Betrayal (The Two Moons of Rehnor, Book 14)

by J. Naomi Ay

  Nobody ever won. Nobody was ever that good. Except for one person. Anne. She had aced it three times in a row. Of course, that was many decades ago, and Anne had been known as someone else.

  After she got her gun, Anne decided, she’d have to hit the road again. With Walter on her tail, she knew she wasn't safe. It would only be a matter of time until he found some excuse to bring her in, and a curious judge willing to sign off on a warrant.

  Being Saturday, Anne knew no judges were at work, so she was safe for two days to pack her things, and make plans. Since Murray's opened at ten on the weekends, and it was a two hour walk down the hill to the town, she planned to be up and out of there by 8AM. The competition would take an hour. After collecting the gun, she could be on a bus by noon. But, where to go?

  Anne sighed heavily. The truth was, Anne was tired of traveling. She’d been doing nothing else for the last few years.

  It had started as an innocent trip back to Rozari, a vacation for the family all together at the old house. Anne had been looking forward to spending time with her grown sons, and young granddaughter. She had been hoping that her husband would get some rest, and lighten up. Then, a huge dust storm trapped them on a spacebase. The next thing Anne knew, she was stuck in a stairwell. Her husband was there, looking strange, and saying odd things.

  Anne thought she was going to die. Actually, she thought they both were already dead, until he gave her a choice: Climb the staircase, and choose a door, right or left, but pick only one. One door was to go out and the other was to go in.

  Anne assumed that "In" meant back to the world, and "Out" meant into the ground in a box. However, she had totally misinterpreted what her husband meant. "Out" turned out to be the private spaceplane docks, where her husband had parked a Type A, fully-loaded Winnebago.

  For a while, Anne and her husband traveled the galaxy having fun. Nobody knew them, nobody bothered them, and nobody cared. They did all the things old married couples were supposed to do when their children were grown, and they had retired from a hectic and busy work life. They slept late, ate what and when they wanted, bickered and fought over every little thing, and made a lot of love just because they still could.

  When Anne's husband left, her life suddenly spiraled out of control. Everything she thought she knew became upended. Someone else arrived, someone who claimed he knew Anne better than she knew herself. She couldn't remember all the things he said they did, or that she had loved him long before she loved his brother.

  "Get out!" Anne screamed at the cats. "I'm not who you think I am! I didn't do that! That wasn't me!"

  "Who was it then?" a deep voice said behind her, causing Anne to spin around, prepared to level the caller with a swift front kick.

  "Oh Gabe," she groaned, pulling back her foot. "It's only you. What in the hell do you want now?"

  "I see you've turned into the crazy cat lady that lives in every neighborhood," he said.

  "Yeah, well, fortunately, I'm leaving this neighborhood first thing in the morning. The cats will have to find another wicked witch to give them food."

  "Where are we going?" Gabe sat down on the sofa, while Anne shut and locked the back door. "What's for dinner tonight? Any ideas?"

  "I don't know, and nothing." Anne went into the bedroom to find her small kit bag, which she had previously tossed in the bottom of closet, or under bed. She fetched her toiletries and extra clothes, her pair of boots, and her one coat. "Wait a minute. Who said WE are going anywhere? You're on your own, Gabe, and I'm on mine. It was nice meeting you, but this is where we part."

  "Ok," Gabe called. "I was thinking of Mediterranean food tonight. How does falafel with some garlicky humus and tahini sound?"

  "Garlicky."

  "If we both have it we won't smell it on each other's breath. Although, it's not like we would be kissing each other anyway. And, since you need to hide from the rabid Peace Officer, I was thinking you might want to stay at my place until tomorrow. I could drive you to the gun range in the morning."

  "Your place?"

  Anne hadn't realized Gabe had a place. She assumed, he, being one of them, just sort of floated around here and there.

  "In the city." Gabe pointed out the window to the west, to the shining metal metropolis where Anne grew up. "I have an apartment in a tower on the forty-second floor. I love to be high up in the sky."

  "I bet," Anne replied, emerging from the bedroom, ready to go. "Let me guess, it's a loft. Somedays, you're sleeping above the clouds."

