The Royal Pursuit (7 page)

Athen helped her remove the rest of
the parachute from her legs. Jaz and Falon, who had already removed
their parachutes, raced over to them.

“
The Nicals must know we’re
here,” Falon said. “They undoubtedly know this forest very well, so
we better get moving if we hope to avoid capture.”

Ann didn’t like the idea of being
pursued by the Nicals, but she knew moving away from this spot was
better than waiting for them like sitting ducks. As she followed
the Palers, Athen stayed behind her. She took care to not step on
the many pieces of the Paler spaceship that had fallen to the
ground, doing her best to not feel like such a wimp.

***

The mysterious man in white smiled
triumphantly as he lowered his arms. He had used his white cane to
send a hot blast to the Paler spaceship. He held his cane casually
by his side, as if he hadn’t just used it as a gun. He turned to
the stunned Nicals who had witnessed his action.

“
And that, my friends, is
one example of how I will protect you,” he said, turning to the
Nicals.

They remained silent. They had never
witnessed such a display of violence, so their minds were
desperately trying to accept what he had done.

He refrained from reminding them that
in wartime, bloodshed was a necessary evil. Instead, he tapped his
cane on the ground, which succeeded in getting their
attention.

“
Your enemy is now weak. It
is time to capture them,” he said.

“
But if they are weak,
won’t they leave?” Dour asked, slowly coming out of his
shock.

“
For a species that prides
itself on knowledge, you missed how insistent Palers can be when
properly motivated to action. I assure you they will not let the
destruction of their ship go unnoticed. They will want their
revenge.”

“
We should have talked to
them,” Dour said. “Maybe they would have understood. Maybe
we-”

“
Could have peacefully
resolved this conflict?” the man asked. He shook his head. “As
amusing as I find your faith in others, it is unfortunate you
easily dismiss the fact that they came with weapons which they
would have used to destroy all of you.”

Dour shifted from one foot to the
other.

The man placed his hand on Dour’s
shoulder. “You have a childlike faith that only sees the good in
everything. Reality is a cruel monster you must
confront.”

“
You don’t know the
ugliness I have experienced. All of us have lived through
hell.”

“
I’m sure you think
watching your loved ones suffer and die was a horrible thing. I am
not dismissing your pain. I am only telling you there are more
things to fear than a virus.”

Dour glanced at his companions, who
nodded their consent for him to listen to the man who, until
recently, had been a stranger to them. “Very well. We will follow
your advice.”

The man hid his satisfaction over
their decision. Instead, he turned his attention to the most
expedient way to render the Palers and Razians helpless.

“
There are four of them,”
he considered as he paced back and forth. “They will have weapons
on them. Raz’s queen has magic to protect herself. If she is
competent in her abilities, she will know how to access that magic.
She is the first one you will want to render inoperative.
Fortunately, I have just the device to do that.” He reached in his
pocket and pulled out a crystal. It was no bigger than an inch and
was circular. “Place this on her forehead and it will perform the
task for you.

He threw it over to Dour, who caught
it.

“
Next, you will take the
guns from the Palers,” he continued. “That shouldn’t be too hard to
do with this.” Pulling out a sticky net, he handed it to Xan. “If
it reminds you of a spider’s web, then you are very perceptive
because that is how I made it. This is an easy tool. Throw it at
their guns and it will reach out and snatch them.” He paused. “Are
any of you familiar with guns?”

They shook their heads.

He groaned. “What weapons are you
familiar with?”

“
We are not knowledgeable
in the art of warfare,” Dour admitted. “This is the first time we
have had visitors on our world.”

The man forced aside his annoyance.
“How did you develop the technology to go to Olympia?”

“
We have had a spaceship
for a thousand years. We used it a few times, but we used it in
pursuit of learning about other species.”

“
Since you created a
spaceship you didn’t need at the time, why didn’t you create any
weapons?”

“
We have a peaceful
existence among ourselves. We do not require weapons.”

Amazing, the man thought. “That is all
fine until you are attacked. You don’t realize how much of a
disadvantage you have. You have no training for the predicament you
are now in. Without me, you will die for sure.”

“
We are well aware of
that.”

“
Yes. So you can appreciate
my concern. You must obey me. Your lives depend on it.”

They nodded their
agreement.

Pleased by their admission, he
continued. “The Razians, as you know, have the Book of Spells.
Although the queen does not need it, she may have a traveling
companion who will use it. You must take that book. Once you do
that, the Palers and Razians will be powerless. That is when you
bring them to me. Do you have anything that can bind
them?”

Dour glanced at Xan. “Do you have the
chains?”

“
I collected them the other
day,” Xan replied. “They are in my living quarters.”

“
We use the chains to bring
our food to the Austere Complex,” Dour told the man.

“
You are referring to the
animals you capture to kill?” the man asked.

“
That is correct. The
chains are strong and durable. They should be adequate to put on
our enemies.”

“
There you go. You have
something useful after all. Very good. Chain them and we will bring
them to the Austere Complex. Believe me, I will not let your
enemies prevail against you.”

“
Excuse me,” Dour said.
“Who should go and get them?”

He was ready to tell them to figure it
out for themselves, but then he realized what a golden opportunity
he had. They were totally reliant on him, and if he allowed them to
make any decision on their own, it might weaken their dependence on
him. He could use this to his advantage.

