"Don't be too hard on yourself, brother. You're the only person I can trust." She looks at him bleakly. "I have to go now, Bane. I don't have much energy left. I'm sending you the coordinates of where the children will arrive. Be safe, brother; we will see each other again one day, though I don't know when."
Before he can say anything, the transmission ends. Bane struggles to comprehend what has just happened. The transmitter beeps again, and the screen displays the coordinates where he must pick up the resurrected royal children. He plops onto a chair and chugs what's left of his beer in one giant gulp.
He then takes a deep breath, grabs the communicator, and walks up the stairs into the living room. There he finds Kaden, his Isarian Protector, and Nicole Harper, Kaden's human mistress, standing in the middle of the room, staring fixedly at the TV. "Is everything OK?" he asks, as he walks toward them. Kaden turns around, approaches Bane, and hugs him.
"I'm so sorry," he whispers.
"Why? What's happened?" Bane looks over Kaden's shoulder, and sees the strolling caption on the TV: "EUPERIAN KING UPHU IS DEAD." The news is like a spear through his heart, not so much for his brother-in-law's fate — after all, it was Uphu who exiled him to Earth — but for his sister. He knows that Liaj loves the King deeply.
He moves Kaden away to get closer to the screen. He hears the journalist report that sources are speculating that Prince Zec and Princess Odilia have perished as well. "There is no news about the Queen yet. Don't lose hope," Kaden says, trying to comfort Bane.
Both men turn their heads towards the sound of Nicole's watch ringing. She glances at the notification on her watch screen and taps to decline. "I think that's my cue to head out," she says as she grabs her purse. She hugs Bane. "I'm so sorry for your loss." Bane nods. She kisses Kaden and rushes out the door.
"Her fiancée will find out about you two, you know. It's wrong for her to be with you and him at the same time," Bane tells Kaden. "It's just a matter of time before he finds out," he adds after a slight pause. "Humans aren't stupid."
Kaden turns his back on him in disregard. He surmises that his friend's admonishments have less to do with qualms of conscience than with the simple fact that Nicole is human. More than a bit irritated, Kaden heads to the kitchen counter, grabs two glasses and a bottle of whiskey, and pours Bane and himself a drink.
"Your sister is a tough warrior. Don't lose hope," he says, as he walks into the living room and hands Bane his drink.
"She is. I spoke to her earlier," Bane says, and takes a sip of the whiskey.
"What. You spoke to her?" Kaden asks, surprised.
"It was brief. She said that my nephew and niece were poisoned and had died. Well, died in conventional terms, because she also said something about transplanting their Essences into human embryos. Now, it seems, they are headed here to Earth."
"Transplanting someone's Essence? The Queen is coming here?"
"I know it sounds preposterous. I remember rumors back in Euperia that some members of the King's scientific council were experimenting with transplanting the souls of some of their soon-to-perish family members into human embryos — but as I said, those were just rumors, something that I never confirmed. And no, the Queen is not coming here. She would never leave her people."
"So what's the plan?" asks Kaden.
"We must prepare to receive the children. At least everyone believes that they're dead. We have to make sure it stays that way — until the kids are ready to reclaim their rightful places back home."
❖❖❖
Aaron stops and leans against the trunk of a bur oak. He peeks around the tree and sees bobbing flashlights gaining ground. "We need to keep moving. We can still make it," he says to the other three Euperians.
Bright lights from drones suddenly illuminate the area. "This is the United Nations Special Task Force!" an augmented voice booms. "You are surrounded and ordered to surrender. If you do, you will not be harmed."
"Get ready to fight!" Aaron shouts. "If we surrender, they'll kill us!"
Aaron sees red glowing eyes moving in the darkness; he lifts his arm and sends a powerful wind blast that slams the Cheetah drone against a tree. He turns to his right and sees Janice punch another drone with enough force to tear it in half. "I only have the power for one more punch like that," she tells him, panting hard.
"Stay behind us," Aaron says to the other two Euperians. "We'll be safe once we cross the river."
