Chapter 45
Forty-Five
Autumn gagged as they left Emperor Brumha’s throne room. That was one of the most disgusting sights she’d ever seen in her life. The drool and saliva that came out of that alien’s mouth was unbelievable. She felt like she’d just been bathed in spit. She cringed, wiping her hands against her dress in case she’d missed a drop.
As she made her way through the hallway to the departure bay with Dante, he flashed a self-satisfied smirk, his chest puffed.
Something was definitely up.
He practically skipped through the hallway; his head held high. His crimson cape swayed over his shoulders in rhythmic waves, almost like he’d won a fight.
“What was that all about?” She finally asked, assessing his mood from head to toe.
He flashed her a too-white smile, then shrugged. “Oh nothing. He thanked us for our visit. It isn’t everyday one gets the extreme honor of having Martyne royalty ride aboard their ship.
“That was a whole lot of words for nothing ,” she muttered, folding her arms. He was full of crap. She glowered at him.
He stopped dead in his tracks and took her hands in his. His warm body brushed up against her own. Her lips parted as he kissed her forehead. His gentle voice sifted through the secret corridors of her mind. “You need to trust me more. Everything I’ve done and everything I continue to do is to protect you.”
She sighed. She’d heard it all before. She hoped he wasn’t in some kind of trouble. But her gut screamed otherwise.
At that moment, Leyla came prancing down the hallway wearing her shimmering silver dress with white trimmed fur sleeves. Kyo walked behind her carting her heavy trunks of clothes. The ceiling lights played off his moonglow mohawk and the tattoos of his neck stretched as he smiled. Leyla spun around on her toes before placing her fingers around his long arm, pulling him in close.
She did a double take. Wait, Kyo?
“What’s he doing here?” She glanced over at Dante. His lips coiled. “You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?” He shrugged then winked at her.
“Are we ready to get going?” Leyla grinned, her blue cheeks flushing pink. Autumn hadn’t seen her this happy since ever.
Dante’s midnight hair swayed against his jaw. “Yes, I handled everything. There’s nothing to worry about. Let’s go home.”
They made their way to the loading bay where the destroyers were located. Mr. Hiss trotted out of the open ship to greet them. His pink and black tail wavered with each padded step. He rubbed his head against the trim of her dress before Dante scruffed him by the neck and carried him purring in his arms.
When they went to enter the ship, a silver Zambarian waved them down. He was tall, well-built, and handsome, with raven-black hair that fell over his head in soft curls. A ruby and sapphire crest sparkled over the right breast of his dark-blue uniform. A floor-length white velvet cape rested over her shoulders.
Autumn’s jaw dropped as she beheld the younger prince, second in command. He was nothing like his slovenly older brother.
Leyla froze and turned around. “I’ll be right back.” She sauntered over to him. They had a conversation that lasted a few minutes. Autumn stretched her neck, desperate to eavesdrop, but they spoke so low it was impossible to hear the details, even with the abilities she hoped to fully regain after she recovered from this nightmare.
Their exchange ended with her kissing him on the cheek. As she walked away, he watched her for a moment too long before disappearing around the corner, shoulders slumped.
“Okay, now we can go,” Leyla smoothed her hands over her dress as she returned. Her deep brown eyes were glassy. Kyo wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they boarded the ship. Autumn followed close behind with Dante and Mr. Hiss.
They took their seats, and he buckled her harness in place. For the first time in a long time, she didn’t protest. She missed him too much. For all she cared, he could buckle her in all day every day, forever . She rested her head against his solid shoulder. Mr. Hiss rolled in her lap, nuzzling her ribs.
Kyo and Leyla sat side by side in the control seat. “Okay, everyone, next stop: Surge.”
For the first time in a long time, Autumn was at peace. Her eyes fluttered closed, breath slowing. As she drifted off to sleep, she thought only of seeing her dad again. How could she explain everything to him in a way he would understand? Hopefully, he could find a way to love her and wouldn’t react like her friends when he found out she was no longer human.
Ronan inhaled a deep shuddering breath as he landed his destroyer on planet Olm located in Universe 10, Sector 86. His gut screamed to get far away from this place. Every pore on his body prickled up at perfect attention.
This place creeped him out to no end.
Wind whipped against the exterior of the ship, sending up gusts of red pebbles and swirling dust. The sky sparkled the color of rich maroon. Three full, blood moons glowed into the foggy night.
Sean sat beside him with his rollerblades on, legs crossed, sketching the triplicate moons. He was blissfully unaware of his surroundings, enjoying their trip to outer space, or so Ronan believed. He wished he could adopt such a carefree attitude toward life. But he felt responsible for Sean, and vowed to protect him from harm, especially this deep out in space where he needed it the most—as a human.
