Chapter 74
Seventy-Four
Dante quivered; his eyes wide. Izzo had morphed into a monster. They stood eye to eye. His face grew long and lean like an insect’s and his tail thrashed back and forth, whipping across the metallic tiles. His golden eyes thinned to slits, oversized head cocking to the side. He no longer appeared childlike in height but mature.
The Grand Supreme approached him one step at a time. Dante tried to size him up. He wasn’t expecting him to transform. Dammit , he crossed his arms, doing his best to appear composed under the circumstances.
“You should be honored,” he lisped, black forked tongue flicking through his dry lips. “Nobody has witnessed this form for the last four hundred years or so, since before the treaty was formed. Needless to say, the other party met their untimely end.”
He rolled his eyes. Izzo’s arrogance was sickening. How he wanted to wipe the smug smile off his face for good and avenge his father, who he hated but didn’t deserve to die.
How he hoped Autumn had followed his directions and was safe in the secret 25th Universe. The very thought of protecting her kept him strong and focused.
“You’re telling me like I care. Let’s get down to business.”
The Grand Supreme’s eyes widened with rage like he had anticipated. He needed to see for himself what he was capable of. Curiosity got the best of him.
He charged over to him floating through the air, ready to strike. Izzo raised his foot to kick him, and he grabbed his scaly limb, swinging him around and around and around again, throwing him to the floor. He caught himself, landing back onto his feet. His reflexes had quickened, but he was still no match strength-wise.
Dante chuckled. “I’m rather unimpressed. Is this all the legendary Grand Supreme is capable of?”
Izzo stared at him strangely, then started laughing so loud his voice boomed through his chambers. He shook his elongated head, slapping his hand against his knee. His floor-length tail whipped across the metallic tiles.
Dante watched him. What on Earth was so hilarious? It was like he was in on his own private joke.
Finally, he stopped, straightening his features.
“Are you going to let me in on the big jest? Or are you laughing because you know you’re about to die? It’s a known fact that when we’re faced with death, there’s a tendency of succumbing to hysterics. So which is it? Spit it out, you disgusting bug.”
“Neither,” the Grand Supreme flashed a jagged yellow-toothed grin. “I have a funny little tale actually.”
His eyes flickered to him as he continued. “You see, Armienti came to the Palace of Despair to see me. Your brother, isn’t it?”
Dante’s mouth fell wide open, almost hitting the floor. “How do you know he’s my brother?”
“My dear Dante, everyone knows. You’re the last to find out as usual. I thought it’d be more fun this way.”
He could barely breathe; his vision flashed bright red. What could he have possibly needed to speak to the Grand Supreme about? He was afraid to ask but needed to know.
He changed the subject, not feeding into his taunting nature. “What business did he have with you?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know,” the Grand Supreme chuckled. “Let’s just say it has to do with someone near and dear to your heart. Someone you would kill for.”
The anger swelled in Dante’s chest. He was so furious he couldn’t breathe.
Autumn.
Judging by Izzo’s face it was exactly the response he anticipated. He wanted to infuriate him, to hear him beg for the information, but it mattered not.
“I don’t care—keep it to yourself.”
Izzo shrugged. “In case you’re wondering, I gave him what he was looking for and so much more.”
“Where is he? What are you talking about?” Dante’s fists clenched, but he didn’t answer. Unable to stand the self-satisfied look on Izzo’s face, Dante leapt into the air, flying overhead. The Grand Supreme’s eyes shot up at him, widening.
“You wasted your time with your little story, and I’ve since grown bored,” he summoned a ball of fire in his hand so large the embers lit the entire room. Izzo’s ink-black scales glittered in the firelight. He threw the flames at his elongated head, engulfing his body whole. Izzo screamed as the floor melted beneath his feet and he fell through multiple levels of the ship being guided by the fire Dante had created.
A CRASH came, shaking the entire ship, followed by pure silence. He took deep controlled breaths to compose himself. A few moments passed. Izzo didn’t retaliate.
He suspected him to be dead after all his tough talk. Anyone else would be dead from a blast like he created. The force was enough to destroy a planet. To think he spent all the years of his life serving underneath his thumb. Was he really that weak? There was only one way to find out. He cracked his knuckles, flying down, down, down, through the layers of the ship, finally landing on the bottom floor. His boots slid across the cold steel floor.
His eyes widened in horror and disbelief at what he found.
Autumn’s body warmed with happiness as she moved closer to her dad, pressing her black-gloved fingers over the glass of his container. He sat in the corner staring at her, glasses cracked, sitting askew on his bearded face. His long, tangled whiskers covered his mouth and neck. The slash Izzo had given him remained on his cheek. He looked thinner than usual hunched over in threadbare rags.
“Dad, Dad, it’s me,” she smacked her palms against the glass, thrilled to see him. But he didn’t budge from his seated position. Instead, he stared in silence. An indescribable sadness fell across his features.
“Dad,” she said again. Why wasn’t he coming over to greet her? And then she remembered her helmet. Crap. She removed her protective gear, placing it in the crook of her arm.
His large brown eyes wavered, turning glassy beneath his silver frames. He stood up and ran over to her.
“Autumn, I’ve been searching everywhere for you,” he pressed his hands to the glass, his whiskered mouth curved into a shaky smile. “I’m so glad you’re safe. How did you find me?”
A violent tremor rattled through the ship, causing them both to stumble to their knees. They stood up slowly as the vibration settled. They had to get out of here. Something wasn’t right—she could feel it in her bones.
“I’m going to get you out of here,” she reassured him. “We’re going home.”
His skin paled. “But how? I’ve tried everything. There’s no way out,” he lowered his voice to a whisper. “You have to be careful; this place is heavily guarded. They eat their prisoners alive. I’m the only one left.”
A sick sensation rattled through her as she recollected the decaying alien bodies in the hallway upstairs. She didn’t have time to dwell though, she had to act fast.
She drummed her black-gloved fingers, remembering how her friends from Earth reacted to her change. “Dad, I have something to tell you. Maybe it’s easier to show you, but you have to promise that you won’t freak out or think any differently of me.”
“I love you no matter what, nothing could stop me,” his whiskered mouth curved, eyes glimmering beneath the reflection of his cracked glasses.
She waved her hand, gesturing. “I need you to stand to the side.”
He moved over at her request. She assumed a fighting stance as he watched her strangely, probably wondering what the heck she was doing.
Autumn tightened her fist as hard as she could, preparing to swing.
“Wait, don’t do it. This enclosure is electrified. I tried?—”
Her dad ducked down, covering his head. She swung with all her might, cracking the thick glass to the core. Stress fractures twisted and curled, coating its exterior. She raised her leg, taking her boot and slammed the bottom through, creating a passageway for her dad. She climbed inside and helped him through the hole. Waves of electricity sparked against her back as she covered him, but they barely phased her.
He placed his hands on her cheeks, staring into her eyes. “What did he do to you? When I get my hands on Dante?—”
Autumn remained quiet for a moment as he hugged her with all his might, being an overprotective dad.
“Um, yeah, about that?—”
He continued, appearing to not hear her. “I missed you so much. I thought I lost you forever like your mom.”
Voices echoed in the background. The hair on the back of her neck stood at perfect attention. Her dad froze as well, hugging her still.
“Here they come. We have to get out of here,” he whispered, but it was too late. Two scaly aliens approached them with bulging muscles and razor-sharp teeth. Their faces were far from human and deathly frightening. One chewed on an arm, sucking the contents clean before tossing the rubbery limb to the ground. Autumn covered her mouth with her hand and her dad quaked.
They spotted them together, and their expressions glowed.