Chuckling at Blayne's attempt to goad him, Tavio crossed his arms and studied his prisoner. "They are nearby. But they are nobodies, you are the one I need. And you’re lucky, Kessen wants to talk to you. It is the only reason you are still alive. Personally, I would have killed you and moved on, it’s much simpler that way."
“Well, I’m sorry to complicate your life so much,” sneered Blayne. “What is it you want from me?”
“Well, as I said, The Director wants you alive. He hopes you will join him and show your support for his rule. It would make the transition of power so much easier. The people of Dunadd are… adamant, in their support for the former Royal Family. So he has ordered me to bring you, or your sister, back to Dunadd.” Tavio leaned forward and said in a lowered voice, “Kessen stressed alive, but he said nothing about damaged,” he grinned. “So on that note, where is your sister? Unlike you, she has real value to me.”
Blayne glared at Tavio and refused to answer the question. “Why would you need Cadee? Of what use is she to you?” Then a realization hit me like a meteor, “Wait, why would you need me or Cadee? What about my father?” His eyes narrowed, and he growled, “What have you done with the King?”
Tavio’s eyes lit up as he leered, “Oh, you don’t know, do you? Oh, this is an unexpected bonus to my day.” He leaned forward and whispered, “The King is dead.”
Blayne’s face fell, his eyes dropped away from the smug look on Tavio’s face. Forcing himself to breathe, he fought the tears that threatened to well up in his eyes as Tavio continued to gloat.
“Oh, your father put up a decent fight, hiding behind his Knights. But in the end, I dragged him in front of Director Kessen, and then I killed him.” Tavio said, watching the reactions play across Blayne's face.
Blayne fought the impulse rising in him to rage and struggle against his restraints. He knew his father would insist he maintained the composure befitting a Prince, even in a terrible situation like this.
A sadistic grin spread across Tavio’s face as he leaned back and rested his hands behind his head in the chair, “Lamond was useless in the long run, just as you are. But, unlike you, your sister is useful. She is a little young for my taste, but I will make do.” The sneer widened on his face.
Blayne’s self-restraint evaporated as he jerked forward in his chair, pulling against the restraints, “You son of a bitch! You will not touch her!” he yelled.
Tavio snorted, “And how do you think you’ll stop me? What Kessen doesn’t seem to understand, when you are out of the way, Cadee is the next in line to rule. Well, that is, if we hadn’t taken the planet away from you. But…” he held up a finger to emphasize, “If, let’s say, after Kessen and Cadee's wedding I removed Kessen from the Dunadd throne, the rule would fall back onto the Maxwell line.”
Tavio leaned closer to Blayne’s face, “And then, according to Dunadd law, the man that is her husband will be King, wouldn’t it?” he asked. “It’s too bad you won’t be around for the wedding. I’m sure Cadee will be heartbroken when she learns how you died during an escape attempt.”
Blayne jerked again, straining with everything he had against the restraints. “You bastard! I will kill you before you touch her!”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. You aren’t the first to threaten my life and you certainly will not be the last. Now the only trouble with this plan is, where is Cadee?”
“Even if I knew, I wouldn’t tell you!”
Tavio stared at Blayne hard, and raised an eyebrow in realization, “You really don’t know, do you? I know for a fact you and your sister escaped Dunadd together.” He gave a little shrug, “Thanks, if I understand the reports correctly, to the sacrifice of your mother.” The psychopath shook his head at Blayne, “And you also lost your little sister. Your parents would be so disappointed in you. What kind of brother are you? Besides incompetent?”
Blayne silently glared at Tavio, refusing to give him more reaction than what he had already. He forced himself to breathe normally, to regain his composure, but his fists had clenched so tight his fingernails dug into his palms. He could feel drops of blood being squeezed out between his fingers.
Before Tavio could continue his questions, a door behind Blayne banged open and the crisp footsteps of military boots approached. Blayne watched Tavio’s eyes glance over his shoulder and a look of disgust momentarily crossed the Aratan’s face. “I was told I could have 10 minutes,” Tavio scowled.
