by Mia McKimmy
Cy left and headed to his room. When he entered, Vind shot him a dirty look, as though he were intruding where he didn’t belong.
Cy ignored it. “Father sent me to get you, and he’s pissed that you’re not taking part and watching what’s happening to our people.”
“Well, he should let me leave this facility and fight, like a real general of an army.”
“Vind, you’re not a general yet. At fourteen years old, you’re no-where near trained enough to take over. That would be like me trying to rule our people now. I have enough sense to know that I’m not ready for such a task.”
“Pff! That’s more than obvious. But I’m not you, am I?”
Heat radiated from Cy’s face. “Defy Father if you like, although I wouldn’t advise it. I’ve done my part and delivered his message.” Cy turned on his heel and left their room. Why did his brother have to be so contrary?
Chapter 9
Later that day, Cy sat next to his father at the meeting. Vind sat on the other side of the king, next to Oz. All twelve members of the royal council were present.
The king cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. “I called this meeting to give everyone an update on how this war is progressing. Over the last two weeks, there have been a devastating number of lives lost. The reports coming in reveal a complete and total takeover by the Haagons. It’s apparent that we will lose this war. The time is upon us to move forward with the plans to vacate our planet. Our troops are searching meat processing plants and the outlying areas of the planet. That should take less than a week to complete.”
The king projected a digital map of Sivadia on a screen that covered one end of the room.
Cy had seen this same map last week, and it was half green and half red. Now, almost every area was covered in red.
“The red areas represent places our troops have covered and found zero survivors,” the king told the council. “The green areas are yet to be determined, and orange represents areas that are rumored to have hidden pockets of survivors. Our troops are working over time searching for survivors. If we find any, they will be brought to the facility and will leave with us.”
The council members began talking at once. What voices Cy could make out were against bringing anyone else on board the ships. The king slammed his fist down on the table. “This is not a debate! I will throw every piece of crap inside those cargo ships off the cliff, if that’s what it takes to save more lives. If any of you object, you will follow the same route as the artifacts.”
Wow, Father is mad.
His compassion for people was one of the things Cy admired most. He’d never been more proud that his father wouldn’t cower to a bunch of aristocrats.
Oz stood and placed his hand on his weapon…a silent warning that he had no problem following his king’s orders. The room was silent.
The king took a deep breath, as if he were making a great attempt to calm himself. “Now, does anyone have a reasonable response to the update?”
The eldest councilman spoke up. “Why did you call this meeting if you will not allow us to voice our concerns?”
“Councilman Napolii, I called this meeting out of respect, as a courtesy to you all. I hoped you wouldn’t have your heads so far up your asses and were capable of thinking about someone other than yourselves. It seems that’s not the case.”
Councilman Napolii’s face turned the shade of fresh blood, but he had enough self preservation not to comment further.
“I will send you an update as the time for departure grows near. This meeting is over.”
The council members filed out of the room without another word. After the last one had left, the king shook his head. “Selfish bastards. What if it was them out there trying to survive among those beasts?”
“They wouldn’t have lasted a day,” Oz replied.
As soon as they returned to the command center, Cy searched the monitors for Miles’ head-cam. Earlier, his team was headed to the outlying areas to search for survivors. Cy entered Miles’ helmet code into a monitor and the view of a cave entrance popped onto the screen.
The soldier in front of Miles turned around. “Do you smell that?”
“It smells of smoke,” Miles said. “Someone inside there was either trying to stay warm, or cook food.”
White clouds of condensation came from their mouths when they spoke. It must be really cold where they were. Three foot of untouched snow lay on the ground. If someone was inside that cave, they had been in there since the snow had fallen. Long, jagged icicles hung around the caves entrance like an enormous mouth full of serrated teeth ready to shred you to bits. Cy shook his head.
Man, caves are taking my mind to some really dark places lately.
Miles’ team turned on their headlamps and went inside. Miles stopped and his light swung around to encompass the area. A lumpy mass of blankets lay in the corner. Cy held his breath as the commander eased the tip of his gun toward the edge of the blankets, and then slowly lifted the edge. The commander froze, glanced at his men, and then back toward a small foot he had revealed.
The blanket flew back and a man lunged toward the commander. He held a knife in one hand and the other pushed a young girl behind him. She appeared to be around seven years old. A wide-eyed toddler clung around her waist and neck.
The commander held up his hands. “We are not here to hurt you. I’m commander Ishum of the king’s army, and we are searching for survivors.”
Seconds ticked by as the man stared at their uniforms, and then his posture relaxed.
“Are there other survivors with you?”
The man shook his head. “Just us. My wife died from exposure a few days before we found this shelter.”
“Did you see anyone on your journey here?”
“No.” He glanced back at his children and took the toddler from the young girl. The baby was constantly whimpering, probably from hunger. Cy’s heart ached with each sound.
“We can take you and the children to safety,” Commander Ishum said.
The man finally lowered the weapon to his side. “I didn’t know such a place existed.”
“It does, and your king has welcomed all survivors we find. If you will gather your things, we will transport there and give you and the children a hot meal.”
