by Enid Titan
It made sense now, what the Fengari did. They might not have seen the precise future but they saw the choice she’d have to make.
To save the Devorans, she’d have to risk becoming like her mother, shrinking into the mess of her psyche and torturing herself to save an entire race of people. Uncle Monty only wanted to protect her, but she couldn't.
I don’t need protecting, Poppy thought. She hadn’t bothered to conceal the thought from Ajax who grabbed her hand and pulled her around the corner to their bedroom.
“I know you, Penelope. You have a plan to do something stupid.”
“Don’t worry about me, Ajax.”
“You can’t. Whatever you’re thinking of, you shouldn’t. Not for Daphne.”
“What about for you? If you go to war and something happens to you… it will be my fault.”
“No, little pet,” he murmured, pressing his forehead to hers, “It wouldn’t.”
Ajax kissed her. For the first time after one of his forceful kisses, Penelope didn’t feel any better.
42
Telling A Lie, Stealing A Ship
Penelope waited three days. 3 was the perfect number. The boys would settle down and they’d forget her crazy idea about saving Daphne. She’d done her best to act normally. She’d skated with them. They’d planned to return to campus at the start of First Winter, and she’d even planned on a vacation to Earth with them. For hours, Castor and Jason messed with her perception, losing their Devoran features and imitating what they thought Earth males looked like.
They mostly used her Uncle Monty for reference which led to some hilarious mishaps and blue, elven eared uncle look-alikes. Poppy squealed with laughter as Castor imitated her uncle's stiff, academic voice. The moons were new when she snuck out. No one wandered the city in the dark and since the tundra, Penelope hadn’t dared to venture far out of the house once the sunset.
She needed a space ship, which meant she needed a co-conspirator. She hadn’t told her co-conspirator her entire plan, but she didn’t need to. Poppy wandered past the Academy toward one of the off-campus rinks. Oz leaned up against a spaceship the size of a private jet.
“I got what you asked for,” he said, “Were you followed?”
“No.”
“Lying to your mates is a horrible idea,” Oz said, "Just my opinion. And to save that tramp? Hm."
“Why did you agree to help me, then?” Poppy snapped.
Poseidon shrugged.
“Pity?”
“Thanks.”
“You won’t be thanking me for long…”
Poppy soon saw what he meant. Ajax, Castor, and Jason appeared from the other side of the jet.
“I just left you at home!” Poppy huffed.
Jason raised his hand to show his teleportation bracelet.
“We know. Poseidon told us what you were planning. What were you thinking?”
Shit! Poppy scowled. She should have never trusted that annoying bastard.
“It doesn’t matter what she was thinking. She’s not going alone,” Castor said.
“You four are going to help me rescue Daphne?”
“It’s a terrible idea, jazad,” Jason reminded her.
Poppy rolled her eyes.
“Thanks, Poseidon,” she huffed, “Very helpful.”
“You should be thanking me. I spoke to my uncle in the Army and found out where Daphne’s prison is.”
“Should be easy then,” Jason joked.
“The ship’s armed to the teeth. I’m the only one who knows how to fly it, so you first-years climb in before I change my mind.”
Ajax, Jason, and Castor didn’t seem as upset as Penelope thought. Maybe they didn't mind. Maybe they were just happy to help. Maybe they knew that no matter what they did, Penelope would do what she wanted anyway. It made much more sense to follow her than for them to let her run off getting into trouble without backup.
Poseidon had done his share of work to help. Penelope wondered if he felt guilty about what happened to them on the tundra, or for being a prick to her in general. After the tundra, he was still sort of a dick, but much nicer than when she first met him.
On Devor, their sense of pride and honor ran deep. Oz was full of nothing, if not pride. It was his job to protect them on the tundra. Even if he didn't care about Daphne, he at least cared about the three of them.
With Poseidon piloting the ship, Penelope sat with Jason, Castor, and Ajax.
“Do you three hate me?”
“We knew you were planning something all along. You asked your uncle so many questions about history. You hate history almost as much as literature. We were onto you from the beginning but we needed Poseidon’s help to figure out what you were up to.”
“That idiot sure loves playing both sides," Penelope grumbled.
"I think he can hear you," Ajax whispered.
“I don't care. This puts you three in danger and I can't have that."
"I told you she was still worried about that stupid prophecy," Jason grumbled.
"It's not stupid. These aliens predicted disaster and it might not have come true the way they said, but it came close.”
Castor tried to be patient even if Penelope sensed his patience wore thin.
“It’s impossible for telepathic skills to lead to predicting the future. Whatever the Fengari can do is no more than a carnival trick.”
“You only believe that because you didn't spend time among them. They are powerful people."
“Powerful people until it's time for them to help someone. Then, they only shrivel up into the ground and disappear."
The Fengari had disappeared. Poppy tried not to think about it, but it did bother her and Jason had a point.
“We have trouble,” Oz called back to them.
He contented himself to ignore their lover’s spat until the last moment. Poppy rushed to his side and peered out the viewscreen.
