«Patrik, I'm worried» she said softly.
«Why?» he asked, even in a softer tone, having put away all his hostility.
«You promised that Kaira will stay with you on Arkass. I'm afraid they’ll hurt her. The Arkassians are beasts and I feel that I will die when I have to leave her».
Patrik understood well what the girl meant, even though he hoped there was something for him too.
«You don’t have to worry» he replied with a bitter smile, «if it's just for the girl, I think I've found something that will appeal to the Lord of Arkass. I will ask him to leave her free and you will see that he will accept».
«I'm worried about you too». Now the tears were definitely out of control.
«Really? And why?» he asked, approaching her.
«Stupid, what sort of question is that? Did you hear Greymar? He wants to kill you and believe me he will try. You don’t know him».
Another step towards her.
«I don’t care about Greymar. The only fear I have is that if I had the worst, I would not see you again».
Alannah's breath instantly stopped. Patrik stroked her hair near her ear and then slipped his hand across her face.
«What are you doing?» she asked without looking away from his eyes.
«I want to kiss you» he informed her a moment before holding her to him and putting his lips on hers.
Alannah pulled out the daggers, but quickly realized that the battle was lost. That hot kiss and his strong embrace were the only things she wanted, everything she had dreamed up until then. She threw her weapons to the ground and continued to kiss him holding him as tightly as she could because he was Patrik Jones and she didn’t want to let him go.
Ever again.
They leaned their foreheads on each other and smiled, memorizing each other with their eyes.
He stroked her arm and reached the two bandelai.
«Alannah, I understand if you've chosen Noliah. In the end he belongs to your own race and I don’t even know if it’s possible between us».
The princess looked at him with something that Patrik would never have hoped to have from her, the look of a woman who had chosen him and that made him unique among many.
«It’s yours» he told him, untying one of the twin bracelets from her arm. «It's always been yours, Patrik Jones, since that day you gave me your hand on my father's ship. Since you joined your soul to mine, and I never stopped thinking about you»
«Really?» he asked incredulously.
«Really. But if you don’t want it, I'll understand. If your Angelica is waiting for you I don’t want ...».
Before she could finish the sentence he placed his index finger on her mouth to make her shut up. Then he raised his left wrist to her.
«Wrap it strong, princess, I wouldn’t want to lose it».
She smiled sheepishly, biting her lip and doing what he said.
They kissed again while Billo, seated with its head bowed and tail curled, looked at them curiously.
*
A little girl named Kaira in the gardens of the imperial palace of Arkass suddenly stopped, and for no apparent reason she looked up at the sky and smiled.
36
Poligon Dhaal appeared on the monitor and Mendicar looked at him for a couple of seconds, with an expression that meant he intended to reveal all his superiority and race.
«But what an honor. By now your calls are so frequent that I begin to doubt your loyalty to the Solaryans»
«Mendicar, don’t waste your time and let me talk to your lord» he replied, without giving any weight to the other’s words.
«I suppose it's about the alert communication we received from Solyar. Apparently we are all under attack. All these mysteries are starting to make me nervous, you old men are putting my patience to the test».
Poligon understood that there was a clear reference also to the gohtarma. «Anyway, he can’t answer now. He is in his meditation room and doesn’t like being interrupted».
«You know Mendicar, you should pay attention to us old men. I have coughed up many like you».
«When you're ready you'll find me waiting for you» the black Guardian replied, almost wanting to get inside the monitor.
«Then prepare for why I'm coming there. And now go and call the gohtarma, ugly idiot, if you don’t want to have the life of millions of Arkassians on your conscience!»
Mendicar closed the communication and headed for his lord. He had little desire to execute the orders of that old Prismian, but he knew that Poligon Dhaal was not a man to talk nonsense. If he had said those words there was some truth in them, and he was more than ever curious to know what.
He entered the dark hall.
The green being climbed on the neck of the gohtarma and he opened his eyes.
«Mendicar, why are you here?» he asked, seeing him kneeling in front of him.
«Sir, I beg your pardon. Poligon Dhaal asks to urgently confer with you».
«What does he want?»
Mendicar raised his head and stared at him.
«He didn’t tell me, but he's coming here. According to him, for many of us it’s a matter of life and death».
The gohtarma stood up and ordered the Guardian to be left alone.
He answered the call from there.
«Your boy is on his way home with the prisoners. If you are coming here to free him, know that he will honor his promise or he will die. Or you will both die». The lord of Arkass began the conversation thus, without any doubt as to how he intended to proceed.
«Darkonar, you should ask your subordinates to take communications seriously, even if they come from the enemy».
«What are you talking about?» he asked, not expecting an answer like that.
«I knew they had not told you anything, otherwise you would have called me, I assure you». Poligon pushed some keys and the black man's monitor received some data.
«A good Solaryan noticed the sub-spatial anomaly. You know what this means, right?!»
The animal let go of the gohtarma's neck and went down, helped by his arm. His old arkassian eyes filled with amazement as they rechecked the data over and over again.
