“I was tired of your delusions of grandeur,” I retorted.
He turned around, sneering at me. “Yet, you’re standing here, ready to serve me again.”
“Well, it’s either that or death, and you know I’m enjoying my existence too much to let you snuff it out.”
“Perhaps you should choose your words more carefully, Sister,” Amal murmured, giving me a sideways glance.
“No, no, let her speak freely.” Ta’Zan chuckled. “She thinks she’s right in all of this, and she’s just trying to keep her friends alive. In a way, I admire her. But it won’t lead anywhere good.”
“I don’t understand.” I sighed. “You’ve got me here, ready to work for you again. What the hell more do you want? Genuine enthusiasm? Because that’s not going to happen. That ship has already sailed.”
Ta’Zan gave me a cold grin, and it scared me more than an army of Perfects. I knew him well enough to understand his facial expressions, and this one, in particular, was cause for concern.
“I would like for you to be a little bit more… into it, yes. You should love what you’re doing, Amane. You’re not a run-of-the-mill Faulty. You and your sister are the best of your species, and I think you deserve the luxury of enjoying your craft,” Ta’Zan said.
“Spare me the love-your-work nonsense,” I said. “Just tell me what you want me to do, and I’ll do it.”
“In a minute. I’m not done,” Ta’Zan replied, then turned his attention to Amal. He stepped forward and hugged her. She smiled, softening in his arms. “I’ve missed you, my child.”
“I’ve missed you, too, Father,” she whispered. “I’m sorry I wasn’t more careful. But my sister took me by surprise. I didn’t think she’d be this foolish…”
“Not to worry, Amal,” Ta’Zan said, giving her a soft, fatherly smile. “All has passed now, and we’re together again. We can continue our work, undeterred by anyone. It’s a shame so many have died already because of these outsiders’ stubbornness.”
Amal nodded enthusiastically. “I feel like I can breathe again. I’m nothing without you, Father.”
Well, she certainly knew how to play the part right. Even I was close to buying whatever she was selling. Ta’Zan looked more relaxed as he carefully analyzed her expression, as if thankful to see that she was still loyal. When he shifted his focus back to me, however, my blood curdled, as the sneer returned—an omen of something much darker that had yet to happen.
“Now, it’s time for you to understand something, my wayward daughter,” he said.
I hated it when he called me that. I wasn’t his daughter. He wasn’t my father. He’d made me, sure, but he’d also indoctrinated me, he’d poisoned my mind, and he’d convinced me to do horrible things. I had the blood of the entire Draenir species on my hands. I would never forgive him for that.
“I don’t know what else you have left to teach me. I’ve learned enough,” I murmured, though my knees were already getting weaker.
Ta’Zan pressed a small button on his bracelet. Seconds later, a Perfect came in, dragging someone by the back of his neck. My heart stopped, as I recognized the prisoner. We’d grown up together. He’d been by my side, and my sister’s, from the very beginning. I’d once had feelings for him, but I’d never acted on them, given our servitude to Ta’Zan, who’d always insisted that we keep our personal relationships to a minimum in order to avoid getting distracted.
“Thanis…” I mumbled, dread clutching my throat.
He was as handsome and as resilient as I’d last seen him. Thanis was tall and muscular, with long limbs and turquoise fur growing on his back and legs. His amber eyes were cat-like and wide, and they filled with both surprise and horror when he saw me.
“Amane… No… Why’d you come back?!” Thanis breathed.
“She came to her senses,” Ta’Zan said.
“What… What is he doing here? What are you doing to him?” I asked, my voice trembling.
Ta’Zan raised an eyebrow. “Thanis was one of the rebels who started the riot to assist Derek and his crew in escaping the colosseum,” he replied. “I kept him alive and killed the others. The latter I did to teach the Faulties a lesson. The former, however, I did because I knew you’d come back to me one day, my wayward daughter.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I croaked, then looked at Amal. She seemed equally stunned by this development. “Did you know about this?”
She shook her head slowly. “I didn’t see him with the others when they were executed. Then again, I wasn’t exactly paying attention, and I didn’t have much time to react, since they were all promptly pulverized.”
