by D. N. Leo
“I don’t want to go home. I don’t want to go back.”
“Go wherever you want to go, but you need to get out of here, honey, so we can concentrate on our fighting and maybe actually stay alive,” said Jo.
Tamari cried. “You just want to leave me.” She cried louder. Hearing nothing from Tadgh and seeing no signs of help from him, Jo turned and saw him standing behind her with a smile on his face. He was gorgeous, but nothing in this elusive world could make Jo feel horny at the moment.
“Tadgh!” Jo exclaimed.
He smiled. “Tamari, look! They’re in uniform. They’re guards.”
Tamari wiped her tears, looked at the approaching group, and then smiled at Tadgh. She walked toward the front of the group. As she did so, the assailants started charging. They ran, yelled, and gestured to kill.
“Stop!” Tamari commanded. The running soldiers stopped instantly.
Tamari smiled and looked at the adults. Then she looked at the small army again. “Stand on one leg,” she said.
“Tamari!” Tadgh exclaimed.
Jo couldn’t help but laugh. Princess or not, Tamari was just a kid.
Chapter 30
Kai crawled across the roof of the gaxanxi’s palace. He took an internal inventory of his shoulders, making sure all the bones were still in place. The arrow he had taken from the mercenary had knocked him out for quite a while.
He checked his weapon, and from his pocket, he pulled out a charm of a silver phoenix. He’d had it made on land during one of his hunting trips. He’d given it to Faye without hope she would ever wear it.
After partially recovering from his wounds, he had returned to the rebel dome to look for Faye. He no longer cared about the direction this civil war was taking Nepolymbus. He knew she had a big responsibility on her shoulders, and she would never abandon her family’s legacy. But to do what she wanted, they would have to leave Nepolymbus for a while. When things settled, he would bring her back and they could start again.
He had searched every inch of the lab and everywhere Faye could have been, but he didn’t find her. But just before he’d given up the idea that it was the rebels, not the royals, who had Faye, he found the dead bodies of the guards and this charm, with the chain missing, in a cell in one of the secret bases.
It was indeed the rebels who had captured Faye, but more importantly, they had lured him to the gaxanxi palace so that the royals would capture him. This meant only one thing—someone from both sides had conspired together, and against them specifically. More than ever, he needed to get Faye out of Nepolymbus.
He knew exactly where the chamber of the gaxanxi was. He went to the edge of the roof, waited until it was quiet, and then lowered himself down to the courtyard. He could see the gaxanxi sleeping on his bed. Kai didn’t ask himself why the man was sleeping at this time of the day or why the palace was quieter than usual. His focus right now was to snatch the gaxanxi, take him away from the palace, and force the traitor of the rebels to release Faye, or he would reveal their conspiracy to both sides, the current king, and the Core of the rebels.
He hopped over the windowsill of the open window and into the room. But before he could do anything, the door to the room slid open, and Lavinia walked in. The gaxanxi’s wife didn’t look normal. She was still stunningly beautiful, but her fangs were down, and blood dripped from them. She tilted her head and looked at him with a smile.
“What have we here? I’m very full, but I could never say no to the blood of a warrior.”
In front of Kai was a vampire, still high on adrenaline and the thrill of a blood feed. Kai withdrew to the window and turned to jump back out, but it was too late. Lavinia next to him in a flash, and she grabbed his neck with her hand. He was paralyzed. He could feel the blood draining out of his vein in waves. His vision wavered and then dimmed.
Then the world brightened again. His consciousness and his senses flooded back to him, and his body was tossed to the far end of the room.
“What’s her name?” asked Lavinia.
“Who?”
“Your heart and your mind were full of her images. She was the only thing you thought of before I drained the life out of you. I met her before. I owe her a favor, although she didn’t ask for it. I know people don’t think highly about vampires, but I operate on my own code of conduct. Your love for that woman saved your life. What’s her name?”
Kai sat up, leaning against the wall to gather his strength. “Faye.”
