Yours (CC M/L ADULT) ( Complete)

[Deejonaise]

krystalstorm24, ask and you shall receive, lol.

Chapter 21

They came to take Alex away early that morning.

After two weeks of relative peace and quiet the action had taken both young people off guard. They had still been asleep when the guards burst inside Alex’s cell. Liz had screamed until she was hoarse, but they had taken him away anyway. In her panic and fear she’d rushed the electrical force field and nearly knocked herself unconscious.

From a logical standpoint, Liz knew that they wouldn’t kill him but she also knew that there were far worse things than death. She didn’t put Nicholas above torture at all. Brutal scenarios played through Liz’s mind as she had lain in the center of her floor for the longest time, weeping herself into a quivering mess. Liz didn’t know how long she huddled there in the small puddle of her own tears but when she felt the fluttering, faint movement of her child she slowly sat upright.

Once she wiped the remaining tears from her cheeks, Liz then pressed her hand to her belly and felt her abdomen swell slightly. Liz felt the flutter again, more distinct this time and she felt suspended in the amazement of the moment. It was the first time she could ever remember feeling like a mother. Not merely knowing she was going to be a mother, but recognizing that fact deep within her. Liz let herself love her baby in that moment, want him like she had never wanted anything else. Smiling with contentment, Liz closed her eyes, reveling in the sensation of her son turning beneath her fingers.

As she felt him roll lightly within her Liz felt something take root in her heart and bloom forth, a fierce protectiveness like she’d never known before. All this time she had been dreading what Nicholas might do to her and her child. But he was the one who should be afraid because Liz would kill…she would die before she let anyone hurt her child. Other than Max there was no one else, nothing else that Liz had felt as strongly about. But even as Liz had the thought she sensed that the conviction was wrong. There was something else she had loved more than Max, more than her child…more than anything.

Liz frowned and squeezed her eyes tighter, frightened and uncomfortable with her strange, new feelings. It was just like the dream she’d had the other night. She didn’t remember the details of it or anything at all really but she sensed it had been something important. And, for some strange reason, she felt connected on this ship, protected in a way even when she had every reason to fear for her safety.

The situation was all very confusing and Liz really didn’t want to think about it at all. She wanted to concentrate on her baby and forget about the certain torture Alex was enduring right then and the uncertain future that lay ahead for her. She wanted to forget that she might not ever see her parents or Max or Maria again. Liz wanted to forget that she had every reason to give up hope…except for her baby. She still had that one precious, unbelievable miracle and she wanted to hold onto the good feeling he brought with both hands.

But reality kept intruding despite her best efforts to hold it at bay. Her son began to quiet down beneath her hand, settling down for sleep Liz suspected. With a heavy sigh, Liz opened her eyes…and forgot to breathe.

Max was suddenly before her, dozing heavily in some sort of large swivel chair. Liz didn’t stop to wonder how or why she’d come to be there. She recognized vaguely that the scene before her was not real, but instead something conjured up in her loneliness and despair. Yet, at the same time, it felt right.

In that moment, she let go of all the emotional baggage that had been weighing her down for the past few weeks. All of her grief and fear and despair dissipated as she regarded the sleeping profile of her boyfriend, the father of her child. Liz let herself go with the feelings crashing around inside her. All that mattered right then was her daydream and the fact she was “seeing” Max again, even if he wasn’t real.

She tiptoed over to him and bent low to press a kiss to his parted lips. Max’s lashes fluttered up at the fleeting touch and he regarded Liz with shocked eyes, dark with hope and disbelief. “Liz, I…how did you--,”

“Shh,” she said, laying a lone finger across his lips as she climbed into his lap and straddled him. “I’ve missed you, Max,” she whispered, replacing her finger with her lips. He seemed reluctant to return her kiss as he was wedged somewhere between confusion and desire but Liz decided it was her daydream and she wanted him to kiss her back. Logic could go to hell. A few seconds later she felt his arms band around her body as his mouth opened to hers hungrily.

Liz slipped into the sensations tumbling through her body, drowned in them. As she slanted her mouth over his, Liz pushed her eager hands between their bodies to pull down the zipper to his jumpsuit but Max wrenched back abruptly to stop her. “Liz, no!” he whispered insistently, “I don’t understand what’s going on. I thought you were on your way to Antar.”

“Antar doesn’t exist here,” Liz murmured, leaning in for another kiss only to have Max stave her off.

“Liz, you’re not making sense,” he said, “What do you mean by that? Where are you right now?”

“This is my dream,” she declared petulantly, “I don’t want to think about Antar or Khivar. It’s not much of a fantasy if I worry here, too.”

