Cadence

by China Dennington

  “Ris!”

  “You’re with them, Astrid?” Her face paled.

  They both panted as they faced each other in battle. What they were supposed to do was shoot each other. But how could they? But what if one did. They were friends, right? These thoughts spun through the minds of both Astrid and Ris. This is the dilemma Rune and I talked about. This is civil war.

  “They’re right, Ris. Star is a lie. It isn’t real. Rune has ulterior motives. He isn’t even the real Rune. His name is Cipher.”

  “No...no,” said Ris as they stood there, guns trained on each other and battle raging around them. The two friends who were now supposed to be enemies. In their hearts they knew they could not be, but in the physical realm it was their duty. Loyalty to faction? Or loyalty to friend? Loyalty to belief? Or loyalty to the ones you’ve established a trust with? The fighting continued around them, but they just stood there, trying to figure out their next move.

  “It is true,” Astrid whispered. “Rune’s paradise may not be real, but I’m sure there is something similar out there. I’m sure we all can find it.”

  “You saved me once and you’re my friend. I can’t kill you.” With that Ris threw down her gun and with one last look fled, weaving in and out of the flurried motion.

  Astrid wanted to follow, but she didn’t have time, another person was already attacking her. She stunned him. A new question rose and flashed through her mind. How did the Star know that we would be here? Our message wouldn’t have reached them in time for them to beat us here. She dismissed it. A figure entered the fray. The form was familiar and sent shivers through her body.

  “Cease fire,” a voice yelled. The fire of both sides faltered because no one could clearly identify who was speaking.

  “Cease fire,” came the voice once more.

  Astrid couldn’t quite make him out through all the dust and sand in the water.

  She found herself next to Rune as he, in turn, shouted, “Cease fire.”

  All of the merpeople on both sides stared unsurely at the figure making his way through the cloud of dirt. Rune’s face darkened as he took Astrid’s hand and they made their way to the front to meet the figure. Everything and everyone was on edge. She clutched her stun gun, ready to raise it again if necessary. Taking a look around as she swam with Rune, her heart rose into her throat as she saw dozens of bodies strewn on the ground. It was hard to distinguish through the white dust whether they were stunned Star or dead Cover.

  The figure neared and Astrid saw his face. She wasn’t surprised, after all it did make sense that he would be here. It still shook her though. Being shaken and surprised are not the same thing. Being shaken is much worse.

  Cipher’s face was grim, there wasn’t even a hint of a sadistic smile or triumphant grin. His eyes were completely serious, and almost deadly. “We’re in this position once more, but this time it has gone beyond our words and manifested into physical violence. Perhaps we can come to a truce if we talk.” He looked straight at Rune as he said this, then nodded with his head towards an area of the shiphouse where neither the Star nor the Cover would be able to hear.

  Rune gave a sharp nod. His hand still held Astrid’s. What people saw if they looked at him in that moment was a strong, determined, sharp-witted leader. What Astrid could feel in his hand was a peaceful boy who loved his brother and needed support.

  Cipher made his way to the barren spot that was partially hidden from view by a spacecraft. As Rune followed him, Astrid whispered, “I’m coming with you.”

  He barely acknowledged it, but she knew he heard.

  The silence when they reached the speaking area was rigid. Cipher hovered there with his back to them and his hands clasped tightly behind it. He turned, his steel gaze stealing any attention away from his nervousness.

  “You’re a coward,” he said.

  Rune stared at him with tired sadness. “And you’re a cheat.”

  “That may be, but I’m doing it for the right reasons.”

  “What right reasons?” asked Astrid quietly, drawing Cipher’s gaze and a look of pain. She was uncomfortable, but not enough to keep from speaking the truth.

  “I do have reasons, Astrid. Reasons I thought you understood.” His voice was iron as he looked at her, trying to hide his inner misery.

