by Gwynn White
He was right. So even though it hurt me to leave them here, I nodded in agreement.
“Ok, you two carry them. I’ll distract the soldiers outside,” Jason said. “Head for the woods, and I’ll catch up with you there.”
Aaron swung Nemesis over his shoulder.
“No,” I said to Jason. “You take Vib. I will distract the soldiers.”
“Terra, there are twelve highly-skilled elite soldiers in heavy armor waiting outside,” he said sharply.
“And what am I? A helpless lamb?”
“No,” he growled impatiently. “But you are ill-equipped to take on a dozen soldiers. They fight to kill. You do not.”
I flinched at the fire in his eyes, but I didn’t stand down. “You’ve expended too much power already fighting the Spirit Reapers. Vib’s potion has given me new energy. Let me do this.”
Jason looked at Vib. “Give me a stimulant now.”
“Your friend injected the entire syringe.” He grinned, positively ecstatic. “All of the potion.”
“There’s no more?” Jason asked.
“Not until I mix more.” He looked at me. “Frankly, I’m surprised you survived.” Admiration shone in his eyes.
I ignored him and tried not to think of how desperation had driven me to madness. Was I really so different from Vib?
“Come on,” I told Jason. “We have no choice. I have to deal with the Spirit Reapers. You are too weak right now.”
“Weak?” he snarled.
“Your nose is bleeding.”
He wiped the trickle of blood from his nose. “No way, Terra. It’s suicide.”
“Yes way.” I headed for the exit. “Or would you rather argue with me about this until the Spirit Reapers come inside?”
His mouth hardened into a stubborn line, but he didn’t say anything more. He just grabbed Vib and followed me. Aaron took up the rear with Nemesis, her head bumping a few times on the ceiling. I was kind of certain that was no accident.
“I’ll go first,” I told them, pausing before the threshold. “Follow ten seconds later. Run for the woods and don’t look back.”
Jason set his hand on mine, and a spark rippled across my arm, electrifying every nerve in my body. I could feel the blue fire in my eyes intensifying, going molten. Jason’s eyes darkened in response. He stared at me coldly, like he was waiting for me to blink. I didn’t. Why should I?
“This is so amazing. It’s like having two Elite Phantoms,” Vib commented, looking between us. “She’s reacting just as a Phantom would.”
Jason intensified his stare, the obsidian ice burning my eyes. Still, I did not blink.
“Terra,” he warned me. He looked infuriated.
Baiting a Phantom was unwise. And most especially the Elite Phantom.
I allowed my lids to drop and shook myself. “Sorry, I don’t know what came over me.”
“Phantom power came over you, a power so potent that I can still feel the burn of its taste on my tongue,” Jason said. “Never before have I felt such raw energy from another Phantom, and you aren’t even a Phantom.”
“Fantastic. Maybe your Synergy serum worked better than I thought.” Vib looked excited enough to pee himself.
I took a deep breath and stepped outside. I heard the whistle of the Spirit Reapers’ flying bullets and knives, followed by a tsunami of power that rippled off my arms. The smooth breeze brushed over my skin, growing in intensity as it moved down my arms. I felt myself thrown backward against the building’s wall as the wind shot past my hands.
I jumped quickly to my feet. Jason and Aaron ran past me. They darted between falling rocks and fallen soldiers who were just beginning to stir.
I shot off another blast at the Spirit Reapers. A second wave barreled out, causing the evergreen needles in the nearby forest to shudder.
Fueled by Phantom power, I caught up to Jason and Aaron. My eyes still burned, but I could feel the flame in them starting to go out. I had used up most of my borrowed Phantom power, and my magic would soon crash. We had to get to the portal before that happened.
A bullet flew over my head. The soldiers’ armor had partially shielded the witches from my Phantom blasts. They were on their feet again and coming fast. We were running out of time.
“Terra,” Jason said.
I understood the question. “Sorry. I’m dry. The best I can throw at them right now is a joke.”
“No need,” said Aaron.
A ship appeared before us—clear, glossy, glassy. And black as tar. It looked like a cross between an airship and a spaceship. It fired at the Spirit Reapers.
