Another Uoria Holiday: A Sci-Fi Alien Warrior Holiday Romance

by Scott, Ruth Anne

  Chapter five

  “I’m really worried about you, Shana. Gemini is obviously playing some sort of game and Lord Vadam knows all about it. I just think that you should have your head on a swivel and always know what she is up to.” I was leery about putting on that armor, but I had no choice. It was the only protection that I was going to get from whatever was going to come my way during this investigation.

  “Braden, I know that I can’t trust her, but I have to at least work with her and Landon.”

  “I would even be careful with Landon. His allegiance is with the White castle. He may have his own agenda and I’m sure that Lord Wallace had a few choice words for him. I know that the leaders of all the castles have come to a consensus. They want to know what’s going on. The only way that they’re going to get any answers is through the cleric. He is a bit of a mystery and nobody really knows how long he has been alive. We just know that any time that we want an answer, we could go to him and find it.”

  I didn’t want to tell Braden, but I was secretly hoping that I could ask the cleric a question about the looking glass. I was going to have to gauge him and see if there was a right time to do so. I didn’t want Landon and Gemini to know what I was up to. If they did, they would start to point fingers and wonder if maybe I was the problem all along.

  “If he has anything good to say, then it would be best that all three of us heard it. No one person can be an island on to himself. With the way that you have sliced up the power in Markham, it’s a wonder that you haven’t come to blows already. From your own admission, Lord Vadam holds the strings of Lord Russum. That being said, Lord Wallace is somebody with his own mind and opinions. He just doesn’t have any interest in talking with Lord Vadam. They obviously have a checkered past together. If we could get to the heart of the matter, we might be able to get them to work together for a change.”

  The armor was squeezing tighter and I grimaced behind Braden’s back. I was really worried that this armor was taking over. I felt like there was something there and there were even times that I started to feel like something was trying to pull me into this black abyss.

  I thought for sure that I was caught up in a dream, but that’s fine by me. I just hoped that somebody was going to wake me up when it was over. I did like the idea that I could start over and be wiser and more attuned to the things that were around me. I could be anyone I wanted to in this new place.

  I felt something pinching me and I could say that it was not a pleasant sensation by any means. I opened the door, gritting my teeth and found myself face to face with Landon and his long blond hair cascading down from the helmet of his white armor. Gemini was standing there in her black armor and she looked a little upset.

  “I don’t like coming to find you, Shana. I know that we didn’t make firm plans, but I thought it was understood that we would meet at the Black castle.” If she didn’t say anything, then how was I supposed to know what she was thinking? “Never mind, it really doesn’t matter. We have a lot to do and the trek to the source is not an easy one.” I’d no idea what she was talking about and I didn’t get enough time with Braden to get him to give me the lowdown.

  Braden was standing at the door and I could see him glaring at Gemini and she was doing the exact same thing back to him. There was definitely no love lost and if things escalated any further, I’m sure that they would’ve gone after each other with everything they had. Unfortunately, I also knew that there was a fine line between love and hate. She may have felt like she hated him, but somewhere underneath all of that animosity was the same girl that he had fallen in love with. He was wrong to think that she wasn’t there, because there would always be something of her that remained and survived the transformation into this vindictive bitch.

  As we were walking, I noticed that there was very little talk. I would say that everyone was trying to keep their true intentions to themselves. It was obvious that the Black castle wanted this victory and I saw now that the Dragos were only being tolerated, just as long as they remained docile and in control. If that were to change for any reason, then they would have no problem turning their backs and destroying them for the purpose of peace and tranquility.

  It had been 3 hours and I could feel that something was happening to me. I saw images in my head. I saw Landon as a little boy and even Gemini as a little girl. It was like I was given the gift of past sight. I didn’t want it and I certainly didn’t like some of the acts that both of these two people had committed in their lives. Their secrets were being revealed to me, peeled away from the layers of their mind. I didn’t want anything to do with it, but there wasn’t a whole lot that I could do to stop it.

  I instinctively knew that this had nothing to do with Falla, unless of course she was the one that was controlling the armor. I found my arm outstretched and this tendril of energy snapping forward from the fingers. I thought for sure that I was going to kill Landon, until I finally used a form of concentration to draw myself back. I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that I was this close to cutting down Landon and starting an all out war with the White castle.

  “Shana. I don’t want you to talk when we get there. You can listen, but I will be the one that makes the first approach.” I’m sure that is what lord Vadam had told her to do, but that didn’t necessarily make it so.

  “I was just about to say the same thing to you, Gemini. As the senior warrior, I feel it is my responsibility to take the lead on this.” Having a representative from all castles might have sounded like a good idea in theory. In reality, it was unnerving and you could feel the tension in the air and that something was going to break eventually between the three of us.

  Seeing that I didn’t want to be left out, I decided to stick up for myself. “I don’t need either one of you telling me what to do. We’re here for the same reasons and if we can’t work together now, then what happens when our survival depends on it. You can bet that whoever is responsible for the Dragos attacking that it’s not going to stop with just one isolated incident. I have my own questions for the cleric.”

