Worlds Without End: The Mission (Book 1)

by Shaun F. Messick

  **********

  City of Chast. Koroan's Palace ?

  Celeste sat in one of the numerous luxurious leather chairs within her father's spacious office. She had never been in this office before. It was located on the thirty-fourth floor of the palace, just below the mysterious thirty-fifth floor, and it was immense. She estimated it to be nearly one thousand square feet of floor space.

  She looked around the office. It was full of paintings and idols, all of which honored her father. Behind her father's gigantic wooden desk was a large window that encompassed the entire east wall. It was obvious why the window was so large. Celeste could just imagine her father peering out of the window daily, out upon the city he built to himself. She then looked to her left and saw what looked like an elevator entrance. She wondered if this was the elevator her father used to get to the mysterious thirty-fifth floor.

  Celeste stood and tried to loosen the ties that bound her hands behind her back for more comfort. It was useless. Whoever tied them did a good job. She closed her eyes and tried to loosen the cords with her newfound telekinetic powers. It didn't work.

  She was beginning to understand that in order for her to use her abilities, she needed to use her hands. She figured there must be a connection between her mind and her hands. In fact, ever since her capture, she had her hands tied behind her back.

  She sighed and sat back down. She was exhausted, hungry, and in need of a bath. The past two days had been miserable. She spent the last two days in the brig - in the basement of the palace - along with Bantyr, Kylee, and Sean. The other three didn't have their hands bound, but were treated brutally by the guards.

  Sean had been taken to her father. His inhibitors were taken out and he had been tortured for information; and for no other reason other than her father enjoyed it. As a result, her father now knew where the second base was, and where Celeste's true loyalties rested.

  Kylee and Bantyr, on the other hand, weren't tortured. Kylee was taken in for emergency surgery, and miraculously, her charred body was repaired; almost back to normal. If one looked hard enough, however, one would still be able to make out the areas where her skin grafts had been placed. It astonished Celeste as to why her father would permit Kylee's burned skin to be repaired. Bantyr, on the other hand, was left in the brig with Celeste, but he was beaten severely by the guards whenever they got the chance. Celeste knew, however, that her father wouldn't kill them. They were too important to him. He would use them to get to Adrian.

  It was also obvious that Celeste's father was furious with her as well. She had demanded to see him several times throughout the two days. But the guards laughed and said that she was a disgrace to the Gnol race, and her father would just as soon let her die with the heathen humans. Until today. Today, her father demanded to see her. As a result, the guards - without any regard for royal respect - dragged her, blindfolded and with hands tied behind her back, to her father's office.

  She was fearful. What would her father do to her? Moreover, would he truly keep the other three alive?

  She heard yelling just outside of the door. The door slid open and in walked her father. He was no longer adorned in his usual white royal robe. Instead, he was dressed in similar black battle fatigues as Dorange wore, only her father's contained more medals and patches, demonstrating his power and might.

  As her father entered the room, he turned his head and glared at Celeste. Never before had she seen such evil in her father's eyes. Koroan walked to the front of his desk and turned around. Dorange followed sheepishly. He looked like a dog that had just been beaten by its owner.

  Koroan yelled with such volume it caused Celeste to tremble. "How dare you fail me!"

  Celeste ducked her head in fear.

  Koroan walked around his desk and slammed his fist down. The enormous desk split in two. "You had the heathen leader in your grasp, and you let him go!"

  Dorange backed up as Koroan yelled so loudly that it caused the gigantic window to shake.

  Dorange's voice trembled as he spoke. "Pl ? Please, your worship. I did not mean to fail. I-"

  Celeste felt her jaw drop. "What?" she questioned.

  Koroan shot her a look. "You will not speak!" he barked as he approached Dorange. As a result, Dorange dropped to the floor.

  Celeste had never before seen Dorange so afraid. He was now sitting on the floor with one arm raised, terrified Koroan would throw down a powerful blow. Koroan didn't deliver the blow Dorange expected, however. Instead, he began to pace back and forth with his hands behind his back. To Celeste, her father seemed to have switched his mood again from the monster he could become to the compassionate, caring father Celeste had once known.

  Koroan slowly walked back to Dorange and gently lifted him with his telekinetic powers. "Yes, even though you have failed me in this mission, you have been more loyal to me than any other Gnol," he said as he turned and gave Celeste a look that caused her to tremble even more. He turned back to Dorange, letting him drop to the floor. "You can still prove your worth."

  Dorange seemed to have stopped shaking. He then slid to the floor and knelt at Koroan's feet. "How, My Lord? Please ? I beg of thee. What can I do to prove that I am loyal to my god?"

  Koroan smiled at Dorange's reference to him as a god. Celeste rolled her eyes. "If you want to prove your worth to me, Dorange, you will lead the attack against the new planet that has been discovered. ? What is it called? Ah, yes ? Earth."

  Celeste was stunned. How would her father know about Adrian's home world?

  Dorange quickly stood with a look of shock on his face. "But, My Lord, Earth ?"

  "You have an objection to that!" yelled Koroan as he switched moods and lifted Dorange off the floor again. "You will do as I command ? or ? you will die!"

  Dorange flailed his legs and seemed almost to cry. "Yes," he whispered.

  "What? I can't hear you!"

  "Yes, My Lord," Dorange said with a quivering voice. "I will do as you command. For you are god!"

  That seemed to please Koroan as he let Dorange drop to the floor. Koroan was about to say something else when his office door slid open. "I told you I did not want to be disturbed!" he shrieked at the young Gnol guard who had just entered the room.

  The young Gnol officer bowed and said, "Please ? forgive me, My Lord, but ?" The guard stopped and looked at Celeste.