“Ta’Zan… He’s not… He’s not a part of this,” I said, mentally bracing myself for something horrible. My instinct was never wrong, and the knot in my stomach was extremely uncomfortable.
The Perfect pushed Thanis onto the floor, then stepped back, patiently waiting as Ta’Zan got closer to him. A glimmer caught my eye. A blade glistening in Ta’Zan’s hand. Amal gripped my wrist, discreetly holding me back.
“What… What are you doing?” Thanis asked, scared and confused, his gaze bouncing from me to Amal, then Ta’Zan and back to me.
“I’m teaching Amane a lesson. Unfortunately, you’re involved,” Ta’Zan replied dryly. Thanis didn’t get to do or say anything else, as Ta’Zan’s hand shot outward and slashed open his throat.
“No!” I screamed, then collapsed with Amal’s arms around me. “No! Thanis!”
Blood gushed out, and Thanis froze, then gurgled and choked as the life drained out of him. He slumped on the floor and gave his last breath, settling in a pool of his own blood. Tears stung my eyes, making it impossible for me to focus. The heartache was too much to bear, as was the guilt.
Thanis had been my closest friend and confidant. He’d backed me up in my endeavor to leave. He’d even encouraged it, promising to help however he could if I needed it. And my rebellion had brought him to his end. His death was on me.
I bawled like a little girl, while my sister held me tight, without saying a word. Ta’Zan wiped the blood from his blade, and the Perfect dragged Thanis’s body away, leaving a crimson trail behind. Someone else was going to clean that up, at some point. Ta’Zan’s horrific gesture had gutted me, but it hadn’t taught me the lesson he’d hoped. All it did was fan the flames, making me even more determined to take him down and destroy him.
“This is the price you pay for working against me,” Ta’Zan hissed, pointing a finger at me. I’d definitely crossed him, and it was finally starting to show. “Thanis’s blood is on your hands, Amane. The next time you betray me, I won’t be so merciful. I will chop off your arms, then your legs, until there’s nothing left of you, except an empty husk. And even then, I will not grant you the luxury of death. No, that is reserved for everyone you hold dear.”
Amal cleared her throat. “Father, I think she’s learned her lesson.”
“Good,” Ta’Zan snapped. “And you’ll make sure it stays that way. Otherwise, it’ll be your neck on the line!”
That wasn’t a threat. It was a promise. Ta’Zan showed affection, but he never really meant it. As long as we were valuable to him, he let us live. The moment we became a nuisance, however, he turned on us, and Amal was no exception. The only reason she was still alive was because of her act, her supposed obedience and loyalty.
On the inside, I grinned, because I knew I would stop at nothing in order to break him. On the outside, however, I cried my heart out, because my fight had taken Thanis down as collateral damage. He hadn’t deserved any of this.
I couldn’t do anything now, though I would’ve given anything to just reach out and slit Ta’zan’s throat wide open, like he’d done with Thanis. All I could do was focus on what came next, and make sure no one else suffered such a dreadful fate.
“Will you really obey my every command, Amane? Have you truly learned your lesson?” Ta’Zan asked, his tone calm and flat.
I nodded. “Yes. I
will never turn against you. I promise. Just… stop killing the people I love.”
“Love is a fallacy, Amane. Get that out of your head and focus on your work. That’s your purpose in life. Nothing more, nothing less,” Ta’Zan replied.
I nodded again, though this time I was simply responding to my inner thoughts—the promise that I would watch his empire burn, that I would turn everything to ashes, and that I would do everything in my power to kill him.
Herakles
Rose and Ben had left clear instructions for us, and a specific amount of time in which to follow them. The timing was most important, since our moves had to coincide with the arrival of the four Perfects they’d previously captured from Strava’s orbit.
Araquiel and I geared up and headed for the winter-summer cluster, while the rest of my crew, along with Rakkhan and the Draenir, as well as Kallisto, stayed back in the cave. Rose and Ben had two extra earpieces, which they taught us how to use. I held on to one and gave the other to Kallisto. She hated being left behind like this, but she did feel better knowing she was useful to the communications part of our mission. After all, with Ben and Rose’s team inside the colosseum, we had to effectively rely on each other in order to succeed.
