Nothing really piqued his interest until he got to an area where he began to see items he recognized. Engines, miniatures, bombs, weapons of all kinds, children’s toys, even an airship generator used to sustain flight long distances. Just this section alone was worth a fortune, so he could only imagine what the rest of the room was worth.
A set of scrolls laying on a table caught his eye, but it took him a minute to realize what exactly he was looking at. It was a map of not just Gallia, but of lands beyond it.
He shook his head in disbelief, he’d always heard stories of places beyond the seas, but never in his wildest dreams had he believed them. He had even met a woman a few years back that said she flew to Gallia from another place, but had no way to prove it.
But looking at the map in front of him, he realized that Gallia is not it’s own planet, but only a small part of one.
Despite what he told Anadilcia, he pocketed the scroll and continued on, looking through more machines and treasure, but all the while the map swirled in his mind.
“I found it!”
Anadilcia’s voice startled Aegion, “Huh? Found what?”
“The device, the thing we’re here for!”
“Oh, yah right. We’d better get out of here then.”
Anadilcia shook her head with a determination Aegion hadn’t seen in his short time knowing her, but was glad to see they were in the same place.
As they started to make their way out of the Treasure Room, the look on her face went from determination to worry. Finally, before reaching the door, she spoke her concern, “We have a problem.”
“What is it?”
“When I picked up the device, I was happy to see that it only had four lights lit up, and you said we only needed to worry if the fifth came on and it turned green.”
“Yeah, so we don’t have to worry.”
“Well, as soon as I picked it up and put it in my backpack, I heard a loud beep and looked again…”
“What are ya sayin?”
She pulled her backpack off her shoulder and opened it, revealing the device inside. All five lights were lit and let off an eerie green.
Inside, Aegion was panicking. If they were anywhere near that thing when it went off, there would be nothing left of them and all of this would be for nothing. However, he knew he had to keep calm for all the girls he was helping, and most of all for Anadilcia.
“Ah, well that’s okay, we still got some time, it ain't red. Just gotta hurry up a bit more than I’d wanted to, that’s all.”
She put the flap back over the device and slung it around her back again, the look of worry still covering her face as she went through the door.
Ain’t no way I’m gonna let things end this way, just gotta hurry, that’s all. Just gotta hurry.
* * * * *
They made good time on their way back through the tunnels, this time knowing exactly where to go. He saw Anadilcia checking the device every few minutes and was relieved to see that it was still green. He pushed the girls along as fast as he could, though he didn’t tell them why they needed to hurry. They didn’t argue, knowing that whatever his reason was, it was a good one.
When they were nearing the hidden door, Anadilcia slowed down to match Aegion’s pace.
“No matter what happens, I’m glad I found you.”
“Now don’t go talkin like that, we’ll get out of here an find a place to settle down. I may not have known ya existed until a few days ago, but yer a major part of my life, somethin I can’t say about nobody else. An I’m not losin that now.”
She smiled and returned to her spot towards the front of the group.
Anadilcia activated the hidden door by a lever and the bookcase lifted once more. They all went in through the room carefully.
At first, Aegion felt relieved that there was no one waiting for them. He had been expecting his curse to cause problems since he got inside the mine, but he’s had nothing but good luck.
And then he felt it.
He wasn’t sure what it was, but it was unsettling. The hair on his arms stood up and he knew they were not alone. He also knew whoever was there was not just anybody. He had only gotten that feeling a few times in his life, and always in the presence of a channeler.
“Anadilcia,” she stopped to look back at him. All the other girls had made it out of the room and into the hallway beyond.
He tried to speak, but couldn’t, nor could he move. He began to feel an intense heat and his energy started to drain. The channeler, wherever he was hiding, was holding him and he couldn’t do a damn thing about it.
A loud high pitched whine came from Anadilcia’s backpack and her eyes grew big. She quickly uncovered the device, it now glowed a crimson red. She looked back up at Aegion, back down at the device, and back up at Aegion again.
He relaxed his body and mind, concentrating on the hold that had taken over him. He was able to release the hold on himself enough to speak, but was still held in place.
“Ya need to go.”
“But-”
“Anadilcia, go now. Don’t worry about me.”
“I’m not leaving you!”
“GO! Ya know what has ta be done!”
Tears filled her eyes as she saw a man step out from the shadows and walk towards Aegion, along with four other men.
“I’m not…losing you…not again…”
The grip from the channeler tightened and he could only mouth the words to her, wishing, willing her to go.
Karina came back through the door and saw the situation. She quickly grabbed Anadilcia, who struggled to get free but ultimately gave in. The door shut behind them, Anadilcia’s cries still echoing in his mind.
The channeler seemed to pay her no mind, though Aegion guessed he didn’t know she had the device again.
“Well, well, well,” the channeler said, forcing Aegion to turn and face him. “You’re a hard man to find, Aegion. Or should I say Edwin Fenwick.”
The sound of his name, the name of his childhood, hit him hard. How could this man possibly know who he was?
