General Cullen stepped forward and said, “We owe you a great deal, but allow us to first start with an apology.”
“Yes,” General Ogroth chimed in. “We owe you an apology and a thank you.”
“What do you plan to do with him?” Sarah asked as she watched Valek struggle between the two enormous soldiers from Saturn Four.
“We plan to execute him once we reach Saturn Four.” General Ogroth smiled, his pride swollen by his capture of Valek.
“You’re going to kill him?” Zykeiah frowned.
“Why, yes.” General Cullen smirked. “After I have him for a turn, then we will have an execution during the peace signing.”
“You can’t kill him,” Kalah said. “You’re no better than he is if you do that.”
General Ogroth blew a stream of smoke from his nostrils and lowly growled. “He double-crossed us and by doing so managed to have thousands of Saturn Four people killed.”
“The same is true for Earth 3012,” General Cullen added.
Valek smirked and said, “It was fine when you were slaughtering each other’s soldiers, citizens, and slaves. Each of you thinking you’d gotten over on the other…”
“Shut up you sniveling maggot!” General Ogroth barked.
Valek, unaccustomed to taking orders, continued to speak. “…Then when you find out you were the butt of the joke, you want to quit. It was only business.”
General Ogroth wheeled around and without blinking, unsheathed his sword and stabbed Valek in the chest. “I asked you to shut up!”
A flash of green light filled the tunnel briefly blinding everyone. Once it had passed, Valek lay dead between the two soldiers who guarded him.
“You killed him!” Sarah screamed.
“I asked him to stay silent!” General Ogroth explained with a shrug. “I have no tolerance for stupidity.”
“You have robbed our planet. Now we cannot extract our penalty for his actions!” General Cullen roared.
“There shall be peace between Earth 3012 and Saturn Four,” said General Ogroth, calmly ignoring a furious General Cullen.
“I am glad to hear it. So shall our Queen,” Sarah answered as she gazed at Valek’s body, collapsed on the ground. She needed to get back to Veloris before it was too late.
“Now that Valek is dead, what’s to be done with his castle?” General Ogroth asked.
“There are slaves in the cages below,” Zykeiah said. “I shall remain behind to free them.”
“You know how to reincarnate them?” Sarah asked.
“Yes. I will also burn the remaining Solance in the warehouse.”
General Ogroth and General Cullen turned to look at each other then back at Zykeiah. “There’s more Solance in the warehouse?”
“Yes, but it shall not be distributed,” she said as she started towards the tunnel that led back to the cages. “Many, many people died to make that stuff.”
With that she was gone.
“We will leave, too, and leave the clean up of Valek’s castle to you.” General Ogroth turned his group around and they crawled back through the tunnel in which they had come. The two soldiers carried Valek’s body as one General led the front and the other remained in the rear.
“We must be on our way, Generals,” Sarah said calmly and she started towards the east tunnel that would take them out to the Allerton Circle.
* * *
Zykeiah approached the main gate that led to the cages and sniffed the air, for it smelled strongly of the dead. She picked up the heavy lock and with her dagger started to fiddle with it.
Stabbing and twisting the dagger inside the lock’s opening, she was determined to get it opened. She had picked the lock once before, when she had returned on assignment for Queen Zoë. Now, she needed to open it again.
With a click and a hiss, the lock opened. She stifled a cry of joy as she raced into the cages and announced, “You’re free! Valek is dead!”
Souls did not sleep, so the remaining souls floated towards the cages’ gates to see what the screaming was about.
Zykeiah hurried over to the main controls and with several quick stabs, the cells on the cages slid back setting thousands of souls free. They resembled fog rising in the morning as they spilled out into the cavern.
“You will all need to be reincarnated. To the warehouse!”
Solemnly, some were a little hesitant for the warehouse was the place of compression. This could be another of Valek’s sick and perverted games.
One of the older souls floated to the front of the pack. Her hair was white and her face wrinkled, for she was a great grandmother when Valek abducted her and took her to the cages so many years prior.
“Zykeiah, is that you?” the older woman asked as she hovered just above the hardened floor.
“Yes, Madam Quivers. I have returned to free you.” Zykeiah smiled and as tears gathered in her eyes.
“It is truth that she speaks! To the warehouse for your flesh!” Madam Quivers shouted.
The souls floated past Zykeiah, who held open the main gate to the soul cages and cried.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The spring had come to Veloris and the ice planet’s normally frigid temperatures were kept elevated to a chilly, but amazingly warmer number. Flowers sprouted along the trail that had once brought Zykeiah and later Sarah, to the doorsteps of Queen Zoë’s castle.
Queen Zoë sat propped up against fluffy pillows in her bed. Her color had returned soon after Marion’s arrival back to Veloris and Octiva had performed the reincarnation of Marion’s soul back into flesh.
Sarah remained by the Queen’s bedside day and night, leaving for neither food nor water as she waited for the Queen to open her eyes. Octiva started bringing her meals to the room. The Queen had become more of a mother to her than she could remember of her own.
She stayed with the Queen, for Marion’s quarters had been closed to visitors. Only Octiva could visit him and he was not to see anyone else. Octiva administered his herbs, food, and water to strengthen him.
