“Indeed, the Earthman’s interference has caused great problems for us all,” Armonto said. “I actually have sympathy for Zarrod now, after personally dealing with what he went up against.”
“Zarrod was defeated,” Casgor said. “Verrutus is still very much in the game, as are Melegogg and Ashtoroth. Let us not lose sight of the larger plan due to some minor setbacks.”
“I would hate to see what you define as a major setback, Uleeg,” Armonto said. “You and I are all but neutered now. Verrutus is on his own.”
“There is still Mourdock,” Casgor replied. “He is the key to everything. As long as he is kept on track, nothing will ever be able to stop us. Which is why your job is so important, Hasatan. Now, more than ever.”
Hasatan got to his feet. “Do not worry. I will deliver as I always have,” he said. “It seems fewer and fewer of us are able to make that claim nowadays.”
Both Casgor and Armonto frowned at that. Hasatan had to suppress his smile until he left the office. He made his way back to Mourdock’s apartment, where he found the boy already packing.
“Did father ask you to try to talk me out of going after Anna, too?” Mourdock asked.
“No,” Hasatan said. “In fact, I’m in full support of it.”
Mourdock looked at him. “You are?”
“Of course,” Hasatan replied. “And I should like to assist you, if you’ll let me.”
Mourdock smiled. “I would be most grateful for your help, Master Hasatan.”
“Then I should probably start packing,” Hasatan said with a smile.
“Do you believe them?” Mourdock asked as Hasatan turned to go. “What they’re saying about Jack?”
“I do not,” Hasatan replied.
“So you think what Jack said was true. About Casgor and Virtuoso.”
“I think there is more to this than we know,” Hasatan said. “But now is not the time for mystery and intrigue. At this moment, the only thing that matters is finding the Princess.”
Mourdock nodded. “You’re right, as always,” he said. “Thank you, Master. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Oh, I’m sure you’d figure something out,” Hasatan replied with a smile. “I will see you in the morning, my apprentice.”
Hasatan retired to his quarters and locked the door. He sat down on his bed, sighing in relief. It was so hard pretending to be someone he wasn’t. It felt so unnatural, and keeping up the charade constantly wore on him. Thus, he took comfort in these rare moments when he was alone, and he could finally be himself.
He got to his feet and moved to a mirror in the room, gazing at his face with loathing. A memory flashed into his mind. The memory of how that very face looked the moment he’d killed the man it had belonged to. He smiled, remembering the look of shock on the man’s face when his soul was ripped from his body.
Hasatan undid the bracer around his wrist to reveal the hologuise emitter on his arm and deactivated it. The skin of Paragon Hasatan faded away, revealing his true visage – that of Zarrod. The real Hasatan had gone through great trouble to get the device for him. Zarrod doubted Hasatan would have worked so hard to deliver on his request if he’d known what it would cost him. Deathlords were forbidden to cull those who were of equal or greater rank to them. Hasatan thought he was safe. He never suspected Zarrod would be capable of going against the programming of his masters.
Zarrod gazed at himself in the mirror, looking into his own fiery red eyes and black, skull-like face. “I am Zarrod, the Deathlord Supreme,” he said softly to himself. “Culler of worlds, master of darkness, and bane to all that is living. No force can harm me, no weapon can strike me, no army can defeat me. I am the Omega, and the universe trembles at my fury. Never forget who you are. Never lose sight of what you wish to become.”
The first stage of his plan was in full swing. No one suspected who he truly was. And just as he’d hoped, Verrutus was now busy dealing with the Earthman. That gave him the freedom he needed to do what he had to if he were going to succeed. Of all the remaining Supremes, Verrutus was by far his biggest threat. As long as his attention was elsewhere, Zarrod was free to begin changing the game to suit his goals.
You did not let me down, Earthman, he thought. You’ve given me the opportunity I need. I never would have believed this strange connection we seem to now share would have played to my advantage as it has. But the more I learn about you, the more I understand that from which your power springs. And soon, that power will be as much mine as it is yours.
Zarrod thought back on his conversation with the Earthman. How he’d attempted to plant the first seed of corruption in the boy’s mind, and how easily the youth had rejected it. The Earthman’s response had surprised him. The idea that his power stemmed not from death, but from love, was completely foreign to the Deathlord.
It was a concept that went against everything his Lords had instilled in him. And yet, the child had not only defeated him, but foiled Verrutus’s plans, as well. In the past, Zarrod would have dismissed such a thing as mere luck. But now, with his new independence, he forced himself to consider the possibility that the Earthman was onto something. That there was great power in love.
And if love could be powerful, it could also be devastating.
Zarrod chuckled. It all seemed so clear to him now. He’d thought long and hard about how he would enact his plan. About how he would co-opt the design his Lords had lain out and use it for his own purposes. Ironically, the Earthman had been the one to give him the answer he’d been searching for. The key which would unlock Zarrod’s greatest ambition and manifest it into reality. He would use the power of love against his enemies to turn them into his pawns. The Earthman might claim his strength stemmed from love…
But if all went according to plan, love was what would be his undoing.
Earthman Jack will return in…
An Important Note From The Author
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed this latest adventure in the Earthman Jack Space Saga. Please know I am working hard to produce the next 5 books in the series. Being an independent author (i.e. a writer with no money) can be quite a fulfilling profession, but it can also be a lot of work.
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Thank you very much for your support!
Matthew J. Kadish
Author: Earthman Jack vs. The Secret Army
Special Thanks To:
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nell
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Earthman Jack vs. The Secret Army (Earthman Jack Space Saga Book 2) Page 79