by D K Drake
Micah charged down the dark basement hallway and up the spiral staircase that wound through the center of the castle. How could he be replaced? By Theo? That older half-brother of his was a skinny, conniving weasel who hated everyone. He would make a terrible leader and would enjoy torturing Eli. The Dusk Stalker had always been trouble, but he didn’t deserve Theo’s brand of cruelty.
Then again, Micah had never been the epitome of kindness and mercy. Memories of the harsh words he had spoken and painful punishments he had carried out in Omri’s name humbled him and slowed his pace to a crawl by the time he reached the seventh floor.
Had people mourned for him at his funeral? Or did they cry tears of joy because they knew they would never have to see him again? Had anyone even tried to find him, or had they just presumed he was dead when he didn’t return to the castle?
He passed floors eight and nine and stopped on the staircase leading to the top floor of the castle. He looked at the flower in his hand and thought of the people depending on him back in Keckrick. He wanted to do right by them, and the only way he knew how to do that was to maintain a touch of his old, heartless self.
He dragged his heavy legs up the final flight of stairs, walked across the marble floor under the dome glass ceiling and approached the soldier standing guard at the entrance to the throne room. Clearing his throat, he said, “I’m here to see my father.”
The same scrawny man Micah had shoved aside upon his return from Gri spoke in a quivering voice. “He’s…ummm…he’s.” The man dropped his spear and nervously picked it up. “The king is in a private meeting. He doesn’t want to be disturbed.”
“Please inform him that his son has returned from the dead.” Micah patted the man’s shoulder. “I think that is a legitimate reason to disturb him.”
“Yes, sir. Yes, yes, of course.” The man nodded in agreement and opened the doors. He took a step inside the room and announced, “King Omri, you have a guest.”
“How dare you open those doors and speak to me!” Omri’s words made Micah cringe. He had forgotten how angry his father could get at the slightest intrusion. “No guest is important enough to interrupt my meeting.”
“What about this one?” Micah stepped in front of the soldier and held up the humminglo flower. “And I come bearing gifts from Keckrick.”
“Is that a…” Omri’s words trailed off as he got up from his throne, walked past his four captains, crossed the room, and took the flower from Micah. “It’s beautiful. How did you find this, and are there more like it?”
“It’s a long story, but there are plenty more like it.” Micah’s heart sank. He hoped his father would hug him, rejoice in his return, and welcome him home, but Omri focused his attention on the flower. That made Micah’s next words easier. “They can all be yours. Under the right conditions, that is.”
◊◊◊
“The right conditions?” Omri slapped Micah across the face and ordered the four other people in the room to leave. After they walked out and closed the doors behind them, Omri said, “You know I don’t deal well with negotiations or threats.”
Javan watched in shock from his hiding spot ten feet away from Micah as Omri punched Micah in the gut, then pulled back on his dreadlocks, forcing Micah to bend backwards and look up at Omri. “I want all the flowers like this one in my possession by the end of the day.”
What was wrong with this man? He hadn’t even bothered to say hello to the son he thought was dead. No wonder Micah had grown into such a jerk. His father valued flowers more than the life of his own child.
“Hear me out, sir.” Micah strained to speak. Javan found himself wanting to pull Omri’s hair to get him to let go of Micah. “You know I would never dare threaten you.”
Omri yanked Micah’s head back further. “I’m listening.”
Micah continued without attempting to fight back. “The conditions I alluded to involve eliminating the Collector and gaining both a Noon Stalker and a Dawn Stalker.”
Javan almost let the sword that gave him invisibility slip out of his hand. He regained his grip before dropping it. Javan had never felt so gullible. The man he felt sorry for a few seconds ago wanted to kill him and take his dragons.
Micah was just as ruthless as his father, and Javan wasn’t about to let him get anywhere near Varjiek or Kisa. He thus needed to get back to Keckrick ahead of Micah, but with the doors already closed, he couldn’t sneak out of the room.
He found himself stuck, and his blood ran cold when he heard the details of Micah’s plan.
Chapter 52
Micah’s Plan
Micah’s scalp felt like it was being ripped off his head and his body screamed from being contorted into an unnatural position. Yet he said nothing and let his father yank his hair. If he begged for relief or attempted to retaliate, Omri would simply inflict more pain.
Micah focused on his breathing while he let his words penetrate his father’s ego. Finally, Omri released Micah’s hair and sauntered to the other end of the room. He glided up the red carpeted steps to his throne and sat on the black cushion of the oversized, gold-plated chair that sparkled from the sunshine streaming through the windows behind it.
“Tell me your story,” Omri said. He gently placed the humminglo flower across his lap. “The short version that ends with me gaining two more dragons and an abundance of these giant flowers.”
“After I sent the Justice Units back to the castle from Midnight Territory, I began tracking Javan.” Micah clicked his way across the hollow room. Omri hadn’t invited him up on the platform sit in any of the captain’s chairs on either side of the throne, so he stopped at the bottom of the stairs. “I found him in Keckrick.”
“Keckrick?” Omri slapped his hands on the arms of his throne. “How did he know about the humminglos? Was he attempting to harvest them for his own use? How many of these giant flowers does he have in his possession?”