Mr. Ramon paced the floor, his tangled whiskered mouth twisting to the side. “Is Autumn here? Is this where my daughter has been staying?” The light reflected off the glass of his cracked spectacles. A wiliness crept through his eyes.
“No, not exactly,” Ronan glanced over at him. “But we’ll see her soon enough, I promise.”
A ship simmered through the red sky, followed by a long crackling fiery tail. The vessel landed in the sand with a BOOM that made the entire ship vibrate, spraying debris everywhere.
Finally, he breathed a deep sigh of relief.
He came to a stand, sauntering over to the door. “I’ll be right back,” he said to both Sean and Autumn’s father. They nodded.
As he exited the ship, the wind howled through the strands of his short spiky hair. Thick desert heat warmed the fabric of his uniform.
He approached the circular pod one step at a time. His boots slid against the ruddy sand. The door whistled and opened, steam pouring through the air. Out stepped Armienti with a twisted grin. His golden hair fluttered over his shoulders, obsidian uniform appearing sharp and precise.
Armienti folded his arms. “Where’s Autumn’s father?” he asked, getting straight to the point.
“On the ship,” Ronan offered. “Where else would he be? Are you sure you’re okay? You’re acting kind of odd. Did Dante get under your skin or something?”
Armienti’s sky-blue eyes flickered with annoyance. “No, why would he?”
Ronan shrugged. “No reason, but you know as well as I do that he has that abrasive way about him whether he means to or not?—”
“I can take it from here,” Armienti said. “Really, you’re worrying too much.”
He fell into a deep state of thought, contemplating his brother’s offer. “Well actually, it would save me a trip. I must get Sean back to Earth so he can continue with his studies. Luckily, he took what the humans call fall semester off, so we don’t have to rush back right away. I’d like to show him more places around the univer?—”
“I see,” Armienti’s eyes widened with intrigue. “How fascinating. What was the state of Earth when you visited?”
He shrugged. “The same as always, I suppose. Are you sure you’re okay? You know you can tell me anything, don’t you? If you’re in some kind of trouble I can help you. That’s what brothers are for.”
Armienti pressed out a smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling with delight. “I’m fine, really. I just want to be of assistance.”
Ronan gestured. “Okay, follow me.”
As they walked back to the ship, he attempted to slip into his brother’s mind, but all was quiet. He knew him all too well and probably anticipated this move. Older brothers... He rolled his eyes.
When they entered the destroyer, Ronan cleared his throat. “I’d like to introduce you to someone.”
Both Sean and Mr. Ramon glanced over. “This is my older brother, Armienti.”
Sean put his sketchbook down on the chair and rollerbladed over, extending a hand. “Nice to meet you.” He offered him a warm smile. Armienti complied, but his eyes focused on Mr. Ramon the entire time.
“Nice to meet you too,” Armienti turned toward Mr. Ramon, regarding him. “You’re the father of Empress Autumn Ramon-Martyne?”
Mr. Ramon’s skin paled, his fists balled at his sides. “Empress? Nobody ever mentioned anything about her being an empress. What’s going on here? And why am I the only adult on this trip? I need to see my daughter right now.”
Ronan hadn’t mentioned this fine detail, fearing this sort of response.
Armienti crossed his arms. “It’s a simple yes or no question. Answer it.”
His deep-brown eyes thinned to slits beneath his spectacles. “Yes, I’m Autumn’s father. And if you don’t bring me to her this instant?—”
“You knew that, Armienti,” Ronan interjected. “I think all of this space travel has melted your brain.”
His brother shrugged nonchalantly. “Perhaps.”
Armienti approached Mr. Ramon and extended a black-gloved hand. “You can come with me—I’ll take you to her.”
Mr. Ramon followed his older brother without question. As they went to leave, Ronan blocked the door with his body. “Wait a second, I forgot to ask you something, Armienti.”
The room stilled, falling eerily quiet. His heart raced as he glanced at Sean. His palms erupted in a cold sweat.
Armienti blinked then smiled. “Yes?” The word played off his lips with a sly coolness.
“What name does Leyla go by when she sneaks around Giarldinia after dark?”
Armienti’s mouth fell crooked on his face, eyes shifting in his skull. “Come again?”
“What name does Leyla go by when she sneaks around Giarldinia after dark?” Ronan spoke slowly and clearly, repeating his simple question.
When he blinked, Armienti’s teeth twisted and elongated, snapping shut. As Ronan went to strike him, puffs of dark-purple smoke flooded the ship. He released deep dragging coughs as did Sean and Mr. Ramon. The muscles in his body became weak and uncoordinated. Fragments of light blurred before his burning eyes.
Oh no, please no, Mr. Ramon and Sean, his mind scrambled with confusion and panic.
Ronan crawled toward the imposter, trembling on all fours still trying to fight before collapsing into the darkness.