[The Watchers 20.0] Dominion - Enduring

by SJ West

  “I didn’t want to be alone,” Lucifer confesses not only to me, but also to himself for what might be the first time. “I needed someone with me who could hate as much and as deeply as me. I used you like a crutch to lean on because I had no one else to help me shoulder the burden of what I had become. I wanted someone who could make me feel good about myself and who could share my hatred for humanity. What I did to you wasn’t right, and I know that now.”

  “Yet you still hate me.”

  “No,” Lucifer says, “it was never you that I hated. I detested what I made myself into, and I needed someone who would accept me for who I had become. I’m sorry I made you hate the world as much as I did. Doing that to you is one of my greatest sins, Helena.”

  “Is that supposed to make it all better, Father?” I ask scathingly. “Do you want my forgiveness for making me feel lacking in your eyes all these years? Well, guess what: I don’t forgive you. If you want amnesty for your sins, maybe you should go ask your own father for absolution.”

  “I wish I could have loved you,” Lucifer says, sounding remorseful, “but I couldn’t even love myself back then. You became a repository for all of my hate, and I don’t think there’s anything I can do now that will resolve that for you.”

  “I’m fine just the way I am,” I state proudly.

  “I used to think that way too,” he tells me. “I can’t change what I did to you, but I can try to help you open your eyes and see what it is you can have now. You can have love, Helena, and I think that’s all you’ve ever wanted. I was just too blinded by my own feelings to see how I was hurting you. All I cared about was myself, and that was wrong. It took the love of two extraordinary women to make me face my shortcomings and realize how foolish I was being to refuse not only their love, but my father’s love as well. I don’t want you to throw away what might be your only opportunity to be loved by someone else.”

  “It’s a little too late to start caring for me now.”

  “It’s never too late, and it isn’t too late for you to change your life. All you have to do is find a way to show Cade how much you care for him. You need to prove to him that he means more than your need for revenge against a person whose only crime against you was being my daughter. Stop punishing Anna for my sins, Helena. Prove to yourself that you can be more than what I created you for.”

  “I need you to leave,” I tell him. “Just go.”

  Lucifer opens his mouth like he wants to say something else to me, but thinks better of it. He phases, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

  For the first time in my existence, I’m not sure what my next move will be. If I go through with my plans, I risk losing Cade forever. Yes, I told him I could live without him, but is that the truth? The thought of living a life without him in it makes me feel physically ill. My life would be empty to the point of being worthless. Yet if I give in and end my vendetta against Anna when I’m on the cusp of winning, what does that say about me? What will I become if I grant her mercy?

  Which is more important to me?

  What am I going to do now?

  Chapter 20

  (Anna’s Point of View)

  “Anna, stop pacing,” Malcolm begs. “You’re not going to be exiled today. I won’t allow it to happen.”

  “I can’t help but consider the possibility that it could happen, Malcolm,” I say as I keep walking back and forth in front of the fireplace in the living room. “We still don’t know what Lorcan’s supposed proof is. He could have anything!”

  “He can’t have much,” Malcolm reasons. “You’re innocent of the crime you’re being accused of committing. No proof exists that can show you are the one responsible for what took place in Virga or Stratus.”

  “Then he’s manufactured something that places the blame on me,” I reason. “But what?”

  Malcolm suddenly phases in my path, causing me to come to an abrupt halt.

  “You have to stop stressing over this,” Malcolm says, placing his hands on the balls of my shoulders in an attempt to calm me down. “Lorcan Halloran isn’t smart enough to find a way to prove your guilt.”

  “But Helena is,” I say. “She’s outsmarted us at every turn. Whatever Lorcan has as proof was given to him by her. You and I both know that.”

  “And we’ll deal with whatever it is during the trial.”

  “Ahem” we hear from the entry to the room.

  We both look over and see Jered standing there.

  “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it’s time for us to head over to the pavilion,” he informs us. “Almost everyone is already there waiting.”

  “I guess you and the others didn’t have any luck,” Malcolm says in a resigned voice.