“Ah, so I see you didn’t think we knew who you actually were? Attacking soldiers as just a boy, returning years later to assassinate Linmoor’s ruler, and then falling in love with a local girl. Then just abandoning her when she was pregnant! Tsk tsk tsk, do you have no loyalty? Do you not care about the lives you’ve left ruined in your wake?
“No, I suppose you don’t. All you care about is yourself, you selfish bastard.”
At this point, the five men had come into the light and Aegion got a good look at them for the first time. Their blue suits were instantly recognizable to Aegion, they were Malos soldiers.
“Ah so I see you recognize who we are, at least who we work for. But it’s unfair that I know so much about you and you know nothing about me. My name is Azmaveth. I’m a relatively new recruit into Malos, but have a unique gift that has allowed me to work my way up through the ranks. I’m shooting for general one day, and that day probably isn’t too far off.”
The four men next to him chuckled at this, an inside joke that was obviously not meant for Aegion.
“Oh, I’m sorry, let me explain. I am the most powerful channeler there is, outside of the Tower of course. By killing you, I’ll have proved my worth and take my rightful spot in charge of Malos’ army. After that, it won’t be long until the whole of Gallia is under my rule. I’ll squash people like you, people who fight back, and people who don’t give in peacefully.
“Well, even if they give in peacefully I might smash a few, just to get my point across. You understand I’m sure.”
Aegion’s blood was boiling, and not all of it caused by the hold on him. Aegion could care less if this man bad mouthed him, but he would never let such a man rule Gallia.
“Best of all, now that I’ve got my hold on you, there’s nothing you can do.
Aegion didn’t try to struggle, not yet. He knew the only way to beat a channeler’s hold is an all out mental counter att
ack. He didn’t know how it worked, nor did he care, it was something that he’d picked up after helping an old man. He had been a channeler, a good one in his youth, and taught Aegion how to defend himself in place of a reward.
He felt the hold on him lesson slightly, enough for him to talk.
“It didn’t take us long to discover who your daughter was. In fact, killing her mother was the easiest part of this plan. She played her unwilling part, telling Anadilcia to seek you out.”
“Don’t you dare say her name!”
“Ah, he speaks, gentlemen!” Azmaveth said, addressing the four men with him, who laughed and shook their heads at Aegion.
“So it’s been Malos this whole time, eh? Couldn’t find me on yer own, so ya ruined a little girls life instead. What if she hadn’t come after me, what if she’d stayed in Linmoor?”
“A necessary casualty then.”
A realization came to Aegion at that point. “The device. Ya knew it was active. That’s why ya let her go, but why?”
“Hm? Oh, you mean the bomb? Yes, it wasn’t an accident it was activated. Now your precious daughter will take it to the surface and create a true utopia across Gallia. You see, the bomb is one of a kind and contains a very interesting mix of genetic makeup. Countless settlements will be destroyed, but those who survive will be mutated and forced to listen to the will of Malos! Their offspring will have these genes built into them, so future generations will only become more compliant.
“Lutetia, Linmoor, and Fairlea are protected, of course. We’re not trying to wipe out all of humanity, just those that won’t follow directions. This is a major breakthrough, you know. Nothing like this has ever been created. It has taken Malos countless years to understand the genetic code within each person enough to alter the right one.”
“Why? Why make them obey, what not just kill them?”
“Kill them? No, that wouldn’t fit the plan.”
“What plan?”
“That is none of your business, nor is it mine to be truthful. I have been offered a position in the new world if I succeed where others have failed, and I am only minutes away from this feat. Now, if there is nothing else, it’s time for you to die.”
The grip around Aegion’s body tightened and his skin began to burn. He tried to keep calm, there was one last thing he needed to know before he made his move, or died trying.
“Why- Why Anadilcia?”
The grip loosened, Aegion gasped for air.
“I’m sorry, I thought you’d figured that out already. Anadilcia is a descendant of an ancient race of people, one whose genetics are unlike ours in almost every way imaginable. Her body will act as a catalyst for the genetic bomb. Didn’t you find it odd that the second she picked it up, it became active? And again, so quickly after, it started it’s final sequence? It was her that made it happen.
“Descendants are rare, and even then no male descendant has ever been found. Without her, or one like her, our plan would not be possible. So you see, when I was first sent to find you, it was by happy coincidence we found Anadilcia. When I reported my findings to Malos, they were overjoyed that a descendant was found at such a convenient time! And the rest, as you know, is history.
“Now then, I must be going, so I’ll make it quick. I don’t want to be anywhere near the blast when it goes off.”
The grip tightened more this time than before and he could feel his body start to be pulled apart, or more accurately burned apart.
“One…last…thing…” he managed to say, as he calmed his body and mind once more in an attempt to break free. It took all his might and will to do so, and he began to see Azmaveth struggle to keep his hold.
“You are a strong one, Aegion, but you’re no match for me!”
He felt himself raise into the air. He thought his mind and body were going to explode from the pressure of Azmaveth’s hold.
He gave it one last attempt, using all of his strength to break free. He screamed out and then the hold dropped from him and he fell to the ground.
He knew he had very little time to react. If Azmaveth got another hold on him, there would be nothing he can do.
