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(KAINNAN)
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THE GUARD HAD BARELY cocked the trigger of his gun before Katerina took a deep, shuddering breath and turned her head to look straight at Noah. He just had time to notice the bloody wound that had appeared on her forehead before Zeus also fell to the ground, dead.
Pandemonium ensued immediately but this time Aaron’s men were ready. They fell on Zeus’s guards without delay. One threw a hard punch at the man standing over Noah and dropped him instantly. It was all over in moments without a single shot fired.
The moment the gun was no longer pointing at him, Noah leaped a chair to get to Katerina, pulling her into his arms and holding her tightly. “We did it, we really did it!”
“We did,” she pulled free of his embrace immediately. “But I have to get back, as soon as possible! I think Patrick shot my mother! I have to see if she’s alive...”
“He did what?”
But Katerina was already racing to Aaron. At his orders, Zeus’s guards were being removed, and Zeus and Diana’s bodies placed together side by side in the center of the restaurant. Zeke was standing quietly beside Aaron, staring at his father’s body as Katerina joined them. There was something about Zeus, even dead, that still made her shudder. She turned away, touching Aaron’s arm to get his attention.
“Aaron, how soon can we go home?”
“Can’t wait to leave huh?” he asked. He could not stop smiling. It was nice to see and she smiled back, sharing his joy, but only momentarily.
“I need to get home; how soon can you get us back?”
“We’ll fly back to Cereise City in an hour. Eva, Tobiah and Lyonel will be waiting for us. We’ll take Zeke and Sybilla with us and they’ll be crowned as the new rulers of Kainnan...”
“Sybilla?”
“Yes — she actually is Lynne’s true daughter. She’s known for some time that she and Diana were swapped at birth by one of Lynne’s sisters to protect her from Wilhelm’s other wives and children. She’s willing to take up her rightful position. She and Eva will assist Zeke until he comes of age too.”
“That’s great,” Katerina said sincerely but impatiently. “What about us?”
“Once the ceremony is over we should be able to send you back to Earth. We have another plane flying in to Cereise City to take you to a portal we can access now — it should be ready just after the ceremony...is something wrong Kat? Why are you in such a hurry?”
In the face of his joy, she couldn’t bring herself to tell him the truth. She said only, “Mum and Dad were having a run-in with Patrick. But it can wait.”
The next hour passed rapidly. Alice arrived and was joyfully reunited with them. She was overjoyed to hear Jacob was awake and going to be alright. The three raided the kitchen together and brought out platters of meats and cheeses which some of Aaron’s men ate while they worked. Staying busy kept Katerina’s mind off her mother.
Coffins arrived at the restaurant and Diana and Zeus were lifted into them. Before they were closed Katerina circled Zeus’s, studying his face intently. After a few minutes of that, Noah joined her to ask, “Are you okay? Do you want to talk?”
Katerina shrugged. “I hate this waiting. But I can’t do anything about it.”
“Have you told Aaron about your mum?”
“He has enough to do.” She was still studying Zeus, avoiding Noah’s eyes. “You know there’s something about Zeus that gets to me. He’s...he was so creepy. And there’s something right there,” she tapped her forehead, “something I need to remember — something wrong. But I just can’t put my finger on it.” She shrugged helplessly and stepped back so the lid could be closed.
“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about what happened?” Noah asked again.
But Katerina had not heard him. She was staring at the door as if she had seen a ghost. Noah followed her gaze to see Josiah in the doorway, handcuffed and sandwiched between two guards. The prisoner seemed to feel her eyes on him and turned his head to stare at her, expressionlessly. Noah got in front of her protectively and murmured, “Don’t look at him Kat.”
“I wonder what they’ll do with him.”
“I guess that’s up to Aaron.”
“I don’t see Madeleine...”
“Dead I’m afraid,” Aaron was beside them. “We just found her body. I assume Zeus had her killed.”
“What will happen to Josiah?” Katerina asked again.
“We haven’t decided yet. We can’t send him back because we can’t trust him to keep Kainnan secret.”
“What are your options?”
“Keep him here on Kainnan, under guard or in exile...your ride has arrived,” he added. They heard the helicopter moments later. It was the largest Katerina had ever seen with at least two dozen seats inside. The coffins were loaded near the back as the group climbed in and chose seats. Josiah was handcuffed to one beside Karim. Although he turned around to look at Katerina several times, neither of them spoke to the other.