  Her voice escalated with pity and pain. “I don’t understand cruelty being used as a tool of justice. It won’t be justice anymore by the time you’re done with it. You don’t have to stoop to that level. You don’t have to be a killer, Cipher!” Cipher wasn’t Rune, but he was someone she’d come to know, despite the lie about his identity.

  “If we’re name-calling, then you’re a deserter. You have no loyalty,” he said coldly, his voice raised.

  Anger boiled to the surface as she shouted back, “I never pledged loyalty to a person who trains assassins and yet hides when the battle starts! The facade of peace was a lie. Why would you expect me to believe anything you say?”

  “As far as I’m concerned, you’re the one who lied! You came in and pretended goodwill…”

  “Leave her alone! This is my battle. She shouldn’t have to suffer for it,” Rune shouted, even louder than his brother. Up to this point he had been mostly quiet, the storm brewing within him. His brother had stolen his identity, become a murderer— yet he was being contentious, like he had some kind of right.

  Cipher’s gaze shifted back to Rune’s and his eyes darkened with bitterness. “This became her battle when she abandoned me.”

  “She never hurt you. You know that the only person hurt was me, when I had to entrust her care to you.”

  “What makes you think that you were in a more dire position than her, while she was lying in my hospital dying from Veleen poison that you failed to protect her from?” Cipher replied angrily.

  “If you care enough to listen, my worry was for her well-being. Your heart has turned so cold that you ignore me every time I try to reach out. I don’t trust you with piece of kelp anymore, yet I had to trust you with her in order to save her life.”

  “You always think you’re better than me. But you have no idea how untrue that is,” Cipher spouted vehemently.

  “You are my brother! Remember how close we used to be? I know you inside and out, or at least I used to. Your have no excuse for your actions.”

  “What do you know of me now? I am different. I won’t be pushed around by the desires and thoughts of people who refuse to grow. The Akaytans did enough to me, and I allowed them to. I’m turning their own wave of hate against them. There is no doubt that I will make them taste their own hostility. They will suffer as I did. I’m bringing change, and everyone knows it. I don’t hide it. But you— you cower under my shadow, hoping to bring change without anyone seeing you. You are a coward.”

  Being called a coward made Rune angry, but it also hurt. Cipher was still his brother. As much as he wanted to get away from him, away from the attachment...they were forever bound by bonds of brotherhood.

  Yet they were enemies. No confidence existed between them any longer. Their trust had completely disintegrated.

  Rune stared at him. “You won’t break through my barriers by prodding me. I’m doing what I think is right. Besides, I don’t turn my anger into violence. Revenge is never honorable, no matter how much you want to repay the wrongs inflicted on you.

  “If you want to talk about hiding, then what about you hiding your plans from your own people? That’s selfish. If they don’t know your goals, then you’re committing them all to fighting, and possibly dying, for something they don’t believe in— and something that will be lost if you die. You are misleading and using them.”

  “I’m giving them a world where they will be treated with respect. Besides, they trust me implicitly. And trust is so important, right?” he asked mockingly.

  “They trust my name! A trust you haven’t earned. Face the fact that you’re a thief and murderer. You’ve become the oppressor or, if you haven’t already, you�
��re about to.”

  Cipher stood tall, his eyes burning with bitterness and strong hatred. “You can’t make me fall. Nothing you say can tear me down. I know what I believe, Rune, and I will exact upon them their own punishment. This is my mission. You know as well as I do that I’m the one who will go down in history as a hero, no matter the means I use. You will go down as a man who was too afraid to fight.” Cipher paused. “My suffering has become so great that it justifies any and every way of making my enemies spiral and crash to the ground,” he spat.

  “I’m not afraid,” Rune said softly and firmly as he stared his brother down, “but I do value life. I value the fact that people can change. I understand that it’s not my place to make the decision to end a life or cast it into the depths of oppression.”

