Chapter 13

I’m taken to a different building. It’s a lavish palazzo-style structure with a white, shimmering fa?ade and sculptural windows. It’s beautiful and opulent, likely the former residence of some kind of royalty. It’s also heavily guarded.

I count at least fifty soldiers at the front gate and all the way up to the front steps, each of them armed to their teeth and looking extra tense. The Sky Tribe flag hangs proudly from the principal balcony. It’s clearly the general’s residence now.

And the closer I get to it, the more nervous I get.

“Shaytan is waiting for us inside,” Blaze says as he pulls the buggy over at the base of the front steps. He pauses and presses his fingers against his temples, likely wrestling with one hell of a migraine after yesterday’s events. I‘m glad he’s hurting. I feel a small dose of satisfaction. “Get her out,” he tells the approaching guards.

“You look like shit.” I chuckle maliciously as I’m taken out of the buggy and practically carried through the wide double doors of the palazzo.

As soon as we’re inside, however, my ill-timed humor fades altogether. Blaze catches up, constantly cursing under his breath as he struggles to retain his composure. His injury must be a lot worse than he showed back in the hangar.

“What’s wrong? Have a Headache?” I grumble.

“Oh, don’t worry about it. I’ll be back in shape in no time,” Blaze replies.

He sticks by my side while the guards pull back and return to their posts. I catch glimpses of young-looking servants mousing around the wide lobby area. The décor is somewhat overwhelming for my tired eyes—an excess of paintings and precious metal plates hanging from the wallpapered walls, old but superbly restored furniture made of ancient blackwood, and finely woven carpets that look like they could sell for a small fortune. The kind of fortune that could finance an army at war.

The Sky Tribe struck gold when they took over Pearl City. I see now why it’s said to be one of the richest cities on Sunna.

But the interior design soon fades from the center of my focus as I hear heavy boots coming down the stairs. I hold my breath, my knees weak, as I see him descending. Commander General Shaytan Hull—a big bastard, as big as the Kreek brothers combined and at least a head taller.

“Jewel. My Jewel. Finally!” he exclaims, smiling enthusiastically.

He makes my skin crawl, yet I keep my mouth shut. This is the one guy I don’t want to piss off.

Shaytan Hull isn’t just a mountain of a man. He looks like a volcano made of pure gold. He loves to show off his rich lifestyle—my guess is he grew up poor and lacking any sartorial education whatsoever—but no one has dared tell him the truth about the way he looks. I assume heads have rolled whenever that might have happened.

He’s been waiting for this moment for a very long time, and I’m afraid I cannot postpone the way he plans to lord it over me.

“Jewel,” he says my name again. “You’re such a sight for sore eyes.”

“You knew we were coming,” I reply, my voice low and surprisingly calm. It’s the only explanation that makes sense for how we were ambushed at the hangar.

“I suppose it was more or less an issue of bad luck,” he says, half-smiling. “It didn’t take long for Blaze to put two and two together once he regained consciousness. He figured you out, and so, yes, we knew you were coming. The guards at each gate were alerted. We wanted to give you a proper welcome, of course.”

“No, you sadist. You wanted us to get close enough to the hangar to almost taste victory so you could snatch it from under our noses,” I snap.

Shaytan laughs. “That, too, yes. Jewel, you’ve been riding quite the wave for too long. I had to knock you down a peg or two. My boys were getting discouraged that a creature one-third their size kept outsmarting them. That being said, I do applaud you, my love. You have earned my respect and admiration for an entire lifetime.”

“You’ll never win,” I tell him point blank. “And I will finish what the Kreek brothers started with you. I promise.”

“I’d love to see you try,” Blaze replies with a cold grin. “But in the meantime, I look forward to fully making you mine.”

“Now, now, Blaze, remember what we agreed upon,” Shaytan reminds him with a flat tone of voice. “We will not force Jewel to submit to us. She will do so willingly. Once the Kreek brothers are executed and their bond is severed, once she sees more of her kind being brought over for the success of our mission, she will understand that she belongs with us.”

“Keep telling yourselves that,” I chuckle dryly. “I’d rather die than let any of you touch me.”

“Oh, honey, you’ll beg for it by the time we’re through with your precious Fire Tribe,” Blaze hisses in my ear. I pull away, utterly disgusted, but he’s got a tight grip on my elbow. I can’t run; I can’t fight him, either. I can only stand beside him and put up with this garbage. “Sooner or later, we will have you, Jewel. Body and soul.”