  "How did you know?"

  "My husband's first apartment was just like that. How did you know about the Peace Officer anyway?"

  "I saw him leaving as I was driving up. You look lovely, Anne. Those t-shirt and jeans are very becoming on you. You're always lovely."

  "I know, I'm positively angelic."

  Gabe laughed, a musical sound, like a symphony coming from just his voice.

  Anne sighed and rolled her eyes, slinging the bag over her shoulder. "Alright, Gabe. Falafel and your place, but I sleep on the couch. And, you should know, my name's not really Anne."

  "I know that, Cassie." Gabe rose and opened the door, holding it open for the lady to walk through.

  "It's not Cassie either! It's Katie. Katie with a 't'."

  "Right, Katie with a 't'. I'll try to remember that, Cassie. Let's pick up some ice cream for dessert."

  Chapter 15

  Joanne’s day pass would only allow her to visit the Fashion Mall, and the school, so all the restaurants and places Jim suggested wouldn’t work. She didn’t want to go back to the Cowboy Corral. It’s wasn’t that good, and she didn’t want to risk anyone recognizing them from the last visit. The only other places to eat in the mall were the food court and a few coffee bistros. Joanne figured they’d need more time to discuss and plan, so she suggested that Jim meet her at the school.

  “We can eat in the cafeteria. We can act like we’re there to visit with the kids.”

  “I hardly know your kids,” Jim protested. “And, no offense, but I don’t like them.”

  “You could pretend that you’re interviewing Carolie for a summer internship. She’ll go along with it. She’s a good actress.”

  “I’m president of the company, Joanne. I don’t interview interns.”

  “Help me out here, Jim!” Joanne’s voice took on a hysterical tone. “You have no idea what it’s like for us now. We’re all being held prisoner. The only way I can call you is to go to the mall, and use the free phone at the Apple store.”

  “Alright,” Jim reluctantly agreed. “A summer internship it is. Or, better yet, maybe she would like a job helping around the house? Since we lost Napu, we’ve been looking for someone to keep an eye on Tim.”

  “Napu?” Joanne had to ask, even though the Apple Geniuses were glaring at her. One of them pointed at the clock, drawing a hand across his throat. Joanne showed him five fingers, while mouthing, "Five more minutes," which fortunately, prompted the Genius to turn away.

  "Yeah," Jim began. "Napu was the Admiral’s manservant, a Luminerian dude, but also a Rossorian. The guy started out normal, sort of, but became increasingly rabid in his religion. When he started insisting that we all wear blue robes, we had to let him go. There was no way I was going to give up all my fashionable and cool attire just to start walking around completely covered from head to toe. Gwen was almost for it, but she's put on a little bit of weight. I guess she figured if she was all covered up no one would notice."

  "Strange," Joanne muttered. "I thought all the Rossorians were wiped out in the floods on Rehnor."

  "No. They're cropping up everywhere on every planet. I think Napu went to join some army. He might have even gone to Earth. I don't know. I wasn't paying all that much attention. I've got more things to worry about than Lord Rosso taking over the galaxy."

  Joanne had more problems too. The Rossorians were among the least of her concerns. Frankly, someone other than her father-in-law taking over the galaxy might actually be a
good thing.

  At any rate, they made a date to meet in Donika-hahr at the kids’ school.

  The next day, Joanne checked out a speeder from the pool vehicles available for the staff to use. She retrieved it from the garage beneath the house. Up on blocks, in a distant corner of the underground structure, sat a vintage Lexus coupe in white. Next to it was an equally old Porsche in shiny black.

  Joanne unlocked the blue SdK Speedster, and tossed her purse inside. It smelled like brand new leather, and was spotless, unlike any other car she had ever owned. In fact, this speeder, one of more than twenty similar vehicles in the garage, probably cost more than the house she had grown up in.

  For a moment, Joanne hesitated. Did she really want to go meet Jim? Did she really want to go through with the plans forming in her head? She studied her reflection in the speeder’s glass, her face elongated, her eyes distorted.

