by Lucia Ashta
“Return from where?”
“They were kidnapped and only just found their way back to us.”
“And who kidnapped them?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t had the chance to speak with them of it yet.”
“But you were celebrating? Without knowing what happened?” The doubt in the man’s voice was harsh.
“Yes,” the tribesman said simply.
“You expect me to believe that you would celebrate the return of kidnapped women and children without knowing how they returned to you?”
“Of course I do, for it’s the truth.”
“No one celebrates like that.”
“We do.”
“You think you have more reason to celebrate than any of the rest of us?”
“I didn’t say that.”
I felt Tanus tense around me. I was tense too. The man was goading the villager into a fight he clearly wasn’t looking for.
“Hunh,” the Royal Guard said, evident he wasn’t through with this line of questioning yet. “So where are these kidnap victims you speak of then?”
“Retreated to their homes. After the ordeal they’ve survived, they became frightened when they heard you coming toward us.”
“I want to see them. Tell them to come out right now.”
A beat passed in which I wondered whether the tribal man would allow the women and children who’d only just returned from the clutches of men not much different than this one, from the sound of it, to come out for him to see them. Finally, he said, “Mothers, children, come out.”
He didn’t specify which ones, and I wanted desperately to see if it was the kidnap victims who moved to stand before this guard.
A minute passed before the guard spoke again. “This many women and children were taken?”
“Seven women and two children were kidnapped.”
“This is far more than that,” the man roared.
“Because we wish to protect them.”
“You needn’t protect them from us. We’re the Royal Guard.”
There was no response from the tribal man or the many women and children who’d stepped forward, offering what protection they could to one another through their numbers.
When long enough passed that I began truly to fear for these gentle villagers, the tribal man spoke with soft tones, making it clear he didn’t wish to challenge the guard’s authority. Too much was at risk for shows of bravado. “What may we help you with tonight?”
The guard’s response didn’t arrive right away. I imagined the man’s jaw moving back and forth, debating whether the tribesman was being insolent or not, whether or not he deserved to be taught a lesson. I hoped I was wrong, but based on the wired energy coursing through Tanus’ body, I feared I was right.
I exhaled a whoosh of premature relief when the guard finally spoke. “We seek Lord Tanus. Lord Drakos, under the authority of the mighty King Oderon, to whom you owe your allegiance, has sentenced him to immediate execution for the attempted assassination of the King. Therefore, it is your duty to inform us if you’ve seen this man.”
“None of us in this community are familiar with a Lord Tanus, I’m certain of that.”
Theoretically, this was the truth. No one in this village was familiar with the man whose bicep kept contracting across my shoulder. In fact, they barely knew him at all, if they even knew his name in the first place.
“Then you’ll have no complaint if we search your homes, if you can call them that.”
“No. You’re free to look wherever you like.”
What else was the tribal spokesman to say? If he denied the guard’s request, then it would arouse suspicion. Either way, it appeared that we were at the mercy of chance. The question was, would it spare us tonight, under the purple glow of the Plune Moon?
“Chauncy! Torle!” the guard called out. “Search those huts behind you.”
I heard a chorus of “Yes, Father!”
Then without meaning to, I held my breath, as if I were afraid even to inhale or exhale. I had no idea where Dolpheus, Kai, and Lila had hidden, but I could only imagine it was within a hut like the one we were in. Would the guards find them? And if so, what would the punishment be for the village’s deceit in hiding us?
And where could they have possibly hidden the horses? I hadn’t seen a single place suitable for that purpose.
As if life had tired of concealing its sense of irony, it chose that moment to do reveal it. In the very moment I wondered about the horses, another man’s voice, one of the guards sent to search, I presumed, called out, “We’ve found horses, Father!”
“Now where on O would you get horses?” the man the other guards inexplicably called “father” asked of the village spokesman.
The tribesman didn’t respond. What could he really say, after all? He and all of his people were at the Royal Guard’s mercy. And for what? For harboring us.
Hooves sounded against the tamped ground.
“Well, well,” the father guard said. “These horses must be stolen. Look at how fine they are. And the weapons that hang from their saddles. These are valuable weapons. Where did these horses come from? Who did you take them from?”
Again, silence. I expected it was because the spokesman could find nothing to say that wouldn’t endanger them more.
“I’m speaking to you, man. I order you to answer me!” The rage in the guard’s request seemed unwarranted. It was the tone of a man undeserving of the authority with which he’d been awarded.
The cracking sound of the man’s hand as he slapped the other’s flesh reverberated through the hut. My hand flew to my veil, searching for my face, as if it had been my own flesh that received the blow.
Still, the villager didn’t answer, and I feared for him. Now with good reason.
“We must do something,” I whispered with urgency to Tanus.
He sighed heavily. “There’s nothing we can do to intervene that won’t put you in danger.” He didn’t like his answer any more than I did.
“Then put me in danger,” I implored.
“That’s not gonna happen.”
His tone was resolute. I didn’t bother arguing. “Okay. Then what would happen if you were to go out there?”