They are both delusional. Yet I must take another deep breath and try to remain calm. Obedience may not be my forte, but it might just get me through whatever comes next—at least until I find a window of opportunity to escape. It definitely will not end here.

Shaytan comes down the stairs and joins us, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Worry not, Jewel. You’ll be sharing our private residence with us. You’ll get to know us better, and you will understand precisely how Sunna works. I’m afraid those Fire Tribe men have filled your head with all kinds of nonsense, and it’s up to us to rid you of whatever stupidity they have ingrained in you.”

“Only a fool would’ve thought to return after what you did here,” Blaze laughs.

“We left you for dead. If only you’d stayed dead,” I retort.

“Let us not dwell on the past,” Shaytan interjects, then looks at Blaze. “Escort our future wife upstairs, my brother. Have her bathed and fed. We’ll enjoy a glass of peppered wine later. In the meantime, I must sign the execution order for the Kreek brothers. They’ve had their fun. Now, they must pay.”

I feel my blood run cold. Blaze picks up on my fear and laughs again, delighted by the torment he can read all over my face. Then he drags me up the stairs and into a sprawling bedroom. We leave Shaytan behind, and there’s nothing I can do. I sit on the edge of a massive bed, candles burning across the room while the warm night unfolds outside beneath a starry sky.

I can’t see the moons anywhere, but at least I can see the sky. Yossul and Fadai don’t even have that luxury since they’re most likely caged in one of the cells beneath the command center.

I can’t let Shaytan execute them.

I can’t imagine Sunna without them. I can’t imagine my life without them.

“Make yourself comfortable,” Blaze says, stopping in the open doorway on his way out. “There’s hot water. There are fragranced oils for your precious skin. I’ll send a servant upstairs with your dinner soon. This is it for you, Jewel. Make peace with that.”

“What can I do to convince you to let Yossul and Fadai live?” I ask, unable to control my desperation. He allows himself a wry smile as he slowly closes the door behind him.

“Nothing. I look forward to chopping their heads off myself.”

He’s gone, and I’m alone in Shaytan and Blaze’s personal residence. I”m helpless, furious, and terrified. There must be a way out of here.

I don’t want to even touch my food. I shouldn’t. Being the enemy’s captive doesn’t sit well with me, but that’s just my ego acting out. I need nourishment and a clear head for the coming hours. I need a sharp mind and a strong body, so I find enough willpower to eat the meat and grilled vegetables off my plate.

Hell, I chug the sweet tea and devour the baked plum cookies, too. The energy will serve me well. Besides, the people who cooked this meal aren’t my enemies, per se. It’s their boss. Their precious overlord.

I could tell from the fleeting looks from the servant who brought this stuff up that they’re not that happy with the Sky Tribe’s presence here, either. Much like in the other cities of Sunna, the civilians have become tired and weary of the violence, uncertainty, and empty promises. All they’re getting is a gradual degradation of their homes, their streets, their way of life, and their culture. As if losing almost all of their women weren’t bad enough, they must contend with all these wannabe dictators’ and mercenaries’ demands.

Cynthia found support in the least likely of places when she tried to breach the Sapphire City lab. Kingo ended up being one of our closest and most capable allies. I dare not hope for the same. My own experiences in the service and in this war have varied, but I can take a page from Cynthia’s book either way.

I pace the room continuously, taking in every detail, every possible means of entrances and exits of this place. The windows aren’t locked, but the garden and the entire perimeter of the palazzo are heavily guarded.

The constant buzzing of drones flying overhead further proves that I would have a hard time escaping on my own. I need another way, another method, something akin to that fake bottom of a wine barrel.

There are plenty of objects here for me to use as weapons, should I need them. Candleholders, sharp pens, and letter openers in Shaytan’s study, and decorative rocks that are heavy enough to maybe bash Blaze’s head in for good. Yet as the hours pass, my anxiety reaches peak levels, and I find it’s getting increasingly harder for me to breathe.

Thinking about Yossul and Fadai’s situation only serves to amplify everything, turning anxiety into pure despair. I end up sitting by the window and crying my heart out for the better part of an hour as I wonder what happened to the rest of the Yellow Gang.

It’s not just the prospect of losing the war that’s got me twisted up and sobbing. No. It’s the fact that I have developed a bond with Yossul and Fadai over the years—a bond I’ve lied to myself about for too long, a bond I’m about to lose if I don’t figure out a way to save them.