A man in the pressed officer uniform of the Crorix military came into Blayne’s view and stood beside Tavio, coldly looking down at Blayne like he was examining someone’s pet lizard. “You’ve had enough time, now leave us,” the officer stated flatly, dismissing Tavio with a glance.
Blayne couldn’t help but get some satisfaction at seeing Tavio’s casual dismissal, and the struggle the madman had at restraining his temper as he stomped out of the room.
The military officer slid smoothly into the vacant chair like a snake and steepled his fingers in front of him before he spoke, “Mr. Maxwell, you are a hard man to find.”
Jerking his head in the direction Tavio left, Blayne said sarcastically, “And popular it seems. Now please tell me, what can I do for the Crorix military?” He shrugged against his cuffs, “But as you can see, I’m a little busy at the moment.”
“Oh, I’m not here for the military. I’m here under Tyrell’s direct orders,” the officer stated with pride.
“What would King Tyrell want with me? To my knowledge, we do not have any political relationship between our planets, friendly or adverse.”
“Oh, we don’t. And he prefers Emperor Tyrell now. But you’re right, your father had been steadfast in refusing any of our advances toward friendship.”
Blayne raised an eyebrow questionably, “Friendship? Tyrell has been trying to get his claws into our Kingdom for years.”
The officer flicked his fingers dismissively, “I am not here to discuss political objectives, neither the Emperor’s or your fathers. I am here with an offer.”
Blayne forced himself to unclench his hands and regain his composure, “What does the… ‘Emperor’ want?” he asked slowly.
“It is quite simple. And it would benefit you both, to great dividends. All you need to do is declare your personal fealty to Emperor Tyrell, along with your planet. And in exchange, he will ‘convince’ Director Kessen to return Dunadd to you.”
“Why? So I can be his puppet? There’s not a chance in hell I would ever do that and let Tyrell gain a foothold in the Evar Solar System. Ever” Blayne growled.
“As a gesture of his good faith, I have been instructed by Emperor Tyrell to give you some intel, for free, that you will find extremely useful.” The officer continued, his composure remaining still and impartial despite Blayne's resistance. “As you've probably learned by now, your father's sister has been a loyal agent of Aratan for years. And according to our intelligence sources, she has been instrumental in the planning stages of this invasion for years.”
“Yes, she made it quite clear during the invasion how she was involved,” Blayne sneered. “She is a conniving bitch, so none of this is surprising news.”
"True," the officer leaned forward and lowered his voice, so only Blayne could hear it. "Here is something I am sure you do not know. I ask you, who is Douglas’s father?"
Surprised, Blayne pursed his lips, “It has always been said it was a Knight who died before he was born.”
The officer shook his head and winked, “I imagine you're smarter than that. Now think about the past few days. Why would Wynda betray her only known family? Why would she help Aratan claim the throne of Dunadd?”
Blayne stared at the floor in thought while variables tumbled around in his head. Why would his Aunt betray them? Yes, she had always treated him poorly. He knew she was jealous of his position in the line of succession. It was common knowledge in the Palace she wished her son had a higher position than a cousin to the future King. Then it hit him. Why Aratan, why Kessen. He looked up
at the officer. “Kessen, Kessen is Douglas’s father.”
The officer smiled and gave a small clap with his gloved hands. “Bravo! Well done. You are not as useless as we have been led to believe.”
Now everything fell into place. Aunt Wynda’s treatment of his mother, her disdain for him and Cadee, her constant fighting with his parents. And now the invasion, the killing of the Royal family, it was all to put Douglas in direct succession to the throne.
The officer interrupted his thoughts, “Now that you know the truth, what do you think of Emperors Tyrell’s offer? If you publicly declare your loyalty to him and his rule, he will have Kessen removed from the throne before you can get back home. One word from me and my men will take those cuffs off you and slap them on Tavio.” He leaned forward again and whispered, “Between you and me, he is kind of a psychotic dick.”
Blayne slumped back into his chair and stared at the officer while the offer crashed around in his head. Why was Tyrell so interested in Dunadd? Then the realization struck him, food! It was the only resource Dunadd had worth anything. Blayne squinted at the officer and asked, “What’s the cost? Taxes? Tithe?”
