by Enid Titan
“My mates are mine which means they know I have a mind of my own.”
Oz grinned.
“Fine, you ferocious little vamphare. I’ll talk to them.”
Poppy knew the boys would hate that. Her running off and sending Oz of all people to speak to them on her behalf. But she had to find Uncle Monty. Now. The ground shook again. She should have been more scared than she was. The crafts overhead only fired on the school, not the city.
Poppy pounded on Uncle Monty’s door. He opened it, a wild-eyed expression across his human face. At this point, seeing another human surprised Penelope. Uncle Monty grabbed her and yanked her inside.
“Penelope. I haven’t seen you in weeks. You get lost on the tundra then you return and I don’t hear a peep from you. I mean…”
He let go of her and removed his glasses to polish them.
“I’m sorry. The Order is attacking the Academy.”
“I’ve seen. Pallas has joined the Prince to defend the city. War is coming, Penelope.”
“No. The Fengari didn’t warn me of this.”
Monty folded his glasses up and stuck them in his pocket, massaging his temples.
“Uncle Monty?”
“The Fengari have disappeared.”
“They’ve hidden again? Selfish bastards.”
“No. They’re gone. Your mother is back on Earth. I’ve got people caring for her. The Fengari left her and they’ve left everything. Pallas believes they’ve gone to the telepathic dimension but nobody knows.”
“That’s impossible! I can still hear them in my dreams. Those bastards.”
Rage rushed through Poppy at an alarming rate.
“What about my mother? When were you planning on telling me about that?” She snapped.
Monty’s face fell, and Poppy saw the pitying look that she’d wanted to avoid, the reason she hadn’t visited him often since her return from the tundra.
“You have a lot going on Penelope. You have your mates caring for you, Achilles up at the school and your classes to worry about. You already saved your planet. You shouldn’t have the burden of saving this one.”
“The Fengari don’t seem to think so.”
“The Fengari don’t care about you the way I do. I’m your uncle. You’re… like a daughter to me.”
Uncle Monty’s cheeks reddened. His emotions couldn’t be a secret from her anymore anyway. The Fengari left her with at least that. Poppy grabbed him and wrapped her uncle in a hug.
“I’m sorry for yelling.”
“You’re a spitfire. It probably helps when dealing with the Devorans.”
“The Order wants Daphne. I asked Prometheus to protect her.”
“Then she will be protected.”
Monty scowled.
“What’s that face for?”
“Why do you care about protecting that girl?”
“I don’t know.”
Monty laughed.
“Now you remind me of your mother. She loves an underdog.”
“Loved.”
“You’d be surprised how well she’s doing.”
Another explosion shook the city, reminding Penelope that she couldn’t stand here chatting for long.
“Will you be safe?”
“Yes. And so will you, because you’ll run back to those boys and stay away from that school, Penelope. I don’t regret bringing you here, but you will not die on this icy planet. Promise me.”
“I promise.”
“Good.”
Poppy left her uncle’s house and came face to face with Ajax, Castor, Jason, and Poseidon, towering behind them.
“What are you doing here?” Poppy snapped.
“Oz told us you ran here. We’ve come to bring you back.”
“I don’t need an escort.”
“You do. We’ve received word from the North of the city, The Order has landed infantry. They’re going into the houses and they’re bringing everyone out. They’re looking for Daphne, but they’ll be wanting you too.”
“I don’t need your protection,” Poppy snapped, “We shouldn’t be cowering in fear. We should be helping!”
“It’s too dangerous,” Oz snapped.
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
“Do you enjoy having such an unruly mate?” Oz grumbled.
Jason smirked slightly.
“It is difficult.”
“In some ways,” Ajax admitted.
Sensing an instant of distraction, Poppy attempted to dodge around them. Ajax grabbed her and slung her over his shoulder.
“Put me down! Put me down!”
“We’re going to keep you safe, little pet.”
“I don’t want to be safe!” Poppy shrilled, pounding into Ajax’s back and causing him mild annoyance, but not an ounce of pain.
“She’s very stubborn,” Oz observed.
“You haven’t seen the worst of it,” Jason muttered.
“Stop talking about me! We have to help!”
“Should we listen to her,” Castor whispered to Jason.
“Daphne is my sister but whatever she’s going through, she brought it on herself.”
“Put me DOWN!”
Oz stopped.
“We could give them what they want. Daphne.”
Ajax stopped moving, ignoring the onslaught of Penelope’s fists.
“Perhaps they already have it.”
They turned to look towards the Academy. The school burned on the hill but the spaceships disappeared into the atmosphere, rising towards the suns. Ajax dropped Poppy onto her feet so she could see. She was cold, having run out of the house with barely her cloak and clothes fittings. Castor wrapped his arms around her to warm her and they all stared at the burning school, puzzling through what to make of it.
“I don’t sense my sister’s presence,” Jason admitted.
“Is she dead?”
“No. I don’t think so. But she’s… gone.”
“Perhaps we should go back,” Oz said, “They might return. And I have a final to study for.”
