by Stella Cassy
“No but—"
“We were waiting for you,” Dashel admitted. “I held back two spacecrafts in the hope that you would make it in time. The last lot of Drakon and slaves need to be boarded—"
I looked around at the mass of creatures running back and forth. Some held large rucksacks on their backs, while others grabbed their hatchlings and made straight for the entry ramps.
“We don’t have time,” I growled. “The Pax have succeeded in erupting Mount Krato. They will lay waste to Mount Royal and then they will be upon us. If we’re not in the air by the time they reach us, we’re all dead.”
“I have two Drakon keeping their eyes peeled for the Pax destroyers,” Dashel said. “Giving commands was the only thing I could do here through the evacuation process. They will let us know when the Pax fleet are upon us.”
I looked back over my shoulder and saw that Yvette was standing a few feet away. Her eyes were trained on a Nortian slave and her young child. The child was trying to help her mother who had a leg injury that was causing her to stumble every few feet.
Without a glance at me, Yvette abandoned her position and made straight for the Nortian. As she approached, the slave shrank back despite the fact that she was twice Yvette’s size.
“Let me help you,” Yvette said.
The Nortian slave looked weary but the child grabbed Yvette’s hand as though she had thrown them a lifeline. The child had large golden eyes and her mane was scraggy at best, but there was strength in her timid features. Yvette hoisted one of the Nortian’s arms around her shoulders and helped her towards the open ramp of the spaceship on the right. The child followed behind carrying the thin bag of possessions that they’d brought with them.
Acting on instinct, I moved to help Yvette, knowing that the Nortian’s weight would be too much for her to bear for a long period of time. The slave tensed immediately as I picked her up. Yvette looked slightly taken aback, but a moment later I saw a ghostly smile play across her lips. I ignored that and carried the slave up the ramp and into the spaceship, while her child scampered behind. Once she was inside, I headed back down to the ground where Yvette stood waiting for me.
“Get on the ship,” I said firmly.
Yvette’s ghostly smile disappeared altogether and her jaw set stubbornly. “Not without you.”
“I need to make sure my people are on board.”
“Then I’ll help.”
“Don’t be a fool,” I snapped.
Instead of engaging with me, Yvette turned and ran in the direction of another small group of slaves. They were panic stricken Ermits, whose wide set eyes stared at the world with a foreboding sense of dread. I was more than a little frustrated with Yvette, but I couldn’t deny feeling admiration and respect for her. In spite of everything, she was here on the ground, trying to help the scared and the lost to a place of safety. The Pax had made a slave of her, but deep down she was still a commander.
Suddenly, a blast of flame shot through the air like a cannon and I recognized it for the warning it was. We had run out of time. The Pax fleet had been spotted.
23
Yvette
“They’re here, they’re coming for us. We’re all going to die!”
The Drakon child’s screaming was piercing through my façade of calm and making me head spin with pain. I turned around and saw the child’s wide eyes staring up at the sky. The fleet had only just been spotted, which meant we had a few more minutes before they were actually upon us.
“We’re going to die!”
I looked around for the child’s mother but there was no one around.
“I don’t want to die!”
“You are not going to die,” I said, speaking louder than I intended to make myself heard over the chaos of the evacuation.
The child stopped his wailing immediately. Clearly, the shock of being addressed so directly by a slave had taken him off guard. He was a pale-faced boy with golden scales that snaked across his arms, neck and part of his face. His hair was a golden brown and his eyes were dark and secretive.
“You don’t know that,” he replied.
“Yes I do,” I insisted. “You know why I know that?”
“Why?”
“Because you are a Drakon of the Hielsrane,” I said.
“No I’m not,” the child refuted me. “Only the greatest fighters can join the Hielsrane.”
“Then become a great fighter and join it,” I said. “We might be leaving Thirren, but a kingdom is only as good as its people.”
