Final Quest (19 page)

- 57 -

MY WORST FEAR

After a slow nervous walk, Jamie, Radwin and I arrive back at the Hall of Mirrors.

It’s empty.

“What now?” I say.

Before Jamie can respond, there’s a noise coming from one of the tunnels.

It sounds like someone is walking in our direction.

I turn towards the noise.

Michael emerges from the tunnel.

I breathe a sigh of relief.

Unfortunately my thoughts that everything is okay are quickly shattered.

As Jasmin and Squirt appear, there are a group of Stapols strutting behind them.

I’m paralysed with fear even though I’m gripping my emerald tightly.

I consider the commands I could use with my emerald to save us, but nothing comes to mind. My friends are surrounded by the Stapols. I could make myself invisible, but if I did that, would the Stapols harm my friends?

Suddenly no one is moving. No one is talking.

I look at each of my friends. Their eyes are wide with terror.

“Emily!” Michael shouts.

Something smashes into my back.

I crash to the hard floor, striking my head.

I attempt to clear the cloudiness from my mind.

A powerful creature is pinning me to the floor.

I can’t move.

When my eyes are finally able to focus, an angry spider-like creature is sitting on me, preventing me from moving.

My heart stops as I look into the face of the hideous creature.

It’s Santtonnice.

I reach for my emerald.

I no longer have it.

- 58 -

THE TRIAL

My friends and I are prisoners in a small room. Capurni is with us.

In front of us is an open square. A mob of Zelareans, who all resemble Santtonnice, are milling around, talking to each other.

Capurni has been able to provide the details of what happened to the Leaders of the Forgotten People. As feared, Drew told the Zelareans about the hidden tunnels.

The moment Capurni told us about Drew, I wondered aloud how Drew knew about the tunnels. My question was answered quickly by Jasmin. She told Drew about them a day or two ago. At the time she told him, she didn’t know he was working for the Zelareans.

Once the Zelareans knew what they were looking for, they quickly found the caves and tunnels. The leaders, including Capurni, were taken as prisoners. Apparently, they didn’t bother looking for the other Forgotten People once they had captured the leaders.

The buildings around us are not very tall. This is not like the downtown area of most big cities on my planet where there are endless skyscrapers.

The area in front of us is filled with fountains and gardens. If I wasn’t currently a prisoner I might think that this is a quiet area where I might come to meditate.

Capurni has already told us that this location is used for trials. The six leaders of the Forgotten People are going to be placed on trial at any minute. After their trial, we will be sentenced to death without even having a trial, according to Capurni. As non-residents of Drapesia, apparently we don’t have any rights. I laughed wryly when Capurni said this because it’s obvious that no one on Drapesia has any rights except for the few Zelarean leaders who make the decisions for everyone else.

“It’s starting,” Capurni says.

Four Zelareans, amble onto the platform.

The crowd of Zelareans in the audience instantly sit.

Six Stapols escort the six leaders of the Forgotten People onto the platform.

The leaders are limping. They are covered in cuts and bruises. I know they have been tortured.

The crowd loudly jeers at the prisoners.

Even so, and in spite of their injuries, Zol and the other leaders of the Forgotten People face the audience proudly. There is no fear in their faces. They are ready for whatever happens next to them.

From another part of the platform, a small procession enters with Santtonnice leading them.

The audience stands and cheers as though they are welcoming a widely loved hero. The celebration is loud even inside the room where we are being held as prisoners.

Santtonnice approaches the front of the stage and holds his hands high in front of him.

Immediately the crowd ceases to make any noise.

My heart sinks as I notice my shining emerald necklace circling Sattonnice’s neck. The green emerald is glowing.

I look at each of my friends.

Capurni is dejected. His dream of bringing the people of Lattisan back to Drapesia is dead.

Radwin is buzzing around inside the room as though he’s attempting to find some flaw that would allow us to escape.

Jamie and Michael are doing something on their spy-pads. Unbelievably, after our capture, the Stapols never bothered to check Michael’s backpack. The only possible explanation is that they think we are so puny and primitive that nothing we have could make any difference against the power of the Zelareans and the Stapols.