  Jered, the other Watchers, and my War Angels spent the previous night trying to discover what proof Lorcan Halloran is planning to present at the trial this morning. They were also supposed to search for Kyna’s father, General Barclay Stewart. He made a promise to Malcolm that he would testify on my behalf and tell the world that the people who attacked Stratus were not a part of my War Angel guard. As it is, my only defense today is the testimony of Bianca Rossi and Olivia Ravensdale, but they are only character witnesses. Without knowing what Lorcan has in his possession, we have no idea what we’ll have to defend against at the trial.

  Jered shakes his head. “None, I’m afraid.”

  “I don’t like going into this blind, Jered,” Malcolm says.

  “None of us do,” our friend acknowledges, “but we’ll make it through this just like we have throughout the last thousand years. There’s a way for us to come out of this victorious today. We just have to wait for our opening and take it.”

  I wish I could have as much faith in the outcome of today’s events as Jered seems to have, but worry for my family and the world prevents me from doing that.

  “Where are the children?” Jered asks, peering into the room looking for the kids.

  “Jess and Mason are looking after them for us,” I reply. “I didn’t want them around me this morning. It would just worry them too much, especially Lucas. He doesn’t need to see me like this.”

  “And Lucifer?” Jered asks.

  I shrug my shoulders. “I haven’t seen him this morning. Jess and Mason don’t know where he is either.”

  “Well, I’m sure he’ll turn back up,” Jered says. “Right now, we need to go. We don’t want to be late. It wouldn’t look good.”

  Malcolm takes ahold of my hand and phases us to the Mars pavilion. A few people are still finding their seats, but I see that almost all of the other cloud city leaders are already present and sitting on their thrones. There’s only one chair that’s empty: Helena’s.

  “Why isn’t she here yet?” I ask Malcolm, finding the lack of her presence suspicious. “I would have thought she would be one of the first to arrive.”

  “Let’s not question small miracles,” Malcolm suggests. “If she doesn’t come, that just makes one less person we have to worry about arguing with here.”

  As Malcolm and I take our seats, I say, “I’m not sure if her absence is such a good thing for us. She might be plotting something else to blame me for.”

  “Emperor Zuri,” Olivia addresses Levi, “will the empress be attending these proceedings today?”

  Levi looks uncomfortable with having to answer Olivia’s question.

  “I’m not sure where she is this morning,” Levi confesses uneasily. “I’m sure if she can make it here, she will.”

  “Very well,” Olivia says, turning her attention to Lorcan Halloran. “Emperor Lorcan, yesterday you claimed to have irrefutable proof of Empress Anna’s guilt in the Virga explosion and the attack on your own cloud city. Are you prepared to tell us what it is you believe you have?”

  Lorcan, dressed in a solid black suit that contrasts dramatically against his thin, pale face, stands from his throne.

  “Thank you, Empress Olivia,” he says graciously before turning to address the assemblage. “Yesterday
I did claim to have proof, and I would like to present it now.”

  The double doors on the ground floor straight across from our dais open. Two men dressed in uniforms of the Stratus Imperial Army walk in, pushing an oblong metal object on a cart.

  I lean over to Malcolm and whisper, “What is that thing?”

  Malcolm narrows his eyes on the object, and I can tell he immediately recognizes it.

  “It’s a nuclear bomb,” he tells me, sounding worried.

  “Emperor Lorcan,” Olivia says in distress as she stares at the object, “have you just wheeled a bomb into these proceedings?”

  “Yes,” Lorcan confirms.

  Panicked voices fill the pavilion.

  “It’s been disarmed,” Lorcan says loudly. “Please, everyone, I wouldn’t be stupid enough to bring a live bomb into this building. I simply needed to show you what we found in our city. We were lucky enough to find it before it was detonated or my city would have suffered the same fate as Virga.”

  “And how, exactly, does this prove Empress Anna was responsible for Virga’s demise?” Olivia asks, sounding unconvinced that it proves anything at all.

