The Antithesis- The Complete Pentalogy

by Terra Whiteman

  Her grimace faded and she gave me a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Must you always be so unpleasant?”

  “Only when I’m being terribly inconvenienced. It’s not my fault that that happens all the time.”

  We were sitting at a fancy restaurant in Upper Sanctum. Kesa was well known for their wine and rice dishes, not to mention their staggering prices for near-microscopic portions. Leid had seen a review column in our news journal and wanted to come. Even though I was the richest man in Sanctum, I seldom ventured to these kinds of places. But I understood Leid was getting cabin fever, and I still felt guilty about almost breaking her neck this morning.

  It was late in the evening so the dinner crowd was already gone. That was a good thing, considering I didn’t need any more media attention. The press would have loved to report rumors of Commandant Qaira Eltruan’s flourishing romance with his Advisor, which would then force the spotlight on Leid. I couldn’t have that. In passing she may have looked ordinary, but anyone interested enough to look twice would be able to tell she wasn’t Nehelian.

  The only thing I could hope for was that logical reasoning would force curious spectators into questioning their sanity should they think she was some kind of alien. But with the whites around, who knew.

  “Is this any good?” She held the menu out, pointing to an entrée. I leaned in to read it. Another leriza dish. I was about to complain about her eating the same thing all the time, but thought better of it. I just wanted her to choose something so I could have dinner.

  “Yeah, it’s good.”

  Leid wore a black-laced dress with white knee-high boots. The height of her heels almost made me stagger. Her hair was tied in a bun and she wore heavy-lidded liner, trying to make her eyes appear smaller. I hated to admit it but she was the prettiest woman in the restaurant. I didn’t want her to be the prettiest woman in the restaurant because people kept staring and I was afraid they’d notice who she was with.

  She put the menu down and pointed at the wine bottle. “Want any more?”

  “Not until we eat.” I was still hung-over.

  Leid shrugged and poured the rest of it into her glass, filling it to the rim.

  The waiter came by for the thousandth time. “Are you and your date ready to eat, Commandant?”

  “She is not my date,” I said curtly, handing him the menu. “She is my advisor and we are having a business meeting.”

  “Can I have another bottle of wine?” asked Leid.

  I shot her a look. “I’ll have the artegna with legumes. She’ll have the grilled leriza with tevra sauce, and another bottle of wine.”

  “What would the lady like with her side?” asked the waiter, glancing at Leid.

  Leid blinked. “What?”

  I sighed, massaging my forehead.

  “Your choice of setsa, canai or the sautéed poi.”

  She looked at me; her expression read ‘save me’.

  I did. “She’ll have the canai.”

  After the waiter left with our menus, she asked, “What’s canai?”

  I smirked. “Pickled gizzards.”

  “You’re horrible.”

  “I know.”

  We fell silent, waiting for our dinner. I stared at Leid as she unfolded and refolded her cloth napkin. Only three weeks ago I was plotting her demise, and now we were at a restaurant together. The irony didn’t elude me.

  In my defense I didn’t have anything else to do. This was the first day off I’d ever had. Tae, Ara and my father were already finished with dinner by now. I was never able to participate in my family life because I left early each morning and didn’t get home until late at night. I probably saw them for about an hour per day, if that.

  Leid was the first person who I’d spent this much time with since… forever. The isolation my job forced on me left me uncomfortable in most social situations. But then again, Leid was weird, too. Her lack of empathy was appalling. She’d say just about anything on her mind without any regard as to how it came across. Sometimes it was funny, other times it was annoying.

  “Your ink is fading, Qaira.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Yes, I know. I haven’t had a chance to call my artist.”

  “I could fill it for you.”

  I stared at her, saying nothing. She smiled.

  “For free, even.”

  “Nothing comes free with you,” I said. “Since when do you ink?”

  “Since always. Inking is a long-practiced tradition of the Nehel.”

  “Oh, yeah? I didn’t know that.”

