The Legend of Sirra Bruche

by Heidi J. Leavitt

  “They attached the transmitter to a common button so that you can wear it on your clothes. Hopefully, it will escape any inspection,” Bret explained. Andie lifted the transmitter from the box and fingered it thoughtfully. “All you have to do is press the button when you want to transmit your location. Then you have three minutes to get as far away as you can. But try to do it when you know that Jaory is going to be within range during that time. They said that the flash will kill or seriously injure everyone within a 100-200 foot radius. All electronic or computer functions will also be crippled or ruined. It should leave the infrastructure intact, though, so you don’t have to worry about the building collapsing if the room is on the bottom floor.”

  Andie concentrated on his explanation, trying to remember all the details. She would have three minutes to get as far away as she could from the area. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she nodded understanding as he finished. It wasn’t going to be easy. If she could even get in a room with Jaory (and hopefully his top leaders), it seemed pretty likely that she wouldn’t escape in time. Then knowing that there was no time to spare, Andie joined Bret and the rest of the Kruundin Resistance Committee to plan this final attack on Jaory.

  ♦

  The next morning Andie set out for the square near the Fortress. When she reached the square, she stood for a moment pulling the cloak tightly around her, her hood shrouding her face in shadow. It was an unusually cold morning following the storm and the cloak hardly kept the chill wind from penetrating her very bones. Under the cloak she was wearing Madam Suze’s spare dress. Madam Suze herself had replaced the top button with the transmitter, sewing the crystal button to the dress securely. As long as she had her hands reasonably free she would be able to activate it. She wouldn’t be able to reach it if they locked her hands behind her back though. She brushed the thought from her mind. She would worry about that when the time came.

  The square was mostly empty except for one or two others scurrying through the square on their way somewhere else. Nobody wanted to get too close to the entrance of the Fortress for fear that some member of Jaory’s army would strike out unexpectedly. Andie also stayed at the edges of the square, trying to stay as far away as she could and walking quickly, as if she also was a harried mother on her way to try and find some food for breakfast. Suddenly the attack came. Two men burst from the gate of the nearest boarded up house. One pinned her arms to her side while the other clapped a hand over her mouth. She struggled valiantly, even getting out a few earsplitting screams while they dragged her across the square. Out of the corner of her eye, Andie could see a handful of people running into sight at her screams, but even in their concern they did not dare come to her rescue in the square. Just as they approached the large, forbidding gates of the Fortress compound, the men halted and held her as they waited for the shield to open and allow them in. Andie continued to struggle vainly, and then the gates slid open and they propelled her through into the court of the Fortress. The gates slid back with a resounding thud that vibrated into her heart. There was no turning back now.

  Andie gave up her struggle and let them lead her through the court to the next shield doors. It was useless to fight against it now. Inside the second shield door, the men stopped at the threshold. They were obviously at some kind of security check. They stood for a moment, both looking high and to the right. Andie followed their gaze and noticed the one-way mirror. Suddenly her heart jumped into her throat. They were going to scan the trio for weapons. The weapons of the men would be registered in the Fortress and no cause for alarm, she was sure. Of course, she had no conventional weapon. But obviously this Fortress encompassed a lot of pirated technology and so far seemed to have the latest in Armada protections. What if the weapons scanner could detect the tiny transmitter at the top of her dress? Her heart thudded wildly, and she held her breath in anticipation. Seconds later a buzzer sounded and the inside shield doors opened. Apparently everything was fine. The weapon was so new that even the Armada’s own scanners weren’t configured to detect it. Still her pulse didn’t slow. Andie was about to enter the lair of a man she had avoided at peril of her life for the last ten years. Would it be as bad as she feared? Just before her captors started to march her through the door, the man to her right gave her an almost imperceptible squeeze on her arm. It was enough to renew her courage, and Andie lifted her head bravely as they entered Kruunde Fortress.

