Chapter 69
Sixty-Nine
Autumn didn’t have time for self-pity.
Secretly she wanted to lie in a fetal position and cry. She had to be strong, not only for herself, but for the ones she loved. She shoved the handwritten scroll, with the neatest letters she’d ever seen, back inside of her pocket, and zipped it up for safe keeping.
Everyone was counting on her to succeed. Their lives depended on her next steps. Instead of going back into the throne room, where everyone was waiting with bated breath, she turned on her heel to go outside. Tears fogged in the corners of her eyes that she blinked away as the sunlight sparkled in the clear blue cloudless sky. The warmth of the suns grazed her skin.
Get it together Autumn , she scolded herself. She couldn’t afford another emotional breakdown. Not here, not now.
She passed through the rear palace garden. The grounds were empty for the first time ever. Usually, the space was occupied by countless courtiers in ridiculous finery.
The long reflection pool glittered in silence. The cobalt blue grass swayed; not a giant butterfly or ladybug could be seen flitting anywhere.
She jumped as red and orange light erupted beyond the transparent forcefield. The sound of crashing spacecraft vibrated through the sky. A battle was ongoing. She had to hurry. Her heart pounded to her throat. From the looks of it, there wasn’t much time.
She approached the Great Maze. The cobalt walls were dark and bushy, extending over eight feet high. Instead of traveling through the entrance of the maze, she flew into the air to access the center.
A shiver ran down her spine as she glanced and there was no fountain as Dante had indicated in his letter. She gasped. Had there been a mistake after all this? How could he not have the correct facts?
Her pocket vibrated and she reached to grab her communicator. Nobody was calling and there were no missed texts. When she went to put the device back into her pocket, she realized that the vibration was coming from where the scroll sat.
She pulled it out in a frenzy and unrolled it. The text had changed, her eyes widened as she scanned the golden contents.
“I’m sorry, I forgot to mention, you have to go through the maze the old-fashioned way. No cheating ;)”
Her forehead pulsated. Leave it to Dante to make light of such a serious situation. She wished he was with her so she could scream in his face for leaving her like this. She flew back down, landing on her feet before the entrance of the Great Maze. She tucked the scroll back into her pocket and rushed inside.
Long shadows trailed her as she raced down the aisle. The dirt floor beneath her feet kicked up in thick brown puffs.
She sprinted around the corner only to be confronted with a dead end . She didn’t have time for this. Crap.
BOOM , the sky shook causing her to stumble over her own two feet. She braced her fall with her hands, covering her knees with dirt. She pushed herself to a shaking stand. The sky erupted with more vermillion and marmalade streaks from the battle. The sky went dark for a moment before going bright again.
She continued running to the uncertain center of the maze. All the while, she could feel prying eyes tracing her steps, peeling her to pieces. She had to hurry up and get out of here. Someone was monitoring her every movement. Her skin prickled with goosebumps.
After many missed corners and turns, she arrived at the dead center of the maze. Sweat-slicked and out of breath, she leaned over, palms resting on her knees, inhaling.
The structure had not been there before. The fountain was decorated with two pointy-eared cherubs, each standing on one foot with their hands joined above their heads in unity. Water trickled through the pearlescent fountain.
Autumn leaned over the edge, searching the contents for any sign of the orb Dante had described in his note. Offhand, she didn’t see anything.
She removed her glove running her fingers through the cool crisp water in search of the sphere. It had to be around here somewhere, it just had to be. She panicked, waving her hands beneath the water.
As she was about to explore the possibility that the sphere had been removed and this entire ordeal was a hoax, her fingers collided with a metal ball. She pulled the sphere out of the flowing water, examining it. Her bright gray eyes stared back at her through the silver metallic finish. A crease lined the center of the orb. The ball was weighted in her palm and jingled like a bell as she shook it, although it was the size of a marble.
She couldn’t believe she was holding the key to the 25th Universe in the palm of her hand. She had to rescue the others before it was too late.
Dante stared into the bloodshot slit eyes of a black-scaled creature holding a blaster against his forehead. The heat from the metallic weapon sizzled against his skin. The hideous monster cocked his head to the side. He wore an onyx bodysuit with the sigil of a decapitated man carrying his head in the crook of his arm. He was all too familiar with this barbaric clan.
His mouth twisted into a smile. “I know you. I never forget a face,” he folded his arms, shifting his weight from side to side.
The creature didn’t answer. Instead, he held the weapon closer to his skull. They stood at the same height. His scaled muscles bulged beneath his skin-tight spandex uniform.
“You were at my wedding—the ruby bearer, was it?” He turned to his lizard-like counterpart and chuckled before facing him again.
“Small talk won’t save you, Emperor. Lord Izzo asked us to retrieve you at once; he’d like to have a word. On your knees and no funny business.”
“You’re more hideous than I remember though,” he countered.
Dante bit his cheeks, stifling a smile, how dare these disgusting creatures order him around like some kind of slave. He was an emperor for heaven’s sake. But for amusement, he decided to play along.
He fell to his knees, lowering his eyes in submission.
“Put your hands on your head.”
He shrugged. “Sure, why not.”
“Enough,” the creature growled, aiming his gun. The other monster wrapped a pair of electric cuffs around his wrists. They shocked his skin through his indigo-gloved hands. The pain was nothing he couldn’t handle. He’d been through so much worse.
He complied and the other lizard soldier roughly yanked him to his feet, holding him by the arm. His elongated talons scraped against his skin. The soldier’s companion walked behind him, pressing his weapon to the back of his head.
Dante rolled his eyes. These idiots. Who did they think he was?
They walked through the long dark hallway and all he heard were screams. Screams of pain and desperation. Hopelessness. But nobody was around to end the pain.
The hairs on the back of his neck splintered. He didn’t miss this miserable place. Not one bit. He couldn’t believe how long it’d been since he’d come on board this ship. How he hoped the day would never come again.
As they went to turn the corner, he stopped dead in his tracks. The red fleshy walls pulsated like a heartbeat. His boots slipped against a small crimson puddle on the floor. His nose scrunched with disgust.
Disgusting cannibals.
“Move,” the soldier ordered him, pressing the blaster between his shoulder blades, pinching a nerve. “If we’re late, our master won’t be pleased.”
Dante turned around, grinning. “That’s not my problem, now, is it?”
He tore his wrists from his constraints, and electricity shot up his arms. The scaly creatures took two steps in retreat, trembling with their guns in their hands. They opened fire, and he flicked the static energy away with his wrist.
Dante cracked his knuckles before crafting a ball of simmering orange and blue fire in his hand. He raised his palm and released the flame. In an instant their screams went silent, and the fire crashed against the opposite end of the corridor. Alarms sounded, indicating an emergency.
The passageway flooded with vile scaled creatures. Their tails whipped against the walls as they ran with their guns in hand.
He didn’t allow them to get far. Instead, he raised a larger flame and sent the embers crashing through the hallway, taking Izzo’s force out all at once. He inhaled, taking in the familiar scent of burning flesh. He ran a hand through his dark hair, tousling the strands.
Okay, now that he’d handled the situation, Lord Izzo had to be around here somewhere. He popped his knuckles, making his way through the ruined hallway in pursuit of his master.