by Anna Carven
But there were enemies to defeat, and escapes to plot, and stark reality returned to her like a slap in the face. As long as they were on this ship, she was in mortal danger.
How long could Xal keep up the facade?
“I’ve made up my mind,” he said, as he withdrew from her, rolling onto his side and curling his long limbs protectively around her. “We’re not going to the Fleet Station. We’re going to escape, and then I’m going to tell Tarak to blast the shit out of them. They won’t know what hit them.”
“Didn’t you all want to avoid a firefight? To minimize collateral damage?”
He put a finger against her lips. “You took a risk by coming with me. You almost got hurt by Alerak. That’s all I can tolerate. I’m pulling you out of here. We’ve traveled far enough that Earth is out of Ristval V’s firing range now. Silence will do the rest.”
He kissed her gently on the top of her head, stroking her hair. “You’ve done your part, my crazy, brave female. We will leave the rest up to the former Imperial Military. And don’t worry. Earth is no longer in the crossfire.”
~~~
Xal left her sprawled naked in his sleeping pod, stealing one last look at her toned, sinuous body. He hated to leave her, even for a short period of time, but he had to make contact with Tarak.
He had left her his Callidum sword, just in case Alerak returned.
The Qualum door obviously wasn’t as secure as he’d thought.
He headed back towards the docking bay, where their transport was parked. The large, cavernous space was occupied by sleek fighter craft, their black Callidum hulls glinting ominously in the faint light.
The guards stood to attention as he passed.
“Where is my transport?” Xal demanded, pinning one of the soldiers with a harsh glare.
“I’m sorry, Prince Kazharan, but you aren’t authorized to be here. General’s orders.”
Xal stepped close to the guard, towering over him. “I need to retrieve something important to me, soldier. Are you saying you won’t let me pass?” Xal took a quick inventory of the soldiers blocking his way. There were three of them, and they all had plasma guns. He had nothing except his title. “I outrank Daegan, soldier,” he said mildly. “Your insubordination may cause all kinds of trouble for you when you return to the Empire.”
The guard paled. Most Kordolians didn’t know of the crime Xal had committed against the Empress. They didn’t know he had gone into exile. All this soldier knew was that Xal was a Prince of the Empire; Empress Vionn’s own flesh and blood, and by extension, his word was absolute.
Xal hated throwing his weight around like this, but it had to be done.
The soldiers bowed and let him pass, and Xal ducked into the transport, pulling the door shut behind him. He hit the communication panel, sending a direct signal through to Silence.
“Xalikian.” Tarak appeared instantly, his red eyes alert and questioning. “All goes to plan?”
“Somewhat. There was an incident involving my Human. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to keep up the act. Soon, they will grow suspicious.”
“You didn’t kill anyone, did you?” The General’s voice was dry, but Xal got the impression he was amused.
“Not yet,” Xal replied. “Although I might soon, if we don’t get off this ship. There’s enough distance between us and Earth now. They cannot attack Earth from here. I’ve identified some escape pods. I’m going to get Sera and eject. You should be able to track me through my implant and organize a retrieval.”
“Yes. The sheer velocity of the escape pods can make them difficult to track, but I will find you.”
“I’m sorry we weren’t able to last longer. This has proven to be more difficult than I anticipated.”
“That’s because you are compromised.”
“What?”
“It’s obvious you’ve mated with your Human, and now you would crush anything and anyone that tries to harm her.”
Xal gaped. “Is it that obvious?” As the General’s words sank in, Xal realized he spoke the truth.
Tarak shrugged. “It happens. Objectivity dies, but you gain something greater. Trust me; I know the feeling.”
“And what about Ristval V?”
“I had a feeling this might happen, so we’re coming after it. We now have the advantage of surprise.” He bared his fangs. “I’m not sure Daegan’s ever been in a direct firefight in space.”
He left the obvious unspoken. Xal wondered how many hostile engagements Tarak would have been in during his career. Hundreds? Thousands?
