by A. J. Ross
She heard a voice out of the darkness say, “Don’t try to move.”
“Who’s there?” she asked through a heavy and crackling voice.
There was no response.
She used all of her strength to try and gain control of her body, but it was no use. Her mind was still in a blur, and her efforts to focus were exhausting. She drifted back to sleep.
At some moment she felt the weight of a man's body climbing into bed beside her. She opened her eyes to find herself being enveloped in Lincoln’s arms. She heaved a sigh of relief. His name slipped from her lips. She began to grab and cling to him, pulling his body as close as she could against hers. She could hardly see him in the darkness, but she knew him. She knew his scent. She knew the width of his chest. She knew the curves in his arms and shoulders which were now holding her tightly. Tears began to fall from her eyes.
She heard his voice, “It’s okay. I’m here now.”
“Take me home,” she replied. “Please, I wanna go home.”
“We are home,” he said.
She began to blink frantically, trying to adjust her eyes to the darkness. She was awake now, and there was someone near her, but it definitely was not Lincoln.
“Welcome to your new home,” a voice said.
Her eyes moved in the direction of the sound. They had adjusted through the haze just enough to make out the silhouettes of two Kayorian guards towering over her. Unlike Rahilius, they were full Kayorian, and both were about six feet tall. Their wide muscular bodies were completely covered in perfectly laid green scales, everywhere except the center of the face, the palms of the hands, and the soles of their feet.
“Don’t touch her,” the other said. “Rahilius wants her taken to his place.”
In one swift motion the guard had lifted her and thrown her over his shoulder.
“I know,” the first soldier answered. “He made that clear.”
Once she was out of the cell she was bombarded with blinding light. She shut her eyes tightly until she could bear the brightness through her lids. They began to relax, and she slowly opened her eyes. She was being carried through a maze of long corridors. The halls were simple and yet beautifully designed. Modest, yet decadent. She could tell the materials were imported from other planets, maybe even another galaxy. They were unique. There was nothing like them on Graiis, which was surprising, because Graiis had accepted gifts as payment for the use of its army from over thirty-six different planets.
The possession of these materials was no more than the work of pirates. Thieves. Explorers and conquerors of things already seen and conquered. Savages, like the ones she had heard about on Earth. She knew what this meant. There was only one who would build a fortress for himself using a collection of stolen goods. She knew exactly where she was. She had been taken to Rahilius’s house.
The guards took her to a large bedroom. It was a far cry from her cell. She was placed onto a large bed. She felt the softness and warmth of the plush white comforter beneath her. The restraints were removed from her hands and feet. By then, most of the effects of the drugs had worn off, and the feeling had returned to her body. She felt the sting from the tight ropes that had just been removed. Blood rushed to her wrist and ankles, and they began to swell where the ropes had been tied. The guards left her in the room and locked the doors behind them. She sighed. Well . . . at least Rahilius had the decency to upgrade her prison. After all, she was royalty.
Grisian.
She wondered what Grisian would do once he found out Rahilius had taken her? Undoubtedly there would be war. Grisian raised her as if she were his own daughter. They had a special relationship.
He would come into her room long after all of the servants had retired for the day. He would come into her room under the cloak of night, and she would draw her curtains and sit on the bed waiting excitedly yet patiently for him to arrive. She knew he would come, and she knew why. Once he was in the room with the door shut behind him, she would pull the beginner Fiie from between the mattresses and they would fight.
For the first several years she went to sleep every night with new burns, superficial enough to disappear over the course of a few days. The Fiie was so well balanced it would easily gain momentum, making it much easier to lose control of. Grisian taught her control and patience. As her skill began to grow, the beginner Fiie was replaced by an intermediate, and then the advanced. By the time she was fourteen, she could wield a level-five blade.
