by KM Fortune
"What is going on?" Gabriel asked. He did not get an answer as Willow leaped from the jeep and broke out into a run after the stranger. "Willow?" he called after her. She did not even look back. Frustrated, Gabriel shut down the vehicle and got out. He watched as Willow closed in on the fleeing figure and then grabbed ahold of the jacket’s hood. The two went down in a heap. Fantastic, Gabriel thought and started to trot in their direction. He pulled his sidearm and ran with it down at his side, just in case. As he approached, he heard something strange. It took him a minute to figure out what it was exactly. Slowly, he stopped and looked down, realizing the stranger was actually a woman. The two of them were hanging onto each other and laughing. “What is going on?” Gabriel asked again. Still chuckling, Willow sat up and started to dust herself off.
“Gabriel, let me introduce my friend Raven Winter,” she said. Gabriel blinked. Did she say Raven? he thought. That’s impossible. It turned out, it was not.
NOW MILES FROM THE pit and any possible searchers, the three women sat around the fire and ate breakfast. It consisted of a jackrabbit Kit brought down with one of her throwing stars and a loaf of bread the women from the tent city carried with them. Kit was reluctant to eat it at first. The open sores on the woman's pale skin concerned her, but when Julia realized Kit's hesitation, she assured her the food was not contaminated. "I don't use any of the water near the pit. Only what I can catch from falling snow," Julia explained. Kit had nodded and taken a share.
"You don't talk?" asked the younger woman Kit learned was named Violet.
Kit shook her head. "How unusual," Violet continued sounding inquisitive and not at all judgmental. "I've seen a lot of illnesses and accidents, but never a person who was silent." Kit shrugged.
"Was it from an accident then?" Julia asked. Kit shook her head. Her inability to speak or make any real sound was with her since she was a child. Even if she could talk now, Kit did not bother to try. There usually did not seem to be much of a point. Although, at the moment, being able to ask the two women what the pit was and what the barrels were could be useful. Hoping to find out more, Kit took her knife and drew in the dirt. It was the three triangles in a circle marking every barrel. Violet and Julia looked at each other as if not sure what they should reveal to this stranger who rescued them. Finally, Julia gave a nod and Violet turned to Kit.
"The symbol means the contents of the barrels are radioactive. Poison. Deadly," Violet said. Deadly? Kit thought. So why dig them up? As if reading her thoughts, Violet explained more. “The Duke uses the contents as fuel to power Reno. Somehow. The thing which does it sits at the edge of the city.” Kit nodded. She did remember the buildings near the gate where she snuck into the city. She had guessed at the time it was a form of power generation.
“But it is horrible what he is doing,” Julia interjected. “The stuff poisons whatever it touches. Not to mention he uses slaves to dig it up.” Kit saw a look of anger fill Julia’s face. “Anyone who makes the mistake of coming to Reno to trade runs the risk of being imprisoned out here and put to work for life. Not that anyone lives long.” Kit looked into the fire and processed everything the women were saying. She had already guessed The Duke was bad, but she was not sure how. Now she had an answer. I need to explain all of this Raven, she thought. She needs to be aware of what is going on. Unfortunately, being able to explain things was a significant challenge for Kit. She needed the women to come with her.
Motioning with her hands and arms, Kit pointed back in the direction she believed Reno was located. Waving, she tried to get across her desire for the women to walk back with her. They seemed to get the message and shook their heads. “There is no way we will return to the forbidden city. It was a mistake to come here with our men. Now they are dead and we will probably soon follow them,” Julia said. “But at least we can return back to our people to the east and die in peace.” Frustrated, Kit stood up and waved with more passion. The two women both shook their heads and began to gather their things.
“We owe you for saving us, but it is not enough to go back there. I’m sorry,” Violet said. “Take our advice, stay away from that place.” Kit sighed and watched them prepare to leave. They offered the revolvers back to Kit, but she waved them off. Guns were not her style. The women smiled softly with gratitude and then, with a little wave, began their journey home.