“Do we know where they’re landing, specifically?” Araquiel asked.
We were halfway through the journey already, moving from one island to another as we kept our distance from the populated archipelagos. I didn’t like Araquiel holding me as he flew us across the turquoise ocean, but his pristine white wings were our fastest way to dash toward Merinos. We were careful in our travel, though, so other Perfects wouldn’t notice him.
The last thing we wanted was someone catching on that he was still alive. Araquiel was, for the time being, our secret and most valuable weapon. The runners-up were Nathaniel, Uriel, Angelica, and Deena, who were thought to have been lost in space during the fleet attack.
“Rose said that they were told to land as close to Merinos as possible. The shuttle fuel reserves and their abilities combined should help them steer the interplanetary spell accordingly,” I replied.
Araquiel and I didn’t have that much to talk about, besides the mission. Prior to his memory wipe, he’d been the ultimate bastard and Ta’Zan’s right hand. I was still wrapping my head around this new version of him—able to think and rationalize on his own, without any form of indoctrination. He was generally quiet and remarkably obedient, but maintained a sense of righteousness and kindness I’d never seen in him before.
“It’ll be a few more hours before we get there, if we keep it up like this,” Araquiel said. “I would’ve gotten us there in minutes, otherwise.”
I chuckled, occasionally glancing over my shoulder. “That’s fine. I enjoy the quality time we spend together, as brothers from the same lab.”
He looked at me, his eyebrows raised with surprise as we continued our trek through a small, dark jungle. “Really?”
“No. I’m joking. You’ve yet to grasp the notion of humor, huh?”
“I’m not sure what I did to offend you, then. Perhaps, if you tell me, I can make amends,” he replied.
I shook my head slowly. “This isn’t about you, per se. It’s about the old you. I would’ve killed you then, if I could’ve, and if I’d had the chance.”
“I was bad, wasn’t I?”
He sounded sad as he asked me that, and I couldn’t help but feel bad for him.
“Ugh. Let’s just say you were thoroughly misguided and too stubborn to accept other viewpoints. On top of that, you and your Perfect siblings were always suffering from this obnoxious superiority complex that made us all hate you even more,” I explained.
“Yeah. Douma and Raphael told me about that. I know what I did, and I do regret it. Had I known then what I know now, I wouldn’t have hurt anyone,” he replied. He sounded genuine. Frankly, I had no reason to believe otherwise. Araquiel was fundamentally changed. All I had to do was adjust and finally accept it, which was hard, given the headaches he’d given me and my people before. It wasn’t impossible, though. It wasn’t in my nature to hold a grudge forever, especially since the old Araquiel was already gone. “The only thing I can do now is make sure my brethren don’t hurt anyone else, going forward. In order to do that, I must help Rose and Ben in their quest to destroy Ta’Zan.”
“And you’re okay with that? He’s your creator, after all.”
“He’s yours, too, and you don’t seem to have a problem with it,” Araquiel answered with a half-smile.
I laughed hard. He sure was observant.
“I have to admit. I like this version of you better than the old one,” I said.
We reached the western beach of a small, tear-shaped island. Looking around, it seemed quiet. Sand-colored deer watched us from the woods we’d just left behind. Turquoise felines prowled in the nearby bushes but didn’t have the courage to pounce—they knew who they were dealing with. Birds chirped in the trees, and the ocean lapped at the white sand shores.
Far away, the pashmiri moaned and huffed water like geysers, playfully jumping and splashing around. The waves they generated could topple a small boat or two, but wise people knew to keep their distance.
I wondered what the other rogue Faulties were up to—the ones I hadn’t been able to rally from the jungles. My charm only went so far in my physical absence. Most of my crew had come to me solely based on what they’d heard about me, but not everyone could be so easily convinced to abandon the temporary safety of the forests to join me and my crusade against Ta’Zan. Some were still hung up on the idea that he might take them back. The delusional fools.
All this was going to be over once we rooted the evil out. Once we killed Ta’Zan.