“
That is an excellent
question,” the man said. “Whoever is skilled in combat, or at least
is most educated about the Razians and Palers, is your best
choice.”

“
Xan, Optima, Tan, Mical,
and Lonlio will go,” Dour replied.

Although the Nicals lived at the
Austere Complex, the man led them to it, as if the place belonged
to him. They didn’t object to his boldness. If anything, they
probably welcomed it. Most likely, they were overwhelmed by their
enemies’ presence.

Once they reached the complex, Xan
rushed to his living quarters to gather the chains. The rest of the
Nicals went to the main room.

The man left them to go to the library
in search for a book he needed. Now for his next plan.

***

When Xan came into the meeting room
with the chains, Dour turned to Optima. “Will you go to the man
wearing white and tell him you and the others will depart
now?”

“
Yes, Ruler,” she
replied.

She left the main building and walked
over to the library, which was taller than the other buildings. The
library was the best kept building they had left. At one time, it
had been the center of their world. In some ways, it still was, but
when the virus swept through their world, their emphasis turned
from the pursuit of knowledge to the fact that they must do
everything possible to preserve their lives.

The wasted hours studying the books
were a cold reminder Optima should have spent more time with her
family and friends while they lived. She was grateful her brother
was still alive, although he lost far more than she did. He lost
his wife and unborn child to the virus.

Don’t think about it, she told
herself. They couldn’t change the past. The only thing they could
do was secure their future.

The halls of the library were oddly
quiet. Her footsteps were quiet on the hard floor because of her
soft padded shoes. She was ready to call out to the man in white
among the rows and rows of books to find out exactly where he was
when she heard his voice. He was talking to someone. She frowned.
All of her companions were in the main building. Who could he
possibly be talking to?

She silently followed the direction of
his voice. He wasn’t far from her. She crept down four rows of
books until she saw him. He had his back turned to her. She
couldn’t see what he was talking into, but that was of little
consequence. She hid behind another row so he wouldn’t notice
her.

“
Everything is in place,”
he said.

“
Good,” the other voice
replied. “You will bring the Queen of Raz with you?”

“
Yes. She is traveling with
others, though. Do you want them, too?”

“
No. I’m only interested in
her. I must make it so she cannot conceive the next
queen.”

Optima held her breath at the threat.
She leaned closer so she could hear their conversation better. She
couldn’t tell if he was talking to a man or a woman.

“
What if she is already
pregnant?” the man in white asked. “It is around this time period
that she is expected to conceive.”

“
We will run the tests when
she arrives here. If she is pregnant, then we will eliminate her.
Otherwise, we can perform a simple sterilization procedure. That
child must never be born.”

A shiver crawled up Optima’s
spine.

“
Don’t let the Nicals know
our plans. It is better for their consciences if they think they
are defending themselves,” the person reminded him.

“
I won’t. They are
expecting me. If I am gone too long, they may come searching for
me,” he said.

That was Optima’s cue to leave. She
quickly and quietly hurried out of the library. By the time she
reached the main building, she was out of breath. Her companions
faced her when she ran into the room.

Ruler Dour hurried over to her.
“What’s wrong?”

Before she could respond, she heard
the strange man’s footsteps echo down the hall from where they
stood. She knew it wasn’t the time to speak, so she shook her head.
“No. Not now.”

Dour raised his eyebrow but didn’t say
anything.

“
Are you prepared to go?”
the man asked as he entered the room.

Dour glanced at Optima, who nodded.
“Yes,” he replied. “The group is ready to depart.”

The man smiled. “Good. You move fast
when you have to. That’s an admirable quality.”

Optima’s heart plummeted. When would
she get a chance to tell the other Nicals what she
overheard?

“
I will do everything I can
to protect you,” the man assured the group. “You don’t have to
worry about a thing. All of your troubles will be over
soon.”

Or they might have just begun, Optima
thought as she and the other four Nicals followed him out of the
building.

Chapter
Six

At the Bottom of the Ocean

Planet: Earth

Stacey held the map she had drawn. It
was her hypothesis of where the island of Atlantis had fallen into
the ocean. She glanced at the captain as he proceeded to steer the
submarine to the location she had chosen. She took a deep breath
and slowly exhaled. This was it. The moment of truth. She was about
to find out if she was right or not.

Kent, Stephen, and Mark stood by her,
as anxious as she was but not saying a word. Kent held up his
hands, showing his crossed fingers. She was fortunate to have his
support. If it hadn’t been for him, she might never have developed
her thesis. She recalled how he’d encouraged her to pursue her
dream. She smiled her appreciation.

“
I see something,” Captain
Aaron Reed announced excitedly.

The four rushed to the
windows.

Stacey gasped in surprise at what
appeared to be a city in the distance. She noted the large arc,
which reminded her of the one in St. Louis, Missouri. It must be
the center of the city, she thought as her eyes scanned the smaller
buildings surrounding it. They were quickly approaching the city,
and the closer they got, the more it captivated her.

She couldn’t believe it. She had
dreamed and hoped for this moment, but now that it was here, she
was overwhelmed with a deep sense of awe and appreciation for the
people who built the infamous city long ago. The structures held up
remarkably well over the centuries, and the ocean water didn’t even
seem to have destroyed the city, for it looked as if it had been
built that very day. She wondered what materials they had used to
build their city. Anyone who could produce such long lasting
buildings had to be highly intelligent.