Squirt is sleeping nervously in my lap as I shuffle in my chair to get a little more comfortable, realizing that any comforts I once knew are soon about to end.

“Yesterday, we captured these outcasts from the island of Elpis,” Santtonnice boasts. As the audience hisses, he turns and looks accusingly at the six leaders who are standing helplessly on the stage.

“These pathetic insurgents were plotting to attack Zelares. Along with hundreds of others, they built an underground world on Elpis. These rebels are traitors. Today we are going to try them for treason.”

The crowd begins to loudly boo.

The Stapols, who are gripping the arms of the six leaders, look like they’re ready to rip them apart.

“I have considered their crime,” Santtonnice says arrogantly with venom in his voice. “And I have found each of them guilty.”

The crowd cheers.

So there it is. If this is Santtonnice’s idea of justice, then all hope is lost for me and my friends.

The crowd continues to celebrate.

The six leaders maintain their dignity in spite of the humiliation and unfairness of what has happened.

Santtonnice raises his hands.

Instantly the crowd becomes quiet.

“This afternoon, we will begin a new chapter in the history of Drapesia. We will be traveling to another planet where we will establish a new home for ourselves. The planet I have chosen is known as Earth. I have already visited this planet. Once we eradicate the species of creatures known as humans from this planet, it will be a wonderful place for us to live. We have a few of these weak creatures imprisoned in a room behind you.”

The audience turns and stares at us.

Michael waves.

For a moment, I think the crowd is going to attack us.

Santtonnice laughs.

“These stupid animals have no respect for intelligent life forms like us. They will be slaughtered along with their families when we return to their planet.”

The crowd cheers loudly.

Some of the Zelareans are pointing at us and laughing as though we are monkeys in a zoo.

“We have three beautifully crafted Space Explorers to carry us to this new planet. Our Explorers will also carry our fleet of Vessels of Peace to ensure that no humans survive. The humans are primitive creatures who are constantly destroying the wonderful planet where they live. This is a species of animals that repeatedly kill each other without reason, and destroy their environment. Once the humans are gone, we will live in a paradise.”

The crowd goes wild. Their reaction reminds me of Santtonnice’s followers in Rome a few weeks ago.

Santtonnice holds the emerald above his head.

The audience bows down to him in reverence.

Jamie says, “He won’t need volcanoes to kill everyone this time. He has weapons at his disposal that will obliterate humans from our planet.”

“And cause great destruction,” Michael adds, “even though he pretends that this will not be the case.”

The crowd is in a trance.

“The traitors that are standing here before you are sentenced to death,” Santtonnice proclaims with a huge smile on his smug face.

“When we leave Drapesia this afternoon, these six rebels will be locked and bound in prison cells in the Wall. There will be no escaping for them. They will die an ugly death of starvation.”

The audience cheers.

“Tonight when the other inhabitants of Drapesia go to sleep, every person will be given an overdose of trichoma. By tomorrow morning, there will be no one left on this planet, other than a band of harmless people who live in tunnels and caves on the island of Elpis.”

- 59 -

A DIFFERENT VIEW OF EARTH

An hour or so ago, my friends and I were loaded into a secure room on one of the Space Explorers.

Now we find ourselves hovering above our planet while imprisoned in the Space Explorer.

Capurni explained that Santtonnice must have used the emerald to transport the three Space Explorers to an orbit around my planet.

The view of my planet is spectacular. I’m seeing Earth through the eyes of an astronaut. It’s amazing. As I look at the expanse of the oceans divided by the multicolored landforms, it’s as though my planet is alive. I wonder why some people are so intent on trying to find another planet where we might start another civilization. Why not put all our efforts into eliminating pollution and wars on our own planet?

From my position here in space, it appears that the planet has a life of its own. For a few minutes I enjoy the wonderful picture before me. I find myself wondering whether all life forms on the planet, including humans, are just a part of the whole, and the whole is the planet itself.

“We’re all going to die.”