  “As you know,” Lorcan begins, “every nuclear device and weapon that was left over from the Great War was catalogued before they were supposed to be destroyed. If you look at the serial number on this bomb, you’ll find it in the catalogue as belonging to Cirrus’ arsenal. Yet, as you can see, it was never destroyed.” Lorcan looks over at me accusingly. “Who knows how many of these weapons the empress has stored away? It’s possible she has enough to annihilate us all. Even the plasma pistols we were able to retrieve during the attack on Stratus can be traced back to Cirrus. It’s concrete evidence of Empress Anna’s guilt!”

  Malcolm stands up. “All it proves is that the weapons once belonged to Cirrus, Lorcan,” my husband defends me. “It’s been hundreds of years since anyone has seen a nuclear weapon. For all we know, your cloud city could have some hidden away too. In fact, how do we know these weapons didn’t come from a Stratus facility? It doesn’t take much to change numbers on a piece of metal and make it appear that they belonged to Cirrus. Your evidence doesn’t prove anything about Anna’s guilt. If anything, it should place doubt on your innocence in all of this.”

  Lorcan’s pale face turns blood red with anger.

  “Your wife is the one responsible, Emperor Malcolm,” Lorcan spits out, calling into question the validity of Malcolm’s title with his sarcastic tone. “If you could get your head out from between Anna’s legs for long enough, you might be able to see the truth.”

  I see Malcolm’s hands tighten into fists. I reach out for him to stop what he’s about to do, but I’m too late. Before I can even turn my head in the direction of the Stratus dais, Malcolm has already punched Lorcan square underneath the jaw, causing the Stratus emperor to go flying off his dais and onto the floor next to the bomb.

  “Emperor Malcolm,” Olivia admonishes as she tries her best to hide a pleased smile, “I will kindly ask you to return to your seat and remain quiet during the rest of these proceedings, or I will have to ask you to leave.”

  “That’s all you’re going to do?” Lorcan asks incredulously, holding his jaw like he’s not sure it will remain attached to his face as he looks at Olivia accusingly. “He assaulted me! He should be thrown into jail!”

  “Emperor Lorcan,” Olivia says, like she’s indulging a child’s tantrum, “considering your crude statement, I think you should consider yourself lucky to still be alive, much less walking and talking. Now, please retake your seat so we can continue these proceedings in an orderly manner.”

  Lorcan looks up at Malcolm, who is still standing on the Stratus dais as if he’s daring Lorcan to come back up.

  “I will as soon as he moves,” Lorcan whines.

  “Emperor Malcolm,” Olivia says calmly, looking straight at my husband, “please retake your seat now.”

  Malcolm looks down at Lorcan. “Watch your mouth,” Malcolm threatens, pointing a menacing finger, “or I won’t leave you with one next time.”

  Malcolm phases back to my side and retakes his seat next to me.

  “Did that make you feel better?” I ask him, doing my best not to look amused.

  “Actually, it did,” Malcolm replies. “He had it coming anyway, the sniveling little rat. He’s lucky I didn’t do more.”

  I try to keep my face expressionless and trap my laughter on the inside as I look at Malcolm’s satisfied face, but I find it impossible. Instead, I cover up a small laugh by pretending to cough.

  “Good job,” I hear Desmond say behind us. “If you hadn’t done it, one of us would have.”

  “He had it coming,” Brutus agrees. “It just shows how ignorant he is by insulting Anna in front of us.”

  “I suggest you aim lower next time, Malcolm,” Jered proposes smoothly.

  “I just might do that,” Malcolm says, looking at Lorcan threateningly to keep him in check.

  Lorcan seems to notice the death stare my husband is giving him and wisely chooses to avert his gaze from our general vicinity.

  “Emperor Lorcan,” Olivia says, “did you have any other evidence to present to us today?”

  “No,” Lorcan says, still massaging his sore jaw. “That’s all I have, but I think it’s enough to cast doubt on Empress Anna’s innocence. Considering the weapons and the broadcast of those men, I don’t see how any of you can doubt she was the mastermind behind everything!”

  “And you would know everything there is to know about being a mastermind,” we all hear Helena say.

