by Edward Lake
Zena: Commander
Edward Lake
Contents
Acknowledgments
I. The Rebel Army
1. Zena
2. Zena
3. Zena
II. Newfound Family
4. Pastor Saros
5. Agnes
III. Zena’s Fight
6. Zena
7. Evander
8. Zena
9. Zena
10. Zena
11. Zena
12. Zena
IV. War on Agholor
13. Evander
14. Zena
15. Zena
V. The Rebel Spy
16. Pastor Saros
17. Pastor Saros
18. Zena
19. Zena
20. Zena
VI. A New Path
21. Evander
22. Agnes
23. Zena
24. Zena
25. Zena
26. Zena
The End.
All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.
Copyright © 2019 by Edward Lake
The names, characters, places and events in this book are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or places and events, are the product of the author’s imagination.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank all the people who helped me publish this book. My wife, Amber, for continuing to sacrifice our time for my writing. My mother and sister, for all their love and support. My editors, Gabriella Michaelis, Lauren Holton and Emily Nemchick, who helped me prepare this book for publication. James from goonwrite.com, who designed the cover art. Adam Poe, from frostbitepublishing.com, who formatted the book. Brenda Scott Wlazlo, who provided the narration. Most of all, I would like to thank the readers. I hope you are enjoying Zena’s story! Lastly, I’d like to thank my boys, Liam and Ryan. You are my inspiration.
To the memory of Harriet Tubman
“I had crossed the line. I was free; but there was no one to welcome me to the land of freedom. I was a stranger in a strange land.”
Harriet Tubman
Part 1
The Rebel Army
1
Zena
The dim candlelight that glowed on the cave walls reminded me of the pain I felt when I left my family. On that day, I carried their hopes and dreams on my shoulders—a chance to finally be free. That same pain was still inside me, making me stronger, feeding my desire to save them.
Declan was in great danger because of what I had done. Grandma and the little ones were in danger, too. If Pastor Saros was crazy enough to kill his own daughter, there was no telling what he would do to my loved ones. Somehow, someway, I had to find my way back to the North Star. Yet I was lost, trapped in the midst of a war.
The rebel leader known as Master had chosen Evander, Taft and me to join his army. His troops threatened to feed us to the Serpents if we refused to serve his cause. When I found my friends on their knees, bowing their heads to Master, I quickly joined.
The mere sight of the masked man put fear in my heart. By now, I had a good understanding of Saros and his evil ways. But Master was a complete mystery. Inside the cave on Mercilus, we were still on our knees, looking up to the ominous rebel leader. When he talked, his voice buzzed and hummed like a machine.
He stood tall with his fist held over us, flexing his bulky arm as if he had just won an arm-wrestling contest. “Rise.”
Together, we rose to our feet and stood at attention. I felt intense pressure in my chest and head, and beads of sweat formed across my brow. Evander was stone-faced, his hands and arms positioned neatly at his sides. Taft took a big gulp and held his head down. Unlike Evander, he seemed just as terrified as me.
Master paced in front of us. “The Holy Empire will soon fall. It is inevitable. Stay with me, and I will show you a glorious new galaxy!” He turned his back to us and walked to the tunnel that led to the other caves. “I must leave Mercilus at once. Jax will serve as your commander in my absence. He will make sure the three of you get acclimated to our operation.”
It angered me to see him leaving so soon. Sadie had taken a laser blast for me, and so far, no one had told me anything about where she was being kept. Unsure of what to do, and desperate for answers, I hurried after Master. “Wait, sir! Can you tell me where Sadie Saros is?”
“No. Speak to Jax when he arrives. He will tell you where she is.”
I set my hands on my hips and glared at Master’s shadow as it faded away. “So, what now?”
Evander walked up to me and took a deep breath. “We need to stay loyal to each other, no matter what. We’ll work together and find a way out of this.”
Taft paced the cave, his head down.
I turned around and looked him over. “Taft? Are you okay?”
Finally, he stopped and turned to me. “No. I’m not okay.” He walked forward and stared at the tunnel. “Li-Ru, the Serpent who slaughtered my friends. I will kill him for what he’s done.”
Evander snapped his head at Taft. “Listen to me. If you want revenge, that’s fine. But if you do anything foolish that puts us at risk, you’re on your own.” He glanced at me, his eyes sharp. “I need you to back me up on this.”
I shook my head at both of them. “Look, we don’t have time for fighting.” I focused on Taft and stepped towards him. “You and your friends saved my life, and I will always be grateful to you for that. But now is not the time to seek revenge.” I turned my attention to Evander. “And you could show a little more compassion. He just lost two lifelong friends.”
Evander rushed forward and got right in my face. “I left everything behind to save you, Sadie and them. You think we would have made it off Sodus without me piloting that ship?” He exhaled and stepped back. “My mother is still on Sodus. Pastor Saros is probably going to imprison her…or have her killed to get back at me.” His face turned red as he looked away from me. “Master’s commander, this Jax, will be here soon. We need to go along with their plans until we can get to Sadie and figure out our next move.”