“You’ve done what you set out to do, my Prince. Earth is in the clear. Now, allow me to take over. I’ve been wanting to destroy these fuckers ever since they appeared in our sights. The only thing stopping me was the threat to Earth. It will take us approximately one phase to catch up to them. Then, we attack. Make sure you and your female are well clear by then.”
“Yes, Sir,” Xal said ironically, a wave of urgency taking hold of him. They had to get out of there soon, because all hell was about to break loose.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Xal entered his chambers and found them empty. There were signs of a recent struggle. The sheets of his sleeping pod were in disarray, and his Callidum blade was discarded on the floor.
He swore dirtily and heavily in Kordolian.
Anger like he’d never known before flooded through him.
This must have been Alerak’s doing. The stupid, pompous little Councilor didn’t know when to stop. With rage pumping in his veins, he stepped out into the corridor and started to run, sword in hand.
Where would they take her?
The holding cells, perhaps?
He came across a guard in the corridor and before the soldier knew what was happening, Xal was on top of him, disabling him with a blow to the head, kicking his feet out from under him and bringing him to the floor.
Xal had never encountered real live combat in his life, but he had spent hundreds upon thousands of phases hunting in the wild, sparring with his brothers, the Aikun, and fighting in the training room onboard Silence. He had killed monsters these Kordolians were no match for with his bare hands.
Physically, he had a supreme advantage.
He pulled the soldier’s plasma gun from its holster and held it to his head. “Where did they take my Human?”
The soldier froze, unable to comprehend what was happening. Xal ground the point of the gun further into his temple. “I am this close to killing you, soldier. Tell me what I need to know.”
The soldier raised a shaky arm, pointing towards a juncture. “They went that way.”
“And where does that corridor lead, soldier?”
“M-medical bay.”
Xal released him and ran, keeping the plasma gun. He followed the corridor downwards and realized that the layout of the ship mirrored Silence. He ran so fast that the few guards he passed stared after him in blank confusion, probably shocked at the sight of the Imperial Prince barreling down the corridors.
He ran straight to the medical bay, where the entrance was open. Voices floated to him from inside.
“That’s not Akkadian’s Human.”
“What are you talking about, Mirkel?”
“I examined that Human when I was working on Silence. This one has different coloring and different hair. And the other one didn’t have those strange scars and markings.”
There was a pause as the information took time to sink in. “Kazharan has tricked us?” Alerak gasped, as Xal appeared before them. The Councilor was conversing with another Kordolian Xal didn’t recognize; this male was tall and thin and had a cybernetic prosthesis attached to his right arm in the place where his hand was supposed to be. He wore the white robes of a medic.
They spun as Xal entered the room with his plasma gun raised. The Callidum sword was in his other hand. He aimed his gun at Alerak. “Where is she?”
“Summon the guards,” Alerak shouted. “Alert General Daegan!” He
looked up in panic at a glowing holoscreen. “The Prince has betrayed us.” He stared at Xal with venom in his pale yellow eyes.
Xal stalked forward, bringing the point of his blade up, pressing it against Alerak’s throat. “Where. Is. She?”
“Put that down, Kazharan,” he spluttered.
“Don’t give me bad news, Alerak.” Xal applied a little more pressure, the sword breaking the delicate skin of Alerak’s neck. “I don’t think I can cope with bad news right now.”
Xal sensed movement behind him. A quick flick of his eyes told him the medic was approaching with a sedative in hand. Xal pointed the plasma gun and fired, the bright blue bolt just missing the medic as he dived for cover. The recoil reverberated through his arm, but he held steady. These things had quite the kick. It was his first time using such a weapon. There was a loud explosion as the black wall behind them absorbed its impact.
“Don’t move,” he growled. “The next one has your face written on it, medic.”
“You will regret this, Prince. Your mother won’t tolerate-”
Xal drew blood. A trickle of black blood ran down Alerak’s neck, staining the orange fabric of his robes. “I don’t want to hear about my mother, Alerak. Where is the Human?”
“You’re insane.”