Before the boy could say anything, another whip of fire rose through the air like a rocket. I looked around and saw the fury with which everyone was making for the ships. I tried to catch sight of Ranel but I couldn’t see him anywhere.
“Where’s your mother?” I asked urgently, turning back to the boy.
“I—I don’t know,” he admitted. “She told me not to leave her side, but I turned around and—"
“It doesn’t matter,” I said hurriedly, looking towards the skies. “It doesn’t matter. Take my hand and come with me. We’re getting on a spaceship.”
“But it’s right here,” the boy said, looking back at the ship we were rushing away from.
“I need to get on Gyygnar,” I said, knowing that Ranel would be boarding that ship instead of one of the two larger ones.
“That’s a Hielsrane ship,” the boy said.
I didn’t reply. I just pushed through the crowd as I tried to get to Gyygnar as fast as possible. I was thrown off balance several times but I managed to remain standing. I had just gotten to the Gyygnar’s main ramp when I caught sight of Ranel. It seemed like he had been looking for me too, because his eyes went wide with relief when he saw me.
His eyes fell to the boy at my side and our entwined hands. “What is your name, hatchling?” Ranel asked.
“Horick,” the child answered in an awed voice.
“And your parents?”
“I don’t know where they are,” he said tearfully.
“We’ll find them,” Ranel nodded. “For now… get inside. Both of you.”
The boy raced ahead of both of us, but I stood my ground. Ranel took one look at my stance and narrowed his eyes. Then he grabbed me without warning and hoisted me over his shoulder. He took the ramp at a run and before I knew it, we were inside the confines of Gyygnar. He set me down roughly and nodded to a brown-scaled Drakon to the side.
“Make sure she stays on board,” he commanded. “I have more civilians I need to see to.”
Then without a glance at me, he turned and ran back down the ramp. When he was at the bottom, he turned and gave the signal to start closing the ramp.
“No!” I screamed.
I bolted forward but the brown-scaled Drakon grabbed me by the waist and pulled me deeper and deeper into the annals of the ship.
Furious with Ranel, I tried to look for another open ramp but all I could see were large curving windows that overlooked the intricate brilliance of the mountain range that hid the now nearly abandoned city of Heilbronn.
“We’re not taking off just yet, are we?” I demanded from the brown-scaled Drakon who kept looking at me with interest. “Ranel is still down there. So are the other commanders.”
“That’s Commander Ranel to you,” the Drakon hissed.
His annoyance didn’t faze me. I had been through too much today to get caught up in some random Drakon’s disdain for me.
“Who did you lose?”
I turned and saw the young boy – hatchling – that I had befriended only moments earlier. His dark eyes were lighter now and he looked upon the smoking skies with curious wonder.
“What?” I asked.
“You look like you lost someone,” he said. “Like me… with my mother.”
I turned towards the glass panes. I glimpsed Ranel’s burgundy scales from afar. He was running across the rocky planes with two young hatchlings on his back. I was furious at him, but my fury didn’t prevent me from recognizing his ma
gnificence. Had there ever been a time when I thought him monstrous?
“I haven’t lost anyone,” I said, mostly to myself.
“You’re wearing that collar,” Horick said. “That means you are a slave.”
I nodded. “Yes, I am,” I replied.
But then I thought back to the moment Ranel had tried to rid me of my collar. He had wanted to give me my freedom. I wondered if that would still hold true once we cleared Thirren’s atmosphere and were back in the ceaseless infinity of space.
I heard a massive blast and gooseflesh prickled my skin as I saw a Pax destroyer rise over the mountain range to face us. My entire body went cold as I realized that Gyygnar had just hummed into take off mode. As we rose into the air, I noticed that both of the larger spaceships to Gyygnar’s right were in the air already and their combat missiles were aimed at the Pax destroyers. Seconds later, I saw the missiles rip through the air.
The sky seemed to burst into flame as a missile made contact with a Pax destroyer. Smoke fluttered into the atmosphere like claws reaching for the sun. We were rising higher still and I looked around the ship in panic. Where was Ranel?