  Joanne shut the door, and leaned back on the speeder’s hood. She swiped at the tears leaking from her eyes. Again, her gaze drifted to the classic cars, so diligently preserved for decades already. The white one, the Lexus, she knew was Katie’s.

  Wandering slowly across the garage, Joanne tried not to compare herself to her mother-in-law. But, how could she not? Katie was famous for having run away. Katie was also famous for her steely spine, and for putting Senya in his place when he needed knocking down, something she couldn’t do with Steve, let alone his Imperial Father.

  The Lexus was immaculate, as if it had never been driven, except for the pair of tortoise rimmed sunglasses resting on the dash. There was also a gold tube of lipstick in a cup holder, and a pair of slim black leather gloves strewn across the passenger seat. In the narrow backseat, a child’s car seat was still buckled in.

  With a bit of a jolt, Joanne realized who it had belonged to. Steve had been the one to ride back there. How odd, and wrenching it must have been for him to wake up one morning, and be torn from his entire life, to be whisked off to the Imperial Palace to become someone else.

  Surprisingly, Joanne felt a thickness swell in her throat. She blinked back more tears, which had formed in her eyes. Katie had known it would happen. Katie had willingly signed up for the job, but not Steve. Steve was just an innocent child.

  Suddenly Joanne felt an urge to go back in the house, if only to say goodbye to her husband before he left that night. Although their time together had never been great, they had moments when it had certainly been good. Maybe, even very good. If only, she hadn’t constantly compared him to her first husband. If only their marriage hadn’t included Sam’s shadow.

  “Hey,” Joanne called softly, finding Steve out on the deck in front of their bedroom.

  Her husband was sitting with his brother at the tiny bistro table where he liked to have breakfast. Joanne always made an excuse not to eat out there. She preferred her coffee alone, or with her step-father Taner, whose quiet contemplation seemed to soothe her mornings. Steve’s incessant smoking, and pacing like a caged animal, would set Joanne on edge, so much so, it would ruin her entire day.

  Now, Steve sat staring at the clouds, a cup of coffee billowing wisps of steam in the same manner as the cigarette in his hand.

  “Did you see it come back yet?” he asked his brother.

  “What? That bird which just flew by?”

  “That’s no bird, dude. That’s…”

  “Hey,” Joanne said louder. “Steve?”

  “Oh Jo.” Her husband glanced over his shoulder and almost smiled. His lips turned up a little, but not enough to echo in his sea blue eyes. Instead, they surveyed her without emotion. “I thought you left for Donika-hahr.”

  “I forgot something.” Joanne smiled awkwardly. She waved her hand at the bedroom. “So, I just came back to get it.”

  “Ok, honey,” Steve replied, blowing out a cloud of smoke. “Say hi to the kids for me. Hopefully, Rent and I will be back to see them soon.”

  Joanne nodded, forced her lips into that odd, tight upward tilt, and waved her hand at Rent. “Bye.”

  Hesitantly, she went into the bedroom, and looked around, searching for something. Something she could blame this intrusion on. Her hairbrush was on the bureau. Joanne picked up, tested it against her long dark tresses, looking backward at her husband in the mirror.

  “Steve?” she called loudly.

  “Yeah?”

  “May I talk to you alone? Please?”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  Steve didn’t move from his chair, and neither did Rent.

  “Will you come in here?”

  Joanne saw him pause for a moment, as if he was considering whether or not to get up. Rent glanced her way, a blank expression on his face.

  “Steve? Please,” Joanne repeated.

  Steve tossed his cig on the deck, crushing it with a foot. He told his brother he’d be right back, to hold that thought.

  “What is it, Jo?” he asked, with a bit of annoyance.

  “I just wanted to say goodbye,” Joanne whispered to the mirror. “Just in case, one of us doesn’t come back.”

  “Aw, Jo.”

  Steve’s face soften, that coldness abating for just a moment. He smiled whimsically at her in the mirror, putting his hand on her shoulder, stroking the hair that she had brushed.

