“Chai came to see me earlier.” I blushed. He told him about the Shidmina.
“I wanted to tell you. But with everything that happened…”
“Are you sure this is what you want? Do you love him?” I cleared my throat awkwardly.
“Yes. I love him.”
“Then I’m happy. I couldn’t ask for someone better to look after my little girl.” Bill’s eyes were misty and he hugged me to his chest. I swallowed at the lump in my throat. “You both better come back in one piece.”
The endless waves of sand were transformed into a dark mystical place in the moonlight. Every rock, every dune looked different, changed from barren and hopeless to magical in the dark. The stars were so bright in the sky, I wanted to reach out and touch them. It would’ve been romantic if it wasn’t for the mission we were on. I would love to be alone right now with Chai, with only the stars and the moonlight surrounding us. I snuck a glance at him next to me. He watched me with amusement and I blushed. I forgot how good he was at reading the emotions on my face.
The truck hopped over the uneven surface and I clutched my hands in my lap. Everyone was quiet. Not even Arianna had said a word since we left. Gaios maneuvered the truck over the sand towards the jungle. He was heading for the weather-worn shack with the entrance to the tunnels. A couple of bigger trucks followed behind us. They would transport the slaves back to the mountain.
The truck skidded to a halt. The shack loomed in front of us. Chai still had the key I gave him for the lock the night I had to get him out of Palasium. It felt like a lifetime ago. He took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“You can stay here. I can go alone.” I knew he sensed the fear and hesitation in me.
“I have to do this.” I yanked open the truck door. This mission was too important. I couldn’t let fear get the better of me and Chai would be with me every step of the way.
The others would stay behind. Only Chai and I would go through the tunnels. We had to get the codes for the security gate for the slave quarters. Once we got them out of the quarters, the slaves could escape through the tunnels to the waiting trucks. Quickly in and quickly out. Robert and the Vandelrizi must have no clue to what’s happening. We didn’t want to get involved in a fight. Too many of the human slaves could get hurt if we started a war tonight.
Chai unlocked the door of the shack, turning on his flashlight. I tried to slow my breathing. It wasn’t only fear holding me back. There was something else. I didn’t know what I was going to tell Rosa when I see her. Emily was dead. How am I going to tell her? I would have to explain to her what happened to her daughter.
Chai took my hand. “Are you ready?” I nodded, ignoring the urge to run away. I drew on the strength his touch gave me.
We followed the tunnels straight to the supply room across from Robert’s office. These tunnels opened up in the most unusual places across Palasium and I knew them each by heart. The metal shelves scraped the floor loudly as Chai pushed it to the side, opening the door that lead into the store room. His hand rested on the small of my back as we stepped into the darkened room. The office building was deserted at night. No one should hear us.
“His office is across the passage. The door won’t be locked.” I whispered.
Chai flashed the light through the small space. Huge metal shelves filled the small space, stacked with files and folders. There was barely enough room for both of us and I had to press myself closely to Chai to move towards the door. He chuckled softly and a hand skimmed my thigh as he reached for the doorknob. He stopped and his breathing sped up. I heard it too. Voices. Coming closer. A boy and a girl. I rolled my eyes. It was one of the soldiers trying to impress a girl by showing her the office of the Prime Minister. It was already far past the curfew of the slaves and the soldier risked a lot bringing her here.
Chai turned to me and we were pressed tightly against each other. I suppressed the sudden urge to giggle. We would have to wait for them to leave and they didn’t seem in a hurry. Deciding I could just as well take advantage of the situation, I slid my hands under the hem of his shirt, exploring the planes of his back. He stiffened and I smiled. Standing on the tips of my toes, I reached for his face and planted kisses along his jaw.
Chai’s hands tangled in my hair, tilting my head back. It’s time for lesson four. Don’t start what you can’t finish. His lips found mine and the kissed me until I was breathless. His hands moved to my hips, pressing me closer to him and he pressed feather light kisses on my neck. A small sound escaped my mouth.