“I am. And there’s no telling what a crazy person might do. Impaling you crosses my mind.” Xal lost patience and slashed Alerak’s cheek. The councilor gasped in shock, bringing his hand up to the cut. Black blood seeped through his fingers.
“Just testing,” Xal shrugged. “The next one is for your neck.”
“She’s in the examination room,” Alerak blurted.
“If she’s been harmed in any way, you will learn the true meaning of the word ‘suffering’.” Xal slowly brought his sword down, daring Alerak to try anything. But Nobles weren’t fighters, and the Councilor was too petrified to move against him.
Behind him, the medic moved again, raising some kind of projectile firing device, probably a tranq dart gun. Xal spun and fired his weapon. The medic was thrown back into the wall, a gaping wound in his chest. “I told you not to move.” He didn’t care if the medic lived or died. His only priority was to find Sera. If they had done anything to her, there was going to be a bloodbath.
There was no need to pretend whose side he was on anymore.
“You killed him!” Alerak recoiled in horror.
“What did you expect, Councilor?” He bared his fangs. “You kill your slaves. Mother kills her subjects. I simply kill those who take what is mine. It’s the Kordolian way. And if she is harmed, you’re dead too. The only reason I’m not sending you to one of Kaiin’s hells right now is that I have a little task for you. Move, Luron.” He pointed the gun at him.
“You are mad,” Alerak gasped in horror.
“Probably,” Xal said mildly, as they entered the examination room. He stopped dead in his tracks.
Sera was laid out on an examination table, naked and sedated. Tiny, red-pointed needles had been inserted at various points all over her body. They were present in her ankles, knees, wrists and shoulders.
He had thought he was angry before. Now, the rage pumping through his veins turned to ice.
“What have you done to her, Alerak?” he asked softly, as he reached her side. Alerak made a sudden movement, trying to bolt for the exit.
“Guards!” he screamed.
Several Kordolian soldiers appeared, their weapons pointed at Xal.
“I-immobilize him,” Alerak ordered. “But whatever you do, don’t kill him. The Infinite Mother wants him alive. If he dies, we all die.”
The soldiers advanced slowly, watching Xal cautiously.
“Take another step and I’ll shoot Councilor Alerak,” Xal warned. “Your move, Luron. Do they keep coming, or do they leave?” He raised the gun. “You want to end up like the medic?”
“Retreat!” Alerak yelled. The soldiers froze. Xal waved the point of his weapon threateningly. Alerak’s eyes widened. “Move! This is an Imperial order!”
They disappeared.
Alerak held up his hands. “We haven’t done anything to it,” he stuttered. “I was going to ask Mirkel to do a little capacity reduction surgery, that’s all. This slave is too strong. You saw how it attacked me. Those are just tendon and nerve markers. They can be easily removed. It has not yet been harmed. Look at the monitor. It breathes. Its heart beats. It is merely sedated.” He took a step backwards. “This is all a misunderstanding, Prince Kazharan. A safety measure, for your sake. Your slave would have been returned to you.”
Xal whirled and stalked towards Alerak with death in his eyes. He held the Callidum sword at his side, keeping the plasma gun pointed at the Councilor. Alerak retreated until his back was pressed against the wall.
Alerak’s breath came in deep, shaky gasps. Confusion swirled in his pale eyes. “Why are you doing this, Kazharan?”
Xal pressed the gun against his chest. “I just had a vision,” he said slowly, his voice as frigid and bleak as the glacial plains of Kythia’s windswept Vaal. “I’ll tell you a little something about where that vision came from.” He came up close, so the words he spoke were just a little louder than a deathly whisper. “I had a twin brother,” he hissed, digging the tip of the gun into Alerak’s bony flesh. “His name was Amun, and he was destined to rule the Empire. He was stronger and cleverer than me, and he always protected me.” Xal plunged his sword into Alerak’s foot. The Councilor screamed. “I’ll let that rest there for a while.”
“You’re crazy,” Alerak said, his voice hoarse.