“That is a Selpe military ship,” Jason observed.
“Yes,” Aaron said. “Yes, it is. I called in the Diamond Edges to help me chase down a criminal.”
“They are a little late.”
“Actually, they are right on time.” Aaron pivoted around to point his gun at Jason. “Jason Chanz, you are under arrest for illegal portal jumping, trespassing, and hunting without a warrant.”
21
The Galactic Assembly
I sat inside a closed box in the audience chamber of the Galactic Assembly, no more than a tiny dot in the sea of people. One of Aaron’s soldiers sat to either side of me, just to make sure I didn’t escape my glass prison. The glass was one-way glass too, so no one in the great chamber could see or hear me. Apparently, they thought I might make a scene.
Make a scene? Me? What would give them that idea? Jason and I had only been handcuffed, separated, then flown straight here in a vampire spaceship. And now my best friend was being dragged in front of the Galactic Assembly for crimes he did not commit.
Sure, we’d been contemplating trespassing and illegal portal use ourselves, but we’d gone with Aaron instead. We’d helped him, worked with him, using his portal keys—and the leader of the Diamond Edges had repaid us by arresting Jason. Unbelievable!
The whispers in the Assembly Chamber died down as a gold and glass elevator rose out of the floor, encased in a bright halo. It looked like a fairytale carriage. The elevator clicked into place, the doors slid open, and nine elves in long dress robes stepped out. They took their seats in the glowing box at the center of the room. The elevator slid back into the ground.
Doran, the elf currently presiding over the Galactic Assembly, remained standing. His white hair spilled over his shoulders. He wore a long robe made of shimmering blue and silver fabric. Around his neck hung a necklace with a small symbol, a metal loop with dozens of interlocking rings. It represented the portals, the transportation system that linked all of the galaxy’s worlds together.
“The Galactic Assembly has ruled on the matter of the Avan Empire’s enslavement of the fairies,” Doran said, his voice as clear as a bell. “We find the witches’ actions inhumane and unjustified. The Avan Empire shall release all their fairy prisoners immediately.”
Muttered complaints rose from the witches’ section in the stands.
Doran held up his hands, and the muttering died out. “Furthermore, in recompense, the Avan Empire shall relinquish possession of Eos, the world they commandeered from the fairies in the War of Ascension. It will be returned to the fairies immediately.”
Thank goodness for that spark of sanity in a dark and cruel galaxy. The witches obviously didn’t agree. They were shouting now.
“We won Eos fair and square!”
“It has been a part of the Avan Empire for over five hundred years!”
Doran slammed his hammer down on the podium, silencing the crowd. “The galactic police will conduct systematic searches of all Avan planets, and if they discover that the witches have kept even a single fairy prisoner, further sanctions shall be imposed.”
“This is an outrage!” a shout rose up from the witches’ section.
“We will not stand for vampires snooping around our worlds!”
Doran slammed down his hammer once more. “That is the Assembly’s ruling. There will be no appeals. If the Avan Empire does not comply,
they will be branded an enemy of the Galactic Assembly. Their portal keys will be revoked, cutting them off from the rest of the civilized worlds in this galaxy.”
No one shouted out from the witches’ section this time. They did mutter amongst themselves, though.
“For our next matter, we will hear the charges against Prince Jason Chanz of Pegasus, also known as the Phantom mage Magus,” Doran said.
The glass and gold elevator surfaced once again. Aaron stepped out, leading a cuffed Jason. Nemesis walked to his other side, stripped of her accessories, her hands bound. She didn’t look very happy with Aaron.
“Major Aaron Pall of the Diamond Edges, overlord of the galactic police for the 101st term, bring the prisoner forward.”
Aaron led Jason toward the judges’ box.
Doran looked up, speaking to the audience this time. “Prince Jason Chanz of Pegasus is charged with trespassing in Avan territory, obtaining and using falsified portal keys, damage to the witches’ living property…”
Living property. That meant the hellhounds, who were actually enslaved fairies. The Galactic Assembly had just freed them and punished the Avans for enslaving them. And now they were charging Jason for damaging the ‘property’ the witches were never allowed to have? That didn’t make any sense. So much for a spark of sanity.
