“Don’t react, any of you. Remain calm,” I willed them.
I plunged the knife deep into my stomach and fought the ejection of bile that rose in my chest. The agony was overwhelming. I chewed on my tongue to prevent myself from crying out, though tears fell from my eyes all the same. I twisted the knife blade inside my stomach and reached my fingers into the deep cut.
Searching, I probed and pulled until I found the Xerilium core. Whole and unbroken from the cool dousing received, I pulled at the wedge with all my might. My bloodied fingers slipped repeatedly and the jagged edges of the star-shaped object tore at my flesh as I dragged it out. Stomach muscles frayed and blood pooled around my body where I lay.
Avíra sobbed quietly. Sanátu closed his eyes fast, not daring to look anymore. Nerído was arguing again with Arfron Uhnok. His answer meant another running through on his torso.
The metal chunk was free. The solid Xerilium chunk had spread to the size of my hand from the tiny bullet wound. I tossed it to the floor. My blood splattered where it lay. The knife slid silently from my slippery fingers.
The room went quiet as all eyes moved to me. Nobody had noticed the knife but they all heard the clunk of metal against marble.
The healing began instantly. The contoured edges of my silver glow travelled in and out of my body. Inside I felt the veins join together, muscle fibres stitch as one, skin knit together and heal over. My vision finally cleared. A surge of energy filled my arms and legs and, at last, I rose up.
In one movement, I rose from my knees, grasping the knives, and pushed into a stance turning lightning quick behind to see Nerído.
His shirt was splashed with circles of blood from the many wounds he’d received. The two Primords behind him looked startled as I twisted on the spot and rushed at them.
They didn’t stand a chance as I slit their throats. I rested one palm on Nerído’s shoulder. He wavered for a moment before his head lifted, his body healed.
I dived to Sanátu and Avíra, slicing through their bonds before leaping towards the Primord who stood in front of my husband.
Arfron Uhnok’s narrowed eyes flared in anger but I had the point of one knife at his throat and another stuck in his abdomen.
“So, you finally found out my secret, huh? Shame you can’t live in your fantasy world where you and I have little babies and live happily ever after! Now you’re going to die, Primord.”
“Stop!” my father commanded.
I hesitated and looked towards the throne. Capíok Dacomé leaned against the chair back. “Halíka Dacomé, you go too far.”
“I haven’t gone far enough, in my opinion.” The sharpness of my voice caused him to falter for a moment. “His time has come.”
“We’ve formed an alliance. We will both continue ruling this planet side by side.”
“How can you contemplate such a thing, Father? After everything they’ve done! Let me kill him now.”
My knives remained with their points buried in the Primord’s flesh. He grated out a laugh through the chattering of his teeth. “We knew about your union right after it happened. Your sentence had already been decided before the last attack.”
I dug deeper with the lower knife. “What sentence?”
Capíok Dacomé sat down in his throne, his arms regally stretched along the armrests. “Guards!” he shouted and a door opened from the side of the dais.
I froze at what came through the door. Arcan men. The same Arcan who had pledged their loyalty to me before dinner last night. The guards came first, lining the back walls of the Throne Room followed by the Senior Council members.
“Why? You promised!” I yelled at them.
One stepped forward. “You didn’t tell us about the mutual alliance. Living within the confines of Arcanon Major will not be so bad. If the Primords want the rest of the planet and leave us in peace, well, we are inclined to agree with that decision.”
“I did tell you,” I spat back. “I told you everything! What did he promise you, huh? That he’d make you Skeptics? Enjoy the spoils of palace life? You disgust me, all of you! You should be ashamed!”
“And yet, Halíka Dacomé, you are the one committing treason by attempting to kill a Primord leader within this Throne Room. The same leader who will soon share our planetary alliance.”
“His kind killed my mother, wiped out our cities. I need no better reason.”
“Maybe what’s behind you will make you rethink.”
