by Leslie Chase
Then another chair flew through the air, catching everyone by surprise. Commander Woods swung it with all his strength, sending it slamming into Verikan and staggering the prince. Before he could catch his balance, the guards leaped in to take advantage of his distraction.
Josie smashed her own chair into the nearest guard, but it wasn't enough. The other two had Verikan pinned, and the man in front of her swung a vicious backhand that sent her flying into the wall beside Mordrak. Tasting blood, her head ringing, Josie tried to pull herself to her feet. Mordrak grabbed her, one hand trapping her wrist and the other closing on her throat, squeezing. The world swam in front of her eyes.
"Stop, or she dies!" The threat was enough to freeze Verikan, and he looked at Josie, helpless rage burning in his eyes.
"Release her," he ground out in a deadly monotone. Mordrak laughed and squeezed harder, leaving Josie thrashing and struggling to breathe. Verikan took a step forward, but the guards grabbed hold of him. Josie could see that this time there was no chance of him reaching her before Mordrak crushed the life out of her.
"I am your sworn lord, Mordrak," Verikan said, voice firm even as the guards dragged him back. "You owe me your loyalty and obedience. Let. Her. Go."
Mordrak's grip on her neck loosened and Josie sucked in desperate breaths, but he didn't release her. Instead he snarled at the prince, struggling for words.
"My first loyalty is to the Empire," Mordrak said. His voice was filled with rage despite the formal words, and he had to steady himself on the wall. Blood dripped from his face where Verikan's fists had battered him. "The legacy of your family is the heart of all we do. I cannot permit you to destroy that legacy, no matter the cost."
"It is not your choice!" Verikan's voice rose to a furious roar. Mordrak flinched but he didn't back down.
"You will come with us and be confined in comfort until things are settled, sir," he said, voice like stone. "Then you can judge me for my crimes if you must. But I will not allow you to risk the future of the Empire in order to spare these weakling humans. As long as you behave yourself, your pet here will not be harmed."
He shook Josie for emphasis, and she struggled for air again. She wanted to tell Verikan to ignore her, to keep fighting — what did it matter what happened to her, if the Earth was razed by these monsters? But she couldn't get enough air to speak, and anyway with Verikan outnumbered as he was she was too frightened. Not for herself, but that she might see Verikan die if he tried to resist.
What do I do? How can I help? Everything seemed pointless. She looked to the other humans for help, but there was nothing there. Dr. Cain lay on the floor, nose bloodied by Commander Woods. Owens and Radcliff stood by looking confused and afraid. Woods stood, face pale but determined, watching Mordrak. Wanting attention from the man he's selling Earth out to, I bet. I hope you choke on your thirty pieces of silver, scumbag.
No one was going to back her up, and she wasn't even sure what they could do if they tried.
Verikan glanced around and made the same calculation. Straightening from his fighting crouch he glared at Mordrak but opened his fists. "You win. Don't hurt her, and I will do as you say."
Josie struggled, trying to speak, to tell him not to give in. But all that she could get past the hand on her throat was a raw gasping sound, no words came out. Mordrak kept his hold on her as the guards closed in on Verikan, taking tight hold of him and dragging him away.
His eyes locked on hers, and she could see his thoughts as clearly as if she were reading them from a book. I'll protect you, he was saying. No matter what. Just hold on.
She wanted to cry, to scream, to kick him. My life isn't worth this, she tried to say. But it was too late, the guards had him now. Even if he changed his mind and started to fight back, there was no way he could manage it.
The door slid shut behind the guards, leaving Mordrak alone with the humans. If they'd been united against him, perhaps they could have done something, but they weren't.
"You have made a wise choice," Mordrak said to Woods, dropping Josie. "You will have a high place amongst the servants of the Empire."
The world faded around her, and the last thing she saw before she lost consciousness was her boss bowing low to his new overlord, a pleased smirk on his face.
