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King Rayon sat in his office, glaring at his computer screen. There was nothing special about the room. It was painted off-white and was furnished with an overflowing bookcase, wine cabinet, and an oak desk and chair. There was an en suite bathroom and a closet where the king kept changes of clothes.
“Come in, I can sense you there, Nicole,” the king said. Moments later, the queen entered the room with a terrified teenager following behind her. The teenager was tall, thin, with scars covering her arms. Her thin, blonde hair was up in a ponytail, and her eyes were wide with horror.
“Hi, King Rayon. I—”
“Charity, what in the hell are you doing here? I have work to do,” King Rayon snapped.
“I... Do you have a lead on the people who killed my aunt and uncle? My parents would have come to ask you themselves, but you remember what happened the last time.”
The king scowled. “I have no idea who killed your aunt and uncle. Investigations take time, Miss Bane.”
“Are you looking?” Charity asked.
“Of course I’m looking. I don’t have to share any of this with you. Get out of my office,” the king roared.
“No,” Charity yelled back. “I won’t get out of your office. My foster cousin was kidnapped by the same aliens that killed my aunt and uncle. I deserve to know what happened.”
“Charity Dare, yelling at your king will not help your case.”
“He isn’t looking for my aunt and uncle’s killers. He isn’t looking for Jade. Everyone knows he’s so afraid of Prince Dayon that he doesn’t do anything. He didn’t even rescue me when I was held by that madman. Some good Samaritan had to save me,” Charity yelled.
King Rayon looked like he was about to behead Charity on the spot, but the courageous woman was literally saved by the bell. What sounded like a school bell rang from the speakers of the flat-screen TV. Nicole gripped Charity’s upper arm and attempted to pull her from the room, but Charity held firm. It was obvious that she wasn’t going anywhere.
“Speak,” the king shouted. Moments later, the screen filled with a face that I didn’t expect to see. Mira, the Najorian warrior that was traveling with Jade’s best friend, Sheena.
“My king, I have a report,” Mira said. “We’re floating above Neretha. We need anti-blictar serum in order to enter. Will you give it to us?”
“Depends. What are your plans?” King Rayon asked.
“To snatch Jade, Lex, and Lord Peirc and get the hell off the planet. Lord Peirc was the one who ordered the murders of Jane and Tim Bane.”
“Perfect,” the king said. “I—”
Mira fell out of view, revealing Gwen’s mother, Rose.
“King Rayon, Mira is lying to you. She knows that you plan on sending Angelo and Winston to Janton to appease Emperor Tulda. We have an oracle on board. Once they return to Earth, Amber plans on freeing Angelo and Winston’s parents and they will all make a run for it, leaving your people in danger,” Rose shouted.
“Rose, you say an oracle is on board?” King Rayon asked with interest.
“Yes.”
“I have yet to speak to Emperor Tulda. We’ll have to see if this oracle is correct. Mira, I will make contact with you to give you orders if I find that Rose is being truthful. You better hope she’s wrong. Because if Rose is correct, you’ll be punished for hiding this oracle from me,” King Rayon said before snapping his fingers. The screen went black.
“Charity, I’m glad you can see that I’m not lazy after all,” King Rayon bragged.
Charity crossed her arms. “You could have told me that you sent someone after my aunt and uncle’s killers.”
“Why? So your parents can fly into space and kill your aunt and uncle’s murderers? I can’t have that. They wouldn’t leave a witness behind. Then, what would I tell my good friend, King Relex?”
“You should tell King Relex to hand them over,” Charity insisted.
“Nicole, take Charity to her aunt and uncle’s old suite. Make sure that she doesn’t leave.” This time, Charity allowed Nicole to pull her from the room.
King Rayon rubbed his face and picked up the phone. His words were lost to me because I was pulled into another vision.
Prince Zamire sat on an exam table, dressed in a long, white robe. He looked exhausted. Princess Shala entered the room, an impatient expression on her face. She leaned up against the wall and played with the belt of her silk robe.
“Our genetic material isn’t compatible with my womb. I may have to kidnap your father after all,” she grumbled.
Emperor Tulda entered the room, dressed in a fur cape and furry leggings, with the aviators on his face.
“The prince is the only chance you’ve got, Shala. If you can’t conceive an heir, then you’ll have to serve another purpose,” the emperor declared.
The princess paled. “Tulda, the treaty says that without a Nerethian heir, we can’t annex Neretha.”
“Emperor Tulda was such a fool for agreeing to that clause. How do we know that the king didn’t poison his son to ensure that he’s infertile? King Relex does have a harem, does he not? I wouldn’t put it past him to poison his son to ensure that he doesn’t procreate with you,” Emperor Tulda guessed.
Princess Shala rubbed her face. “Tulda, must you speak in third person? It’s giving me a headache,” Princess Shala complained.
“You must not order me around, Shala. Remember, you are only a princess.”
“Goodbye, Princess,” Prince Zamire said before bolting through the exam doors. Shala moved to follow him, but the emperor shoved her against the wall. She winced upon impact.
“Let the specimen go. Observe is power. He obviously won’t be the father of your children. I’ll ask the physicians to run tests to confirm my theory. But I’m positive I’m right. King Relex fooled us all.”
“What’s wrong with you, Tulda?”
“Nothing. I just possess a brilliance I didn’t have before,” the emperor said, then I was shoved into another vision.
I was looking at myself. I was in the infirmary, lying on a cot, an IV attached to my arm. Amy and Molly sat on either side of my bed, both of them appearing exhausted.
Molly stifled a yawn. “I can’t believe she’s been out for so long. Do you think she’ll wake up?”
“If you trust Lia’s theory, the crystal was suppressing Lena’s natural abilities. We’ll just have to wait until it’s fully dissolved to see if she’s able to wake up.”
I studied the bandage wrapped around my left wrist and wondered where the injury came from.
“This is crap. We got out of one trap, only to be placed in another. Lena’s the only one that has the codes out of here.”
“I’m sure Charles can crack the code,” Amy said, obviously trying to be optimistic.
“Then what? We can’t exactly run back to Daddy Dearest. He’ll punish us then sell us again.”
Amy nodded. “Sometimes I wish I was bought by someone. At least I wouldn’t be under Lord Peirc’s rule anymore.”
“Yeah. You’ll only be trapped under someone else’s rule. Think about it, Amy, at least that piece of crap ignored us. Your husband won’t.”
Amy shuddered. “I guess you’re right.”
David materialized through the wall, carrying a limp Anastacia. She was wearing a dirty gown, her dark hair matted with blood.
“Father is reclaiming his gifted children. I’m going back for Jade,” David reported. He dropped Anastacia onto one of the cots and ran through the wall.
“Let me get Lia,” Amy said before running out of the room.
Molly sighed. “Lena, I know you’re in there. Please wake up. This is a crap show. Who knows what Lord Peirc is up to? We need you to help us fight.”
I desperately wanted to return to my body so I could tell David that Jade wasn’t in the Rema Estate. But I couldn’t so much as move from my spot against the wall. I wanted to warn Amy that Anastacia was a liability. But my lips wouldn’t move. I was bouncing from vision to vision, unable to return to my own present. It was a nightmare that I was desperate to wake up from. But I felt a pulling sensation and I was dropped into another vision.