  “Look around you, Rune! These people haven’t changed for hundreds of years.” He yanked the sleeve up his right arm, revealing his red-and-black mark. “They define me by this one simple mark, that should have no inherent negative meaning. If they don’t see it, they don’t know the difference. Their minds are so closed, they won’t even face the fact that the “logic” supporting this system doesn’t make sense at all.”

  “I know that just as well as you, if not better! I lived in the open in Akayta for two more years than you,” Rune replied.

  “I have experiences I never even told you about, Rune. There are too many of them to count. I’m not willing to go through anything like that again. Remember when I was away from home for four days?”

  “Of course. I was going out of my mind with worry. I searched the city for you five times, not stopping, even when night fell,” Rune said with the pain of remembrance of a time when the threads of trust were yet unbroken.

  In that moment, Astrid caught a flash of change in Cipher’s eyes. They softened for a split second and revealed a deeply rooted love for his brother. And a piercing heartache.

  But he hid it behind a frightening storm of anger that rolled over his eyes once again. It broke Astrid’s heart to realize that if he just let himself see clearly, he would break through that wall and choose the right path. She hoped with every inch of her being that he would open his eyes, let the anger go, and choose to be free.

  Cipher continued, “That day a group of eight firstborns beat me until I was unconscious. They ridiculed me, then left me for dead. When I woke up outside the city three hours later, I couldn’t remember a thing. Not a single detail of who I was or where I had come from. It was the most terrifying experience of my life. I sat there those four days trying to remember something. I was too disoriented and terrified to get up and return to the city. Do you know what it’s like to forget your entire life? It was frightening beyond words. Finally, my identity came back to me and I made it home. That’s just one example of the pain the Akaytans caused me.”

  “We’ve all felt that pain. But Astrid and I approach it differently. We forgive.”

  “You seem to think you understand her. You think that she loves you. The truth is that I understand her deepest desires more than you ever will. I am carrying out the secret desires that she’s afraid you will reject. You were the friend that talked to her, but I’ve watched her for just as long as you have and I know her better.”

  “You know nothing of what she thinks. I found her crying in Velee because of your stilted views and an assassination you planned.”

  ​As his words rang through the water and Astrid watched their intensity, her mind wasn’t processing the fact that they were talking about her. It was like she was watching from the outside, and didn’t know the person of whom they spoke. Glancing down at her timepiece she was shocked back into reality.

  “You know that…” Cipher began.

  “Stop fighting! We only have two hours before the core explodes, I believe a truce was mentioned?”

  Cipher took a deep breath, trying to calm down. “My truce is simple. I stop firing and you don’t warn the Veleens about the core. I know you’ve already warned the Akaytans and they will warn the Veleens, but don’t do it yourselves. It’s all I ask.” His voice was carefully controlled.

  Stillness pervaded the space for several moments. Rune’s and Astrid’s minds raced as they exchanged looks. We have to warn the Veleens. She glanced at Cipher, who was studying their faces intensely. Then it dawned on her. She closed her eyes. He wants revenge. He doesn’t care about changing the oppressive rules in Akayta and Velee, he’s interested in payback for all the times he suffered. For all the times he was abused in the name of false superiority.

  Her heart went out to him as every time she’d been mocked and hated flooded into her memory. I understand, but there’s a point where you have to forget and move on. That doesn’t mean it’s easy to forgive, but it’s imperative.

  I have the feeling he’s not going to just let the Akaytans escape either — he has something else planned. These people will die if we don’t tell them. And it is much easier for him to forgive me than give back the lives of the thousands he’ll kill.

  She’d made her decision. In his anger, in his storm of hate and hurt, Cipher forgot one thing. She pointed her stun gun at him and fired.

  Chapter twenty-Eight

  The laser shot through the water. Cipher’s face lit with surprise, but he realized what she had done too late. His eyes locked onto hers for a split second, then it hit him. His eyes closed and he floated to the floor. Rune glanced back toward the waiting contingents of fighters, who were hidden from view.

