“I know. But some of the stuff I’ve had to do for you, it doesn’t sit well,” Kaarg said. “Like Lig’s family. I didn’t want to kill Donoon, but I understood why he had to go. But the rest of her family. That was just greed and lust for power on your part.”
“I—,” Vaamick started.
“What?” Lig shrieked. The door was open a few inches, her hand on the knob.
“Lig, what are you doing here?” Vaamick asked.
“It doesn’t matter what I’m doing here,” Lig shouted. “You’re the one. You’re the reason my family died. And all those years ago I bought your bullshit about some unknown person who wished them harm. And that you sent Kaarg to protect them. But that’s not what happened is it? You sent him to kill them. Why?”
“I was just trying to protect you,” Vaamick said.
“Protect me? You are trying to protect me from my mother? You’re trying to protect me for my father? I was just a girl. You took my family from me.”
“I—,” Vaamick started again.
“I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want to hear anything more from you,” Lig said. “I don’t want anything to do with you. I hate you.” She slammed the door and ran off.
Vaamick and Kaarg stared at each other for a moment. “Kaarg,” Vaamick turned to the ashen faced man. “Go after her. Make sure she doesn’t tell anyone.”
“I’m not sure she wants to see me, any more than she wants to see you,” Kaarg said.
“Just do it,” Vaamick shouted, pounding his fist on the desk.
Kaarg sighed and turned towards the door. He opened it and almost ran into a page whose hand was up as if to knock on the door. “Out of my way,” he growled, pushing the boy out of his way. The page fell to the floor and Kaarg stepped over him.
The boy sat there for a moment with a shocked expression on his face. Vaamick glared at him. “What do you want? It had better be good.”
“I, uh. I... Well, it’s not good.” The boy stuttered. He slowly got to his feet and dusted himself off.
“Spit it out already.”
“Sir, it’s the Queen. You asked to be informed of any developments at the government house. Queen Lorinth has had a baby girl,” the page said as he entered the office cringing.
“That doesn’t sound like bad news to me,” Vaamick replied.
“There was some sort of problem, Sir. Your spies aren’t able to get any information about the baby, but something happened to the Queen. The doctors aren’t sure if she is going to make it.” The page shrank in on himself and held his arms up in a defensive position waiting for Vaamick’s anger to strike.
“What? I must go to her.” Vaamick leapt to his feet and ran toward the door. As he rushed out the door, he knocked over the page again. Vaamick raced down the hall and shouted over his shoulder, “Shut the door on your way out.”
Vaamick normally enjoyed the privacy of having his office, at the far end of the temple, away from the bustle near the entrance. For the first time, he cursed its position as he navigated tunnels to leave. Distracted, he made a wrong turn and found himself at a dead end. He swore again and turned around. As he got closer to the front of the temple, the tunnels got more crowded. He dodged those that he could and ran through those he couldn’t.
“Vaamick!” He heard a shout behind him but he didn’t pause to see who it was. There was more commotion behind him but it barely registered. Only one more stretch to go and he would be out of the temple and on his way to the government house.
“Vaamick.” A pair of large hands gripped his shoulders. He struggled to break free but was unable to loosen the grip. He twisted around to see Kaarg holding him.
“Vaamick, we’ve got problems,” Kaarg told him. “Lig has left the temple. She left little Lorinth with Bima and told her she didn’t know if she would be back.”
“I don’t have time for that,” Vaamick responded. “Lorinth is in trouble. There was a problem with her birth. I have to go to her.”
Kaarg’s expression softened. “How are you going to get to her? I’m sure that Jeef will not let you see her.”
“I’ll figure that out when I get there. I can’t stay here and do nothing.” Vaamick pried Kaarg’s fingers from his shoulders. “Do what you can, but I must go.”
Kaarg nodded as his arms fell limply to his sides. Vaamick turned and sprinted to the door. Outside, the path was wider and after a few shoves and shouts, people made way for the wide eyed priest.
