The Split Skies (The Possessor Wars, Book 4): The Possessor Wars, Book 4

by Chad Spencer

  Swooping to a landing, Jeff ran through the large double doors and into the dome. He could see Arvix just outside the barn carrying a load of freshly cut grass.

  “Arvix!” Jeff commanded, “Get all my animals and things back to my farm, NOW!”

  “Yes, Master Jeff,” Arvix replied calmly.

  “And NEVER obey another order given to you by Dirk Highborne!”

  “Yes, Master Jeff.” Arvix set to work.

  At that moment, Dirk came running out of his house with a plasma rifle in his hands. “NO!” he screamed. “You’re dead! You can’t be here.” Raising the rifle, Dirk opened fire on Jeff.

  The plasma blasts bounced harmlessly off Jeff’s shield. Erupting with rage, Jeff sent columns of fire thundering at Dirk, who dove aside in horror. The twin infernos hit Dirk’s house, which exploded into a firestorm.

  Jeff’s hands glowed blue-white. He ran toward Dirk, ready to discharge his lightning with all the power he could muster. He heard the deep fluttering of large wings. Danae landed in front of Dirk.

  “No, Jeff!” she screamed, spreading her wings protectively over her brother. “Don’t kill him! Don’t do it.”

  Unmoved, Jeff raised his hands and pointed them toward Dirk. “Move aside Danae,” he shouted. “NOW!”

  “Please, Jeff please!” Danae pleaded. “Don’t kill him.”

  “Why NOT? Why shouldn’t I? He tried to kill me on that other planet! He just tried again right now!”

  “But he can’t, Jeff! He can’t kill you. Look at him. He’s scared to death. He even wet his pants. He’s never going to be a problem for you again. Ever. You don’t have to do this! He would kill you if he could. Please don’t be like him. You’re not Dirk, you’re better than that.”

  Danae’s words stopped him cold. He looked at Dirk cringing pitifully on the ground. Jeff took a deep breath. He took another. Then he told Dirk, “You’re lucky your sister was here to save you. I should kill you, but I won’t.” Jeff march right up to Dirk, grabbed him by the front of his shirt, and pulled Dirk’s horrified face to within inches of his own. “Never give me a reason to come back here and kill you,” Jeff hissed into Dirk’s wide-eyed terror. “Because if you do, I’ll fry you without a second thought. And there’s nothing you can do to stop me. Not … a … thing.” He let go of Dirk, who dropped back to the ground.

  For a few moments, Dirk lay panting and staring at Jeff in terror. Then, in a petrified whisper, he demanded, “What are you?” He screamed, “WHAT ARE YOU?”

  Jeff smiled wickedly and replied, “I’m a demon from the darkest pit of Hell. If you don’t watch it, I’ll eat your soul.”

  Clawing at the ground, Dirk pulled himself away from Jeff and Danae. He scampered shakily to his feet and bolted away into the depths of the night. Jeff stood watching him run. By the bright light of Dirk’s flaming house, he saw Arvix emerge from the barn with the cows behind him.

  “What are you going to do now?” Danae asked.

  For a while, Jeff stood silently watching Dirk’s house burn. At last, he answered slowly, “Nothing. Nothing at all. Arvix will get my stuff back where it belongs. I’m going home.”

  Sighing, Jeff turned and walked out of the dome. He heard the rustle of the grass as Danae followed him. Without turning around he asked, “Why did you stop me?”

  “I didn’t. There isn’t anyone on this planet now that can stop you from doing anything you want to,” she answered. “All I did was help you remember who you are. When you did, you stopped yourself. That’s why everyone on this planet is safe even though you have the powers you have. If you were Dirk, our lives would all be in danger. But you’re Jeff, so we’re safe.”

  Jeff looked into her eyes for a long moment, and then surprised himself by hugging her tightly. Releasing her, he told her, “You’re one of the best people I’ve ever met.” Danae beamed brightly.

  Making his wings appear, Jeff took flight and headed for home with Danae close behind. When he arrived at his house, Denise was asleep in the spare bedroom. Danae joined her.

  “You have one new message,” his house told him.

  “Play message.”

