The Prevalence: Sequel and Final Book of The Premortals (The Premortals Series 2)

by Jacqueline Wrenley

  “A few of our friends were generous enough to give their support. All the firearms are inside the transport ships,” Thomas reported.

  “The new recruits?” Quinlan turned his gaze to Olfren.

  “Some came with us when we returned and we’re expecting more to come. I’ll meet them back at the town but I must confess…” Olfren became uneasy on his seat. “They’re still not enough if we’re to face the Corps.”

  “Then we won’t face the Corps,” Ryder suddenly said.

  Olfren had a confuse expression. “How are we going to defeat them without fighting the Corps?”

  Ryder was taking her time. She leaned back on her chair and explained coolly, “We have two goals we need to achieve if we want change in our Empire, one of them is to destroy the Numen system and the other is to capture the Emperor.”

  Destroying the Numen system would abolish the stations and give us the freedom to choose our mate, instead of being dictated by it.

  Then Ryder continued, “Since they’ve the upper hand, so we do what every outnumbered army would do… create a diversion.”

  Everybody was silent, pondering on Ryder’s idea.

  “It might work,” Curtis spoke first with optimism. “Divide the Corps, have their focus taken away from the Emperor,” he added.

  “But how are we going to do that?” Olfren asked, stroking his chin.

  Nobody answered. I was trying to think of a way to divert the Corps. How could we make the Empire’s largest army leave the Emperor?

  “We actually already have the bait with us,” Ryder said, giving a clue.

  “The Prince!” Nigel blurted then continued, “We could release information to the Corps that we have the Prince guarded by our army in a place of our choosing far from the Emperor, surely he wouldn’t hesitate to send the Corps there.”

  This was Ryder’s plan of Roland all along, using him as a decoy.

  Ryder had a look of satisfaction. “Exactly! You’re useful after all,” she declared facing Nigel then at us. “Yes, the Emperor will send the Corps especially if he hears an army is guarding the Prince, leaving us with less Corps guarding the Emperor.”

  “But we don’t have an army,” Olfren pointed out warily.

  “Yes but the Emperor doesn’t know that, that’s why the information released should say we have a large army, so the Emperor would send his Corps. The transports from Blackard are large ships, if the Corps knows we have those then they’ll be convinced of an army,” Ryder explained and added, “The question now is who’s going to lead our army to face the Corps?”

  She meant who’d lead the decoy army, the side of the plan that was designed to fail if ever something went wrong. The only reason the Corps wouldn’t annihilate our small army was the Prince, as long as he was safe with them as hostage, they wouldn’t dare attack, and for sure everybody in the room was thinking the same thing.

  “I will,” Olfren volunteered.

  We simultaneously turned our heads facing him. I was amazed by his bravery. Ryder nodded acknowledging him and said nothing, as if she was expecting it from him.

  Curtis placed a hand on Olfren’s shoulder. “We only need time. You don’t need to engage the Corps. They’ll probably try to negotiate first.”

  “I know, I’ll give you plenty of time,” Olfren assured smirking.

  “Now that we have the diversion, we still have to face the remaining Corps guarding the Numen and the Emperor,” Quinlan pointed out.

  “I’ll take care of the Emperor,” Thomas declared willingly.

  “The Emperor’s palace would still be guarded. Do you have a plan in mind?” Quinlan asked.

  Thomas shrugged. “We enter the palace undetected,” he simply answered.

  Quinlan sighed heavily. “Unlike the Numen facility, we couldn’t acquire the palace’s structural plans,” Quinlan admitted.

  “I know a way,” I interjected.

  They all stared at me puzzled and surprised when I spoke out.

  “I could talk to the Prince, I’m sure there are hidden passages inside the palace. I’ll try to convince him to tell me,” I explained.

  “What makes you think he’ll tell you?” Quinlan was skeptical.

  “I don’t, but I know what he’s like. I’ll find a way,” I reassured.