I turned quickly to see Jerik and Cary led into the room with an Elemental guard at their back. Cary’s face had been beaten, her right eye swollen and purple, the lid barely open. A bruise had begun to form on her chin and she clenched her teeth together as she winced. Jerik appeared to be unharmed, for which I was relieved.
Cary’s mother followed of her own accord. I realised as soon as I saw her slow, confident amble behind them that it was she who had reported my union with Nerído to the king. No other person would’ve been granted access to see him except the king’s sister. She must have begged the sentry guards to let her in.
My father scowled. “Halíka Dacomé, you will release Arfron Uhnok now. Otherwise, I will be left with no choice for my next actions.”
Jerik’s petrified face was something I couldn’t endure. He looked so frightened. How could my father even think of hurting his only son, his heir?
Cary’s frail form was ready to fall. She was only just conscious. If the guard behind her didn’t have such a tight hold of her, I knew she would’ve fallen already.
I yelled with such ferocity. “Father, they’ve done nothing wrong. Release them at once, I demand it!”
“You speak out of turn. You are no longer a Dacomé and therefore no longer my daughter. You chose your own actions and now must suffer the consequences.”
“I will always be a Dacomé, Father.”
He shook his head. “And yet you still went and married Nerído Xipilé in secret. Do you really know why he married you?”
Nerí’s voice pierced my head. “Halíka, remember the night of our wedding? Before we married under the stars? Everything I said was true. Don’t believe what he tells you.”
I looked back into Nerído eyes. They fired with the deepest, brightest blue but I was suddenly wary at how they pleaded.
I coughed quickly. How had things gotten so mixed up?
“Go on,” I pressed, “and stop squirming.” Arfron Uhnok shuffled under my knifepoint but I dragged him closer and threatened to pierce him again.
Everyone in the room seemed to be holding their breath, waiting for Capíok Dacomé to continue.
He wiped his brow with the back of his hand and fiddled with a signet ring on his smallest finger. “It gives me no pleasure to say this.”
“Just say it,” I ordered.
His face was expressionless as the words started to pour out. “We intercepted the final message from Nardin to his son. Nerído Xipilé was ordered by his father to marry you. If he married you, he would be entitled to rule jointly on the Dacomé throne. Through you, his father would automatically be considered as Supreme Ruler of Xiryathon. Their aim was to kill me but you and Jerik would be spared.”
“But why would Nardin do such a thing?” I cried.
“Because Xipilés have and always will be ruthless. They should never be trusted. In all my long years of friendship with him, I never let my guard down with Nardin. His friendship was like a double-edged sword. Unscrupulous, conniving, the Xipilés don’t stop until they have want they want. Nardin always wanted control over this planet. After your wedding, he almost had it.”
“But you’re still alive, for the moment.”
He affirmed with a nod. “Thanks to my sister’s announcement of your nuptials, we were able to quickly denounce the union to the other alliances, claiming the news to be false. The new troops that were due to arrive were forced to turn back. I regained the control you temporarily took, Halíka Dacomé.”
I retraced thoughts in my head. I didn�
��t dare look at him or Nerído. For my husband, I had no doubt that everything was as it should be … except for—
I spun around to Nerído, dragging the Primord with me. My heart beat faster and I couldn’t believe I would question him over this, but I needed to know.
“You told me the Skeptics tried to lever a deal, was that true?”
“Yes,” he whispered.
I looked back to the throne. “Did the Skeptics or you attempt a takeover with the other planets? Father, did you try to become Supreme Ruler?”
The king waited and twisted his ring. “No.”
I clenched my eyelids together.
Nerído had lied to me.
I twisted back to him. “You wouldn’t let me read the new message on your messaging pad. Was that from your father?”
He nodded sheepishly. “But it isn’t how your king makes it sound. I always wanted to marry you of my own accord. It had nothing to do with my father’s wishes.”
Awkwardly, I said, “So, either way, you would’ve asked me. Whether you wanted to or not?”
“Please, Halíka, don’t make this into something it isn’t.”
“SPEAK TO ME OUT LOUD!” I yelled as he lowered his chin to his chest, clenching his jaw.