The trip was spectacular, over magnificent mountain ranges and sparkling, pristine waters. It was late afternoon by now, the light beginning to dim and color the clouds with hues of raspberry and scarlet. They stayed low, sometimes dropping down nearer to the land as if their pilot wanted to treat them to a closer look.
Aaron’s men chatted amongst themselves but the other passengers were mostly silent for much of the trip, preoccupied with the beauty of Kainnan and their own thoughts. Katerina’s mind was all over the place, first thinking about her mother; worrying about what had happened to her, then studying Josiah; wondering what had caused him to betray them. Nicole came to mind constantly but she pushed it away, unable to face her friend’s loss yet. Sometimes she thought back over their time in Kainnan, particularly her interactions with Noah; other times she could not stop thinking about Zeus and how he looked, lying dead in his coffin and yet still somehow able to fill her with dread.
An hour into the flight Noah swapped seats with Alice to sit by her. They exchanged stories of their time on Earth for a while. It dawned on Katerina as Noah shared Kaia’s decision to walk away from him, that perhaps that was what he really wanted her to know. She asked, “Are you alright with her choice?”
“I am. I wasn’t at first — but I know now that I am. Because it means I don’t need to feel guilty for wanting what I do anymore.” By the way he was looking at her there was no mistaking what he meant.
“Noah,” she said quietly, as if to hold him off.
He said so softly that only she heard him, “It’s okay. I can wait for you. We have time now.”
“Please Noah,” she tried again. “I can’t talk about...anything like that right now.”
“Because of Patrick?”
“Because of everything.”
He didn’t pursue that. Just nodded and changed the subject. They didn’t talk privately again but she was aware of his eyes on her often.
It had been at least two hours when the outskirts of Cereise City came into view. They all studied it with interest. It was not dissimilar to cities on Earth yet seemed somehow different too. Or perhaps that was psychological.
Aaron’s phone rang as they began descending. After hanging up he said, “This shouldn’t take long. Everything’s ready — the plane that will take you to the portal has arrived and everyone’s in place for the ceremony. You need to know that Tobiah, Lyonel and Eva intend to honor you for what you’ve done. You’ll be seated on the side of the stage while the crowning is taking place.”
“Will we need to do anything?” Alice asked.
“Take a bow, curtsey, wave,” Aaron grinned. “I don’t know if you really understand how much this means to us. I don’t think any of us can quite believe it yet, we’re all in shock,” he waved at his men.
“We’re not home and in the clear yet,” Karim muttered. “Not until the ceremony is done — that’s when I’ll relax.”
Aaron smiled again. “Don’t mind him, he’s ever the pessimist.”
“I just can’t shake the feeling that Zeus isn’t finished with us yet,” Karim said grimly.
It was then that the memory Katerina had been searching for finally surfaced. Her mind was so scrambled that she had completely forgotten her mother’s earlier words about Wilhelm. Mortified at her lapse, she grabbed Aaron’s arm urgently, “Aaron, I need to know something, have you ever met King Wilhelm?”
“Well no, I dealt with his right-hand man Lucan. Why? What is it?”
“My mother said he isn’t sick at all. She said he hired you to get rid of his children so he could tighten his hold on Kainnan. She said you’re...we’re basically his assassination squad. I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, I’ve been so preoccupied, so much has happened...”
“Can this really be true?” Karim interrupted impatiently.
“She also believes he goes to our world sometimes — and Patrick worked for him.”
“Your boyfriend Patrick?”
“Yes, my boyfriend,” her tone was disgusted. “He engineered our whole relationship to keep an eye on what my parents were doing.”
“If this is true...” Karim began, with horror in his voice.
“...Then he’ll probably be at the ceremony to try and stop it,” Aaron said. “Katerina, you may have just saved Kainnan again!”
He spent the remainder of their trip on his phone giving orders regarding the ceremony.
They were met at the airstrip twenty minutes later by a convoy of cars and hurried into the three middle ones. The trip through the city was a blur as their drivers sped through the streets at nerve-wrecking speed. They only slowed when they reached the huge open area where the ceremony was to be held.
The venue was already packed to overflowing, with people spilling out into the streets all around it. Aaron’s men were also everywhere, checking cars, searching and questioning people. They were ushered through a cordoned off area and parked to one side. When they exited their cars, Eva, Tobiah and Lyonel were there to greet them, before they were led to the large, raised stage positioned at the back of the crowd.
Before they mounted the dais, Aaron halted them. “I just don’t know if we should do this now,” he said to them all, though his eyes were on Eva.