  It takes me a few seconds, but I finally locate her position. She’s standing at the top of the Nimbo section on the upper level walkway. It’s the same exact spot where Catherine made her grand entrance to accuse me of murdering Auggie.

  “Empress Helena,” Olivia says, unable to keep surprise out of her voice by Helena’s sudden appearance, “we weren’t sure you would be attending the trial today.”

  “Please excuse my tardiness,” Helena says apologetically. “I would have been here sooner, but I was having some trouble locating someone who can shed the light of truth on these proceedings.”

  “Are you saying you have a witness to present to us?” Olivia asks, sounding as nervous as I feel about such a prospect.

  Helena smiles. “Yes, I do. I have two, in fact, who should be able to tell us what really transpired in both Virga and Stratus.”

  The door directly behind Helena opens up, and we all watch as General Stewart pushes in a handcuffed Silas. I sense Jered stand up behind me as his son is forced into the room.

  Several gasps of surprise can be heard from the gathering. By now, everyone in the world has seen the broadcast Silas made to take responsibility for the attacks on Virga and Stratus and to accuse me of being the one who coordinated it all.

  “Silence please!” Olivia says to the assemblage. “Silence so we can hear the testimony of this young man!”

  Once people finally settle down, Olivia returns her attention to Helena and the two men standing beside her.

  “General Stewart of Stratus,” Olivia says, sounding like she finds it as odd as I do that Barclay is with Helena, “why exactly are you here with Empress Helena and a supposed terrorist?”

  “I wouldn’t be here if it hadn’t been for Empress Helena coming to rescue me from a jail cell in Stratus,” Barclay tells us.

  “And why were you being detained in a cell?” Olivia asks in surprise.

  Barclay looks down and points an accusing finger directly at Lorcan. “He put me in one because I wanted to come here and tell the truth about what happened in my cloud city.”

  “And what truth would that be?” Olivia asks.

  “Empress Anna’s War Angels weren’t the ones who attacked Stratus,” Barclay declares. “In fact, if it wasn’t for her sending them to us, I’m not sure we would have been able to stop the people who did attack us.”

  “Really?” Olivia says, sounding extremel
y pleased by Barclay’s testimony. “Well, that’s certainly good to hear, General Stewart. And how exactly did you apprehend the terrorist in front of you?”

  “Apparently he was in the jail cell right beside mine, Empress,” Barclay answers. “I think you should ask him who was really behind the destruction of Virga and the attack on my city.”

  “Do tell,” Olivia says, sounding intrigued. “Young man, what is your name, and what information can you give us on the attacks?”

  “My name is Silas,” Jered’s son answers, “and I was hired by Emperor Lorcan Halloran to blow up Virga and attack his own city to divert suspicion away from him. He also told me to place all of the blame on the Empress of Cirrus. He was concerned her proposal to give cloud city technology to the down-world would take hold, and he doesn’t want to lose control over his people.”

  “That’s a lie!” Lorcan shouts, standing up from his seat to hotly protest the accusations. “You can’t believe a word he says! He’s actually working for Empress Helena if you want to know the truth of the matter. She’s the one who’s really responsible for this mess!”

  Helena looks down at Lorcan as if she pities him.

  “First you try to lay the blame for this catastrophe on Empress Anna, and now when the truth is finally told, your plan is to try and accuse me?” Helena questions. “All I can say is that you’re acting like a desperate man who has been caught in his own lies. If I can make a suggestion to my fellow royals, I think Emperor Halloran should be stripped of his title and immediately imprisoned. Perhaps it’s time for the rightful ruler of Stratus, his sister Kyna, to take the throne and fix all of the problems Stratus has been struggling with since her brother became emperor.”

  “You can’t do that!” Lorcan storms like a petulant child. “I’m the emperor! The Stratus throne is mine!”

  “Oh dear,” Helena says, looking at Lorcan as if he’s completely lost the ability to think rationally. “Perhaps it would be best if the emperor was also evaluated for mental instability. I think we can all agree that he’s acting a bit on the insane side.”