Rakesh spoke loud enough so that everybody could hear him. He was truly a male of honor. As mad as his posturing was, I understood it was part of what made the others follow him. He was the embodiment of a Troitek warrior, and brash. So damned brash.
“If any here doubts that he is the Red Dragon, let him speak now,” declared the female. “I, Luminatas of the fallen house of Trae, the last royal house of Trill, declare that I will bend a knee to the Red Dragon and Diem Sava.”
The older female struggled to kneel, and I tried to pull her up, but Rakesh growled softly, warning me to maintain my composure. Slowly, those around us declared their willingness to bend a knee and followed her example. I felt as though we were on the space station again, with the crew of the Chronos assembled around us declaring their loyalty and willingness to follow us into death. The weight of their oath sat heavy on my chest.
“I don’t need you to bend a knee. I only want to help where I can and to seek your help,” I said.
“Come inside, Sava, there is much we have to say to each other,” Luminatas said, fighting to regain her feet. Once again, she clutched my hand in hers and looked at me with pleading eyes. This time I allowed her to lead me into a crevice in a large stone, only a few feet away from where I’d been standing.
She led me down several winding paths. The floor and walls were worn smooth as if they were naturally occurring cracks in the mountain, worn away by centuries of running water instead of Troitek hands. Rakesh stayed close behind me, his breath blowing hot on my head. I could tell he had not yet put his dragon form to sleep. It was just beneath the surface, uncomfortable with the tight squeeze and unsure about our safety.
I reached my hand back and grasped Rakesh’s wrist, trying to reassure him.
“Just a bit further, Sava,” Luminatas said.
I felt a drastic shift in the temperature. The passageway had been cool until we turned the last corner. I felt as though I’d just walked into summer. Not only did the air get warmer, but it was also slightly more humid, and the light shifted from the soft red glow of the Troiken sun to an intense white. It was as if the entire mountain was lit by a bright white light bulb. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the shift.
We emptied into a chamber where a group of armored and heavily muscled guards met us. They all seemed a bit dumbstruck as Rakesh, and I entered the room.
“Don’t be troubled. Follow the procedure,” Rakesh commanded. I cringed internally.
“This isn’t the Chronos. You can’t just order them around,” I said softly.
“Yes, he can,” Luminatas said. “And he’s right. Carry on as normal.”
The males looked at each other and shrugged. As they approached, I noticed that none of them had tails, though their features were very Troitek. The marking along the temple, light dusting of fur on the body, and flattened noses were not as severe as Rakesh’s, but the lack of tails and the soft, human look of their eyes told me they were mixed race, like Nedan.
“Are they Troitek or are they Trill?”
“They are both,” Luminatas answered with a patient smile.
I stood still as the males passed a wand over my body—searching, I assumed, for hidden weapons. Rakesh stiffened but didn’t interfere. Satisfied that I wasn’t a threat, they approached Rakesh as well. The males hesitated, but performed the same procedure, nodding to Luminatas as soon as they finished. A large metal gate swung open, and we left the antechamber and stepped into the heart of the mountain.
I stepped into another world. Inside the mountain was a city. I stood in awe as I saw people going about their business, shopping at the stalls assembled in the center square, and children clinging to the hands of adults as they walked across the spider’s web of bridges and walkways crisscrossing the mountain fortress.
I looked up, trying to discern the source of the bright white light that illuminated everything.
“The sunlight is filtered through naturally occurring crystals. Red light is comfortable for the Troitek, but we are not all Troitek,” Luminatas explained.
“Some of us less than others,” said a male who sauntered up to us with his hands clasped behind his back. He wore a long vest over a bare, heavily tattooed chest. His skin had a healthy tan and was completely hairless. He had a prominent nose and soft, hazel colored eyes. Though he was still a big guy, he wasn’t nearly as huge as some of the Troitek warriors, but he walked with an air of deadly calm. Except for the faded markings along his temples and arms, there was almost nothing about him that linked him to the Troitek.
“Rholo, let me introduce you to—”
“There is no need for introductions.” He looked Rakesh in the eye. “You did a good job of announcing yourself upon your arrival. There isn’t a male, female, or fledgling that doesn’t know the Red Dragon and his mate have finally arrived.”
“You keep saying the word finally. How long have you all been waiting for us?” I asked.
Rholo turned and looked at me with a gaze that made me extremely uncomfortable, but I refused to back down.
“Centuries, Sava. We have been waiting centuries for you to arrive and lead us into the new age.”
“Centuries?” I covered my mouth with my hand as my mind tried to wrap itself around the idea of a whole community waiting for the return of a mythical hero.
“I told you, Sava—there is much for us to discuss.”
Chapter Two
I stood by the window and watched as they arrived, one after another. Some of them were injured, others, it appeared, managed to escape before the soldiers arrived. The crew, my crew, were under siege.
Nedan showed them the way; he’d given them instructions on how to get here and assured them that we would be waiting. And we were. Or at least, Rakesh was. He stood in the gathering hall and welcomed them all. Some carried supplies they’d put together before their escape. Others carried each other.