He lowered his goggles and pulled two cannisters from his coat and slammed them onto the ground. Brilliant lights brighter than the sun erupted and filled the room. Even with his eyes shut and goggles protecting him, the light was blinding.
He rushes towards Azmaveth and knocked him onto the ground. The four solders, blind from the blast, shot wildly into the room. This gave him the advantage he needed. He pulled his pistol out and shot the guards, based on the sound of their guns, one by one. Before the last one went down, a bullet hit Aegion in his shoulder.
He’d been shot before, but it didn’t make the pain any less real.
His eyes began to refocus and he looked for Azmaveth, but he wasn’t where he expected him to be. He quickly surveyed the room and the hair on his neck rose once more. He heard a noise behind him, spinning around just in time to see Azmaveth raise his arm to hold Aegion once again.
His instinct kicked in more than anything and he raised his pistol and fired. Azmaveth was forced to let go of the hold on Aegion in order to deflect the bullet, but it still scraped his cheek.
Aegion fired again, and again, and again until he was out of bullets. Each shot was deflected easily, but kept Azmaveth distracted long enough for Aegion to get in close. He unsheathed his sword and Azmaveth did the same.
They circled each other, both of them hurt from the fight, blood gushing out from different areas, but neither backing down.
“You can’t win.”
“I know that, but I don’t mean to. Ya see, we had a little plan of our own. Anadilcia ain’t headin to the surface with that bomb.”
“What? Then where-”
“Seems ya had an enemy down here ya didn’t know about. He knew exactly how to stop the bomb from goin off.”
This infuriated Azmaveth, “You’ll ruin everything!”
Azmaveth charged with his blade, Aegion with no other option than to defend himself strike after strike. The rage in Azmaveth’s eyes were beyond sane and Aegion knew his only hope was to use that to his advantage.
For what seemed like hours, they dueled, Aegion never getting the upper hand, but taking every chance he got to taunt Azmaveth about his failure. Finally, he made a mistake and Aegion took advantage of it, kicking him in his stomach and knocking him against the wall.
Aegion charged at the man, who was struggling to regain his breath and get to his feet. Before he could, the hilt of Aegion’s sword knocked him out.
Aegion dropped to the ground, coughing blood and holding his shoulder. He realized the only reason he was still alive is because of the enhancements Mia had given him. He was never good at sword fighting. In fact, before the enhancements, he was slow and clumsy, but he just bested what he assumed was a lifetime swordsmen in a duel, let alone a channeler.
He tried to get to his feet, but fell back to the ground. He knew he didn’t have much time to get out, but the pain was
Chapter 9
Anadilcia and Karina push on through the maze of tunnels, crates, and other obstacles, not caring if they were heard. After being pulled away from Aegion, Anadilcia revealed the truth to Karina. Instead of panicking, she took charge and pushed forward and Anadilcia couldn’t help but admire how strong Karina was.
They passed by a few brutes, most just watched as the group of scarcely dressed women ran by, knowing better than to get in their way. A few weren’t so lucky, however. Karina was an amazing shot with Aegion’s pistol, and it made Anadilcia wonder where she might have learned such a skill at such a young age. She knew how to shoot, but that’s only because she lived in a city where you could pay someone to shoot a wooden target for fun, not exactly the most exciting time now that she thought about it.
Another group tried to stop them, but Karina managed to scare them off with just a single bullet. Anadilcia was definitely glad to have her around. Having someone else
she could depend on was not very common in her life, between her father not knowing she existed and her mother passing away, it had been a hard few years.
She let this thought fuel her, not hold her back. She had found her father, and he accepted her and wanted to be part of her life. She had felt the same even before they had met. He was a good man, despite the stories that were told about him, and she knew if she could just escape, if he could escape, they would create a life together and become a real family.
“Down!”
The shout came from Karina so unexpectedly, it was Anadilcia’s instincts that made her drop to the ground only seconds before a bullet passed over her head. Karina fired back, her last bullet, and killed the shooter.
“That’s it, I’m out of bullets.”
Anadilcia just nodded, trying to run through the contents of her backpack. She hadn’t listened to Aegion in the Treasure Room and had taken a few choice items. She didn’t know what they did, but hopefully one of them could help.
“We’re almost there,” Anadilcia assured them, picking herself up off the floor, “should only be out through that tunnel over-”
She was cut off by the sound of footsteps behind her. She spun around and saw three men standing over the dead man’s body, all with weapons that looked like they were overdue for blood. On the other side of the room, blocking their exit, were four more men armed the same.
“Lookie here, girls. Ya have done some major damage in here, but it’s all over. The boss won’t let any harm come to ya, at least not on our account, but accidents do happen, so if you resist…”
An overwhelming anger rushed over Anadilcia.
“Enough!” She shouted, echoing through the tunnel. “I have had about enough of this place and all of you! I’m warning you, back down now, let us leave, or you will regret it.”
“Anadilcia! What are you doing?” Karina asked in a low, but steady voice.
“I’m done letting others control me. I’m tired of being weak and having to rely on those around me to get me out of situations.”
The Planet Without A Sun (Sinesol Universe) Page 10