by Alyssa Breck
Her heart stopped.
Outside, several samurais lay dead, and the remaining sirens were nowhere in sight. Not too far off, she saw the Black Army move away while two carriages with cages seemed to have prisoners inside. Had Xavier taken her friends as hostages? Why? Why was he leaving her? Her father was dead. He needed to explain to her why he saved her. Twice.
Tears burned her eyes but there was no time for crying. She still had to deliver the Legacy Stone. She bottled up her feelings and returned to Amunet and Silver.
Alayah met them halfway. They were talking.
“They are gone.”
Silver looked at her. “Who?”
“Xavier took my team.”
“And my men?”
“They are all dead. If any are alive, he might have taken them, too.”
“Dawes?” Silver asked as he leaned forward.
Alayah’s hand on his chest prevented him from running to the exit. “I didn’t see his body.”
“Then, he’s also a prisoner.”
“We’ll deal with this once we find what we came here for,” Alayah told him. “We need to focus.”
Silver nodded. “Amunet was saying that we need to go to another chamber to find the Legacy Stone.”
Alayah stopped him from following the golden goddess. “It’s just you and me now. Are you going to betray me, too, Silver?”
Silver didn’t reply. Instead, he reached out and brought her into his embrace. The contact with his body sent shivers down her spine and made her feel vulnerable but also safe.
Her voice came out shattered when she spoke. “Are you going to break my heart, too?”
“Never. I’m yours for better or worse. I’m sorry for being so cold with you lately.”
Amunet cleared her throat. “We need to go. I need to take care of my people and repair everything that our unwelcomed visitors broke.”
Alayah and Silver followed behind Amunet as she turned right and left in the labyrinthic corridors of the pyramid. Climbing endless stairs, they finally arrived in a room lit by electricity.
Alayah looked around and saw an empty room with a center stone.
Amunet pointed at the stone. “Go there. You’ll know what to do.”
Alayah nodded and stepped forward.
Meanwhile, Amunet’s hand stopped Silver from accompanying her.
“She’s in no danger. Just wait with me here.”
The siren stopped in front of the stone. Looking down, she saw inscriptions around the pool of glowing red water.
“What does it say here?” Alayah asked since she didn’t know how to read that language.
“Only the purest can touch me,” Amunet replied.
“And if I fail?”
“You’ll lose your hand and probably die,” Amunet answered.
“Great,” Alayah muttered.
“It’s a precaution to keep the ones who aren’t worthy from touching the stone.”
Alayah nodded as she swallowed hard. “I guess I have to put my hand inside and remove the stone, right?”
“You’ve guessed right.”
Overthinking it would make her take longer. Squinting, she dipped her arm into the liquid and relaxed when she felt her hand touch a hard object. Grabbing it, she pulled her hand back and looked at the glowing stone that could save her part of the world.
“It’s beautiful,” she gasped.
Something burned against her chest. She looked down and saw her pendant was glowing red.
“Your piece wants to be reunited with its other part,” the goddess explained.
Alayah pulled the stone from her necklace and joined both parts. Magically, the stone absorbed the sphere and stopped glowing.
“Is it broken? Did I break the stone?”
Amunet giggled as she reached Alay’s side. “No. It will glow again when you place it on the Sacred Temple. For now, just keep it with you and don’t lose it.”
“I’ve had too much trouble finding it, I’m not going to lose it.”
“We have a long way back home. We’ll need horses and supplies,” Silver said.
Alayah sighed deeply at the thought of having to endure the journey back through The Badlands.
She touched Silver’s arm. “We should rest before leaving.”
Amunet turned to Alayah. “You don’t need to fear the trip back. I can help you. Follow me.”
Alayah eyed Silver, and he shrugged.
Lacing her arm through Silver’s, she walked behind Amunet as she observed the red Legacy Stone.
They walked for a few minutes before returning to the first chamber where they had met Amunet.
The goddess walked to a tall slab with the strange writing that Alayah had seen circling the small pond of water.
“Hieroglyphs,” Silver said to Alayah as she squinted at the images.
“What are you doing?” Alayah turned to the goddess.
Amunet snapped her fingers, and two women wearing pristine white clothes arrived with bags that Alayah recognized to be hers and Silver’s. “Oh, our belongings.”
Amunet walked to one of the servants and grabbed the black bag that Alayah didn’t recognize.
“You have water, supplies, and currency to help you with the rest of your journey. I can only teleport you to Scythe Citadel. From there, you’ll have to find your way back home.”
Alayah nodded, relieved. Another trek across The Badlands and fighting off wyverns wasn’t a task she relished, but she’d been prepared to do it to save her world. “Thank you for all your help, Amunet.”
“From there, we’ll be going to my father’s kingdom,” Silver said.
The goddess touched a dark spot on the wall behind them, and a door opened up in the stone.
Silver widened his eyes in awe. “You must be a powerful mage if you can summon portals.”
“There’s nothing magical about this. All of this is technology,” Amunet claimed.
She looked at Alay. “Give me your hand, dear.” Amunet reached out to her.
Alayah extended her hand, and the woman clasped the silver watch around Alayah’s wrist.
