by Nina Croft
He hoped so and was filled with an anticipation of the future that he hadn’t experienced in so long. And it was different from his youth. Deeper. But time to put Candy firmly in her place. “You’ll be taking charge. Well, actually, you might not have noticed it, but you already have.”
She stepped back and frowned. “What are you suggesting?”
He waved a hand across the city. “They need a leader. Someone they can look up to.”
“That’s you.”
“No, Candace, it’s you.”
“I’m not sure I can do it. I’m a mess. I jump in without thinking.”
“Not so much anymore.”
“I never do what I’m told.”
“You won’t need to.”
She grinned. “Will I get to order people about?”
“Of course, and if you ever get too big for your boots, I’ll be here to take you out of them.”
She giggled. “What about Callum?”
“He doesn’t want it. He’ll hand over power to you—that will help the transition.”
“You’ve spoken to him?”
“We talked. He asked if you would be willing.”
“Oh.” She grinned. “Will I get a crown?”
“If you want.”
“Wow.”
…
She was Empress of the Known Universe.
Callum had given the most fabulous, heart-rending, inspiring speech, introducing her to the rest of the world, to the other planets—well, the ones Fergal could hook up—as the new leader. So at least it was pretty well known that she was now in charge.
She even had an army. Fergal had talked to his cyborg buddies, and most of them were happy to stay, and the Colonel, the old head of the Collective’s elite army, had taken charge of them. Callum had told her he could be trusted.
It all seemed surreal; maybe she should have had that crown after all. It might have made everything more tangible. But she was eager to get going and had so many ideas, the first being to get a council in place to advise and help her. Of course, Thorne would head that council. She’d hoped that others from the Blood Hunter would also stay and advise her, but she’d known, underneath, that councils were really not their thing. Though, her parents were staying, if only until things settled down. After that she was pretty sure they would hook up with their old friends and be off on an adventure.
As for those old friends, while she was sorry to see them go, some people were just not made for order and civilization. Rather they were hell bent and dedicated to hunting down chaos wherever it could be found. She would miss them, but no doubt they would make periodic visits whenever they were in the region. As long as Saffira didn’t lose them completely.
She hadn’t had much time to spend with Angel since they’d landed, but there was something she really needed to do before the Blood Hunter disappeared. After the leadership ceremony, she slipped away from Thorne and met up with her brother at an arranged place.
“Hey, Your-Great-Worshipful-Empressness,” Angel muttered. She’d chosen Empress as her title–she liked it, and she had forgone the crown, after all. Angel gave a quick, sarcastic bow, and she punched him in the side.
“Piss off.” She took his hand and dragged him outside and into the huge internal courtyard. Angel stopped abruptly when he saw who was already present and waiting, and she had to tug him the last couple of steps.
Kronus had attended the ceremony at her request—she’d thought it added a certain…drama to the whole event.
“I wanted to introduce the two of you,” Candy said.
Angel stared up at the dragon and gave a nod of his head. He was trying to be cool, but she could sense the excitement fizzing off his skin.
Angel had always felt as though he lived in her shadow and that had subdued his own natural exuberance. He’d once told her that the universe could only take one crazy twin. She also knew that their parents expected him to stay, to help rebuild civilization, but she was going to offer him an alternative.
She’d made a promise to Kronus, and this would solve both issues.
Five minutes later, he was staring at her in amazement. “You want me to what?”
“Fly with Kronus to the Blood Hunter, help him onboard, and stay with them.”
“Why?”
“Because I promised him that I’d get him onboard, and I’m not sure Tannis will agree.” So she’d decided it was better not to ask. Leadership rule number one—it was easier to apologize than to ask.
“What if they shoot him?”
“They can’t actually hurt him. Not much anyway.”
“Yeah, but they can kill me.”
“Well, you see, that’s the good part of the plan—they won’t even shoot when they realize you’re with him.”
“You’re absolutely sure about that?” Angel said. But she could hear the excitement in his voice. She had him.
“You will need a breathing apparatus and a thick coat. Hopefully you won’t be out there for long, but you have to reach them once they’re in space or they might send you back.” They might anyway, but somehow she didn’t think so. Both Rico and Callum were fascinated by dragons. They’d let Kronus and Angel both stay.
“When?”
“Five minutes. You need to go say your good-byes.”
He kissed her on the cheek. “Thanks. And I’ll be back to see what a mess you’ve made of the universe.”
“I know.”
He almost ran from the courtyard. Thorne emerged from the doorway. He gave Kronus a wary nod—she didn’t think the two would ever be friends—then crossed to her.
“He’s agreed?”
“Yes.”
“You think he’ll be all right?”
“I will look after the boy.”
“I know.”
She sat on the stone steps, Thorne beside her, his arm wrapped around her shoulder. Angel returned and he had donned a thick coat. She recognized it as Rico’s leather trench coat—he’d pinched it from her wardrobe—and she grinned. He gave her a wave as he strapped on the breathing apparatus and approached the dragon. Kronus stretched out a leg, and Angel scrambled up, settling on the dragon’s back behind the wing joints. His face held a fixed, determined expression.