“None. He doesn’t care about the flowers.” Omri’s mini-tirade made Micah more curious than ever about the humminglo plants, but he suppressed that curiosity in order to deliver his well-rehearsed speech. “He collected a Dawn Stalker and is attempting to use his growing power to take over control of Keckrick.”
“What?” Omri’s roar rattled the statues of Omri’s tailless dragons that stood in the four corners of the room. “How did he collect a Dawn Stalker? My army has been guarding the entire perimeter of the Dawn Territory to prevent him from collecting any more dragons.”
“How is irrelevant.” Micah didn’t think Omri needed to know about Taliya hiding Kisa, and he certainly wasn’t going to admit that he watched Javan ride away on Kisa. “The fact remains that Javan has two dragons and is using them to unite Keckrick in a fight against you.”
“That is a war he will not win!” Omri leapt to his feet. “I will wipeout that entire rebellious region. Gather the Justice Units and--”
“No.” Micah had never interrupted Omri before. He held his breath and waited for his father’s reaction.
Omri cocked his head and hissed his response. “What did you just say to me?”
“No.” Repeating the word instilled courage in Micah. “The way to win is to do nothing.”
“Oh?” Omri crossed his arms and shot daggers at Micah with his eyes.
Micah could tell Omri’s patience was gone. He needed to talk fast. “You want the humminglo flowers, Javan, and his dragons. All the people of Keckrick want is to live. Javan is giving them that hope. You can, too. Let them live. Instead of wiping out Upper or Lower Keckrick based on who provides more flowers, take their super flowers and let them all live.”
“Interesting proposition, but that doesn’t eliminate Javan or get me his dragons.”
“It does if you give them a choice.”
“What choice is that?”
“Tell them they can surrender Javan for execution by my hand or suffer total annihilation by yours.”
Chapter 53
Javan’s Plan
An involuntary gas
p escaped Javan’s lips. He quickly covered his mouth to keep more unwelcome noises from getting through. Sound carried well in this mammoth room, as evidenced by the fact he could hear every word the two men spoke at the opposite end of the room. If he could hear them, they would be able to hear him.
“I am not convinced.” Omri picked up the flower he had dropped and returned to his seat on the throne. “Repealing my original command to destroy the half of Keckrick that provides the fewest flowers will make me look weak.”
“On the contrary,” Micah said. “You become stronger than ever. You gain the entire humminglo supply—including the super flowers—without having to send one dragon through the portal. The people will view your repeal as mercy and work harder in the coming years to keep you supplied with humminglos. They will willingly surrender Javan to save themselves, and once I slay the Collector, his dragons become yours.”
Javan wondered if the people would turn him over that easily. They knew he was willing and able to fight for them. Wouldn’t they want to fight for a chance at freedom? Or was survival more important? Would they rather live even though it meant living as Omri’s slaves?
“That last part is brilliant,” Omri said. “Although I agreed to abide by the law and not harm the Collector, you are not bound by those restrictions. Executing him would end the Battle for the Throne, and the additional dragons would make me more powerful.”
Javan could end the battle as well. In his current invisible state, he could execute both Omri and Micah before anyone else became aware of anything these men were currently plotting. Maybe. The concept of killing men in cold-blood didn’t sit well with him.
“You agree with my plan, then?” Micah put one foot on the bottom step, then immediately moved it back to the floor. “You will spare Keckrick in exchange for their super flowers and Javan?”
A glint of steel from the left corner of the room near the throne caught Javan’s eye. Further inspection revealed the tip of a weapon and the leg of someone hiding under the statue of the Midnight Stalker.
So much for his execution plan. Despite being invisible, Javan doubted his ability to take out two men at once. He certainly wasn’t skilled enough to take out three people.
“Yes.” Omri leaned back on his throne. “Get me the super flowers and Javan’s dragons, and I will spare the people of Keckrick.”
“Yes, sir.” Micah nodded and began walking back toward the exit.
Javan gripped his sword tighter. As long as he held the sword, no one could see him. He could sneak out of the room behind Micah, exit the castle, and head to Midnight Territory to collect a Midnight Stalker. If he never returned to Keckrick, the people would never have the option of turning him over to Micah.
But if they didn’t have that option, Omri would order a complete genocide of the people of Keckrick. Was Javan’s life more valuable than millions of people?
What about the people of Zandador? Javan’s death would ensure Omri remained on the throne. His sole mission in life was to overthrow Omri. If he failed, the people of Zandador were doomed to live under Omri’s oppressive rule for 500 more years.
At least they would be alive. The people of Keckrick wouldn’t have that privilege if Javan ran away. He needed to return with Micah and surrender himself on behalf of Keckrick.
Micah yanked the doors open. Javan tiptoed in that direction as Micah disappeared into the hallway, but the guard pulled the doors shut before Javan could get through them.
Not good. Not good at all.
Chapter 54
The Power of the Humminglo
Micah leaned his wobbly body against the railing and began his staircase descent to the basement. He did it. He actually did it. He had stood up to his father, presented his case and convinced Omri to change his mind. The people of Keckrick would survive. Javan wouldn’t, but wasn’t killing one person better than slaughtering an entire population?
