by Corin Cain
27
Allie
I blink as I come back into existence. There’s a dull throb of pain in my temples.
“The operation was a success.” The Aurelian doctor is looking down at me. “We removed the helmet with no complications.”
My heart pounds as I reach into my mind…
…and feel nothing.
“Did they kill them already?” I sob. “Are they dead?”
The Doctor narrows his eyes. “No, no. Daccia’s triad are in Orb-Cells. They’re designed to block the Bond, just as this device was. You won’t feel them.”
I gasp with relief, knowing my triad is still alive.
“Ms. Tabber – are you well enough to attend the trial?”
I nod quickly. I feel dizzy, but there’s no way I’m going to let my triad die without me begging Queen Jasmine to grant them mercy.
I stand up… and nearly topple over.
“Easy,” the doctor supports me. “You need rest. I’m going to recommend that you spend at least two days in recovery.”
I pull myself to my full height. I may not be able to feel the Bond right now, but I’ve still gained its benefits. I’m stronger than ever before – and more resilient.
I stare into the doctor’s slate-grey eyes.
“I need to do this,” I tell him. “I need to face them.”
The doctor pauses – and then nods, signing the release forms. He hands me a ring, which hums with the power of the Orbs. It’s black and draws in the light.
“What is this?”
“You’ll need to wear it if you want to attend the trial – by order of Queen Jasmine herself.”
I examine the ring in my hand. It glows with an otherworldly blue-black light, just like other tools and weapons made from the mysterious material of an Orb.
“It’s an Orb-Ring,” the doctor explains. “It will mute the Bond between you and your triad. It’s the only way to guarantee a fair trial – so neither you, or they will be able to use telepathic communication to impact the verdict.”
I stare at the hateful, black technology in my palm.
Oblivious to my torment, the doctor states: “There are two Law Enforcement agents outside the doors right now. I recommend you keep that ring on – or they won’t allow you to see your abusers stand trial.”
I nod. “Fine.”
I reluctantly put on the ring. When the Aurelians get out of their cells, I now won’t be able to feel the reassuring presence of their auras – but as long as I can physically see them – to confirm with my own eyes that they exist, and are still alive for now – that will be enough for me.
I exit the room. Two huge, Aurelian Elites await me. They’re wearing armor forged from Orb and are armed with long, deadly-looking Orb-Spears.
Wordlessly, they accompany me in a shuttle to the Arena of the Gods.
I’ve seen this place in the holo-vids. It’s a Colosseum, just like they had in the Ancient Rome of Old-Earth. Everything about this city – this planet – reminds me of what I’ve seen of the culture of Romans and Greeks.
The two Elites who escort me are huge and hulking in their Orb-Armor. I fidget with the Orb-Ring around my finger, and one of them turns his slate-grey eyes to watch me.
More so than even Daccia, the Elite betrays nothing. His face and eyes might have been carved from marble for all the emotion they reveal.
I wonder if I pull off the ring whether they’ll stay true to what the doctor had told me – that I wouldn’t be allowed to view the trial.
I know these Aurelians think such measures are for my own protection, but I hate all this. I don’t need protection from the Aurelian Empire – not from the three devoted, beloved warriors who I’m Bonded to.
What I need is my triad. I need them to know it wasn’t me who disrupted the Orb-Drive. I need them to know I’m ready to give them everything they wanted from me.
"This way," one of the Elite guards finally breaks his silence, speaking in a dark, forbidding voice. We’ve touched down in front of a huge entrance. I follow the Elites – my dishonor guard, I suppose you could call them – into the coliseum. We pass through looming stone hallways until we finally reach a towering set of gates that open to the arena beyond.
I gasp as soon as I see them.
My triad are there, in the middle of the arena – on their knees in the rough sand, with their hands cuffed behind their backs. They can’t sense me through the Bond, but the thousands of Aurelians watching this spectacle gasp as one and turn their countless heads as I step through the gates.
My triad struggle to turn their heads so they can see me.
I see the betrayal in their eyes.
I can’t help myself. What have I got to lose?
I wrench the Orb-Ring off my finger, hurling it to the sand. Before they can stop me, I run past the Elite guards, out into the sand of the area. I run to them – my triad. My loves.
I don’t get far. Within seconds, one of the Elite guards grabs me by my collar, yanking me back through the gates.
“No! You will not interrupt.”
But without the ring on my finger, the auras of my triad suddenly flood back into my mind.
It’s like coming home, having them back in there…
…but coming home to find your house ransacked and robbed.
From their auras, I can sense that Hadrian and Kitos are wounded. Not physically, but deeply in their soul. Daccia’s aura has that characteristic calm to it – as if he’d been expecting me to betray him all along, and now he’s just accepted the inevitable.
“I’m so sorry,” I telepath desperately. “I didn’t disable the Orb-Drive this time. It was my sister! You have to believe me! I don’t want to hurt you!”
Relief suddenly floods through the auras of Hadrian and Kitos – followed quickly by an overwhelming sense of grief.
They already knew they were going to die in this sandy arena – where countless Aurelians have killed, died, and been judged for millennia.