He stood up tall and strong, now cured from the healing, but he still appeared smaller. “I married you because I love you. Everything I’ve ever told you is true. Your father is the one who is lying.”
My heart felt so constricted, as though a hand gripped it too tightly. Suddenly, I was afraid to speak as I stared at him. Should I believe him or my father?
My voice croaked. “How can I believe what you say is true? You used my feelings towards you for your own good, for your father’s plans.” It had been in a moment of passion that I’d agreed to everything Nerído had suggested. I’d been at my weakest. Would I have made the same decisions if he hadn’t bared his soul to me?
“Believe in what your heart tells you, my love.”
“I can’t.” I looked away and turned towards Capíok Dacomé.
“Halíka, please don’t …”
“Father, how did you get hold of the firing weapon? The last time I saw it was in his private chambers.”
Cary’s mother stepped forward. “That was me. I spoke with Nerído Xipilé this morning and asked if he’d brought it like he promised. He was only too glad to show me.”
“Why?” I implored inside his head.
“I gave it over but I had no idea she would pass it to him or he would use it, especially against you. Halíka, you are the last person in the world I would want to hurt.” He clenched his fists by his sides and gritted his teeth.
I turned my back again and looked into the face of my own double-crossing aunt. “You were like a mother to Jerik and me when we lost our own. You looked after us, and took care of us. How could you allow this?”
“I have a duty to the Crown. You acted irrationally, Halíka Dacomé. You needed to be stopped before things got out of hand,” she said with a coldness I didn’t recognise.
I scoffed. “Out of hand? He was being held captive! The Skeptics were put to death by these Primords. I was defending the Crown.”
“That may be so, but you forgot two vital rules. Rule number one: We Dacomés fight our own wars. We neither need help nor aid. Jerik should not have asked for it. The summoning of the small group that arrived yesterday was strictly forbidden. Halíka Dacomé, the magic you possess in your blood is dangerous and, as you have proved, when combined with theirs, you can do unspeakable things. No man or woman should ever be allowed to use that amount of power. Why do you think we separate ourselves from the alliances?”
I raised an eyebrow. “We always thought we were better. Our bloodline was purer.”
“No, Niece. Only a Dacomé has the power to wield the four magics of our alliances. To use it unwisely can be catastrophic. Today, you singlehandedly proved that when wielding your combined power, you can annihilate an army. Your warmongering would eventually change you. Your bloodlust would become as frenetic as the Primords are now. You had to be stopped before it was too late and you lost control.”
Nerído Xipilé stepped forward into my line of sight, his face contorted as if he suffered the most gruelling pain possible. “Halíka, I thought I was doing the right thing. In pleasing my father, I would also get my own heart’s desire. You.”
“But you lied to me about the Skeptics.”
“How would you have taken it if I told you that my own father wanted to rule your planet? You would have hated me for being a Xipilé, which you probably do right now, anyway.”
“No. I have never hated you for that part of your life. Until now.”
“Halíka, you don’t mean that. I know you don’t.”
Carefully and cautiously, I withdrew the knife from Arfron Uhnok’s abdomen and placed it between my teeth. My fingers clasped the chain from around my neck. The heavy crystal shifted across the skin of my collarbone. I pulled hard until the chain hung in my hand and shoved it in my pocket next to the other.
Nerído stared at me with hard eyes. I gave him one cold glare and turned my back on him.
The knife from my teeth was back at Arfron Uhnok’s side and I pushed him towards the throne.
“Father, let everyone in this room go. They should all be free to return home. Your quarrel is with me. I forfeit my life. It is now in your hands.”
My father spread the fingers of each hand and pushed them together. Thumb to thumb. Middle finger to middle finger. He rested his chin on their tips.
“Release Arfron Uhnok first.”
“You release Jerik and Cary,” I said.
The king nodded to the two Elemental guards who withdrew their weapons and stepped backwards. I lifted the two knives and held them in the air.
Across the room Cary slumped to the floor. Jerik bent down to help her.