The man swallowed, as if he could already taste the food. He turned and looked at his daughter. Her eyes were anxious, almost pleading with her father to trust what they were being told. The man nodded.
“Thank you; we will accept your kindness.”
Chapter 10
One week later
Cy stood beside his father outside the launch facility. From the highest peak of the cascading Sewol Mountains, they gazed out at the magnificent beauty Sivadia bestowed upon its inhabitants every night. Brilliant ribbons of ever-changing color radiated from sky to soil, with light from the three moons accentuating the landscape’s artistry. Cy seared the image into his memory, never wanting it to fade.
“Cy, someday you will succeed me as king. I pray you never have to make a decision this difficult.” His father released a long sigh. “Knowing this is the last night we will spend on Sivadia is almost too much to bear.”
Tears blurred Cy’s vision at the sound of despair in his father’s voice. He was a strong, confident king who had led their race with dauntless bravery. He had never heard this tone of defeat come from him. “Father, you’ve done every thing you could for our people. When I become king, I promise on my life to do the same. I will do everything within my power to stop anyone from preying upon the innocent the way the Haagons have on us.”
“I know, son. I’ve known since you were small. One day you will become a great king.”
They turned at the sound of heavy footsteps crunching gravel. It was Oz. From the look on his face, he wasn’t the bearer of good news, and a terrible sense of foreboding consumed Cy.
Oz stopped beside them. “I received news from the sentry patrolling the base of the m
ountains. They reported a large group of Haagons moving north, about thirty miles from base. If they continue in this direction, they will breach the launch site by morning. I’ve called all troops back to the ships. In order for our plan to work, we must move up our departure time…the sooner the better. Personally, I’m not interested in becoming puppy chow for those monsters.”
Oz pulled several weapons from the arsenal strapped to his large frame and offered them to Cieran. “The guards and Lord Panzer are on their way out. Are you ready to do this?”
“I will never be ready to do this,” Cieran replied. “If it were not for Ximena and the boys, I would stay and die with my people. It would be far less painful than what we are about to do.”
Cy’s breath caught in his throat and the sound of his heart pounded in his ears. “No, Father! We need you! Our people need you!”
“I know, son. I will do what’s necessary to ensure the continued existence of our race, even if it means destroying our beautiful planet.”
Cy edged closer to his father, but stopped as more troops left the facility and moved toward them. He wanted to console him, but as the chosen successor, he couldn’t show weakness in front of others.
“Everyone was in agreement with this decision, Cieran. You’re trying to carry the weight of it alone,” Oz said.
“Your support means a lot, my friend. I am forever grateful.”
A group of guards stopped beside them. Weapons hung from every extremity.
“Where is Lord Panzer?” Oz asked. “I told him to be ready to leave in five.”
“Cy, go inside and tell Lord Panzer we’re ready,” his father said.
Sweat beaded on Cy’s lip, and he took a deep breath. “Father, may I go with you?”
“Son, you’re too young for such a dangerous task, especially with the Haagons so close.”
Cy straightened to his full height. “Sir, I have completed my kingship training. You’ve instilled a tremendous sense of responsibility for our people. I feel I need to be a part of this final act.”
A look passed between Oz and his father.
Oz smiled and shook his head. “Well, he is your son. Noble and stubborn.”
King Cieran ran a hand through his dark hair, and released a heavy sigh. “You can go. But you must stay between me and Oz.”
“I will, Father. Thank you.” Excitement coursed through Cy as he turned to run inside. This would be his first official act since being named successor. He wished it wasn’t the only one he would ever carry out on Sivadia.
Cy stopped as his father called his name. “Find your brother and ask if he wants to come.”
Once inside the launch facility, Cy went to the quarters he shared with his twin. Vind sat on his bunk, reading. “We are leaving immediately to activate the thermonuclear device. Father asked if you wanted to come.”
Vind looked up from his book and pinned Cy with a hard glare. “You are his chosen son. Why would he even ask me to come?” An acrimonious tone gripped every word.
“This is also a military procedure, Vind. Or have you forgotten father chose you for the second highest honor in his court. Your bitterness and jealousy over my position has gotten old. Suit yourself. Come. Don’t come. I don’t care.” Cy turned and left the room, his boots echoing on the metal floors of the ship. He refused to get into another fight with his brother. He would fulfill his duty to his father and their people, regardless whether Vind did or not.
As Cy met up with Lord Panzer, he heard fast approaching footsteps pounding the floor behind them. He didn’t have to turn around to know it was Vind. Once outside, Cy caught up to his father and Oz. Vind had stopped and joined a group of military guards accompanying them.
“Everyone is ready,” Oz reported to King Cieran. “We need to make quick work of this. I instructed the others to be in position to leave the moment we return.”
