Rise of the Resistance (War for Orion Trilogy Book Two) (38 page)

Pyrrhus and the others got in the cruiser
and he lifted off. The Capitol building wasn't far from the house.
It would've been a fairly short walk, but Pyrrhus was clearly in a
hurry with all the other things he had going on. Once they arrived,
they walked up the stairs and briskly skimmed down the halls to the
Debate Room. When they entered, they could see arguments going on
between some of the leaders as the Council sat on the stage in
silence. It was obvious from a quick look, something was going
on.

Pyrrhus took them up to the stage and walked
over to the Council. Kanti and Anlon stood next to each other and
waited for Pyrrhus to motion them to come over.

“What's going on?” Kanti asked. “Has
something happened?”

“They're second guessing our plan,” he said.
“That's what’s happened. All the planning and now they’re letting
fear get the best of them.”

“Who?” Kanti asked.

“A few of the planetary leaders. They’ve
spread doubt throughout to the others and now that an attack is
imminent, they're panicking. None have ever faced anything like
this and they believe surrendering is their best option.”

“But they were okay with it a couple days
ago!” Kanti clenched her fists. “Why are they worried now?”

“It’s what fear does to people,” Pyrrhus
said. “They're just afraid of dying. They've seen what the
crodillians can do and now that they're about to face them, fear
has consumed them. The realization that they may die is setting in
for the first time.”

“They can't back out now! It's more than
just their lives that are at stake here. The entire galaxy is in
peril. This battle is bigger than them,” Kanti said.

“It only takes a few to spread fear like
this. The Council doesn't know who did it, but this is what it's
been like since they've arrived in the Debate Hall.”

“Then I'll change it. I'll show them we
stand a chance, even the few who don't think we do.”

Kanti walked to the front of the stage and
the room quickly quieted down. All the leaders knew who she was
now. They all shifted their focus to her and what she was about to
say.

“I hear that fear has spread amongst you. I
hear that you no longer believe in this rebellion.
How
could
you possibly want to back out now?” She asked. “We’ve come too far
to give up now! Every survivor out in Orion is counting on
us
!
We
are their leaders;
we
are supposed to
protect them. Together, we’ve set a plan in motion that
cannot
be stopped and will not be stopped. Thousands of
rebels have gathered around our cause to get rid of the crodillians
and now we must carry through,” she walked across the stage and
looked to the leaders before her. “I know you’re afraid, and that's
okay, I am too. You can't let that fear control you though, we can
defeat the crodillians.”

“But Princess,” someone from the crowd said.
“What if our numbers aren't as large as we have been led to
believe? What if no one but Ares rebels when the time comes?”

“Our numbers are larger than we know,” Kanti
replied. “How could any race sit by idly as these monsters are
burning their homes and killing their families? Every race in Orion
will be by our side when the call to fight comes. I promise each
and every one of you we’ll have more than enough rebels to win this
war. Yes, the crodillians are strong. Yes, the crodillians have
powers we haven't witnessed in person yet. But
we
have
something to fight for, unlike our enemy. We have a cause to fight
for and we have everything to lose if we don't fight. The Queen
wouldn’t tell us to rebel unless she truly believed we stood a
chance. She’s been their prisoner, and she
believes
in all
of us. She sacrificed her life in order to make sure we fought for
our freedom. How could any of you deny her wish? She told us
never
to surrender to these monsters and we must obey.”

“The Princess is right,” Hildereth said.
“The Queen knows what she’s doing. She knows we stand a chance and
has ordered each and every one of us in this room to do exactly
what we’ve planned. We are the rebels' leaders, and without us,
there’s not rebellion.”

“If you don’t want to fight, then leave.
After I’m done talking to you, I want only those who’ll fight in
the rebellion to be in this room. I want leaders who truly
believe
, like my mother, that we’ll win this war. The
phoenix will prevail! I’ll rise and take my mother's spot as Queen.
I
will not let Orion be conquered by these monsters! The
phoenix will live and Orion
will
break free of crodillians’
grasp!”

The room erupted in cheers as she finished
her speech. Not one of the leaders left the room, and there wasn't
one who sat quietly. She could tell she’d cast any shred of doubt
from every one of the leaders' mind, even the ones who’d originally
cast that doubt. She turned around to Anlon who was smiling and
clapping for her and walked up to give him a hug. Without him, she
wouldn't be here, and she knew that. Everything had started with
them, and it would end with them.

Aldrick came over. “You did good. Now, you
need to make a speech that's even better than that for all of the
rebels. Grab their hearts, give them hope, and show them that you
too are one of them.”

Kanti nodded. She knew she could do it,
especially after this speech. This was totally unplanned, but she
now understood her job as Princess. She didn't necessarily have to
fight side by side with the rebels, though she would when the time
cam. Instead, her primary job was to make sure they had the courage
and hope to succeed. The crodillians may have thought taking over
Orion would be easy, but they hadn't seen anything yet, and she and
Anlon both knew it. Merikh was about to see the full strength of
the rebellion, and it would be led by her, the Princess that had
escaped their grasp.

Jahdiel landed her ship in the Palace dock.
The crodillians had obeyed her the second time she’d sent them down
to Hermes, but tensions had escalated since then. It was clear from
a glance in their eyes that they wanted to rip her to pieces.
Because of that, she’d decided it was best to lock herself in her
chambers the rest of the journey, just in case one or more of the
crodillians decided to act out of impulse. It’d been silent the
entire time in seclusion, not a word from any of the crew. That
made her want to get away from this all the more.

