by K. L. Bone
“You won,” he said. “You finally won everything I ever had.”
“No.” I said. “I could only win if I could have you without emotion. I lost, Darin.” I paused and tried to harden my heart for what was to come. “I am so sorry, Darin.”
With those words, I closed the door and turned to see Lord Kavra standing exactly where I knew he would be. I gave him a nod as I reached into the left hidden pocket of my plain dress and handed him a small sheet of paper folded neatly in half.
He stared at the white sheet his hand and asked, “Why do I think I know what this is?”
“Because you do.”
“Chrissa, no. You can’t possibly.”
“Yes, I can,” I replied in a firm voice. “You of all people know the laws. Take it, Kavra, and see it done. We only have a few moments, and I must get to the command room.”
“Chrissa I cannot do this, you cannot want it.”
“Kavra,” I sighed. “This is who we are. We are children of the Empire, condemned to our fate. For honor, for glory, my orders stand.”
“Chrissa, please! You have a heart and you are asking me to… it will kill you.”
“Kavra,” I interrupted, “Emotions cause people to make mistakes that keep them from getting what they deserve.” My voice was firm. “Carry out my orders.”
“My God, Chrissa, what did we do to you? Chrissa.”
“Empress!” I said sharply. “My name is Empress Dehartra Kasar and you, Lord Kavra, will carry out my orders as is your duty. Do you understand?”
Silence followed before he finally said, “Yes, Empress Dehartra, I understand.”
I turned from him, eyes dry as I walked back toward the bridge. My commander was bound and gagged; lying on the floor with bruises already forming where the rebels had beaten him. He had been ordered not to fight so the beating had occurred after he had been bound. They were asking him over and over again who was on this ship that he was protecting. When he realized that my commander would die before he talked, he started demanding that the Setian in his brain leave. The Lorid standing above him promised to spare the life of everyone and even release the ship if the commander would either tell him who the ship belonged to or leave his host. The commander hoarsely asked if he had the creature’s word that no one would be killed should he leave his host so that it would not actually be him betraying the high-ranking official. The Lorid gave his word.
A few moments later, my commander removed himself from the body of his human host. Once free, the Lorids waited for the man to once again gain control of himself. When he was able to speak, he said “We do have your word that no one will be killed since he left me, correct?”
When the Lorid nodded in confirmation the man, whose real name was Brandon, gave a small laugh. “Then I hold you to your word. The commander has removed himself from me and fulfilled his obligations to the conditions you set. I am free and as such choose to tell you nothing.” The Lorid took a step back in surprise and asked Brandon
“You were taken voluntarily?”
Brandon looked at the creature standing in front of him as he answered. “Not at first. I tried to fight, but of course it was futile. I was miserable and almost dead in my own mind until I came under my commander’s rule. This person can be as ruthless and cruel as they come, but would never harm those who obey orders. This person has given me more luxuries than you could dream of in a million life times. This person protects those under her and now I plan to return the favor. You swore an oath that all of you would leave quietly if I were released and we have kept our end of the bargain, now go!
It was a touching sight. To see one of my own defend me was one thing; but a slave imprisoned upon my orders was something altogether different. As the Lorid stood in shocked silence, a human stepped forward. He grabbed Brandon and knocked him to the ground. “My fellow rebel might have promised you freedom but we humans do not take orders from anyone; especially them. You are a traitor to your race and will die an agonizing death if you do not tell me what I have asked right now!” The man yelling was about six feet tall with light brown hair and brown eyes. His complexion was pale as one who had been away from the sun a little too long. He looked in his late twenties, but his eyes held a lifetime of hatred.
There was no pity in his eyes as he looked down upon the helpless man. Despite this, he had trouble hiding his surprise as Brandon stood his ground and flatly refused to give me up. “Every creature on this ship would rather die than tell you anything. If you knew this person at all, you would protect her as well.” At this, the young man raised his fist and landed a blow firmly against the left side of Brandon’s face. Bones cracked and blood splattered the room at the contact.
I started to look away before forcing myself to stop. If Brandon could endure the beating, I would watch it. The man then grabbed Brandon’s left arm and began to twist. Brandon screamed as the bones in his arm snapped in two, but still refused to tell them the information they sought. The beating continued.
I was almost relieved when a voice finally called out, “Wait!” Then my heart stopped beating. Lord Kavra stepped forward and again said, “Wait. I am who you want.”
“And you are?”
“Lord Kavra, second ranking military commander of the Setian Empire.”
The man in charge let go of the tortured Brandon and turned toward Lord Kavra. “Kavra,” he whispered. “Now there is a name I have heard before. You captured the leader of the Earth resistance, did you not?”
Kavra nodded, “Ryan, Kathleen, and Darin.”
“Yes,” the man said. “Your name, I know well.”
“Yet I have not yet had the pleasure of learning yours.”
“Mathews,” he replied. “Thomas Mathews, captain and fourth in command of the Lorid Earth Resistance.”
The men ran and grabbed Kavra, who offered no resistance. Captain Mathews walked across the room to stand directly in front of Lord Kavra. “You have no idea how long I have waited to have one of the famous Setian commanders within my grasp.”
