by K. L. Bone
“Look, don’t worry about it. It was only a matter of time before they found us and the result would have been the same. I just wish we could have gotten the three of you out of there.”
“Yeah,” Darin replied. “Well, it doesn’t matter now. It happened, and we can’t change it.”
“True.” The two men picked at pointless bits of conversation for several moments before Brian finally stood and excused himself from the apartment. Darin locked the door behind him and laid down on the ratty bed, the conversation that had just taken place replaying constantly in his mind.
The look he had seen in Chrissa’s eyes haunted him. His proud, brave Empress reduced to a beaten and defeated prisoner at the mercy of those who felt nothing but hatred towards her. It brought tears to his eyes and for the first time since Chrissa had taken him and everything he had fought so hard for had been lost, Darin began to cry. He was finally free and alive to see the strength of the rebellion he had started begin to bring down their greatest enemy. Yet he lay there finally safe without fear of torture or pain, and he cried for the woman that had been the cause of all his suffering. Darin cried for the woman who had stolen everything he had ever loved. She had taken him, body, soul, and spirit; had taken away every hope and crushed every dream. Chrissa could not cry, so he cried for her, but even exhausted from his tears, sleep would not come.
He finally gave a frustrated sigh. He slipped on the leather jacket he had been wearing when captured and decided to go for a walk. He took the elevator down to the lobby and stepped outside, taking a deep breath of artificial air. The area was rather unpopulated, most of the inhabitants asleep during this time of artificial night. He walked down empty corridor and empty corridor until he came to the end of the complex, placing a hand on the only thing between the unlivable environment of the planet and the rebels sleeping quietly within. He had no idea how long he stood there, simply staring out at the vast unknown until he realized that someone had come up behind him. “Sorry,” Darin said, turning to leave.
“Don’t be,” the man replied. “I didn’t mean to interrupt you.”
“You didn’t,” Darin said as he turned back to get a good look at who he was talking to. It was a young man probably in his mid-twenties, standing five-nine with sandy brown hair and matching eyes. He was wearing a pair of faded blue jeans with a plain white t-shirt. It was somewhere around seventy-five degrees in the complex and always was. Not to cold and not to hot. “I’m Darin,” he offered.
“I know who you are,” the man replied, offering a firm handshake, but no name.
There was a pause, when the man turned from Darin and stared out at the same barrier Darin had been looking through earlier. “My parents,” the man began, “went out to dinner one night. When they came home, the front door had been broken to pieces. The babysitter was dead in the living-room. They found me on my bed, shaking and unable to speak. I spent months in therapy with my parents and investigators trying to figure out what happened.” He sighed, “When I finally managed to tell them, I was informed that what I said was impossible. They said it was” the man shook his head, “they said that my mind did not want to see what had really happened, so it was creating an alternate reality. For five years I went to counseling sessions at least three times a week, until I finally stopped talking about what I saw and started telling them what they wanted to hear.”
When silence followed, Darin said, “I’m sorry, I’m not sure I understand.”
The young man then turned from his outward gaze and looked directly at Darin. “Do you know what they said, when I told my parents that my sister had been kidnapped by an army of men who came in ships that could not exist? Do you know what they thought of me, when I told my parents that my sister had been kidnapped by aliens?”
Darin gasped. “You mean. You are?”
“James,” the man replied. He shook his head again, his voice unsteady. “For the past eight years of my life, I have fought against the Empire. I blamed them for taking away the one person I ever cared for. Yet all this time, the person who I hated, the person who I have done everything in my power to destroy, was the same person I was fighting for.” Then in a whisper so soft that the night itself tried to swallow the words, he whispered, “The empress, she’s my sister.”
“Oh my God,” Darin whispered as softly as the confession had been made.
“What do I do?” James asked, as though begging for someone, anyone to tell him.
There was a long pause as Darin tried to comprehend what he had just been told enough to answer the young man’s question. After a long silence that seemed to stretch for an eternity within itself, Darin hardened his heart and gave the only answer that Chrissa could live with. “Nothing,” was the answer. “You do nothing.”