I nodded. “Fine.”
Then, footsteps from down the tunnel approached. Jax emerged from the shadows with a rough-looking woman by his side. The woman was tall like me, with short black hair, hazel eyes and several deep scars on her left cheek. Jax had a rather blemished face, too, only his scars were not as noticeable as the woman’s. His long, messy hair touched his shoulders, and his dark green eyes glinted in the dim light.
“So, you’ve all met me.” Jax looked us over for a moment, then turned to his comrade. “But you haven’t met Ada Quinn. She’s one of our best, and she will be assisting me as I teach you the ways of the Rebel Army.”
Ada crossed her arms and stared at me for a few seconds. She then turned her head and studied my friends. “What are your names?”
After a brief, awkward silence, I stepped forward. “My name is Zena Ezra.”
“Evander Cain.”
“Taft Crass.”
She chuckled. “Master should have fed these three to the Serpents.”
Jax laughed and raised his thick eyebrows. “You’ll have to forgive Ada. She has a wicked sense of humor.”
“Enough talk. You three follow me.” She waved us forward and spun around.
“Wait!” I shouted. “What about Sadie Saros? Master said you would tell me where she is.”
Jax gave me a nod. “She’s safe. On a ship with one of our caretakers.”
I let out a big sigh. “Can I see her, please?”
Without hesitation, he shook his head at me. “Not right now. You’re a soldier of the Rebel Army. Your duty is to fight.” He shrugge
d. “But I can see you care about her. So when you prove yourself to me, I’ll let you see her.” He turned around and left the cave.
I trembled and ground my teeth as I watched him leave. Hold on, Sadie. I’ll come for you, too.
Ada gave us a quick signal to follow her. Together, we marched ahead. I studied her carefully as we went. She moved with a certain swagger that made me think she was as good as Jax said she was. Her ray gun swung low below her waist, knocking against her sleek, tight-fitting black pants. She wore a brown jacket that was torn and wrinkled, and her hair had patches in the back, marks that looked like they came from a fight.
She led us into a larger cave where hundreds of rebel soldiers loitered. When they saw us, they hooted, cheered and howled. I scanned them for a moment and realized they were all dressed in darker clothing. Ragged clothing that seemed fitting for their so-called operation.
Ada moved into a narrow, murky passageway that took us to the outside. The sky was filled with gray clouds and swirling fog. Flashing lightning sparked from end to end, and light rain dripped on us.
“This way!” She jogged to a pebbly trail along the side of the mountain. She hiked up the walkway and pulled her gun from her hip. “Keep your eyes open. The dukes like to come out in the rain and hunt.”
Dukes? “What’s a duke?” I asked.
She paused for a moment and aimed her gun at a large boulder. We froze and looked on as she bent down low and slid her finger to the trigger.
“Dukes are creatures of the wild. Four-legged beasts who hunt in packs.” She inched forward, eyes fixed on the boulder, ready to shoot. “Their fur is thick and messy—and they stink worse than a rotting corpse.” Finally, after a few more seconds, she lowered her gun and waved us forward. “They’ll hunt anything that moves. Serpent, man, woman. And when they get ahold of you, they eat you alive, cackling as you bleed to death.”
Her description of the dukes troubled me. Not even a full day on Mercilus had gone by, and I was already afraid for my life. I had never come across an animal that sounded so terrifying. Every step I took felt like walking closer and closer to a cliff. The view from the mountain was unnerving, too. Mercilus was a dark, ghastly planet, hampered by limited water sources and light vegetation. I wondered if the sun ever shone on such a dismal place.
When we reached the top, Ada led us to a row of old, beaten Holy Army ships that had been marked with a black X. Each ship had its ramp opened. She headed to the nearest ship and walked up the open pathway. Once inside, in the hallway, she showed us to the shelves along the wall. They were stocked with clothes, jackets and boots.
“Take off that Holy Army stuff and get dressed in rebel gear.” She went to the cockpit and turned the left seat around. She sat down and set her gun between her legs. “Make it quick. I have better things to do.”
I stripped down and went to the shelves of clothes. I found a dark green wool shirt, black pants and a black jacket. To finish my new wardrobe, I found a pair of boots that looked my size and set them down next to the clothes.
“You have some nice legs, Zena,” Ada said, grinning. “You’ll have to excuse my forwardness. I haven’t seen a pair of legs as nice as yours in quite some time.”
I peeked at her as I got dressed. At first glance, she seemed like the type who fancied women. But I still couldn’t tell if she was mocking me or giving me a compliment. “So you’re attracted to women?”
She leaned back and looked me over. “Yes.” She reached up and rubbed her chin. “I heard about your infatuation with Sadie Saros that nearly got you killed.” She playfully pouted her lips and rapidly blinked her eyes. “Such a shame.”
I quickly looked the other way. “My business with Sadie is none of your concern.”
