by Rebecca Rode
He should have found her first.
“Step forward, young Ruben Kane.”
A young man left the back wall and walked toward the platform. “At your service, Your Eminence.” He bowed to the screen, then turned to join Harpen next to the empty chairs. The emperor’s special assistant looked murderous now.
Ruben Kane.
A low murmur went through the room. Even the high commanders appeared blindsided by this new information. The position wasn’t transferable by blood—the man would have to earn it like anyone else. But Lazarus Kane had never mentioned a relative. At least that Stefan recalled. He saw his own thoughts mirrored on the faces of the emperor’s highest officers.
“Thanks to young Master Kane,” the emperor continued, “we have found our enemies’ last base. They’ve situated themselves on a water planet in sector five. We’ve already dispatched bombing teams from that sector. The enemy will be exterminated within the hour.”
The room was silent. Its occupants all wore mixed expressions of shock and anger. Commander Zandar looked furious, the brown man’s beard moving as he ground his teeth. By his large size he had to be a Narm, likely from sector one. He’d probably been raised to serve the emperor from a young age. He bowed at the screen, ignoring the approaching young candidate completely. “Your Eminence, why were we not notified? Your servants are honored with the privilege of deploying—”
“It has been taken care of, Zandar. Do not question my judgment again.”
A gentle stirring crossed the room. The emperor had bypassed his officers and ordered an attack himself? Was the man in that big of a hurry, or did he not trust his own leaders?
If the latter, he had reason. The fact that Stefan was even here attested to that.
“Honored One,” a woman from the front said. She looked more composed than the rest. “May I present a question?”
“You may.”
“What of the flare? Should we retrieve her before destroying the base?”
“That has been resolved as well. The girl is of no use to us now.”
Now it was Stefan’s turn to stare at the emperor in shock. Something invisible slammed into his chest, stealing his breath. It couldn’t be. She had to be alive. What about that room and the collar and their plans to use her? Perhaps they were keeping it a secret, trying to deflect the commanders’ attention.
Or maybe the other Kane had “taken care” of her too. He felt strangled.
The emperor seemed to be enjoying the moment. “In addition to defeating the gypsy flare and turning over our enemies, Ruben has made the Empire an offer we cannot refuse. He has offered himself. Young Kane is a stronger, more resourceful and determined flare than the gypsy ever could have been.”
Flare? But . . . Ember was the only one. Lazarus Kane had stolen Ember’s father and raised him as his own. Could it be that in his research, Kane had created another flare? Stefan’s mind darted in a hundred different directions, the room seeming to spin around him.
The emperor turned serious. “Now, in the presence of our Empire’s highest officers, I now officially appoint you, Ruben Kane, high commander. May you meet and exceed your father’s legacy. Congratulations.”
Dozens of mouths numbly repeated the words, praising their newest commander in low mutters. Stefan was silent. This was all happening so fast. All he could think about was the emperor’s words, which looped on repeat in his thoughts. A more resourceful and determined flare. Defeating the gypsy girl. High commander. His father’s legacy. Defeating the gypsy girl.
“Commander,” the emperor continued. “By the looks on my council’s faces, we will require a demonstration of your skills. Perhaps focus your attention on that line of useless candidates over there.”
Those around Stefan suddenly went still. The woman on Stefan’s right turned a sickly shade of white.
“My pleasure, Your Eminence,” Ruben said, wearing a ridiculous grin. Now that Stefan knew who he was, he could see the likeness. He had Kane’s chin and nose and the same straight shoulders. Even more startling were the man’s eyes. They seemed to absorb the whiteness of the conference room, overcoming it. Swallowing it up in the depths of something only a Kane could comprehend.
The man turned his attention to the front row. He examined them like a poultry farmer searching for his next victim. Stefan double-checked that his shield was intact as Candidate Four went rigid. The silent interrogation had begun.