Amana had been given a room across from hers and Kalah spent a great deal of his time showing her around Veloris and the castle. They spent much time outside on hikes and danker beast tours. He ate meals with her and took her hunting with him. Sarah was convinced that Kalah had fallen in love with her sister, but she was not exactly sure if Amana knew what love was.
She had not known. She had watched Marion’s looks and long glances and thought they were the watchful eyes of an overprotective and dominant personality.
The oracle had peeled the scales back from her eyes and showed her exactly what Marion’s true intentions were. The warm fluttering around her heart was love. It was love for him. It was not until his kidnapping that she felt incomplete, empty, and alone, despite Zykeiah and Kalah’s companionship.
His presence filled her in ways she had never thought possible for a human to experience. His thoughtfulness, care and love had made her transition to the castle more smooth than it would have been had he not been there. She needed him close to her and she had waited the last few weeks patiently for him to recuperate from his ordeal on Solis.
Queen Zoë chewed on a piece of fig and laughed at Sarah. “You are here again before the day has reached its midway point.”
“Yes, but Zykeiah is due back today,” Sarah said. “I wanted to see you before she arrives. She sent word that she had finally finished the last reincarnations and that Valek’s money has been split between each one of the remaining souls. She burned the warehouse, destroyed the remaining Solance supply, and will be returning shortly.”
Queen Zoë nodded. “Octiva has said that Marion should be able to see visitors today as well. It is a good day.”
“When will you go down?” Sarah asked.
“After you, of course,” Queen Zoë said with a grin.
“Oh, no. You’re his mother. He will want to see you.” She blushed, unsure of the Queen’s intentions for asking her to go first. Surely she could n
ot read thoughts.
“No, he will want to hear what you have to say,” she insisted.
Speechless, she did not respond. Her left eye still had some puffiness, but for the most part, her injuries had healed within the past few weeks. She had some scars, but Queen Zoë insisted they would fade with time.
“Where is Kalah?” Queen Zoë asked to change the subject.
“With Amana. They left shortly after morning meals.”
Queen Zoë laughed all the more. It was good to hear her laugh and to watch her smile. It was a welcomed sight.
* * *
After mid-day meals, Queen Zoë took a nap and Sarah returned to her room. In the past weeks, she had made the room all her own. Her clothes were folded neatly in the rocking chair. Her scent was in the room and she had decorated the floor with coverings from the small garden of fresh flowers near the servants’ cottages.
On the wall hung a carpet made especially for her by Octiva. It contained a rounded sphere with lights shooting from it, as if it glowed. Beneath the symbol were the words, ‘She who saved Solis glows forever in the light of the galaxy’.
Sarah read the inscription and wiped her eyes. Next she sniffed the air, for the smell of rain had seeped into the castle. The day had become cloudy and gloomy. In the distance, she heard the rolling of thunder.
* * *
“You are feeling okay?” Octiva asked Marion as she watched him eat his evening meal of green poppa soup. It smelled like sweet bread, but tasted sour like the pits of the gradda fruit. He ate heartily, forcing spoonful after spoonful into his mouth. It had been weeks since he had warm foods. Octiva had nursed him back to health on the strength of plants, herbs, and drinks.
“I am fine. Ready to leave this room.” Marion shoved in two more spoonfuls of the lumpy, green stuff. “I loved my quarters before, but now it has become like a prison to me.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Pardon me.”
He snickered. “No offense, Octiva. You have done wonders. I feel reborn.” He laughed at his own joke; he had been reborn.
Octiva smiled back at him as she started to gather her belongings. The pouches of herbs, the wand of healing and other knickknacks that he had never seen before, threatened to overtake her fragile back from the load. He remembered some of the instruments—the wand was used to measure his temperature, and heal the sores in his mouth when coated with herb and a paste mixture. Even now he could not recall the herbs used to make the paste. Only that it was pink and tasted like peppermint.
“You are healed, great knight. Welcome home.” She kissed his cheek; her dried lips rough and chapped against his skin reminded him what a joy it was to feel.
“Thank you, old mother,” he grinned.
He watched as she left his quarters and he rose from the bed. Naked, he realized that Octiva had probably seen him in his bare skin. He quickly dismissed the thought as he felt his stomach clutch. She had healed him and for that he was grateful. The rest was immaterial.
He hurriedly grabbed and pulled on his pants and belt from the chair. He still felt a little hungry, but he had wiped the bowl clean. The kitchen was still serving. But there was another hunger he wanted to satisfy first.
* * *
Zykeiah removed her gloves as she made her way up the spiraling staircase. She shook her hair to relive it of the raindrops and leaves. The staircase was filled with the subtle scent of death that trailed her. She was glad to be home. She’d feel even better after a bath.
The souls had all been reincarnated back to skin and bones. They celebrated in Valek’s office, some even climbing on top of his desk to dance in merriment. Some of the older souls… no, they were people, sat and watched amazed that the day had finally arrived. They could return home to their respective planets, or start a new life on a different one. The choices were endless and their happiness seemed to be as well.