Jason and Cas nodded.
“So you listen to him?!” Penelope huffed.
“He’s being reasonable, Penelope. We know he’s not going to run straight toward danger.”
Jason nodded.
“When have I run straight toward danger?”
“You ran straight toward us,” Castor pointed out.
40
Cancelled Finals
Penelope gasped for breath as she followed the boys up the hill through the snow. She was weary and the boys moved quickly. Poppy walked between Jason and Ajax. She struggled to keep up with them still, but the longer she spent on the planet, the easier it was for her to match her step with the larger aliens.
As they approached the school, the smell of burning encompassed the air around them. There was no escaping the thick plumes of black smoke that floated in toxic clouds down the hill. The closer they got to the Academy gates, the louder the screaming and authoritative voices. Devoran silence was punctured by the shocking chaos of the attack.
Some buildings were still on fire and the Academy was still filled with soldiers dressed in white and leading the students from the buildings to a gathering point on one of the snowy fields.
The soldiers at first appeared to ignore their presence. Penelope slipped her hand into Jason's as they walked through the gates.
«Do you think they’ve found Daphne?»
«I don't know. There is no way for us to tell.»
Poppy squeezed his hand tighter. Jason was worried even if he was concealing his thoughts from her, she allowed herself to see and feel what Jason felt. He might have acted tough and like he didn't care what happened to sister, but they were still a family. They still had memories together. He had kept his distance from her after everything that happened the previous year, he still cared and he worried.
«There’s nothing wrong with caring about your sister.»
«She's made some stupid mistakes and look a
t what has happened because of her."
He spoke sharply. Devorans were not typically forgiving to people who put themselves above the collective wellness of their people. Daphne had messed up. Poppy hadn't even seen her up close since she returned to campus. She hadn't felt the chill of fear that she was sure would have accompanied looking Daphne in the eye.
She hadn't had to relive her memories of what happened. Maybe that was what made her so forgiving. She understood why Daphne made her suffer. She understood why Daphne wanted to hurt her. Surely after someone has been punished, they become worthy of a little bit of forgiveness, at least.
A soldier took notice of the five of them walking around.
"Students of the Academy. You must gather on the field and do not move until you receive orders from the Royal Battalion."
The boys were prepared to obey but Penelope wasn't one for orders. The Royal Battalion didn't mean enough to her for her to blindly follow this man’s direction.
“I am looking for Prince Prometheus,” she declared.
Theo, he'd said. He'd been kind and gentle for a prince. And for a soldier.
“The Prince is occupied with important matters. The Order has attacked the school and they have retrieved what they came for. Our job is to make sure that no other students get hurt.”
She sensed a flutter of discomfort running through Jason. Poseidon was just as calloused as usual.
“There’s no reason for them to attack us further, then.”
“Please, gather with the other students.”
“What about our exams?”
“If you gather with the other students, you’ll find teachers there, ready to explain all of it to you.”
Someone must have silently called for the soldier because he turned and ran in the opposite direction. Oz couldn’t stop himself from grinning madly, despite Poppy glaring at him.
«Stop it,» Penelope chided.
The towering senior boy shrugged.
«Our problem has been solved. I won’t be sorry.»
Poppy squeezed Jason’s hand and turned her attention to him, leaning her head on his arm.
«They have her, but the Prince promised he would protect her. They’ll get her back.»
«He promised to protect her, but he didn’t do a good job of it. Daphne did what she thought was right and she’s paying a rightful consequence.»
Despite his words, Poppy sensed his sadness and worry.
«We could do something,» Poppy said, «We could try to rescue her.»
«What do you propose we do?»
«Give me time to come up with a plan.»
«Hm.»
They stood with the other students, huddled together as soldiers ran around campus. Penelope scanned the crowd for faces she recognized. She couldn’t see Hecate at first, but she recognized other students from her classes, Eugenia talking to the hockey team and other teachers milling about. Achilles was missing with the Assistant Head.
Poppy started to worry when she couldn’t find Hecate. She wanted to leave the boys and search, but Castor wrapped his arms around her and held her close. He knew how tempted she was to run off and get in the middle of things.
Maybe they were right about me jumping straight into danger, Poppy thought.
It didn’t take long before Hecate found them standing in a group of first-years. Oz wandered off to join the seniors. Hecate wrapped Poppy in a tight hug once she saw her, pressing her chin on the top of her short human’s friend’s head.
“I was so worried about you.”
“Are you okay?” Poppy asked her.
Hecate nodded.
“Nothing like this has ever happened before. No one’s been hurt, but The Order took Daphne and the generals have been talking about a possible civil war on the planet. Civil war!”
The boys nodded at how ridiculous the idea sounded. Penelope felt like Earth had always been at war. For the Devorans, war was a myth, or something on their distant borderlands, something they didn't have on the homeworld. War was a last resort. Civil war was unthinkable on a planet where death and killing had nearly been eliminated.
“What about the school?”
“Achilles will address us in a few minutes.”
