With that order, fireworks went off in the form of firepower from carreigna machine guns. Theodora observed the uniform and could not believe it.
"Democrat Guards!" She whispered. "With masks on? Are you serious?"
It went from seeking justice to a free-for-all in milliseconds. The Democrat Guards went from shooting whores to shooting anyone in the building from the stage to the bar area. Alcohol bottles were shattered, the strip stages were full of blood and bullets.
However, these were not the disciplined Democrat Guards of years past supervised by tough leaders from Touchstone to Dorcas. These were rambunctious players who never fought a fight in their lives and were only Democrat Guards because of their allegiance to the queen.
Hero Borom led the brigade and he used his bloodlust to fulfill his grandest fantasies. Every shot he took at a whore or a patron was one for his best friend, Queen Katharina.
Alonso Fontaine took off his mask to view the damage. That was when Hero bumped into him.
"Go upstairs and make sure there's no one else in here!" Hero ordered.
Alonso shook his hand holding his silencer pistol before he moved his feet. He rushed upstairs and busted through each office in the building. Then, he got to the last office and aimed his gun forward. He searched the left and then right. He saw no one. Just as he was about to leave, he heard a slight creak. He turned slightly and glanced at the closet. He snuck slowly to it, gently grabbed the doorknob and swung it open.
There before him was a frightened Theodora Petrovich holding a small knife. Alonso took out his silencer pistol and aimed it at her. Seeing the tears she was shedding and trying her best not to make a sound, he put the tip of the gun close to her temple.
"Do you have somewhere you can go?" Alonso whispered.
Theodora nodded her head slightly.
"Then I suggest you go there and stay there. Nor if you understood what I just said!"
Theodora nodded again.
Alonso took some steps back, but kept his gun on her until he was out of the office. Then, he ran down to the main area and dance floor to view the carnage.
Hero bumped into him again. "Are we good to go?"
Alonso observed all the men in the room wearing the uniform. They were complete strangers and the shame painted his face clearly. This meant nothing to Hero or the rest of them.
"This isn't going to be good," Alonso said. "The last thing we need is cameras in here."
"Do you know the one thing the theater has taught me?" Hero said. "There is no such thing as bad publicity. Let the cameras come."
Hero went outside to find an audience witnessing the demise of the Cult of Andromache in full display. Just as Alonso feared, the cameras flashed at the aftermath and Hero presented his good side for all the cameras to hear.
Hero Borom had become a star once again...
FIFTEEN: LOVESICK SENTENCE
It did not take long before the towns of Maser, Pendo, and Sigeberht received the news in their own respective ways about what happened in Osiwu at Utara. The most hardened were embarrassed to see this. Despite what others may have felt about the Cult of Andromache and how they flaunted their style, Ichiamo was proud of them and the Utara raid became the ultimate insult.
Any credibility Queen Katharina Santos had went out the window. But there was nothing they could do. She had sovereign control and the king had not returned back from Crystal Metropolis. Some even began to speculate that the king could be dead.
Even Alonso Fontaine thought so we he began to read more and more stories on his laptop over Utara.
Alonso Fontaine became commander of the Democrat Guard since the death of his friend, Dorcas Camillo. Frankly, all he wanted to do was his job and be true to the expectations his predecessor had for him. He put his all into it and did his job efficiently, gaining respect from not only the other Democrat Guards, but every soldier who served under the king in Crystal Metropolis.
That changed when he was replaced by the queen's best friend Hero Borom, along with thirty other respectable guards. Hero Borom was not as effective of a leader as past guards. He never held a power position and his theater skills gained him no respect among the rest of Alonso's friends.
Then, he received a knock on the door to his apartment. He took out his pistol immediately and kept it close to him. He opened the door quickly and before him was an elderly man.
"We need to talk, Commander Fontaine!"
"And you are?"
The older man just entered into his apartment without asking permission. Alonso slammed his door, wondering if he should just shoot this man.
"My name is Benedict Biondello. I'm a Strator."
Alonso had never wanted to be in the midst of politics, let alone be a few feet from a strator.
"How do you know who I am?" Alonso asked.
"We know who you are and what you're about," Biondello replied.
"What do you want?"
“Like I said. We need to talk, Commander Fontaine? Come with me."
Biondello walked to the door and Alonso blurted, "Why should I?"
The strator grabbed the doorknob. "Because it could mean the end for all of us if you don't. If you care about your king, then I suggest you come with me."
Alonso decided to go with Biondello to the Santos Palace. Instead of going the usual way, they took a scenic route, going to the back and into a vineyard. That was when Alonso saw the person he and Biondello met before: the king's brother Pedro Santos.