“Lords,” Kavra corrected him. “We are known as the Setian Lords.”
Without warning, Captain Mathews hit Kavra hard across the face. No blood spilled, but Mathew’s handprint lay clearly across Kavra’s skin as he pulled his arm away. He then began to beat Kavra on his left side, ribs breaking from the force of the blow. Another man on Mathew’s left joined in and together they held Kavra fast as they beat him. Kavra fought not to scream, but could not suppress random moans of pain and my heart broke with every sound. Kavra, my Kavra was taking the cruelty that should have been mine.
Tears filled my eyes as I glanced down at the ring that encircled the finger of my left hand; the plain gold band always glistening in the dim light. In too much pain to stand, Kavra lay on the ground as the beating continued.
There was no reason for this beating, no information to be learned; only cruel and pointless brutality. My breathing was unsteady as my mind wandered back to the last time Kavra had lain in such agony, dying on Palta the day I saved his life. I remembered how he had fought for each breath and the fear that clutched my heart as I fought for his life, begging him to stay with me, just stay with me. Kavra finally gave a small scream as yet another blow landed on the left side of his face, painting his lips red with blood. “No,” I whispered, but my voice was tight in my throat and no one heard me.
The beating finally stopped and they picked Lord Kavra up from the ground. As they began to drag him from my ship to theirs, I knew that of all the things I had done in my life, this was the one thing I could not live through. My voice was wrenched from my throat in a scream that rose straight from my broken heart. “No!” My scream filled every corner of the room. “He is not the one you want!” All eyes turned to me as I said, “Leave him alone. God please leave him alone!”
I stepped forward and turned not to Captain Mathews, but to the Lorid by his side. “Are you in charge?”
“Yes,” he replied.
“What would the lif
e of the commander who killed Darcoth be worth to you?”
“What?” he asked, caught off guard by the question.
“Commander Darcoth,” I said. “Do you know the name of the Setian who killed him and led the final conquest of the Lorid home-world?”
He looked at me intently as he answered, “Dehartra.”
I nodded, “what would the life of Dehartra be worth to you?”
“A lot,” he replied.
“The life of the people on this ship?” I asked. “Including Lord Kavra’s?”
“We have the ship,” Mathews cut in. “Let’s take them all.”
“Silence!” the Lorid commanded then turned back to me. “Yes, Lord Dehartra would be worth this ship and all those on it.”
We stared at each other for several moments. “Do you swear that you will allow this ship to go free and all its member leave with their lives if I give you the information you need to take Dehartra?”
“There is no way in hell I am giving up Kavra,” Mathews demanded. “He was responsible for the demise of Earth and besides …”
“Silence!” the Lorid said again, anger in his voice. “You Earthlings and what you think you know. This lady is offering a member of the council in exchange for the life of a Lord. It is not a deal to be refused. My Lady, you have my word.”
“Besides,” a second Lorid spoke, “Kavra had a play in the demise of Earth, but it was Lord Kasar and Dehartra that were the real powers behind that planets demise, just as they were for our own planet. You humans, never taking the time to search for the power behind the mask.”
“No!” Kavra managed to step away from his captors and ran painfully to my side. He jerked me around to face him, grabbing my arms tightly, ignoring the pain and seeming oblivious to the various guns pointed in our direction. “Don’t do this. Please, Chrissa.”
His grip not lessening, I learned forward, close enough to whisper for his ears alone. “No matter what happens, make sure my father takes his place as Emperor. Then take that council position you have been offered and sit by his side as you would have mine. Promise me that you will help him to finish what I have started for only you can act as the balance to his power. Promise me.”
“Chrissa, no.”
“For the good of the Empire. Promise me.”
“Chrissa.”
“Just say it!”
He pulled back slightly to look at me, tears glittered in his eyes. He nodded as they began to fall, and then said, “I promise, I promise Chrissa.”
“Okay,” I whispered, tears threatening my vision.
He finally lessened his grip enough for me take him into a tight embrace. “Kavra, it’s okay, just another adventure.” I raised my hand to wipe a tear from his cheek. “Our favorite kind.”
I slowly began to pull away from Kavra, and managed to turn around. “I am who you want.” I took a step toward Captain Mathews when Kavra grabbed my arm and spun me back to face him.
“No,” he said, “she is lying. I am the one you want. She’s trying to protect me.”
“Kavra,” I said, my tears finally flowing freely. “Don’t.” The men around us should have been yelling impatiently, using our confessions to take us both. Yet instead, they simply stood there, staring at the heartfelt scene as if not even they could dare to destroy this moment. A lifetime of training was betrayed as his name escaped as a sob from my lips. “Kavra, it’s my turn.”
“No,” he said with such force it made me cry even harder. “No. I promised you on the day we met that I would live to serve only you. Let me keep that promise.”
“Then serve me,” I whispered, though my voice must have carried like a scream in the silence of the room. “Let me go. Kavra, please; I have lived my life for the honor of this
Empire, let me die the way I have lived; as a servant, a daughter, and an Empress.”
A heartbeat of silence stretched into an eternity as he finally whispered in a strangled voice, “How, Chrissa? How can I let you go?”
