The Theron Residency (Brides of Theron Book 4) (33 page)

“We think he’s in the palace Dungeon with Jenaya,” the Pernmock said.

“You must be Danuwee, and you must be Hator. Carel has told me so much about you.” Danuwee bowed his head and looked down. “What are we waiting for? We need to go get them.”

“Is everyone safe inside the camp?” Ceran asked.

“We think that guards have all fled. There are some really sick people in there. One, in particular. If you can get someone down here, Hator can lead you to her.” Ceran thought a moment. It was safe now. The guards had fled and Laura might be able to help the woman.

Ceran tapped his communicator badge. “The prisoners have chased off the guards. I need Laura down here with a medical team. It is time to get these people up to the ship.”

“Sending medical down now.” Laura appeared to his right and he instinctively reached out to grab her hand.

“They have assured me that it’s all clear. This is Hator,” He pointed to the Theron man, “he will bring you to someone very sick. Send down the EVAC teams to start the evacuation protocol.” Laura turned to go, but Ceran wouldn’t let go of her hand. She looked at him for an explanation. Never taking his eyes off of her, “Zion, would you stay with her?”

Zion looked perplexed. He had wanted to go out and hunt Gatton. He looked off into the distance toward the palace and then at Ceran, “
I’ll keep her safe, you’d better go.
” Ceran kissed Laura on the cheek and turned to join the others.



              Laura grabbed the handle of the bag that held her supplies. They followed behind Hator, who walked so fast that she had to jog to keep up. She turned back to see Zion ever watchful behind her. Any sign of movement around them instantly called his eyes to focus. While she was looking at him, she didn’t see a rock in her path and almost fell face forward into the dirt. Zion caught her mid-fall and put her back on her feet without a single word.

              “Thanks,” she said. He just nodded. She had yet to hear his voice. This made him more of a mystery. She thought about all the stories that Ceran had told her that suggested he had a sense of humor but came to the conclusion that looks were definitely deceiving. Hator led them into a cave and it took her a moment for her eyes to adjust from the bright light outside to the dark caverns that were lit by torches braced to the wall.

              “She is just over here.” Hator looked back as he ducked under a low opening. Lying on a thin blanket was a woman covered with masses on her face and shoulder. If she had to guess what was ailing her, she would say cancer. Is this the woman that Anora eluded to? Would she be able to heal someone this far gone with the disease? “This is Mattie and her husband, Neshal,” Hator said. She dropped down to her knees with her scanner in hand. The scanner was beeping wildly. That wasn’t a good sign. That meant that the scanner was ill equipped to deal with sickness of this magnitude. She put the scanner in the pocket of the bag and reached out her hands.

              “How long has she been like this?” she asked Neshal.

              “I wouldn’t know. Danuwee brought her to me yesterday. I’ve been told that she has been sick for a long time, but they would never let me see her,” Neshal replied. Laura thought he looked extremely overwhelmed and harbored the idea that she wouldn’t be with him much longer. “Carel had brought some medicine for her that Jenaya asked for. But, we don’t know how to give it to her.” He handed her a cloth bag. Inside it was a glass vial with a powdery substance within. Problem was, she didn’t know what it was or how to administer it either. She put her hand on either side of her neck to feel for lymph nodes. They were swollen to three times the size they should have been.

              A noise came from behind her. It was the sound of a pebble rolling down a rock decline. She looked behind her to find Zion on alert and his hands reaching for his weapons. Hator backed behind Zion’s large body as if looking for protection. Zion walked toward the entrance of the cave they were in. She turned away and focused on the patient. The men would have to handle any intruders. She checked the energies that surrounded this woman and it was all dark, muddy black and grays. “Is everything alright Zion?” She heard nothing. Not surprising, after all the yapping he did around her earlier.             

              She looked toward the door and heard a loud “oof”. A guard with a rather nasty gash on his forehead was leaning against the adjacent rock wall looking at Zion with murder on his mind. Zion pulled both of his swords out in one easy motion and swung them around as the guard searched his belt unsuccessfully for the pulsar gun that used to reside there. With no weapon, the guard decided to take his chances with his fists. He closed the distance on Zion and when he got within inches, he flew slamming into the nearest wall. Zion took the long hilts of the swords and screwed them together. The guard was edging closer and he seemed to remember something important. He kneeled down and reached into his sock for a set of throwing knives.

