The Journey (Sanshlian Series Book 2)

by Dani Hoots

  Then there was my mother. The moment I passed a reflection of myself on a mirrored surface I would hear how wrong I was to run off like this—that it was a mistake and that I should turn back. I really didn’t care anymore, it was either this or kill my brother. I decided this was a little easier, and maybe I would find the one person who would make me smile again. That I would find Jack.

  I missed Jack more than I thought I ever would. Sure we spent a lot of time apart, but this was different. This time I didn’t know where he was, I didn’t know if he was okay or if he was even thrown into the past with us, though it seemed very likely he landed himself here as well. I wanted to go to Recar so many times, but I was never allowed. My brother made sure of that, especially since he had been spying for the Empire last time he saw him. It wasn’t Jack’s fault, though, Wes would have done the same if it were for Amanda.

  My brother was blind with rage; I knew the feeling. When I was cooped up in the Kamps, all I wanted to do was kill the Emperor for hurting my family, for destroying the life I knew. But in fact, the Emperor had nothing to do with it. Garvner, in fact, was under attack because they had outright disobeyed the laws and were comprised mainly of PAE, Pirates Against Empire, sympathizers. It was them who casted down the fate of my life, it was their fault for rebelling. I learned that from Neil after he let me join his team. In the beginning, I used my anger to fight, but Neil taught me so much more about the galaxy and about life. Then I fought with a clear head and I became a much greater fighter for it.

  I just hoped I would be able to control my powers soon, versus only having the greatest strength when I was full of emotional turmoil. I wanted to master them, be able to do the same as Lance and the others, and be able to control different elements. It wasn’t fair that they could train so easily over the past year and I could barely block my mind from being read and intuitively be sense things happening nearby. Strangely, no matter how hard I concentrated, I couldn’t figure out any of the other powers of the Illusionist.

  And yet, somehow, I had to find Sanshli and take down one of the most powerful Illusionists in all of history: my father. From what I gathered from my mother, he was still on the planet, roaming around until he could escape. I didn’t understand why I couldn’t just leave him and call it good, but I guess then Neil or someone like him could find the planet and he would escape. Great. So I had to find the planet first, find the book of spells, and somehow defeat him. Violet wouldn’t go into detail on how to do that. I was supposed “to know when the time was right”. Yeah, whatever that meant.

  I took a deep breath as I kept walking down the street. It was strange, being able to walk around like this without anyone noticing me, or trying to ignore me. I was used to worrying about people wanting to kill me, or people thinking I was going to kill them. Is this what being normal feels like? To not have to think about either of those things? To not be on a mission and to walk freely as everyone else did?

  Unfortunately, I was on a mission, and there were a few enemies out there, who were watching me carefully, waiting for the right moment when they thought I would let my guard down. They couldn’t surprise me, though, they underestimated my instincts.

  “What are you doing, I just told you not to leave.” Mother finally came out of whatever place she had been to talk to try and fail at intervening.

  I sighed. “I’m sick of waiting, I need to be able to lead myself. I can’t be under his thumb any longer.” I thought in my head. It wasn’t like I could speak out loud without strangers looking at me like some kind of freak. Though I really did feel like one.

  “You don’t know what to do next, you aren’t strong enough to face them.”

  “Then teach me!” I yelled inside my mind. “All this time you have said that I need to learn, that I need to be protecting the universe, but all I have learned is blocking my mind! Illusionists are supposed to be able to do anything, but I haven’t learned any of it.”

  “But you haven’t mastered blocking your mind, how can I teach you anything else if you can’t even master that task?”

  “I’m getting better at it, and besides, how am I supposed to know if I’m good at it if the people I am around aren’t able to read my minds?” I asked.

  “You need to be at full strength in order to be near those who can read your mind. If they can read your mind, we will lose everything and they will win.”

  “I am strong enough. Now, let me do this one on my own.” I pushed her out of my mind. It took a lot of strength to accomplish, but it was possible. I got her to stop communicating with me.

  I sighed. I felt utterly alone in this world. Even with Violet talking to me, and always being there, it somehow made me feel even more lonely. It was a feeling I should have been used to, but it wasn’t until now that I realized how important Jack had been in my life. Even though he didn’t completely know me and we rarely got to see each other, he was still a figurative rope to grab while I was drowning.

  Honestly, I never learned to trust anyone completely, even Jack. I learned to only trust my instinct of what I thought they were going to do. And I was actually very good at predicting things, other than this whole Sanshlian business. But for normal circumstances and missions, I was always one step ahead of everyone else. Though now with everything that had happened since finding Sanshli, it got a little harder.

  But that didn’t mean I was just going to stand around and wait for action to happen. I would make it come to me. That’s what I was good at, which I wasn’t sure was a good thing or bad thing.

  Neil always said that the way I fought, the way I could get under everyone’s skin and piss them off was a good thing. I bet now he wasn’t thinking that, though he was right, I was pretty good at it. I just hoped there would be a way I could get him to trust me again, to get him to believe that I wanted to help him. Really, I just needed help finding Sanshli so that I could end this once and for all. And since Mother was teaching me how to pick and choose what others could see in my mind, I could easily trick Neil.