  Past the shield doors, the group moved into a straight, dark hallway lined with doors. At the first door to the right they entered. It was a dimly lit room with bare walls. The room was unfurnished except for a small table with a chair behind it. Exactly opposite them was a sliding door with a thumb-pad, the kind of door Andie hadn’t seen since she left Zenith. The men positioned her directly in front of the table and then stood waiting. Andie couldn’t help but wonder how long it would be until she could activate the transmitter. Would they really let her enter Jaory’s presence? Bret had sounded so confident that they would, but Andie wondered if they wouldn’t just kill her instead. Her death would probably be enough to satisfy Jaory, regardless of whether or not he got to gloat personally to her.

  The door in front of them suddenly slid open and a woman strode through. She was tall, broad, and strong looking, with sleek, cropped, black hair. Her face was round and soft in a way that Andie hadn’t seen in months. Obviously, Jaory’s faithful supporters were not going hungry in the least. The woman stood at her chair for a moment, studying Andie with openly hostile eyes. Andie returned her gaze without flinching. “You are a Citizen,” she stated in accented Basic. Andie didn’t bother to reply to the obvious.

  The woman scowled for a moment at Andie’s lack of response and then sat on the chair and placed a small leather case on the table. Her back was straight and rigid. Andie was reminded of her military days in the Armada Academy when everybody sat at attention during a lecture. Oddly, it made her nostalgic for a minute, distracting her until the woman spoke again in a hard tone. “Why have you not left the city before now?” she demanded.

  “I had friends I could not leave,” Andie told her simply.

  “Friends? Maybe you are friends with the rebels?” she returned insinuatingly.

  Andie made no answer. There was no reason for her to lie to this woman.

  “Hmmm, you do not want to talk about it with me? Perhaps you need some persuasion, eh?” she sneered. She snapped open the leather case and pulled out a syringe.

  Andie spoke quickly, “So the Citizens are to be treated as war prisoners? You will have to let me go, and when you do the Armada will not tolerate such treatment of a Citizen. Arueban truth serum is illegal.” Andie couldn’t face the interrogation drug, not yet.

  “Only if the Armada ever learns that you were here,” the woman reminded her scathingly.

  One of the men behind Andie spoke in Denicorizen. “Madime, we believe that this woman is the Citizen that King Jaory has been looking for.”

  “Indeed?” she answered. “I see no resemblance.”

  Suddenly, Andie placed the woman. She had been one of her fellow servants at Jaory’s, the one who had so resented Andie being chosen to be Erron’s concubine. During her remaining time at Jaory’s their paths had rarely crossed, but whenever she had met the other young woman, Madime had never bothered to conceal her dislike. Obviously ten years had not changed her.

  The other man, no doubt thinking of his reward, reminded, “But, Madime, Oanni himself gave orders that every Citizen was to be brought before him.”

  She pursed her lips. “Very well,” she decided. Abruptly, she pushed back her chair and left the room. Andie sighed in relief. Her quest would not end in this room and she would not damage the rest of the Resistance by what she could tell.

  The minutes ticked by. With every second Andie grew steadily more nervous. She had to face Oanni again. Her blood chilled at the very thought of it. Of course, she had known that it was a very re
al possibility but she had consciously forced the thought away. Just considering it now made her want to turn and fight her way out of the room. The men behind her still stood patiently, one whistling a pleasant tune. Obviously they had no idea they were waiting for a devil disguised in human flesh to walk through the door.

  When the door opened again, Oanni entered, a scowling Madime trailing behind him. He was still the same almost grandfatherly-looking figure with incongruously cruel eyes. He stopped right as he was crossing the threshold, Madime nearly running into him. He stared at Andie for almost a full minute, his eyes taking in everything from her long, ragged brown hair to her rail thin body, finally resting on her face.

  “At last, my dear, dear Dia, you have come home,” he said softly. Then he smiled a thin-lipped, malicious smile. “Follow me,” he invited, inclining his head toward the door. He left the room, and poked by the men behind her, Andie followed him, her courage nearly failing.