“What?” James asked, taken off-guard by the unexpected answer.
“James, I have been with Empress Dehartra Kasar for many years and I swear to you,” Darin stated, no longer knowing if he was lying or telling the truth, only that it needed to be said, “That woman is not your sister.” Darin fought to keep control of his words. “She stopped being your sister the day she stepped onto that ship. She kills without remorse and no one, even those few she loves, are above her loyalty to her Empire. If you,” he took a deep breath, “have ever, at any point in your life, loved your sister, you will think of her only as she once was.”
“But,” James whispered.
“But nothing,” Darin said sharply. “Your sister is dead, James. She gave her life to protect yours, and there is no more to be said on the subject. You have no sister.” These last words were spoken slowly, placing emphasis on each syllable. He then placed a gentle hand upon the younger man’s shoulder, and squeezed slightly. “She’s going to die for what she has done.”
Darin walked back to his apartment, and later he had no recollection of how he got there. All he knew was that somewhere between the lobby and his room, tears had started to fall once again. He fumbled through his pocket to get his keys and opened the door. By the time it was closed behind him and re-locked, Darin was sobbing. Chrissa was going to die and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it. He felt helpless, scared and utterly alone. Completely exhausted, he finally lay back down and cried himself to sleep, dreaming of the safety of Chrissa’s arms.
Chapter XXXIII
Darin entered my cell and before I could find the words to ask, he kissed me with a passion that took my breath away. Then he pulled me close, leaving me unsure of what to think. He held me in his arms, whispering words of comfort in a soft Setian language. I shook my head against his chest and allowed him to hold me close. “Chrissa,” he said. “I needed to tell you…to tell you that no one defeated you.”
I pulled back slightly from his embrace and looked at him confused. “Of course not,” I replied. “I could have left the ship to safety. I brought my own downfall. I allowed my emotions to cloud my judgment and gave myself to save others; something that my father’s training has taught me never to do.”
Darin stepped back just enough to see my face, but did not remove his arms from around me. “I lost too, my Lady.” His voice began to tremble as he attempted to finish his statement. “You may not have been able to rule my mind, but…” he took a deep breath. “I fell in love with you. You are a tyrant; the murderer of millions and the love of my life.” Tears rolled down his face. “You may not have broken my mind, but my heart shall die with you.”
I held him in my arms and tried to sooth his fears. “Darin,” I said softly. “Do you think that I am afraid to die?”
“I don’t know,” he whispered.
I gave a soft laugh and pulled back enough to let him see my smile. “Look at me, Darin.” I shook my head softly. “I am not scared, Darin. I am proud to die in service. I go towards the glory of my Setian ancestors both in this realm and the next. My name will live as long as one member of the Empire remains.” I widened my smile. “I am not scared, Darin. I only wish that I could take the pain out o
f your eyes. This is my fate. I walk willingly into its arms.”
Darin searched my face, as though unsure of my words. “Is there nothing I can do?”
I smiled, “My father; tell him I am sorry for what I had to do. Tell him that I…” I took a deep breath. “I hope I made him proud.”
“I will.”
“And tell Kavra not to blame himself. Tell him that it was an adventure, with certain death assured and I wouldn’t have missed it,” I shook my head. I took Darin’s hand in my own and turned it palm-side up. I took the golden ring I always wore off of my left hand and gave it to Darin. “Keep this,” I said, “give it back to Kavra, if you can.”
Darin moved the ring to his left pocket and continued to hold me.
As the hour arrived and guards came to take me away, seven men walked into the room. I stepped away from Darin and began to walk towards them. Two of the guards stepped forward and grabbed me roughly. They jerked my hands behind me so harshly that I could not suppress my surprised yelp of pain. A third guard took a coarse rope and began to bind my wrists behind me, cutting into my soft skin. They pushed me to my knees as they pulled the rope tighter. Someone slapped me on the left side of my face. When I turned back to face forward, the rope suddenly loosened as the guard who had been tightening them was knocked to the ground by Darin.