“They’d take me prisoner, to the Palace to be executed upon my arrival.”
I flicked a glance toward the elder, but he didn’t flinch. I had no way of knowing whether he’d already known who Tanus was or if he was as stubborn as Tanus.
Tanus continued, “If they kill me, I can’t protect you. And I need to protect you now more than ever. So no.”
It wasn’t about his life, it was about mine.
Another slap rang through the night. All three of us in the hut jumped.
“Then how about Dolpheus?” I asked. “He doesn’t have a death warrant out for him, does he? Can’t he intervene?”
“He could. Except that everyone associates him with me. They’d tear apart this village looking for me, assuming wherever he is, I’m not far behind. Whether they find me or not, they’d take him to the Palace as leverage. With the King unable to make decisions, his fate would be in the hands of Lord Drakos. And Drakos is far more vicious than this guard out there. Just as I was sentenced to death without reason or proof, the same could happen to Dolpheus. And that, I won’t allow.”
A child’s frightened scream came next, and my blood started to boil. The scream was brief, but I imagined it was because the boy inherited his people’s courage, not because his treatment was gentle.
Now that Tanus’ cover was blown, I spoke as frankly as I could without directly revealing who I was to the elder in the hut. If this elder were smart—and he gave every impression that he was—he might already suspect who I was, beneath the veil that clearly didn’t suit me. But I didn’t dare make it plain I was the princess. I still had the ruse of my death to protect me from the drawing of obvious conclusions, and from what I’d gathered, my romantic involvement with Tanus wasn’t public knowle
dge. I didn’t want to anger Tanus by making matters worse. I’d promised to shield my eyes and my identity as a condition for coming with him to the village. Whenever possible, I kept my promises. My word was my word, no matter what planet I happened to be on.
“What about Kai then? Or Lila?” I asked. “Can’t they do something?”
“Kai will be executed on the spot if they accuse him of desertion, which they will. Kai’s still wearing his uniform. He’ll be identified right away, even if none of these men served with him or are familiar with his name or rank. And Lila, what can she do? She’s as much at risk of being… violated by these men as anyone else. Besides, she’s sort of on the run herself. She disappeared from the splicing facility without explanation. No one leaves there possessed of splicing secrets without repercussions. Whether they’ll recognize her for who she is or not, I can’t say, but she’s gone to the palace multiple times as a representative of my… the splicing facility.”
Great. We were a band of fugitives.
I chewed my lip. This sucked. And worse, I couldn’t help but wonder if I were somehow to blame for it all. I didn’t understand how, but the thought and the guilt still nagged at me. “We have to do something, Tanus. We can’t allow these innocent people to suffer.”
He sighed again. “I know. Let’s just hope the Royal Guard will go away.”
“Is that likely?”
“No.”
“That’s what I thought,” I whispered.
Another slap rang through the clearing. The father guard called out, loudly enough for everyone within the village to hear, “Maybe if I slap these women and children around enough, the true owners of the horses will come out.”
“How do you know the owners of the horses remain here?” the tribesman asked, and I had to admire his courage.
“Because these are the horses of warriors. Those skilled enough to make it unlikely that any runt from your village could steal their horses. Which makes me think they’re hiding in your village like cowards, letting you take the fall for them. If I start hurting the innocents they might feel inclined to protect, then maybe they’ll come out.”
And who, I wondered bitterly, was the Royal Guard sworn to protect, if not the innocent?
“And if you’re wrong?” the spokesman asked, the slightest of quivers betraying the fear he must feel.
“Then my men and I will have a little fun, no harm done.”
Except to everyone they were harming! No. I didn’t care who I was supposed to be or that Tanus was protecting me for the well-being of an entire civilization. What was the point of any of it if we stood by to allow this? “Tanus, I can’t do this.”
Another deep sigh. “I know.” Those two words were laced with the regret at all the possibilities of what might happen, of what might unfold based on the one decision I was about to make.
“If I reveal myself to the guards, are they obligated to listen to me? Can I order them?”
“Yes,” he said, his voice heavy with foreboding.
“And can they touch you or anyone else if I tell them not to?”
“They’re bound by duty to do as you say, without question.”
Another squeal from someone far too young to be the recipient of such aggression, to become aware of the existence of such a dark side to the hearts of men.
I hurried. “You said that eventually we’d need to announce my survival anyway, right?”
He waited.
“And if I can… transport”—I omitted the supposedly I inserted in my mind—“then I won’t really be in any greater danger than before because they won’t have any way of knowing where I might have transported to, is that right?”
“Yes and no. Mostly no. If they know you’re alive, those that wish to harm you will begin searching for you. You have no idea the resources that these… people possess. They could find you. And then they could make sure the job was done right this time.”
Another sound of flesh smacking flesh. I spoke with urgency. “But it could also serve the purpose of spreading rumors that I live.” I knew little of Origins but imagined gossip was gossip everywhere. “It could encourage the people.”
“And put you at great risk and complicate everything needlessly.”