  Oanni led her into another room, this one obviously a private office of his own. There were nice furnishings, including a heavy oak desk and two wooden chairs. He waved the other men outside and then spoke quietly to Madime. “See that they are both questioned,” he instructed. She nodded and turned to go after the men. Oanni slid the door shut and then advanced on Andie. “So, we meet again at last. Much has happened since you slipped away from me in Roma. Former Armada pilot and now a conspirator and rebel. I must confess, Dia, I was very puzzled to learn that you were still on Corizen. What could possibly tie you to this planet when you had the ability to go home? I had not considered the option that you would actually believe the nonsense that the rebels would feed you. But now I see that I was wrong. Well, it all comes to nothing, you know. My master is now the King of this land, and in very little more time he will be the King of all Corizen. Your rebellion is starving to death in the streets of Kruundin City.” He leaned forward, his lips near her ears, and added softly, “And you could have been enjoying the benefits. You would have held an honored position as the concubine of Master Erron, heir to the throne. But now all is lost and you are left with nothing. Nothing at all.”

  Andie pulled away from him, trying hard to contain her fear. She focused on her breathing, drawing even, steady breaths. After a moment she was in control again.

  Oanni gripped her upper arm and then forced her into one of the wooden chairs. “You have so little respect for those who have the power to make things easier for you. Ah well, I know that you are stubborn and headstrong. I liked you better when you were so compliant and humble.” He shook his head in regret.

  “That was not me,” Andie replied quietly. “That was the drug you fed me.”

  His eyebrows raised. “It had nothing to do with the night of pain did it?” he queried, his tone mocking. “I’d like to try the experiment again and see.”

  “The pain was just that—pain,” Andie responded, her tone even. “You didn’t destroy me. I was stronger than that. And I’m stronger now. Your threats don’t scare me, Oanni.” She kept her eyes level with his and the terror down and tightly contained. What she had told him was true, mostly. She didn’t fear for her personality. Andie knew she could survive. She also knew that to show any fear was only feeding Oanni’s sadistic desires. So she kept herself as calm and confident as she could.

  Oanni had turned around in a huff after Andie’s last statement. He pulled open a desk drawer, withdrew a laser and turned back to face her in the chair. His cold, black eyes glittered furiously. “I don’t think that King Jaory will keep you alive,” he said angrily. “In fact, I’m sure that he will put you to a very slow death as punishment for your reckless and disobedient behavior. You overestimate your strength if you think it will save you now.”

  With that he punched a button on his desk. Within seconds, three guards entered the room. Quickly and deftly they fastened metal restraints on Andie’s wrists and ankles and then lifted her to her feet. Bound in such a way, she could only hobble forward. The guards prodded her toward the door.

  “Farewell, my fair Dia. We shall meet again soon. Enjoy the little time you have left.” Oanni bowed in mock graciousness, a sarcastic smile on his lips. Then the guards led Andie out of the room.

  It was a laborious journey to her prison cell. The guards hurried her along faster than her bound feet could keep up, and twice in her awkwardness Andie pitched forward. The second time, they pulled her to her feet with blood dripping from her nose. She hadn’t been able to break her fall with her arms that time. Finally, they reached a long, dank hallway with doors on the left every five feet or so. They stopped at the third door and propelled her inside. Andie crashed into the wall on the far side and lost what little balance she had, toppling to the floor. The guards laughed heartlessly and slammed the door.

  Andie stayed on the floor, curling her knees up to her chest for warmth. At least she could rest in here. For a few minutes she fought against tears though. She was alone in the pitch black with a painfully throbbing body and gnawing hunger sapping what little remained of her strength. There was no hope of escape, and even if she could get out of this place, her mission compelled her to stay and face her worst enemy. However, before her situation could overwhelm her, she tried to think positively about it. So far she seemed to be in luck. She had avoided being questioned with the truth serum. Her hands were bound in front of her where she would still be able to reach the button. They hadn’t killed her straight out, and there was still a possibility she would be taken before Jaory. The silence was almost deafening, but at least she was likely to spend the time she had left in peace. She had a whole list of reasons to be grateful. Calmer now, Andie concentrated her thoughts on Tiran and Casey. It gave the most comfort. Finally she slipped into sleep, plagued by phantoms and fear even into her dreams.