“Shit. They’re in the Royal Battalion.”
“At least it means we’re close.”
“Great. We’re close and about to get caught.”
Castor approached the view screen.
“We won’t get caught. Jason. Come. Time for you to use your family rank to get us through here," Cas commanded.
“Now I need to be the liar.”
“Yes. You do. Because right now, they’re breaching contact,” Poseidon said.
The five waited and listened to the voice blaring over the speakers.
“Devoran vessel, stop what you are doing and show yourselves. You are entering a dangerous battle zone and your passengers are at risk.”
Jason cleared his throat and began to speak to the Royal Battalion member. Penelope had never seen him acting in the way he was brought up, as a formal member of a wealthy family. He stiffened his back and introduced himself — as his father.
There was a chance they wouldn’t buy Jason’s story. He spoke properly and well, but Devorans could detect deception easily. She lingered behind him, human fingers crossed.
43
Team Of Five
«Proceed.»
The general permitted them to pass. A wave of relief washed over the rest of the ship. This crazy plan to rescue Daphne was working. Penelope wrapped her arms around Jason and thanked him. He took a big risk. If they had been discovered, all of them would have been in trouble, especially him. They had all been through enough.
Jason and Castor both had a short and shaggy crop of silvery-white hair springing from their regal blue heads. They paced around the ship, concerned that another checkpoint like this one could appear in the future only this time, crossing would not be so easy.
Poseidon did his best to calm them down. His attempts led to an argument and very soon all of the boys fought with each other. Penelope, for once, stayed out of their argument.
She had other matters to conceive of. The boys were right that this was crazy. Daphne hated her and she had no reason to go through this much effort to rescue Jason's sister. Even U
ncle Monty told her she should stay out of it. But it was the right thing to do. When she first came to the planet, Penelope didn't want to save anyone. She hated the idea that Earth's fate rested on her shoulders.
When she had finished doing her duty, she looked forward to relaxing on Devor and removing such obligations from her life. Penelope blamed her time with the Fengari for her willingness to leap into danger. She had never been that sort of person before. She quite liked it.
Her hand hovered over the blade which she had last used on the tundra. She knew she would have to use it again. She didn't relish the notion of killing another living thing. She would do whatever she had to so that hse could save the planet that had taken her and given her a family. She would do this for the boys, the boys who at first she didn't get along with at all. She was even becoming fond of Oz, although she was fond of him in quite a different way.
Jason noticed her staring off into space. Usually, when Uncle Monty noticed, he would clear his throat to get her attention. Jason reached over and pinched her bottom — hard.
"Ow!"
"You were staring off into space. As usual."
"I'm thinking about stopping The Order. We have to.”
Oz is scoffed with his typical disdain.
"First, you want to rescue Jason's no good sister and now you want to drag us into taking down a massive terrorist organization that has already captured a planet?"
"I have abilities that they aren't prepared for. I can fight dark telepaths."
I was raised a disbelieving eyebrow. Ajax shrugged, willing to go along with whatever Penelope said. Jason and Castor on the other hand scowls.
"We aren't going to let you push yourself to your telepathic limits," Castor said.
Jason added, "you do not have enough control over your abilities, jazad.”
"And you're the judge of that?"
"Yes. We are. We are your mates and it's time you finally start listening to us."
"I don't have to listen to you because I'm your mate," Poppy snapped.
Oz chuckled at the lover’s spat unfolding before him, indulging in twisted delight over the chaotic scene.
"You could get yourself killed," Ajax pointed out.
Penelope's heart sank. Ajax usually sided with her. He was the one who was going to join the Prince! More than any of them, he should understand why she wanted to serve their planet. Her new people.
"What sorts of things can you do with the dark telepathy," Oz asked, earning him a vicious glare from Castor.
"The Fengari don't call it dark telepathy. It's simply their way. They use techniques learned from centuries living on the dark side of Earth's moon. It's partly genetic, as I understand. The Order believes they can train themselves to have more power. The Fengari use their telepathic abilities with more respect. It takes incredible amounts of energy to accomplish anything."
"Right. But what can you do."
A shiver ran down Penelope's back. She could kill an animal. She could kill a man. She could probably kill an entire room full of men. She could read the minds of telepaths who spent their entire lives learning how to conceal their thoughts at will.
"I can find The Order leaders and kill them.”
“They aren’t going to take it lying down,” Jason responded, doing a poor job of concealing the anger that bubbled just beneath the surface of his steely gaze.
"If they took Daphne, do you think when we find her, we will find them?" Poseidon asked.
Castor couldn't hold back. He smacked Poseidon on the back of his head.
"You will not have our mate diving headfirst into danger at your encouragement."
"Do you not trust her abilities?"
"It isn't that. We cannot lose her. We will not lose her. We must protect her."
"Then protect me," Poppy said, "when we find Daphne, we will find the leaders of the order and I will kill them. If you are there, if you protect me, I can do it."