She got off of the transport ship and walked
slowly down the blood stained halls, knowing there was a good
chance her own blood would be added to those walls. She entered the
room her leader was in silently and came up behind him. The Queen
was chained next to him and looked up to Jahdiel as she came to a
stop. The chains rattled and Merikh jolted, turning around to look
Jahdiel in the eyes.

“You're back,” he said, glaring at her with
his evil red eyes.

“The remaining planets have been conquered.
Ares is the only planet left,” she informed him.

“So I’ve heard,” he stood and hovered over
her. “Was there any trouble?”

“No. There were no rebellions of any sort.
The rebels gave their planets up with ease,” she avoided his
intended question.

“Interesting,” he stroked his chin with his
dark and scaly hand. “Any other problems I should know about?”

“There was a pilot that defied me and I made
sure it would never happen again.”

She saw the Queen look to her with a slight
grin crossing her face. Merikh's eyes were filled with rage and
were drilling through her. His mouth opened slightly, revealing his
sharp teeth, and he sounded like he was growling.

“I heard you killed him. I hope that rumor
is not true. I can't have a human killing my own. You know that as
well as I do.”

“He attacked a
fter
I said not to!”
She defended herself and inched closer to him. “He defied my direct
order and then called me weak in front of a group.”

“And you killed him for it?”

“I showed them who the weak one was,”
Jahdiel said through her gritted teeth. “You can't have soldiers
defying your Commander's orders, can you?”

“You killed one of my own,” he stared with
hatred. “I won’t put up with that.”

“I killed one who was defying
your
orders, not just mine. He defied
you
. And I showed every
crodillian what happens to those that defy you.”

Merikh clenched his claws into a fist and
put his snout on her face. “Don't
ever
kill one of my own
again or I will kill you.”

“None will dare defy me again,” she grinned
and took a step back. “They know what will happen if they do.”

She looked down to see the Queen smiling.
The time to cower at the sight of Merikh was over, she was going to
die soon anyway. Fortunately for her, she was guaranteed at least a
few more days since Ares had yet to be conquered.

“There’s still one planet left,” she said.
“Let me take it over.”

“We’ll wait before we go to Ares.”

“There will be no rebellions, if that's what
you're thinking. I’ve seen the invasion of these planets first
hand, and I can assure you that no one in Orion is going to
rebel.”

“I don't care if they rebel any longer,” he
said. “I want to hear from the rest of the crodillians what they
think of you before you’re allowed to depart.”

“What they think of me?” She asked. “I’m
their Commander! I’ve earned my place among their ranks and I won’t
stand down because I’m human.”

“You’ll never truly be among our ranks.
You’re a human after all. It’s impossible to fit in when you’re so
different. I’ve allowed it for some time, but I think that time has
come to an end,” he said with a snarl. “I’ll let you take over
Ares, but after that, you’re demoted. You’ll no longer command a
Colchian, not after killing one of my own. You’ll be nothing after
this war is over.”

“
I
am the reason you’re here right
now!” She protested. “Your crodillians would've never gotten you
this far if it weren’t for me!”

“You are mistaken. If anyone is responsible
for our current position, it’s myself, not some human. You’re lucky
I’m letting you take Ares after what you've done and the way you’ve
just spoken to me.”

She clenched her fists until her nails dug
into her skin. This had been coming for some time, yet it still
infuriated her to hear the words come from his mouth. All this
time, she’d been helping a bunch of monsters with no intentions of
accepting her. The entire time their plan had been to dispose of
her when her use was up. It wouldn't happen though, they would pay
for it dearly, but she'd have to wait for the right time to
act.

“Thank you, Merikh. I know my actions were
wrong, and I acted out of fury. I’m sorry and I know this is what I
deserve.”

“Leave me,” he waved his scaly green hand.
“Wait for me to tell you to go to Ares, and keep out of sight of
any crodillians. They all know what you’ve done and I haven't
ordered any of them
not
to kill you.”

Jahdiel tried to hide the fear on her face
and saw a look of encouragement from the Queen. Adira knew she was
trying to break free of his grasp after so many years of being in
it. She wasn't sure if she could escape alive, but she'd do
everything she could to make sure she hurt him as much as
possible.

She turned to leave the room and walked down
the marble halls. It was her who’d brought this upon Orion. If it
hadn't been for her, the crodillians may have lost back in the
other galaxy and would never be here. Hate had blinded her and
she’d brought bloodthirsty monsters back to her home with a chance
to take it. Merikh could think she wasn't responsible for any of
his success, but that'd be his fatal mistake. Without her, he was
nothing, and it was time to prove it.

Donnchadh saw Ares quickly approaching
through the cockpit window. The entire tribe had left him and
Leilah alone in the cockpit as they gathered in one of the bunkers.
He didn't mind though, Leilah was the only one that liked him and
the only one that spoke to him. It was because of her that he was
even in this spot. He’d taught her a few things about piloting, and
surprisingly, she had picked up quick. He hadn't expected her to
learn anything, but her abilities extended far beyond what even she
knew.

A few ships approached them and the comline
came on. “What’s your business?” A voice asked.

“We’re here to help the rebellion,” Leilah
answered. “Please let us land, we’ve traveled a long way to come
here.”

“You may land,” the voice said.

Donnchadh piloted
Cerberus
towards
Ares. As he entered the planet, he saw Leilah taking in the
surroundings of the beautiful landscape. He knew this was her first
time leaving Erebos, and seeing a planet as beautiful and natural
as this was mesmerizing. He flew over the ocean of trees and neared
Lacedaemon, where Leilah had said to go.