  “Alright. I’ll leave you with that,” Quinlan said and he turned to Thomas. “I’ll be your back up Thomas.”

  “That leaves me Numen then,” Curtis said.

  “I’ll go with you,” Nigel offered eagerly.

  Ryder stood up. “Good, now that we all know what to do, I’ll assign the team who’ll join your squads. With regards to when we’ll attack…” she paused then stared at me intensely, “It’ll depend when… or if you can convince the Prince, and time is not our friend right now.”

  It was up to me then, no pressure but obviously it was going to be. This was my chance to contribute for the cause. Honestly though, I didn’t think Roland would talk to me if he saw me again, after he realizes it was me who aided in his abduction. He wasn’t going to trust me now but I had to try even though he was going to hate me more than I loathed his vain ego.

  Not wasting any time, I asked Olfren to take me to Roland the next day. He guided me to the part of the cave I had never been to. The hallway descended deeper to a narrower path where there were less people around. We stopped in front of a metal door, and the man who was seated on a chair guarding it stood up. Olfren and the guard greeted each other, and then he turned to me.

  “Are you ready?” Olfren asked.

  I nodded my head.

  He smirked. “Go easy on him will you?” Olfren teased.

  He pressed the numbers on a console beside the door and it slid open. I took a deep breath and went inside alone. I wasn’t expecting the room to be larger than our living quarters. It was well lit, and the walls, floor and ceiling were covered in metal sheets. There was a bed at the corner, a small square table and two chairs at the center, there was also a shelf with books on it and a counter where a pitcher of water and a glass were placed. Roland seemed to be comfortable in his room, not as comfortable back in his manor but he wasn’t neglected here. He was sitting on one of the chairs and he looked up from the book he was reading when I entered.

  He was in shock. The disbelief in his wide eyes and his mouth hanging open told me he never suspected me as the type who’d do this to him. He looked different not wearing his expensive clothes, only a plain gray sweater and blue pants. Anyone who saw him like this wouldn’t think he was the crowned Prince but still he maintained an arrogant posture in him.

  He laughed a sound not of happiness but from someone who was impressed by being fooled into believing. He placed his book down on the table and lazily clapped his hands then said mockingly, “Bravo Lady Elaine. Never have I expected my little flower had a ferocious thorn in her after all.”

  I was about to say something clever back but I remembered I had to be nice to him if I wanted to gain his trust again.

  “Of all the people, you’re the least I’ve suspected, and it pains me you’d do this to me after I thought we were friends,” he said sounding hurt.

  “I’m sorry for all this,” I said sincerely.

  He chuckled. “You came here to apologize? I hardly believe that.”

  He was making this tough as it is. I took a seat on the chair across from him, trying to relax and be friendlier than I was when I was at his manor.

  “I actually came here to see if you’re doing okay and to talk, and please call me Ellie since I’m no longer a Lady,” I said kindly.

  He stared at me, his face full of doubt. “Talk huh? Okay, if we’re going to talk, so tell me why then?”

  I sighed. “Why I helped in your abduction?” I didn’t answer right away searching for the right words. “I don’t expect you to ever understand, but I believe what the Defiers are fighting for, for change, a life with more choices and opportunities not defined by our stations.”

  “But
you had it all, you became an Elite and all the comforts and luxuries were at your disposal,” he said in disbelief of my decision.

  “Sometimes everything isn’t about all those things,” I simply explained.

  He stared at me and shook his head. “You’re right, I’ll never understand, but I must confess I admire your virtue,” he paused then continued, “So tell me… Did you ever find that other man?” He teasingly asked, wearing an evil grin.

  I felt myself blush, I wanted to hide but it was too late, I knew he noticed it when he smiled more widely. He was talking about the last question he asked me during the game. He enjoyed making me feel awkward but I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction, so I smiled in return, not planning on answering.