The officer shrugged, “I believe it will be yield percentages, but the details can be handled later. Do you agree to Emperor Tyrell’s offer then?”
In the back of his mind he could only see King Lamond and his mother, giving one of their constant speeches about his duty to the people of Dunadd. How it was his duty to protect the Kingdom, regardless of the cost to himself. So to him, there was only one choice to make. “You can tell your Emperor that he will not be getting his filthy fingers on Dunadd today.”
Nodding, the officer stood up. “I tried to warn the Emperor that would be your response, but he insisted on giving you a chance.” The officer frowned, “I would say good day to you,” and he nodded back at the door where Tavio was waiting, “But I doubt the day will end well for you.” And without further ado, the officer strode out of the room whistling to himself.
The door slammed open as Tavio came in. He strode in front of Blayne, leaned on the chair and asked, “Now, where were we? Oh, yes. We were taking you and your friends back to Dunadd, where sadly you will die in front of all of your people, trying to escape,” he said with a viscous grin.
Chapter 24
Blayne and his friends, their hands secured behind their backs, were marched through the boulevards of Crorix, surrounded by Kartack soldiers in their heavy armor. Blayne kept his eyes glued to the back of Tavio, his anger building in his chest with each step. All of this time he had been blaming Kessen for the invasion of Dunadd and the death of his parents. And now he knew Commander Tavio had even worse plans than Kessen. But this moment his sole concern had to be to survive. He fought against his restraints again, a useless gesture but the frustration in him was building. Not only for his sake but for his friends walking beside him; they had to live. There was no way in hell Blayne would allow Tavio to find his sister and force her into any marriage. Absolutely no way. He may have failed on protecting her from being kidnapped, but he would not fail her in this.
He tensed his arms against the cuffs, trying to ignore the pain as they cut into his wrists. The guard behind him saw his struggle and slammed the butt of a rifle into his kidney. Dropping to one knee with a gasp, Blayne forced himself not to fall over. He must not show that kind of weakness, not now, not in front of his friends or these soldiers. He gritted his teeth against the pain in his side and forced his legs to stand up.
Beside him, with his own hands shackled, Gunn tried to help him stand. But Blayne shook him off angrily, glaring a silent threat to the guard who had struck him. Kreta moved to his other side, and with his friends beside him, they continued their march through the streets. Enduring the occasional shove from an overzealous guard.
Tavio spun around to walk backward while he addressed them with a smile. “Ah, this is almost enough humiliation as it is. Almost, but not quite.” Waving his arms at the crowd on either side of them, parted by the armored soldiers, he said, “I want everyone to know who captured you.” In a whisper he added, “It will make it that much more believable when the reports of your death during an escape hit the news feeds. Video I, of course, will ‘leak’ to the news.”
Tavio stopped walking and waited until Blayne got closer, then bent down to get in his face, “Be thankful I am giving you a much more dignified death than your father. Stabbing a man in the back is not very… sporting.”
Blayne forced himself to keep his rage in check and glared into Tavio’s eyes. Laughing, the psychopathic commander spun on his heel and continued the march toward the shuttle landing zone.
Gunn, sliding up next to Blayne whispered, “Keep it together, man! We can’t afford for you to lose it, not here. Keep it together!” he begged. “We will get revenge for your father, I promise, but not right now.”
Through clenched teeth Blayne muttered, “I will kill that man if it is the last thing I do. If not for my Father’s sake, then to prevent the plans he has for Cadee.”
Kreta leaned in close as they continued their forced march, “We are getting close to the shuttle landing pads. If you are going to do anything, it better be now! Once we get on board those shuttles, it’s game over.”
Blayne muttered, “I know, I’m working on it. But… “ he wiggled his bound wrists, “right now our options are limited. I am open to suggestions though.”
Before anyone could reply their entourage poked each of them in the back with rifle barrels, barking, “Less talking, more walking.”
Surrounded by the Kartack soldiers, the disinterest of the crowd surprised Blayne on the streets. They acted like this was almost an everyday occurrence, people being marched through the streets under guard. He tried to scan the crowds for a familiar face, anyone that may look familiar. His eyes almost scanned over a hooded figure in the crowd, but a glint of metal under the cloak caught his attention. He couldn’t see the face under the hood, but the stance looked familiar. A smaller cloaked figure stood next to the first, almost dwarfed by the size difference. And the smaller figure leaned on a very familiar cane.