  I couldn’t guarantee that Jack would be with them, or that in fact Neil or the other Generals were there as well. But it made sense that they would be, that those who fought for the Empire would appear on that side, as those who fought for the P.A.E. woke up on the Second Republic’s side. Why I woke up with them, I had no idea.

  It wasn’t like I cared either way, my loyalty wasn’t to the Second Republic for sure, and after everything, it wasn’t for the Pandronan Empire neither. All I cared about at this point was going back home to the future, running away and never looking back. All I had to do was find the spell book and destroy Nygard’s heart and then all would revert back to normal. I wouldn’t have to be the universe’s only hope any longer and I could just disappear.

  I was sick and tired of taking orders from people, I truly was. Between Neil, my brother, my mother, the Kamps’ officers, I just wanted to be free. That was all I wanted for a while and I think that after this was over, I was going to make it my reward. Freedom.

  If I survived, that is.

  Sure it took a lot for me to be killed, as my brother figured out quickly, and I could heal incredibly fast. Even Lance and the others could heal faster as well, and were a lot stronger with their new Sanshlian bodies, but I was still a lot stronger and could heal quite a bit faster. It must have been an Illusionist thing, not that I would know. My mother wouldn’t teach me anything useful besides blocking my thoughts from being intruded upon.

  And it wasn’t like I would abuse that kind of power either, I didn’t want it in order to take over the universe. I just wanted it so I could end this stupid legend. I just wanted to survive and live my life without this chafing sense of duty or destiny.

  I kept walking forward, hoping that my brother hadn’t noticed my absence yet and sent out a search for me. It wouldn’t matter though, the people that have been following me for the past few blocks were about to attack. I ran all the scenarios in my mind, wondering what would be the best way to
let them capture me without raising suspicion. If it was who I thought it was, letting them simply capture me without a fight would let them know I wanted to be captured, and I couldn’t allow that. So I would have to fight and slip up and lose. It would probably be painful, more so than what Alan had ever done to me.

  An arm wrapped around me, forcing a cloth over my nose and mouth, but I was ready for him. I elbowed him in the stomach before the chloroform could enter my system. I would be damned before I would ever let someone get me with a cheap move like that. Not to mention it was weak and pathetic. Whoever was attacking me was definitely not high up in the military world. That was such a rookie move.

  I spun around and rammed my palm onto the assailant’s nose. Broke it the moment it impacted, letting me know they weren’t Sanshlian for sure. The man hit the ground with a loud thud. I smiled triumphantly.

  But that wasn’t all of them. He was just the first.

  Three other men surrounded me, their Class Three guns ready to shoot me down if I threatened them just like I did with the first. They wouldn’t aim for a fatal shot, but would try to immobilize me. They could easily fix me up once I was taken, unfortunately. I didn’t particularly want that to happen, I didn’t want to gain more wounds to heal from, though I had the potential to heal from even the worst. Sure they weren’t fatal, but damn did they hurt.

  I pulled out my own gun and shot one of them while the other two tried to take me down. I moved out of the way quickly, their shots missing me by a hairsbreadth. It was too close for comfort.

  Deciding that running away might be the best strategy in all of this, as I didn’t want to feel the pain of a bullet, I bolted down the street, shoving people out of my way as the men followed close behind. They tried to hide their guns in the street, worried that they would be seen by law enforcers. I didn’t want to be caught by any either and tucked my gun back underneath my jacket.

  I wasn’t sure how many there were in the area, and I still wasn’t even sure how big the Pandronan Empire was at this point in time, or how it even first formed or why. I had no idea how many men they would send after me, especially if someone from the past was in charge. I figured that they were probably thrown into the bodies of the Imperials, just as Rik had been for the Second Republic, but I didn’t know that for a fact.

  I didn’t know Valle as well as I knew many of the other planets. It wasn’t like I could really venture around the city now or in the future when I was the Emperor’s Shadow. Since I was seen as their enemy, traveling to Valle was never a good idea, and Wes didn’t let me out of his sight so I never got out that often.

  So I had no idea where I was going as I ran away from these men that shot at me. No officers seemed to be patrolling the area, helping keep the streets safe. They must have sent out a decoy, drawing the officers away from this area with a robbery or something so that they didn’t have to worry about being interrupted. They had this planned for a while now, and they were waiting for me specifically.

  I hurried around another corner to find it to be a dead end. Shit. I turned around to face my assailants. There were four of them, all in hooded jackets. Why did everyone think hoods helped? I certainly didn’t think so.

  In each of their hands was a Class Three gun pointed at me. I debated whether or not it would be best to try and defend myself or just let them take me where they wanted me to go. But if I did that, they would know I was trying purposely to be caught.

  So I guess I would just do this the hard way.

  Pulling out the Class Two gun I took from Alan, I shot the man on the left. The other three started for me, readying their own guns to fire. I ran forward before they could finish the shot and punched one of them out. I swept the legs out from underneath the other man. I had three down and one to go.

