The kDira's World Anthology

by K R McClellan

  “And send up the girl!” he yelled down.

  Minutes later, Dahlah and the other warrior arrived on the fifth level. Winter could see Dahlah enter the apartment.

  “Dahlah! How could you do this to us?”

  “Do not pay attention to her, girl,” Malak said, putting his hand under Dahlah’s chin and diverting her face from looking at Winter to looking at him. “I need you to show me where all the magic power comes from.”

  “I will show you,” Dahlah said.

  “Dahlah, do not do it! He will kill you too! He is evil!”

  Malak laughed as they left the room. “Keep a close eye on her. She is clever.”

  “Yes, my King.”

  As they reached the ground floor, Malak grabbed the attention of two of the warriors watching the occupants of the complex.

  “I want all of the occupants rounded up and taken to that one room… Dahlah, what is that big room we passed on the way here?”

  “The cafeteria?”

  “Take them to that big room we passed on the way in here. Do you know the one?”

  “Yes, my King,” one warrior said as the other one nodded.

  “Good. When I come back, I expect them all to be there. If any of them give you any trouble, kill them.”

  “Yes, my King.”

  “Girl, show us the way.”

  Malak and one other warrior followed Dahlah out of the living area and down one passage after another until they arrived at a door with a large yellow triangle with a black symbol in the middle.

  “This is the place,” she said, opening the door. The room inside was brightly lit, and the walls around the perimeter of the room had all kinds of strange knobs, lights, and other things. There were some workstations in the middle that had more knobs, lights, and switches, with two outsiders wearing red shirts sitting at two of those stations. Dahlah led the way in, with Malak and the other warrior following close behind.

  One of the technicians stood up to greet Dahlah, but when he saw that she had been followed in, he cut his greeting short.

  “Dahlah, what is going on here?” asked the technician.

  Before the technician realized what was happening, the warrior reached over the console, pulled the technician close, and ran a dagger through his heart.

  “Oh my God!” the other technician yelled, running away to the point in the room farthest away from the attackers. “Wait now, you mustn’t kill me. The cooling system is being cycled to the auxiliary backup system so we can do maintenance. If I am not here to hand it back over to the main system when the cycle ends, this whole place will blow up!”

  “How long before that happens?” Malak asked as he and the warrior closed the distance between them.

  “Twelve, maybe fourteen hours, tops! Really, you must let me live. It is our only hope!”

  Malak closed the remaining ground between him and the technician, and with one quick sweep of his arm, sliced the man’s throat. The hapless technician grabbed at his bleeding neck in a panic as he slid down the electrical panel behind him.

  “Plenty of time to do what I came here to do,” Malak said, wiping his blade on the dead technician’s pant leg. Malak looked around at the flashing lights and various things on the control panels. “Dahlah, is kDira down here right now?”

  “No, my King. She went back to Blackhorn and is not due back anytime soon.”

  “Well, I am sure she will come back immediately if you go to Blackhorn and tell her that Winter has been hurt. She fell, or something. Go now, go quickly.”

  “Yes, my King.” Dahlah left the room and headed to the north elevator. Malak walked along the panels in the control room. “I want to shut this monster off. If we turn it off, it will not explode as the foolish man tried to make me think. Come here.”

  The warrior went to Malak’s side.

  “This symbol means OFF,” Malak said pointing to the word OFF on the control panel near one of the switches. “I want you to start on that end and on every one of these things that you see this symbol, you turn the handle to the OFF position. Understand?”

  “Yes, my King.”

  Starting at opposite ends of the room they went to every knob and switch and began turning every one of them to the OFF position. Halfway through, alarms started to sound, and warning lights began to flash.

  “Do not worry about it. Keep going!” Malak yelled over the ever-increasing alarms.

  When the two had finished, they made their way from the control room into the passageway. To Malak’s dismay, there were alarms and flashing lights out in the passages for as far as they could see.

  “This is going to get annoying very quickly. Come on, let us get back to our hosts.”

  In the cafeteria, the Survivors were becoming very concerned at the alarms, and their Midlander guards were getting concerned that they would have to beat some of them back, when Malak came into the room.

  “What is going on here?” Malak asked of the commotion.

  “This one says he needs to speak to you, my King,” one of the warriors said. Lucas Brown stepped forward.

  “King Malak. We are very concerned about the alarms. They mean there is trouble with the reactor.”

  “What is your name, outsider?”

  “My name is Lucas Brown. I am an engineer here. We must all evacuate the complex before the reactor goes into meltdown.”

  “You need not worry about that. I turned it all off.”

  “You what?”

  cHAPTER 37

  “I shut it down so stop your crying, outsider!”

  “King Malak, if you shut it down, then there is no cooling going to the system, and there most certainly will be a meltdown.”

  “Meltdown, explosion, these are not my problems.”

  “But King Malak, if it goes into meltdown…”

  “I have heard enough! One more word I cut your throat.”

  Lucas bit his tongue, but he knew he had to find his way out of there to warn kDira. He turned and went back into the crowd of Survivors to discuss what had to be done. It was then that he saw Elick, wearing a lab coat and looking every bit like one of the Survivors.