He dashes forward and the rest follow. They zigzag through the forest, trying to stay away from the lights from above. As they approach the river, Aaron sees an individual standing between them and their destination. He signals the group to stop. "We can do this. Full force with everything we have left." He sprints forward, pulls his arm back, and extends it forward with an open hand, evoking the most potent wind blast he can muster. The force bends the trees halfway over, but the individual stands in place, unfazed.
A Cheetah drone tackles the Euperian behind Aaron. He tries to get loose, but it's hopeless. Aaron, too exhausted to help, turns to Janice and shouts, "Now's the time to use that last punch of yours!"
Janice sprints and leaps at the individual waiting ahead of them, sending a mighty punch into the face of her target. She shrieks as the bones in her hand shatter. The man grabs her neck and picks her up with one hand. She scratches and kicks to get loose from his grip, but as Aaron rushes forward, he realizes why the stranger has been unfazed by their attack — he's an Azhalian with organic steel skin. "Leave her alone, you scum!" Aaron shouts.
One of the other Euperians leaps from behind the Azhalian and strikes the back of the man's head with a huge rock. The Azhalian drops the Euperian woman, turns, and shoves the male Euperian to the ground, where he strikes another rock, smashing his own skull with a sickening crunch. Aaron picks up Janice and turns to see vehicles from the UNSTF arriving. He wraps one arm around her body and uses his other arm to call the last bit of his power to send a wind blast against the ground that propels them upward, aiming himself to fall into the river.
Chapter 12
Amy's life is practically back to normal now. Her classmates are no longer talking much about the tragic fire or Zack's heroism. The incident seems to have receded into the haze of the student body's collective memory. The hot new topic is the surprise arrest of Carl Weiner, a middle-school teacher who was accused of harboring a female Euperian fugitive. Supposedly, the authorities also found a vast arsenal of illegal weapons at his grandmother's house.
During her trigonometry class, the intercom clicks on: "Amy Harper, please report to the principal's office."
Amy looks up in surprise. What could she have done wrong? She picks up her backpack and walks out of class, shrugging apologetically at Mr. Wernsten as she goes. Moments later, at the reception area outside the principal's office, the secretary gestures for her to take a seat as she talks on the phone. A few minutes later the door opens, and Principal Castro walks out. "Miss Harper? May I have a word with you?" He gestures for her to follow him into his office.
Amy is surprised to see a young woman sitting on one of the two chairs in front of the principal's desk. Amy sits down on the other chair. "Dr. Castro, did I do something wrong?" Amy asks.
The principal laughs. "Of course not. Amy Harper, this is Eva Paterson. She just transferred in."
Eva and Amy exchange smiles.
"Amy, I want you to show her around. Her locker is right next to yours, and you have practically the same schedules."
"Sure!" Amy replies. "Welcome, Eva, it's a pleasure. This is my open period coming up, so we can get started now."
They say goodbye to Dr. Castro and walk up to the second floor, to their lockers. "Just open it with your thumbprint," Amy says.
Eva places her thumb on the one-square-inch glass screen. The lock beeps twice and opens.
"If you don't mind me asking, where did you move from?" Amy asks.
"A million places," Eva replies. "My parents moved a lot, and I was homeschooled u
ntil they died in a car crash. Now I live with my uncle."
"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't know."
"How could you have? And don't worry. It's been over a year now."
Eva is loading her stuff books into her locker when Amy looks up and sees Zack walking toward them.
"Forgot something?" Amy asks.
"Embarrassing, I know," Zack says. He looks at Eva and stops. "Oh. Hi."
"Zack, this is Eva; Eva, this is Zack," Amy says. "Eva just transferred here, and I'm showing her around."
Eva closes her locker and stares at Zack. The intensity of her gaze makes his spine tingle.
"Hi, nice to meet you," Eva says, extending her hand. Zack shakes it, unable to speak. The strength of her grip surprises him.
"Cat got your tongue?" Amy asks.
"I'm sorry, but have we met before, Eva?" Zack asks. "You look very familiar."
Eva smirks. "I don't think so, but I recognize you. Aren't you that guy who ran into a burning building to save a girl?"