SAMUEL STOOD IN THE colony's expansive garden and studied the different plants in front of him. There was an impressive variety considering the entire plot was underground. Only through the ingenious thinking of government engineers over a hundred years before could any of it exist. The vast array of full spectrum grow lights to provide mock sunlight, the nutritional elements added to the soil, and an elaborate watering system using natural springs deep in the mountain, were a miracle unto themselves. Samuel appreciated none of it. His mind was focused on one thing only. Foxglove. It was a beautiful flowering plant and there was plenty of it growing in the medical section of the garden. The nectar from the flowers was regularly gathered and made into a tonic provided to The Creator on a systematic basis. It helped keep his heart beating strong. But what effect would a tea made from the plant have on a child? he wondered. His quick research led him to believe it would do just what he needed. Death.
Ever since he saw Hannah up on the dais and listened to The Creator’s sermon on the assurance of salvation, Samuel was formulating a plan. He knew in his heart it was only a matter of time before The Creator introduced Hannah as some sort of savior to worship. It was ludicrous and Samuel was convinced The Creator was under a devil’s spell. He would no longer listen to reason. In fact, The Creator no longer wanted to listen to Samuel at all. So it is time to take matters into my own hands, he thought. He would feed the poison to the child.
The only foreseeable problem with Samuel’s plan was getting access to the girl. How will I administer the foxglove potion if the girl is so often with The Creator now? It was a dilemma he would face later. For now, he needed to gather some of the foxglove plants and make his way out of the garden, preferably undetected. Samuel was a historian by design, thus his sudden interest in flowers would not go unnoticed. Slipping a small knife from his robe, he worked quickly to remove some of the leaves and stalks from a plant in the middle of the bushel. It would be less noticeable to the gardeners. After hiding those in his large pockets, he plucked a dozen of the bell-like petals and secreted those away as well. He was only just finishing when he heard someone coming along the path. Standing up straight and turning away from the medical plant's patch, Samuel waited while the person approached. He let out a small sigh of relief when he realized it was an underling. A new clone who knew next to nothing. It pleased Samuel when the man stopped at seeing him and bowed. "Excuse me, Brother Samuel," the man said. "I did not mean to disturb you." Samuel nodded.
"Don't let it happen again," he said and walked past the man to go. His steps were hurried. Samuel had things to do and there was no time to waste.
CHAPTER 11
They moved carefully through the mine tunnel. Hector was at the lead, Kevlar helmet on, largest body armor vest across his chest, combat rifle at the ready. Behind him were Blaze, Matthew, Kaleb, and the twins. They were similarly equipped and the team looked ready for action. Hector tried not to worry about one of them accidentally shooting him in the back. Everyone was running on high adrenaline. This is it, Hector thought as they neared the juncture where the tunnel split and led to the kingdom’s dungeon. The plan was simple. Take the few dungeon guards by storm, overwhelm them with the advanced firepower the team carried, and free Hector’s imprisoned followers. Should work. Unless Edward executed all of them this week. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to think positive. If it was meant to be, and Helen insisted it was, everything would work perfectly. Helen had not been happy to stay behind, but Hector insisted. She did not know how to use the combat rifles and someone needed to stay back with Simon. In all honesty, though, Hector insisted because he would never forgive
himself if something happened to her. Not only was she important to the realm and loved by the thousand souls who lived there, but he loved her. Losing Helen now, after finally finding her again, would crush him and he knew it. Helen had eventually relented, but not without eliciting a promise from the others that they protect Hector at all costs. He was to be king.
Reaching the final doorway, Hector took a deep breath. The reality he was on the verge of taking the first step toward regaining his birthright was nearly overwhelming. He paused and looked back at the others. Each stared at him from under the brim of their helmets and waited for his signal. Suddenly giving in to the excitement of the moment, Hector grinned. "Let's kick some ass," he whispered. It was just what the others needed and he saw them all relax and grin back. Checking his safety was off, Hector settled into a crouch and after counting to three, burst through the doorway with a roar.