  “Elick, we must get everyone out of here. This place is going to blow up.”

  “What do you mean, blow up?”

  “It is going to go up in a big ball of fire, and no one within a hundred miles will survive. It will have a force much like what created the Valley of Death. We must figure something out quickly.”

  “Not to sound like a coward, but I am no warrior. I am like you, a scholar. My hands hold a quill, not a sword.”

  “I understand. Our people have not trained in fighting for over a hundred years. We have never had to.”

  “Then we better hope for a miracle.”

  Dahlah got onto one of the small trolleys and pushed the lever forward. It moved ahead and was quickly up to full speed, racing down the tunnel, its headlight shining the way. In just a little over three hours, she was at the end of the track and making her way up the elevator. Once above ground, she ran for all she was worth in the dark towards Blackhorn.

  The sun was just starting to rise when she arrived at the gate. Dahlah pleaded for the sentry to get kDira, who was called for immediately. kDira had Dahlah brought into the village without question.

  “Queen Mother, it’s Winter. She has fallen and has a bad head injury. They sent me to get you at once.”

  “Is she okay?”

  “She is unconscious. The doctor is taking care of her. Please, you must come quickly.”

  “I will. I must get Ari and Omiroe. And Agis. They will come with me.”

  “Really, Queen Mother, there is no need to take anyone else. She really only needs you.”

  “I understand that, but I never travel alone these days. Wait here.”

  kDira ran towards Ari’s hut and got her out of bed earlier than she had planned.

  “What is it, kDira?” she asked.

  “Winter has been hurt. We must go back n
ow. I need you to get Omiroe, I will get Agis and Miss Davis, and we will be off.”

  “Of course. Is Winter alright?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t have a lot of information.”

  In less than an hour, Ari, Agis, Omiroe, and Miss Davis had joined kDira and Dahlah at the gate. All were equipped as they always were – as good warriors would be – ready for anything.

  “Let’s go. We will have to make good time. I don’t want Winter to be alone any longer than necessary.”

  Together they raced back to Lexton without rest and rode the elevator down to the trolley below. Miss Davis got into the first trolley and kDira joined her. Ari and Dahlah filled in the rear two seats. Agis drove the second trolley with Omiroe next to him.

  Away they sped, pushing the throttle to full. The little trolleys were a bit less comfortable than the railcar that they were used to, but this was not a joy ride. kDira and Agis had to get to their daughter, and Dahlah was only concerned with getting kDira delivered to Malak.

  Dahlah was proud of herself for being able to pull this off. It was a simple lie, with few details to mess up. She was certain Malak would reward her tenfold.

  The three-hour trip seemed to take several hours longer, but when they finally neared the complex, it was evident that there were lights flashing and alarms going off.

  “Dahlah, what is happening?” kDira asked.

  “I do not know, my Queen. All was fine when I left.”

  “That’s an alarm for the reactor,” said Miss Davis. “There must be a problem with the reactor, or they are testing the systems.”

  “The reactor,” Dahlah said, “yes, they said they shut it off.”

  “They said what?” the director asked. “Who said that?”

  “I don’t know. The men who operate it, I guess.”

  “They can’t just shut it down. Something is wrong.”

  “What is wrong?” kDira asked.

  “The reactor cannot just be shut down. It takes a long time. This is bad. Stop the trolleys!”

  Miss Davis brought the front trolley to a stop, and the one Agis was driving bumped into the back of it as Agis could not get his to stop fast enough. Eventually, both stopped.

  “We should continue on foot, with caution,” Miss Davis said. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

  “kDira, you must get to Winter. She could be dying as we speak.”

  kDira looked at Dahlah, then forward at the flashing lights. With the sirens droning over her own thoughts, she again turned back to Dahlah.

  “Dahlah, what is going on?”

  “It’s like I said, Winter…”

  kDira jumped out of the trolley, went around to the back seat, and grabbed Dahlah’s arm, pulling her to the ground. A knife against her throat brought Dahlah to the full awareness of kDira’s intentions.

  “This is the last time I will ask you,” kDira spouted through gritted teeth. “What is going on?”

  Dahlah began to cry hysterically. “It is Malak. He’s down here, and he has killed a lot of people. He has Winter.”

  “How did he get down here?” Miss Davis asked.

  “I led him down here. He threatened to kill me if I didn’t. He would have tracked me down eventually. I couldn’t live with that.”

  “But you could live with the killing of innocent people? You could live with what you have condemned Winter to?”

  “I am sorry, Queen Mother. Truly, I am.”

  “Well then, as long as you are sorry,” kDira said, with a flick of her knife, shoving it up under Dahlah’s ribcage, “I’m sorry too. Come on, let us go.”

  The remaining five took up running again, staying in the shadows as much as possible until they reached the station terminal. There were two Midlander guards, waiting for the trolley, that did not expect to have arrows suddenly penetrate their chests. They fell to the ground before they ever knew they had been shot.

  “Nice shot, Ari.”

  “Your shot was a little off, kDira.”

  “Sorry, I am a little rusty.”