She smirked and slapped her knee. “I like your attitude—and I’m looking forward to seeing what you can do for us.” She clicked her fingers at me. “Put your boots on so we can get out of here.” She leaped from her seat and put her gun back in its holster. She walked forward and pushed me aside. “To the ramp.”
I rolled my eyes as I followed her. She came across as a typical tyrant, the kind of person I despised. But it wasn’t just her rude comments and snappy fingers. Her raspy voice, the dark bags under her eyes, even the way she walked. I didn’t like any of it. It amazed me that I could be so uncomfortable around someone I had just met.
Evander and Taft finished dressing and joined me and Ada at the edge of the ramp. Surprisingly, they had chosen all-black outfits. It was rather strange seeing Evander in dark clothing. I looked at his face and studied his eyes. He seemed unchanged by it, but I wondered if he was putting up an act to protect his true feelings.
Taft, on the other hand, looked nice in black. It fit well with his dark skin. He lowered his head and nudged me while Ada checked the area with the scope from her gun. “I have an idea. I’ll tell you about it later,” he whispered.
“Is there a problem?” Evander asked Ada.
“Silence, Evan. Or whatever your name is. I’m making sure we’re clear of the dukes.” She bent low and put her finger on the trigger. She moved her gun to the far left, then the far right. “Okay, we’re clear.”
When we reached the stony pathway that led to the bottom of the mountain, a loud growling noise attacked my ears. The four of us spun around. One by one, through the fog, I counted six creatures. They inched forward, snarling, their fangs showing, wavering as they stooped and stalked us.
My heart sank into my stomach, thoughts of running racing through my mind. Their fur was muddy and matted, and they all had huge scars across their faces and legs. Ada hadn’t lied about the smell. The closer they got, the harder it was to breathe. I covered my nose and shifted my eyes from left to right, watching their every move.
“Dukes, I presume?” Evander said.
“Yeah.” Ada raised her gun and aimed at the pack hunters. “Run!” She fired a laser that missed the beasts.
The three of us spun around and hurried down the steep pathway. From behind us, Ada blasted the dukes with a few more shots. Then she turned around and ran.
The dukes were incredibly fast. They caught up to us with ease, racing along the rocky mountain like flying bugs whizzing through the air.
“I’ve got six dukes on my tail! Send help!” she radioed to the others.
One of the creatures tackled Evander from behind. I stopped and turned around. I ran to him as fast as I could and tried to wrestle the beast off of him. But the duke had slippery, wet fur, and it smelled like a pile of rotten meat. I gagged and wheezed as I struggled to fight the beast off. It was incredible to feel the strength of the animal as it ripped at his jacket. It was like the thing didn’t even notice me there, pulling at its husky arm.
Ada blasted the duke before it could bite Evander’s head off. Then, another duke pounced on her. She dropped her gun and tried to push the wild creature away.
I hurried to my feet and sprinted to her. I lowered my shoulder and slammed into the beast. The duke bounced off of her and rolled down the mountain, but the others in the pack were closing in on us.
Yet, before they pounced on us, several rebel ships swooped down and rocked the beasts with laser blasts. They fidgeted and squealed, still swiping at us with their massive claws. I screamed and scooted backwards as I watched the bloodied, wounded beasts wheeze out their last breaths, then slowly die.
Stunned, I closed my eyes and placed a hand over my heart, desperate to calm my nerves. I never thought I would see anything more horrifying than a Serpent. But I was sadly mistaken. Even with them dead, I could still hear their chilling growls echoing in my head.
One of the ships flew down to us and opened its ramp.
I shook off my nerves as best I could and went over to Ada. I helped her to her feet and brushed some dirt off her jacket. “Are you okay?”
She yanked her arms from me and stepped back. “I’m fine.” She finished clearing the dirt off her coat. “You did great, Zena. Thank you.” She walked
to her gun and snatched it off the ground. She went to the ramp and climbed up and into the ship.
“Come on, you three! Move it!” one of the troops hollered.
I hurried to the ramp and climbed up. Evander came in after me, then Taft. The troops flew us down and landed near the cave entrance. Jax was there waiting for us.
When we left the ship and walked over to him, he waved his hand over a large black box that had been placed by his feet. “Take your guns and radios.”
We went to the box and gathered our equipment. I was surprised that they were trusting us to carry guns without putting us through some kind of test. The Holy Army didn’t let me touch a gun until my training was complete.
“So, you all managed to survive a close encounter with a pack of dukes.” Jax smiled and threw his hands up. “At least you didn’t run into a swamp of zeeks.”
First dukes. Now zeeks? I wondered how many more dangerous creatures lurked in the shadows of Mercilus. “What is a zeek? And why would you set up camp here?”
“Zeeks are slimy, slithering creatures who lurk in the swamps. Nasty things with fangs big enough to slice us into tiny pieces.” He grinned, as if all this talk about danger excited him. “That is why Mercilus is perfect, Zena. When the Holy Army comes looking for us, they will struggle in the darkness, while we thrive in it.” He looked up and checked the sky. “The Serpents tell me there is a storm headed our way.” He turned and walked towards the cave. “Shall we?”