Then Kronus spread his wings, and they rose into the air. He hovered for a moment, and then, with a flick of his tail, he was gone.
She rested her head on Thorne’s shoulder. “It’s the end of an era,” she said. With a sigh, she pushed herself to her feet. “I suppose we should go do some leader-of-the-universe shit.”
He stood up, looped a hand around her neck and kissed her until her knees trembled and she had to grip his wings to stay up straight. “Or we could go to bed.”
She peered at him. “I thought you were going to be a good influence.”
“I promise it will be very good.”
“Hmm, you are my chief advisor. Bed it is.”
Epilogue
Rico stretched his long legs out in front of him, grabbed Skylar around the waist, and hauled her onto his knee, nuzzling her neck.
They were in orbit around Trakis Five.
“What are we waiting for?” Tannis asked. She was pacing the bridge, fizzing with energy.
“We need to decide where we’re heading next.”
Tannis halted and turned to face him, hands on her hips. “Why do I get the idea you have a plan?”
“Because I do.” He just had no clue whether she would go for it or not. He hoped so.
“Come on, Rico, spit it out. Where do you want to go, and what’s in it for me?”
He glanced at Saffira. She was the only one he’d spoken to about this, and she was completely on board with the idea. She grinned. Tannis caught the glance between them and scowled.
“Oh, freaking hell, no.”
“Hey, listen first,” Rico said. “You’ll like this one. I promise.”
“Why do I doubt that?”
“Because you’re a skeptic?”
“Actually, I’
ve mellowed.” She was right. Since Callum, she’d softened. But maybe not enough.
How to broach the idea to her? Well, to all of them—this would be a joint decision. Skylar he was pretty sure of. She liked an adventure. Daisy was the same, and Fergal would follow Daisy to the end of time and space. Saffira was already on board with the plan, and as Devlin wasn’t letting her out of his sight, he would be in, as well. That just left Tannis and Callum. Callum leaned against the wall, wings folded, a lazy grin on his face. Rico reckoned he’d be too intrigued to say no. So that left Tannis. He had to overcome her protectiveness of the crew, try and convince her that the risks were…reasonable.
“Well,” he said, “we know Saffira went back to the Earth to save mankind from some catastrophe—which she did eminently well. What we don’t know is what that catastrophe was or if it even took place.”
“Humph,” Saffira mumbled.
He ignored the comment. “I propose we go back in time, and back to Earth, and we find out what actually happened.”
Tannis narrowed her eyes and looked around at the rest of the crew, her gaze settling on Saffira. “Can you actually do that?”
“Hey, I’m getting better.”
Tannis raised an eyebrow. “Give me a percentage estimate of getting where and when we want to be.”
Saffira nibbled on her lip for a moment, and Rico crossed his fingers that she wouldn’t feel the need to be too honest. “Sixty percent, give or take.”
Rico held his breath. The odds weren’t brilliant, but didn’t that add to the adventure?
Tannis stared at the floor for a minute, and then turned to Callum. “What do you think?”
“I think…hell, yeah.”
Rico resisted the urge to high-five.
“Let’s have a show of hands, then.”
Everyone raised their hands.
“Well, that’s unanimous,” Tannis said, lifting her own. When no one moved, she raised a brow. “What are we waiting for?”
“Candy said she wanted to talk to us before we leave.”
“Bloody woman thinks she’s in charge.” But Tannis didn’t sound put out. He was quite aware that she’d been worried Callum might return to his old job, and Tannis didn’t have the temperament for a position at court.
“We have incoming,” Fergal said. The screen showing the rear of the ship flicked to life and a small spot could be seen against the planet.
“It’s a goddamn dragon,” Tannis said. “Fuck.”
“It’s Kronus.” Rico studied the screen as the spot got bigger.
“Do we shoot him?” Fergal asked.
“No, wait a moment…” There was something strange about the dragon. He put Skylar gently on her feet and stood up, crossed the room, and tapped the console to enlarge the image. A smile tugged at his lips.
The external comm unit buzzed. Tannis slammed a hand on it. “What?”
“This is the Empress of the goddamned Universe. Look after my brother.”
“What—”
“Sorry, but I have to go. I have a vitally important meeting with my chief advisor…” A sound came down the comm unit. A giggle?
“We’ll do our best,” Tannis said, but the comm call had already shut off. “God help the universe,” she muttered. “And how the hell are we supposed to look after Angel? He’s not here. Is he?” She peered around the room as though the young werewolf would pop up from somewhere.
“Look at this,” Rico said.
They all gathered around and watched the screen. They were close now, so close he could make out the man on the dragon’s back, Angel’s features beneath the breathing apparatus.
“Holy Meridian,” Tannis said. “Is she goddamned serious?” She stabbed her fingers through her spiky hair. “Any ideas?”
“We could go to stealth,” Fergal said.
Rico glanced away from the screen to look at Tannis. “Our empress has spoken. Who are we to not do her bidding?”
A few people snorted.
Tannis didn’t seem impressed. “Yeah, right. Since when have you followed anyone’s orders? Goddamn vampire.” She took a deep breath then grinned. “Why the hell not? We won’t be bored anyway. Open the docking bay doors.”