You have to be quiet, little one. His lips traced my jaw.
A door slammed shut. The soldier and the girl left. I gave a disappointed sigh and Chai chuckled softly. He turned the doorknob and peeked around the corner. The passage was deserted and we silently crept towards Roberts’s office. The door wasn’t locked. The safe was hidden in the last drawer on the left side of the desk. I pulled it open and punched in the code. The safe snapped opened. I pushed the manila folders to the side and found the printout with the codes. The first phase of our mission was complete.
The tunnel opened in a darkened alley outside the quarters. Chai pushed the grate sealing the entrance to the side. He placed his hands on my hips and lifted me out of the hole. The alley was deserted. I could see the gate of the quarters from here. The smell of smoke hung in the air. A few fires burnt low in the metal drums on the other side of the gate. Chai pushed me behind him. He scanned the streets for soldiers, before taking my hand and we sprinted to the gate. My heart hammered in my chest. We were out in the open and could be discovered at any moment.
The first soldier we encountered at the gate didn’t know what hit him. Chai planted a well-aimed fist in the soldier’s face and he crumpled to the ground. He didn’t have a chance to make a sound. A second soldier rounded the corner and lightning fast Chai circled an arm around his neck, cutting of his air supply. The soldier’s body went limp as he passed out and Chai let him slid silently to the ground.
I scrambled for the electronic keypad next to the gate and typed in the code. The gate clicked open. Behind me I heard the crunch of gravel and the unmistakable sound of a gun cocking. I froze. There was a scraping and shuffling and another body hit the ground.
Chai gave me an annoyed look. Stay with me. I gave him an apologetic look and pushed the gate open with trembling fingers.
Inside were the sounds of deep breathing and creaking as people tossed and turned in their cots. I knew I had to find Rosa first, before waking anyone else. She was the key to keep everyone calm and organized. I navigated my way through the cots to the back where Rosa slept.
“Rosa,” I whispered and gently shook her sleeping frame. I tried to blink away the tears. “Rosa, wake up.”
She opened her eyes, struggling to focus and then they widened. She fiercely grabbed me and smothered me against her chest.
“Oh my …is that you child?” she sobbed and cradled my face in her hands. I couldn’t stop my own tears from streaming down my face.
“Rosa…I’m so sorry…” How was I going to tell her?
“I know sugar. I know…” She sobbed louder. “Your father told me. He said they sent Emily with you. That she was loyal to them and the rebels killed her.” She knew Emily was dead, but she didn’t know it was my fault, that I failed my best friend.
“Rosa, I’m sorry. They didn’t mean to kill her. It was such a mess.” I tried my best to explain what happened. I didn’t leave anything out. Rosa deserved to know the truth even if it meant she would hate me. I told her about the rebels and the Epsilon and about Emily. Rosa wiped the tears from her eyes after I finished.
“It’s not your fault, sugar. I don’t blame you. I saw it coming. She was never the same after her daddy died. Sometimes I thought she died with him that day.” She shook her head sadly. “Maybe she’ll get some rest now.”
I glanced at Chai. He kept his distance, giving us time, but I knew with each passing moment our chances of being discovered was
getting bigger.
“Why are you here?” Rosa grabbed my shoulders. “Why did you come back here, child? You know it’s too dangerous for you to be here.” After all that happened she still cared about me. She didn’t blame me for what happened. I wiped the tears from my cheeks.
“We came for you. For all of you. We’re getting you out of here.” Her eyes darted to Chai.
“Is that him? The alien boy?” she asked.
I motioned to Chai to come closer. “This is Chai.”
“Isn’t he something?” She examined him from tip to toe. “If I wasn’t so old…”
I laughed. She was still the Rosa I knew and loved.
She stood and looked Chai straight in the eye. “You listen here boy. If you hurt one hair on my girl’s head, I’ll have you skinned and cooked for breakfast.”
“Rosa!” I shook my head at her. Chai gave her his most charming smile that could melt titanium.