“…and hunting in a foreign territory without an official warrant,” Doran finished off the long list of charges, then turned his gaze toward Aaron. “Major Pall, tell the court what happened.”
“A mage from Pegasus went rogue, fleeing first to Earth, then later to Temporia in the Avan Empire,” Aaron spoke, his voice loud and clear. “Rather than applying for a warrant to hunt the rogue mage in Avan territory, Jason Chanz stole black market portal keys and used them to travel to Temporia. He tore through anything and anyone that stood in his path, much to the detriment of the Avan’s property. His friend, Princess Terra Cross of Laelia, learned he had run off. She came to me and pleaded for my help to get to him out of Avan territory before he caused too much damage.”
That was a lie. I had never done any such thing, and Aaron knew it. I tried to stand, to dispute his lies, but the soldiers on either side of me pulled me down. Not that anyone would have heard me. This glass box was every bit as much a prison as the ones with bars.
“Too much damage?” Doran repeated.
“Jason Chanz is the Elite Phantom, a mage capable of enormous destructive power,” Aaron explained. “A living weapon essentially.”
Doran nodded. “Continue, Major.”
“Princess Terra and I tracked him to an Avan laboratory, where the rogue Pegasus scientist was conducting magical experiments using the venom of enslaved fairies trapped in beast form. Jason Chanz had already taken out a Siennan warrior and twenty-one Avan soldiers, as well as the five heavily-augmented mages working with Vib.”
Whispers of shock—and fear—rose from the crowd.
“Jason Chanz defeated that many enemies?”
“Yes. Like I said, he is a living weapon.”
Doran waved for Aaron to continue.
“At this point, I took him into custody and brought him here aboard my ship.”
“Thank you, Major Pall.”
Aaron bowed, then stepped back.
“Calla Huntington, step forward,” said Doran.
Nemesis approached the box. “It’s Nemesis.” Her eyes were haughty, almost defiant.
“Very well, Nemesis. Can you confirm Major Pall’s accounting of events?”
Nemesis’s eyes shifted between Aaron and Jason. Her red lips pulled back into a sneer. “I can.”
Doran braced his hands against the podium, leaning forward. “Let me remind you that it is a crime to lie to the Galactic Assembly.”
She didn’t even blink. “That’s what happened.”
Why would she lie? Whatever the reason, she didn’t look happy about it.
Doran’s gaze shifted to Jason now. “What do you have to say about this?”
“The Major’s account is accurate.”
Jason too? But why? Why were they all lying?
I jumped up and began banging on the glass. “It’s not true! It’s not!”
But my screams didn’t penetrate the glass box. No one heard my cries—and no one saw my protests. The two Diamond Edges pulled me back into my seat.
“Very well,” said Doran. “The Assembly will now adjourn to discuss this matter. We shall reconvene shortly.”
The elves filed out of the box, moving as smooth as honey. They stepped into the elevator and disappeared. Vampire police officers led Jason and Nemesis away through another exit. But Aaron walked up the aisle and followed the stream of people leaving the chamber.
I moved toward the door. I was going to corner Aaron—and I was going to make him take back those lies. But the door was locked. I pulled a hairpin out of my braid and began to pick the lock.
“What are you doing?” one of the soldiers demanded. His armor was so glossy, it looked like it had just been through a car wash.
“Going to stretch my legs,” I told him.
“We can’t let you do that,” Car Wash said.
I didn’t stop picking the lock. “Says who?”
The other Diamond Edge looked at his comrade. “Says Major Pall.” His voice rumbled like a bear.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. Quite sure,” said Bear Voice. “Major Pall told us to keep you here while the Assembly is in session.”
I arched my brows at him. “And is the assembly in session right now?”
The two soldiers turned toward each other. If I could have seen past their helmets, I’m sure their faces would have looked perplexed—or at least annoyed.
“No,” Car Wash said.