The handful of dungeon guards were so surprised and terrified it almost made Hector laugh. Half of them raised their hands without even being told. The others who were brave enough to reach for their knives quickly changed their mind as the team rushed in behind Hector and held them at gunpoint. "Surprised?" Hector asked after the guards were disarmed and on their knees.
"A little," the lead guard replied. "Would you believe me if I said I'm happy to see you?" Hector raised his eyebrows at the statement.
"Seriously?" he asked. The group of guards nodded.
"Prince Edward has shown his true colors already," the lead guard said. "Once he becomes the king, we are all afraid for the kingdom's safety as well as our own family's well-being."
Hector frowned and tipped back his helmet. "What has he done?" he asked. The guards all looked from one to another as if considering how far to go, but then the leader shrugged.
"What have I got to lose?" he said and focused on Hector. "He has already imprisoned leaders from the community who are suspected of not supporting him. One inquisition ended in a public flogging already and the threat of future hangings looms. Plus, he is moving to increase the size of his army by forcing males into service and there is rumor he intends to tax us to a point no one will be able to feed their families with what is left."
Hector set his weapon aside and nodded to Matthew and the others to do the same. "Get up," Hector said to the guards who were still on their knees. "Give me the keys to the cells." He held out his paw and the lead guard stood up to hand over the ring of keys. "Perfect," Hector continued and turned to Blaze. "You want the honors?" Blaze nodded.
"With pleasure," he replied.
"Good," Hector said. "Take one of these guys with you so you only release the prisoners who are loyal to me, although I have a feeling everyone will be saying they are at this point." With a mock salute, Blaze followed one of the guards down the hall to the dungeon to get started. Once they were gone, Hector turned back to the lead guard. "What's your name?" he asked.
"Sergeant Ross, Your Grace," he said. Hector smiled a little at the unexpected sound of the title. He clapped a paw on the smaller cat mutant's shoulder.
"Very nice to meet you," Hector said. "And for now, you can just call me Hector." Sergeant Ross nodded, but Hector could see in his eyes he would never use Hector's first name. The cat mutant already saw him as the king. Glancing over, Hector saw the same look in all the guards’ eyes. This is real, Hector thought with a shiver. They are looking to me for leadership. Hector knew there was no room to make mistakes now.
“YOU’RE SURE YOU WANT to do this?” Willow asked Raven for the tenth time. After everything Raven had explained to her and Gabriel throughout the day, going back to the forbidden city and meeting up with The Duke again sounded risky. Engaged to be married? Willow thought with a shake of her head.
Raven sighed and nodded. "If we want to find Matthew and Blaze, not to mention Kit, then Reno is where we need to go," she replied. "Trust me, I'm not excited about the idea, but there is no other choice."
"We could help you find a spot to hide and give you supplies to last a few days while Willow and I go on ahead," Gabriel suggested. "To get a lay of the land." Willow saw Raven look over at the old soldier and pause to take in what he said. Although they had not talked about it in private yet, Willow knew Raven was surprised by the alliance between her and Gabriel. A battle-hardened nomad and a leader of the Patrols. It is crazy to contemplate, I’ll admit, Willow thought. It continued to shock her from time to time as well. Never in a million year would she have put her trust in a soldier from the Great Cave, yet here she was doing it. His reaction to Raven was a surprise as well. Initially, Willow knew the man wanted to take Raven back to the colony to use as leverage to free Hannah. Now, however, he appeared to be entirely captivated by the woman. She is definitely unique and able to hold some strange power over people, Willow thought. After knowing her for a while now, she forgot how unusual Raven was compared to the rest of the humans in her world. The question still remained for Willow as to where Raven came from exactly and who her people were, but there would be time to address all of those details later. Now it was time to take action.
“No, thank you,” Raven said in response to Gabriel’s offer. “Aside from finding my friends, there is unfinished business there. I’m not sure what the root of the evil is in that city, but I know The Duke is at the heart of it.”