They transported to the base of the mountains. Vind remained outside with the guards, and Cy accompanied his father, Oz, and Lord Panzer inside of the bunker. They entered an elevator that would take them down to a cavernous room, which housed the thermonuclear device penetrating deep inside the planets core. When ignited, it would create a chain reaction, vaporizing Sivadia from the inside out. Since Lord Panzer was the eldest member of the royal council, and Oz the top military advisor, it would take them along with the king to activate the device. It was timed so their ships would be safely outside the planets atmosphere when it detonated.
When the elevator stopped and the doors opened, everyone froze and silently stared into the large, cold room. Control panels circled the entire space.
Lord Panzer finally spoke. “We must do this, my lords. We cannot leave our people to suffer at the hands of those atrocious creatures.”
“We know,” the king replied, his tone flat. “But it doesn’t make this any easier.”
Tightness seized Cy’s chest. His heart felt as heavy as the dirt and rock surrounding them.
The trio each laid one hand on a DNA scanner for identification. Once finished, they moved to separate activation devices inside the room, each in a location known only to the individual to whom this responsibility was given. Counting down aloud, they simultaneously programmed their part of the activation sequence. Moments later, a computerized voice echoed off the walls of the cavernous room.
“Successful activation initiated. One hour until detonation.”
Chapter 11
Cy followed his father, Oz, and Lord Panzer into the elevator. No one uttered a word on the ride back to the surface. The moment they exited the bunker, gunfire erupted.
As the king hit the ground, Cy screamed. “Father!”
Oz shoved Cy behind him and grabbed Cieran, pulling them both behind a large boulder.
Cy’s breath came in ragged gasps. They rolled his father over and saw a gaping wound directly over his heart. “Hold on, Father! We’ll get you out of here!”
Oz picked up Cieran as if he weighed no more than a child. As he straightened to transport, a bullet seared through his side. He crumpled to the ground with the king. Oz put his hand against his lower right rib and hissed in pain. “Cy, do you see Vind anywhere? You both need to transport to the ships.”
“I’m not leaving without you and Father,” Cy yelled over the sound of gunfire.
“Yes. You. Are. Cygan.” Oz said between clenched teeth.
Miles and another guard were crouched behind a nearby rock, returning gunfire at the enemy.
“Where are Vind and Lord Panzer?” Cy yelled.
“Vind transported at the first sight of a Haagon. Lord Panzer is dead,” Miles said.
“Father and Oz are injured and can’t transport. We need your help getting back to the ships.”
Miles and the guard ran toward them and dove behind their cover. When they landed, a bullet had penetrated the guards heart. He was dead before he hit the ground.
“We have to do this now,” Miles yelled. “There’s hardly anyone left to keep them off us.”
Cy strained to lift his father; Miles grabbed Oz, and they transported to the entrance of the facility. When they materialized, guards rushed to help carry them to the infirmary.
Cy’s heart seized as they laid his father on the exam table. Blood poured from his chest and his clothes were drenched.
As two doctors ran in and began working on saving the king, Cy stepped back and looked at his father’s blood covering his hands and arms. The sound of blood gurgling with each labored breath confirmed Cy’s worst fear. His father would not live to see their new home…Earth.
Queen Ximena ran into the room. Her gaze immediately found her husband’s pale, lifeless body lying on the table.
“No! No! No!” Her scream was filled with pain and fear. Tears poured down her fair cheeks and she looked almost as pale as the king.
She’s going to pass out.
Her knees buckled and Cy ran toward his mother, catching her a second before she hit the floor. He lifted her in his arms and la
id her on a cot against the wall.
Cy stepped back as a nurse worked on her. Fear gripped his heart as he thought about all the people who had died shortly after losing their life-mates.
Is that what’s happening to her? He didn’t think he could bear losing one of them. There was no way he would survive losing them both. If that happened, Vind would be more than happy to end his existence.
His mother’s eyes fluttered open and she tried to sit up. The nurse gently placed her hand on the queen’s shoulder to hold her in place. “Your Majesty, if you sit up too fast, you’ll faint again. Please, lie here a moment and then we’ll take it slow.”
Her sapphire eyes glistened with tears. “I have to check on my husband.”
“The doctors are still working with him. I will get a wheel chair and take you to his side the moment they’re finished.” The nurse stepped away from the queen.
Cy took her hand in his. “Mother, are you all right?” His voice shook with emotion.
“Yes, darling. I just fainted. Seeing your father like that was shocking. I’ll be fine. She glanced toward her husband, but the doctors had pulled the curtain. “Where’s that nurse? Sweetheart, will you go find a wheelchair? I have to get over there to see about Cieran.”
“Yes, Mother. Please don’t get up and faint again. I’ll be right back.”
She nodded. “I promise, but please hurry.”
Cy ran to a door labeled, Supply Room. He eased it open and looked around. The walls were lined with deep shelves filled with medical supplies. He glanced toward the back where two wheelchairs leaned against the shelf. Cy grabbed one, rolled it out of the room and over to his mother.
The privacy curtain had been retracted around his father. His eyes were closed and tubes of blood poured into him from numerous bags. His mother sat on the side of her cot and two doctors talked to her as she wept.
Cy stopped beside her and she eased over into the chair. “May I sit beside him in case he wakes?”
