When to use the weapon is my only question. Maybe the Patron could be caught off guard, but killing him would not accomplish anything. Braeden would still have Talia. Killing him would be better than dying alone, the voice in the back of my head reminds me. When the others get here they’ll overpower you before you get another chance.
The closer to the Patron I get, the more my heart races. The surging adrenalin prepares my body for a fight. He is a strong man and will not be taken down easily. Imagine the faces of the Leadership council members when they see their Patron struck down by a lowly occupant, the voice whispers to me. My hand slowly inches to my belt, waiting until the last second to pull out the concealed weapon. The Patron does not pay any attention to me at all. This could actually work.
As I grab the knife’s handle, the outer door opens. My pounding heart nearly jumps out of my chest when I see Talia standing between Braeden and Malin. Her tired eyes are sunken in and highlighted by dry tears staining her cheeks. Other than that, she appears unharmed. Malin has his preferred gun pointing at Talia while his eyes lock onto me. With Talia here, my attempt on the Patron’s life has to be put on hold.
“Here’s the occupant you requested,” Braden tells the Patron as he pushes Talia forward. “And the first of the council have arrived.”
“Ah yes, Yerik and Vana, we’ve much to discuss,” the Patron says to the two people behind Braeden.
The two council members are dressed in uniforms much less ornate than the Patron’s. They push past Talia to greet him. Both of them are significantly taller than I, and despite being closer to Braeden’s age than mine, are in remarkably good physical shape. Physical appearance seems to be one of the most important things to people in Caelum. Maybe they focus on that aspect because they are all hollow inside. After shaking hands with the Patron, the new arrivals inspect me with curiosity. They look at me as if I were some exotic animal instead of a human being.
I turn away from them and look back to Talia. When her eyes meet mine, I get a surprise. She has the same spark in them she normally gets when discovering the answer to a problem. Could Talia really have some kind of plan after being imprisoned by them for so long? When the others are bored of me, and turn back to each other, Talia’s eyes flicker down. I follow their direction. She has something concealed within her closed hand that could give us a chance, even if it is a small one. I divert my attention before anyone notices.
“Please excuse me for a moment, I need to see to one more thing before joining the council,” Braeden tells the Patron and the council members. “That is unless you require assistance with these two.”
“Don’t be absurd,” the Patron scoffs. “I suggest you hurry because once the others arrive, we will begin.”
Before leaving, Braeden glances back at me with narrowed eyes. I am not sure if he is wondering whether the Patron convinced me to play along or if he is merely disgusted by the very sight of me. Either way, the uncharacteristic visible emotion quickly dissipates. The Controller slips out the door with Malin following close behind.
The Patron leads the two council members to the side of the room, motioning for us to follow behind them. One would think they would want to watch us more closely, but it feels like our very presence offends them. They much prefer to keep us out of sight. That works for me.
Talia’s hands are bound, so I put my arm around her and kiss her on the temple. Even if this goes wrong, at least I have this opportunity to see her one last time.
“I’m so sorry it’s come to this,” I tell her. “I’ve been lost without you, Talia. I love you.”
When I lean over to give her another kiss, she carefully pushes the detonator into my hand.
“I love you too, Kagen,” she says before lifting her head to whisper in my ear. “Please tell me this thing’s as important to your plan as Braeden thinks.”
I give a subtle nod to answer her question. She does not know what the detonator does, or that to use it safely we need respirators for protection. Pushing the button will be suicide, only on a much grander scale than what I was about to do only a moment ago. Then again, if we are going where I think we are, our lack of respirators might not be a problem.
We enter another hallway shooting off from the side of the room. This corridor is covered in bare steel like the ones I am used to. At the far end stands a single secure door. The Patron somehow opens the door with a wave of his hand and motions for us to follow them inside. In the center of the room sits a massive stump from an old tree, skillfully carved into a table with eight seats around it. Aside from this unique feature, the rest of the room is decidedly mechanical. The Patron and council members stand in front of us, shielding only part of the control panel covering the entire back wall. Looking past them, I can see a couple of the security feeds. One shows a view of the outer walls of Caelum. The other scrolls through multiple areas that appear to be inside one of the outer colonies. This place must be the Seat of Power.
