Chapter 63
Sixty-Three
The day was like any other day on planet Surge as Autumn meandered through the central courtyard garden. The dual suns sparkled in the clear blue cloudless sky, warming her golden-olive skin. Giraldinia hummed with life beyond the palace walls of Sanguis. Aircraft zipped through the skyway like specks of light at five thousand kilometers per hour.
Her muscles ached from her afternoon training session with Leyla. Her go-go boots slid against the starry mosaic tiled ground as she paced back and forth dressed in an obsidian bodysuit with a gilded asymmetrical stripe. Training was the only activity that calmed her nerves as of late. She hadn’t slept in weeks.
She yawned, clapping a hand over her mouth as she read from the translated hologram story collection Dante had gifted her with.
She struggled to focus as her mind raced in circles, unable to comprehend the text. Tears welled in the corners of her eyes that she attempted to blink away when her thoughts drifted to Dante. All communication had gone radio silent. She couldn’t help but wonder what he was up to and if he thought of her as much as she thought of him. She refrained from contacting him for his own safety as painful as it was dealing with his absence.
The Grand Supreme , she shuddered. There was no telling what he was capable of with his disgusting lizard-like features and taste for pain.
She rested her cheek on the ball of her fist. She missed Dante more than the countless stars in the sky. She hoped he and her dad were okay and coming home safely to her soon. She didn’t know what she’d do without them.
She couldn’t survive.
As her thoughts scrambled in a million different directions with what ifs and gut-wrenching guilt, hundreds of shadows swept across the sky, hovering in formation. She tore her attention away from her hologram book. Crap . She lost her place just when the story was getting good. The images sputtered then closed in a frenzy, disappearing before her eyes.
She tilted her head up, squinting into the light of the fiery dual suns. What the heck was going on? Maybe an oncoming storm? She wondered. Weird.
As far as she could remember, there had only been one storm on Surge to date.
Rain. And it came on a day when she was as sad as this one.
At that instant, Sean rollerbladed by her in a flash and she stumbled a step backwards, fumbling the device in her hands. Even with her heightened senses, she couldn’t detect his human movements because she was too distracted.
“Sorry,” he waved, rollerblading around the garden on one foot, flashing her a warm smile. She returned his gesture.
A ball of soft hot-pink and black fur passed between her legs. Mr. Hiss trotted after him, tail swaying and white muzzle curling. He loved to play and had taken a liking to Ronan’s boyfriend.
She tore her eyes away from the happy scene and glanced back into the sky, tracing the dots with her eyes. She shook her head. At least Ronan was happy, even if she was miserable.
“Hey, wait for me,” Kittlen yelled, sputtering after them, wearing his signature red scarf fastened around his brow and pointed ears. The symbol of dreams and freedom fluttered in the warm afternoon breeze.
Everyone deserved to be free, to live the life of their choice and not be a slave forced to serve.
Kyo raced after them, the strands of his moonglow mohawk illuminated in the sunlight.
“Sorry about him, Your Imperial Majesty,” Kyo yelled, waving a hand. “He had way too much candy this morning and the sugar went straight to his head. You know how that is.” He chuckled. “Kids.”
“It’s okay,” she nodded, envious that everyone else was happy except for her. She never seemed to find happiness for longer than a few seconds.
She sighed, turning on her heel, and taking one last look at the sky before she walked into the palace. How she dreaded the upcoming task. She wished she could hide.
When she arrived late for the afternoon meeting, she was scheduled to conduct, the conference room was packed to the brim. As she entered the cool darkness, she was greeted by dozens of sets of vibrant inhuman eyes. Elattion officials stood up from their seats, watching as she made her way to the front of the room.
The table glowed with a 3D map of the 24 Universes. Planets and stars blinked and rotated. The breath caught in her throat, but her nerves softened when she spotted Ronan with Leyla among the crowd. Leyla offered her a reassuring smile and Ronan winked.
Everyone took their seats, and she resumed her place at the head of the table. A throat cleared and her attention drew to the group of advisors. How she dreaded their thorough questions after her husband’s departure. She never had the answers they hoped for no matter how hard she tried.
“Permission to speak, Your Imperial Majesty.”
A long awkward silence followed; she wanted to hide under the table.
“Go ahead,” she said, anticipating more questions about Dante. She could scarcely breathe as all eyes drew to her. Her fingers perspired within her gloves as she inhaled.
“Is there any news about the emperor? It’s rumored?—”
BOOM .
A loud noise rattled through the conference room followed by thunder ripping through the sky. The ground shook beneath her feet and everyone stumbled to a stand staring at each other, mouths agape.
Ronan and Leyla ran up to her, eyes widening.
“Are you okay?” Leyla hugged her tight. “What was that?”
“Yeah, I think so?—”
BOOM .
A second vibration rattled through the room. This time a few advisors fell to the ground while others landed into their seats. Their faces contorted with fear, eyes bulging. Autumn raced over to the lone rectangular window along the back wall, boots skidding against the metallic tiled floor. She peeked beneath the black-out shade. She couldn’t believe what she saw. She cupped a hand over her mouth as she gasped.
Fire erupted from the sky, raining beyond the forcefield. Red and orange streaks smoked and burned, smoldering in every which direction. The sky went as dark as night beyond the invisible barrier.