Zack chuckles. "That was the intention, but Amy here ended up saving me."
"I knew I recognized you from somewhere!" Eva says, glancing at Amy.
"Yes, it's us," Amy says tiredly. "Eva, let me show you the library, 'k?"
"Nice to meet you, Eva, and good luck," Zack says. "You're in good hands." He hurries away like he's being chased.
Eva smiles and waves goodbye to her groom.
❖❖❖
Eza looks at herself in the mirror. She knows she looks stunning in the golden dress she'll wear tonight. She's more than a little nervous. To marry Prince Zec and become the future queen of the Euperian Empire would be a dream come true for most Euperian girls... but Eza's heart lies elsewhere.
"You look gorgeous, my dear," Frances gushes as she examines her daughter's lithe figure from all angles.
"Thank you, Mom," Eza murmurs.
This might be a bittersweet day for her daughter, but Frances is overjoyed. This marriage will save her family from the inevitable bankruptcy they've been plunging toward since the war against the Ucte broke out. Their family's status has been further threatened by her husband's two failed military campaigns against the Ucte, which have soured his formerly tight-knit relationship with the king. In a last desperate gambit, Frances poured the last of their wealth into bribes to high-ranking government officials, who convinced the king that of all his potential suitors, Eza would be the best possible match for his son. The king had proclaimed their betrothal by fiat, and ordered the wedding to be arranged.
Entranced by how beautiful Eza looks in the golden dress, Frances is sure that the prince will be ecstatic about the king's selection. Her only real concern is that Eza might still harbor some misgivings about marrying the prince. After all, it's only been a month since her daughter brashly confessed to her — when confronted with the love letters found by the housemaid — that she was in love with someone else.
At first, Eza refused to end the affair. She only relented when her father finally revealed the truth about the family's dire financial situation. He also warned her that he might have to marry off her younger sister to the odious ópio merchant Saverin to pay the family debts if Eza refused to marry the prince. He would have done it, too.
"Be assured that this is for the best," Frances says. "This will be the beginning of a great life for you and your sister. You will be the envy of every woman in the empire. You will be the Queen!"
"Yes, it's every woman's dream," Eza murmurs.
More than one thousand guests from all corners of the Euperian Empire and neighboring kingdoms are expected to attend the festivities. It's the perfect opportunity to remind everyone that the Euperian Empire is as mighty as ever — and banish the growing whispers of impending insolvency and military collapse.
❖❖❖
"Your father went all out, I see," Blair says to Zec. They're standing on the prince's balcony as the celebration starts to unfold in the royal gardens below. Blair is wearing his gold-washed plate armor, an exclusive privilege of the captains of the prince's and king's bodyguards.
"It's crap," Zec sneers as he wraps his cloak with his house symbol embroidered in gold around his black frock coat. "We're emptying the treasury for champanhe and kabiar when we should be paying our soldiers."
"Well, it looks pretty impressive from up here," Blair says.
"What happens if I don't like this woman? It's our wedding day, and I have yet to meet her! I feel like we're being bred like cattle. Humans can marry whoever they want, and we still have the gall to say that we're the more advanced species!"
"You're comparing us to those savages on Earth? And your mother definitely had a say in this, so I suspect you'll be fine."
"Let's get this over with, then," Zec says unhappily.
After an hour of introductions and conversations with ambassadors, generals, and other members of the upper echelons of Euperian society, Zec feels exhausted. Blair, perceiving that his prince is irritated, hands him a flute of champanhe. The prince is fond of the Earth beverage. He excuses the prince and walks him over to a quiet section of the garden. Zec swirls the glass in his hand and takes a few sips. They stand silently at the edge of the gardens and look out at the skyline of the Immortal City, Greron.
The first bell rings, announcing that the royal family will be entering the throne room presently. Zec gulps the rest of his champanhe. A few minutes later they enter the vast hall, which is lit by huge candelabras hanging from each of sixteen marble columns, showering the space with a brilliant glow that makes the thousands of gems in the arched ceiling dance and brightens the statues and holograms of past kings and warriors.