An eternity passed before Kane reached Stefan. He knew it was his turn because, suddenly, an enormous pressure formed behind his shield, as if a mountain lay upon it. Around it. Closing in. He gritted his teeth against the force, determined to fight back. This man had no right to get inside his head.
A tiny crack formed in his shield. Stefan mended it quickly, but he knew it was too late when the young Kane stopped in front of him. “Interesting.”
Stefan snapped up in his chair, returning Ruben’s grin with a glower.
“Candidate One,” Kane murmured. “The once-favored occupant of my father’s cherished office and traitor to your own people. You’ve fooled others, but not me. Your plan to escape and help the Union will not succeed.”
Stefan felt the color leave his face. Murmurs dotted the room now. “I have no such plan,” he said quickly, seeing the emperor’s eyes boring into him. “And making things up to slander your competition is a sorry demonstration.”
“That wasn’t the demonstration,” Kane’s son said. “This is.”
And the pressure was back tenfold. A hundredfold. Stefan gasped under the overwhelming weight of it. Something squeezed his mind, restricting his breath and stealing away the very life from his soul. All he could see was Kane’s eyes, focused and intent. He struggled to strengthen his shield, to fortify it, to refuse the man entrance. He imagined it a castle of several-meters- thick, impenetrable stone. He gritted his teeth from the effort, not daring to breathe. There was no one else in the room—just Stefan and Ruben, two men in a staring match, a battle of wills.
But Kane didn’t beat his way through as Stefan expected. Instead, he closed what felt like fingers around Stefan’s fortress. The fingers descended, squeezing until Stefan thought his light would burst.
The shield cracked. A slight fracture, an opening barely large enough to fit the term. But that was all it took for the foreign light to burst inside.
* * *
Stefan was trapped. He could see everything in the room, but it was as if he were a prisoner inside his own body. Outside, voices echoed. He reached to feel his shield but was repelled immediately by another force, a far stronger entity that now occupied the space where he had just been.
“There we are,” a distant voice said. “Now show me the respect I deserve.”
Stefan felt himself rise to his feet, then kneel and crawl on his hands and knees to the front of the room.
Stop! The shout was in his mind. His mouth refused to function.
His face lowered to Kane’s boots and planted a kiss on each.
“That’s better,” the distant voice said. “Now, stand and tell everyone what you intended to do with your position.”
He rose immediately. Stop! Stefan fought to reinstate the walls around his light, to yank the control back into his own hands. But the darkness held, a wall of iron against a child’s frantic pounding.
“I planned to free Ember and run away with her,” Stefan replied. He winced inwardly at the admission. It sounded so boyish.
“So you fancy yourself in love with the girl, then?” Ruben asked. “Above the Empire, above the emperor, above your duty?”
“She’s everything. Nothing else matters.”
“And you were willing to sacrifice all else to achieve this goal.”
“Yes.”
“And if I were to tell you the girl isn’t coming back?”
The traitor Stefan answered immediately. “Then I hope for a swift execution.”
A pause. “That will be all.” The light began to gather now, pu
lling itself together as if affected by gravity. Then it slid out the crack and disappeared. Stefan reached out, feeling himself fill the space again.
* * *
Coming to himself, Stefan gasped. The room was too bright, too large. Dozens of eyes watched him, eyes wide in shock and horror.
It hadn’t been a dream. Ruben Kane had simply . . . taken over . . . his entire being. That shouldn’t be possible.
The sharp taste of boot polish soured his mouth. It was far less potent than the taste of utter humiliation. Not only had the man hurt Ember, he’d violated Stefan in a disgusting, indecent way. He would pay dearly for both.
Stefan whirled on Kane’s son, fists forming. “You—”
Candidate Four grabbed him before he could make the leap. Then two others raced over from the front row, clinging to his arms.
Several guards rushed over from the doors and wrestled Stefan to the ground, holding a stunner to his head. He lay on his stomach now, hands behind him as his wrists were secured, every eye in the room on him.