  Kent’s anxious face appeared on the display. “Jeff! You’re alive. Dirk said you were dead. I heard your shuttle come in. Denise called and said you were back. I’m on my way over now.”

  ‘Poor Dad,’ Jeff thought. ‘This is the second time he thought I was dead.’ He burned with quiet fury at what Dirk had put his father through. But he knew Danae was right. With what he could do, he was unstoppable. He had to control himself or he would turn into a monster.

  Just then, Kent arrived. Jeff went outside to meet him. Dismounting from his horse and running to his son, Kent asked, “Jeff? Are you ok? Dirk said you were dead!”

  “That’s because it was Dirk who tried to kill me.”

  “What? What are you talking about?”

  “He jammed my communications on the trip out. Somehow, he got to the planet ahead of me. I guess he really is a better pilot. He found the girl and got her to come back with him. He smashed the communications array on the freighter that was marooned there. Then he used a plasma rifle to fry my shuttle’s systems. I got back by pumping the fuel from the shuttle into the freighter. It’s docked at the Ellsworth.”

  Shocked silence.

  “Dad, he did everything he could to kill me.”

  ‘I … I can’t believe Dirk would do that.”

  “Believe it, Dad. He just shot at me with a plasma rifle.”

  “But he didn’t hit you?”

  Jeff shrugged. “Not exactly, but he tried.”

  Cautiously, Kent asked, “What did you do?”

  “I burned down his house,” Jeff replied matter-of-factly.

  Kent stared at his son, horrified. “You’re kidding!” he said.

  Angrily, Jeff shot back, “He’s lucky that’s all I did. Did I mention the part about him trying to KILL me twice?”

  Kent seemed unsure whether to be angry or not. Disgusted, Jeff turned and stormed into his house. He slammed the door behind himself and locked it. Turning off the lights, Jeff stomped into his room and went to bed. After a while, he heard his father’s horse trotting away.

  10

  The warm glow of the tropical sun streamed through Jeff’s bedroom window, coaxing him awake. When he emerged from his room, he found that Denise and Danae had already left. Jeff went out to do his chores.

  In the barnyard, Jeff found Arvix. As he approached, Arvix informed him, “I have just finished returning all of the animals, tools, and supplies to your barn, Master Jeff. Everything is in order.”

  “Thanks, Arvix. You can recharge yourself.”

  “Very good, Master Jeff.” The robot trundled its way to the house.

  Jeff got out the riding mower and cut some feed for his animals. He loaded the fresh grass into the barn’s feeder system and got a hoverbarrow from the barn. With the hoverbarrow following obediently behind, Jeff went to his garden and began collecting his crops. He was plucking ears of corn when he heard a horse approach. Turning, Jeff was surprised to find a girl with waist-length blond behind him.

  “You must be Amanda,” Jeff greeted her. She nodded.

  “And you must be Jeff. I … I’ve come to apologize,” Amanda said.

  “What? Why?”

  “Because I caused the fight you had with Dirk.”

  “Huh?”

  “I know you burned down his house. Your father said so.”

  “That’s because Dirk tried to kill me—twice.”

  Amanda seemed at a loss for what to say. “That … that’s not what I heard.”

  Heatedly, Jeff demanded, “So what did you hear?”

  “Porsche told me that you and Dirk have been fighting for years. She said you and your friends caused a lot of trouble for him. When he thought you were dead, he gave me your horse. That’s why you burned down his house. I thought I should give Lakota back to you. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be the cause of s
o much trouble.”

  Jeff put his hands to his face. “Arrgh,” he groaned. “That woman just doesn’t quit! What did my dad say about all this?”

  “I … I don’t know. He wasn’t there when she explained it all to me.”

  Defiantly, Jeff stated, “It’s all lies. All of it.”

  Amanda’s deep blue eyes flashed as she retorted, “I don’t believe you. Dirk rescued me. He and I are engaged. He wouldn’t hurt anybody. It was you who burned down his house.”

  With a bitter laugh, Jeff explained that Dirk came into his life shortly after his mother’s death. He recounted the many attacks Dirk had made on him and his friends and told her that Porsche was always able to get him off because of her influential positions. He told her how Dirk and Porsche deceived Kent to get him to put Jeff off the Ellsworth at the Albany Transfer Station. Lastly, Jeff explained that it was not Dirk but him who received her messages. He revealed that Dirk tried to strand him on the planet where she was marooned in an attempt to kill him.