“I haven’t finished,” Xal snapped. He grabbed Alerak’s face, the sharp points of his obsidian nails digging into Alerak’s skin. “Now mother began to disagree with father about who should succeed the throne. For some reason, she thought I would be easier to manipulate than Amun. Their fights became more and more vicious, until one day, father had enough. You know, I remember the way you looked back then, Alerak. I remember the expressions on the twelve faces of the High Councillors as Amun and I stood before you, and father declared that we were to be sent to the Vaal, defenseless and on our own, for one whole cycle. Whoever survived was to ascend the throne.”
“I did not-”
“You all voted in favor of it, Alerak. Don’t take me for a fool. The entire idea would have appealed to your warped Kordolian sense of narcissism. The strongest wins; that’s what you think. You must have known by then that Emperor Ilhan had been insane since his consciousness was transferred into that new body of his.” Xal’s hand trembled with barely restrained rage. “But still, you let Amun and I go out into the Vaal with nothing more than the clothes on our backs. Two children, sent to survive in the wild. What did you expect would happen? A Szkazajik came upon us. Amun tried to fend it off; he told me to run. We attacked it with our tiny claws and fangs, but we were only children. I had to watch as it ran away with my brother’s broken, dead body in its mouth. That’s when the Aikun found me. They took me in and raised me for six cycles, until I returned to the Palace. Apparently, I was the worthy successor.” Bitterness crept into Xal’s tone. Alerak was frozen, almost afraid to breathe.
“The same stupidity that caused the death of my brother later led to the death of my only child, all because of some idiotic prophecy,” he spat. “So two very precious individuals have been taken from me in my lifetime, Councilor, and this Human female just so happens to be precious to me.” He lifted the sword out of Alerak’s foot. The Councilor gasped in agony. Xal stamped down on his foot, grinding into it. Alerak screamed. “So you can understand if I go a little ‘insane’ when you take what belongs to me. The Aikun have a tradition they reserve for their most hated enemies. It involves carving the beating heart out of one’s chest. That was the vision I had, Alerak. That is what I want to do to you right now.” Xal lifted his sword and stabbed it into Alerak’s right shoulder, pinning him to the wall. Alerak cried out in pain, staring at Xal in absolute terror. But there was also a glimmer of a
doration in his eyes.
Some small, sick part of Alerak was loving what Xal was doing to him. Xal turned away in disgust.
“But I won’t do that, Councilor, because I want you to return with a message for mother. You tell her that Earth is mine, and that the prophecy she feared so much is about to come true. The Empire is dying, Alerak, but we are going to survive.”
He left his father’s sword inside Alerak, who was whimpering in pain, pinned to the wall and unable to move for fear of being cut by an impossibly sharp Callidum blade.
As Xal turned towards Sera, he froze, meeting her wide-eyed brown gaze.
She was awake.
~~~
Pain was no stranger to Sera, but those weird little needles that creepy Kordolian doctor had stuck in her really fucking hurt.
That was her first thought as the sedative wore off.
Her second thought was that Xal sounded really, really angry. Scary angry. His voice was so cold she thought the air might freeze. She had never been so glad to see him. Relief flooded through her.
Sera tried to move, but she couldn’t. The little needles seemed to have paralyzed her.
She could, however, turn her head. Amazingly, they hadn’t discovered the little translating device that sat in her ear. Her wild hair had hidden it nicely.
She watched as Xal pinned Alerak to the wall, plunging the sword into his right shoulder. Through a fog of pain, she had heard everything Xal said.
Lying naked on that cold, clinical table, it struck her.
He was afraid of losing her.
The realization washed away the pain, turning it into a dull, bearable ache. And she found that she didn’t recoil in fear when Xal turned to her, his hand stained with Alerak’s black blood, even though his expression was terrifying.
He was enraged, but as he looked at her, his elegant features softened, and he rushed to her side. He swore in Kordolian, and some of the translated words made her blush.
Xal wiped his bloodied hand on his jacket and started removing the needles. It hurt, but Sera felt movement returning to her limbs.
He worked quickly, his long fingers pulling those awful needles out of her body with great tenderness, despite the speed of his movements.