16
Verikan
Cursing under his breath, Verikan let himself be led down into the depths beneath the palace by the guards. If they felt any discomfort at the idea of dragging their prince off to house arrest, they didn't show it, and they kept a firm grip on his arms as he went. That wasn't what kept him from fighting back, though.
The certain knowledge that Josie would die if he resisted was enough to restrain him, and he felt that pain, that fear, eat at him. His own life didn't matter in comparison, but he would not see her dead. Not when they had only just found each other. That was a pain that he couldn't bear.
Askelon was waiting for him in his laboratory, working on some complex apparatus. He looked up with a smug smile which faltered when he saw the battered condition of the guards, and Verikan felt a faint surge of satisfaction. It wasn't much compared to the problems he faced now, but at least he'd surprised his enemies with how hard he'd been able to fight back.
It hadn't been enough, but it was something.
"You are all traitors," he said by way of greeting. There didn't seem any point in being polite. "You most of all. How many of our people did you kill to get these four guards awake so quickly?"
"I am the savior of the race," Askelon said. There was no pride in his voice, he said it as a simple statement of fact. "Without me and the modifications I made to the survival systems, we would all be dead. I think that buys me a little leeway."
"That doesn't excuse attacking me. And it certainly doesn't excuse waging war on an innocent civilization."
Askelon shook his head, turning back to look out over the mists stirring below.
"It was necessary, Your Highness," he said, sighing. "I will not save our people, only for you to throw away our empire in an ill-conceived attempt to treat a lesser race as our equals. We must conquer Earth, it is the only way to be sure that we will be safe. And that we will have access to the females we will need to breed."
Verikan gritted his teeth, glaring at the scientist.
"You cannot rebel against me and say you are loyal to the Empire," he said. "I am the Empire, all that is left of the Imperial Family."
Askelon chuckled, sounding sad and tired. "This won't be the first time that the Emperor has lived in seclusion while his advisors do the governing for him. You will be kept in comfort and you will have your mate with you, Your Highness. If all goes well, by the time your children are of age, Earth will be secure under Imperial rule and I'll be able to hand over control of the realm to them. For the time being, however, your human will be kept apart from you to ensure you don't get any ideas about escape."
"If you harm her—"
"Your Highness, I am not stupid," Askelon interrupted. "She is my leverage over you, and so she is quite safe unless you do something to force my hand. I have no interest in harming either of you, in any case. I regret that it has come to this, I had hoped that you would grow into the prince we needed, but you have left me no choice."
"You could have been loyal," Verikan growled. "That was the simple choice. Have the courage to trust me to lead our people, and you wouldn't have had to kill however many soldiers you did to get these guards awake so quickly."
"Seven," Askelon said, and the look of pain on his face was genuine. "Rushing things so that we could stop your foolishness killed seven of our men, irreplaceable dragons dead because of you. And more will die if I don't focus on my work. Don't talk to me about courage, Your Highness. I know more of sacrifice than I care to, after today."
He gestured to the guards, a sharp jerking motion, and they pulled Verikan to a door leading off the laboratory. The room inside was a small but functional apartment, large enough to hold a bed, a small foodmaker,
and a washroom and that was all.
"I'm afraid the quarters won't be quite what you're used to, but it will only be for a few days and I have stayed there for longer than that in the past," Askelon said. "We will arrange more suitable accommodation for you soon."
Turning to shoot one last glare at the scientist turned traitor, Verikan snarled at him. Their eyes met, and Askelon smiled a tired smile. But there was something in his eyes, a hint of triumph that he didn't allow himself to show in any other way. For all his protests that this was for the good of the Empire, Verikan could see that he was enjoying setting himself up as the ruler of the dragons.
How much of this is honest belief that he knows best, and how much is it that he wants to rule? The answer didn't matter, Verikan knew — the outcome was the same. Treason, and genocide. Whatever his reasons, his actions would lead to the deaths of millions, and perhaps the end of the dragon species.