The schematics Arluin acquired showed this room has its own life support system, separate from the rest of the Leadership building and even the Patron’s Palace. This is the very place I originally planned to be when setting off the poison boxes. The one thing stopping me from activating the detonator right now is having the Patron and Leadership council members in the room with us. They would still be alive to kill Talia in retaliation. Then again, once they are done using us, we will likely both be killed anyway. Attacking now may be my only chance to save Talia.
Caelum’s council members are so unthreatened by us that they make the mistake of turning their backs to me. Now is the time. If they react quickly enough to defend themselves, I will activate the detonator before they take it away.
I raise my eyebrow at Talia, warning her something is about to happen. She moves to the side and pretends to slip, bumping into the back of the Vana. Yerik turns around and shoves Talia away. The simple distraction is all I need.
My hand pulls out the knife as I lunge at Yanik. He does not see the attack coming since his back is turned to me, but Vana does. She jumps in front of him, trying to deflect my thrust. She is not fast enough. My knife tears into the center of her chest, sinking down to the hilt. When I pull the knife out, warm blood spurts out of the wound, splashing my hand and telling me my aim was accurate. With a hole in her heart, she will die in a matter of seconds.
As I turn to attack the others, a solid blow lands on my jaw, staggering me. My stumble sends me backward, crashing into the wall. I regain my footing and look up in time to see Yerik cocking his arm back to unleash another blow. I duck below it, causing him loose balance from the lack of contact. Before he recovers, I use all my momentum from a crouched position to thrust my shoulder into his abdomen. As he backpedals, I twist my body, swinging my knife to slice across his midsection.
Yerik recoils in pain. He pauses only a moment before taking a deep breath and positioning himself to attack again. Behind him, the Patron struggles to subdue Talia who, despite her weakened state, puts up an impressive fight. Right now, I cannot help her because Yerik circles me like the natives do with the laborers in their coliseum. When he swings at my head, I again instinctively duck again. This time, he anticipates my dodge. Yerik pulls his punch and follows with a kick to the side of my head. I loose grip of my knife while falling to the floor, stunned and unable to hear anything except ringing in my ear. Before I can get back on my feet, Yerik pounces on my back.
“Time to die you filthy boar,” he yells while locking his arm around my neck.
I grab at his arm, straining to loosen his grip, but the hold is in too deep. Black spots flicker in and out of my vision. In a few seconds the lack of blood flow will rob me of consciousness. I cannot let that happen. If I pass out, Talia is as good as dead.
Through my blurred vision, a reflective shimmer comes from the floor in front of me. I grab my knife and sink it into Yerik’s arm. He jumps back far enough for me spin my body around. Even with the change of position, his weight keeps me from getting free.
He lashes out with pounding fists that obscure my vision. The next blow feels like he tears a piece of my face off. I cannot survive this for much longer. Yerik leans forward, pressing his forearm against my neck, again choking me.
The instant my right arm snakes free, I look for a target for my knife. He is too close to hit any vital arteries or organs. So instead, my first stab rips into Yerik’s shoulder. When he flinches from the pain, my real target becomes exposed. I redirect the knife, slicing in through his carotid artery and out through his trachea. For a moment our eyes meet. Instead of the disgust he regarded me with before, only shock and terror remain. His skin turns pale as his blood spurts out, dripping from my dark uniform to the floor. Yerik’s neck gurgles as he tries to breath. He clutches at the wound, falling to the floor beside me.
With both of the council members dead, I turn back to the Patron. Despite Talia’s attempts, the Patron has pinned her to the ground with his boot planted on the back of her neck. He now stands over her with some sort of weapon attached to his hand. A shining metal case encloses his fingers, pulsing with electricity. Knowing how devious the minds from Caelum are, I suspect this weapon to be capable of killing on contact. So why did he not use the weapon on Talia from the start? And why did he not use it to save the council members?