“There is no need for this!” Darin screamed. “It takes seven of you to take in one girl? She’s not even resisting! How dare you treat her this way? She is your most revered enemy and you can’t even give her the dignity of a proper death? How dare you!”
One of the guards stepped forward and tried to reason with him. “Darin,” the man said, “we are just doing our job. We are taking this fiend away to…”
Darin hit the man across the left side of his face. He fell to the ground, blood splattering the dirty floor as he dropped to his knees. Darin hit him again, two of the other guards began to step forward when Darin pulled a knife on the man on the floor and shouted “No!” The rest of the men stood still, unsure of what to do as their hero lost control. “She is not evil!” he screamed at them. “She is the Setian’s Alexander the Great! Their Julius Caesar! She killed many for the goal of ruling, but so did they and we don’t call them monsters!” He was screaming. “We call them remarkable, Lords of men; even heroes. How dare you treat her this way? She is an Empress and you are nothing!”
“Darin!” I cut in, walking slowly so not to startle him. His eyes were wide and searched the room as in a panic. “Darin,” I said softly again, my voice cutting through his panic as he turned those wild eyes on me. The knife was still held at his prisoner’s throat. “Darin, you do not want to harm these men.”
Darin stared at me. “It shouldn’t be like this. You deserve more.”
“Darin,” I said. “I am standing at the hour of my death and the leader of the Earth resistance himself is here to honor me. No Setian could ask for more.”
“They don’t honor you.”
“No, but you do,” I pleaded. “You are a hero to these men, Darin. Don’t ruin what you gave your life to create.”
His breaths became uneven and tears streamed down his face. “They will hurt you,” he said.
“No, they won’t.” I glanced at the other men who seemed still too stunned to respond. “They were going to, but now they won’t. You have seen to that. I will walk out this door and these men will simply follow.” I gave the men a cold look and they nodded. “Say it out loud.”
“We will follow,” they said in broken unison.
I moved my hand forward slowly. “Your hand is shaking. Give me the knife, Darin. Please,” He looked at me as though unsure of what to do or where he was. “Darin, look at me,” I demanded. He did. “Who am I?”
“You’re, you’re…my Empress,” he finally said.
“That’s right. Now I am ordering you, Darin Hoyle, hand over the knife.” He took his shaking hand and moved the knife away from his prisoner’s throat. He placed it into my steady hands. The man on the floor immediately got up and moved away from his once leader, blood pouring from his nose. I handed the knife to one of the men behind me.
I reached for Darin’s still shaking hands and grabbed them with my own. I pulled him into an embrace and kissed his brow lightly. “It’s okay,” I whispered. “Everything will be okay.” He moved to kiss me and I let him, a soft, chaste kiss.
“You deserve better,” he said.
I smiled softly, “Thank you, Darin. It has been an honor, but I have to go now. I have to go.”
I then turned from Darin and walked towards the door, the men parting before me as though suddenly transformed from a group of barbarians to a magnificent honor guard who fell into step behind me. When I reached the door, I glanced at Darin for the last time and said simply, “I love you.” A phrase that betrayed every value I had ever upheld.
In response, Darin’s voice filled the room. “Empress Chrissalynn Dehartra Kasar,” he said. “With your death, we forgive you for your sins.” I drew a sharp breath, then nodded and turned in complete silence to fulfill my destiny and end the legend that I had become. Gazing into Darin’s eyes for the last time, I knew the “Indoctrination” was finally complete.
Epilogue
Chrissa’s story ends here. She did not live to see the battle that followed. The Setian ships arrived only moments too late to save her life. They came in the largest force ever seen, with none other than Lord Kasar in charge of the fleet. Every ship in the Empire had been sent to search for the Empress. It was no surprise, considering the extent of their search that they had indeed found the rebel camp and discovered that the Empress was being held there. The fight that followed was no battle; it was a slaughter. The base was only loosely defended, most of the rebel forces out celebrating the defeat of their greatest enemy. The Setian’s had brought nearly two-thousand ships, each ready for battle.