I love them. I love them so much, it fucking hurts, and we’ve only just started exploring our connection. We were looking toward a brighter future together. The idea of sacrificing ourselves for Sunna and the safety of our loved ones is beginning to fade, replaced by a fierce desire to live and thrive alongside them instead.

It isn’t fair to watch it all come crumbling down at my feet tonight.

I wipe the tears away and sit up as I hear footsteps approaching the door. Shaytan and Blaze come in, both smiling as they carry a bottle of spiced wine and three fine crystal glasses.

“Sorry, it took us longer than we expected,” Shaytan says in a casual tone. “Planning an execution is more work when the subjects are some of Sunna’s most-wanted criminals.”

“You mean freedom fighters,” I reply.

“That’s ridiculous,” Blaze says. “Freedom fighters. The Fire Tribe is no more than a bunch of mindless savages. That’s why it was so easy for us to take the cities in the first place. They’re old-school barbarians who think a miracle will save our species. In the meantime, we of the Sky Tribe have been working day and night toward securing Sunna’s future, and your people have done nothing but cause trouble. Calling yourselves freedom fighters is ridiculous. Ridiculous!”

“You didn’t tell Shaytan about Solomon Daron, did you?” I shoot back with a cool grin.

There it is—the first crack in his arrogant armor. Shaytan”s look of surprise tells me I’m right. Blaze waves my words away. “Lies. All lies. Just another ploy the Fire Tribe is using to steer us off our sacred path.”

But Shaytan sets the bottle and the glasses on the table and raises an eyebrow at his lieutenant. “What is Jewel talking about?”

“It’s nothing,” Blaze insists.

“We’ve been investigating the plague,” I tell Shaytan. “I assume the Mal brothers have been trying to get you to sit down and talk to them for a while, haven’t they?”

“I’m done talking to the Fire Tribe. We have bigger fish to fry these days,” Shaytan replies.

“I’ll tell you then. The plague was made in a lab,” I say.

General Hull stares at me for a moment, then shifts his focus to Blaze, who seems particularly uncomfortable with my statement. “Do you have proof?” Shaytan asks, his gaze returning to me.

“We have proof, and we’re close to developing a cure based on Daron’s research. There’s a lot we need to talk about, General Hull. You and your people have been lied to for too long. This entire war has been based on a lie. Haven’t enough of you died for Solomon Daron’s madness?”

He opens the bottle and pours the wine into all three glasses, offering me one. “Come, let us sit down and enjoy this fine vintage. I’m willing to listen.”

“Shaytan, it’s crazy. It doesn’t make sense—” Blaze tries to interject, but Shaytan raises a hand to silence him.

“Come on, my brother. If we’re going to marry this woman, we might as well prove ourselves worthy of her love. And there is no man worthier than a man who listens to his woman,” he says, giving me a soft smile. “Go on, Jewel. I’m all ears.”

I’ve got a feeling he’s lying. There’s a hint of condescension in his gravelly voice, but at least I have his attention. It would be a shame to squander it, so I make myself comfortable in one of the chairs by the window and start talking.

I do my best to specify that Opal City is still very much dead and a toxic danger zone and that we took great risks to venture into the area for our investigation. I tell him about Solomon’s journals and his intention to build a utopia in Opal City, weaving in the necessary lies to protect his widows and their people.

By the time I’m done, Blaze’s expression has changed into something akin to uneasiness and self-doubt. I think I’ve finally gotten to him. The flames in his red eyes flicker, shadows dancing across his face as he pours more wine into his glass. He’s silent, sitting in his chair and averting his gaze whenever I look at him.

Shaytan, on the other hand, seems annoyingly calm and relaxed. I don’t like it.

“The entire plan blew up in Solomon’s face. I’m guessing he didn’t count on Opal City getting bombed,” I conclude my half-truthful story. “So there you have it. Maybe it’s time for you to reach out to the Mal brothers and let them present you with evidence of everything I’ve just said. We have proof.”

“I see. Thank you for sharing your story,” Shaytan replies. “The problem is the plague did happen. It did wipe out most of our female population. And I doubt you and your friends have the knowledge, the expertise, or the equipment to come up with a viable cure.”

“But we do have all that.”

“Time is not on your side,” he says bluntly. “And even if you do come up with a cure, it’ll only delay the inevitable. The fact of the matter is, Jewel, that another plague will come and do worse unless we evolve as a species. We cannot evolve on our own, but the human genome is a treasure trove of antiviral proteins that our surviving scientists can study and better understand. The only way for us to truly save Sunna and prevent another plague altogether is to bring forth a generation of Sunnaite-human hybrids.”