I took a deep breath fighting down the pain as I stared into the eyes of the only man who had ever seen my soul. When I finally found the strength to draw a steady breath, I leaned forward and kissed him with all the passion I possessed, trying to convey all the words that would never be spoken and all the truths which would never be told. His arms came around me, and still, the room remained silent as if even for them, this moment would live forever. When he pulled back, his blood stained my lips. I stared into his eyes and finally said, “You know how.”
“I love you, Lady Chrissalynn”
“I love you too, Lord William.” My tears had not stopped and I made no effort to slow them. “Kavra, I.”
“I know,” he replied.
I fought down my tears as I choked out the words, “It’s just another adventure.”
He shook his head, then stared back me, his eyes screaming where he could not. He shook his head again, then finally in a more steady voice said, “with certain death assured.’
I nodded. “They’re the best kind you know.”
“Yes, I know.”
“We wouldn’t have it any other way.” I offered a smile, and my tears finally stopped. I slowly stepped back away from him until only his hand was in mine. “You can let go now,” I said softly. His own tears finally subsided, as he caught my gaze and slowly, ever so slowly, raised my hand to his lips. He gave a gentle kiss and the slightest of bows, “my Lady.” He let go of my hand, and I turned around to the man in charge.
“I am who you want.” Captain Mathews glanced at me, then back to Kavra, a look of uncertainty across his face.
“What rank do you hold?” he finally asked.
“If I said anything lower than a top military commander would you believe me?” He looked harshly and I returned his stare with blank, cold eyes which told him nothing, yet everything. The contest seemed to prolong into a battle of wills lasting several moments, before he finally turned his eyes away.
“No,” he answered. “Who are you?”
“I have gone by many names in my time. I am the daughter of Lord Kasar, leader of the Setian military forces responsible for the demise of both the Lorid and Earth resistance and the highest ranking member of the Setian Council. I am the most decorated and highly feared member within this vast and all powerful Empire, serve as empress on high. I am ready to face my destiny and be gloried in service to my Empire.”
Chapter XXXI
“The rest of my story you have witnessed with your own eyes.” I said to a silent courtroom, many listeners leaning forward clinging to my every word. “I was taken into custody and promised a hearing that has just been granted to me. The charges brought against me were those of rape, murder, and treason. In answer to the first charge I give this answer: As Empress, I am responsible for every action taken by every person under my power. All the deaths committed by them can be traced back to my name. I am most certainly guilty of massive and multiple murder in every degree.”
“In response to the charge, the charge of rape, I plead guilty. The man standing here with us today,” I motioned to Darin who was sitting in the stands to my right near the balcony of the upper level, “is living proof of my pleasures. Countless others came before him and all but my first lover, Lord Kasar, and my last lover, Darin Hoyle, died by my hand.”
“But, in response to the third charge, the charge of treason, I profess that I never in my entire life committed treason. I served my Empire faithfully, as I was raised to do. I neither knew nor did anything else. I served the Empire, worked for the Empire, and ruled the Empire. I was faithful to the very end and will die proudly in service of that…no, my Empire, to ensure that it shall never die. You will idealize me and make my death into legend. The only result you shall accomplish from my death is to place Lord Kasar as the new Emperor, with Lord Kavra by his side. Know this, you may take my life but by doing so, you shall grant me eternal forgiveness and glory. Your children will one day gaze upon my portrait as they walk blissfull
y towards their Setian masters.”
“Tell me, Lady Dehartra, do you have anything else you would like to add before your fate is decided?”
My eyes were drawn to the second floor rail. Darin’s eyes answered mine. I silently asked him to hold that gaze, just for a moment, and hoped he understood.
He kept his eyes locked with mine not caring who saw as I answered, “What’s done is done. I offer no excuse for my actions. What little has gone unsaid,” I focused on Darin’s eyes as if they were my entire world and he did not look away, “was never meant to be heard.”
“You may step down.” I was told.
I simply stood there, staring at Darin part of me wondering why he didn’t look away; another part begging him not to. I stood there until two armed men stepped forward. As they reached for me, the man presiding over the hearing glanced to where I was staring and said, “Commander Darin, is there anything you would like to say?”
There was a moment of silence before Darin said, “No. Nothing.”
Hearing his voice, I finally found the courage to look forward and walked steadily down the rows of people seated throughout the room and towards the large double doors near the back. Surrounded by no less than fifteen men, I was taken back to my cell, a room with solid wooden walls, a dirt floor and only a small, tiny window where a hint of artificial light could shine through. Six hours later, my inevitable sentence was delivered to me. I would die by their hands and my legacy would finally end. As the hour of my execution drew near, the door opened unexpectedly and Darin walked in.
Chapter XXXII
Darin sat in the cell which Chrissa had placed him, anxiously awaiting his fate. He had spent the last twenty minutes pacing the stark white walls of his prison cell before his feet had finally began to tire. He sat on the bed and found it amazingly comfortable. He leaned back against the crimson blanket and found even that soft to the touch. He closed his eyes, but did not try to sleep. His mind was filled with far too much turmoil for that.