The high-ranking commanders of the rebels were killed and most others were enslaved; but it was too late. Chrissa had died at the hands of her enemies. She had been given a poison that had done its work far too quickly. Lord Kasar reached her body and knelt beside the table on which she lay. He sat there quietly, unable to touch her. For the first time in his life, Lord Kasar knew defeat.
Darin entered the room quietly. He looked at Lord Kasar, frozen by the table. He slowly sat down upon the side of the bed, gazing upon where she lay. “She was the Empress.” Lord Kasar whispered quietly.
“My Lord Kasar,” Darin said, speaking to the man beside him but not moving his eyes from the lady before him, beautiful even in death. “She should have seen this, this victory over the rebels who killed her. This victory, it was hers. Even dead she could not see defeat. It was hers.” He then leaned over her body and kissed her still warm lips, as if the coldness of death itself feared to touch her. “As am I,” he whispered, then turned to the Setian Lord.
“My Lord Kasar, I have spent the last few years in the personal care of the Empress. Today, you have destroyed what was left of the organized resistance I started so long ago. There are but a few scattered ships now, numbering no more than six with no more than twenty people on them. My legacy has ended while hers has just begun. I ask you to take me with you. Take me with you and allow me to help finish what she started.”
A pause then, “She,” Darin’s voice suddenly seemed smaller, less controlled. “She asked you to forgive her.”
Lord Kasar looked at his dead child and said as though she could hear him, “Oh Chrissa. Oh Chrissa there was nothing to forgive; nothing.” He then turned, his eyes finding Darin’s as though seeing him for the first time. “She was mine you know. She was always mine”
Darin accompanied Chrissa’s body to Setianta. She was dressed in a black gown of the finest silk covered with jewels of the darkest black and reds. Her long black hair was curled and arranged to frame her face. Her body was put under guarded display for all to see for two days.
Darin was sitting in a chair near Chrissa’s
body on the second day when the glass doors opened. Councilor Kavra stepped inside. He was dressed in black, a contrast to his dirty blond hair and light eyes. Darin watched as the Councilor walked to the side of the body and knelt down to one knee beside his beautiful Lady. Kavra gently took her cold hand in his and kissed it before pressing it tightly against his face, his entire body shaking. Darin allowed him a few moments, then stood and walked over to the Lord, gently placing his hand on the Councilor’s shoulder. When Kavra did not push him away, Darin squeezed tightly and stood in silence until Kavra’s tears were spent. “Was it painful?” he finally asked.
“No. She went to sleep and never awoke.”
Kavra shook his head, gasping deep, harsh breaths for several moments as he fought to regain his composure. He finally asked, “You couldn’t speak against her, could you?”
Darin gave a sad smile, “No…I didn’t even want to.” He paused before saying, “She spoke of you, at the end. She said it was.”
“An adventure?”
“With certain death assured,” Darin offered a slight smile.
Kavra nodded, “They are the best kind, you know. Her favorite,” more tears ran down his face.
Darin reached into his left pocket and removed a golden ring. “She wanted you to have this.”
Kavra took the ring and nodded, “I gave her this ring the day she saved my life on Palta.”
“I never saw her without it.”
The two men shared a sad, lingering look that spoke volumes. “When I was with Lord Kasar on some battlefront years ago, he described this little girl he had decided to raise as his own. Yet when I arrived on his ship, out walks this enchanting beauty with eyes that stole my heart with a single glance. From that moment, I knew I was lost. Her every desire would be met if it cost me my soul. The day she became Empress was the best day of my life. She…was my best friend; the light of my life, my soul mate, my love.” Kavra paused. “Chrissa was a star; the brightest in the sky, the most awe-inspiring, and the quickest to burn out. She was my world, and Lord Kasar was hers. But…” The councilor reached into his left pocket and withdrew a small piece of white paper, folded neatly in half. Darin took the paper from Kavra’s hand and opened it gently.