and destroy the boat, did you not?”
“I paid Pexami to obtain the key, and you got tangled up in the ordeal. I didn’t have any plans to capture you.”
“Then why am I here? Why am I tied up? Why did your father think I was holding the whole key?”
“He was suspicious because you had the white piece with you.” She pulled out the piece of the key and placed it on the bed next to Lorcan.
“That was only because a stupid shark chased me into that stupid cave. I know nothing about the key’s whereabouts. Why did you suggest to your father that I had that information?”
“It was in your subconscious mind.”
“So you’re saying that in only two days, you know my mind intimately enough to know what’s in it? Not only that, you’re suggesting that when I wake, I conveniently forget that I know?”
“I suggested nothing like that to my father. I’m trying to figure out a way to tell you what’s going on without killing you.”
“I’m a big boy. I can handle the truth, especially what you can accumulate in a couple of days.”
“For pity’s sake, I’m a mind reader, and for two years, we were intimate in your subconscious mind. You told me everything about your life, Lorcan.”
“Two years?” he exclaimed.
She walked to one side of the room then whirled around and paced in the other direction. “Yes, you were in a coma for two years.” She returned to the bed. “Look, you need to calm down, Lorcan. I need to explain to you how I think your mind works before we can proceed—”
“It’s been two years since the incident? What about Orla? She must think I’m dead. She can’t think I’m dead. I can’t just vanish from her life for two years without a trace!” He pulled hard at the ropes tying him to the bed. “Let me go!”
Faye walked back and forth again, raking her hands through her hair.
The door slid open, and Kai walked in with a tray and a glass of water. He glanced at Lorcan. “He’s awake. You can rest now, Faye. You’ve been up all night.”
He gave her the water.
“Since when do you do Millie’s job?”
“Millie is back and is waiting for you in her quarters. She said she has what you asked her to get.”
Kai’s eyes darkened when he looked at her face. Faye wiped away a tear that had rolled down her face.
Kai pointed his chin at Lorcan. “He won’t give you the information?”
Lorcan tugged at the ropes again. “If I know, I don’t remember. Let her pry the info out of me. She’s a mind reader, isn’t she?”
Kai jumped right onto the bed and grabbed Lorcan by the neck. “You prick, if you don’t fucking give the information, I’ll break your neck with one hand. I don’t have the patience she has. And more importantly, I don’t have the feelings she has for you.”
“Don’t do that, Kai.” She grabbed Kai’s shoulders but couldn’t move him an inch away from Lorcan.
“Then break my neck, asshole. When you’re gone from the lives of everyone you care about for two years, you’re better off being dead.”
“You think I won’t kill you?” Kai squeezed harder on Lorcan’s neck. “I don’t believe you want to die.”
“Please don
’t do that, Kai! Please stop!” Faye cried.
“Try me!” Lorcan shouted at Kai.
“We still need the info, and dead men don’t talk. But I’ll see how well you handle pain.” He grabbed Lorcan’s head at the temples and pressed.
Lorcan yanked at the rope, his eyes rolling back with the pain.
“Kai! Please stop, Kai!” Faye cried. She untied Lorcan’s hands and could see he wasn’t struggling at the ropes. He was convulsive. She saw blood soaking his shirt on his side.
She threw herself to the floor. “Kai, please stop! You’re killing him. And by doing that, you’re killing me, too. Kai, I love him. I love him with all my heart. Please don’t kill him.”
Kai stopped and backed away.
The blood at Lorcan’s side continued to pool, and he continued to convulse. She flipped his shirt up and could see a piece of jade had broken his skin and was sticking out. The white piece of the key on the bed vibrated.
“This isn’t just a theory now. We need to wake him, Kai.”
Kai untied Lorcan’s feet.
Faye held him in her arms to calm him down. “Lorcan, when you love someone more than your life, it puts the key pieces together. But you won’t die because of this. You’re not going to die. I will take you back to the time you come from. You will not lose Orla. Do you hear me?”
Lorcan didn’t appear to hear anything. The jade piece had come completely out of him and dropped to the bed.
“He’s not in control of this. The red piece is in his heart. If it comes out, he’ll die. We need to snap him out of this. Please do something, Kai.”
Kai grabbed Lorcan from Faye’s arms, threw him on the bed, and punched him in the face. The convulsions stopped. Soon after, Lorcan let out a moan and opened his eyes. He sat up, wincing with the pain.
Then he looked at Faye’s face.
She scrambled off the bed and wiped the tears from her face.
Lorcan looked at the piece of jade and the blood on his shirt. “I heard part of your conversation,” he said.
“Which…which part?” Faye asked.
“The red piece is in my heart, and you were trying to stop it from coming out. Thank you.”