  Inexplicably, Joanne began to sob. She put the brush down and covered her eyes. In their brief two years together, she had thought she didn’t love him. In fact, most of the time, she had looked upon him with something akin to hate. Now, when she had the chance to escape, when he had turned cold to her, was she weeping for something she didn’t want?

  “Listen, Jo.” Steve leaned into her, pressing his long, strong body against her back. “If something happens to me,” he whispered into her hair. “I want you to raise Sara away from the Court. It’s all spelled out in my Will. Taner has it. You have full custody, Jo. Please try to keep her sane.”

  “But, your father…”

  “He doesn’t care about her. He doesn’t care about anybody, including his own sorry self. He’s bent on destroying everything in this galaxy, and probably everyone with it. What he did to Rehnor, to Mishnah was just the beginning.”

  Steve put a hand on her waist and spun her toward him. Lifting her chin so that he could look in her eyes, he continued. “That’s why he’s only funding the redeployment of the starships and nothing else. He’s going to use them to decimate whole planets.”

  “How do you know?” Joanne gasped.

  “I just do. Jo, Petya was my best friend since we shared the same crib. He fell from the ceiling and was crushed to death right in front of my face. Rent and I would have been next if we hadn’t high-tailed it out of there. It’s just a matter of time now for everyone, especially me. He nearly killed me once before. He’ll do it again.”

  “I’m so sorry, Steve. You don’t deserve to live like this.”

  Joanne reached up and ran her hand through her husband’s curly blonde hair. She wanted to help him. She wanted to save him.

  “Don’t pity me, Jo. I’m a lot stronger than I look. I’m no angel, but I am Shika de Kudisha, Senya and Katie's son."

  “You are,” Joanne nodded, and forced a tiny smile. “And, you are as strong as they are. Steve, do you think if we were somewhere else, maybe…”

  Steve rang a finger down her cheek. “Maybe. We could have been good if life didn’t get in the way. Next time around, babe? You and me in some future time and place?”

  “Ok.” Joanne sniffed.

  “In the meantime, give my regards to Jim.”

  “Jim?”

  Steve bent down and kissed her lips, leaving the scent of his aftershave, and the feel of his lips upon her skin.

  "Steve? I...I..."

  "Goodbye Jo." He chucked her chin, and winked as he strode away. “Rent and I need to plan how to get out of here without letting the Evil Emperor catch us.”

  Joanne stood in the bedroom and watched him, the French doors swishing shut behind him, as he bent his head to light
a fresh cigarette.

  Then, she squared her shoulders, and her resolve. She had a job to do, and she would do it. Joanne, from Earth by way of Turko, would rid the galaxy of the Evil Emperor.

  Chapter 16

  That evening, when the sun had set behind the mountains in the west, and the sky had turned a milky, violet color, Steve and Rent crept out of the villa, telling no one, not even Taner where they had gone. The wind had come up just as forecast, scattering rain clouds across the horizon. The grass beneath their feet was already wet from an afternoon shower, and there was a chill to the air even though it was well into spring.

  Katie's old sailboat was tied to the wooden dock, the lines stretching, the dock creaking as the waves rolled into the shore. The boat's halyards pinged against the mast, the sea slapped against the hull, but the boat road the waves, gently bobbing up and down.

  "You sure you know how to do this?" Rent asked his brother, looking anxiously at the little craft.

  Rent was starting to feel a bit queasy, the bile rising in his throat, his stomach turning before he had even stepped aboard.

  "Sure, no problem," Steve replied, leaping onto the boat, setting it rocking more violently for a moment. Only narrowly did he avoid the boom as the wind and waves tossed it in his direction. "I used to go sailing all the time.”

  “With who?”

  “Mom. She taught me everything I know.”

  Steve pushed open the tiny cabin door, releasing thousands of spiders from their seaborne prison.

  “Come on. Help me attach the sails.”

  Rent put out a foot to step on board just as the trough of a wave slipped the boat down. With his foot hanging in midair, the momentum of his movement already pushing him forward, the younger prince found himself plummeting onto the hard fiberglass bench seats.

  “Ow!” he hollered just as Steve emerged from the cabin, a mass of white polyester sailcloth wrapped in his arms.