I moved forward to heal her, but my way was obstructed. Nerído stepped to me and held of my arms. “Wait, Hal,” he whispered, “do it without them seeing.”
Without hesitation, I pointed to the floor and sent an invisible healing tendril across to her. I wrapped it around her wrist and watched as she slowly became conscious and the purple bulge began to disappear from around her eye. I withdrew it quickly before anyone noticed her sudden recovery.
Arfron Uhnok walked towards Capíok’s throne. “I think it’s time for the sentencing.”
Capíok nodded. Revulsion washed over me as I saw how easily they communicated with each other. A rapport had settled here during my father’s captivity that frightened me. Capíok Dacomé was not a man to be trifled with, but I couldn’t see any signs of brainwashing or other psychological oddities. They simply seemed to agree.
“Jerik, you okay?”
“Yeah. What’s going on with you and Nerído? Hally, don’t listen to what Father says.”
“I don’t know now, Jerik. Whatever happens now, I want you to know that I love you. Very much. Look after Cary and Zaquinto for me.”
“Sure, Hally, but everything will be all right, won’t it?”
“I’m not sure, Jer. I have a feeling things are going to get worse.”
“Avíra Maloké,” my father announced, “for partaking in a military coup, you are hereby sentenced to a life of exile.”
My friend sunk her head down and cried silent tears.
“What?” I shouted. “No! Return her to her planet.”
“SILENCE!” he shouted. “Sanátu Batavé, for partaking in a military coup, you are hereby sentenced to a life of exile.”
Sanátu nodded and gripped Avíra’s hand.
“This is an outrage!” I screamed at him. “They are from royal bloodlines. You cannot do this.”
“Halíka Dacomé, this sentence has already been discussed and agreed upon by the royal families. Do not interrupt me again.”
I swaggered and clenched my fists, feeling my nails pucker skin.
“Nerído Xipilé, for partaking in a military
coup and for providing Xipilé weaponry used to kill our Primord neighbours, you are hereby sentenced to a life of exile.”
He jumped forward. “No! That wasn’t part of the plan! You can’t do this!”
I looked at him with a cutting glare. “The plan? This just gets better and better.”
“Nardin Xipilé has forsaken his son and is happy to comply by my lenient sentencing.”
Nerído fell to his knees, ashamed. “Put me in prison. Just don’t exile me.”
“The punishment fits the crime. All three of you have committed offenses against my planet and its people. The sentence is usually a death penalty; however, due to your royal connections, we are not permitted to carry this out.”
“They’re really not going to come for us?” Sanátu asked, defeated.
“No,” my father answered brusquely.
“Halíka Dacomé. For breaking the Edict set in place by Fontíoc Dacomé, for inciting hatred towards the Crown, for marrying against the wishes of your king and breaking an important peace treaty, for the killing of over three million Primords, and for instigating a military coup, you are hereby sentenced to a life of exile.”
I staggered and looked to the floor. My blood speckles lay near my feet. It took all my attention to focus on those small splatters rather than look at the faces of the people I loved.
Their lives had just been destroyed because of our war. They would never see their families again. They had been forsaken. The depth of this sentence was slowly sinking in.
This was my fault. I should have sent them away as soon as it was over. They shouldn't have stayed.
Our friendship was over. I could never forgive myself for what I had done to their futures. I would deal with it the only way I knew how. All that was left for me to do was to close them out of my heart.
No matter whether Nerído had betrayed me, in my heart, I knew he hadn’t. I knew he loved me. But believing the spoken words is harder than believing a lie. I never wanted to speak to him again.
“The four of you are no longer welcome on any of the planets in our alliance. You are considered too much of a liability against any peace process, and your actions have proved that you are all most dangerous. In one week you will board the Xipilé spacecraft for your exile to a new planet. We begin the search immediately and once the planet has been tested for living conditions, you will be placed there for the rest of your lives. We will keep the coordinates of your location hidden to prevent any temptation to find you. You have one task and one alone.
The Battle for Arcanon Major (The Lost Dacomé Files) Page 12