“Do you really think it’s a needless complication? Do you?”
He waited until we heard another smack and suppressed whimper of pain. “No. But there has to be another way. One that won’t risk you.” He moved to face me then, and even though I still couldn’t make out his eyes, I could sense their feverishness in the near darkness. He implored me as a lover. “I can’t risk losing you again.”
I took his hand. “I don’t want to lose you either.” I meant it. “But you said there’s no other way. And we can’t let these people suffer if there’s anything we can do to stop it. Every alternative in which we intervene leads to a path that ultimately puts me at risk of discovery. We have to intervene. So we may as well do it directly. At least this way there’s the chance that it might have a positive outcome.”
“What positive outcome, beyond helping these people?”
“I don’t know. But I do know what’s right and what’s wrong, that doesn’t change no matter where I am.”
He squeezed my hand, and I realized he believed he was risking more than I was by doing this. He risked losing the one thing he’d only just gotten back, the one thing that meant more to him than his own life.
Life could be wonderful, and life could be shitty. We had to take the good with the bad and take risks worth taking. If I were a princess of this planet, than I’d be damned if I’d stand by and allow this to happen.
“I’m coming with you,” he said.
Exposing himself, I realized. A man on the run from an execution order.
But fuck, I knew I’d do the same if roles were reversed.
I shucked my veil to the bare ground of the hut’s interior. When I reached the elder, I sensed the motion of his bow toward me. If he could see my cosmic eyes in the dark, or if he could sense things I couldn’t yet, or if he was just good at connecting the dots, understanding rumors of death to be what they were, I couldn’t know.
But I knew these were good people. And for the first time since arriving on this planet, I was certain I was doing the right thing.
Tanus was right behind me.
TWENTY-SIX
THE TIME for doubting myself and my presence on this planet was over. If I was going to pull this off, I had to be a convincing princess. It didn’t matter that I had no memories of my time as royalty. These guards had to believe I was who I said I was. Even better, they had to believe me on sight alone.
For once grateful that my eyes were so peculiar, I let them blaze the path ahead of me. I wondered if they were perhaps brighter or eerier beneath the purple glow of the night sky.
The moment I emerged from the hut, Tanus half a step behind me, the father guard turned our way. A disdainful snarl already on his face, I watched with satisfaction as his face fell. Gradually, the realization of who I must be arrived, and just as gradually, his smile fell. If I’d imagined a guard sworn to protect me would be relieved to see me with breath, I would have been disappointed. However, I wasn’t laboring under any misapprehensions as to what kind of man this father guard was. He was the worse kind, an abuser of power.
“Princess?” The guard’s voice was shaky, faint, like a child caught with his hand in the forbidden cookie jar, already wondering how severe his punishment would be.
I wondered what this might mean. Was this father guard afraid of me because I’d been severe before my memory lapse? Or was it because he realized I wouldn’t tolerate the mistreatment of innocents? I hoped it was a combination of the two and that I’d been a great defender of my people. But something in the father guard’s face made me worry about what I might discover once my memories returned. I didn’t like the idea.
While I shook it off, every single person in the village emerged from their hiding spots. Even Dolpheus
, Kai, and Lila came out to see the showdown between domineering prick and princess. The kidnap victims took several steps away from the father guard and toward me.
The shift in power was palpable. Beneath the purple of the night that did… something to me, I sensed the shifting of control thickly, as if I could reach out and grab it. I briefly considered whether everyone else experienced the Plune Moon the way I did. As if it were an ancient and powerful bewitching hour and I in Avalon, among its mists, a shiver shook me and left the fine hairs on my arms on end.
“Did you feel that?” I whispered to Tanus, softly so that only he could hear me.
“Feel what?”
I tried to shake myself free of the feeling for I had to focus. Already, all eyes were trained upon me, the princess of an entire planet, in miniskirt, crop top, and warrior boots. It was official. No matter how long I lived, this would be one of the weirdest days of my life. I didn’t imagine they could get much weirder.
Even though I hadn’t expected it of them—nor desired it, really—the tribespeople began to bend on one knee. Like a glittery wave in the ocean, these shiny people bowed their bodies and heads to me. I noticed Tanus, Dolpheus, Kai, and Lila did the same. Even a few of the guards behind their father bowed their respect before their leader could get on board with protocol or decorum or whatever it was that caused these people to put me above them.
Ordinarily, a show like this would embarrass me, and I’d be quick to tell them this wasn’t necessary, to please get up. But tonight I couldn’t afford anything that detracted from my power. Not only did the father guard need to know who was in charge now, but he, most of all, had to see me as strong since he was likely the first that would report my survival.
If I was coming back from the dead, I needed to claim my miracle and incorporate it into the image my people had of me. Not only was I a princess, but I was one who’d survived death. I wasn’t to be messed with.
I couldn’t know how superstitious the people of O were, but if they were anything like Earthlings, then appearances were everything. It didn’t matter how strong I actually was, what mattered most was that I appear so powerful that no one would dare question me and—hopefully—no one would attempt to kill me again.