  She frowned at my sarcasm. “Will you let me?”

  “As long as you don’t fuck my face up.”

  “Well then you better be nicer to me.”

  “I’m nicer to you than I am anyone else.”

  “That’s scary.”

  We shared a grin.

  Our food arrived and I dug in. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until I took my first bite. Several minutes later my plate was half clean. My eyes rose to Leid as she sat there picking at hers.

  “Are you going to eat?” I asked.

  Reluctantly she took a bite. Her face lit up. “Hey, this is pretty good.”

  “Fantastic.”

  When we were done I poured myself a glass of wine, refilling Leid’s as well. This had to be her sixth. She nodded her thanks, taking a sip.

  “I want to see that Archaean craft tomorrow.”

  With all of the commotion over the past week, I hadn’t taken her to our research laboratory yet. “I planned on it.”

  “Good.”

  “What do you hope to achieve by seeing it?”

  “Wrong question.”

  I lifted a brow.

  “What do you hope to achieve by me seeing it?”

  Ah, technicalities. “The craft came from their base ship, which means it can return there. I want to know how it works, and whether we can replicate it.”

  “So you want to upgrade your crafts.”

  I nodded.

  “I’m beginning to suspect that you don’t simply want the angels to leave The Atrium.”

  “I plan to kill Lucifer Raith,” I said plainly, watching her expression. “I want to destroy their base ship.”

  Leid glanced at her lap. “Your plan will take a while, Qaira.”

  “That’s fine. We have Yahweh to keep the whites at bay.”

  Her eyes widened with revelation. “That’s right! We have Yahweh!”

  I tilted my head at her sudden display of enthusiasm. “Hooray?”

  “The fact that we have him could speed up your plan exponentially!”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Yahweh Telei has developed over twenty percent of the Archaean’s technological advances over the course of three centuries.”

  “… Shut up.”

  “I told you he wasn’t just a kid, Qaira. The contract forbids me to from building the crafts myself, but—”

  “Yahweh could,” I finished. “Well at least he’ll be somewhat useful.”

  “Now all we have to do is convince him to work for us. That won’t be easy.”

  I smirked. “I’m sure I can think of something.”

  “You can’t hurt him.”

  My smirk fell. “Okay, what is it with you and that white? What do you care if I smack him around a bit?”

  Leid looked away, conflict in her gaze. “He won’t comply with violence. You need to get him to respect you. To like you.”

  “It sounds like you know him personally.”

  “I don’t. Another scholar does, though.”

  “Who?”

  “I can’t disclose that. It’s against my contract to talk about Enigmus affairs.”

  “Yahweh is an angel under my supervision. It’s important that I know these things.”

  “No, it isn’t. Unless Lucifer learned of my involvement there would be no reason for him to contact the Court of Enigmus. If we keep it that way, everything will be fine. But you mustn’t hurt Yahw
eh.”

  We fell silent as the waiter returned with our check. I muttered thanks and opened the book to inspect the bill.

  Seriously? Two hundred usos?

  “Promise me, Qaira. This is important.”

  “So have you taken my place as Regent? Last time I checked, you serve me. I don’t have to promise you anything.”

  Leid’s face darkened. “Without me you wouldn’t last another year, Regent. I suggest you reflect on that before you try to undermine me.”

  Anger began to resettle in my chest, rising to my face. My pulse beat like a war drum. Instead of replying, I jammed the money into the checkbook and slammed it on the table.

  “Get up, we’re leaving.”

  * * *

  The ride back to Eroqam was quiet, obviously.

  It was nearly midnight and Upper Sanctum was closing down. Lower Sanctum was just opening for business. The working class crowds filtered into bars and shops as we flew overhead, like little ant drones marching in and out of their hives. Lights below flickered in the dark like stars reflected off water.

  “Are you going to give me the silent treatment for the rest of the night?” asked Leid.