“I’ll protect her with my life.” That was good enough for Rosa and she smiled. “But we have to get you all out of here. We’re going to need your help, Rosa.” Chai quickly explained the plan to her and how we needed her to make it work.
All-business Rosa took over. She scurried between cots, waking up the human slaves. She managed to have them organized in groups within minutes. It was amazing to see how calmly she acted as she quietly moved from person to person.
Chai led them to the tunnel and helped them down the hole. He hated leaving me alone for one second, but Rosa needed me to help her with the slaves in the other buildings. We didn’t have much time before someone would find the gate to the quarters open and unlocked. Rows upon row of slaves left the quarters and disappeared down the tunnel. Buildings and tents were emptied, until finally the last of the slaves were safely down in the tunnels.
Chai passed me the flashlight to lead them through the tunnels. He followed behind for in case we were followed. It was a painstakingly slow process. Rosa weaved her way through the rows giving words of encouragement. Most of them were scared, not knowing what to expect when we reach the end. Some of them were happy to leave Palasium behind; others were too stunned to feel anything.
We reached the shack outside Palasium without incident. We had made it without getting caught. Arianna and Gaios took over from here and led the groups to the waiting trucks. I couldn’t believe we actually pulled it off. The slaves were free.
Chapter 21
Chai firmly held my hand. I didn’t know what he was up to. The elevator came to a stop at level A.
“Why won’t you tell me where we’re going?”
“It’s a surprise.” He shook his head with a smile.
I had been nagging him the whole morning to tell me what he was up to. All he would say was that he had a surprise for me and I should learn some patience. My stomach twisted and turned with excitement. Just being able to spend time with him alone was like a precious gift. We had seen so little of each other the past couple of days. Organizing the sudden influx of slaves took all his available time.
The elevator door slid open and Zalzi waited for us outside the door.
“Everything is as you instructed Captain Chai Quintus,” he said formally and gave me a small nod.
“Thank you Zalzi.” Chai gave him a slap on the shoulder. Zalzi winced slightly. These Epsilon didn’t know their own strength. Chai led me through the control room to the exit from the ship. I was getting more inquisitive. Where was he taking me? We went past the memorial hall to the entrance of the mountain.
“Why don’t you at least give me a clue?” Chai chuckled.
“There’s your clue.” I followed his gaze and inhaled deeply. A spaceship stood nestled between the sand dunes. Not a big one - a much smaller replica of the ship we lived on. The sun glinted of the silver metal framework. It consisted of a mixture of round curves and triangles and I squinted against the glaring sun to inspect it more closely.
“We’re going somewhere?” I suddenly felt very nervous. I had never even been in an airplane. Was he planning on flying somewhere?
“Yes.” The tone in his voice told me he wasn’t going tell me anything more. We crossed the short distance between the mountain and the spaceship. The spaceship rested on metal stilts like huge spider legs and to the side was steps leading into the ship. Chai’s hand rested on my hip as I climbed inside. It was much bigger inside than I had anticipated.
A smaller replica of the control room greeted us. Various controls and monitors faced the large windows, giving a clear view of the desert before us. Chai’s hand on the small of my back steered me through a door leading away from the control room.
“Bathroom is inside here.” A small cubicle with a shower was inside. He patiently gave me a tour of the rest of the ship. I still didn’t get it. Where were we going? But I nodded and feigned interest. “Kitchen is through that door.” You could barely call it a kitchen. It was only a counter with a few utensils. “Lastly is the bedroom.” His voice turned husky and I quickly scanned his face. He avoided looking at me.
“We’ve only got a couple of hours. The Přízrak is keeping an eye on us, making sure if there are any Vandelrizi ships around, we won’t be attacked. This ship is built for short distance travel and not for fighting. We have to be back before dark.”
“You’re not going to tell me where we’re going?”
“No.” He was enjoying keeping me in the dark.