«It's not possible» he said softly.
«It's not over, Darkonar. The past haunts us and taking responsibility for mistakes made is something that we cannot escape. You can’t do it either».
«It's useless for you to be the first in the class, Poligon. You were there when we forced the balance. You were one of the most determined, so don’t lecture me now!»
Poligon Dhaal looked down. The gohtarma was right.
«That's why I'm coming there as fast as I can. Now alert your people, they totally underestimated the thing. And try not to shoot me».
The lord of Arkass turned away and picked up the siel.
«If you expect me to free the boy for this reason, you're wrong» he said, taking up again his faithful friend.
«I don’t expect anything, Darkonar. I trust you will reflect on the fact that no one can do it alone».
Poligon Dhaal closed the communication. By now the attack was certain. He only wondered what kind of fleet could attack all those planets at once.
*
Ottolivi opened his eyes to the ceiling, he thought for a moment if it was all real and, when he was sure, embraced his brother. He believed he had dreamed of the fact that he had come there to free him.
«What place is this?».
Tadiero checked all the vital processes from the screens before finding the right words to tell his brother.
«Believe it or not, we're inside Greymar's ship. We have reached a kind of agreement and we have come to pick you up».
«An agreement with Greymar?! The universe has been turned upside down».
Tadiero smiled. «You said it brother! And the best is yet to come».
Kalberham, leaning on the other bed, enjoyed the scene. He had several thoughts that troubled him, but at least his friends were free and this was s
omething he no longer had to think about.
He still felt some pain from the beatings he had received. The queen of the creeps had dumped years of rancor on him. However, Jaco had done a good job and he already felt better.
David entered the infirmary with his usual verve, as if he spent every weekend inside an arkassian ship.
«Good morning gentlemen. I'm the new nurse!» he said, arousing the amazement of Jaco.
«You, clumsy bastard Terrestrial. And so the Vortians have not been able to get you out, eh ?!» Ottolivi said, happy to see that even his friend was safe.
«Quiet, portiryan beast. I'll be able to marry your sister».
Tadiero took him from behind and lifted him firmly, blocking his arms.
«Mention my sister again and I bring you back there».
Jaco took two steps back and stood near the communicator.
«Sir, put the colonel down immediately or I'll have to call security»
«Yes sure. Can you imagine the Arkassians trying to save my life ?!» David said, amused.
Everyone laughed out loud and Jaco looked at them puzzled.
«Did you see Patrik? He’s not in his cabin».
Tadiero and Kalberham looked at each other with hidden smiles.
«Who is Patrik?» Ottolivi asked.
«He's the son. He too came to free you. You know, our David is the father of a young Guardian» Tadiero answered.
«Then? Do you think you can tell me where he is or do I still have to endure your stupid expression?»
«Well, David, if he's not here and in his room, I think he can only be in one place» said Kalberham, somewhat amused.
David didn’t understand, then looked around and saw that Alannah was missing too.
«That’s not true!?» he said with the expression of someone who has just lined up three bells in a Las Vegas slot machine.
«Oh yeah!» the Solaryan continued, placing the hands behind his head. «And I think they are really going at it!»
«This time Karmora will kill me».
«Colonel David Jones, this is the first sensible thing you've said since you came in here» Tadiero told him.
Suddenly a red light came on and an alarm signal began to echo throughout the ship.
Ottolivi stood up.
«You have to rest. Stay down!» his brother told him.
«Try to stop me, bonehead!» he replied, putting on his jacket.
Everyone looked at each other and without another word left the infirmary to head for the bridge.
*
«What's up?» David asked as he stepped onto the bridge.
Patrik and Alannah were already there.
«Arkass is under attack, gentlemen. Out of the flexion we found this» said Greymar.
From the central monitor they could see a battle in the distance right near the planet.
«Impossible! Who could have ordered an attack? I can’t believe that the solaryan alliance broke the truce at such a moment» interrupted Kalberham, stunned.
«Whether you believe it or not Solaryan, this changes everything. From this moment on you are prisoners of war and you will remain confined in the prisons of the ship until further notice». Darnar had waited so long to say those words.
Even Lokkar couldn’t do anything now. He looked at Patrik and sighed worriedly.
«Sir, it's not the solaryan alliance» said one of the arkassian officers.
«What does that mean?» Greymar thundered without taking his eyes off the central monitor.
«General, the computer doesn’t recognize the enemy».
This time the soldier turned to look at his commander.
«Sir, communications are disturbed. I can’t get in touch with Arkass» said another soldier in the opposite post.
«We must immediately reach the fortress. I want to see this thing through. As soon as we land, Darnar will take you to the central hall and await to tell you what will be decided».
Greymar finished talking and no one said anything. The attack was an unusual thing and a solution could only be reached by everyone working together.
After a couple of minutes they reached the berth.
«At least, the Olympia is still in its entirety» David said, moving through the ship a little further.
As soon as they entered the great hall they saw that all the black Guardians were around the gohtarma and, unexpectedly, even Poligon Dhaal was present. Maliki and Marco stood on one side and, as soon as she saw them enter, Kaira began to run towards them.