Grisian was amazed. He had not expected these results when he first decided to expose her to the weapon. He instructed her never to reveal what they were doing. He knew suspicions of the humans ran high among the Grii, and they were becoming increasingly possessive of their ways of life, especially the Fiie! Grisian now knew humans were just as capable of wielding the Fiie as the Grii, and he feared the repercussions of this revelation, should it become known to others.
He sat with her one night and granted her permission to make a request. Whatever she wanted, he promised to give her. She confessed, while she loved her place among the Grii, she couldn’t escape the constant looming reality that she was not one of them. She wanted a life of her own, among the humans. She wanted to be surrounded by other people. She wanted a family.
Grisian made her a promise, if she remained with him until her 25th birthday, he would give her all she wanted, as long as she swore to never reveal her ability to wield the Fiie. She agreed out of love for Grisian, because through quality-time and sincere effort on his part, she started to see him as a father.
“You’re awake.”
The sound of his voice was chilling. Not particularly high or low pitched. It wasn’t loud but it was forceful. She turned to see Rahilius standing in the doorway. She had seen him many times in the past. He was the same height as the average Griician, a little over seven feet, but today he looked like a giant. His humanlike face was calm, and his square jaw was relaxed. The green scales on his face were single stripes just along his cheeks. They framed his face and continued below his chin and spread downward, fading into pale skin near his chest. His dark brown hair was a wild and wavy strip down the center of his head, and fell just past his shoulders. His entire backside, arms and legs, were covered in scales of various shades of green.
She composed herself mentally, employing the Griician manner she had absorbed all her life. She cleared her face of all traces of emotion, and sat up as straight as she could projecting her role as royalty. The beating of her heart began to slow until she was calm. She watched him intensely as he took a few nonthreatening steps in her direction.
“Rahilius,” she spoke his name disdainfully. “Why am I here? What have you done? Do you realize you’ve put your entire planet at risk? Grisian will wage war against Kayora, and you and your people will die.”
“There will be no war,” he replied plainly. His tone was inoffensive; almost kind. “Only the one I have started, and unfortunately for your planet, Graiis will not win.”
She scoffed. “Do you think the greatest leader in the galaxy will not send the greatest warriors in the galaxy to protect his home? And I thought you knew Grisian.”
“I did know him,” he replied coldly. After which, he let out a painful sigh. “The problem was, I thought he knew me.”
Braii kept her face as hard as stone, but on the inside, there were torrents of emotion. Rahilius didn’t say “I do know Grisian,” but “I did know him.” She understood what that meant. Grisian was dead.
A surge of strong emotion bled through her stoic expression for just a second, and she reburied it as quickly as it had appeared. Her eyes glanced over to the door where the guard was standing. She knew he was armed. If Grisian was dead then she was on her own, and would have to find a way to escape from the compound.
“I’m not going to hurt you princess,” Rahilius assured her. His tone was sincere, “You’re going to answer some questions for me, and then you're going to help me win this war on Graiis.”
She furro
wed her brow refocusing on Rahilius and trying to understand if she had heard him correctly. “Are you mad?” she asked.
“Not at all,” he replied. “You may have the answers to some very important questions, which makes you valuable to me. Useful. As long as you’re useful, you’re safe.”
Rahilius's words sank deep into her mind. She realized what her role was. He meant for her to betray her planet and her people; the Grii. This was something she would never do. She had heard about the way Rahilius would torture humans to force then into compliance, and she couldn’t help but imagine what he may have in store for her. Determined to remain loyal to her people, she was overcome with a strong sense of purpose in making absolutely certain her fate would not be left in Rahilius's hands.
She stood slowly. “I’d like to return to my cell,” she said calmly.
“This is where you’ll be spending the remainder of your time here,” he replied. “Is it not fit for a princess? Perhaps you’re still a bit dizzy from the injection. We will meet again soon. Trust me - you and I have a lot to talk about.”
He stood and headed towards the door. She saw her opportunity and followed him stealthily. As soon as Rahilius had exited and the guard began to shut the door, she crashed against it, pushing it open. In an instant she sprang the guards sword from its sheath, and sliced him across his abdomen. As he fell over with a groan, she immediately turned the sword to herself, throwing her body onto the blade.