The lock clicked, and I turned the knob. “Then you have followed his orders to the letter, gentlemen.”
I bowed my head, then backed out of the room. I hurried to the common hallway, where the Assembly audience had gathered during the recess for snacks. There was a dessert table of all things—at a criminal hearing. Like this was some sort of cocktail party.
Cakes, muffins, pies, and puddings crowded the tables in the hallway outside the chamber. There were so many desserts that there was little space for the floral arrangements and decorative dressings. There wasn’t much space for the ladies’ puffy gowns either. Everyone was dressed up like this was a grand gala.
I sidestepped the drunken swagger of a smartly-dressed teenage boy on his way toward the wine fountain. He looked entirely too young to be a vampire lord, but his suit and satin sash marked him as exactly that. He also looked too young to be quite so drunk. The hard scent of alcohol slithered in his wake, stinging my nose.
I found Aaron standing beside one of the buffet tables with five of his men. They were all dressed in battle armor.
“Major Pall,” I said, not bothering to hide the growl in my voice.
He looked at me, dipping his chin. “Princess.”
“I need to speak to you. Now.”
He followed me to the side, away from the dessert tables. “What can I do for you?”
“You knew about this,” I hissed. “You knew about the fairies. You knew what the witches were doing to them.”
“You are obviously upset.” He set his hand on my arm.
I shrugged it off. “You knew that if the witches lost their fairy prisoners, they would lose two of their most powerful weapons: their magic and their guard dogs. This turn of events would give you the magical advantage. And since the witches don’t have the strength to wear armor like yours, you would maintain the technological advantage too. This was your plan all along. You wanted the witches’ secret exposed, and you manipulated us into doing your dirty work—and Jason into taking the blame.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said calmly. “That would be despicable.”
“You’re a Diamond Edge. Despicable is your slogan, tagline, and logo all rolled up into one.”
&n
bsp; “You are clearly upset, Princess. Don’t say anything you will regret later.”
“Oh, I won’t.”
“You are seeing conspiracies everywhere,” he said patiently. “Both Nemesis and your friend confirmed my story.”
“I don’t know why they—” I stopped. “That’s it. You knew Jason would not dispute your testimony because he wanted to protect me. He took the blame to keep me from getting into trouble.”
After all, Aaron still had my black market portal key, the one Jason had bought from the leprechaun.
“But why did the witches concur? Why did they have Nemesis back up your lie?” I demanded.
“Hypothetically, of course, because I did no such thing. One could speculate that the witches are in a tough situation right now, powerless compared to their position before the Fairy Conspiracy,” he said. “They wouldn’t want their enemies to take advantage of that weakness. They aren’t strong enough to survive a war at the moment.”
So the vampires had threatened to attack the witches if they disputed Aaron’s testimony.
“Despicable,” I repeated.
“Life is not black and white,” said Aaron. “As I told you before, Princess, I do what I do to make the galaxy a safer place. Sometimes it’s not pretty. But it is necessary.”
“Don’t fool yourself, Major. You did what you did to advance your own empire’s agenda. To gain the upper ground against the witches.”
“The witches enslaved an entire race for centuries,” he reminded me. “Do you really think they should have the upper hand? I stand by what I said. The galaxy is a safer place this way.”
The crazy thing was, I knew he actually believed it. He thought he was doing the right thing and keeping people safe.
“You don’t seem to realize that the means don’t justify the ends. And, on top of that, those ends aren’t just for everyone,” I spat.
“That’s just another way of saying life isn’t fair. No, it’s not. Grow up, Princess. You’re naive to think that it is. Life isn’t a level playing field. People don’t get what they deserve, good or bad. And sometimes you have to do things no one else is willing to do to make this a better place for us all. The fairies have been freed after five hundred years of enslavement. The witches’ treachery has come to light. Whether you want to believe it or not, the galaxy is a safer place now.” A bell chimed from the hallway speakers, and he waved at the two soldiers he’d assigned to watch me. “Escort the Princess back to her viewing box.” Then he turned and returned to the Assembly Chamber.