“No, Shaytan. Listen, our genes are not a cure-all. We just happen to be immune to this viral strain. You have no guarantee we’d be as resistant to other diseases, and you don’t have the biomedical scientists to direct research in that endeavor. All you have are a handful of medically trained professionals who may be able to manage symptoms and observe the progression of a hybrid’s development, but that’s it. You don’t have what it takes to protect Sunna.” I sucked in a deep breath. “And for the last time, dammit, taking women from Earth and forcing them into breeding camps is not the answer. It is cruel and despicable; it will forever be a stain on your history and on your honor!”

“Your illusions of dignity and compassion seem so misplaced, given the fact that you’re a warrior yourself, Jewel,” Shaytan says, half-smiling as he sniffs his glass before taking a sip. “You know that violence only begets violence. Death comes for us all. And the Sunnaite culture was built on death and violence. Do not let the last few centuries of peace fool you. Sooner or later, we will find other reasons to bicker and kill one another, even if, by some miracle, your side comes up with a cure for the plague. The truth is we need fresh blood from another world.”

I can’t help but laugh. “Wait, let me see if I got this right. You want human genes for your people because you’re hoping they’ll not only be more resilient to viruses but that they’ll also fight less?” I pause and wait for an answer. The confused looks in Shaytan and Blaze’s eyes only make me laugh even harder. “Earth is made up of one hundred and ninety-five countries. One hundred and ninety-five nations, each ready to blow the others to smithereens if they so much as cross their borders in a distasteful manner. We built the atom bomb to wipe out entire cities, for Pete’s sake. We are anything but peaceful! Why the hell do you think I’m such a good fighter to begin with?”

“You will make fine warrior princes, indeed,” Shaytan replies, almost dreamy-eyed as he glances my way. Either the wine is getting to his head, or he is actively ignoring every argument I’ve made against breeding with humans. Alicia warned me that we may never be able to reason with the Sky Tribe.

“Your doctrine is so deeply embedded in your brains, you can’t even think straight,” I murmur. “Here I am, providing you with the hard truth, yet you keep droning on about the babies we’re going to be making together. No wonder your planet is such a fucking mess.”

Blaze frowns, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

“The only hard truth you’ve got is the one you refuse to accept,” Shaytan says. You’re here, Jewel. And you will bond with us—on your own, in due time. You may not think it’s possible, you may think it’s crazy, but sooner or later, you will reach the right conclusion. I’m a patient man. And this bottle of wine is empty, so we’d best get to bed, darling.”

“I’m not sleeping with you!” I snap.

He laughs and then nods at Blaze. “Relax, Jewel. You have a room of your own,” he says. Take her to the alcove, brother.”

I have no choice but to follow Blaze as he guides me out of the living room area and through a small side door. I tried opening it earlier, but it was locked. He has the key to open the door, and so I make myself as comfortable as I can in this small space with a single bed and barely any light coming through a narrow window, watching as Blaze locks me in and leaves me with my tormented thoughts.

Come morning, I find myself still wide awake and anxious, restless and desolate. Most of my night was subject to terrible waking dreams and bouts of crying that I muffled with my pillow. My eyes are puffy, my eyelids heavy as I listen to what’s happening beyond my door.

“We’ll proceed as planned,” Shaytan tells Blaze.

They’re seated somewhere in the living room, close enough for me to hear fragments of their conversation if I have my ear glued to the keyhole.

Blaze keeps pacing the room, nervous and restless. “Shaytan, what if it’s true that Solomon was responsible for the plague? I mean. I didn’t want to believe it at first, either, but she says they have proof.”

“Does it matter at this point? We’re too far down the line to even care about the origin of the disease,” Shaytan replies.

“But it would mean that it was all a lie. The factions we made, the war itself, the fighting, the killing, wasting so much time and precious resources to send starships to Earth when we could have designed a cure for the plague right here instead. You heard Jewel. Just because she and her friends are immune to this virus doesn’t make them immune to other viruses.”

“Blaze, what is going on with you? You used to be wholly devoted to the cause.”