Yes. The logical answer had to be yes. Micah just wished he didn’t have to be the one to carry out the execution. The idea made his stomach turn. He thus felt sick by the time he reached the basement.
The moldy smell from the dank walls sparked a piercing headache. He couldn’t return to Keckrick. Not yet. Not until he felt strong and healthy again. Resting in the lounge on the ground floor should help him recover. Maybe he would even have the servants fix him some soup to settle his stomach.
Micah changed directions and climbed up two steps when he noticed a light seeping into the basement hallway from the end opposite the portal room and near the entrance to the Dragon Quarters. The light came from Barath’s lab.
That old man liked to talk. He would gladly babble about the humminglos to Micah, and Micah could finally discover why these flowers were so important to Omri. Curiosity cured Micah’s nausea and headache. He traipsed down the hall and barged into the lab without knocking.The vastness of the lab surprised him. It spanned the entire length of the castle and half its width. Dozens of workstations scattered around the open space were divided only by strategically placed columns that kept the castle from collapsing. Men and women dressed in the standard brown garb of Zandadorian citizens worked in pairs around the workstations dissecting humminglo flowers.
Most of them were too entrenched in their work to notice him standing at the door. Disbelief washed over the faces of the few who did look his way. While he let them try to figure out if they were seeing a ghost or the real live version of himself, Micah scanned the room for Barath.
He spotted the half-bald black man with a well-trimmed white beard hunched over a long table in the back left corner of the room. One pair of glasses rested on top of his head, one pair perched on the end of his nose and one pair dangled from a chain around his neck. He wore a white coat over his red shirt and was carefully cutting the web-like strings off one of the super flowers.
“Tell me, Barath,” Micah said, leaning over Barath’s shoulder, “what makes this flower so special?”
“Micah?” Barath dropped his knife, stumbled off his stool and poked Micah’s chest. “Is that really you? You are alive?”
“Yes.”
“Welcome back from the dead.” Barath flung his arms around Micah’s waist and gave him a brief squeeze. “Your father will be pleased. You must go see him right away.”
“I just saw him.” A pang of guilt hit Micah’s heart. This man whom Micah had mistreated and mocked was the only one who had given him a warm greeting. Micah made a mental note to start respecting this old man.
“Good, good,” Barath said. “Did he send you to inquire about my test results? I don’t have them yet. I’m working as fast as I can, but--”
“It’s okay,” Micah said. He eased Barath back onto his stool. “King Omri didn’t send me here. I came on my own.”
“Oh? Why? You don’t usually like to visit me.”
“I do today. I want to learn about these flowers. I know they are important to my father, and I want to understand why. Can you explain what makes these flowers special?”
“Oh, many, many things. The aloe from the leaves is used to make healing ointment. The petals are crushed and used in lotions to relieve headaches. But it’s the substance found within the strings of the flower that is most interesting.”
Barath cut a section of string off the flower and squeezed the clear liquid inside the string into a small glass. “Smell.” He handed the glass to Micah.
Micah swirled the liquid around and inhaled. “I don’t smell anything.”
“Exactly. It is undetectable. You can put it in any beverage or on any food, and it blends in. No one is ever aware that they are consuming it.”
“Is this poison?” Micah put the glass on the table and took a step back. “Does my father want all these flowers so he can harvest undetectable poison?”
“No.” Barath chuckled. “It is harmless to one’s health.”
“Then what’s the point? What does it do?”
“Hmmm. How to explain this?” Barath leaned his elbows
on the table, locked his fingers together, and tapped his thumbs against each other. “You know how you cut off the tails of dragons to gain control of its will?”
“Yes.”
Barath picked up the glass. “This does the same thing to humans.”
“What? I don’t follow.”
“Mind control, Micah.” Barath tapped the glass. “If you were to drink the contents of the cup, it would cut off your free will, and allow me to control your mind. You would do whatever I told you to do and would be powerless to resist my commands.”
“That’s why Omri wants all of these flowers? He wants the power to control people’s minds?”
“Oh, yes. Think how much easier it will be to rule the land. He won’t have to use his dragons to instill fear in people. He can simply issue orders and expect them to be followed without backlash or rebellion.”
“Wonderful.” Complete and total power over people. That used to be Micah’s big dream. Now it seemed arrogant and wrong.
Barath leaned back over his table and fingered the super flower. “These super flowers seem to be more potent than anything I’ve seen before. Extracting the substance will take some time, but we should be ready to begin widespread distribution by the first of the year.”
“That soon?” Micah pasted a smile on his face. “My father will be happy to hear that.” He patted Barath’s back and left the lab.
His headache returned with a vengeance. What had he done? And could he stop it?
Chapter 55
Secrets and Dilemmas
Javan bit his bottom lip and stared at the wooden doors blocking his exit. What would happen if he opened the doors? It might startle Omri, his mystery guest, and the soldier guarding the entrance, but they couldn’t exactly see him to stop him. Plus, he doubted they would automatically assume an invisible man was wandering through the castle opening doors. He just had to be quick about it and get away before they realized he had even been there.