Vaamick ran a mile through the tunnels before he realized that it would take him hours to reach his destination on foot. He looked around. As a super-bus pulled up to a stop a short distance away, he raced over to it. “I must get to the government house immediately,” he told the driver as he panted to catch his breath. The oxygen was lighter in the higher tunnels that connected different regions.
The super-bus driver shook his head. “This bus is going to Biim. A capitol bus arrives in another hour.”
“I can’t wait that long. I am the high priest of Bara and I have urgent business with the Queen,” Vaamick told him. He reached over the driver and hit the button to close the doors. “Now go.”
“But I’ll lose my job,” the man protested.
“Tell your boss that it was an order from me. If he’s upset, he can take it up with the temple.”
“But the other passengers…” the driver protested, weaker this time.
“Go,” Vaamick roared. He turned towards the other occupants of the vehicle. Only a few occupied the seats. A young girl near the front cowered at his outburst. His expression softened when he noticed the scared child. He addressed the group, “I am sorry but this bus is being detoured. It is a matter of life or death. You will be reimbursed for your ride. Any further complaints can be filed with the temple staff.”
He sat down next to the girl. She flinched as he approached. “I’m sorry for that. I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m actually pretty scared myself.”
Her eyes widened. “You? What are you scared of?”
He patted her hand. “A very good friend of mine is very sick. She may even die,” he told her. “Like I said, I’m scared and I don’t want to be alone. Can I sit with you?” She nodded and Vaamick slumped into his seat.
The ride seemed to take forever, even though on their small moon, it was impossible for any place to be truly far away. The capitol and the temple were closer than most population centers. And the super-bus was one of the fastest methods of transportation available, short of a rare private vehicle. But time stretched out as far away as the dim sun. Minutes ticked by. He checked the time on his communicator constantly.
An eternity, really ten minutes later, the bus trundled to a stop at the upper tunnels of Saar. “Can’t you get us any closer? I need to go to the government house,” Vaamick pleaded with the driver.
He shook his head. “This is as low as I can go, I won’t fit in the smaller tunnels below.”
Vaamick dropped his head. “Okay. Here.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a credit chit. The driver’s eyes widened when he saw the denomination. “This should cover the cost of your detour,” Vaamick said.
Vaamick stepped off the bus and looked around. He hadn’t been to Saar in—what had it been?—a quarter of a Saturn-year. Not since construction had been completed on the temple. After he took a moment to catch his bearings, he began running. He wasn’t sure of the exact route to the government house, but he knew the general direction—down.
He ran through the tunnels, the air getting heavier and easier to breathe as he descended. He hesitated at a fork. The place was deserted. Where was everybody? The larger tunnel seemed like the better bet. He followed it until he realized that it was sloping upwards. He turned around and hurried back to the fork. He turned around the bend and stopped in his tracks. No wonder these tunnels didn’t look familiar, the bus driver had dropped him off at the far end of Saar. As the tunnel opened into the natural cavern that made up the capital city, the government house loomed
on a ledge against the far wall.
Steps carved into the cave face led down to the cavern’s main level. Vaamick carefully climbed down the path. Once on the ground, he started towards his destination. The cavern was sparsely populated on this side but as he got closer, crowds began to form. Vaamick pushed through them, leaving a trail of fallen people in his wake. He reached the government house at last. The two guards from before stopped his progress.
“You aren’t welcome here,” one of them said. Vaamick didn’t think. He didn’t hesitate. He grabbed the stunner in the man’s hand and twisted it from his grip before the guard had a chance to pull the trigger. He zapped them both as he swung the weapon wildly. They slumped to the ground, and he stepped over them.
He entered the squat building and looked around. He had never been in the government house. Pages bustled through the hallways. He grabbed one of them. “Which way to the queen’s quarters?”
The page blinked. “Visitors aren’t allowed there, sir.”
He shook the boy by his arm. “Just tell me. I was sent for,” he lied. The page looked unsure, so Vaamick gave him a little extra encouragement. He waved the stunner over the boy with his other hand.