Lavinia nodded. “You’re here for my husband. Why?”
“He conspired with someone in the rebels to capture Faye. I plan to take him with me and force Faye’s release.”
Lavinia smiled. “Or you’ll expose the traitors to the king and your rebel superior.”
Kai nodded.
“Very well. It sounds like a good plan.” She pointed her chin at the sleeping gaxanxi. “I made him drink my blood. He’ll sleep for a while. He’s yours. Do whatever you want with him.”
Kai hurried toward the bed and grabbed the man. He tossed the old man over his shoulders and headed for the window.
“You can take the door. None of the staff in the household is alive. I’ll replace them with my people soon.”
Kai turned for the door. At the door, he paused. “Do you want me to keep him alive?”
She looked at him and smiled. “It’s your call. As I said, he’s yours.”
Chapter 31
In the shell, while Tadgh drove and Clines sat quietly, Jo held Tamari’s small hands. “Are you sure you want to go to Lavinia? The king’s palace and the gaxanxi’s place are not in the same dome. We only have time to take you to one place.”
“She’s my real mother, so why wouldn’t I go to her?”
“But you said you only met her in your dreams. You’re the princess, so you might have met her in court. That might explain your dreams, but it isn’t sufficient to know she’s your mother.”
“I just know. Please, can we just go there? You and Tadgh are going to leave me anyway, so why do you care if I find my real mother?”
Jo tucked Tamari’s hair behind her ears, revealing more of her angelic face, sharp, smart eyes, and large forehead. “All right, you’re a smart girl, and you always know what to do. It’s not possible to establish a permanent connection between Eudaiz and Nepolymbus. So if I say let’s keep in touch, that would be a lie. Is there anything Tadgh and I can give you?”
“Do you have children?”
Jo looked at Tadgh and caught him looking at her and Tamari. She turned back to the girl. “No, Tamari. We don’t have children.”
“If you take me as your foster child, I’ll have more parents to take care of me. In your case, you only need to think of me.”
Tadgh set the shell into autopilot and approached them. He held Jo’s hand and squeezed it slightly. Then he said to Tamari, “If Jo agrees, we are more than happy to have you as our daughter, Tamari. But you must understand that after we leave, we might never meet again.”
Jo nodded. “Yes, we’re happy to have you, Tamari. We’ll always remember you, although we might never meet you again. Are you okay with that?”
Tamari looked at them both. “I know I’m young, but this is the best thing that ever happened to me. When I am back with Father to prepare to lead Nepolymbus in the future, in my heart, you will always be there for me, be my parents, and expect nothing from me.”
Jo pulled Tamari into her arms. “Yes, we can promise that. You’ll be in our hearts and minds. We’ll love you for who you are.”
The shell suddenly stalled and hovered. They looked out the window and saw a vessel the size of a car with a Eudaizian symbol on the side.
“It’s a message from Ciaran. It tracked us,” Jo said. She turned her eudqi on and got into the water. She decoded the lock on the vessel and took a message board out. The palm-sized electronic pad was well-protected in all conditions of the multiverse.
“Tadgh and Jo, please respond to this message and evacuate Nepolymbus immediat
ely. I will pick you up on land. Sender: Ciaran.”
She responded. “We’re safe. Will return to land as soon as we can. Sender: Jo.”
She sent the message away and returned to the shell. Tadgh accelerated the vehicle.
“ I won’t get to see you again then?” Clines asked Jo.
She looked at Tadgh, then back at Clines. “I’d like to invite you to make a trip to Eudaiz.”
He smiled. “It’s not possible. I am one hundred percent Nepolymbian. Not a cross-world creature. I couldn’t stay on land for long.”
“If you agree, I’ll arrange it. Using our vessel, you’ll be fine in transition.”
He shook his head. “I appreciate it. But once a rebel, always a rebel. I’m sitting in the same shell as the royal princess, and I’m doing nothing against her because she’s just a kid. That’s hard enough. So please don’t ask me to leave Nepolymbus.”