I was starting to feel lightheaded. My vision blurred and a sharp pain shot through my stomach. I was aware of the small collection of creatures congregated in front of the viewing deck. They were watching the larger spaceships of the royal fleet take on the Pax destroyers and their Hellion missiles.
I felt weak… unbearably weak and my knees were starting to give way. I desperately wanted to close my eyes, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to rest until I knew that Ranel was all right.
I stumbled into Horick and I saw his dark eyes blink at me with concern. “Are you all right?” he asked.
I opened my mouth to say something but the only word my mouth was able to form was “Ranel.”
“What?” Horick asked. “I don’t know what she’s saying…”
“The slave is probably delirious with panic,” another voice spoke. This voice was harsh and indifferent.
I felt rough hands around my arm, but I didn’t bother pushing him away. I was too weak for that.
“Unhand her,” a familiar voice ordered.
I looked up as relief flooded my body. “Ranel?”
The sea of creatures parted and Ranel stepped through the small crowd. He approached me with bright eyes that were thick with purpose.
“I’m here,” he said.
I placed my hand on his arm, just to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. I certainly felt strange, strange enough to make me think I could be hallucinating. But no… it really was him. I could tell from the warmth that clung to his scales and the way his tail swished out behind him, back and forth, as though he were pacing.
“You’re here,” I said unnecessarily.
Satisfied that Ranel was here and he was safe, I let my eyes close. I was vaguely aware of my knees giving way but I didn’t think too much of it. I knew Ranel would catch me.
24
Ranel
“Do we have enough medical supplies for the wounded?” I asked.
Dashel’s face paled. “I think so, but I don’t know if I underestimated the extent of the injuries in question. Two of my men are alive but unconscious. I don’t know if they’ll make it or not.”
Natalie put her hand on Dashel’s shoulder and squeezed gently. I saw the look on his face every time she touched him. It was like her skin had healing potential. I wondered if that was what I looked like when Yvette touched me.
We were in the circular solar of Dashel’s private quarters. He had retired there once we had cleared Thirren’s atmosphere and called for me. His chambers had no definitive identity. He alone of all the commanders had not cultivated a taste for collecting. Tarion had his extensive weapons collection, Lehar had a significant horde of shells and jewelry and I had my books.
Dashel’s room reflected more of Natalie’s personality than his own. She had dressed the space with large cushions that looked to be of Elsem make. The Elsem made the softest, most comfortable fabrics, sheets and clothes in the known galaxy. They were a peace-loving people whose protection had been won through the manufacture and trade of spaceships.
There were also little trinkets that littered the room and I was fairly certain they hailed from Earth. There was a tiny mirror that was ornamented by an intricate silver frame whose purpose evaded me completely. There was a small oval piece of wood with bristles on the face and a handle protruding from one side. There was a strange square tablet with a glassy surface that displayed a bold crack down the middle. It looked like trash to me, but it had been given a place of honor on the long narrow table where Dashel kept his commander’s sword. I wondered if Yvette would know what these objects were.
“We paid a high price,” Natalie said. “But our people fought bravely.”
“Drakon always do,” Dashel said with fierce pride, but I detected a small note of regret that stained his tone.
“It was important that you led the evacuation, brother,” I said. “The people needed a strong leader to take charge. The Royal family is not versed in the art of battle or warfare… not the way we are.”
“No,” Dashel agreed, but I could tell that not even my words could remove the sting of knowing he had missed the most significant battle in Drakon history. “You’re right. What’s done is done. Now we must look to the future. We have to find a place to settle,” Dashel said, glancing at Natalie. His hand fell automatically to the swell of her belly. “We need a plan.”
“The fleet has dispersed and our coms system is down,” I said, mentally ticking off all the problems we had to contend with now that we were a nation without a home. “And our ships are need of repairs and supplies. We don’t have very many choices.”