Verikan searched his heart for something to say, some argument that might convince Askelon of his mistake. But there wasn't any time, and the man's arrogance wouldn't let him listen anyway. The door between them slammed shut, and Verikan heard the lock click. He was alone with his thoughts and his rage.
Roaring, he threw himself into the wall, smashing against it with his hands. He had failed, failed himself and failed Josie, and now both their peoples would pay the price.
17
Josie
The first thing Josie saw when she woke was Dr. Cain, leaning over her with a worried expression and bloodshot eyes. She looked as though she hadn't slept in a week, but then that wasn't unusual for her.
"Oh thank goodness, you're awake," the doctor said, sitting back. "I was starting to worry. A head wound like that can be dangerous."
"Thanks, that really makes me feel better," Josie grumbled, trying to sit up and wincing. Her head ached horribly and her memory was fuzzy — she couldn't put together what was happening, where she was.
The bright light was painful to look at and she closed her eyes for a moment, trying to separate dream from reality. The dragons, the invasion, that couldn't be real... could it?
She had the sinking feeling that it was. Forcing her eyes open, she looked around the room. It wasn't the cramped confines of the crew quarters at the Mars base, or even somewhere on Earth. She sat on a small bed set up in a plain, bare room, but the architecture wasn't human. Even though it wasn't the luxurious rooms she remembered from the dragon palace, she could see that this room was built for giants with wings.
"I guess I wasn't dreaming," she muttered, closing her eyes and leaning back against the cool wall behind her. The red Martian rock was comfortingly solid to the touch, a reminder that she was really there, but the memories that slowly resurfaced were anything but pleasant. "How long have I been out?"
"Most of a day," Dr. Cain said, sounding worried again. "I did my best for you, but without my supplies there wasn't much I could do. And we've been locked in here since Commander Woods told the bloody aliens that I was against them."
"I suppose I should be grateful you were locked up with me," Josie said, trying to force a smile. It hurt. "At least this way, I got some medical attention."
A whole day gone. That wasn't good, wasn't good at all. From the way Mordrak and Askelon had been talking, they wanted to launch their invasion as soon as possible. With Woods on their side, they had a ship that could get them to Earth. For all she knew the invasion was already underway.
Verikan wouldn't allow it, she thought, and then paled as her memory caught up. The other dragons hadn't let his opinion stop them, and now she remembered Verikan being dragged off by the conspirators.
"What happened to Verikan?" she asked, grabbing hold of Dr. Cain's arm.
"I don't know," Cain said, trying to pull away. She held tight, and Cain winced as her fingers dug in. "Look, they took him away and locked him up somewhere. More than that I don't know. What does it matter?"
"It matters because he's the only one who can stop them," Josie said. Pulling herself to her feet, she swayed. "He's their prince, they should obey him."
"But they didn't. Either he's changed his mind or they've deposed him, and either way he can't help us."
Josie tried to think past the pain and the despair. She couldn't deny that Cain had a point, but she wasn't going to give up on her man. And there was a sliver of hope, however slim.
"There has to be a reason they rushed to grab him like they did," she pointed out. "If they could be confident that the other aliens would ignore his objections they wouldn't have to hurry. No, I think that there are only a few of them that will stand up against Verikan — and they wanted their rebellion done before the rest woke up."
Cain looked dubious, then shrugged. "I don't know that it matters, Josie. We're still trapped in here, he's locked up wherever he is. Even if he's on Earth's side, what good does it do?"
"I don't know," Josie admitted. "But there has to be something that we can do."
Letting go of Cain's arm Josie walked slowly to the door. Her balance wasn't as steady as she'd like, and her head pounded with pain, but she could manage. If it got her back to Verikan's side, she would manage. There simply wasn't an option.
"Don't you think I've tried the door?" Dr. Cain said wearily. "First thing I did after I made you comfortable, Josie. It's locked."