“Get ready,” he muttered out of the side of his mouth to Gunn. Their little party was approaching an intersection that led to the shuttle pads. Just as they reached the center of the crossway, men and women from the crowded streets around them rushed in from all sides, surrounding the contingent of Kartack soldiers in a heartbeat. Reacting quickly, the heavily armored soldiers circled their prisoners and opened fire into the crowd all around them.
Exchanging a quick glance with Gunn, they both lowered their shoulders and rushed the nearest guard. The guard’s attention was on the attacking crowd so when the two men slammed into his back he went flying into the mob, where he was quickly overwhelmed and disarmed. Gunn ran and slid across the wet pavement to the next guard and wrapped his legs around the their knees, his hands still restrained behind his back. At the same time, Blayne launched himself through the air and shoulder tackled the soldier, knocking him off balance. Gunn quickly landed hard kicks into the side of the soldier's helmet until he stopped moving.
During the commotion, Kreta had moved her cuffed hands in front of her and was going hand to hand with the two remaining guards. One second she was perched on the back of one, her arms wrapped around his neck, the next second she was spinning upside down and the soldier was flying through the air to crash into his partner, the clang of their armor as they collided could be heard over the roar of the battle.
Blayne and Gunn sprang to help her, using their feet to kick and stomp the guards into unconsciousness. All of this had transpired in only a few seconds. Tavio, separated from the squad by the attacking crowd, was back to back with a soldier, firing into the mob, their automatic rifles mowing everyone down around them.
The hooded figure Blayne had spotted earlier slipped through the crowd and behind him. A flash of steel and Blayne’s bindings fell to the ground. Spinning around, he finally laid eyes on the fa
ce of his rescuer, Morgan. The Knight gave him a smile and a wink, “Didn’t I tell you to stay out of trouble?”
Blayne looked as innocent as he could, “No, actually you didn’t.”
Swiping his blade through Ketra’s and Gunns restraints Morgan grumbled in his low voice, “Well, it was an implied. Duck!” he ordered, pushing Blayne down as a hail of blaster fire from Tavio and his goons came their way.
Morgan yanked off his cloak to free his bracer blasters, the armor reflecting the laser light from the fight and barked, “We need to get out of here while we can. Our friends can’t keep this up for long.”
Gunn, rubbing his wrists asked, “Who are these people?”
“Uta scrounged up some volunteers. Turns out there is no short supply of people looking for a good fight on this planet,” Morgan replied with a shrug. “Now, come on.”
Shoving Blayne and Gunn ahead of him, the group had only taken a step when the crowd behind them fell to the constant barrage of blaster fire from the Kartack soldiers. Tavio and his guards leveled their weapons at the pavement in front of the Dunadds with a warning shot. “That’s far enough!” snapped Tavio, the whine of his rifle cutting through the noise of the fight.
Blayne felt Morgan’s hand tense on his shoulder. Looking over his shoulder at the Knight, he saw Morgan give him a small nod and smile. Beside him, Gunn must have felt Morgan tense through his shoulder and whispered, “Morgan, don’t.”
Before Blayne could voice his objections, Morgan spun on his toes, the twin blaster barrels snapping out of his bracer to blast a steady stream of lasers at Tavio and his men. As fast as Morgan moved, Tavio moved faster, snatching the guard on his left in front of him to intercept the laser fire with his body. Morgan’s blasters chewed through the guard's armor and into the body underneath.
From behind the jerking body of his guard, Tavio raised his rifle over the shoulder of the dying man and lined up on Morgan. For Blayne, time slowed to a crawl. The multiple blaster bolts from Morgan pounded into the dead guard, trying to chew through the body to get to Tavio. In return, a long bright bolt of red fire from Tavio’s rifle flew right at Morgan. Even in his slowed down time, Blayne couldn’t react fast enough to yank Morgan out of the way. He could only watch in slow motion as the bolt hit Morgan and burned into the Knight’s chest.
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