Without Lehar and Tarion present to chime in, it was a lonely commander’s meeting, but I was glad that at least they had kept possession of their ships. I was the only commander to have lost his and my pride had taken a deep hit because of it.
Still, I had gotten off easy. My injuries were minimal at best and I knew they would heal within days. The same could not be said for several other Drakon on board. Those who had fought in the sky battle against the Pax had sustained serious injuries and some had even lost limbs. We couldn’t know the final death count for sure until the whole fleet gathered and we could take stock of our losses.
For the first time in recent memory, the medical quarters on board Gyygnar were completely full. Within the first few hours of our flight, we had lost three fighters, four civilians and eight slaves who had all succumbed to their injuries.
“Where do you think we should go?” Dashel asked, looking up at Natalie.
“We could go to Pilak?” Natalie suggested.
“The Pilak are not exactly friends to us,” I pointed out. “We pillaged their land recently; they’re unlikely to have forgotten that.”
“Not Pilak,” Dashel said immediately. “What about Gurnessy? Ranel, you took a fondness for the land.”
“Not Gurnessy,” I said firmly. “The land is not large or wild enough to satisfy our people for a significant length of time. We need a place we can colonize on.”
“Do you have a place in mind?” Dashel asked.
“Nort,” I said.
“Nort?”
I nodded. “The Nortians will not threaten us. They fear us enough to keep out of our way. Their land is immense; we can easily find a patch of land to make our own, no matter how temporary.”
Dashel nodded. “Nort it is then,” he said. “I will make the order to my second commander.”
“I will do it,” Natalie said, standing up.
“No, my love,” Dashel said, his hand reaching out for her protectively. “You must rest.”
“Rest is all I’ve been doing lately,” she said.
“But the stress of battle—"
“Is past,” Natalie said gently. “I want to check on our feral hatchlings anyway.”
She leaned down and kissed Dashel tenderly
on his brow before leaving his solar through the arched door to the right. I watched their easy dynamic and the equality that existed between them. It was hard to believe that Natalie had ever worn a collar. It was harder still to believe that Dashel had owned her just as I now owned Yvette.
Yvette.
“You seem far away, my friend,” Dashel said, interrupting my thoughts. “I understand it. This defeat cuts deep.”
I didn’t bother telling Dashel that I had not been thinking of our defeat at all. Of course, now that he had reminded me, the pain was like an open flesh wound. It was more than painful – it was humiliating.
“What do we do now?” I asked.
Dashel looked towards the black midnight of space. His eyes were tortured, clouded over with worry and I imagined I looked much the same.
“We survive,” he replied. “We have no other choice.”
“Have your crew made progress on the coms system?” I asked, getting into problem solving mode.
“They’re working on it as we speak,” Dashel nodded. “We have our direct lines with Lehar and Tarion working, but the rest of the fleet will have to be contacted only once the coms system is up and running again.”
I nodded. “Do we have the supplies to make it to Nort?”
“We do,” Dashel nodded. “I’m fairly certain we can hold out. We need to be sparing however.”
“Understood,” I nodded as I turned in the direction of the door.
“Ranel?”
I paused and craned my head back to glance at Dashel. “Yes?”
“Is there something going on between you and your human slave?” Dashel asked.
=I felt my jaw set uncomfortably. How could I refute him? I was sure my own uncertainty was etched across my face. I pressed the exit button and the moment the door slid open, I stepped out and followed the winding pathway out of the commander’s quarters towards the guest quarters.
I was back in the room I had occupied when the Wyvern had been undergoing repairs. It stung now to know that I would be on board for the foreseeable future, at least until I managed to find myself a suitable replacement ship. Spaceships were expensive, high value commodities, and in my opinion, choosing one was a deeply personal decision. There were several planets that sold them. Elsem was one, but their production process was long, arduous and tended to lean towards aesthetic beauty rather than practical functionality.