  “I don’t care what questions you have for the cleric, Shana. Keep them to yourself. We only have one question that we can ask, before he will turn his back and walk away. I’ve heard that others have tried to stop him, but they came back feeling no sensation in their fingers. Whoever this cleric is has been around, as long as I can remember” This was definitely a guy that I wanted to meet.

  We finally came to a clearing and there were three waterfalls one on each side of him and one behind him. He was sitting in a Lotus position. He was bald and his eyes came open like he knew we were there all along.

  He was completely naked, except for some kind of loincloth. He motioned us with his fingers, making it appear like we were being led into a web of our own trap. “I know why you came. Speak your mind and then leave.” He was a man of few words and I could respect that. Before either Landon or I could speak on our own behalf, she stepped forward and knelt down on one knee, as a sign of respect. This was the one thing that Braden had told me and I followed suit with my armor now squeezing me in a bear hug.

  “I want to know what’s happening…” She didn’t have a chance to say anything more. The cleric put up his hand up for silence. He pointed towards me.

  “Silence! I don’t want to hear anything more from you, Gemini. I want to hear from that woman. If you cannot live with that, then I suggest you get up on your feet and go back the same way you came.” I had to admit that this guy did not mince words. Anything he said was with no wasted motion. I could tell that Gemini was beside herself and she wanted to say something, but something was preventing her.” I don’t want to hear anything from you, Gemini. Don’t make me do something that is against my basic beliefs.” She backed off, but I could see that she was seething.

  I moved forward and I knelt down in front of him, until he took his hands and put them on my face. He whispered “I know where you come from, Shana. I know that you
’re looking for the looking glass. I can tell you what you want to know, but there’s also another question that lingers in your mind. You must decide which one is more important.” I was tempted to just get the answers to the looking glass, but I also knew that it was more important to find out what was happening in the land of Markham. “I can see that you’ve made up your mind. Not a lot of people would have accepted their fate like you have. You are to be admired, but instead you are hunted and ridiculed for being different. Wait…no…that hasn’t happened yet, but it will in time.”

  I didn’t like the sound of that, but it was all that I was going to get on the subject. “What’s happening with the Dragos?” His eyes rolled up into the back of his head and then his head snapped up to the sky with his hands holding onto my face. I felt this shooting pain up my arms. It went into my brain and I saw a flash of several images at the same time.

  He let go of my face and then he opened his eyes “I’ve told you everything that I can. It’s time for you all to leave. Please do not return for one year.” He didn’t say anything, unless of course the images in my head were his way of telling me without saying a word. “You have a long road ahead of you, little one. Trust in your instincts and you might just survive long enough to find your way back.” He closed his eyes and he slumped forward with his chin touching his chest.

  To me, it looked like he had gone into some sort of trance, leaving me to ascertain what those images in my head were all about. I could slow them down like a movie or speed them up whenever I so desired.

  Chapter six

  Landon and Gemini were waiting for me when I stood up. “You weren’t even with him for more than a few seconds. What could he possibly say that would make you understand what’s going on with the Dragos?” On hearing their name, a flash of them flying in unison over the area that had been decimated came into my mind. When they flew over the area, the earth had already been scorched. They had nothing to do with it, although I sensed that they couldn’t have cared less.

  “I don’t think that the Dragos had any part in what happened. They don’t feel any remorse for any of it, but they were not responsible. They arrived on the scene shortly after it happened, like they were led there in hopes that they would be seen by somebody and the fault would land on their shoulders.” Once again, another flash came into my mind. It was a vision of a faceless man and he was holding the tendrils of these energy whips that were now moving back and forth in front of him like they were alive.

  Slowing it down, I was able to clear up the image. This man was blind, but I think he saw more than people realized. “If they’re not responsible, then who is?” I knew that she was going to ask that, but that wasn’t an easy thing to answer.

  “As you know, he only gives us one question. He did tell me through my mind that the Dragos didn’t have anything to do with it. He did however single out a man. He’s blind, but I can sense that everybody is scared of him. They want nothing to do with him, yet he has used this opportunity to bring this land to the brink of war. I think his true purpose is to pit each of the castle Lords against each other. He wants everybody’s attention to be on the Dragos.” He reminded me of a magician and if you didn’t watch what the other hand was doing, you would never know the trick and how it was performed.

  “Shari.” Apparently they knew his name and I could see that their faces had gone this ghastly white.” I’ve been telling Lord Wallace that one day he’s going to want power. He told me that I was only trying to cause problems where there wasn’t any. Shari has been a recluse for as long as I can remember. He never interacts with anybody. I think he feels that people are useless. He has always wanted the power and not just with one castle.”