“Did you really think escaping me would be that easy?” he laughs, showing no concern for the two people lying dead on his floor.
“Of course not,” I say while pulling out the detonator. “I hope you didn’t think getting rid of me would be that easy either.”
Chapter 29
The Patron stands over Talia, keeping his weapon ready. I could never touch him before he kills her. My knife may no longer be useful, but the detonator is.
“Now you’re the one with a choice to make,” I tell the Patron, using the same peculiar accent as the natives of Caelum. “Either you let her go, or watch your city die.”
“And how do you plan on accomplishing that,” he says with a chuckle, clearly not believing a word I say.
“We had a busy day, seeing all the sights of Caelum. As a token of our gratitude, we left some presents behind,” I say while holding up the detonator. “All I have to do is push this button and your world ends.”
“Then you’ll die along with it,” the Patron counters.
“Like you weren’t planning to kill us the moment we outlived our usefulness? I’d rather die on my own terms than wait for you to execute us,” I reply.
The patron redirects his weapon away from Talia. I can see from his hesitation that he knows I am not bluffing. “Perhaps there’s another way. Truth be told, I would prefer you returned to Securus. I only need to unseat the Controller of Settlement Resources first. After that, if you relinquish that device, you’ll be allowed to take your precious Talia and all who came with you back to your colony.”
“What reassurance do I have you’ll stay true to your word?” I ask.
“Returning you to Securus was my intent all along,” he replies with his hands raised outward, as if he were caught in the act. “Normally we would cleanse Securus after such a drastic breach in protocol, but Braeden has put me in an interesting position. He has managed to gain the allegiance of some of the Leadership council, although you did a wonderful job of helping me with that. Still, I can’t tolerate the Controller’s scheming. Braeden must be dealt with. In exchange for your assistance, I’ll allow you to live.”
So that is why the Patron took so long to subdue Talia and did not try to save the others. He wanted me to kill them. Up until this point I fully intended to kill all of Caelum, but his offer is interesting. This would easily be my best chance to save Talia and my friends. Then again, to what end? Do we want to remain Caelum’s slaves forever? If we returned to Securus, the increased scrutiny that would surely follow would make any attempt to escape impossible. Then again, do I even care that our people will remain slaves if doing so keeps Talia alive?
My mind and heart are conflicted. More than ever, I need Talia’s strength. I look over to her, searching for any clue to her thoughts. Even with her being subdued and tired, she maintains strength and defiance in her eyes. All this time in Caelum has not even come close to breaking her. Talia silently urges me to press the button.
I ignore the Patron, focusing only on Talia’s resolve while activating the detonator. The Patron’s eyes widen in horror, realizing for the first time he has lost control. He understands Caelum’s end has arrived. My only regret is Braeden was not here to watch me do this. Then again, knowing The Agent is probably already infecting him is definitely an acceptable consolation. For some reason, Talia’s serene face changes as her eyes break away from mine. She reaches out toward me, as if she wants to protect me from something. The change confuses me. We have already released The Agent into all of Caelum, so why is she worried now?
“Did you really think I’d be foolish enough to let you get your weapon back if it were still functional?” Braeden asks from behind me.
Both Malin and Braeden stand in the doorway, watching us. I did not hear them come in. Even more frightening, they show no signs of being infected by The Agent. Only now do I realize the Patron’s fear was not because of my threat. Having the Controller discover him so vulnerable was his true worry.
The Patron and Controller stare each other down, giving me one last chance. I throw the useless detonator to the ground and turn to attack Braeden with my knife in hand. Before I get close, Malin intercepts me. Seeing the futility of my charge, I stop and circle to the side. My direction is intended to prevent them from both attacking me at the same time, though Braeden appears to have no such inclination.