“We can’t afford not to. Who knows what Wilhelm might do if we wait?” Tobiah argued.
“We have you covered as well as possible but I can’t guarantee your safety completely. I don’t even know what Wilhelm looks like...do any of you?”
“I met him once, but I believe he changes his appearance constantly,” Lyonel offered. “How many of your men would know what he looks like?”
“None of them do. They have a description — tall, medium build, blond, green eyes, fairly attractive...but that could be just about anyone. He could have changed his eye-color, his hair-color...”
“He might not even be here, he may have sent his men instead,” Tobiah suggested.
“No,” Eva disagreed. “He’ll be here. This is a big moment for him. If he takes us out he’ll want to reassert his rule immediately.”
“Won’t he try to take us all out at once?” Katerina interjected. “Like with a bomb or something?”
“We have considered that. So far we believe the area is clean.”
“What about a suicide bomber?”
“That’s possible,” Tobiah agreed. “But I suspect he would still be here watching from a distance anyway.”
“Alright,” Aaron said. “I’ll remind my men again to look for anyone suspicious in the crowd. And you all need to be alert up there too. Good luck.” He stood back to let them pass until Eva reached him. Then he held her back a moment and pulled her into his arms. They shared some intimate, private words as the rest of them made their way to their seats.
Taking the stage was overwhelming. The crowd stretched as far back as they could see and it was on its feet roaring approval for them. There were already others on the stage waiting to greet them. “John — the head of our movement,” Karim pointed out a tall, regal-looking man in the center. “He’ll perform the ceremony.”
The ceremony was beautiful. Each ruler, even Zeke, pledged their loyalty, respect and commitment to ruling their areas of Kainnan with justice and righteousness. John gave a speech and they all swore a solemn oath. Alice, Caleb, Noah and Katerina’s actions in saving Kainnan were acknowledged by a standing ovation and a second speech from John that brought tears to most eyes.
Through it all the group on stage were on edge, constantly scanning the crowd for anything untoward — a spectator out of place, someone in the crowd behaving suspiciously.
“Nearly over,” Karim murmured to them, the tension clear in his voice.
“So far so good,” Noah agreed.
It was then that Katerina saw Patrick. He was walking through the crowd towards them, so stealthily he only appeared in sight for moments. He had someone with him; a young blonde girl with an intent expression on her face. Every now and then she glanced at Patrick with a look that could only be described as adoration. Katerina dared not take her eyes off them for fear of losing them amongst all the people.
“Karim. I see Patrick!”
“Good, don’t lose him! If he works for Wilhelm, Wilhelm must be close,” Karim turned and signaled rapidly to Aaron. The priest was waiting beside the stage with the handcuffed Josiah and two other men.
Katerina strained to keep track of Patrick. Although he was still some distance away he was gaining on the stage rapidly. There was something about his face that was not right and she was struck again with the feeling she had got when she looked at Zeus. Dread but fascination. There was something about the two of them that was scarily alike. She risked glancing away from Patrick for a second to see if Aaron’s guards were close, but she couldn’t see anyone else moving. Indeed the crowd was very still, listening intently to Eva who was speaking.
When Katerina looked back at Patrick and the girl again, she saw they had gained considerable ground. He was nearly at the stage and Aaron’s men were nowhere to be seen. “Karim, he’s right there!” she hissed at the man.
“We’re waiting to see if Wilhelm appears,” Karim murmured back.
At that moment, Patrick saw Katerina watching him. He stopped dead, putting his hand on the girl’s arm to still her too. Then he smiled a cruel, mocking smile. He bent to the girl and said something to her. She nodded, reached up and kissed him on the cheek, then kept walking towards them. Patrick held Katerina’s gaze for a few more moments then he nodded at her and stepped backwards into the crowd.
The girl was a few steps from the stage when she pulled the gun from inside her clothing somewhere and fired it into the air. There was instant pandemonium; people screaming and fighting each other to get away from her. In moments there was an empty space all around her and she kept coming towards the stage.
Karim grabbed Katerina by the arm and hissed at her, Noah and Alice, “Jump!” half-pulling, half-guiding them to the edge of the stage. They threw themselves down onto the grass below and Aaron sprang up onto the stage immediately, taking their place, holding his own gun steady on the girl’s approaching form. As she reached the steps she pulled her coat wide open to reveal a huge, deadly-looking bomb strapped to her chest.
“Don’t shoot,” she called. “Or this bomb will be detonated!”