Biondello went to him and hugged him like an old friend while Alonso treaded cautiously and made sure his pistol behind him was reachable in case he needed to use it. He knew of Pedro's reputation of being very secretive in his approach.
“Didn’t think I would see you again, Senator Biondello,” Pedro said sarcastically.
“Believe me! I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t important. It’s about the queen.”
Pedro smirked. "What isn’t about the queen nowadays?"
Pedro turned to Alonso. "Dorcas died because of the queen's treachery. How long do you want this to keep going?"
Alonso stayed silent.
"I mean she challenged one of the most infamous prostitutes on the planet to a sex contest. She took on everyone in the Nero Palace and she wasn’t even tired. What was worse was how everyone was acting. You might as well believe she was king.”
“Well, she’s Ichiamo’s wife," Biondello said. "What did you expect?"
"And why the secrecy?” Alonso interjected.
“Because we need your help," Pedro answered.
“Why me?”
“Well, believe me, I wouldn’t need it if I didn’t received the latest information.”
“About?”
Strator Benedict stood back as Pedro went to Alonso. "Are you sure you want to do this with us? We all could get killed if they found out about this. If she could take down a gang of prostitutes and your own friends, then there's nothing she can't do."
Alonso looked at the strator and the king's brother. "What are you planning?"
****
Three men: Alonso Fontaine, Pedro Santos, and Benedict Biondello, decided to go to a café in Maser and continue the conversation there away from the spies of the queen. Once again, Alonso kept his cool, watching Pedro's every move. He kept his gun and knife in grip, just in case.
“There was something I didn’t tell you,” Pedro said. “Around the time the king got married, he filled out a clause. It said that if there was a chance something happen to him, he made sure that he would take care of her financially. If there was a chance that there was a divorce or if the king dies, my niece and nephew become the sole rulers of Crystal Metropolis with Katharina as regent.”
"Which means Katharina takes soul control," Biondello said. "There's no way she's going to let that power to just give it to her children."
“Why would the king do that?" Alonso asked.
“You would think after Zola, he would have learned a lesson or two. But
the king has never done well when it comes to the opposite sex. I blame our father for that. Anyway, Ichiamo did this in secret, but something tells me she used her family power to tell on Zola so she could move in. I’m thinking…” Pedro circled around to make sure no one else heard. Then, he came closer to Alonso and Benedict. “I’m thinking that everyone who was hit by her blows may not have known about this and she planned on the king being weak in love.”
Alonso rubbed his forehead. "So what are you saying? You mean...you mean she could take over Crystal Metropolis without the king knowing?”
“And she has the chance to do it. The king is on business. If something were to happen, she takes Crystal Metropolis for herself. She could do what she wants. Your friend Dorcas knew this could happen. He's one of the reasons she made it this far."
"Dorcas is not evil like she is," Alonso said defending her friend.
"I'm not saying that," Pedro said. "He was fooled just like all of us."
“Is there’s no way we can stop her?”
Benedict cleared his throat. “There’s only one way.”
"We have to make sure the king lives and we let him know all about this," Pedro said. "As long as he away, he has a target on his back."
Alonso knew as well. “But no one will listen."
“Someone has the ear of the king. We’ll let him talk to him.”
After the secret meeting, Alonso knew that there was no one who would listen. Dorcas could not do it. Not even Pedro could do it and he was a Santos. He feared that what Benedict said was true. The queen was unstoppable and without Ichiamo knowing, she could get away with murder and anything else she wanted...
****
Days went by and Alonso still struggled with the issue of finding someone that could talk to the king about the problems in Crystal Metropolis. He never wanted to deal with the anything involving Queen Kate, but as he feared, no matter where he go, the face of the queen was everywhere.
He looked up to the sky from his apartment window as the rest of Crystal Metropolis went out to have fun, mentally praying to the stars to grant his wish for some help.
Then, his eyes widen to the sky. For some reason, the sky dawned on him.
“I know who can tell the king. Why didn’t I see this before?”
He made a call to the Senator Biondello, asking him for another secret meeting with him. There were things he had to tell him.
****
Hero Borom could tell that the Democrat Guards did not like or respect him. Even after the Utara raid and landing a blow against the Cult of Andromache, he only received contempt. They know he was only given the post because of his friendship to the queen.
Belonging to a rich, aristocratic family in Solaria, Hero had no drive in life excepting squandering his family's money and the theater. It was here he started his friendship with Katharina Lysander and the other daughters of the wealthiest families in Solaria.