              Zion saw them, too. He let him pull them out and even let him throw one. The first knife missed its mark by inches. Zion then advanced toward him as the guard cowered. He found enough space to throw the next knife, and he let it fly. It flew against the wall with the sound of metal hitting rock and clanged against the floor. He got closer on that one. The purple blood of Zion’s ear was on the tip. Zion stood taller and reached the guard who was determined to make one last ditch effort to thwart this stranger. He had the knife in his hand as Zion twisted several times playing with the man, baiting him out of the small space where his dual-blade was rendered ineffective. The guard parried and that was when Zion made his move. He flipped backward avoiding the tip of the knife and his sword moved so fast it whistled. Several swings later the guard’s head was upright in his hands falling onto his lap as his blood gushed up from his neck against the wall. The tang of iron in the air was ever-present now.

              Zion wiped the blood off the blades and untwisted the hilts. Each sword was returned to the scabbards hidden in the back of his coat. She looked at him quizzically.

              “
What?
” he said, as he resumed watch.

              She shook her head and went back to the patient. “I’m going to touch you now Mattie. This may feel odd, but I assure you that you will be okay.” Truth was that she didn’t know what it would feel like to the patient. She hadn’t experimented enough in this lifetime to ask questions. She knew that when she tried any kind of energy healing, the heat in her hands could get uncomfortable even for her. She put one hand on her face and one on her shoulder and closed her eyes. She saw the blackness of the cancer reconfigure itself. It was doing everything in its power to survive and kill this woman in the process.

              She fought harder for control as Mattie rose from the blanket and arched her back, grimacing in pain. Neshal was trying to get to her, but Hator held him back. Mattie writhed and screamed. Laura remained focused as the blue indigo light fought with the darkness of that which was eating Mattie alive. At one point, the sound of Neshal sobbing and Mattie screaming made Zion come in to check on them. Far from being finished, but weak with her efforts Laura could do no more. She took her hands off the woman who fell back to the blanket with eyes wide open sucking in air like she had been holding her breath the entire time Laura worked on her.

              “What was that?” Mattie said with a strength that she had not known for some time.

              Laura wiped the sweat that formed on her forehead with the sleeve of her uniform. Not knowing exactly what she felt or how to explain what she had just done, she simply asked, “How do you feel?”

              Mattie looked down at her hands and felt her face. Maybe she had expected the lumps to disappear altogether, but they didn’t. Tears formed in her eyes. “I feel better. I really do feel better.”

              “It’s going to take more than this to make it go away for good. Do you feel well enough to come aboard the Pyxis?”

              “Will Brylon be there?” Mattie asked as she looked toward Neshal.

              “He is actually on the Eternity. Let me get the two of cleaned up and medically stable and then we can transfer you to his ship. Will that be alright?” Their eyes lit up when she confirmed that Brylon was alive and well as they nodded wordlessly. She reached for their hands and touched her badge. “This is Dr. Mason, five for electrontransport to sick bay.”

Jenaya couldn’t sleep. It was the shock and the unpleasant images that seemed to find a way into her head every time she closed her eyes that made her want to remain aware of her surroundings. Not long after Uphir left, she was offered a basin of lukewarm water, a bar of soap, a couple of clean washcloths, and a towel to wash herself with. It was a useless endeavor to bathe in this filthy cage. The water, no matter how hot it came, would ever erase what they had done to her. She rinsed her mouth and wiped her tongue and teeth. It made her recall the awful taste of blood and semen in her mouth and made her violently ill. She threw up in the corner of the cell until her ribs ached. Carel asked several times if she was alright, but when she didn’t answer, he stopped asking.  He must have imagined why she was so sick and left her alone.

She worked her way down from the skin on her face that was encrusted with the dried salt of her tears down to her legs. When she got to her feet, she noticed the puddle of blood just where she had sat. There were probably tears in the wall of her vagina from the attack. Her fingers were shaking from the shock and she felt as cold as ice. It took everything to bring herself to think as a doctor would.
“You are in shock. You are bleeding and I need to check for tears. There will be a little pressure and maybe some discomfort. But, I promise that it will be all over soon.”
She told herself as if she were about to examine a patient, except this time, the patient would be herself.

She probed the walls of her flesh with her fingers noting several tears on the anterior vaginal wall. The tears would require stitches that she had neither the supplies for nor the ability to place. Thinking of what she could do to stop the bleeding she stepped away from the situation washing her bloodied hands in the basin.
“Direct pressure on the wound will stop the bleeding.”
She assessed the supplies at hand and took the cleaner of the two washcloths and rolled it up neatly.
“I will have to insert this into you to stop the bleeding, just until I can gain access to the materials needed to stitch the wound.”
Who was she kidding? No one was coming. She took a deep breath and shoved the rough material up inside of herself to staunch the bleeding. It was painful and her body started to break out in a cold sweat. She folded the towel on the ground against the wall away from the pool of vomit and the puddle of congealed blood, and sat on it.

“Carel,” She whispered.