Achilles sent a telepathic message to the students, calling them to surround a makeshift podium. The soldiers dampened a few of the fires and all that remained were charred buildings, a group of scared students, but even more who were ready to fight. Telepathic students could join the army, defend the wall, or return to academics.
Poppy sensed the desire for retaliation, a rare but cold and deep sentiment amongst Devorans, rising to the fore of their consciousness. They reminded her of the Fengari then. Dark and dangerous. Castor leaned his chin on the top of her head as they stood close to Achilles’ podium for his announcement.
“Students of the Academy. It is with great sadness that I announce to you that final exams are canceled this year and we are ending the school year early. The attacks by the cult of dark telepaths that are calling themselves The Order have been revealed by military strategists to be only one of several planned attacks. As such, it is too dangerous for you all the remain on campus. Their terrorist methods of getting through our defenses present a clear and present danger to all of you. Those of you who live outside the city will be teleported back to your home towns. If you live off-planet, we are getting transport ships as soon as possible to return you to your homes. Unfortunately, I have another announcement to make, one not so exciting as canceled finals…”
41
Uncle Montgomery’s Warning
They'd live in Vortha at their new house. Uncle Monty offered his spare bedroom to Penelope, but she had to be near her mates. Exams canceled, the semester terminated early, and the Academy burned nearly to the ground left Poppy numb. What happened on the tundra had been bad enough. She’d been looking forward to one normal cold, Devoran day. Just one would have been nice.
Uncle Monty visited her at the house after a few days. Vortha buzzed with gossip about the attacks and fears about the war. Monty loved visiting, especially with the boys and he got along well with them. He knew more about Devoran culture than she did, so they often had a lot to get on about. He was trying to be normal and personable, but Penelope thought her uncle had an ulterior motive. A motive he quickly revealed.
“You’re not to go chasing after them, Poppy,” he said sharply after a lull in conversation.
Jason grinned, enjoying her pain as Montgomery delivered his stern warning.
“What makes you think I’m going to run off and try to fight a dark telepathic terrorist organization?”
“Because it’s what you do,” Ajax blurted out.
“Not helping.”
“Sorry…”
“I’m serious, darling. You can’t go fight them. I don’t care what the Fengari taught you. You’re not to go around saving the world. You were supposed to have a normal year. I let them have you for the summer because of their customs but you are my niece and it’s my responsibility to make sure you don’t go careening into danger.”
“We’ll look after her,” Castor promised, pressing a hand to her shoulder.
Monty smiled and removed his glasses, polishing the spotless lenses with his legs crossed.
“Good. I spoke to Pallas last night about The Order and their threat. He’s worried. There’s talk of Civil War. He can’t tell me much and of course, the city will not fall, but there are still dangers.”
“Where are they based?” Penelope asked.
Monty’s forehead pinched together with frustration.
“These are exactly the sort of questions that worry me.”
“Sorry,” Poppy said.
She could get the information out of her uncle without asking him.
“Ajax, tell my uncle about your assignment next year.”
Ajax launched into his explanation of how he’d been recruited by Prince Prometheus, what his mother said to him when he’d announced dro
pping out of school, and how he intended to serve his country even if a war came.”
With all of them distracted, Penelope focused on her uncle’s thoughts and pried the information she needed out of him. It was easier than she expected. Pallas had a high enough ranking that he knew what might otherwise be considered top secret. She should have guessed. They had taken Daphne to a similar spacecraft to the one where she’d been held prisoner. Perhaps they'd taken her to a small planet from there.
A large, slow-moving prison vessel traveling through Devoran space shouldn’t be hard to spot. They could hide from other Devoran ships, but Sibyl gave her a gift that she was expected to use.
“Penelope?”
“Yes, Uncle Monty.”
“You seem distracted.”
“It’s nothing.”
Nothing to him. She’d come up with a plan that would get Daphne free and if all went well, they could avoid Civil War.
“Uncle Monty, I want to know more about The Order.”
“Historically speaking?”
“Anything you know.”
Ajax squirmed. Poppy smiled, not wanting to worry him, knowing that she’d worry him enough with her plan. She’d done her research, but considering Uncle Monty’s expertise, it couldn’t hurt to know who she was dealing with. The Order had no leaders. A council of four elders typically led, each of them over 1,000 years old.
They had conquered an outer planet: Sekhmet-Mu, one that Devorans believed unoccupied for the past five-hundred years. They lived without a temple, without the psychic flames that bound Devorans.
“Our people do not do well cut off from telepathic links,” Castor explained.
“No, they don’t. Perhaps humans could learn your ways if we had a telepathic link of our own. Maybe one day someone will settle down and continue that research.”
Monty cocked his eyebrows in Penelope’s direction.
“Me? A researcher? I don’t think so.”
“You don’t do yourself justice, darling. You’d make an excellent researcher on Devoran behavior.”
Jason snickered, probably thinking of some lewd comment. Monty missed it. He soon left after delivering the warning he'd intended. Worrying was Monty's way. He didn’t want her to end up like her mother, or dead like her father. Poppy didn’t think she had a choice.