“But, Liz…” Max whispered, “I don’t think it is a dream.”

Finally, the thready sensibility in his tone began to permeate Liz’s foggy senses. She pushed up from his chest deliberately, her eyes drinking in her surroundings for the very first time…and she frowned. “What…what is this place?” she whispered in confusion, “I wouldn’t imagine you in a place like this.”

“Liz, this is a spaceship,” he explained gently, “We are on our way to come get you.”

“We?”

“Me, Maria, Michael…the whole gang,” Max clarified. He reached up to sweep her tangled hair back from her face. “Everything is going to be okay.”

“Oh my God,” Liz gasped, rearing back further when the baby began to flurry to life within her womb once again, “The baby…”

“What about him? Is he okay?” Max demanded in concern, already pushing up the edge of her t-shirt to splay his hand against her abdomen. He glanced back at Liz in astonishment. “He’s bigger,” he whispered with a trembling smile, “He’s moving…”

“He’s the reason I’m here,” Liz realized in a rush of breath, “Max…I…I think I’m dreamwalking you.”

“Yeah…I know…”

“So this is real?”

“Yeah.”

Liz felt flooded with five hundred different emotions at once and blurted out the first thing that came to her mind. “God, there’s so much I have to tell you!” she cried, grasping him by the collar of his jumpsuit, “These last few weeks have been nuts!”

Max laughed over her forceful response. “Ditto.”

“No, you don’t understand,” Liz threw back a little wildly, “Alex is alive, Max! And Tess…God! Tess is dead! Did you know that? She’s dead, Max!”

“No, Liz,” Max corrected gently, veering from laughter to worry in a moment’s time, “Alex is dead and Tess is alive. I think you’re a little confused.”

He wondered if Nicholas had taken to warping Liz the way he’d warped Tess. After seeing firsthand the extensive damage mindwarping could do to the brain Max trembled with fear and worry at the idea. Could he heal her in a dreamwalk?

“No, you’re not hearing me,” Liz insisted, twisting her fingers tightly into his collar to yank him forward, “Alex is here on this ship with me! Nicholas has him. He’s had him this whole time, Max! He’s alive.”

Max sat upright abruptly, almost knocking Liz from his lap with the lurching movement. He caught hold of her before she could fall entirely. “He’s alive?” Max uttered in disbelief.

Liz smiled…his quiet joy over the revelation fueling her own. “He’s alive.”

Max felt tears prick the back of his eyes with the revelation, the burden of Alex’s death being lifted from his shoulders at last. He couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down his cheeks even as he was grinning a broad smile. “Oh my God! Oh my God!” he uttered over and over, growing progressively louder with each exclamation, “He’s really alive. Are you sure it’s not a trick…or some kind of mindwarp to make you think he’s alive?”

“It’s the real Alex, Max,” Liz whispered, gently brushing away his falling tears with a trembling smile, “I’d know him anywhere.”

“You said he’s on the ship with you?” Max fired, “But how long has he been there? When was he taken?”

“Since the funeral, Max,” Liz revealed, “Nicholas has had him all this time.”

“But I don’t understand,” Max muttered, more to himself than to her, “Why does Orayn have him at all?”

Liz frowned. “O-who?”

“Nicholas,” Max sighed in clarification, recognizing belatedly that Liz had yet to recover her memories. He and the others might have gained a growing understanding of their pasts but Liz was still very much in the dark. For the moment, Max forsook giving her details about that in favor of trying to puzzle out Alex’s miraculous return. “I don’t get it. Tess saw Alex die. She was certain she killed him and she’s been a mess about it ever since. Was that all a mindwarp?”

“Is Tess alive?” Liz burst out, answering Max’s question with one of her own, “Alex said that Nicholas killed her.”

“He almost did,” Max explained, “But we found her in time and I healed her injuries. That’s when I learned what Nicholas had been doing to her. He’d been playing us all for fools by letting us believe he was dead and using Tess as a puppet. She didn’t have any control over what happened.”

“That’s what Alex said.”

“So he knows what…what Tess did to him and he’s fine with it?”

“He knows,” Liz confirms, “I wouldn’t say he’s ‘fine’ with it but he doesn’t hold her responsible. I think he pities her.”

“God…Alex,” Max muttered, still struggling between his disbelief and elation, “How did this happen? How is he alive? Tess was absolutely certain that he died. I saw it myself. This is totally nuts, Liz!”

“He was close,” Liz told him, “The warping messed his mind up really bad but Nicholas healed him and then staged his death so that we would all think he’d committed suicide.”

“Why…why would he do that?”