“So be it,” Gabriel said and started up the jeep they were all crammed into. He began to drive them back over the dirt and snow to the main highway leading toward the city. Willow frowned at Raven’s last statement. It was true she was looking forward to meeting up with her people again. The idea of seeing Kit and Blaze made her heart happy. Still, the other reason to go back did not make sense to her.
“I’m not sure I understand why you think you need to fix whatever the problem is there,” Willow said. Raven did not reply immediately and Willow glanced at her. The woman’s beautiful face was thoughtful.
“I think it is my destiny,” she finally said. Willow was not sure what to make of her answer. She did not believe in destiny, or at least she had not in the past. Her entire life was based on reacting to the most immediate threat. Ever since she was a little girl, her existence was focused on survival. Even when her husband and parents were murdered at her wedding all those years ago, the notion that what happened was predestined never crossed her mind. As they rode bumping along, Willow gave it real thought. Was everything in my past supposed to prepare me to be here now? With Gabriel? With Raven? she thought. And if so, why? Before she could come up with an answer to her own question, Gabriel spoke from where he sat at the steering wheel.
“A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace,” he recited. “So it is written.” Willow saw Raven turn her head to stare at Gabriel.
“Ecclesiastes,” she murmured.
Willow saw Gabriel’s eyes widen at her statement. “Exactly. How do you know it? It is part of the sacred text only shared by the brotherhood in Eden,” he said, surprise and a hint of suspicion in his voice.
“You’ve been misled,” Raven said gently. “Those words, and especially the text they come from, are universal words of hope and promise. Where I come from, people everywhere know it.” Gabriel opened his mouth as if to say something and then, after a moment, closed it again. Willow could read a million questions in his eyes, but he wisely waited. There will be time for all of it later. Or so I hope, Willow thought as Gabriel turned the jeep onto the highway and began to drive them toward whatever lay ahead.
CHAPTER 12
As the sun began to set in the western sky, Hector led a platoon of marching cat mutants through the second tunnel leading into the hidden valley. Believing there was no other way to lead, he strode confidently at the front with a spear in his hand and a handgun in a shoulder holster. The mixture of traditional and modern weaponry was not lost on him. It epitomized all he represented. New ways blended with the old. Beside him walked Helen. Her head was held high and he smiled a little at the regal presence she lent to the mom
ent. Hector believed he would be king before the day was out, but she was the one who looked like royalty. I will need to learn a lot from her, he thought and realized he looked forward to it. He loved her and knew he owed everything to her. As they approached the end of the tunnel, a small contingent of guards armed with spears and swords waited for them. Prince Edward stood at the front and Hector stopped ten feet from him. They glared at each other. "I see you've come for my coronation," Prince Edward snarled. "How courageous." Hector snorted a laugh.
"Not exactly," Hector said. "I think this business has gone on long enough."
Prince Edward smirked. "For once we agree," he said. "But if you think you can march in here and take my throne from me, you are mistaken. I will stand against you to my last breath."
Helen stepped forward. "There is no need for violence," she said. "Pledge allegiance to your elder brother, as it should always have been, and let us bring peace back to our city." Hector saw a cloud of fury cross Prince Edward's face.
"Never," he hissed and pulled a long silver dagger from under his robes. Hector reacted in an instant and brought up his spear to block his brother's slash, but even his animal-quick reflexes could not stop Prince Edward's attack completely. The knife blade slid past the spear's point. This is going to hurt, Hector thought in a fleeting moment when suddenly Helen was pushing him. It all happened in a flash. A hush fell over everyone watching, both Hector and Prince Edward’s followers alike. Helen stood still and in an instant, Hector realized what was happening. His brother’s knife had missed Hector because Helen saved him, but in his place, the dagger had struck her. A look of surprise flashed on Prince Edward’s face and then he recoiled. In a blur of thoughts and emotions, Hector knew his brother realized the realm would never embrace him, now that he had struck their precious queen.