“But you killed everyone at the rebel base to save me, Clines. How are you going to go back and be a rebel again?”
He shook his head. “I’m not sure what happened back there. I don’t regret saving you. But I wouldn’t normally act like that. But what’s done is done. Because they all died, and you erased their surveillance system, nobody in the rebel camp knows. I can go back as if the incident had nothing to do with me.”
“That’s very optimistic,” Tadgh muttered.
“Excuse me?”
Tadgh looked at Clines. “An incident of that scale can never be erased completely. The only way to keep something from being known is never to do it in the first place. They will find out sooner or later. You’re better off going with us to Eudaiz, and we’ll take time there to figure out a way to handle this.”
“But my life is here—”
“When they find out,” Jo interrupted, “you won’t have a life, because you’ll be dead, and I refuse to have that hanging over me. So you’re going to Eudaiz with me.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Jo saw Tadgh glance at her with a smile at the corner of his lips. He always liked it when she was commanding.
Chapter 32
Kai arrived at the rebel central dome. He walked straight into the headquarters and demanded to speak to the Core. There were traitors everywhere in the royals and the rebels, and hell, he bet there were plenty in the Independents, too. He’d had enough of politics. He was here with one mission in mind: getting Faye out of Nepolymbus.
In the giant central hall, on a raised platform, was the symbolic rebel throne. It was empty. Kai smiled to himself. As he predicted, he wouldn’t be allowed to see the Core. He gave the box he was carrying a light shake and heard the object inside rolling back and forth. From a side door, a small sea creature walked in. Kai thought he must be an elf. His gait and manner suggested he was of high status.
“Kai, isn’t it?”
“Yes, sir. I am a hunter …”
He gestured for Kai to stop talking. “You’re not just a hunter in Faye’s lab. We know of you. The Core is on a mission right now, and he’s away. Otherwise, you would have seen him in person. How may I help you?”
“Well, this is unexpected. I thought I’d drop by to leave a message. What’s your name?”
“Alexander.”
“Alexander, would you mind turning on the messenger? I’d like to leave a message for the Core.” Kai knew damn well nobody in the rebel base would be able to override or alter his message.
Alexander smiled. “Certainly, but I thought you would prefer a personal delivery of the message.”
“No, thanks. A recorded one will do.”
Alexander pressed a button on the wall. A giant eye behind the throne opened. Kai chuckled inwardly. Shouldn’t it be an ear rather than an eye? He cleared his throat, held up the box, and said, “This message is for the Core. You know Faye is the best scientist in Nepolymbus. She’s loyal and is dedicated to her work, and at the moment, you are her work. There are people in your camp who want to harm her and trap me. They conspire with the royals. They are close to you, and they have captured Faye because she is loyal to you. I now leave you the proof. I got this directly from the gaxanxi’s palace.”
He put the box down and walked out the door.
He could hear the sound of Alexander opening the box. Behind him, he heard a low growl and a then a roar. He turned around and saw that the gaxanxi’s head had rolled out from the box onto the floor. And Alexander was no longer a small elf but a sea dragon standing ten feet tall.
“So you’re the traitor, you midget sea dragon.”
Kai drew his sword and darted at the creature.
The content of the message had triggered the rebel control system, and it was broadcast instantly to relevant parties. They didn’t like hearing the word traitor inside their control dome. Kai’s only hope was that if Faye still had any connection with their system, a message like this would alert her because of the work she was managing, and that meant she would hear his message and be able to find him.
Alexander threw fire at Kai. Kai jumped, rolled, and dodged the fire to get closer to Alexander.
“If these pathetic fireballs are all you’ve got, I don’t think it’s a fair fight for you. Do you want to call this a draw and resume when you’re better prepared?”
Alexander threw another fireball. Kai dodged and leaped in the air, pointing his sword at the dragon’s heart. Alexander didn’t withdraw but instead stuck his chest out to take the sword.