Josie leaned against the door, glancing back at the doctor. "What were you going to do?"
She grinned, weakly. "I don't know exactly. If I could get to the Red Horizon before they did, I figured I'd steal it. Or, more likely, crash it — I don't know how to fly the bloody thing, after all. But I could send Earth a warning, and without the ship the aliens will have a hard time invading."
"That's a pretty good plan. They'd steal a ship from another colony, but it would slow them down," Josie said. She took a deep breath. "Okay, you try that. I'll try and rescue Verikan. Between us, maybe one of us will get through."
"Aren't you forgetting something? We're locked up in here."
"I'm not going to let a little thing like that stop us from saving the day," Josie said, grinning with as much confidence as she could muster. Either this would work or it wouldn't, so she might as well show off.
"Open," she told the door, and to her relief it slid aside, revealing an empty corridor beyond. Dr. Cain stared at her as though she'd grown a second head, and Josie let her wonder for a moment before taking pity on her and explaining.
"Verikan gave me access to the palace so I could get around. I figured that the other dragons wouldn't think he'd do that, and it looks like I was right — they probably took away his access, but I still have mine. You go find your way out and I'll go find him."
Dr. Cain nodded sharply. "Are you sure you don't want to come with me? We can get out of here and get to safety together. Verikan might not even be alive anymore."
"Not a chance," Josie said. "Not while there's any hope of rescuing him. Aside from anything else, he's the only one who can stop the alien invasion for good."
And I'm not abandoning him to his fate. He wouldn't leave me, and I won't leave him. Josie knew that Cain wouldn't understand that, but it was the real reason she had to stay.
Cain nodded and hurried away towards the surface, and Josie tried to think where her beloved could be. Deeper inside the palace, that was all she could think, but the place was so big and empty it could be anywhere.
I'll find him, she told herself. No matter what, I'll find him. Or die trying.
The palace was nerve-wrackingly silent as Josie crept through the giant passages. She knew she should be glad that she saw and heard no one — if she was caught out of her cell, goodness knew what would happen to her! But the lack of any sign of life made it as eerie now as it had been when she'd first arrived, before she'd known anything of Verikan or the dragons.
Has it really only been a few days? Josie couldn't imagine life without Verikan now, finding him had changed so much. Now she might have seen him for the last time. The memory of
him being dragged away by the bloodied guards was painful, and it wasn't how she wanted to remember him.
She refused to think that way. He was safe, a prisoner somewhere, and she would find him. But what she didn't know was how — the palace was huge and she had only seen a fraction of it. The tunnels could extend for miles around, for all she knew, and she didn't have any idea where Mordrak and Askelon would keep their prince prisoner.
I've got to be systematic, she told herself firmly. Just searching at random would take forever and she only had until the aliens realized that she was missing. Which could be any second, especially with Dr. Cain trying to find her way out of the palace too.
She started her search by looking for Verikan's rooms, on the chance that they'd simply put him under house arrest. It was an obvious choice, perhaps too obvious — the room was as they'd left it, with no sign that Verikan or anyone else had been back there since she'd left. She looked at the bed, blushing at the sight of it, the sheets still in disarray after their lovemaking. Shaking her head, she turned away.
Okay, so he's not here. Then where else? Down under the palace, that's where he went to see Askelon. But there are so many tunnels, he could be anywhere. She could hardly think past her pounding headache.
Glancing at the pool and remembering its healing properties, she took the time to dunk herself under the waters and let the nanotech do its work. A clear head was worth the few minutes that took — and it wasn't as though she'd had a good idea of where to go next anyway.
Coming out of the bath feeling more alert, Josie looked at the dress Verikan had given her and shook her head. It was a gorgeous outfit, yes, but right now she needed something more practical. Fortunately, the pieces of her spacesuit still lay where they'd fallen.
She didn't know what she'd face, but at least it had a little protection. And being able to face the vacuum outside the palace was worth the time she spent putting it on.