They’d been facing death with resignation – thinking that with my betrayal, they’d had nothing left to live for, anyway.
Now, having communicated to them what really happened – by reaching out to them and letting them know that I cared for them as deeply as they cared for me…
Suddenly, I’ve given purpose to their lives…
…just moments before those lives are taken away from them.
I’ve given them the poison of hope.
Only Daccia’s aura lights up with light.
“One moment more, feeling your aura, is all I needed,” telepaths Daccia, and I feel his presence in my mind, massaging my being, feeling my deepest thoughts.
I look up at the place of honor. There sits Queen Jasmine, surrounded by her Emperor and his own triad. They’re looking down at us imperiously. Behind Jasmine are her sons. They range from young adults to Aurelian babes barely out of infancy – and yet they all stand like a silent army.
I count at least twenty. Jasmine has given birth to twenty strong, proud sons.
With a sob, I realize that could have been my life – if I hadn’t so foolishly run from my triad.
Jasmine looks down at my triad. She raises her hand up, and the crowd falls quiet.
“These men,” the Queen announces, “have been brought to us having committed the most heinous of crimes. Decorated officers of the Aurelian Law Enforcement, they betrayed their duty and fornicated with a woman in their custody. This is crime punishable by death.”
The crowd gasps.
“The proof? It’s in their eyes. These warriors are Bonded to this woman.”
The crowd mutters and jeers. One Elite stands.
“Bonded? The we cannot execute them! Have you gone mad, Queen Jasmine? We must think of our race before anything else! The Aurelian race is dying out! The Bond is all we have!”
Queen Jasmine waits for the crowd to quiet. “You are correct.”
As angry, panicked and frantic as I am, I take a second t
o admire her diplomacy. Jasmine has the authority to stand that man down…
…and yet she spoke to him with respect, and acknowledged his words.
The Queen continues:
“This is indeed a unique case, and as such I will judge it uniquely. Every Aurelian in this crowd would have done the same if they’d known their prisoner was their Fated Mate.”
There are rumbles and grumbles in the crowd, but I see that people are nodding their heads slowly. The poison of hope wells up inside of me.
“These three men took advantage of a woman,” Jasmine speaks loudly. “For that crime, they are hereby expelled from the ranks of Aurelian Law Enforcement. They are hereby banished from the Aurelian Empire.” She turns to the Orb-Armored guards and barks: “Take them away!”
The crowd goes wild, and it’s difficult to tell what their reaction is – anger, or elation.
It doesn’t matter. What this means is that my beloved triad will not be executed.
As I stand there, the aura of Hadrian flares in my mind.
“We will meet with you soon, my love.”
Joy fills my heart.
Then I remember my little sister. That too, fills me with joy – albeit of another kind.
I’d spent years searching for her. Thanks to my triad, she is alive and returned to me.
But not returned whole. She’s still terrified of Aurelians, and deeply traumatized by what Torelli did to her. It will be a long road before she’s healed again – if that’s even possible.
And that creates a deep conflict.
I’d already felt myself growing closer to those three gorgeous Aurelians with each mating. One more coupling, and I feel I’ll have become so intertwined with them that I’ll never get out.
And that’s fine. That’s good. That’s everything…
But I’ll need some time to help my sister get well first, before I give myself entirely to my triad. Maybe, one day, she’ll learn not to hate Aurelians. Even to trust them. Perhaps, in time, she can love my triad, as her brothers.
But not today. Not for many days.
I stand there and watch Daccia, Hadrian, and Kitos get dragged away. When my triad has finally left the arena, Queen Jasmine addresses the jeering crowd.
“Our Empire owes a debt to this woman,” she gestures towards me. “This woman has suffered, and it is her choice how she shall proceed with her life.”
An Aurelian stands in the crowd. “She should not have a choice! Our people need sons!”
Queen Jasmine gives him a haughty stare. “Then we are no more than animals! The Aurelian Empire is supposed to be the highest culture in the universe. You’d reduce a woman to breeding chattel?” She shakes her head. “Then, this court is adjourned.”
The Elites guards behind me pick up the Orb-Ring I’d angrily tossed to the sand. Without a word, they lead me from the arena. This time, we go a different way down the hallway, away from the direction we’d come in.
“Where are you taking me?”
“Queen Jasmine wants to see you,” one of the Elites murmurs.
I can barely think of what she might want from me.
What do I have in common with the illustrious Queen Jasmine? All we share in common is being Bonded to a triad of Aurelian warriors – except her Bonded partners are the mighty Emperor of the entire Aurelian Empire and his two battle-brothers, and my three brave, bold and devoted warriors are now exiles from that same Empire.
All Jasmine and I share is the gift of the Bond. We each share three partners, with whom we don’t need to speak to know how we all feel about each other. My triad and I – just like Jasmine and her own triad - can all feel each other, knowing our emotions, and knowing the certainty that we’ll all finally be together soon.
“I’m coming,” I telepath to my triad. “Queen Jasmine wants to see me first. I’m sorry, I’ll be with you soon.”
I need to make up for what I did to them. Daccia, Kitos and Hadrian have suffered so much at my hands. I need them to know I’m never going to hurt them again. That I will always be theirs, and they’ll always be mine.