  “Landon, I don’t know much about Shari. I’ve heard his name in passing, but mostly it’s under hushed tones. I know how he is supposed to be this huge presence. Lord Vadam talks about him like he is evil. My father told me that one day Shari would forget the pleasantries and just attack for no good reason. He’ll never take responsibility for his actions and there would be no proof to determine his guilt. We need to find him and put a stop to his machinations before they go too far.” I fell on my knees, my head splitting from a headache that was now pounding relentlessly inside my skull. I felt overwhelmed and the squeezing sensation of the armor was now getting tighter.

  When Landon and Gemini tried to reach for me, they came face to face with my armor. It was acting independently and now it struck with such a force that both of them were thrown backwards 5 feet before landing heavily.

  “What the hell are you doing, Shana?” Gemini was trying to struggle to her feet, but I found myself standing on her chest and looking down at her. “You…can’t do this and Lord Vadam will have your head.” What they didn’t know was that I had no control and that I was basically a passenger on whatever ride this was. I couldn’t even say anything in my own defense. It was making it look like I was the danger.

  “I’m going to have to report you…” Landon didn’t get a chance to say much more, when I struck with the armor side of my boot. His head snapped to the side and a couple of his teeth actually came flying out of his mouth. The helmet rolled away and he was now exposed with his face not more than a few feet from being crushed underneath my heel.

  “Stop this right now, or you will pay with your life, Shana.” My armor reached down and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her into the air and then using the other hand to pummel repeatedly into her ribs. I was unaware of the fact that I was holding this entity within me. The armor was now breaking apart pieces of Gemini’s armor, so that it could get to the underbelly of something that was a lot more sensitive. “You can’t do this. I’m Lord Vadam’s representative. You’ll put me down….ahhhh….or face the consequences of your actions.” I looked towards Landon and he was bleeding and unconscious.

  I tried to say something, but nothing came out. The only thing that she was seeing was that determination within my eyes through the helmet. She was hanging there in midair with her breath being slowly suffocated from her lungs. She couldn’t do anything and even as she flailed about, there was no discernible way for her to get away from whatever this was.

  The armor dropped her and she was left with two distinct pieces missing from her armor. I struck out and punched her on sides, making her double over and wheeze like a little old man. Blood came out of her mouth and I had obviously caused some kind of internal injuries. “Why would you do this, Shana? I was the one…that told Lord Vadam that you should come along.” I suddenly found myself inundated with another flash of memory.

  She was standing there with Lord Vadam and he was saying “When you get a chance to get rid of her, don’t hesitate like you did last time.” It was then that she was branded with a black V on her shoulder that burned into her very skin for all time. She screamed and I could see that Lord Vadam really didn’t care about her discomfort. “This will teach you not to go against my wishes. This is your first punishment and if you don’t kill her before the end of the third sun, then you’ll find out that my anger can be a bit overwhelming. “For her part, she was screaming, but there was no semblance of any kind of fight. She was letting it happen, when she could’ve easily turned and bit the hand that fed her.

  “You were going to kill me.” This was something that the armor was allowing me to say. “When lord Vadam branded you with that V, you became obsessed with getting your hands on me.” She couldn’t stand and those broken ribs must’ve been very debilitating.

  “I was only doing…what I was told to do.” I knew that it was true, but I also knew that she wanted to please him. It was like the armor was trying to take revenge for me. It must have sensed what I was feeling towards her and had decided to act on my behalf. “I think you already knew that Lord Vadam was going to do everything he could to make sure that you didn’t win.” Of course, I knew that, but I didn’t really believe that he would kill me out of spite. He had used this emergency to his advantage and h
ad given his blessing for my assassination…again.

  “I don’t care what Lord Vadam wants. I think that somebody should teach him a lesson. Then again, maybe a message is better and this will hopefully tell him in no uncertain terms that I’m not somebody that should be messed with.” I couldn’t stop the armor and it was now pummeling her. She knelt there on the ground defenseless and unable to do anything in return. By the time that the armor was done, Gemini’s armor was now ripped asunder. There was nothing left, but small pieces lying on the ground. She was bleeding profusely, but I knew instinctively that she wasn’t going to die.

  “This is not like you…this is not like you at all.” She didn’t know the half of it. “I think that we should be looking at you and not at the Dragos.” I had a feeling that was going to happen. I did feel infinitely better about everything that was happening. There was this sense of elation, even though I wasn’t the one that had done the deed or was I?

  I certainly felt like it was my responsibility and these were feelings that I did have that I hadn’t acted on. I couldn’t say for sure, but I believed in my heart that this armor was now acting on my own emotions. I always thought that it was alive, but I had no idea how it could possibly be.

  “You’re going to pay for this, Shana.” I turned abruptly and my foot came out and contacted with her face. She reeled back on her knees. I knew that I had killed her. I should have felt some kind of remorse, or even wanted to do something to render aid, but I didn’t. It felt good and god help me; I wished that I had more time to make her suffer a little bit longer. I was planning to just send a message back to Lord Vadam, but she would’ve told him everything that happened and he would’ve sent everything against me that he could find. It was better that he didn’t know. I could probably spin something for Landon. He was already unconscious, so he didn’t witness very much of what happened.