King Uphu, Zec's sire, sits on a magnificent obsidian throne with Odilia and Queen Liaj flanking him on smaller thrones. Zec takes his seat on the empty throne to his father's right.
Once all the guests are seated, a stream of entertainers starts singing, dancing, and performing aerobatics. The last performers, from the Atiru tribe, create fire-representations of the guests and the royal family. At the end of their performance, their flames form images of Zec and his bride to be. When the presenters extinguish the flames, Eza appears in the middle of the stage in her golden dress.
The guests cheer and clap. King Uphu rises from his throne, and Eza kneels in front of him.
"My son, I present to you Eza of Lativia, one of the three great founding houses of ancient Euperia. Today's union of the great house of Lativia with our House Eertu is a celebration of our many centuries of glory and prosperity, and a bridge to an even brighter future for the Euperian Empire."
The guests resume their frenzied clapping and cheering. A visibly stunned Zec rises from his throne. Eza is more beautiful than he ever imagined, though he' s sure that he has seen her before somewhere. He steps off the dais and stands next to Blair, who looks even more shocked than Zec himself. Eza rises, thanks the king, and extends her left arm. King Uphu takes her hand and kisses it. She then walks to Zec and extends her hand to him. He looks at her hand, bends, and kisses it, all in a daze.
"Is she the girl from my birthday party?" he whispers to Blair as he straightens.
"Yes," Blair says, more sharply than he meant to.
"You were right, I had nothing to worry about," Zec says. "She's stunning." He offers his elbow to Eza, and leads her to the middle of the stage.
Chapter 13
"It is presumed that this morning's bombing was orchestrated by the EIRF in repudiation of the Alien Exclusion Act. It was the third failed attempt on Ambassador Jabieko's life since the passage of Proclamation 6609."
George Harper glares at the TV screen as he watches firefighters try to contain a fire at the Alien Embassy headquarters on Manhattan's Upper East Side.
"There are no reports of the ambassador's whereabouts, but the UN Secretary-General's office reported a few hours ago that the Head Minister is traveling to an undisclosed location to meet with Ambassador Jabieko. The nature and purpose of the meeting has not been disc
losed."
"Dad, the TV's too loud!" Amy shouts.
George lowers the volume as she looks at the screen with a worried expression. "Dad, you think it's a good idea to still go to the city?"
"I'll be fine, honey. My meeting's in Brooklyn, miles away from the explosion."
"Dad, things are getting uglier by the day. Maybe you should take something to protect yourself."
George stares at Amy, surprised that she would suggest, even indirectly, that he break the law. He stands up and hugs her. "It's going to be fine, honey. I know you've been going through a lot lately, but things aren't so bad. Certainly not bad enough to start carrying an illegal weapon."
"Yes, Dad," Amy replies meekly. "I just worry about you."
"Careful, you never know who's listening," George whispers in her ear.
After rolling her eyes, Amy walks to the kitchen and makes herself a bowl of synthetic congee and pork floss. Her phone rings; she takes it out of her back pocket and sees an image of Emma wearing paint and making a goofy face. She accepts the request, and a hologram of Emma is projected from the phone's screen. "When are you picking me up?" Emma asks eagerly.
"Gotta eat. I'll be there in twenty minutes."
"Perfect! See you soon. GO RAIDERS!" Emma disconnects.
Amy hears her dad calling her from the living room: "Amy, have you seen my charger?"
"Pretty sure you left it in the car like you always do."
"Thanks! Have fun at the game," George says.
"Message me when you get to the city, please," Amy replies. She watches through the living room window as her father tosses his luggage into the back of the car. They wave at each other, and he drives off. Amy doesn't take her eyes off the car until it's entirely out of sight.
For some inexplicable reason, she feels a deep sense of loneliness and sadness.
Moments later, Amy is finally out the door. It's an unusually cold afternoon for early November. She's wearing her black jacket with the Raiders logo, black leggings, and a red scarf. She walks over to her Prius XZ Sport, an early graduation gift from her father, and turns it on. Sure, it's a five-year-old used car, but it still runs well, and on cold days like this one, it sure beats public transportation.
The Dead Prince Page 7