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I stared at Zamire, trying not to react to his know-it-all manner.
“Maybe you want to go back to Shala. On some level, you probably have feelings for her,” I spat out. Jealousy twisted my gut at the thought that Zamire had developed Stockholm Syndrome and was now cozy with his kidnapper.
His dark eyes flared with annoyance. “You are one headstrong clueless princess that thinks that she’s got everything figured out,” he hissed between clenched teeth.
“And you are one self-righteous—”
Zamire yanked me to him and his warm lips pressed to mine, his clean scent making me realize how rank I smelled. He didn’t seem to mind. Zamire’s hands pressed against my lower back, his tongue controlling the dance that mine made with his. I wrapped my arms around him, craving closeness to him. Our moment was interrupted by a booming trumpet. Zamire pulled away from me, his usual annoyed expression on his face. I turned to face the sound, expecting Princess Shala to be standing there, emitting the horrid sound. But she was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a giant with long, red, intricately braided hair stood there. Zamire eyed the man with dread.
“That’s Emperor Tulda. Now he knows you’re alive. Princess Shala will probably be sending more draguel after him,” Zamire complained. I eyed the giant, whose eyes were clouded by a white film.
“Are his eyes always like that?” I whispered to Zamire. He rolled his eyes and attempted to push through my barrier.
“Jade, let me out, I can bargain with him,” Zamire insisted. But I didn’t listen to him. Something about the emperor seemed off. I knew better then to go against my instincts, since the last time I did, Lord Peirc kidnapped me. The trumpet abruptly stopped, and Janton began climbing out of the gorge, using the stairs that were carved into its sides. When the first man appeared, I noticed that his eyes were also milky white.
“Jade, let me out,” Zamire ordered.
“Look at their eyes, Zamire,” I hissed. Zamire frowned when another man joined the emperor, his eyes the same as the other two men. The emperor gestured at one of the men, and he charged us, his body bouncing off my barrier.
“Oh, crap,” I hissed when the Janton continuously tossed himself against the barrier, as if it would shatter.
“Forget them, the draguel will finish them off soon enough. We have the specimen at the castle. King Rayon was stupid for handing him over,” Emperor Tulda commented in English.
“Specimen?” I whispered. “Who’s King Rayon?”
“The Najorian king,” Zamire responded, his eyes going hard. “What’s wrong with these men?”
“I don’t know,” I whispered, my instincts telling me to run. A fourth man joined the third. He was tall, pale, and had patches of blonde hair on his head. Unlike the other men, he carried an enormous cudgel. He swung at my barrier, which thankfully held. Okay, I was obviously not liking what was going on.
“If the lady wants to watch, let her,” Emperor Tulda said, a smirk on his face. “Just to let you know, Jade, I like a silent audience.” What the hell was happening? I turned to Zamire, whose face suddenly filled with panic. He doubled over, his body shaking. I gently put my hand on his shoulder and he groaned. Power ran up my arm and began spreading. It felt like my insides were being warmed by a space heater. The heat felt uncomfortable, and I wanted to pull back. But the longer I touched Zamire, the less he shook. He straightened, his eyes holding dread.
“I don’t think I can stay long,” he whispered to me. Crap. Before I could say a word, a red flyer suddenly uncloaked, feet away from the four men. A fifth man exited, hefting a crate. Zamire tugged on my arm.
“We’ve got to get out of here,” he pleaded. I wanted to run, but something about this didn’t feel right.
“Prince Eleron, bring up our first specimen,” Emperor Tulda ordered. Specimen? What in the hell was going on? The tall man with the nearly bald head ran toward the gorge and shouted, “First up.” Moments later, a girl with long red hair appeared, her brows knit in confusion.
“Maywood, what’s going on?” she wondered. The blond with patchy hair patted her shoulder.
“Dear Maven, don’t you worry. Emperor Tulda and his brilliant scientists are here to give you a vaccine to prevent you from catching my ailment,” he assured. The woman eyed Emperor Tulda with wide, shocked eyes. She curtseyed, and the blond led her to the man standing with a crate at his feet. The lid was lifted from the crate.
“Drink every drop,” Emperor Tulda ordered. I wanted to say something to this woman, but Zamire covered my mouth. The woman turned to face me with a glass vial in her grip. The liquid was pink and fizzy. She uncapped the vial and drank the liquid like a shot. Without warning, she collapsed to the ground and Emperor Tulda lifted her easily and tossed her into the flyer.
“I think two at a time will be the safer option, Prince Eleron. Our other self still has to inject them with the nano,” Emperor Tulda said to the blond. I was confused, since the villager used another name to address that man.
“Prince Eleron, perhaps we should come up with nicknames for one another. After all, we share the same name,” the blond complained.
“Indeed,” Emperor Tulda said. “Now, bring in the next person.”
It took nearly three hours for Emperor Tulda and his partners to finish the task. Every time a flyer was full, one would appear to take its place. When the last villager disappeared, the emperor turned to face me.
“Can you do me a favor, Prince Zamire?” the emperor inquired.
“Emperor, what do you ask of me?” Zamire said. Unlike me, he remained standing for the entire spectacle.
“Tell my sister that we march on Neretha tomorrow. With my enhanced army, we’ll take your kingdom in hours. She’ll be my regent,” he said. Then he strolled into the flyer with his goons, and it vanished. Zamire shook his head.
“Soldiers. There were women and children in those flyers,” he said.
“I’m thinking that Emperor Tulda doesn’t care about children fighting. He’s only interested in having more bodies on Neretha,” I warned. I had no love for the laws and oppression on Neretha, but didn’t want the country to be destroyed by a vicious army.
“You need to figure out how we can get back to Neretha,” I said.
“None of the spaceships on Janton are hackable. Their security systems use biometrics.”
“There has to be another way. Can’t your father send us a ride?” I asked, hoping it was as easy as making a phone call.
“Princess Shala wouldn’t let me near a communications device so I can send an E missive. She isn’t stupid,” Zamire reasoned.
“So what? Are we going to let the mad emperor destroy Neretha?” I asked. A haunted expression crossed Prince Zamire’s face.
“That shell you saw wasn’t Emperor Tulda. I’ve seen people like him before,” he admitted.
“People?” I asked, horrified.
“The emperor’s body is still alive. But his mind is no longer his own. He’s...” Prince Zamire vanished before he could say any more. I wanted to yell in frustration. Seriously, the man was just about to clue me in to one of his suspicions. Instead, I eyed the supplies that Zamire gave me. Fresh meat, another water canteen, bread, and a pastry. I decided to eat the pastry first, since it looked delicious. I was about to take my first bite when Luke teleported beside me.