  I frowned, keeping my eyes ahead. “That was the plan, yeah.”

  “Your methods of resolution are comparable to a child’s.”

  “Totally not helping your case right now.”

  “Qaira, stop it.”

  “You first. If my memory serves correct, you were the one who started this.”

  “I didn’t start anything. You approach every problem with violence.”

  “I do not.”

  “You do so.”

  “Let’s take a survey,” I said, gesturing between her and I. “We have a problem, right?”

  Leid said nothing, crossing her arms.

  “And I haven’t resorted to violence.”

  “Yes, I suppose laying your hands on me twice in a day would be overkill.”

  “Cheap shot. You know I didn’t mean to do that.”

  “Do you have any malay in your craft?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “May I see it?”

  I gave her a sidelong glance. “What for?”

  “I’d like to try some.”

  “… Are you fucking serious?”

  “Don’t worry; I can’t get addicted to substances like your lot. I just want to see what all the fuss is about.”

  Our conversation revived memories of Talia, and I didn’t want to think about that. I was fairly certain my scholar wouldn’t go insane and throw a lamp at my head if I refused to give her another dose, but then again anything was possible when it came to Leid.

  I nodded at my dashboard. “It’s in there.”

  Leid opened it up and removed my case. It contained fifteen canisters and forty-six syringes. “Goodness,” she gasped, examining the size of my stash. “How many do you take per day?”

  “Three,” I said. “I buy it in bulk.”

  She filled a syringe and injected it into her arm. Even though I did that numerous times a day, I still couldn’t watch. Then she sat there, looking around. Suddenly, her eyes widened.

  “Oh my.”

  I grinned at her reaction. It was funny.

  “I can see the appeal,” Leid said, reclining in her seat and closing her eyes. Her dress slid up her legs, and my eyes trailed to her exposed thigh. Something in my stomach twisted. I found myself wondering what she looked like underneath that dress, and an image of her straddling me flashed through my mind. I’d never fucked a strong-willed woman before. I was curious to know if she’d keep up that act while I was buried in her. She was so tiny that I’d probably break her in half.

  Whoa, Qaira. Whoa.

  I forced my attention ahead, trying to get a hold of myself. I hadn’t had my needs filled since Leid showed up a month ago. Since she was more or less attached to me, I was practically celibate. Ten years of celibacy. Someone kill me.

  “Is this all you have?” she asked.

  “No, I have more in my room. You saw it this morning.”

  “How much is in there?”

  “A little less than this.”

  “Is your brother an addict, too?”

  “No.”

  “Does he know about you?”

  “He hasn’t ever asked, but he might. I don’t know.”

  I also didn’t know why she was asking me these questions. By the time my suspicion was fully instated, I’d turned my head just in time to watch her open the passenger window and dump my entire case. It plummeted two thousand feet into the darkness of Sanctum.

  It felt like my eyes were about to pop out of my head. As I stared at her in utter disbelief, she leaned back in her seat, seeming quite satisfied with herself. My hands cramped up and I realized I was clutching the wheel so hard that my knuckles were white.

  “LEID, WHAT THE FUCK?!”

  “Now, now; this is for your own good.”

  I floored the pedal and we shot into Eroqam’s landing port. I turned off the ignition and whirled to her, snarling. “Do you know how expensive those are?! You just dumped five thousand usos out the fucking window!”

  “Doesn’t matter,” she said, unflinching. “You aren’t buying any more.”

  I glared at her.

  Leid opened the door, moving to get out, but I reached over her and shut it again. We weren’t finished. “What do you think you’re doing? You can’t force me to quit. Don’t you remember what happened this morning?”

  “You still have some in your room. I’m not cutting you off completely, but from now on I’m going to hold onto your malay for you. I’ll administer your doses in smaller amounts over time. We’re going to wean you off.”

  “You… you can’t,” I stammered. “You have no right to dictate my life!”

  “Then try to stop me,” she dared, flicking my nose.