“His plan was to take Alex back to Antar with him the whole time,” Liz explained, “I guess he didn’t want to leave any loose ends. I’m sure he knew if we even suspected Alex was alive we’d keep looking until we found him.”

“Why does Nicholas want to take Alex back to Antar with him at all?”

“There’s a translation or…or something,” Liz explained vaguely, “They want him to help unlock the Granolith’s power. But, Max…he doesn’t know how. He doesn’t know what they want and they took him away this morning and--,”

“You are the one who can unlock its power, Liz…you’re the only one,” Max interrupted quietly before the rest of her sentence penetrated his brain, “What do you mean ‘they took him away’? What happened? Or…Nicholas didn’t hurt him, did he?”

“What do you mean that I can unlock the Granolith’s power?” Liz demanded simultaneously, “I don’t know anything about that besides what Future Max told me!”

“There’s a lot to explain,” Max informed her, “And I promise I will. I’ll explain everything…just tell me what happened to Alex.”

“They took him this morning,” Liz recounted miserably, “There was no warning or explanation or anything. I…I don’t know what they’re doing to him or where he is or even if he’s okay!”

“He’s okay, Liz,” Max declared fervently, pulling her back down into his arms to stroke her heaving back, “His being alive is like…like a miracle… We’re not going to lose him now, not when we just got him back again…I promise you… We’re going to get to you both.”

“Because you’re coming after us?” Liz mumbled hopefully into his neck.

“Yes…we’re coming after you.”

“So this is a ship?” Liz muttered, slowly lifting her head. In her confusion that reality really hadn’t made an impact. Now the full magnitude fell on her like a bag of bricks. “You’re flying a spaceship?” she reasoned dubiously, “Max, how do you know how to fly a spaceship?”

Her accusatory tone made him feel self-conscious. He might have laughed at the expression on her face if the situation weren’t so serious. “Well…ah…see, that’s kinda what I have to explain to you…”

“Explain what exactly?” Liz asked deliberately.

“Liz…I’m starting to get my memories back,” Max told her, wanting to ease into his elucidation slowly because he didn’t want to shock her when he revealed her part in his past. He didn’t think there was any easy way to tell her that she was the embodiment of an Istonian High Priestess and keeper of the Granolith. He was pretty sure the information would wig her out a little.

But for all his honeyed tone and careful words Liz still went into a frightened panic and she had yet to have the full story. Just those seven words, I’m starting to get my memories back, had paralyzed her.

“You’re getting your memories back,” she bleated tremulously, “You mean like…from before?”