The page swallowed. “It’s, uh, in the rear of the complex. Follow the main hallway until it ends and go left. The royal quarters are at the end.”
“That’s better,” Vaamick growled. “Thank you, now go.” He let go of the boy who scurried off to get away from the mad man.
Vaamick followed the directions until he found a door with a doctor leaving it. “I was told the queen was ill. I must go to her.”
“You’re too late,” the doctor responded. “She died fifteen minutes ago. I tried to help her, but she was just too weak. Her heart gave out. She just couldn’t handle the news that the baby didn’t make it.” He lowered his head.
Vaamick slumped to the floor and let out a howl. The doctor watched him for a moment. Apparently deciding to leave the distraught priest to himself, he shook his head and left.
A page, a different one from before, tried to help him to his feet, but he shook him off. He sat there for an unknown time until one voice pierced through his mental fog. “There he is,” someone shouted. “That’s the priest that attacked us at the entrance.” A company of guards blocked the exit to the next hallway. Vaamick gritted his teeth. He stood as the guards inched their way closer.
“Lorinth is dead,” Vaamick said as he dusted his robes off. “My child is dead. A girl I promised to protect, hates me. Do you think I’m scared of you? Do you think that I have anything left to keep me from raising the power on this weapon?” He raised the stunner over his head and then lowered it to his face. He twisted a dial and a hum emanated from the weapon.
He clenched his fists. “I’ve got nothing to lose. Do you?” He dove at the group. The first one dodged his weapon but the second wasn’t so lucky. The guard fell to the ground, a hole formed in his head where the weapon had disassociated his constituent particles.
The other guards backed away. Vaamick lunged forward again. “Come on, kill me! Send me to Bara. I don’t want to live.” He swung the stunner in wide arcs around him.
Another guard fell. The other guards looked on in fear, not wanting to engage in battle with the wild eyed priest. He attacked again; a third casualty was all it took for the remainder of guards to disperse. Vaamick stood over the dead bodies around him.
“Vaamick, what have you done?” He looked up to see Lig staring at him, mouth open. Beside her stood Jeef.
Vaamick looked down as if noticing the carnage for the first time. “I—.”
“You’ve gone too far, priest,” Jeef bellowed. “Your popularity with the people protects you, but not for long. Now, get out of my sight before I kill you myself.”
“This is your fault, Jeef. She would have been safe in my care,” Vaamick said.
“Safe like Lig’s parents?” Jeef snarled. Vaamick lunged at him with the outstretched stunner.
“Stop!” Lig shouted as she jumped in between the two men. Vaamick stopped the weapon’s progress inches from her nose.
She stared at the weapon, horror written across her face. He dropped the weapon to the ground. “I—.”
“Don’t,” she interrupted. “Let’s go back to the temple. From there, I’m packing my things, taking little Lorinth, and moving out of the temple.” She took a step towards the door. Vaamick shuddered at the thought of what he almost did and followed her.
The super-bus heading towards the temple arrived a few minutes after they reached the depot. They made the trip in silence, Lig ignoring him each time he tried to apologize.
They reached the temple entrance. As they entered, the lights flickered. That was odd. Bioluminescence didn’t just go out. A thought tickled the back of his brain. He shook it off as he walked towards his office. Lig split off to go to her room.
Then it hit him. “Everybody, evacuate the temple,” he shouted. “Evacuate, evacuate!” Heads turned. He shooed them on. “Go, now. We are all in danger. Tell everyone.”
“What’s wrong, Vaamick?” one of the congregants asked.
“The temple is going to collapse. Get out,” he pleaded.
At the word collapse, the crowd finally started moving. He ran through the halls calling on everyone to leave. The people of Bara had invented teleportation eons ago but it was abandoned as it disrupted the life essence of those in its wake. When the lichen at the entrance failed, a payload had landed on the roof above them. There were only three teleporters on the moon and two of them were in Saar. A bomb from Jeef was the only possible thing that it could be.
He found Lig in her room with her baby. “I don’t want to talk to you. Just leave me alone,” she cried.