She kept coming up the stairs until she was standing right in front of Aaron and the group of leaders. “Greetings from King Wilhelm.” She was loud enough for the groups of people standing well back from the stage now to hear. While many were fleeing, others paused at a safer distance to see what would happen. “The King thanks you for ridding the land of his difficult children!”
“She said ‘this bomb will be detonated,’” Karim said. “Not ‘I will detonate this bomb.’ Someone else must have the detonator!”
“Patrick.”
“We need to find him. He must still be close.”
They were silent, scanning the crowd. They had a good vantage point but that meant Patrick could also see them clearly. It was Noah that spotted him first. “Isn’t that him beside the big oak tree?”
At the same time a voice came urgently through Karim’s radio. “I think I see Wilhelm...he’s in black standing beside the big tree on the east side.”
That was when Katerina made the connection she had been wrestling with all afternoon. It all made sense suddenly.
Zeus and Patrick were alike because they were related.
Patrick hadn’t lied about not working for Wilhelm. He didn’t work for Wilhelm, because Patrick was Wilhelm!
She felt instantly sick to her stomach. She had been dating Wilhelm! She had been in love with Wilhelm. She tried to speak, to tell Karim — but instead she starting retching and threw up.
Alice asked urgently. “What is it? What’s happening?”
“Karim,” she gasped, trying to control her voice enough to speak. “It’s Patrick! Patrick is Wilhelm!”
Karim swiveled to look at her in shock. He took in her pale face and grabbed the radio again. “It is Wilhelm!” he said urgently. “All units move towards the tall man in black by the oak tree.”
There was no answer from the radio. “All units respond,” Karim tried again. Still nothing. “Something’s wrong! Stay here. I’ll go after him.”
“Actually, you’ll stay right here Karim,” a voice interrupted. A gun was pressed to his temple. He froze, his face furious as one of his own men betrayed him.
They all froze then, unsure what to do. They could see Wilhelm moving rapidly back towards them, triumph on his face. He didn’t bother speaking to any of them, just hit Karim effortlessly hard in the head so the man dropped like a stone. Then he glanced briefly at Katerina before ordering one of his men, “Take them out of sight and kill them all — we have no further use for them.”
“Patrick!” Katerina cried. But he was already walking away. “Patrick, don’t do this!” She tried to go after him but a guard grabbed her and shoved her towards the others. Karim was left on the grass, unconscious, as they were hustled away from the stage at gunpoint, all of them frantically searching for a way out.
Judging by the men now taking control they appeared to be vastly outnumbered. The numbers betraying them was staggering. Aaron’s men were being rounded up everywhere, several fights breaking out as guard turned against fellow guard.
Katerina watched it all in numb horror. It seemed they were going to die, right there on Kainnan — and no one on Earth would ever know what had happened. The thought was so paralyzing, she barely noticed Josiah speaking to her.
“I have nothing to say to you,” she snapped when he tried again.
“Please Kat, you have to listen to me, I can help. If he is royalty I can touch him. I can go back and you can all come with me!”
“How?”
“When I was being held by Zeus, I heard that if we’re touching each other we’ll all go back. I can get you home.”
“Do it,” Noah said immediately.
“It’s dangerous...if you make the wrong choices back home...”
“It doesn’t matter what happens to me. I deserve what I get, you know I do,” Josiah argued. “Let me finish this.”
Katerina looked around again. On the stage Eva, Aaron, Tobiah, Lyonel and Sybilla were bunched together and under guard. There appeared to be no further opposition anywhere, Wilhelm’s men in full control. She made her decision, “Alright, we have to give them a chance,” she nodded at the stage. Then she raised her voice and yelled, “Patrick! I know who you are!”
They watched Patrick freeze, spin then start back towards them, thunder on his face. Josiah said quietly, “Hold hands. Quickly!”
“And just who do you think I am Katerina?” Patrick demanded.
“You are a traitor. You were one of Aaron’s men and you betrayed him — just like all these other men working for Wilhelm now.”
Patrick smiled slowly. “Well done, you’ve got me,” he said. Behind his back, she saw movement on stage as Aaron launched himself at the girl with the bomb. Tobiah, Lyonel, Eva and Sybilla were also a blur of motion taking down their captors. She leaned right in close to Patrick and said, “And you are also Wilhelm!”
There was just time to see the surprise in his eyes then she felt Josiah take her hand as he lurched forward to touch Wilhelm. Everything went dark for long seconds — and when the darkness cleared they were back in the airport.