“If the cause was built upon a lie—”

“Don’t let anyone hear you say that,” Shaytan hisses. “The only reason we still have the support of the other generals is because of these fucking starships and the promises Selina Sharuk made. That bitch talked a big game. She planted the seed and watered it year after year! I tried doing things the old-fashioned way. I tried brokering for peace with the Fire Tribe, as you well remember. But Selina ruined everything, and now, too many powerful warlords still believe her. All we can do is play along and lead the way until the war is over. Once we have control over the entire planet, once the Fire Tribe is reduced to nothing but dust and bones, then we can revisit the past and unearth the truth about Solomon Daron; you hear me?”

Blaze sighs deeply. “Yes.”

He doesn’t sound too happy about it, though. Good. I need as many cracks in his armor as possible before it’s too late. For the time being, however, I have to find out what they’re going to do next, so I start banging on the alcove door. “LET ME OUT!” I shout at the top of my lungs.

A moment later, Blaze opens the door, and I walk into the living room area with my chin up, as defiant as I can be under these dire circumstances.

“Good morning, my love!” Shaytan says, greeting me with a smile that makes my stomach turn inside out. I can barely muster a nod of acknowledgment at this point. “How did you sleep?”

“Like a fucking baby,” I reply dryly. “I want to see Yossul and Fadai.”

“You’ll see them soon enough,” Blaze mutters.

I give him a hard glare. “What do you mean?”

“We’ve scheduled the execution for this afternoon,” Shaytan says, holding back a most satisfied grin. Nausea climbs up to the back of my throat, and I have a hard time keeping the sickness down as my guts tighten into painful pretzels. “You’ll see them then.”

“No,” I manage, my voice trembling as a fresh round of tears pricks my eyes. “You can’t do that.”

“There’s a lot we can do now that we have you and the Kreek brothers,” Shaytan says. “For instance, we’re finally ready to launch our starship, free of any Fire Tribe interference. At midnight, we’ll be headed for the neighboring stars once again, and this time, our brave explorers will return with hundreds of Earthly women for our men.”

“What do you mean you’re launching tonight?” I croak.

Blaze and Shaytan exchange knowing glances before the general stands up and proudly towers over me. “It’s done, Jewel, as I was trying to tell you last night, even though you refused to listen. It’s done. We are going to win this war. And once we bring the women of Earth to Sunna, your measly Fire Tribe acolytes will understand that their cause will be to no avail. There will be no favorable conclusion. It all ends tonight.”

It cannot end tonight. No. Not like this. Not after everything we’ve done to keep these fuckers from launching their starship in the first place. No. I need to do something. I have to do something. I cannot let them win.

Shaytan is right, though. If they launch that starship, it’ll demoralize our troops, devastate Amber, Cynthia, and Alicia, and put everyone at risk because the more neutral parties of Sunna will consider the Sky Tribe victors. We’ll have no allies left, no possible friends, nothing. All our progress will be lost.

And the people we’ve buried along the way will have died for nothing.

An hour later, I’m left on my own in the private quarters again. A servant comes in every now and then to check on me and to bring a fresh carafe of water. I find I’m neither thirsty nor hungry. My body needs nourishment, but my heart needs something else, something they can’t provide.

Desperate, I start considering escaping through one of the windows. I could climb down the decorative lattice on the eastern corner of the building. The soft grass at the bottom might dampen my fall if I slip.

But the guards will catch me before I even reach the fence.

I could try walking out, but the door is locked. I could pick the lock, though someone might hear me. This place is bustling with servants, especially at this hour, when preparations are underway for the Kreek brothers’ execution.

I can’t let that happen. But how the fuck do I stop it?

Despair threatens to cripple my senses altogether as I fall to my knees, doubling over from the sheer emotional agony; I cry my very soul out in complete desolation. I’ve never felt this way before; I’ve never been so lost and alone. In all honesty, I can handle captivity and torture, but I don’t know how to handle grief; I don’t know how to handle the inevitability of a fate I fought so hard to change.

I hear a subtle knock on the door, and I freeze on the spot. I give it a few seconds, then take a deep breath. The second knock startles me, and I shoot to my feet, wiping the tears away and straightening my shirt and pants.

“Yes?” I call out.

“Might I come in?” a familiar voice replies.

My heart skips a beat. “Who’s there?”

“I bring tea, ma’am,” he says.

“Come in,” I reply, my skin tingling all over.

A key turns in the lock. The door opens and I see Kai Hadana walk in. It feels as though the greatest weight has just been lifted from my shoulders. Tears quickly burst from my eyes as he comes in wearing servant’s clothing and pushing a tea cart. I have no idea how and when he made it into Pearl City, but he made it.

I’m not alone anymore.