A minute later, a shudder ran through the ship.
“Docking bay doors closed,” Fergal said.
“That’s our stowaways on board.” Rico took the pilot’s seat and settled in.
“Then let’s go.”
“Everyone in their seats. This might get bumpy.”
He gave them a minute and then hit the forward thrusters, and they were heading into space.
They were going back in time, and they were heading back to Earth.
And they were travelling in the company of a dragon.
Life was good.
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Glossary of Terms
The Chosen Ones: One thousand years ago, when it became clear that the Earth was going to be destroyed, twenty-four ships were built, the Trakis One to Twenty-Four, to ensure the continuation of humanity and to take a selected few to a new life. Each ship carried ten thousand people, sleeping in cryo tubes, to be woken when they reached a planet able to sustain life. They were selected by a—some claim very dodgy—lottery system and were known as the Chosen Ones.
The Trakis System: Five hundred years after leaving Earth, the fleet eventually came upon a system capable of supporting life. They christened it the Trakis system after the ships that carried them to safety. Each individual planet was named after the ship which first landed there.
Trakis One: Trakis One was the first planet reached, an inhospitable place on the outer reaches of the system, and guarded by a black hole. The ship, the Trakis One, carrying the President of the Federation of Nations, the government in charge of the Earth at the time of the exodus, was promptly sucked into this black hole on arrival and never seen again. (At least, not for a very long time…)
Trakis One was later used as the high-security prison planet for the Collective, due to the fact that it was almost impossible to escape without being dragged into the black hole.
Trakis Two: Trakis Two doesn’t rotate, hence it has a dark side and a light side, and is also known as The Planet That Never Sleeps. It’s a den of iniquity, with every known vice available, and also the home of many “beings” who made it from Earth but were never officially part of the Chosen Ones.
When the Chosen ones were selected, certain groups were kept out of the lottery, mainly because most people didn’t know they existed. They included vampires, werewolves, demons, among others. Considering the system unfair, a few of them, led by the vampire Ricardo Sanchez, took it on themselves to bribe the captain of the Trakis Two with the promise of eternal life in exchange for dumping a few of his Chosen Ones and taking them onboard.
Trakis Four: The original Church headquarters was based here before moving to Trakis Five.
Trakis Five: Trakis Five is the most pleasant and Earthlike of the planets, and where the Collective made their home. The Church took over the planet after they had defeated the Collective.
Trakis Seven: Meridian, the source of immortality, was first discovered on this extremely unpleasant planet. At the time, no one was aware that Meridian was produced by an alien dragon-like organism trapped on the planet. Or that the dragon also produced a substance poisonous to humans, and only counteracted by dragon DNA from the Meridian. Anyone who visits Trakis Seven, and doesn’t “join” with Meridian dies, sometimes quickly, but usually slowly and extremely painfully. Prisoners were used on the planet to “mine” the Meridian. It was a prolonged death sentence due to Meridian poisoning. The Church blew up Trakis Seven to destroy the source of Meridian.
Trakis Twelve: Trakis Twelve is a pretty depressing place with not much happening.
Meridian: This mysterious substance was discovered whe
n the Trakis Seven crash landed on its planetary namesake. The material was named after the captain of the Trakis Seven—Callum Meridian. At first it was thought to be a mineral, but was later found to be animal in nature. It combines with human DNA to form a hybrid creature, and it bestows certain characteristics, not all of which are completely understood, including: violet eyes, immortality, telepathy, super-strength, improved healing, and, about five hundred years after the change—wings.
The Collective: The Collective is made up of all the people who had taken the Meridian treatment before the sole source of Meridian in this universe was destroyed. Led by Callum Meridian, the Collective are telepathic, super-strong, and immortal. They form a sort of gestalt intelligence and were the ruling class for many centuries.
The Church of Everlasting Life: This religion came with the Chosen Ones from Earth. Religion had become a little out of favor, but with the discovery of Meridian it regained its popularity. Everyone wants to live forever, but very few can afford the exorbitant cost of Meridian and the Church offers a cheaper, if less reliable, road to eternity.
It quickly became the second most powerful organization in the universe. When the Collective was weakened by the disappearance of their leader, Callum Meridian, the leaders of the Church grabbed the opportunity and took over in a very bloody coup.
Genetically Modifieds: DNA from all species was carried on board the Trakis ships. When the planets were colonized, many scientists believed that the best way to survive in the harsh and sometimes alien conditions was to combine the DNA of humans with that of any species which might give them an advantage.
The Rebel Coalition: The Church of Everlasting Life does not like genetically modified beings and refers to them as abominations. The Church came to an agreement with the Collective that GMs should be downgraded to non-human status, allowing them to be hunted down and destroyed. Many of the GMs were understandably not too happy with this decision and formed the Rebel Coalition with the purpose of returning the favor and destroying the Church. They were led by Devlin Starke, the most-wanted man in the universe, and a late addition to the crew of the Blood Hunter.
Time-mancer: A female with dragon DNA, capable of creating and controlling wormholes and therefore able to travel vast distances of time and space.