«Here, Dad, this is Kaira, the girl I told you about» Patrik said as he saw her approach.
She totally snubbed both Alannah and Patrik and stood at David's feet with shining eyes.
«What's up, baby?» he asked, lowering himself to her.
Kaira hugged him tightly and began to cry.
«I've missed you so much» she kept repeating, while Alannah and Patrik looked at him in disbelief.
As usual, that child was a mystery.
Kalberham took Patrik's arm and led him to the black Guardians. Now they had to think about something else.
Poligon Dhaal had a worried expression as he spoke to his interlocutors, but nevertheless he found the strength to smile at the terrestrial boy.
«Master, but if you are here, who ordered the attack on Arkass?» asked Patrik immediately, without bothering any of them.
«This is it. They’re back. They are falaian spacecraft» answered the old Guardian. «They are attacking Arkassians, Solaryans, the sacred planet Eta Carinae and even the Earth».
«The Earth?!» David thundered from behind, still with Kaira in his arms. «It will be a massacre! They cannot defend themselves».
Poligon Dhaal raised his hand slightly to calm him. «King Karmora sent reinforcements, David. You don’t have to worry».
Patrik stared at Alannah for a moment, and she returned his gaze with a slight knowing smile. God, how much he loved her!
«It's very strange, though» the gohtarma said suddenly, catching everyone's attention in a moment.
«Sir?» asked Mendicar.
The old Arkassian's eyes stared thoughtfully on the monitor.
«They are attacking a few» he said, as if it were a thought spoken aloud. «Where are the flagships? Where is the real fleet of Falaia?»
«Don’t deceive yourself. The chosen ones are about to return and none of you will escape!!»
The voice that had just pronounced those words belonged to Temalkin, the black Guardian of the planet Premi.
His colleagues looked at him astonished as he walked backwards, without taking his eyes off them and holding the siel, which meanwhile had come to life on his forearm.
«It's the end of the weak. It is the end of the incapable. It's the beginning of the new galaxy» he said still threateningly.
«Temalkin, what are you saying?» asked Lokkar, astonished at one who had always been one of his closest friends.
«Are you asking me this, Lokkar? You, that have lost so much? Are not you tired of seeing your people die, while inferior races live and thrive on their blood?»
«You know very well it's not their fault. The Code…».
«The Code?! You still speak to me of the Code?!» Temalkin thundered loudly. «The Code doesn’t know at all where to go! The Code must be addressed. See what he did: Armintala's siel to a terrestrial boy. The sacred weapon of our founding father, the one who guarantees unconditional access to the Flower of souls, in the hands of a being totally unworthy of brandishing it».
«Do you question the work of Kentaura?» pointed Kalberham at him.
At that point Temalkin smiled, as if aware of a dark truth to all of them.
«Not just me, gentlemen. We are many, more than you think. The empire of Falaia is back and the new balance is only a matter of time».
«You, traitorous dog, you will die» said Greymar, holding his weapon.
The doors suddenly closed, banging hard and the windows froze.
Nobody could enter or l
eave the central hall any more.
As had happened at other times, red Guardians materialized from nowhere. A dozen hooded tunics with siels in their hands.
Temalkin joined the new guests, while Patrik, Kalberham and all the Guardians present wielded the weapons the Code had assigned them.
Nobody moved for four or five seconds. Then, as if he knew it was his turn, one of the Guardians of Falaia walked slowly toward them and took off his hood. Poligon Dhaal and the gohtarma assumed the same expression of fear and rancor to the vision of that face.
Akelio, the one who had been sent to certain death along with her followers, stared at them almost pleased.
At that point the others also unveiled their faces, and there the surprise was total.
Those who had been Guardians of Balance, Spindorf's companions, allies in battle, and who afterwards had been exiled for being traitors, were all there and time seemed to have not passed for them. Like Berdinash, who had tried to force the Code almost killing Patrik, their faces were those they had had at the time.
«Good. It seems that here there is a meeting of old friends to whom we have not been invited».
Akelio narrowed her solaryan pupils, surrounded by the roar of her friends’ laughter.
The wavy black hair fell on her shoulders, the lines of her face were slender, feline. Considering the fact that they were all, right or wrong, contemporaries of Poligon Dhaal and the black lord, Patrik immediately understood the reason for their surprise.
But the eyes were different, glassy, as if their souls had changed or had been kidnapped to a distant place. Whatever the place or strength that had spared the signs of ageing, it had demanded something in return. And this something had made them different, foreign. Nothing that was any more part of the galaxy called the Milky Way.
«How is it possible you're here? That all of you are here and that you are like that?!» Poligon Dhaal asked, detaching himself from the group.
Akelio bowed her head, the pity of an old memory.
«Darkonar and Poligon Dhaal, how long. Or better to say, how much time for you...».
Darkonar, whom everyone now knew as the gohtarma, sat next to Poligon to listen.
Patrik Jones and the Code of the Universe Page 35