  21. The King of Kruundin City

  Hours later, or perhaps only minutes, Andie opened her eyes, unsure of what had stirred her from sleep. Then she got her bearings and pinpointed it. Footsteps, probably several men, echoed in the hallway. The door swung open and she blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to the light. Once again there were three guards, although these men seemed to be different than the last. One particularly burly guy yanked her to her feet. No one spoke a word to her, but the second guard handed her a tin cup of water which she gulped without hesitation. Then he proffered her a small loaf of crusty bread. She didn’t even think; she snatched it from his hand and stuffed it into her mouth. The bread was stale and had a bitter aftertaste but she didn’t care. Had she ever tasted something so wonderful in her life? The guards waited silently for a few moments while she swallowed her food. Then the burly one who held her arm tugged her out of the cell. Her head throbbed as she stumbled out the door. Two guards flanked her and the other followed behind. They guided her down the hallway and around several turns. Andie couldn’t tell if they were anywhere near Oanni’s office. All these long hallways looked the same, covered in plain, drab gray paint that seemed to suck any life out of anything around.

  Finally, after trudging painfully along for what seemed like hours, they reached a lift. The lift took the group down quite a distance, moving so fast that Andie’s stomach felt like it lodged in her throat. If they were taking her to Jaory, he must have made his headquarters so deep underground that nothing could get to him. When the lift finally slowed and the doors opened, she knew they must be several hundred feet down.

  They exited the lift into some sort of a waiting area with a sliding blast door on the other end. It screamed luxury compared to the sterile hallways above. Plush maroon carpeting covered the floor, and the walls were paneled with glossy dark wood. Oil paintings of various landscapes throughout the galaxy were hanging on the walls. However, there were no chairs or benches to be seen, Andie was quick to notice. Jaory must not want any lounging around his fortress. Her guards also looked around appreciatively. They must not be normally allowed down here, she decided. Now Andie was almost positive that
on the other side of the sliding door was Jaory’s own lair. For a moment she debated pressing the button right then. She was probably within a few hundred feet of Jaory. Then she decided against it. She didn’t know for sure; it was better to wait until she actually saw him for herself.

  The wait outside the door drew on and on, minutes ticking by with no conversation between the guards. Andie raised her bound hands to her face and rubbed at the dried blood. Her fingers touched a large lump on her forehead; she knew that she must look terrible. So much for looking presentable for the final minutes of her life. Well, there was a small chance she could make it out alive, she reminded herself, attempting to stay upbeat. If she could manage to trigger the locator just before they took her out again. If Jaory didn’t kill her on the spot. It would be tricky trying to give herself as much time as possible, yet making sure that she didn’t miss her chance. It would be a terrible waste if she made it into Jaory’s presence, yet died before she could activate the receiver.

  The guard to her right was tapping his foot. He was getting bored with the wait. Probably the others were as well. Yet for Andie, the tension mounted exponentially. Her time was running out. Butterflies tackled each other in her stomach. Couldn’t she just get it over with?

  Finally the door ahead slid open and Oanni strode forward to greet them. “Thank you. I will escort her from here. You may return to your posts.” Andie swallowed thickly. It didn’t sound like she was going to need the guard to usher her back out of here.

  Oanni drew his laser again as the guards retreated into the lift. Andie couldn’t imagine why. Did he think she was going to suddenly break loose from her restraints, knock him down with some fancy moves and then escape? Hardly. She had about as much of a chance breaking free from this place as she had of Oanni suddenly having a change of heart and letting her go. He motioned for her to come through the doorway. Andie did so, shambling slowly across the waiting room. His eyes glinted with pleasure. Andie hadn’t ever seen Oanni looking so pleased with himself. He seemed to read her thoughts. “It is a very sweet victory, you know,” he told her smugly. “After nearly ten years, I am the one to deliver you back to King Jaory. A sweet victory indeed.”