A transmission zipped through the room, emitting a high-pitched frequency. Everyone covered their ears screaming. Autumn closed her eyes, molars gritting together. How she hoped the sound would stop. The noise was unbearable.
The room went dark before a crackling image of the Grand Supreme rotated and glowed before her. His small child-like fingers gripped the silver arms of his seat. Horns twisted around his uneven skull. Stars raced by the windows outside of his ship. Everyone fell onto one knee except for her, Ronan, and Leyla, who stared silently in shock and disgust.
“Why hello, did you miss me?” his cracked lips and yellow jagged teeth curled into a smile. His voice faded in and out as he traveled at an incredible speed.
Autumn glowered, resting a hand against her hip. “What do you want?”
“And with that tone again,” he lisped, lines crinkled at the corners of his eyes forming ridges through his sharp scaly skin. “Someone needs to teach you some respect. I should put you over my knee, Empress.”
Her nose scrunched. Eww gross, her stomach churned. She’d gouge his eyes out if he so much as came near her.
Emperor Izzo continued, lacing his black taloned fingers in his lap. “If it isn’t already apparent, I have your precious planet surrounded. And I know you’re all by your lonesome.”
The screen switched and her heart stopped, but she refused to let her resolve cave in front of him. He wasn’t kidding. Holy crap. Thousands upon thousands of ships encompassed Surge. There was no hope for escape. Only death.
“Nobody gets hurt, you have my word, if you give me what I want.”
“Where’s my dad?” her voice jumped. Visions of him screaming threatened to surface in her mind again.
“He’s fine and will continue to be if you comply,” the Grand Supreme batted his golden cat-slit eyes. “But if you don’t, I hate to break it to you—all bets are off.”
Everyone fixated on her, waiting for an answer. After all, she was the empress of Universe 13. She should have all the answers, right?
She didn’t want to ask but was left with no other choice. The words irked her as they left her mouth. “Okay, what do you want?”
He tilted his inhuman head to the side. “You have something that belongs to me.”
She froze in place, heart accelerating. Her fingertips brushed against her pocket sliding against the scroll Dante had given her. She carried it with her at all times in case of an emergency like he asked. In her opinion, this definitely warranted an emergency.
She’d yet to open the scroll like she promised him, but somehow Izzo knew all about it.
The Grand Supreme’s tail thrashed back and forth, through a hole in his chair, scraping against the metallic tiled floor. “If you come up to see me, we can have a little chat to discuss the terms. Let’s say, tomorrow evening. My schedule is wide open for you.”
“Autumn, don’t do it,” Leyla distracted her from making her decision. “He’s a liar. I’ve seen him in action many times before. He’s massacred?—”
“Ah, Lady Leyla, so we meet again.”
Leyla crossed her arms, her full pink lips twisted into a scowl and her dark-brown eyes thinned to slits.
“I’ll never forget how your father expressed great disappointment that he had a baby girl instead of the second boy he was hoping for. He thought of leaving you for dead, casting your body into cold dark space, but it was I who convinced him of your worth, of your potential,” he paused for a moment. “You could’ve been one of the greatest warriors the universes has ever seen if only you had applied yourself. It’s in your pure blood.”
“Shut up, nobody wants to hear the nonsense coming out of your mouth,” Leyla rolled her eyes. “And have you ever heard of a toothbrush? I’m guessing not. One would serve you well.”
Izzo’s wicked mouth fell into a tight flat line. “How dare you speak to me with such disrespect, I’m the Grand Supreme, Lord of the 24 Universes and all you see,” he shouted, then exhaled. “I suppose it’s no matter now, foolish girl. We’ll meet in the flesh soon enough and I’ll teach you a lesson then.”
She crossed her arms. “I’d like to see you try,” her voice jumped a bit. “But facts are facts, nobody has ever seen you fight.”
His mouth moved as if he intended to speak, but his eyes drew to Ronan instead.
“Ah yes, the youngest of the Martynes. Don’t think I’ve forgotten about you. I know you’ve never truly felt recognized. All the fame and glory always go to your older cousin. That can change in the blink of an eye if only you’ll allow me to help. I’m known for making magic happen.”
Ronan raised his head and folded his arms. “You’re wasting your time. My family comes first, and there’s nothing you can say or do to change my mind.”
“Very well then. It was worth a try.” His attention snapped back to Autumn. “Shall I schedule you for tomorrow evening, Empress?”
She hesitated. A lone bead of sweat dripped down her back.
“I—”
“If you refuse, here’s what will happen. I have enough ammunition to last until the end of time. Eventually the forcefield will wear out, and I’ll swoop in and eradicate your planet. The Elattions will be but a memory, a fallen world. Plus, both you and I know your precious emperor is nowhere to be found. I mean, he’s been gone so long—is he ever coming back?”
Everyone in the room stared at her.
Autumn’s stomach twisted from the cold cruel facts. She had no idea but refused to admit the truth aloud. A sudden wave of anger coursed through her veins.
Her fists balled at her sides. “Dante is coming home. You don’t scare me. I’ll come see you tomorrow evening like you asked.”
“A wise decision, Empress,” his black forked tongue flickered, snapping back into his mouth before he grinned. “Perhaps you have more common sense than the others.”
“No, Autumn, please don’t,” Leyla pleaded. “You can’t trust him.”
“No need to fret, Lady Leyla. I promise I’ll take excellent care of her, and you as well. We’ll all be acquainted soon enough.”