Only she never felt it . . . Nothing but a shallow scratch above her navel. Rahilius had restrained her with little effort. She couldn’t move. He held her with one arm, and his other hand held the blade. She could see the dark red blood slowly running down from his palm to his wrist as the blade penetrated his thick skin.
He watched her struggle, with both satisfaction and admiration in his eyes.
She screamed with frustration. Her eyes filled with tears and she began to cry. "I'll kill you," she screamed, wriggling vigorously to free herself from his iron-like grip. "I'll destroy this entire planet!" Her voice lowered as the pain and rage swelled within her. "The next time we meet, I will drive the Fiie blade right through your heart, and then I will remove your head from your body, stuff it, and place it as a relic in the human museums of Graiis."
Rahilius frowned, and in one strong motion threw her to the ground. He addressed the guard who came in place of the one she had killed. "Lock her up."
She heard the sound of the door as it was locked behind Rahilius. Lying on the floor in utter disappointment right where she had fallen, she began to weep. She had failed. Despite her searing threats, she was sure she wouldn’t have another opportunity. She had shown her strength, lack of hesitance, and skill. Rahilius would not be caught off guard a second time.
Lincoln stepped onto Continent B. He had never been there before. He used his security clearance and entered the base. This one was somewhat different from the one below Kymurii. It looked less like a military base, and more like a research lab. As he walked down the halls, there were moments when he felt like he was in a museum. There were displays with prototypes of weaponry, aircraft, and black steel armor. Everything was sterile, and the environment itself carried a seriousness befitting its purpose. Lincoln listened to his own footsteps as they fell heavily on the ground beneath him. He came into the Data Analysis Department where Shang was working.
Shang glanced up from his work when Lincoln entered the room. “Wolfe,” he said. “It’s been a long time. How’s it going? Well, besides the current fast approaching apocalypse.”
Lincoln sighed. “Unfortunately.” He took a moment to appreciate the gravity of the predicament, and the fact he had almost been in this exact place three years ago; on the brink of annihilation. His eyes met Shang’s, “I need your help,” he said.
“Anything,” he replied sincerely.
“I need to go to Kayora. I need a ship, a map-” Lincoln shrugged his shoulders. Even he wasn’t exactly sure of what he needed.
“Why do you want to go to Kayora? I’m pretty sure they’ll be here soon enough.”
“They have something that belongs to me,” Lincoln replied sharply. His eyes reflected his anger, passion, and conviction.
Shang pondered over Lincoln’s statement. He was the one who arranged the reports concerning the events that had transpired the night Grisian was killed, and there were only two things that had been taken.
“Wolfe,” he said with surprise and amusement in his tone, “You’re still in Love with the translator?”
Lincoln felt a burning pain in his chest being reminded of how much he had always loved her. It had never been a secret. He had been a joke to his classmates because of his devotion to her, and none of them ever took him with an ounce of seriousness. He battled with himself about whether or not to explain to Shang, but ultimately, he gave in. Pain filled his eyes and his voice softened. “We’re engaged,” he admitted.
Shang's eyes grew wide. He knew then he could either help him or try to slow him down, but by no means could he stop him. All of the young men on Graiis had come face to face with death as children, so very few of them held an ounce of fear. He decided to help. “Okay,” he whispered. “I’ll help you. But you have to tell me exactly how you plan to save her. I won’t give you anything unless I feel like there’s a small chance you might actually be successful. She’s probably in Rahilius’s house. I’m assuming moderate security, and then there’s Rahilius himself. If he catches you, there’s no telling what he will do to you, or to her. You could actually make things worse. The only way to save her and prevent the war is to kill him. His army won’t fight without him, but you have to get close enough to kill him.”