“Are you alright?” he replied in a voice that was thick with emotion. She could hear the suppression of sniffles on the other side of the wall.

“I’ll be alright. I’m not hurt that badly,” she lied. If she continued to bleed at the same rate, she would be dead in less than a day. She heard him take a deep breath, possibly one of relief.

It was quiet for a moment. Then he cleared his throat and said with a new wave of tears and frustration in his words, “Jenaya, I’m really sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. Please, don’t blame yourself. The responsibility lies with the Emperor. Let’s both place the blame at his feet.” She shifted a bit to see if the blood had stopped flowing with the cloth in place and it seemed that it had. She might actually make it to her execution as planned, “Besides, there is no one else on this planet that I’d rather die beside.” She heard a sound of mock amusement coming from the other cell.

“I know it’s not funny, and I shouldn’t make light of it like this. Death is serious business. But, I’m glad to say that agree with you.”

The dungeon faded into silence as Jenaya surveyed her life in moments from the times where she first formed memories up to the last few weeks and into the last couple of days. The richest period of her life where she felt the most intense feelings were when this man came into her life. That was when something inside her became aware for the first time. She thought about the possibility of living a life with him should they survive to see another day. It would have been nice if he had been able to meet her brothers and her parents. She imagined them arguing over where they were going to live and what to buy for the house they would share. She saw a future for them in her dreams, only to be awakened by a set of clanking metal keys.

“Get up! Get up now!” the guard came in beckoning them to the bars.

She had a hard time rising and checked to see if the blood had returned where she had sat. There were a few small circles of blood on the towel. The blood must have filled the cloth and she was continuing to bleed. It wasn’t really worth worrying about. She would be dead soon anyway. The guard secured Carel’s hands and was coming over to her cell. She put her fists through the bars and let him secure the metal bracelets that would secure her hands together. The door opened and she could finally see him there. He gave her a weak smile when their eyes met.

Carel reached out for her hands and the guard said, “Well, go ahead. It’s not like you are going to be around much longer.” He let them walk together. His hands were hot like coals to her icy fingertips. They took the stone stairs out into a stone corridor that led to a courtyard. The sun was so bright it was blinding when they came out. There was no wind under the domed city, making the conditions inside similar that of a greenhouse. It was hot and humid out here. She looked at their hands linked together awkwardly due to the cuffed wrists. Her skin was oddly pale compared to his. She realized that she must have lost a lot of blood. From the effort of walking, she began to feel weak and started to stumble.

“Are you alright?” Carel looked into her eyes with concern.

“Just make sure that I don’t fall. I don’t want to be carried in there like someone who has been defeated. I refuse to give him the satisfaction,” she said quietly with determination. He moved his shoulder under her arm to help her stay on her feet.
“Yes, they would have been good together,”
she thought to herself. He did everything to keep her standing to fulfill her wish to show Gatton no weakness.

As they crossed the threshold of the palace doors, they noticed increased activity. The soldiers wearing the red and black uniforms of Gatton’s personal guard were running around chaotically. Higher ranked members were shouting orders to move out and protect the perimeter. What was going on?

Carel looked at her excitedly, “They’re here. They made it.”



              Carel knew the layout of the palace well. He just wondered where Gatton would choose to end their lives. Most of the time, the executions were held in the courtyard. Today, the stands were empty and Gatton’s guards were running around in a state of shock. He picked up bits of information from the time he left the heavy metal doors of the dungeon. First of all, the prison camp he worked in was overrun and the guards that remained alive had left and locked the prisoners behind the fence. Secondly, word was being received that other camps on the planet were being invaded by unknown planetary forces. And finally, that a large number of ships were stationed around the planet and were ready to strike should Gatton refuse to surrender.

              “Move it!” the guard pushed them hard into the throne room where Gatton was standing with his back to them. “I’ve brought you the prisoners you asked for, sir.”

              “Good,” he turned around fixing his black gaze on the two of them. “Kill them.”

              “What?” Carel shouted, “Do you mean to say that you will not kill us yourself? I thought that was what you wanted?” Gatton was a man that didn’t take kindly to challenge. For Carel, it was a delay tactic. The rescuing force should be there any minute based on the activity outside this door.

              “We really must go,” whined Uphir.



              Zeb met up with Ceran at the gate and tapped his communication’s badge. “Father, the prisoners are free. They revolted last night and the guards have left them behind an electrified fence. We need to get someone down here to shut it down.”

              “Brylon says he will have the power interrupted to the area in 5, 4, 3, 2,” The sound of the buzzing in the fence quit. Rog threw a metal disk at the links and it fell harmlessly to the ground. He ran to the lock with a set of picks to open it. Zeb and Ceran watched as Rog’s hands moved deftly and after a series of clicks, the lock sprung open.