“This watch will open up a portal for you to return to Thalassan whenever you need to. We are your allies.”
“I … I don’t know what to say. You’ve already helped so much.”
“Listen to me, once the world is saved, I want to help the humans by offering crops and creating animals to release into the wild. My people have registries of everything from before the Big Crash, and we’ve been waiting for the tribes to unite and find worthy leaders with the powers and strength of will to give them the means to save their planet. Alayah, you will be the ambassador for a new era and bring peace to Earth.”
Silver raised an eyebrow and then smiled. “I always knew you were destined for greatness.”
“Indeed,” Amunet said. She leaned in and kissed Alayah on each cheek before ushering them into the portal and sending them back to the Scythe Citadel.
Chapter 41
It was quiet inside the Jade Palace as if no one else existed in that place.
They had arrived the previous day, and Silver didn’t have time to show her his home. The trip had been long, and they needed to rest before meeting Silver’s father the next day.
During the long journey from Scythe to The Depths, Alayah and Silver had grown even closer. He was grieving as much as she was since Xavier also had betrayed him. Still, they decided not to talk about it and focused on taking the stone to the Sacred Temple. Silver’s father would provide transportation, and the quest would be finally over.
Sighing deeply, Alayah felt Silver moving beside her. She smiled, her body relaxed in the silky sheets where they made love. Her heart could explode from happiness. After all the pain she’d endured, she felt that she belonged somewhere. With someone.
The weight of his body left the mattress. She projected the eye of her mind and glimpsed inside the bedroom. His form walked to his bag, and then he looked at hers. Her heart stop
ped beating when he searched for the Legacy Stone inside her belongings and looked at it. What is he doing? Is he robbing me?
Her thoughts froze when he put the stone down and removed a gold dagger from his bag. Her body tensed, but she continued to watch. She should move and stop him. He was coming to her with the dagger in his hand.
Silver! Why?
He halted as if he’d heard her. His eyes roamed her figure wrapped in the sheet. Sighing in defeat, he bowed his head. He dropped the dagger and crawled back into bed. His arms hugged her, and he kissed the crook of her neck. “I love you. I don't care who you are.”
Her consciousness returned to her body as her heartbeat slowly returned to normal. “I love you, too.”
“I am sorry.”
“For what?” she probed.
“I will keep you safe, no matter what.”
With those words, he got up and walked to his closet where he began to dress in his royal attire.
Covering her breasts, Alay sat up and looked at him. “What is going on?”
“Stay here. Don't leave until I get back. Promise me.”
She nodded, though she knew something was terribly wrong.
After kissing her with passion, Silver left, and Alay hurried to put on her clothes and follow him to find out what was going on and why he had thought about killing her. The stone was still there, so his feelings must be true. It would kill her otherwise. Someone had to be forcing Silver’s hand. She needed to find out who and why.
The Jade Palace was beautiful. She couldn't get used to the ostentation as she used her powers to follow Silver through the endless corridors. He went straight to the Royal Throne. Turning into liquid, Alay glided her way under the opulent gold door and under the guards' nose.
The king was seated in his jade throne with a placid face and cold, dark eyes. Silver was kneeling with lowered head and folded hands.
“Is it done, my son?”
“Father ...”
“Have you failed me?” He rose from his chair and descended the steps, his robe caressing the immaculate marble floor.
“I ...” He looked up. “I love her.”
The king's eyes narrowed. “She's the daughter of that monster. A gaijin. We have the Legacy Stone to save this part of the world. She served her purpose. Now serve yours.”
“Alayah is nothing like her father. She is kind and trustworthy. Her father is dead by her hand. We don't need to kill her. Let her go. I will go with her, and you won't need to worry about her.”
“You are my son. Your place is here with me, serving and protecting our kingdom. Her father betrayed us after we taught him our ways. He used his powers for evil and stole Sora from us. His family needs to pay for that betrayal with blood.”
“Alay is as much ours as she is an outsider. She’s Sora’s daughter. Would you kill Sora if she was alive?”
“Sora betrayed me with that gaijin. There’s a reason she didn’t return to us when she left him.”
“Father, you are entitled to your concubines. I’m not more than your second born, son of Chiha, your second favorite. However, Alay can’t pay for her parents’ sins. I want your permission to leave and marry her. My departure won’t weaken our kingdom.”
The king scolded, “Gin’Iro, you are a dragon warrior. Your place is here with your family. That girl is nothing to us.”
“She's the woman I love. I won't kill her.” He got up with fisted hands. “You owe me. Her life is the reward I want, and you can't go back on your word.”
The king gritted his teeth. “You are no longer my son if you do that.”
“F-father ...” Silver stepped back with his hand against his chest.
“Choose, your siren whore or us?”
The dragon warrior growled. “Don't call her names. She's the one I love, and she will be my wife if she accepts me.” He turned his back on the king. Looking back, he added, “Goodbye, Father.”
“Silver!”
The prince's footsteps echoed in the big room as he left.
Sliding away from that place, Alayah materialized in the corridor before Silver turned the corner.