Malin wears a malevolent smile as he firms his stance in preparation for our fight. He has been waiting for this moment since we first met. I lunge toward him, swiping my knife at his torso, but he reacts too fast. Malin easily deflects my knife. The next thing I know, I am flying over his head. Somehow he managed to lock my arm and use his body’s momentum to fling me to the ground. The impact sends a spasm from my back wrapping around my entire torso. The pain feels like a gigantic vice crushing me from every angle.
Not wanting to stay exposed on the ground, I look for Malin, needing to get back into a defensive position. My eyes find him in time to see his foot coming down at me. My body rolls to the side, narrowly avoiding his stomp. Even though he misses with the first attempt, his second kick lands squarely on my ribs.
“We give up, just stop!” Talia yells when she hears the crunching of my broken ribs.
Malin looks back to Braeden, who in turn watches the Patron, making sure he does not interfere. Braeden nods his head, allowing Malin to continue.
“Is that all the fight you have?” Malin asks, letting me get up and taunting me with a dismissive shrug.
“Not by a long shot,” I tell him, wiping the blood from my lip. My confidence is completely fabricated because Malin is far too fast and strong for me. The only thing I can hope to accomplish is to make him feel some pain before he kills me.
Malin slowly moves forward with his hands positioned to strike. I stay in place, waiting for an opening. Malin swings with a hard right hook, but I am not as groggy as he thinks. I duck down and thrust my knife into his bicep, making sure to tear through the muscle when pulling it out.
He flinches from the pain but to my surprise, does not stop. He grabs onto me, not allowing me enough room to capitalize on his injury. His hands scramble to lock onto my arm, so I yank it away. By the time I realize the attempt was merely a distraction, it is already too late. Malin slips down, locking onto my thigh. While lifting my leg, he uses his shoulder to drive me into the ground.
The impact paralyzes my body, leaving me unable to stop him from pummeling me. After a few more heavy blows, I no longer feel any pain. Shadows swirl in the periphery of my vision. Instead of the thumps from his punches, all I hear are Talia’s cries. After taking away my knife, Malin stands over me with a satisfied grin smeared across his blurred face.
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For a second Malin seems to glow from the pleasure of beating me. Except now his eyes roll back as he falls unconscious onto the floor next to me. Blood drips from his ear while the rest of his body spasms from a seizure. Much to my surprise, Talia stands over him with a ferocious scowl. Somehow she has managed to use the distraction of my fight to get the Patron’s electrified weapon from him. Or maybe the Patron let her get it in order to keep us alive long enough to suit his needs.
Talia turns, intending to attack Braeden next, but he already has Malin’s gun trained on her. She ignores the threat and instead kneels down to check on me.
“Help him up and take a seat,” Braeden orders Talia.
The Patron moves toward Talia, motioning for her to give back his weapon. As he does, Braeden shoots the ground in front of him as a warning.
“Stay right there, you old fool,” Braeden says.
“How dare you?” the Patron shouts in the face of Braeden’s disrespect. “Put down that gun immediately, or I’ll have you expelled from Leadership for this.”
Braeden simply waves away the demand while walking up to the Patron with measured steps. “Did you really think I was unaware of your scheming? I find it rather amusing you ever believed you possessed the intelligence to outwit me. Now, Kagen here is about to kill you. Imagine that, the Patron of Leadership unable to defend himself against a restrained occupant.”
The Patron meets Braeden’s icy stare, clearly not believing me capable of killing him now. His disbelief quickly morphs into a pained wince. Braeden turns his back to him, strolling over to us as the body of the Patron crumbles to the floor. My knife rests in the Controller’s hand, dripping with the Patron’s blood. He wipes it clean before returning the blade to a holster in his belt identical to my own. The Patron never saw the hidden weapon until it was too late.
Braeden sits at the Seat of Power directly across from Talia. His casual demeanor strikes me as more suited to attending a mundane meeting than sitting here amongst so much death and treachery. Even for him, the utter lack of emotion feels shocking. Then again, he has never shown any shred of empathy for anyone, so why would he start now?
The Seat of Power (The Securus Trilogy Book 3) Page 30