He helped strap me into a chair in the control room. He took a seat in front of the controls. He pressed several buttons and the screens came to life. He spoke to Zalzi and someone on the Přízrak and got the go ahead from both for lift off. I watched in fascination how comfortable and quickly his fingers moved across the consoles. He knew exactly what he was doing. The spider legs retracted into the ship, leaving us hovering in the air. I barely heard the engines of the ship, only a faint hum was the only indication that they were working. Chai again pushed buttons and levers. My stomach knotted. The ship lurched in the air, lifting into the sky, gaining speed and momentum until the outside world was only a blur passing by the windows.
“Are you okay? It can be tough the first time you fly.” Chai gave my pale face a concerned look.
“I’m fine.” I clamped my hands around the arms of the chair. My stomach tumbled dangerously and I tried to clamp down the feeling of nausea trying to overpower me. This was my first time flying and I was not going to get sick and ruin it.
The flight was over within minutes and Chai stopped the engines. We were silently hovering in space.
“We’re here,” Chai said and unstrapped me from my chair. He held out his hand and steadied me as my legs threatened to buckle underneath me. He gently pulled me into his arms. “Are you thirsty or something?”
“No.” My stomach still felt very vulnerable and wouldn’t be able to handle anything right now.
“I want to show you something.” He led me to the bedroom and pressed a button on a console against the wall. The shutters slid open, revealing massive windows spanning the room. My jaw went slack. It was the most spectacular view I had ever seen. It was infinite - endless black sky. Before us, suspended in the black blanket was earth. It was so beautiful that my heart clenched. A perfect sphere decorated in blue and white swirls. If I looked closely I could even recognize masses of land. It reminded me how delicate life was and exactly what we were fighting for. It was the most beautiful and priceless gift Chai could have given me.
“I don’t know what to say. This is…amazing.” Chai looked at me, his eyes burning with an unfathomable emotion. He cleared his throat.
“I love you.” Those three words had the power to turn me to mush every time he said them. “I knew you belonged with me, since the moment you stepped in front of the truck in the jungle. From the first moment I laid my eyes on you, I knew we were connected. There would never be anyone else for me. You are my life, my future. You’re my everything.” He took a step closer and my heart beat wildly in my chest. “I declare it in fr
ont of the cosmos that brought us together. If you’ll have me, I’ll protect and love you until we join the stars and even then my love for you will still live on.”
Tears welled in my eyes. I loved him so much. There were no words in the universe that could describe exactly how I felt about him. He wiped his hands nervously on his pants and I realized he was waiting for me to give him an answer. As if it was necessary for me to answer him – of course I wanted him. We belonged together.
“I love you,” my voice cracked. “I want to be with you forever.”
It must have been the right answer, because a fire ignited in his eyes. He rested the palm of his hand against my cheek. His lips found mine, kissing me very gently. He lifted his head. I love you, little one. His fingers traced the line of my jaw, slowly moving down my neck. His fingers found the top button of my shirt, slightly trembling as he unbuttoned it. My eyes widened. Now I understood completely what the trip was all about. The last step of the Shidmina. He wanted to seal our union. I nervously scanned the room. He couldn’t have chosen a better location. This was what I dreamt of, what I had wanted for weeks but…
“Lexie, we don’t have to. If you’re not ready…” His fingertips hovered over the last button, sensing my hesitation. I didn’t trust my own voice. This was what I wanted, but now that it was happening, I was scared. I reached for the hem of his shirt, letting my hands wander over the smoothness of his skin. I lifted his shirt and he helped me tuck it over his head. I pressed the palm of my hand on the sun on his chest. He was my warmth and my strength. He gently slipped my shirt over my shoulders and ran a finger across my collarbone. I shivered.
“Don’t be scared,” Chai said and tipped my face to his.
“I’m not. It’s just…there’s something you have to know before we…” I swallowed hard. It wasn’t fair to him. He had to know. “I can’t ever have children. The Vandelrizi put something in the air. It made all humans sterile. We could never have children.”
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