He listened to their stories, gathering whatever intel he could from them. He didn’t press any of them for details. Some were grateful, and others were bewildered. All of them seemed relieved to see Rakesh standing there to welcome them.
“Perhaps you should go and minister to your people, Sava,” said Rholo.
“No, mine is not the face they need to see. Right now, they need a strong figure to cling to; and that’s him. He’s the right male for this job. I will do what I can later,” I said, without taking my eyes off the scene.
“Perhaps now is a good time for us to discuss what it is you must do while you are here,” he said.
“Must do?”
“Yes.” He smiled broadly.
“What is it that I must do?”
“You are the mother of us all, Sava. We have been mourning your death and waiting for your return for centuries. Do you know how many times we thought we found you, only to be disappointed?”
“How do you know that you got it right this time?”
“We don’t yet, but I have to tell you that even if you aren’t who we think you are, your arrival here is very important,” he said. He watched me the way a snake watched prey. His gaze was calm and steady, and held the promise of death. It sent a chill down my spine.
“How will you know?”
“You, yourself, will reveal yourself to us. There are signs that the true mate will display.”
“Like miracles?” I asked, feeling increasingly detached from reality.
“Yes, like miracles.” He sat down on a large red cushion and crossed his legs.
“I don’t know how to do any miracles.”
“Obviously.” His voice was cold, and the smile, if you could still call it that, was mostly there to mock me. “I don’t know who you are or how you got here, but if you think I’m going to let some sentient pile of space dung tear down all that we’ve built here, you’re very mistaken.”
“What?” I was getting used to the feeling of adrenaline surging in my system. At that moment I was glad that the nanites in my system had gone rogue and wer
e working hard to protect me. Otherwise, I would be an even easier target than I was now.
“No need to get nervous, Sava,” he continued. “I don’t intend to kill you secretly and dispose of your body, though the thought had come to mind. But thanks to your dramatic entrance, you are more than a guest. You are a myth come to life. You are THE myth come to life. You and your mate out there are the reason why we exist.”
“Why would you want to get rid of us, then?”
“Not the both of you. Just you. Even with you gone, he is still incredibly valuable to the resistance.”
“You plan to use him.” I began to scan the room for anything that I could use as a weapon.
“I plan to help him see that the reason why the Red Dragon killed his mate was not out of a momentary lapse in judgment. It was righteous anger.” He stood up and looked off into space, his hands clasped behind his back. “She was holding him back. Keeping him from being the conqueror that he was always meant to be.”
“I don’t think he wants to be a conqueror,” I said. I eyed the door. With his back to me, I might have just enough of a head start to make it out of the room before he caught me.
“He will.”
I turned slowly but stopped short of actually running. Maybe that was what he wanted me to do. He wanted me to make a run for it. He wanted me to dash back and tell everybody that he was a crazy man. Maybe that was part of his plan. I couldn’t afford to make a mistake at this junction. Everything was too fresh. There weren’t any solid relationships we could rely on, and my crew was still arriving. I couldn’t afford to step into a trap.
“Never. That’s not how the legend goes,” I challenged.
“History can be rewritten.” His eyes shifted over to me, and he turned to face me squarely. “I’m surprised that you didn’t strike. I took you for a fighter. From what I could gather, you put up quite a fight in the throne room.”
“It should be big news by now,” I said.
“No. The crown has covered it all up. They told the people that your little flight over the capital city was an exhibition for their benefit.”
“That’s why there were no gliders sent out,” I mused.
“Very good. You see, it’s not about having real control. It's about having the illusion of control. That’s what counts. It is how the strong few rule the many.”
“That’s tyranny.”
“That’s Troiken.”
He gave me another sinister smile. Again, I felt like prey being mesmerized by the snake, waiting until I was off guard to unhinge his jaws and swallow me whole. For a moment I thought I could feel myself falling. A bright, sudden yellow light flashed in front of my eyes.
Everything became grainy.
I saw it then, the blade in my hand, pointed towards his throat. When had I picked up a blade? Why was I attacking? I couldn’t remember. A trick? I dropped the blade and made for the door. He followed me with his eyes, looking both disappointed and amused at the same time.
I flung open the door and ran down the corridor. I’d barely gotten away before Rholo stumbled into the hall, bleeding from a wound on his neck.
“Stop her! She’s not who she says she is! She’s an infiltrator!” he yelled. I turned to look at him, stunned by how complete his transformation was. He looked as if he’d been in a fight for his life.
Two large Troitek looking guards turned their sights to me. Confusion clouded their faces. I met their eyes and shook my head. I was just as confused as they were, and I was in no position to defend myself.
“Stop her!” Rholo gurgled before stumbling forward.
The two guards turned to catch me, and I put on a burst of speed. I had to get to Rakesh. I had to warn him not to become what they want him to be. I had to let him know that Rholo couldn’t be trusted.
I rounded the corner into the gathering hall just as the guards caught up with me. The first one lunged at me, catching my arm in a tight grip. I swung my body weight around, working against the joint, forcing him to let go. I turned to run and then I felt it. The searing pain through my chest brought me to my knees.
Rakesh roared, taking a step forward and leaping into the air. The members of the Chronos stood back, anticipating what would come next. But the others moved in closer. Too close.