  I shot back into my seat, enraged. She darted from the craft before I could say anything else. How could that bitch run so fast in those shoes?!

  I chased her, knowing exactly where she was headed. The events that followed were surreal.

  Leid burst into my room right as I caught up to her. As she lunged for the dresser, I tackled her to the floor. We rolled around my bedroom, entangled in a vicious struggle. She was holding her own a little too well, and my surprise made me clumsy. She managed to kick me off and I was sent into the wall.

  By the time I got back up, she had my case.

  “You can’t do this!” I shouted. “I’ll be worthless if you cut my doses!”

  “For a while I imagine you will be,” she agreed. “But that will change. You can’t keep this up, Qaira. Malay kills people. You’re killing yourself. Not to mention you’re impulsive, violent and angry. Those aren’t suitable traits for a world leader.”

  “You’re not my mother! You can’t treat me like a fucking child!”

  “It seems like someone needs to.”

  And that was it; I snapped. I lunged at her again, swinging.

  My fist caught air. Leid had disappeared.

  Something wrenched my arm behind my back and shoved me forward. My face hit the wall and I spun, swinging again. She caught my hand and bent my wrist back, nearly snapping it. I fell to my knees, crying out in shock.

  She held me there, eyes gleaming with malice. “Don’t play with me, Qaira. You might get hurt.”

  “What… what are you?!”

  “I am a scholar,” she said evenly. “And I’m doing what’s best for you. You want to win this war? Start acting like it.”

  Leid let go of me and I recoiled, holding my near-broken wrist. She rummaged through my case and took out a syringe, filling it with malay.

  “Here is your night’s dose,” she said, slapping it on my nightstand. “I’ll give you another before you go to work.”

  I stared at it, still trying to process what just happened. Getting spanked by a girl half my size was an impossible fact to swallow.

  Leid moved to th
e door, stopping over the threshold. “Thanks for dinner, Qaira. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

  A smile, and then she was gone.

  I sank to my bed, putting my face in my hands. Leid’s contract returned to me, specifically the clause about how she couldn’t aid us in physical combat. Back then I’d laughed about that, but now everything was crystal clear. She’d snapped a collar on me. Leid had never intended to serve me. I was serving her.

  “Qairaaaaaaa,” Ara called from my door.

  I didn’t even look at him.

  “We’re going to Sapyr! You wanna come?” he was already drunk; I could barely understand what he was saying.

  “Get out,” I muttered.

  Ara’s face scrunched up with confusion. “What’s wrong?”

  “I said get out!”

  He flinched. “What the fuck is your problem lately?”

  The question was rhetorical, because the door slammed a second later. Ara hadn’t noticed the needle on my nightstand. He was probably too loaded to see straight.

  I glanced at the syringe, daydreaming of stabbing it through Leid’s pretty little eyes. I felt like destroying everything around me, but I was too tired to move. All I did was sit there, staring at the wall.

  Only nine years and ten months more to go.

  X

  CHAINS

  “THE AERO-CRAFTS THAT THE ANGELS use are made from a thin, metal alloy found only on their planet,” Leid began, seated at the head of the conference table. Her eyes were lowered to the folder in her hands. “Your scientists were nice enough to test the colligative properties for me, and there are several metals in The Atrium that are capable of producing the same effect.”

  The Eye of Akul were on the edges of their seats. The director of Sanctum Science Research, Kada Ysam, and his team of aerophysicists were also present for the briefing.

  As Leid explained the mechanics of our enemy’s crafts, I stared ahead in a fog. I should have been listening to her, especially since I’d been pushing for the results all week, but I couldn’t hold a single cohesive thought long enough to even speak a sentence, let alone listen to one.

  For the last several weeks, I’d been a zombie. Perspiration coated my skin; droplets of sweat threatened to trickle from my trembling upper lip. My hands were a shaking mess. My brain felt like it was being shocked. I wanted to die.