  "You can tell me in front of her. She will soon no longer be a problem."

  Celeste gave her father a puzzled and fearful look. What did he mean by that? she wondered.

  The guard cleared his throat and continued. "Yes, My Lord. Captain Geraldus and his crew have just returned from the wormhole that they disappeared through four days ago."

  "And?"

  "And ? he has found the location of this Earth."

  A smile seemed to grow slowly along Koroan's face. "Good. Tell Captain Geraldus he shall be promoted."

  "Yes, My Lord. But ? I also have some other good news."

  "What is it?"

  "Your lead scientists believe they have figured out a way to hold the wormhole open indefinitely. They wish to speak with you as soon as you are done here."

  "Very well, Corporal. You can go now."

  The corporal bowed and left the room.

  Koroan seemed happy, at least for the moment. "Yes," he said and turned his attention back to Dorange. "Dorange, begin planning for an attack on Earth two months from today."

  "Yes, My Lord."

  "Good. You may go now, Dorange. I now wish to speak with Celeste alone."

  "Yes, Your Worship," Dorange said as he began to leave the room.

  Just before he got to the door, however, Koroan stopped him. "Dorange, wait."

  Dorange turned around. He seemed frustrated that he was not yet allowed to leave. "What may I do for you, My Lord?"

  Koroan walked closer to him. "Remember, Dorange. Do not fail on this mission. If you do, you will not be able to imagine the consequences you will suffer."

  Doran
ge swallowed. "Ye ? Yes, My Lord," he said and he whirled around and left the room.

  After the door slid shut, Koroan stood in the middle of the room. He was silent and stared at Celeste for a long moment. Celeste could not look her father in the eye. She knew that she had disappointed him. Yet, she did not feel ashamed. She knew what she did was right.

  Her father took one step closer to her and raised his right arm. Celeste felt her body become lighter as it levitated off the chair on which she sat. Her father levitated her to him. She was now within inches of her father's face.

  She looked into his eyes. They seemed to glow red from the blood within his capillaries.

  "Tell me one good reason why I should not kill you now?"

  Celeste felt her voice quiver. At times throughout her life, she had been afraid of her father, but never so much as now. "F ? Fa ? Father, I am your daughter."

  Koroan's bloodshot eyes seemed to boil with anger. With a flick of his wrist, he threw Celeste toward the wall. With her hands tied behind her back, there was no way she could brace herself for the impact. She hit the wall and felt the air rush out of her lungs. She fell to the floor and rolled around, trying to regain her breath. Koroan grabbed her and sat her in one of the chairs. "You are no longer my daughter!" he yelled.

  Celeste didn't respond.

  "How long did you think you could get away with this?"

  Celeste looked at her father with the same anger in her eyes. "I was doing well for a while."

  Koroan backhanded her. She felt her lip split and blood began to trickle down to her chin.

  Her father then began to pace again. "Nevertheless, you are my daughter. I should kill you for your treachery, but ? I won't. Instead, you will be under house arrest. You will stay with your mother, your hands will always be tied behind your back, and you shall have two guards at your side at all times. My high priest's daughter, Nichelle, will be brought in to assist you in your bathing and feeding needs."

  Celeste stood and walked toward her father. She stopped and said, "I would rather die than be reduced to an animal!"

  "I will not give you the satisfaction. I want you alive to see the sufferings and deaths of all those you truly serve." Koroan looked at his office door and opened it telekinetically. "Guards!"

  The two guards, dressed in red battle fatigues, entered the room.

  "Take my daughter to her mother's room. You are never to leave her side. Another shift of guards will replace you in twelve hours."

  The guards nodded and grabbed Celeste by the arms. Celeste shook loose and turned back to her father. "Tell me something, Father. Why did you not read Dorange's mind?"

  "I did not find it necessary."

  Celeste shook her head. "Too bad ? if you would have, you would have known who really killed Raqel."

  Koroan walked closer to Celeste. "I already know who killed your sister, who was loyal to me. It was that pitiful creature, Adrian Palmer."

  Celeste's eyes narrowed as she spoke. "Are you sure? You never know who you can trust ? right, Father?"

  Her comments infuriated Koroan. He whirled around and raised both of his arms. The two halves of his giant desk, he had split in two previously, arose from the floor. With a deafening yell and wave of his arms, he heaved the broken desk through the window. Glass shattered everywhere as the two guards holding Celeste's arms backed away. However, Celeste did not move a muscle. Strangely, she was gaining more courage the angrier her father got.

  Koroan turned back to face his daughter. He was breathing heavily, his eyes wild with anger, and sweat dripping from his head. "How dare you question me that way? I am your father and, more importantly, your god!"

  Celeste opened her mouth and was about to speak when her father stepped forward and grabbed her face just under her chin with his left hand. He lifted her off of the ground. "What do you know about loyalty?" he said. "Even though Dorange is not of my bloodline, he has been more loyal to me than you have ever been."

  Koroan dropped Celeste to the floor and looked at the guards. "Take her to her mother's room. Her mother will soon be dead."

  "What?" shrieked Celeste.

  "Quiet!" yelled Koroan as he hit Celeste again with the back of his left hand. She fell to the floor in pain. This time her father didn't hold back. She felt the blood rush to her right eye, it swelled up and burst as bright red blood splattered on the floor.

  Koroan looked at the guards again. "As soon as her mother dies, inform me."

  "Yes, My Lord," said one of the guards.

  Koroan then turned and looked at his daughter with an evil smile spread across his face that sent chills down Celeste's spine. "Good," he said. "Because as soon as her mother dies, my daughter - the traitor - will suffer a public torture and execution."