“Yeah, Liz…from before,” he confirmed softly, “I remember who I am.”

~~~***~~~***~~~

Isabel strode into the cockpit and found both the pilot and co-pilot sound asleep. A quick out the window shield revealed that they weren’t in any imminent danger but that didn’t comfort Isabel greatly. There was something daunting about all that open, black space.

“This can’t be good,” she muttered to herself as she stepped up to her brother’s chair to nudge his shoulder.

Accessing the situation fairly, Isabel could sympathize with Max and Michael’s extreme exhaustion. They were the only two really qualified to fly the ship. She and Tess had some vague knowledge of how to fly the craft but nowhere near the expertise Michael and Max possessed. As a result, Max and Michael were on pilot duty 24 hours a day. Of course, there were instances where they switched on the autopilot for a break but after the asteroid field they had narrowly escaped three days earlier neither of them were very keen on the idea of leaving their posts. Isabel would have admired their steadfast determination if she weren’t so afraid that Max and Michael would get them all killed!

She shook Max’s shoulder roughly, grumbling a bit when he tried to bat her away in his sleep. “Open your eyes, you doofus!” she hissed, “Who’s flying the damned ship while you and Michael are snoring your lungs out?”

Max came awake with a start, scrubbing the sleep from his eyes. “What’s going on?” he demanded groggily, staring up into his sister’s scowling face in drowsy confusion, “Where’s Liz?”

Isabel suppressed the compelling desire to roll her eyes. “She’s with Orayn, remember?” she prompted in irritation, “That’s the whole reason we’re on this bucket of bolts!”

“I’m awake?” he asked in a daze.

“Duh!”

“No…God!” Max cried, visibly upset, “Liz was… I was dreaming about her… No…she was dreamwalking me!”

Isabel stared at him as if he’d grown a second head. “Liz? Dreamwalking you?” she parroted dubiously, “Are you sure? Max, the last time that happened I had to help her. She can’t do it on her own. Maybe you were just plain old dreaming. I know how worried you’ve been about her and the baby.”

“I’m positive, okay,” Max said, scrambling upright, “She was here!” He fixed Isabel with wild eyes. “You have to help me get back to her, Isabel!” he cried, “I was in the middle of telling her everything that’s happened when I opened my eyes and found you standing over me!”

Isabel didn’t like his critical tone so she instantly took the defensive. “So…” she prodded blandly, “Was I just supposed to let you go on sleeping so we could crash into a meteor or something? You are the captain, remember?”

“I’m not blaming you--,”

“It sure sounds like it,” she sniffed disdainfully.

“The point I’m trying to make is that I never got any further than telling her I was starting to remember my past,” Max fired back, “I don’t want her to get the wrong impression.”

“Max, if she’s awake now you know there’s nothing I can do,” Isabel replied, made anxious by Max’s frenetic manner.

“You did it with Pierce!”

“And he was right in front of me when I did it!” Isabel flung back, “I had a point of focus. Liz is more than a day’s travel away from us…maybe more. My chances of dreamwalking her while she is still awake are impossible.” When he looked positively broken by the prospect Isabel added helpfully, “We can wait until later tonight and I’ll try then.”

Her promise seemed to provide him little to no comfort, however. Sighing wearily, Max let his head fall back against the rest of his chair. “Isabel, you don’t understand,” he whispered, staring up at her with enigmatic eyes, “Everything is so crazy and…” His gaze became darker, shadowed with something that Isabel found distinctly alarming. “There’s something important I have to tell you.”

“What?” Isabel queried in a dread-filled tone, “Is something wrong with Liz?” Max slowly shook his head. “The baby? Is that why you’re acting so crazy right now?”

“It’s not Liz and it’s not the baby,” Max clarified softly. He knew his manner was scaring her, could easily discern that by the rapid way her features drained of color. Isabel was rarely one to lose her composure but Max could tell she was on the verge of meltdown. He sympathized. Truth be known, he was still in shock himself. He couldn’t fathom how he could possibly tell her the truth when he was still trying to wrap his brain around it himself.

“Maybe you should sit down,” he advised softly, slipping from his chair and then easing her into his vacated seat.

“Why am I sitting down, Max?” Isabel asked, holding onto her composure by a mere thread, “You’re starting to scare me.”

“It’s about Alex,” he began shakily.

“What…” She paused to clear her throat…lick her lips and then clear her throat again. But when she spoke her voice still maintained its hoarsened quality. “What about Alex?”

Max didn’t know any other way to tell her than to simply break the news hard and fast. So he did. “He didn’t die, Isabel,” he informed her gently, “Alex is with Liz. He’s alive.”

[Deejonaise]

My hunk o' junk is fixed for now...I hope. I'll be watching it to see if it coughs or sputters so if I disappear again it's because my computer has died. In the meantime...here's the next part.

Sorry for the wait and thanks for your patience.

Chapter 22

Isabel couldn’t speak for a full two minutes. Her fingers tapped spasmodically against the chair’s armrest while her brain worked furiously to process her brother’s words. Her blood whooshed in her ears loudly mingling with the revelation. It reverberated in her mind like clanging cymbals. He’s alive! He’s alive! HE’S ALIVE! But the realization was too shocking, too numbing to believe, like the slippery skin of an eel…tangible and yet impossible to hold onto. She blinked several times and opened her mouth to speak but the words were lodged in her throat. Before her, Max’s image became distant and blurry and Isabel knew she was close to tears.

“Isabel? Did you hear me?” Max questioned gently, “I said Alex is alive.”

She finally managed to drag enough air into her lungs to speak. “Why are you doing this to me? Max, it was just a dream,” she croaked emotionally, “I can’t believe you would get this worked up…that you would say…”

He knelt down before her, gathering her shaking hands in between his own. “Isabel, I didn’t dream this,” he whispered carefully, “Liz dreamwalked me. She said that Alex is alive. He’s there with her on the ship.”

Isabel abruptly snatched her hands from his grasp and surged to her feet so that Max had little choice but to step back or be mowed over. She retreated a few steps, stumbling back from him as if he were some revolting creature she didn’t want to touch. “Why are you torturing me this way?” she cried, “Isn’t it enough that he died because of us…because of me! I’m not going to be a part of your sick, little fantasies, Max!”

“I am not imagining this!” he persisted, “Isabel, I know this is hard for you to accept--,”

She shook her head in fervent denial. “No, I…I saw him in that casket, alright!” she cried tearfully, “The memory is burned into my brain! I watched them put him in the ground! Don’t tell me he’s alive if it’s not true, Max! Don’t tell me he’s alive…please don’t…”

“Isabel,” Max replied, his tone gentle with love but adamant, too, “He is alive. I swear to you. I’d never say so if it wasn’t true.”

What she did next was the last thing Max expected. She had been so stubbornly opposed that Max was fully prepared for more fighting. Instead, however, Isabel suddenly fell to her knees with a sobbing prayer of thanks. “Thank you, God,” she muttered, rocking back and forth as tears streamed down her flawless cheeks, “Thank you…thank you…” In the mist of such emotional upheaval, Michael continued to snore loudly, insensible to it all.

Max fell down before his sister, waiting patiently for her crying jag to pass before he continued. “It’s not all good news,” he informed her hesitantly, “Alex is still in danger. Orayn has him as we speak. Liz said they took him off this morning and she doesn’t know where.”

“Took him,” Isabel croaked, “Took him where?”

“She doesn’t know,” Max replied in regret.

“But he’s still alive, right?” Isabel cried, gripping the front of Max’s white jumper almost desperately, “Orayn didn’t hurt him, did he?”

“She doesn’t know,” Max said again, “She hasn’t seen him since this morning.”

“He’s not hurt,” Isabel mumbled decisively, “I won’t believe that. I just won’t.”

“We’re going to get him back, Isabel,” Max promised, “We’ll get them both back.”

“But I don’t understand,” Isabel muttered, much the way he had to Liz earlier, “We saw him…we buried him… How is he alive?”

“Orayn staged his death,” Max explained, “He didn’t want to take the chance that we would come looking for Alex.” He cast a cautious glance over at a heavily dozing Michael. “We should get the others,” he suggested quietly, “that way I won’t have to tell the story twice.”