Zykeiah divided Valek’s money that had been left in his desk drawer, beneath his bed, and other places throughout the castle, between the people. She hoped the little bit of compensation that she spread amongst them would somehow ease their return to a normal life on other planets. She knew no amount would erase the memories or the horror.
After the celebration, each person took up a chisel, hammer or a tool and they all went down to the dungeon. With pent up anger, they destroyed the cages. It had not been an easy task; several had strained muscles, been nicked, and in some situations broken fingers in their haste. When she left, the cages were no more than several ruins and heaps of rocks.
She watched from Valek’s office window beneath the moons as they departed with kisses, hugs and many, many tears. As her gaze spread over the office and as she walked into the bedchamber, she rubbed her eyes in disbelief. If she had not been a slave herself, she would not have believed that such horrid things had happened there.
Picking up the torch, she applied the flame to Valek’s bed and other furnishings. She walked slowly and decisively as she set various objects aflame. Nothing was to remain, but the castle’s shell.
Nothing.
Now, she stood in front of Sarah’s door, glad it was over and thrilled to be home once again. Raising her hand to knock, she hesitated as she heard someone coming up the stairs.
“Oh, I didn’t know you were back,” Marion said as he attempted to mask his surprise.
Zykeiah, too, tried to cover her surprise with a smile. “Good to see you, Marion.”
“I can’t say how thankful I am that you came for me, friend,” he said.
“We all needed you, brother,” she said with a smile that reminded him of their former relationship.
“Well, uh –” he shrugged. “Guess I’ll be going. I was looking for Kalah.”
“What would Kalah be doing up here?” She would not let him off the hook that easily.
“Amana’s room is across from –” He stopped, glanced briefly at Sarah’s door before going on. “He’s usually visiting with her. I think he fancies her.”
Zykeiah nodded in agreement, although she was distracted. The air between them felt weighed down as if with boulders. They were like strangers, when at one time they had been very close.
He turned and took the stairs two at a time and headed back down to the main floor.
Zykeiah knocked on the door. She wanted to see both Sarah and Kalah. But first, she needed to see Sarah.
* * *
“Good day, brother!” Kalah shouted across the hallway to Marion.
He turned and waved at Kalah. He noticed that Kalah escorted the latest castle resident, Amana, on his arm. She had the same beauty that he could not place, just like Sarah, yet the two could not have been more opposite.
From what he had been told by Octiva, Amana lacked Sarah’s spirit and overall good nature. She relied solely on whomever could serve her needs best. At the moment, it was Kalah.
They were an ideal couple for Kalah had been known to do the same.
Marion waited while Kalah and Amana caught up to him. He had been told that Amana had been acting on Valek’s orders when she came to Veloris and kidnapped his soul. Still, her very presence upset him, causing cold shivers to race down his spine.
Kalah slapped him on the back and said, “Good to see you awake, brother.”
“Where are you off to?” Marion noticed that Kalah smiled a lot. Perhaps Amana made him happy. He had never seen Kalah so taken with just one woman, but many things had changed in the last few weeks.
Including Kalah.
“We are off to the Southern Forest. I am looking for a nice, plumb kowlata to make Amana a coat. And you?”
Marion remembered he still had his satchel in his hand. “To Stocklah. You should be very careful, Kalah. Remember what happened the last time you went there.”
“Of course,” he laughed, “have fun at Stocklah.”
Marion stepped back as the two made their way down the hallway, past the central baths and down the stairs to the stables.
He went into the Great
Hall and up the stairs to his mother’s room. The royal guards had been dismissed and the gloom of the afternoon had settled in the hallway, making it bleak and gray.
Without knocking, he strolled into his mother’s quarters then back to her bedchamber. He came to a halt at the doorway as he watched her sleep. Her breath, slow but consistent, went in and out, making her chest rise and fall in a rhythm all its own.
Quietness settled upon the land with the approach of the oncoming storm and the birds waited in the trees for the downpour. He could hear the voices and shouts of the servants in the kitchen far away and he felt homesick already.
Sighing, he left. He would have to see her after his ride to Stocklah. Thoughts and ideas swirled around in his head. His mother had understood when he had ideas and talking them out with her always cleared his head.
Zykeiah had been going to see Sarah. From the smell of her she had just returned from Solis. If that had been the case, the first person she would want to see would be the person she missed the most.
Sarah.
He had been a fool to think that she could love him. Sarah and Zykeiah had fought side by side, spent numerous nights together while he remained an encased slave. There had been plenty of time for a bond to be established between them.
He had to get out of the castle.
As he jogged down the stairs to the stables, he found it empty except for the danker beasts. Without waiting for the servant to return, Marion picked his favorite one and left for Stocklah.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Zykeiah, what are you doing here?” Sarah asked, shocked. Reaching out, she grabbed a fistful of Zykeiah’s shirt and pulled her into the room. “I’m so glad to see you!”
Zykeiah smiled wearily at her and said, “Me, too.”
They moved to the bed and Sarah sat while Zykeiah paced in front of the fireplace.
“I have something I need to say to you now that we’re back on Veloris.”
Sarah didn’t like the way that sounded. Zykeiah’s eyes would not meet hers and for the first time, that troubled her.
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