The sword pierced the heart of the dragon. Its dragon form crumbled, and it collapsed, once again becoming Alexander, a small dying sea elf. Looking down at the dying man, Kai felt a pang of pity. But traitors got what they deserved, and he didn’t have time to hang around.
“I forgot to inform you … my sword was dipped in poison and blood from the heart of the gaxanxi, a traitor to his superior. The compound kills traitors in any shape or form. I guess you’ll think twice next time.”
Kai exited the rebel control and darted into the water, heading to another dome where he believed Faye would be if she got his message.
Chapter 33
Jo took Tamari out of the shell as soon as Tadgh parked at the entrance of the royal dome where the gaxanxi palace was located.
“I won’t come in. I’ll wait for you here,” Clines said to Jo.
“Understood.”
The palace wasn’t far from the entrance. There were no ordinary mer-citizens in this dome, and Jo assumed it was for security purposes. Both Tadgh and Jo had their eudqi on, so their senses were super-sensitive. The super-senses sometimes exaggerated ordinary odor and made it unpleasant, but even without them, she didn’t like the stench of fresh blood. She could smell it hovering in the air here. She could feel an aura of death, and it had nothing to do with the eudqi.
“Tamari, if at any point you feel uneasy, let us know. As long as we are still here, we will take you where you want to go,” said Jo.
At the entrance of the palace, Lavinia ran toward them. She couldn’t hold back her emotions on seeing Tamari. The girl was actually calmer than her mother. She looked at Lavinia and nodded a greeting. “Mother.”
“I don’t know what to say other than thank you for bringing my daughter home.” A tear of blood rolled down Lavinia’s face.
Tadgh told Jo about what happened and what Lavinia actually was. But the scene was still hard for Jo to digest. Sea creatures were born into their form, whatever that might be. They could be mermaids, sirens, or ordinary mer-citizens. But nobody was born a vampire. They were turned. A mixed-blood creature was hard to imagine. And what had the mixed-blood done to Tamari?
Lavinia bent down and tilted Tamari’s chin up. “I should have found you earlier. I’m so sorry. But you’re here now, so let me take care of you.”
Tamari nodded.
“Where is the gaxanxi?” Jo asked.
“He’s on a mission right now. He’s away.”
“We’d better get going,” Tadgh said.
Tamari turned around, darted toward h
im, and embraced him. “Thank you for saving me and taking all the hits to get me past the gateway.”
Tadgh smiled. “Just a handful of wimpy light currents.”
“There were seventeen. And they were high-voltage light currents that stop top-level criminals in the royal jails—I’ve seen the facilities. The rebels used that technology to capture me to make a point to the government. But you took the hits. Thus, I will seek revenge on your behalf.”
The smile vanished from Tadgh’s face. “No, Tamari. Nepolymbus is at war. People hurt each other in wars. There is no need to seek revenge for me. If there was a crime committed against me, it will be forgiven. In the interest of a peaceful relationship between Eudaiz and Nepolymbus, I do not wish to engage in any further conflicts.” He looked at Lavinia as he spoke the last sentence.
Jo could see the pain in Tadgh’s eyes. He was always much better with children than she was. In his view, children should be free of burdens. They should be free to be kids. If they had their own children, that would be how he would bring them up.
Lavinia nodded. “Noted, Tadgh. I’ll be sure the king gets your message.”
A merman darted out from inside the house and handed Lavinia a message pad. She read it then looked up at Tadgh and Jo. “If you want to leave, do it immediately. The king’s palace was attacked. The king is gone, and now troops are marching this way for the princess.”
“Who attacked the palace?” Tadgh asked.
“It appears to be the Independents. But you never know. Please leave now.” Lavinia turned around, taking Tamari inside. Tamari wiped the tears off her face as she followed her mother inside.
Jo looked at Tadgh. She knew he wouldn’t leave the mother and daughter to defend themselves against an army.
“Go on in, Tadgh. You know we can’t leave them now, right?” Jo said.
He smiled then tilted her chin up and kissed her lightly on the cheek. “What would I do without you, Jo?”