“Yeah, I prefer being who I am now, too,” Araquiel replied, then put his arms out.
That was my cue to basically hug him, so he could fly us over to the next island. “I hate this part,” I grumbled, then wrapped my arms around his torso.
“I’m not a fan of it, either, but Rose was right. We can’t risk anyone seeing us. I’d rather fly low like this than get us in any trouble,” Araquiel said, then held me tight and took off.
My breath got stuck in my throat again—the adrenaline pumping through my veins was impossible to ignore. I loved flying, though I didn’t like hugging Araquiel in order to do it. Riding the dragon’s back… now, that was an experience I would’ve been more than happy to repeat!
We reached another small island, darting through the woods and keeping a low profile as we headed for its western shore. Above us, several groups of Perfects flew north like swift comets. We stilled, listening for any sound that might bring danger closer to us.
“Coast is clear,” Araquiel whispered, looking up, his ears twitching slightly. “They’re gone.”
“I wonder who they’re looking for, this far out from the inhabited archipelagos,” I mumbled, then kept moving, with Araquiel right behind me.
“Probably us. You. Your clique. The Draenir. Anyone else who’s aided Rose and Ben so far,” Araquiel replied.
“Lucky you’re dead, huh?” I asked, stifling a grin.
“As long as it works to our advantage, sure,” he said.
A few hours later, we were two islands farther to the west, swiftly dodging flying Perfects as we headed toward the winter-summer cluster. We didn’t say much to each other, but that didn’t last long.
“What will we do if we win?” Araquiel asked.
“That’s a good question,” I said, settling on the edge of a beach overlooking the tempestuous isles surrounding Merinos. We were close to our target location now. “I don’t know. There will be Perfects. There will be Faulties. And there will be Draenir. Three species who will have to learn how to share this planet, because I’m in no mood for a war over resources.”
Araquiel scoffed. “Besides, after what was done to the Draenir, they should definitely be given a special status.”
“I agree. They’ve been through enough.”
&n
bsp; We both went silent at the sound of a distant boom. That wasn’t a Perfect flying, for sure. We followed the source until we saw the bright light and the ripple in the atmosphere, extending outward, as if a pebble had just been tossed into a lake.
“The shuttle,” Araquiel murmured, his eyes wide and twinkling with excitement.
He was definitely looking forward to meeting others like him—pure Perfects, as he chose to call himself. Clean memories, bright enough to understand who they were and what they’d done, and also capable of never willingly doing it again.
Indeed, the shuttle had breached Strava’s atmosphere. It was headed downward at a high speed, cutting through the clear skies like a shooting star. This was our moment, what we’d been mentally preparing for.
“Its trajectory seems arched,” I said, keeping my eyes on it.
“They must be forcibly steering the spell,” Araquiel replied. “Can you approximate a landing spot?”
I took a deep breath, then made several mental calculations, based on the axis and the speed with which the shuttle was moving. “About two, maybe three miles north of Merinos, if they keep it at that angle and speed,” I said.
“Uh-oh,” Araquiel breathed, as we both heard familiar sonic booms.
We looked to our right. A fleet of Perfects had spotted the shuttle coming in, as well. They flashed across the sky with supersonic speed, shooting stars determined to obliterate the shuttle. My heart was already racing. We’d known this could happen, but we’d both been hoping it wouldn’t. The universe, however, wasn’t going to let us have anything the easy way.
Araquiel gripped his pulverizer weapon and spread his wings. He briefly looked at me, frowning, before he set his sights on the incoming Perfects.
“I’ll meet you at the landing spot. I’ll deal with them,” he said.
“I’ll make my way there,” I replied.
There was no way for Araquiel to help me and draw the hostiles away from the shuttle, too. Lucky for me, I did have my native abilities to rely on. Behind my ears were two sets of small gills which only opened when I was underwater—something I shared with the Tritone, it seemed. I was a fast swimmer, and I could make my way through the water and between the islands in order to get to the shuttle. I’d chosen to fly with Araquiel because it was easier if we were together, and because his wings got us around faster than my swimming.
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