“You’re in danger. Jeef is going to bomb us. I need to get you out of the temple before it goes off,” Vaamick said.
“What are you talking about?” she asked.
Vaamick didn’t stop. He plucked the toddler from the floor and grabbed her arm. “No time, get out. Save yourself.” He pulled her from the room and they ran towards the exit where others were shouting and going to and fro.
They reached the area by the shrine when an explosion shook the ground beneath them. Even from here, the sound was deafening. Vaamick’s ears rang. A part of the ceiling collapsed in a sea of dust. The child in his arms cried. Vaamick blinked, trying to see through the airborne debris.
When the explosion hit, he had lost Lig’s hand. He searched for her and gasped. One of the columns had collapsed and fallen on her. Vaamick wanted to check on her but knew there was no point. She would not have survived the falling rock.
Past her, the door to the shrine was on the ground. Another slab had severed the statue of Bara and pierced the ground. The spring welled up around the feet of the broken statue like a pool of blood.
Vaamick gritted his teeth. If Jeef was going to openly attack him, he wouldn’t take it lying down. If Jeef wanted a war, Jeef was going to find out what a war really looked like.
Vaamick looked around the main cavern of the temple. Hundreds milled around. Moans and cries filled the air. Several of the younger priests carried bodies to another room while a doctor and some nurses rushed around to each injured person.
Vaamick climbed the fallen rock in the center, taking care to stay clear of Lig's broken body. Holding the crying toddler over his head, he cried out, "Brothers and sisters, the King has finally shown his true colors. He intends to ban Bara worship and kill her followers. We cannot let him win. We must fight evil. The king has killed this child's mother. The king will pay for his crimes. We must take arms. Jeef may have started a war, but we will finish it."
A weak cheer ran through the crowd. Vaamick climbed back to the floor, clutching the wriggling child to his chest. He found Bima and handed the child to her. She looked at Lig's body behind him. "She didn't deserve to die that way." Vaamick shook his head. "You find that son of a bitch and stick a knife in him." She held his eye a moment more
and then turned and left.
Vaamick fished his communicator out of his robes. "Kaarg, I'm afraid that retirement will have to wait. Start bringing up the weapons. Tonight, we march on the capitol."
Preview of Once Upon a Saturn Moon
Here's the first chapter of the next book in this series. After you finish, you will receive a chance to get Once Upon a Saturn Moon for free.
Salaris – Temple of Bara. January 19, 2079
Salaris couldn’t remember the last time a group this large had braved the cold and the ethane snows. She didn’t think it had ever happened. Sure, their bodies could survive on the surface for a short time. Large lungs filled their barrel chests, allowing them to inhale more of the meager oxygen from the air. The black skin covering their tall bodies helped keep their bodies warm against the cold. But anything longer than a few minutes required the bulky clothing and breathing equipment like the respirator she was now wearing.
Looking around her, every respirator from storage was probably in use. She fingered her respirator, checking the seals for the twelfth time. It was probably older than she was, and none of the temple-dwellers knew how to repair them. As far from their cavern as they were now, a failure would be fatal.
How far are we? Salaris had never been this far from home. Aside from her fiancé, she didn’t know anyone who had been. People just didn’t travel more than a few miles from the cavern they called home. A distance like that could be covered without life support, should they experience a failure. Failures happened from time to time. It could only be expected from equipment as old as theirs.
This time, however, they had traveled so far that Saturn wasn’t hidden by just the thick hydrocarbon soup of atmosphere, but also by the bulk of the moon. At least the Saarkaaks wouldn’t think to find them here.
Whatever Vaamick had planned, it must be huge. The head priest had been tight lipped about his plans as usual. He simply ordered that everyone suit up for a trip to the surface. There had been some grumbles but no one dared defy their leader. Salaris couldn’t help but wonder if this excursion to the surface had anything to do with the secret mission of her beloved, Donoon. Vaamick cleared his throat, breaking Salaris free of her reverie.
The Fall of Saar (Once Upon a Saturn Moon Book 2) Page 4