Lincoln swallowed hard. Shang was right. If she was in Rahilius’s house, the only way to rescue her was to kill him. Lincoln’s heart began to beat faster. Kill Rahilius? He had never killed anything or anyone before, and Rahilius was not an ordinary man. He was a Kayorian warrior who had spent countless decades in battle. And what was Lincoln? Nothing. Not a pilot. Not a warrior. He was useless. He fought back tears. He didn’t know what to do. Nodding, he replied to Shang, “Okay. I’ll be back in a couple of days.”
Lincoln approached Grisian’s palace. As he walked along, he couldn't help but notice the Griician women watching him with a fiery red glow in their chests. It would have been unnerving if not for his laser focus. He knew he had come for one thing alone - Kiina.
He escorted himself to the underground base, assuming that was where she would be. He was right. She was in her practice room holding a Fiie in her right hand, and one in her left, but they were not extended. She stood perfectly still, her chest burning red.
“Why are you here?” she asked.
“I need your help,” he replied. He approached her cautiously, and her eyes examined his every move. “I need you to come with me to Kayora. I have to save Braii.”
He saw the red in her chest soften to a pink glow. “I cannot,” she replied.
“Why?” he asked. “She’s your sister. Do you know what Rahilius does to people? Are you just going to hide here in the palace like a-”
Both Fiie’s had been extended, and Kiina was poised to strike him. He was shocked. He didn’t even know it was possible to provoke her.
Her tone was perfectly even as she spoke, “She is more mine than she has ever been yours. Question me again about my sister, and I will kill you. Do you understand?”
Lincoln nodded quickly.
“If you wish to speak with me,” she continued, “we can have a conversation.” She retracted the Fiies’ and placed the handles in their supports on the wall. Lincoln relaxed a little. He would have to keep his emotions under control or he wouldn’t even survive the meeting with Kiina.
“I don’t know what to do?” he said. His hopelessness and humility bled through his voice. “Kiina I have to save her, and I don’t know how. Will you please come with me?”
“I cannot,” she replied. “I have been named Kasiik, General of
the Fiie army. I cannot go off planet until we have eliminated the threat of war on our own. I must protect Graiis.”
“But, the army already has a General, Tsamiit.”
“Yes, but since Grisians death she has risen to the position of Leader, until the future Grisian reaches maturity. She has since given me the role of Kasiik so she can be free to tend to the affairs of our planet and our people. This is why I cannot go.” She looked deeply into Lincoln’s eyes, “and you must.”
Lincoln looked at her curiously. At the moment it seemed they were in agreement. He listened eagerly as she continued.
“You are weak,” she said as her eyes examined his body.
He felt the blow to his ego, even though he knew what she meant. He was not the warrior needed for this mission. He had already concluded as much when he was with Shang.
“What do I do?” he asked.
“You must go to the Lawreiis. Petition him for insight. He will instruct you on what you are to do and how. He alone can make you strong enough to save her.”
“Who is that?”
“He is on Continent B. He arranges our military strategies and designs our weapons. Go there and ask for him. They will show you where he is, and you must find a way to speak with him. Whatever he tells you to do, you must not deviate, but do exactly as he instructs. This is the only way you can save her. Ever since the empty ship returned to Kayora, you have become an enemy to the Grii. For this reason, it will be difficult for you to come to me again. When you have returned my sister to me alive, only then can I aim to pardon your treasonous crimes. YOU MUST NOT FAIL!”
SIX
A tall, handsome man
Braii woke up to the same feeling she had when she first arrived on Kayora, but this time she remembered where she was, and what had happened. She remembered the sword in her hand and the feel of the blade as it pushed its way through the flesh and bone of the guard. She felt a sudden churning in her stomach and gagged. She placed her hand over her mouth to stop herself from vomiting. She had killed the guard without a moment's hesitation, and it still wasn’t enough. Thanks to her failed suicide attempt, she would now have to endure whatever forms of torture Rahilius would concoct. She would have to endure, and keep silent.