“Don’t trust her.” Hadrian’s aura flares in my mind – and suddenly turns icy cold.
I stand in front of two heavy doors, and the Elites open them. In front of me stands Queen Jasmine – a human, just like me…
…but one distrusted by half her populace.
One of the Elites walks to her, handing her the Orb-Ring. Then he bows, and the two guards back from the chamber.
The door shuts behind us. I feel like it’s sealing me in.
I’ve entered a huge room. It’s beyond lavish, even by Aurelian standards – and on Colossus, everything looks like a scaled-up version of some great Roman palace or gilded Greek temple. There is a large throne in the center of the immense room, where Queen Jasmine sits imperiously.
I look up at her, and immediately wonder how I could have been so blind as to think that I was like her in any way.
This woman has lived for hundreds of years, and yet she still looks like she’s in her mid-twenties. Her body seems totally unchanged by the dozens of pregnancies she’s gone through. Her skin is flawless – without a single stretch mark or imperfection – and she wears a light, salmon-colored dress that makes her look almost ethereal.
I feel so… human compared to her otherworldly beauty and presence.
“Allie,” the Queen says as I enter.
“My Queen,” I respond, bowing.
Queen Jasmine suddenly guffaws in mirth.
I jerk my head up in shock.
“I’m not your Queen, Allie,” she murmurs. “You grew up outside of Aurelian rule. You are one of the few people on this planet entitled to just call me Jasmine.”
“Okay… Jasmine.” It feels so weird on my tongue. “I’m really eager to get back to my triad.”
“I understand,” Jasmine nods. “The Bond is a… unique thing. We both share it with our own triads. I wouldn’t take it back, but it’s not always easy. In the deepest throes of the Bond, you sometimes feel as though you’re losing your mind.”
What game is she playing at? Is she trying to keep me from my triad?
“Why are you telling me this?”
Queen Jasmine smiles. “You’re suspicious of me. That’s been a common theme during my reign. Suspicion, anger, and distrust have grown ever since I took the throne beside the Emperor.” The Queen’s eyes soften. “Allie, I brought you here not because of you, but because of your sister. She’s damaged – heavily damaged. I’ve received a full psychological report.”
I ache to help Lilac. I know I can show her that not all Aurelians are evil.
“I know,” I nod. “What that man Torelli did to her…”
“Torelli will be found and executed.”
The Queen’s voice is suddenly as cold as an executioner’s scythe, cutting through everything.
“But,” she continues, “that won’t help your sister. I know you love her – but I also know the Bond will grow more powerful every time you mate with your triad. You’ll soon find yourself so entwined with those three Aurelians that you won’t be able to keep yourself from them.”
She pauses.
“It’s a choice, Allie.”
I screw shut my eyes as the meaning of her words suddenly hit me.
If I stay with the Aurelians right now, I’ll grow ever more Bonded to them, quicker and quicker, until it floods my thoughts and takes over my very being.
I am prepared for that now. I welcome that…
…but I have a little sister who spent years being abused by a terrible, terrible man. I need to help her before I surrender to my selfish urges.
Queen Jasmine sighs.
“I’m sorry, Allie. I know this isn’t easy. My psychologist believes she might never fully recover. I’m concerned the fear of Aurelians is part of her now. Your little sister will probably never be able to be near your triad – to be part of your new family.”
Queen Jasmine extends her hand. I
nside it is the black Orb-Ring I’d discarded in the arena.
“This Ring isn’t an escape,” she tells me. “It’s a choice.” She holds out the Orb-Ring – offering me the device that can sever the auras of my triad from my mind.
My heart wrenches.
“What’s wrong? Where are you?”
I don’t answer Hadrian’s frantic words.
“Tell them,” Jasmine urges me. “Make it clean. Make it quick. Set them free.”
I swallow hard. I suddenly see two futures ahead of me.
One, in which I surrender myself fully into the Bond. In that future, I create a chasm between me and my sister – one that can never be bridged. A future in which she never gets any better.
The second future? I requires that I cut myself from these three warriors – the men I’ve come to deeply love. In that future, I can try desperately to help Lilac get better. I’ve been searching for years for my sister...
Surely, I can’t abandon her now.
I take the Orb-Ring from Queen Jasmine. If my sister will never get better, then I can’t have the Aurelians in my life. It’s as simple as that.
I need them to know it’s over. I need them to forget about me and move on with their lives – building their harems, living their lives on their own. I can’t give them what they want from me.
I love them. I want them.
But my sister needs me more.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I love you, but I can’t be with you.”
I telepath the message – and then I put the ring on my finger.
The auras of my triad wink out like stars being extinguished.
I suddenly stand there, on the home world of Colossus – in the heart of the Aurelian Empire and surrounded by billions of people on millions of planets…
…and I’ve never felt so utterly alone in all my life.
28
Allie
Seventy years later.
The grave is a simple tombstone.
Over the past seven decades, I’ve watched my younger sister age from a girl, to a woman, and finally into a wise, old dame.
And now, finally, she’s gone. And I’m alone. I’m alone, and there’s no one in the universe left that cares for me.