  He looked at Astrid with raised eyebrows. “You’re certainly decisive, there’s no doubt about that.”

  She pocketed her stun gun and sighed. “We need to get into the ships quickly, then send the message to the Veleens so they have time to evacuate.”

  Rune looked back at Cipher’s people. “The real question is what we’re going to tell the Star.”

  “Why don’t we just tell them the truth,” she said quietly, looking into his eyes.

  “They could start shooting at us when they realize that we’ve knocked their leader out.”

  Astrid shook her head. “They won’t. They’re a group of people who've been trained to follow since birth. They still don’t fully understand that there’s a place for making their own decisions.

  “One of Cipher’s shortcomings is that he trusts absolutely no one. He didn’t have a second in command. His people still need to be saved. It’s insidious. Persecution destroyed his ability to trust. He thinks any kindness you show someone will be mocked and disregarded. And now he thinks only of himself, only of revenge. That’s what oppression does. That’s how the victim becomes the inflictor.” She closed her eyes. “And those of us who break out of the mold and have to be leaders, must fight our battles while trying to erase those residual effects. The battle goes on to make sure that we aren’t acting the same way as the people we’ve seen all of our lives who’ve treated us badly.”

  ​“That’s true.” He took her hand. “Well, I can tell you for a fact that you’ve successfully evaded that trap,” Rune replied gently and quietly.

  ​The feeling of his hand, which was becoming familiar, made her smile. “So have you. We just have to keep moving forward.”

  He moved forward and bent his head closer to hers. She didn’t have to wait, she didn’t hesitate, she met his kiss. With all the buried hopes, dreams, and strength in her. With all of the expectations she had for herself. The sweetness, security, and love that they shared burned through her. She knew that they were in this together, until the very end. I’m not alone anymore.

  Chapter twenty-nine

  They pulled away and after a silent moment Rune looked back at the waiting people.

  “Anyway, I agree. We have to take the chance and hope they listen.”

  ​She sighed, “It’s always about hoping they’ll listen, isn’t it?”

  ​They swam back. Both groups were glancing at their timepieces then up at the couple. Frantic whispers started running through the Star.

  ​When
they got close enough, Astrid shouted to the frightened, dirty faces. She was reminded again how none of these people were meant to be soldiers.

  “Rune lied to you all. His intent was not to help you form a peaceful society, his purpose was to exact revenge. Rune was sending out assassins to Velee. That is certainly not the start of a peaceful world. He even lied about his name.” She motioned to Rune. “This is Rune. The person you were following is his twin brother, named Cipher. You may all believe me or you may not, but whatever the case, the core is going to explode in less than two hours. We have to evacuate. We stunned Cipher, but we’ll get him off too. Work together and just get yourselves and the wounded onto the ships.”

  ​Most of the Star looked dumbfounded, but they started following her instructions. There’s so little time.

  As she directed the speedy search for the wounded and guided people into the ships, Astrid felt strangely calm. She realized that she was more sure of herself. She knew her role in that moment and felt a newfound confidence. A peace with herself that had been missing ever since she could remember.

  ​Many were on board already and the last comb-through for survivors was underway. She looked down at her timepiece. Ninety minutes. She hastened her way to the white, round cabin of the smallest ship, which held the Star and Cover. Rune was there along with Dev.

  He looked at her. “Are we ready?”

  She gave a nod.

  “Let’s go,” he told the pilot.

  Dev nodded sharply, then pushed a button. Astrid was impressed by his calm focus and steady hand. The huge dome parted in the center, the sides descending to let the ship ascend. A thrill ran through Astrid as they started to rise. Her heart jumped as they paused just above the dome. Velee was spread out before them, and they were completely revealed. It was time to send the message.

  Dev tapped on several buttons and waited for something. A look of confusion came over his face.

  After a few seconds he quickly turned to them, his face pale as ice. “There’s a malfunction with the system, Rune. The message is not being transmitted.”