“Compulsion,” Zandar said in an awed voice.
The murmuring in the room grew louder at the word. Stefan had never heard of it before, but apparently many in this room had.
“I’ve heard it was possible, but I’ve never seen . . .” Zandar seemed incapable of finishing the thought.
“It’s not a new concept,” the emperor said. There was triumph in his eyes. “You’ve seen the gypsy compel life to leave a person’s body. Lazarus Kane even discovered how to mimic compulsion with that machine of his, forcing the flare’s light to do his bidding. Unfortunately, he didn’t live to see his own son fulfill his dream.”
Stefan lay there, quiet except for his heavy breathing. His blood ran hot and angry. Had that evil man done this to Ember when he “took care” of her? Had she been trapped in that terrible place inside herself as well, screaming for help that would never come? Was she still alive somewhere, needing him?
“An effective demonstration,” the emperor said. “You will be of infinite use to us, Commander Kane.”
“It will be my honor, Your Eminence.”
The emperor turned his attention to Stefan sprawled on the floor. “You, young flicker, have been exposed in your treachery. You deserve far worse than a swift execution.”
Stefan glared at the old man. “Torture me, then. Do whatever you need to do. I refuse to feign loyalty a moment longer.”
More whispers. The emperor pursed his lips. “I deliver the prisoner to the flicker commander for execution. I am certain you will ensure the boy suffers every ounce of the pain he deserves, Kane. Just be sure it is done soon.”
“Indeed, High One,” Ruben said. “Although, if I may say so, Your Eminence, there are several others in this room who would cause you concern if you had a comprehensive report of their weaknesses. I would be happy to provide such a report.”
The room went so still it was as if time had stopped. Even Zandar looked frozen in shock. These were the very highest officers in the universe, men and women who had spent their lives proving their worth to the emperor. And yet one untried man, the spawn of a previous comrade, could prove their undoing with a single accusation, true or not. They would have no defense.
Brilliant, Stefan realized. The only person in the room immune to Ruben’s readings was the emperor himself. Was that why he never emerged from Empyrean? So nobody could read him? Or did it have something to do with his fear of being assassinated?
“For now you will lend your energies to young Stefan’s punishment and assisting in our enemies’ destruction. Once those are accomplished, I will request a full report.”
“As you say, High One.”
The emperor turned back to the room. The men and women in their seats looked like children who had just been grounded for life. They gazed up at their emperor with expressions of betrayal and horror. The line of candidates was sullen, some staring at the floor. Others glowered at Stefan.
So strong. This Ruben Kane had an unnatural, evil power. If Ruben’s powers had been bestowed by that virus strain, perhaps there was a way to unravel it all. If only he had more time.
Ember.
For the first time in his life, Stefan turned his thoughts upward to the stars. Please let her be alive, he pleaded. If you can find a way to save her, do it. He paused as the guards at his side yanked him to his feet. One last prayer, above all.
And if she’s alive, please keep her far away from here.
Chapter 26
Ember felt her team’s eyes on her as they approached the cargo bay doors for the second time in a week. They obviously expected her to sweep the cargo bay clean like she’d done before, ensuring an easy disembarking from their stolen Empire shuttle. But that would alert the entire ship to their presence, locking the bay down and trapping them as surely as any cage.
Besides, she didn’t want to give the emperor a chance to escape. She’d sensed him again, that low, flickering light. It was brighter today. He was awake. That meant Ember had to hide her identity as long as possible.
She closed her eyes, searching through the thousands of lights on the ship. Far more than there had been last time. It was a good sign—they weren’t expecting a Union attack.
“Lady Flare?” Brennan asked, piercing her thoughts. “Orders?”
Ruben was here too. In fact, he was remarkably close to the emperor’s location. They weren’t alone. The two were surrounded by dozens of people, all high-ranking officers. In contrast to the emperor’s dim light, Ruben’s was ablaze with heat. Whether from excitement or anger, she couldn’t tell. The others in the room appeared highly emotional as well, their lights unusually bright.