"She makes a fair point," Ajax said, "she trained in the darkness for months. Perhaps she can do what she says."
"This is insanity," Jason grumbled, "but I know better than anyone here that you are stubborn and you will do whatever you want to even if I say no. So I will protect you."
"Castor?"
Penelope waited for his response. He bit down on his lower lip and folded his bulky arms. He scowled, the lines between his brows leading down to the ridges on his sharp nose.
"This is a horrible idea. We are all going to get ourselves killed."
That didn't sound like a guess. Castor inhaled sharply and then finally conceded.
"However, I don't see you leaving us any other choice."
Poseidon scoffed.
"I won't be shown up by a bunch of first years. Like it or not, I’m coming too.”
44
Worms
Approaching the prison was easier than Penelope thought it would be. The defenses were intended to throw Devorans off the trail. Her Fengari awareness helped her spot weaknesses and detected a space where Oz could land. No prison ship, just a barren field. Penelope guided Oz to a space where they could land. Once they landed and outfitted themselves with weapons, it was up to Penelope to leave them to the prison.
She left her mind open, open to all the thoughts of all the boys, including Poseidon. Normally, she would not have enjoyed so much buzzing in her head. This time, she didn't have much of a choice. If she was going to use Fengari strength to defeat The Order, her mind needed to be ready.
She resisted Fengari teachings for so long, that the idea of giving into them still scared her. She was getting used to having the buzzing as they trudged along the path towards the prison. Devorans typically colonized cold, snowy planets. This planet was cold but instead of snow, there were thick sheets of ice that required them sliding their boots across as if they were skating. Poseidon, despite his age, was a surprisingly weak skater. Penelope realized why he had chosen the debate team rather than hockey.
When they made it across one patch of ice, they stopped to catch their breath and to make a plan as to what would happen. Poseidon wanted to enter the prison with force. Castor insisted that it would be too dangerous and instead suggested they find an atypical way in. It took about an hour for them to get to the outside of the prison.
The Order expected no one to find their planet so instead of what you would expect from a maximum-security prison for a young girl being held captive by people on the run from the Royal Battalion, it only appeared to be a small white cottage in the middle of an empty field.
"Do not trust its demure appearance," Castor mumbled.
"I can sense beasts beneath the earth," Poseidon whispered.
Penelope pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders. She had seen enough of Devoran beasts.
"What sort of beasts would be beneath the earth?"
"Worms," Poseidon answered.
Because Devoran bunny rabbits were terrifying and vampiric creatures, Penelope figured that what he meant by worms would be very different than what she meant.
"Large parasites. They attach and wriggle into you and wrap around your intestines then they eat you from within," Poseidon added.
Penelope felt sick. She could have done without his detailed exposition.
"They are about 7 feet long. Sometimes they swallow you whole. Most times they prefer to nest."
"Okay. I get it," Penelope grumbled, hoping they would just stop describing those disgusting creatures.
"Any ideas for getting past them?" She asked.
"Carefully," Ajax said.
Great. Carefully. That was helpful. Now, four giant lumbering men and a small, significantly slower human, would have to cross this field to get to the prison. It wasn't CCTV and security guards, but it packed a hell of a punch.
"We can't be sure there are worms, right?"
Jason pointed out the head. Tiny holes dotted the earth from where they stood, all the way to the house. Poppy’s stomach churned at the sight of them. They were
big. Too big. Why did evolution allow grotesque creatures to get that big?
“Who is going to go first?"
"We can carry you over our shoulders if you want, jazad," Jason suggested.
Poppy shot him a disapproving glare. He responded with a smirk and flicked his short crop of straight hair out of his face.
"I'll go," Ajax said.
Not wanting to appear less brave than Ajax, all of them stepped onto the ground at once. Penelope immediately felt the rumbling beneath her feet. She unsheathed her blade. Let those fucking monsters try.
The first worm erupted from the earth with a loud shriek. The boys hadn’t told her about the noise. Poppy lunged forward with her blade and screamed as she chopped the worm in the middle of its surprisingly soft body. Poppy groaned as she cut it.
“That was disgusting!”
“Nice job, jazad,” Jason said.
“At least we know there are worms,” Penelope said, getting queasy as she watched the two dead wriggling bits of the worm dead on the ground.
“I’ll shoot the next one,” Oz said, “They’re disgusting.”
They made it to the door of the prison, chopping down and blasting worms every few feet. By the end, Poppy’s head hurt. Hearing the boy’s thoughts and feeling their adrenaline pumping as they struggled through the field of worms ached the back and sides of her skull.
I can’t be tired now, Penelope thought, I still need to find these people.
They walked around the back of the house and Jason pushed a window open.
“This is too easy,” Oz mumbled.
Penelope thought he had a point. It was too easy. When they climbed into the house, she saw why. A Fengari trick. Dark telepathy. They hadn’t entered a house at all and they weren’t alone.
Ajax was the last to enter the house and even he couldn’t see it. She was the only one.
“Can you see the door?” Poppy whispered.