  Two days after that, I was nowhere near where I was intending to be. Roland kept talking about his self-interest. He was stuck here alone for a long time with no one to talk to, and now that I was with him, someone he was familiar with, he was dying to talk to me, babbling on and on about himself and the Elites. It was like being back at his manor again. Each time I’d try to ask questions about his personal life, he’d deflect it and revert back to talking about himself again.

  This had to stop. I needed to step up my game or else we’d lose our chance. Then I remembered how he opened up to me at the masquerade ball, the way he shared about his relationship with the Emperor, he must had some trust in me that he’d say something so personal, with probably a combination of alcohol.

  On my next visit, I brought a bottle of the best wine the Defiers had available. It wasn’t as fine as what Roland was used to but it’d do its job all the same. His face lit up when he saw me placing the wine and two glasses on the table.

  “Let the fun begin,” he announced grinning, rubbing his hands together.

  I gave him a glass, poured wine in it then in mine. I raised my glass to him and he did the same nodding, then we drank. The wine was strong and wasn’t sweet or smooth like the expensive ones. We scrunched our faces from the taste and laughed after. I poured more wine in his glass which he didn’t refuse.

  I let him talk, whatever he felt like talking and I continued to fill his glass. I took small sips from my wine, sometimes I’d pretend to drink so he wouldn’t notice I was trying not to get drunk.

  “I know what you’re doing,” he said with a grin.

  I froze, my lips on the glass before I was about to take a drink. How did he found out I was trying to make him drunk? I started to get anxious inside while trying to remain calm on the outside, I drank my wine hoping it’d calm my nerves.

  He glared at me with glassy eyes and took another drink. I was studying him if he was mad at me. “You miss my company don’t you? That’s why you’re here drinking with me,” he declared, his voice started to slur and his hands became clumsy.

  He was drunk.

  I poured more wine in his glass.

  I smiled, secretly relieved and feeling triumphant. “You caught me,” I said.

  He laughed hard. “Aha! I don’t blame you. Nobody can resist me,” he said, sure of himself.

  He was now talking about his plans when he becomes the Emperor someday, then I asked questions about it and he answered them willingly. We came to the point he talked about his father, the Emperor. It was getting personal and his face turned gloomy. He had resentment, disappointed that he and his father never see eye to eye about anything. He dreamed a life without the responsibilities that his father constantly reminded him of. A life with no expectations from anyone was what he wanted, and when he becomes Emperor, he’d never be truly free. His life and time wouldn’t be his anymore. His Lord Generals would surely be around him all the time as his advisors. I felt bad for him but then I was reminded why I was here. Quinlan kept asking me if I had the information about the secret passages since all the other preparations were completed, and they were only waiting on me. My pity turned to determination, this was Roland’s fate and I had my own to deal with.

  It dawned on me, maybe this was the perfect time I could use his weakness as a way to make him understand and sympathize with us, and it might just work.

  I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry you feel that way, it’s not right you should go through that.” I hated lying but I didn’t see how to do this differently. “But you see now why some of us fight, we’re trapped in a world that’s not of our choice just like you,” I added.

  Roland drank his wine. “My life is far more complex than your rebels,” he objected.

  “Yes, your suffering is worse than ours with the burden of ruling a great Empire, and your father is to blame. Because of him, you’ll never have control whatsoever in your own life,” I said firmly, trying to make it sound more terrible as it is.

  He sat silently looking depressed.

  It was working, I thought.

  I decided to rub more sad reality to my words. “When you’ll become Emperor, there’ll be no more games or masquerade balls, you won’t have time painting your masterpieces with all your Lord Generals constantly hovering behind your back, judging your every decisions and actions. The bright side is you’ll still have your art collection, but by then it won’t give you anymore comfort as you live your life only through your paintings, always looking into the past of what it once meant to be fully alive and free.”

  Roland’s face looked defeated, the light in his eyes left him, and he stared down on his now empty glass. I felt terrible doing this but I was desperate. I need this to work, or else I didn’t know what else to do.

  “But what if I can give you a chance to escape all of it? Would you take it? Even if it meant losing the crown,” I whispered to him, making it seem I was offering him salvation, a taboo he couldn’t resist.