  “Come on, you two,” the director said, “we will have time for chest-pounding later.”

  “What is chest-pounding?” Ari asked.

  “Probably not what you’re hoping it is.”

  They headed up to the platform and took strategic positions along the passages toward the main areas of the complex. Miss Davis stayed back behind the Blackhorn warriors for safety, kDira and Agis at the front.

  “The cafeteria is just ahead. I can hear people in there,” kDira said, just loud enough to be heard over the alarms. “They must be holding everyone in there.”

  “kDira, let me go ahead and have a look,” Ari said.

  “Okay, be careful.”

  Ari hugged the wall as she crept ahead. When she got to the cafeteria door, she peeked in through the window, then went back to report.

  “It appears that everyone is in there. There are a fair number of Midlanders watching over them.”

  “Then we must catch them by surprise and free the Survivors. Did you see Malak? Or Winter?”

  “I did not, Queen Mother.”

  “Then he must have her elsewhere. First things first, let’s free these people.”

  Slowly they made their way to the door. kDira looked back at the others and nodded. Swiftly, she opened the door and they charged in. kDira loosed an arrow, taking down one of the guards, and Agis pounced on another. Ari and Omiroe followed suit by taking down two Midlanders with their own bows.

  Elick recognized his fellow Blackhorn, and sensing an opportunity, yelled “Attack!”

  On cue, the outnumbered Midlanders were attacked on all sides by the Survivors, with the help of the Blackhorn. Within seconds, the Midlanders were subdued and taken down, their weapons taken by their former captives and used against them. For many that day, it was their first time spilling the blood of another.

  Lucas Brown quickly made his way over to the director who had come into the room after the commotion stopped. He held out his hand, and she took it.

  “Miss Davis, we must get out of the complex, the reactor is going into meltdown.”

  “Why? Why would that be happening?”

  “It was Malak. He has done something to the reactor.”

  “Can you go to the reactor room and see what you can do? Where are the other nuclear technicians?”

  “They are dead. Malak killed many us when he came into the living area before anyone knew what was happening. Winter was able to put a stop to it, but…”

  “But what?”

  “The doctor… Aaron is dead.”

  “Oh no!” Tina cried, falling back into one of the table seats. “That poor man.”

  “Lucas, where is Winter?” kDira asked as Miss Davis planted her face down into her hands to weep.

  “Malak has her in her living quarters, last I knew.”

  “Okay Lucas, you take a few of your people, those with weapons, and see if you can fix the reactor.”

  “kDira,” the director said, wiping the tears from her eyes. “We must get clear of the complex. We have no time. Who knows how much time we have, but should the worst happen, this whole place will be destroyed. For a hundred miles all around. There will be no survivors.”

  “Elick!” kDira called, signaling him to come over to her. “Elick, you need to get as many of these Survivors to the railcar and get them to Blackhorn right now. Do not wait. Get them clear of here. Miss Davis, you go with them.”

  “No, I will stay here…”

  “No, you will go now. It is like you said, we have no time. Agis, Ari, Omiroe, we have to get Winter.”

  Elick went about getting the people to the terminal as kDira and her three friends rushed off to the living area.

  “I get first crack at cutting his throat,” kDira said as they raced down the passageway.

  cHAPTER 38

  The four Blackhorn slowed down as they approached the living area of the complex. The lights flashed as the alarms echoed throu
gh the chamber creating an ominous atmosphere in an area that should be peaceful and quiet.

  “Quickly, we must get to Winter’s room,” kDira urged.

  They took the elevator up to the fifth floor and raced to Winter’s apartment. The door was open as they rushed in, only not to find her. Much of the furnishings had been overturned or tossed aside. Two Midlander bodies were lying dead on the floor, with signs that they had been dragged out of the doorway.

  “It appears she didn’t go without a fight,” Agis said.

  “She’s not here,” Ari said coming out of the bedroom. “I would bet he is on his way back to Midlandia.”

  “Let’s get back down. Quickly.”

  They ran out of the living area at full clip. They passed the now empty cafeteria and then turned down a passage to take them to the north side of the complex. As they did so, they spotted Malak with one other warrior, struggling to pull Winter along with her bad foot holding them up. kDira could see that Winter’s hands were tied behind her back.

  “Winter!” she called out. Winter turned to see her mother, her father, and her friends racing up behind her.

  Malak turned as well, and realizing he had been spotted, pulled Winter into a room off the side of the passage. They had gone into the wood shop.

  kDira and the others got to the door and cracked it open only to see Malak and Winter along the far wall, Malak with his knife to Winter’s throat, the other Midlander warrior standing next to Malak.

  kDira walked into the room calmly, followed by the others. She looked at Malak, then at the other warrior, then Malak once more.

  “Malak, you need to end this. The whole place is going to be destroyed.”

  “That is nonsense. Nothing is going to happen; they just want to scare me into thinking that so I will leave. But we will kill everyone here. And Winter will come with me. She will produce baby after baby for us.”

  “Winter is not going anywhere with you. I am here to take her home. I am not leaving without her, and that means if I must kill my son, I will.”