They were getting ready to move when Zion appeared at Ceran’s right shoulder. “Just in time man. Is Laura alright?” Zion nodded and they moved on.

              Zeb touched his communication badge and said, “Brylon, I’ve had word that Jenaya has been captured and put in the dungeon. I need you to lock onto her communication implant and find her for me. We need to get to her quick, she may be in great danger.”

              “I’ve no doubt that Carel will be where ever Jenaya is,” Rog said as he put his tools back into his backpack and swung it over his shoulders. The chain metal of his vest making a clinking sound. “Garrett, I need some of those vests over here.” A big muscular man with short curly white blonde hair dropped to his side pulling out one for everyone from his bag. “These vests will render the killing pulsar blasts numb. It will keep the lot of you from being killed. I am sure that Gatton has a shoot first, ask questions later policy. So, put them on.” Each man dropped their weapons to the ground and did as Rog said.

              “Zeb, I’ve got her. She’s on the move.” Brylon said.

              “Zeb, they are taking her from the dungeons and bringing her into the palace,” Zirlo said.

              “Brylon, tell us how to get to her. Let’s go!” Zeb called them with a wave of his arm as the men sprinted in the direction of the palace. When they got there, the emperor’s guards were running around in all directions. Zeb readied his CG-3 and trained it on the first enemy he saw. The others followed suit. Soon, all the remaining guards ran for the entry doors, effectively guarding it. “They must be in there.”

              “They are heading for the Throne room, son,” Zirlo said as Zeb ducked behind a wall.

              “Okay, we have to get through that door. Any ideas?” Zeb said.

              “Will these vests will keep us safe from pulsar blasts?” Ceran asked.

              “Not exactly,” Rog answered, “The vests take a killing blast and turn it into a stunning blast. It is only effective for the area it covers, the chest covers all the internal organs, so you will live. I have an idea. If me and my guys storm the doors and draw their fire, we might be able to keep the bastards busy so that you and your men can sneak in.”

              “Not acceptable,” Zeb said. “That is too much of a risk to take.”

              “Look man, we have been watching this man torture our people for generations. That is what we are here for. Besides, if you don’t get in there soon, Jenaya and Carel will be dead and that’s a fact. Gatton is ruthless. If he brings them into the throne room, they are going to be dead in minutes. I’m sure that he knows by now that there are forces here to take him out and he’ll be trying to figure out a way to escape. We go to the left, you go to the right.” Zeb shook his head, no. “Look, we are wasting time talking about it. “Garrett, Frith, Thorgrim, and Chabral with me, now!” They ducked around the wall and drew the enemy fire. Zeb, Zion, and Ceran moved to the right killing the guards that were aiming for Rog’s group.

              When the firefight had died, Rog was lying on the ground unable to get up. Garrett was looking after him searching for injuries. Rog was waving them on shouting, “Go you assholes! Go!” They were soon joined by Frith, Thorgrim and Chabral as they entered the hallway.

              “Directions?” Zeb said.

              “Go straight and take a left. It’s the second door on the right.” Zeb motioned to Frith and Chabral to watch the entrance and for everyone else to follow. The men went down the hall together watching in all directions. When they came to the turn, a couple of guards shot their guns from behind the corners. Zeb and his group were out in the open with nowhere to go. Thorgrim stepped out and like his own commander went to attack the two guards head on. He ran toward the end of the hall and leaped shooting one of the men and drawing the other so that Ceran could fire the killing shot. Both were dead and now, and Thorgrim lay motionless on the floor. Ceran checked for a pulse and shook his head when he didn’t find one.

“Let’s go,” Zeb said, “We’ll come back to him later.”

              From behind the door, he could hear shouting. “What? Do you mean to say that you will not kill us yourself? I thought that was what you wanted?” Zion kicked open the double doors that led into the room. He took his swords and laid waste to the two guards on either side of the door and had his eye firmly set on the man holding the arms of two prisoners. He focused his energy and pushed him into the nearest wall with his mind. Ceran ran to Jenaya and Carel to make sure they were alright. All eyes were on Zion and Gatton now.

              “You? What brings you here Zion?” Gatton’s head moving from side to side as he stalked Zion with his dark and evil eyes. He motioned to his guards to leave him be. Not one of them interfered.

              “
I want to know what happened to my sister
!” Zion yelled.

              “She’s dead, just like you will be in a few seconds.” Gatton cocked his head to the side and raised his gun ready to fire at the tall blue man and as he did, a well-thrown knife entered his chest and the gun fell to the ground. Gatton dropped to his knees as a stream of blood dripped from the edge of his mouth. The remaining guards ran into the adjoining office and locked the door behind them.