  He quickly lifted his head, staring at me with such want.

  He answered, “Yes.”

  CHAPTER 11: KAIROS

  CURTIS

  The capital city of the Empire, Kairos, where the Emperor resided and rule, and where the Numen facility was found. It was the largest city, a commercial center for everything, there was nothing this place didn’t have. Its tall buildings and sky scrapers were menacing at night. The elevated wide roads far above the ground were like coiling snakes, one on top of the other. It was packed with headlights glowing in the dark on one lane and red tail lights on the other. The sidewalks below were crowded as pedestrians crossed the busy streets. Not much had changed since the last time I was here, much younger, on a class field trip when I was still studying at Fortis Institute.

  I was riding on a shuttle that delivered fishes to Kairos. Nigel and three others were with me disguised as fishermen. The rest of the squad, five of them, rode a different shuttle or it’d seem suspicious there were too many of us in a fish transport. The pilot, who owns the shuttle, was the only genuine fisherman among us. Inside it reeked of fish and sweat, the walls and floors were dirty and damp. The flight was unpleasant, the shuttle’s engine roared noisily and rattled barely keeping itself flying above the sky. It wasn’t designed for passengers but for cargo only. I was standing looking out the window. The night sky was covered with gray clouds as we slowly flew over the city. It was then when I heard a voice from behind me.

  “It was a bad idea letting her go with the other squad.”

  I was still staring outside, not sure who the person was talking to but when I noticed nobody spoke back, I assumed he was talking to me then. I turned my head and saw Devon sitting on the floor with his arms resting on his knees, glaring at me.

  I was never fond of Devon even from the time I first met him, not that I hated him, but he had this certain vibe with Ellie I didn’t approve of. Anyone could see they had a tension between them especially Ellie, her lack for words and uneasiness when around him. Overall, I also didn’t like the way he looked at her, and of all the squads he could’ve belonged to, he had to be in mine.

  I admit I was jealous. They had an immediate friendliness and familiarity with each other I wasn’t comfortable with. And my cold treatment
towards Ellie wasn’t improving things but I was hurt when I saw him with her at the shooting range. I was more disappointed she was with him rather than the training she did despite I told her not to. My blood was boiling picturing them together, unpleasant thoughts came flooding that I lost sight of reason… and I blamed no one but him.

  I frowned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said irritated.

  “You know what I’m talking about,” he snapped. “Ellie… If it was up to me, she should’ve been here instead of with Thomas,” he continued.

  I was almost over my limit with my patience. How dare he assume he knew better. I could’ve punched him where he sat but such quarrel was childish right now considering the circumstances we were about to face.

  I glared at him hard. “Yes, if it was up to me, she should’ve been here with me instead of you but we can’t have it all, can we? Not when she’s needed at Thomas’ squad. She knew the details of the hidden entrances so there’s no better person than her.”

  Devon continued to stare with no trace of satisfaction.

  Not taking my eyes off him, I angrily said, “I don’t have to explain anything to you.” Then I turned back to the window.

  He didn’t say anything after that, I could tell though he didn’t believe me but his opinions never mattered anyway.

  I recalled the day when Ellie told me she was joining Thomas. My heart dropped and the thought that I might not see her again made me desperate to convince her not to but it was useless, she had made up her mind. The Prince told her the entrances on the palace grounds and doors hidden inside where they could enter undetected and make their way to the Emperor.

  “Surely Thomas can handle it,” I pleaded to her.

  “Yes he can but it’d be confusing once he gets there. The Prince told me all the details on the walls, which paintings had doors behind them and where it leads to or which sculpture had the switch to open it… and I don’t think Thomas knows art,” Ellie explained.

  She was right, still it didn’t persuade me but there was no other way. She was going to the heart of the Empire, the center of it all. I felt deep remorse, I should’ve fought for her rather than letting her go, and regretting I was hard on her for the past few days.