He was around when the rivalry occurred between Katharina and Zola Gadiaga to determine who the most beautiful woman in Solaria was. He was also around when he was the first person to receive the news about Katharina moving to Crystal Metropolis to be Queen of the ATM. He ended up joining her along with Dorcas Camillo as royal protectors and advisors.
It could not have come at a perfect time, as his acting career was failing and he was marked for death by debt collectors. Crystal Metropolis gave him that opportunity to prove himself, but he knew that he was going to have to work harder than that. What really boggled his mind was when he received a mysterious call from his parents saying that they would no longer support him financially.
One night, there was a party going on in the Timon Palace, with Queen Kate hosting as usual. However, there was no sex involved, but plenty of drinking. It was his first time seeing the Santos queen up close and he had different thoughts. With his confidence brewing, she became a sight to behold.
He thought that it was going to be the only time he would see her again. Then, he was called to the Santos Palace, but to the royal bedroom. There, he ran into a revealing figure wearing only lingerie and panties. Hero closed the door slowly as the guard stood to the side of it.
"Don't get me wrong," Hero said. "I like games like anyone else. But what is this?"
Katharina jumped off the bed and ran to him.
“You’re going to be my date for tonight,” she said caressing his cheek.
“Do you know who you're talking to here? It's me.” Hero said.
“Of course! Why do you think I call you here?”
Katharina kissed Hero on the lips. He backed away slightly.
"Are you sure about this? The last time this happens you was almost caught."
Katharina smiled. "That was then. Now I'm in control. And you're my slave for the night."
For a few seconds, Hero observed her eyes. He thought he could see something strange in them. Before he had time to find out, Katharina's luscious lips smacked his again and this time, they were not letting go.
In the end, what was once rumors became truer than the strangest fiction! Hero Borom had become another victim in the sexual universe of Katharina Lysander Santos.
Like Dorcas before him, the minute she wrapped her lips around his penis and slurped and sucked it to perfection, Hero entered universal bliss. He could not control his body and Katharina's cat eyes kept fixated on every reaction. Just when Hero thought he could relaxed because he was to the point of orgasm, Katharina brought her face to meet his and her eyes locked onto his.
"Not yet! You haven't earned it!" Katharina whispered.
"You play too much, my queen!" Hero said cheerfully. "If you wanted me to do something, you don't have to go to these extremes."
"I have a proposition for you."
"Anything for you."
Katharina licked, then bit his earlobe. She went to the other ear and asked. “What if I made you king?”
Christopher laughed wildly. However, Kate kept her cool when she faced his eyes again.
“Are you serious?” he asked.
“If you want it bad enough, then it can happen.”
“If I was to say yes, how can it be done? I mean Ichiamo Santos is the king.”
Kate grinned and came to Hero's ear. “Let me tell you a story, lover.”
****
Lucius Gaines had just touched down from his trip to Syra, looking for a couple of days of relaxation when several Democrat Guards came to him. They aimed their guns at him. Wanting not to make a commotion, Lucius held his arms up.
"Come with us, Lucius Gaines. You've been summoned."
Lucius thought that he was in trouble, but he did not understand how since the king was still on his universal trip. He was pushed into a truck and taken to a mansion. He was not sure whose it was, but he was taken there without no one divulging any information.
Then, some servants took him inside until he came into the dining room of Strator Benedict Biondello, who was sitting in a reclining chair, paid for by his strator dollars raised since the end of the Force of Arms War.
Lucius kept his guards up, wanting to make sure there were no trap. Then, coming from another door came Alonso Fontaine. He sat at another seat to the side of Benedict.
“Sit down and relax, Mr. Gaines,” Benedict said. “You’re a guest in my home.”
Lucius obeyed and sat down. He said hello to Alonso, but Alonso said nothing.
“What’s going on?” Lucius asked.
“I’m sorry for the Guards,” Benedict said. “I wanted to be discreet. And believe me, it was necessary.”
“We brought you here because we have a problem with the queen,” Alonso said.
“What’s going on?” Lucius asked.
Alonso cleared his throat. “The queen has been cheating on the king. She has been making a fool of him while he’s gone—”
“And we feel that she might be making a move against the king using some of her close friends,” Benedict interrupted.
“And what does this have to do with me?” Lucius asked.
“Well, every time someone tries to tell the king about this, he wouldn’t listen."
‘Dorcas died trying to explain,” Alonso said. "She got to him. He tried to kill the king, but she was the one that persuaded him to do it.”
Benedict held his hand up. "The point of the matter is if we can’t stop this, that witch will ruined everything the king has been working for.”
INIQUITOUS DOMINION: The Galactic Classic Page 30