  Fiercely, Amanda repeated, “I don’t believe it. Not a word. Dirk would never do any of that.”

  “Then why is the Amsterdam in orbit around this planet right now?”

  “It’s not. It can’t be. There was no fuel. That’s why we were stuck there.”

  “I refueled it from my shuttle’s tanks. Shall I prove it to you? I can take you up to your ship right now. It’s docked with the Ellsworth.”

  Amanda turned her back. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  “Fine,” Jeff spat. “You want Dirk? You can have him. Ask him about the year he spent on this planet alone. Tell him that that was in the message you got from him when he first contacted you. Make sure you do it in front of everyone else. See what happens.”

  “I will. I don’t believe a word you’re saying.”

  “Fine,” Jeff repeated. “And you can ask his sister Danae about the time she saw him beat up my friend Hugh. Dirk put him in the hospital.”

  Without a word, Amanda stamped away, her long blonde hair flouncing against her back.

  Jeff returned to his chores. He was pruning some of his trees when Kent came riding up. Without looking at his father, Jeff continued his pruning.

  “I want to talk to you son,” he began.

  “So talk.”

  “What did you tell Amanda?”

  “Why do you ask?”

  “She asked Dirk about the year he spent on this planet by himself. We were all there. Denise blurted out that it was you, not Dirk that was here alone. When I questioned her about it, she said that the first message she got was from someone who said he’d been here alone for a year.”

  Smiling, Jeff resumed his pruning.

  Kent continued, “Apparently, Dirk told her that it was him that answered her distress signal. Now she’s mad at him for lying to her.”

  “She should be.”

  “Jeff, you need to stop interfering in their relationship.”

  That stopped him cold. He faced his father. “Just what do you mean by that?” he demanded.

  “They need to get married, Jeff.”

  “Somehow I don’t think that’s for you to decide.”

  “Jeff, think. It just makes sense. Dirk has to marry Amanda and you have to marry Danae. There’s no other arrangement that will work.”

  Ferociously, Jeff retorted, “And who put this all into your head? That wife of yours?”

  Taken aback, Kent replied, “Well, yes. Porsche and I discussed this.”

  “Not one of us is even 18 yet. It’s too early to decide anything about marriage. And it’s not for her to say who marries who. We’ll decide for ourselves. She can go blow herself out an airlock.”

  Kent heaved a sigh and as patiently as possible said, “Jeff, this is what’s best.”

  “Isn’t it amazing how ‘what’s best’ always seems to get Porsche and Dirk exactly what they want?”

  Kent emphasized, “It’s just that there’s no other possible arrangement.”

  “What makes you think that? Amanda can choose exactly who she wants to. If she chooses me, then Dirk and Danae can go into cryostasis until we have children old enough for them to marry. And what about Denise? Did either of you give any thought to her? What’s she supposed to do for a husband if we follow your nice little plan?”

  “We … we haven’t discussed that yet.”

  “Of course you haven’t. That would mean that Porsche would have to stop completely ignoring her own daughter’s existence.”

  “She doesn’t ignore Denise.”

  “When was the last time you saw her do anything for Denise? When was the last time she even talked to Denise? It’s always Danae that takes care of her. It’s been that way for years.”

  Flummoxed, Kent stammered, “I … I think we need to talk more about this later. Right now everyone’s feelings are running high. I’m just going to ask you not to interfere with Dirk and Amanda.”

  With a fiery stare, Jeff growled, “Get … off … my … farm.”

  Kent recoiled. Without a word, he mounted his horse and rode away. Jeff returned to his chores.

  When Jeff was finished on his farm, he went inside and used the scanner his father had mounted on top of his dome to provide a warning system against the firefly attacks. He scanned to make sure no one else was on his side of the hill. ‘Good, there’s no one around.’

  Striding out of his dome, Jeff spread his wings and flew away. He headed up the coast, away from the others. It was dark when Jeff finally returned. As he walked toward his house, he smelled Arvix’s cooking. ‘He’s made dinner,’ Jeff thought happily.