She opened her eyes with a gasp. Stefan. His light was one of the brighter ones, and it was clear he was angry. What was going on in that room?
“You alive, flare?” Reina asked, standing right in front of Ember. “It’s not like there’s a giant room full of soldiers ready to gun us down or anything.”
Ember stared at her, pulling herself back to the moment. They’d already touched ground. Harlow stood there as well, looking concerned.
“The plan?” Brennan prompted. He gripped his stunner tightly. “Since the workers are still walking around out there, I’m guessing you don’t intend to knock them out.”
“We’re patrollers getting off duty,” Ember said. “Act casual and follow me.” She hit the hatch release and waited for it to decompress.
“They’re going to recognize us,” Reina said in a singsong voice. “If not us, they’ll know Lady Flare’s face in a second.”
“Shh,” Brennan hissed as the hatch opened.
Ember peered out to glimpse movement as a worker scurried behind a crate, then an eerie silence ensued. Not a person in sight.
“Stop,” she told her team, reaching out inwardly. Only a few lights remained. The bay had nearly emptied of humans now, which meant . . .
A siren wailed. The bay doors behind them irised closed, cutting off their escape.
Reina swore.
The mechs swarmed in seconds later. They must have hidden behind the crates. They surged toward Ember’s group like an army of rolling metal. Armed metal.
“Close the door!” Ember called, but the others had already beaten her to it. She leaped inside just as the hatch hissed shut.
Harlow’s face was white as they stumbled back. The entire shuttle rocked with gunfire. The mechs weren’t using stunners today. These weapons contained metal used to destroy targets, not just down them.
“Somehow,” Harlow said, “I don’t think they care whether we live this time.”
Ruben. That was the difference—he’d beaten them here and secured the cargo bay in case she’d ignored his warning and tried to follow.
“We can’t stay here,” Brennan said, eyeing the instrument panel. It buzzed several warnings now.
“This isn’t a fighter,” Harlow agreed. “Its hull won’t hold under this kind of gunfire. And we don’t have the weaponry
to blast an exit hole through those bay doors.”
“Why not knock everyone out already?” Reina asked. “Maybe you’ll get the person controlling those stupid robots in the process. We’ll be in and out in minutes.”
Ember shook her head. The ship was likely being alerted to their presence right now, so she obviously wouldn’t have the advantage of surprise. But there was a bigger problem. “It only works on those who aren’t shielded. That excludes a third of their guards and all the high commanders. The moment people start falling, the emperor will run.”
“If only we could somehow convince them we aren’t a threat,” Brennan said. “That we aren’t who they think we are.”
Convince. Manipulate. She’d done it before, and Ruben had proven it possible as well. But did she really want to tap into the darker side of her power?
A shrill beeping noise screamed from the instrument panel. Harlow cursed. “Less than a minute and we’re goners.”
Ember closed her eyes and started to hum, trying to focus amidst the heavy gunfire pounding around them.
She allowed the melody to soften her shoulder muscles and let herself sink into deep concentration. She reached out and felt all those lights, all those people who served the Empire and its head. People who knew no better. People who felt they had no alternative or simply knew no other life. Good, bad, and everything in between—just like the Union members. There really wasn’t much difference between the two. Sand and water.
“Uh, Lady Flare?” Harlow asked, but Brennan shushed him.
There. The mech operator—an older man determined to prove himself at last to his superior officer, who had denied him a promotion for decades—was indeed on board.
She directed her attention to his flickering light. Ember had received messages from her inner light before it had taken control. Perhaps she could influence him the same way without actually taking over. She reached out—but instead of yanking at it or sending a blow, she drew close to it. It’s all right, she communicated mentally. The ship in the bay is no threat. You can withdraw the mechs without penalty. In fact, perhaps it’s time to take a break. You’ve worked hard, and you could use it. The man’s light held, although it flickered uncertainly.