It’s Jasmin. Her mournful announcement wakens me from my errant thoughts. I remind myself that very soon, the fantastic planet that I’m now staring at will be attacked by weapons unlike any it has ever seen before.”

“Emily, you’ve got to save us.”

Before I respond to Jasmin, Michael says, “Look!”

Long flowing shiny wires are descending from the bottom of the Space Explorer that is nearest to us. They look like the tentacles hanging from a jellyfish.

“What are they?” I say.

“In one of my comics, spaceships were fueled by long wires that hung beneath them. The wires picked up electrical charges from the atmosphere and converted them into fuel for the spaceship.”

We begin to drop.

We’re getting closer to Earth.

“What’s happening?” Jasmin says, her voice trembling.

“The attack is about to start,” Michael answers. “The Space Explorers are seeking their first target.”

“And Santtonnice wants us to watch the destruction,” I say. “Our punishment is going to be to see our race annihilated while we sit here helpless. Then once all humanity is wiped out, Santtonnice will take great pleasure in killing us.”

“There must be something we can do,” Jasmin says.

“Oh my God,” Jamie says. “The bottom of one of the Space Explorers is opening.

The bottom of the Space Explorer beside us is opening like it’s about to drop a bomb.

Suddenly, hundreds and hundreds of black objects emerge from the opening.

“The Vessels of Peace,” Jamie says. “The Zelareans are launching their fleet of fighter craft.”

The sky turns black with the VOPs. There must be thousands of them.

I recognize the continent where I live.

We’re descending.

Squirt is nervously bouncing on my shoulders.

The black VOPs look like a massive cloud of mosquitos.

With every second, the land below us is looming larger.

We’re now over the United States.

“Where do you think the attack will begin?” I ask.

Our Space Explorer is moving to the Eastern part of the country.

“The invasion is going to start in Washington,” I say, answering my own question.

- 60 -

SPIES AMONG US

Michael slides his fingers across his spy-pad as our Space Explorer hovers over Washington. Although it looks like a tiny model, the White House is now in view. The sky is filled with black VOPs like a flock of blackbirds ready to attack.

I feel sick.

If I had never touched my mother’s emerald a little over a year ago, this wouldn’t be happening. Or would it? Is it possible that the emerald knew this was going to happen? Was I chosen to defeat the Zelareans?

One thing for sure, if we somehow survive this crisis, I’m getting rid of the emerald. This is not how I want to live my life.

There must be something we can do.

I suspect that at any minute, American fighter jets are going to attack the VOPs. They won’t stand a chance against the advanced technology that I suspect the Zelarean aircraft possess.

“We need to make contact with someone in the Pentagon,” I say. “Maybe we can provide some information that might help them fight against the VOPs.”

“Like what?” Jasmin says. “We don’t know anything about them. And why isn’t our country fighting back against the invasion. It doesn’t look like anything is happening.”

“That’s because our President is asking Santtonnice for a peaceful solution.”

“How do you know this?” I ask.

Michael says, “I’m already in contact with the Pentagon and Homeland Security. Right now, I’m talking to my parents. They’re at the CIA headquarters in Langley.”

None of us react to Michael’s comments. Does this mean that Michael’s parents are spies, or is it even possible that Michael is a spy?

“Is there something we can do?” I ask Michael.

“Yes,” Michael says. “Our military experts have been reviewing the pictures I took of the VOPs when we visited the Palace of Peace in Zelares.”

I wonder how long Michael has been providing information to the American military or the CIA? Do they know about my emerald?

“What can we do?” Jasmin repeats my question.

“The VOPs are actually drones,” Michael says. “They don’t have pilots flying them. That means that the Space Explorers must have the controls for flying the VOPs. If we can locate the room where these controls are stored, we might be able to sabotage the VOPs. Without the VOPs, the invasion might fail.”

“Except,” I say, “you’ve forgotten that Santtonnice has my emerald. In the end, he could destroy our planet without the VOPs.”

“One thing at a time,” Michael says. “First of all, let’s see if we can stop the VOPs.”