He halted when he saw her. “Alay, what are you doing here?”
With tears in her eyes, she ran to him and hugged him.
“What is wrong? Did someone try to hurt you?” He caressed her hair, and his body tensed as he looked around. “Why are you crying?”
“Your family hates me.” She sobbed.
Silver gulped and raised her head. “Did you follow me?”
“You were going to kill me.”
He sighed and lowered his eyes. “My family wants to claim an old debt. But I couldn't do that to you. You aren't a threat to us. Plus, I love you. I would die if anything happened to you.”
“You rejected your family for me,” she whispered.
“You are my family from now on. If you want me ...”
Alay nodded and raised her head to kiss his lips. “I do. I love you, Silver.”
“We'll need to leave.”
“We have to take the stone to the altar. I am sure that we can find a place to live once we save our part of the world. If you want to.”
He smiled and cupped her face. “I am honored to have met you and your willingness to give up living in the sea to be with me.”
“You are my life, too.”
He rested his forehead against hers with a smile playing on his breathtaking lips.
“Denka!” A servant rushed down the corridor, holding her skirts with both hands. “Silver Denka.”
Alay’s bliss was short-lived. Letting her go, Silver looked at his servant who bowed in respect.
“What’s wrong?”
The servant sucked in a breath before speaking. “You have to go to the balcony and look to the mountains.”
“Why?”
“The dark warriors are here. They demand to see the warrior siren.”
“Their leader was defeated; they have no right to be here. How do they even know where to find the palace?”
“We are still cloaked, Denka. All the defense mechanisms are ready if they attack. Still, they said they wouldn’t leave without the siren warrior.”
“Have you warned the king?”
“I’m doing that right now, but I had to talk to you first, Denka.”
“Tell him that I’m going to speak to them before leaving with Alayah.”
The servant curtsied again and rushed down the corridor.
“I’m going with you,” Alay told him. “It’s me they want, and I’m sure your father doesn’t care for my safety.”
Silver turned to look at her. “The palace should be invisible. I have no idea how they found us.”
“Let’s find out, then.”
Minutes later, Alay and Silver’s horses were mounting the slope. Not too far, riders on their horses remained still. Silver guided them to the party with the banner and the commander. They were holding a white standard flag that meant they were there to talk instead of attacking. But one couldn’t trust the dark forces. As far as Alay knew, they wanted her head.
Silver pulled his reins and halted his horse. “I’m Denka Silver Wind from the Kingdom of the Depths. State your business here.”
The commander’s head moved. Removing his helmet, he looked past Silver at Alayah.
She gritted her teeth at the sight of him, and her heartbeat skyrocketed.
The commander spoke. “We have no quarrel with your people. We’ve come here for her.”
Alayah refused to look at him. The traitor. Xavier.
Silver’s face remained unreadable. “You are trespassing on my father’s land. The warrior siren is under my protection.”
“Your claims don’t concern us. We came to get our queen and escort her home.”
Alayah moved her horse closer. “Q-queen?”
The dark commander bowed to her with his helmet under his arm. “Our king is dead, you are his daughter and his successor. We are here to serve you, Your Majesty.�
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Alay covered her mouth in shock.
The horn sounded from the shore, and Silver and Alay looked behind. The royal chariot led by a few dragon warriors in their red uniforms headed toward the mountains. They had chosen to hide the machinery from the dark army.
“My father is coming with my older brother,” Silver said. He guided his horse to her side. “I still don’t trust him and his claims, but we need to use them to our advantage if Father isn’t reasonable about letting us leave.”
Alay touched her chest. “I was ready to fight them to keep you safe. Nothing has changed, Silver. You are mine, and I’m yours.”
“Something has changed, Alay. You are a ruler now, a queen of a vast kingdom and a great army.”
“That doesn’t matter to me. All I want is you.”
Silver smirked. “I love you, too, darling. But Father won’t dare touch you now that you are a queen. He wouldn’t risk starting a war.”
“Majesty, we brought your friends unharmed to prove that we are loyal to you,” the commander said as if he was prying into their private conversation.
Alay looked at the commander. “My friends?”
He nodded. “Trust me, Alay. Not all of us are sanguinary and heartless like your father was. He’s dead, and you are his heir. You have the opportunity to do something good with the power and the resources he left you.”
“He’s right,” Silver said. “Even if I don’t like him for what he did, Xavier is right.”
Alayah fisted her hands and narrowed her eyes at the traitor.
“The ones who were against you were put to death. All these men are loyal to you and hoping for a change. My life is yours to decide what to do with. We are tired of the anarchy and tyranny, and we want the stone to restore the former beauty to all these lands. Please, let us serve you.” The commander bowed together with the warriors on their horses. All the foot soldiers did the same as they clapped their hands to the sides of their body and closed their legs with a loud metal pop.
Silver snarled. “The commander should be put to death for what he did to you. For the betrayal.”
“If that happens, you’ll have no hand over the army,” Xavier answered. “But I’ll do whatever you wish, my queen.” He lowered his eyes from hers. “My heart and soul are yours. You know that. I might have been a spy, but I changed for you.”