  At least I had thought it was just one. Apparently I was wrong. There were more in the surrounding areas. Whoever was behind this made sure there were more than I could handle, if that was possible. If I wanted to get away, I could have the advantage over this fight, no matter the number.

  I used the butt of the gun on the one left before thinking about dealing with the five more assailants that were now surrounding me. He went down as easily as his partners.

  “I take it you are from the Pandronan Empire,” I laughed. “You all need to brush up on your fighting skills if you want to win this war.”

  None of the men answered, but I knew they were thinking that if they failed, a worse fate was waiting for them. So they were fighting with all the strength they had. I had to give them respect, not many would willingly take this mission. Then again, I doubt any of them volunteered for this.

  I ran straight towards the group, the element of surprise on my side. They jumped out of the way as I pushed past, heading down the street once again. I heard them curse and yell to run after me once again. I was giving them a run for their money and damn did I miss that.

  But of course, I turned down another dead end. How many dead ends were in this city anyways? It was like the city wanted me to be captured, to return once more to the Empire where my kind belonged. I wouldn’t blame it, maybe it knew the fate I would bestow on it if I stayed. Maybe it knew about all the PAE agents I had killed over the years.

  Damn the planet was smarter than I gave it credit for.

  As I turned around, I found five guns raised at me.

  “Come with us and we won’t have to shoot.”

  I laughed. “Would he let you damage his goods?” I asked as I started to step forward. One of the soldiers shot me straight in the leg. I went down to my knees. “Damn it,” I cursed.

  “Move again and I will shoot again. Is that clear?” The man yelled down at me.

  I sighed as I stood back up. “But staying still would be out of character for me.” I pulled my gun up and was about to shoot back when I felt another bullet hit me in the shoulder. I dropped the gun, as pain shot through my arm. I fell down as well, pain consuming my body. The bullets had to have been laced with something very potent, as I could feel my body weakening, becoming immobile.

  “Were those…” I could barely talk, unconsciousness raining down upon me. “Laced?”

  “As ordered,” the soldier said as he knelt down beside me. “But just in case…” He placed a rag over my mouth and I couldn’t help but breath in.

  A few moments later, everything went dark.

  CHAPTER 5

  Cold floor. It had been a while since I had woken on a cold metal floor. My eyes flickered open to find myself exactly where I expected to be: locked in a cell. Standing up, I rubbed my head. This body, although it could heal quite quickly, was still not quite used to narcotics. The ache went away slowly though, and I felt my shoulders once again. My shirt and jacket were caked in blood, but there was no more pain. They must have taken the bullet out and left it alone. I checked my leg. Same thing, just blood but no more pain.

  Which meant someone here knew exactly who I was. I had been right about Neil and the others all along. Now the question was, would this reunion be a good or bad one?

  I took a look around. The ship was definitely Imperial, I recognized the cell as one of the old ships we still had on Anosira in the future. It was still making my head spin at the thought of what was past and future anymore. I rubbed my head again, though the narcotics had worn off, thinking about everything still made my head hurt. I still didn’t’t know whose side I was on. I hated my brother, I hated everything he was doing. Nothing could change my mind about him and wanting to drive a sword through his heart. But the Emperor had been using me this entire time and just discarding me like a tool once I became useless. He really was not any better.

  But I was always his tool before that, wasn’t I?

  I always told myself I belonged to the Emperor and the Emperor alone. He could do whatever he wanted with me and I didn’t care about repercussions. So why did I make such a big deal when the real reason he wanted me was to find Sanshli? He didn’t treat me any different than he had
before. I was just simply a means to an end, and if I was in the same position, would I not do the same? I probably would have, after all the missions I had been on and all the destruction I had caused for others. I had caused many people a lot of pain. So maybe I threw things out of proportion. Maybe I had been hanging around my brother too much. Or Jack.

  I put my hand on my chest and took a deep breath. My heart felt as if it skipped a beat every time I thought of Jack. The pain wouldn’t go away. The deep feelings I had for him I never realized were there until now. I didn’t know where he was or where he could be. I wanted to search for him but I had no idea where to even start. Was he with the Emperor? Or was he back on Recar? If so, who would he be? Sure, there were crime-lords semi-ruling Recar at the moment, but there were also representatives of the Second Republic and such. He could be anywhere.

  And of course, since my brother saw him as a traitor, I wasn’t able to go looking for him. Not to mention if Wes found out my true feelings for him, he would use it against me. I was supposed to be the cold-hearted killer the entire universe saw me as being, I couldn’t show love. I wasn’t allowed to love, to understand what it meant to lose someone. No, I was just a heartless creature that causes destruction wherever she went. Never meant for a real life.

  Placing my hand on the cold metal wall, I listened closely to the heart of the ship. Yes, we were in space; I could feel the humming of the engine. The people walking through the corridors. There weren’t many of them, if I really wanted to I could take them all out. But I didn’t want to. Not yet, anyways.

  “Anybody interested in talking to me? Ask me questions and the like?” I shouted. There was no response. Usually someone would have been sent in by now, since I had just woken up. There were camera feeds in each cell, they would have known I was awake by now. They were just testing me. “If you wait long enough, maybe I will just bust out of here and find you myself!”