  Danae emerged from his house. She looked mad.

  “How could you?” she demanded.

  “What?”

  “You want me and Dirk to go back into cryostasis so you can marry Amanda!”

  “I do not!”

  “Your father said … “

  “No! Danae don’t you start too! I just told him that he and your mother couldn’t be deciding who marries who. It’s none of their business. When he said that there was no other way, I told him there was and gave him an example. That was all. Danae, I’m not even thinking about marriage yet. I’m 16 and you’re 13!”

  Turning her back, Danae didn’t make an effort to reply. Jeff wondered if she was crying.

  “Listen Danae, who do you believe, me or him?”

  “I … I don’t know.”

  “Yes you do. You know your mother is behind this. You know that she manipulates people. She gets my dad to do or think anything she wants. This is all her doing.”

  Danae simply fixed him with a scorching glare. Tears ran down her face. She turned her back to him again, folded her arms, and hugged herself tightly.

  “Fine, Danae. You believe what you want. But I thought you’d know by now that I’d never do anything to hurt you.”

  Turning toward him, Danae raised her tearful gaze to his. “No,” she said softly. “No you wouldn’t hurt me, no matter what. I believe you Jeff.” She smiled.

  Returning her smile, Jeff hugged her. “I don’t know what will happen in the future,” he said. “I was alone here, then you came out of the sky. Then Amanda came. Who knows what will happen next. Maybe we’ll be rescued.”

  “You really think so?”

  Jeff released her. “I don’t know,” he answered. “But in a universe where you and I can fly, anything’s possible.” That brought a smile to her face again.

  “By the way, I’m fourteen.”

  Surprised, Jeff queried, “Since when?”

  “I had my birthday while you were gone. It was sad without you.”

  “I’m sorry,” he apologized tenderly. “I wish I was there for it. Happy Late Birthday.”

  “Thanks, Jeff.” Danae smiled mischievously. “But I expect a party with cake and presents next year.”

  “You can have a present this year.”

  “Really?”

  “Sure, you can have Duke. You and Denise rid
e him more than I ever have. And he always seems to be in your corral anyway.”

  Shyly, Danae said, “Thank you Jeff. That’s the best birthday present I ever got.”

  She paused and told him, “Arvix has dinner ready. Do you want to come eat?”

  “Sure.”

  Together they went inside and sat down to dinner. Afterward, Danae rode home on Duke.

  Jeff was up early the next morning. A lot of work remained to be done on his farm after more than two months of neglect. He finished around late afternoon, showered, and sat down to work on the Living Ship. Just as he resumed his work, a knock came at the door. When he opened it, he was surprised to find Amanda on his porch.

  “Who do you think you are?” she demanded.

  Jeff rolled his eyes. “Not this again,” he moaned.

  “Do you think you can decide who I’m going to marry?”

  “Aaaaaaarrrrrgh! Has everyone gone insane? I’m 16. I’m too young to get married. All I told my dad was that it wasn’t up to Porsche and him to decide who marries who. That’s all there is to it. I told him that it was up to you who you marry. Frankly, you can marry anyone but me for all I care. I hope a whole army of guys drops out of the sky and lines up begging you to marry them. Whatever you decide, that’s wonderful with me. Just stop coming over here to yell at me. I’m getting sick of everyone doing that.”

  This wasn’t what Amanda had expected. She was clearly at a loss for words. Jeff heaved a sigh. He stood aside and gestured toward his living room. “Do you want to come in?” he offered. “Arvix is just starting dinner. You can at least have something to eat before you go back.”

  Amanda hesitated.

  Jeff shrugged. “It’s up to you.”

  “I think I’ll be leaving. I want to be back before dark, and it’s a long walk over here.”

  Jeff sighed again. “Follow me,” he directed. He walked toward the barn with Amanda in tow.

  Rapidly, Jeff saddled Lakota. “Take her,” he said.

  “You’re giving me your horse?”

  “Yeah,” he replied. “She wants to be with Duke anyway and I gave Duke to Danae. I can go back to the Ellsworth and get more horses. There’s still plenty left.”