Rakesh shifted in the air, leaving his clothes in tatters on the floor and roaring once again. I struggled for breath and forced myself not to look down. I didn’t want to see the wound. If I looked at it, I thought I might not be able to carry on.
“No, Rakesh.” I threw my hands up, puzzled by the blood on my hands. My blood? His blood? I was getting light headed. I couldn’t tell.
He roared, circling my body with his, protecting me from the eyes of others.
“Don’t trust them,” I grunted. Perhaps too low. I wasn’t sure if I was talking or thinking. “Rholo. Don’t trust Rholo.”
“She isn’t who she pretends to be. She tried to kill me!” Rholo shouted, stumbling into the room and thumping his body on the floor.
“Let me see,” said a familiar female voice. I opened my eyes. I didn’t remember closing them.
P’tah!
“Hold on, Diem. Some friends desperately want to meet you,” she said. I couldn’t understand why she seemed so happy. She pulled back the bloody clothing from my chest and wiped the away the blood. “You will live—and teach these fools a thing or two.”
I nodded. I didn’t feel like either of those statements were true. I watched her walk away, her head and tail hung low, as if there was nothing she could do to help me. I felt cold and then overwhelming heat. I closed my eyes against the pain. It felt like I was being roasted from the inside out.
“No fire,” I moaned, begging Rakesh. He coiled his body around tighter. I could feel his agitation, but I was powerless to do anything about it. I gasped for breath and felt as if my muscles were pulling away from my bones. I tried not to scream, not wanting this moment to be any more traumatic than it had to be. A bright light began to push its way behind my eyelids, and then the whole world slipped away.
I thought death would be beautiful. I thought that I would be reunited with my lost loved ones or greeted by my ancestors. Neither of those things happened. It was just warm, and calm, and dark. I drifted among strange stars that seemed to twinkle at me; as if trying to amuse me. I found the idea of sentient stars fascinating, but I was happy to know that I wasn’t alone. I observed them passively, trying to discern their meaning. I had eternity. I was in no rush.
I couldn’t say how long I was there before I began to feel a breeze and hear strange sounds. It took me a while to recognize that it wasn’t random white noise. It took even longer to recognize it as singing. Maybe being dead made my brain work slower as well. The sound grew louder and more insistent as time went on, but I didn’t bother to investigate. I was still trying to decode the message in the stars.
As the singing grew louder, the stars began to fade. I was distressed about that. I needed to shut them up, so I could watch the stars. I then followed the breeze, though I had no physical body to speak of. I floated along its current towards the sound. The closer I got to the source of the singing, the more distressed I became by the sound. They drowned out the stars. They pulled me away from my warm, safe, space.
The breeze became colder, and the force of the current began pushing me further and further away. I felt desperate to return. I didn’t want to go where I was heading. I didn’t want to leave.
“Diem! Please, Diem,” the voice called.
It sounded like Rakesh. It sounded like he was afraid. What could make him scared? What could make him admit his fear? He must be injured. Had Rholo harmed him?
My fear for Rakesh made me forget about the stars and drown out the singing. I needed to get to him. I swam with the current, into the biting cold.
Rakesh!
Blinding white light pierced my eyes. I blinked several times, before I realized that I wasn’t dead. I was alive. My eyes hurt. My body h
urt. I was still alive.
“Diem!” Rakesh cried, his face filling my vision.
I was relieved to see him healthy and whole, but disappointment crashed down around me. I was alive again. Or maybe I never died in the first place? I wasn’t sure.
Tears filled my eyes, and I curled into a ball and wept. How many times had I been through this? How many times in the weeks since I was abducted, had I been forced to fight for my life? I was tired, and there didn’t seem to be any end in sight. Even in this place, where we should have been safest, I’d been attacked, and nearly died.
“Everybody clear the room,” Rakesh ordered. I heard the shuffling of feet, and a door opened. Through the open door, I heard singing. It sounded like a giant choir singing an ancient dirge in a language I couldn’t recognize.
Rakesh lifted my body into his lap and held me. I rested my head against his front and listened to his heart. It pounded in his chest, contradicting his calm exterior.
“I almost lost you, Diem,” he said. He held me tighter and rubbed his chin in my hair. “How did you do that?”
“Do what?”
“How did you glow like that?”
“Glow?” I was alarmed.
“You had a huge hole in your chest. I knew—” he stopped to regain control of his emotions before proceeding, “I knew you would not survive this time. Then you began to glow, and the hole in your chest began to get smaller. It was so fast. Everybody saw it.”
I began to panic. What was I becoming? I needed to get away from here. I needed to find P’tah and have her explain it to me. I wanted to run away. I pushed against Rakesh’s chest, trying to escape his grip.
“Don’t move around too much, Little Flame. You are not completely healed. P’tah said it would take many cycles before you would be completely healed but said that you would not die.”
“Many cycles? How long have I been asleep?”
“Two cycles.”
I felt all the strength drain from my muscles as shock set in. Two days?
“If you didn’t wake in another cycle, we were afraid you would never wake. P’tah said your body is not made to last so long without proper nutrition.”
A Pet For The Commander: The Complete Series Page 21