~~~***~~~***~~~

The moment the electro-magnetic field at the entrance of her cell disintegrated Liz surged to her feet. “It’s visiting time again,” Nicholas announced with an evil grin, “Enjoy it while it lasts.” Liz hardly had time to contemplate all the horrid things she wanted to do to him before he disappeared from her view altogether.

Moments later a limp and exhausted Alex was shoved inside and Liz scrambled over to his side as he collapsed to the floor. The shield reasserted itself as Liz rolled her shaking friend over into her lap and cradled his head there. She lovingly brushed tendrils of sweaty hair back from his forehead, her vision blurring with tears as she stared down into his defeated blue eyes.

“What did they do to you?” she whispered.

He wasn’t bruised or broken as far as she could tell, but his complexion was waxy and his entire body trembling as if palsied. Liz could only imagine the hell he had endured. Actually, she didn’t want to imagine. She would never make it to Antar if she did. The guilt and anguish would surely drive her crazy.

“Why do they think I know,” he moaned incoherently, tears of futility leaking from the corners of his eyes, “I don’t know, Liz…I don’t know… Why won’t they believe me?” He turned into her arms so that his cheek was pressed against the swelling curve of her stomach and began to weep softly. “I just want to go home,” he whispered.

“I know, Alex,” she crooned, “It’ll get better.”

“You keep saying that,” he groaned, “But it gets worse everyday. I can’t let my guard down…I’m always on edge and it’s driving me insane.”

“Things aren’t as bleak as they seem,” she told him shakily.

Alex emitted a humorless laugh at that. “How much worse can it get?”

“I actually have some good news.”

Alex slowly pushed himself upright, shaking his head slightly. “Maybe you shouldn’t tell me,” he considered grimly, “Nicholas can just go into my head and find out whatever he wants so…”

“I don’t have to tell you anything specific…” Liz hurried on, “Just that… We’re going to be okay, Alex. We really are.”

“Something happened?” he surmised with brimming excitement. Liz nodded. “Something good for us?” Alex prodded. Again she nodded. He wilted back against her with a staccato sigh. “Thank you, God,” he groaned.

Liz wished she could share his unmitigated relief but, as overjoyed as she was to know Max was on his way to get them both her mind kept playing over his final words to her before the dreamwalk ended. I remember who I am. Five simple words and yet they were filled with the potential for incomprehensible disaster. And what exactly did that mean that he was remembering who he was?

She considered that it meant Max remembered Tess now and who she had been to him. On the surface Liz felt panicked at the knowledge, as if all her worst nightmares were coming true. The scenario played out in her head like a broken record. Max remembering Tess, Max loving her and Max ultimately leaving Liz because of it. That prospect was what Liz had been dreading from the moment the orbs spoke in the pod chamber.

But somewhere deeper within Liz, in the part of herself she didn’t fully understand or even recognize, she didn’t feel threatened. Somehow Max remembering himself, his past and remembering Tess seemed…right, like it was supposed to happen and that was the part that didn’t make sense to Liz at all. At the heart of it she was okay with Max remembering…more than okay. She was glad. Her every instinct told her not to worry, that everything was working out just as it should.

“Where did they take you this morning, Alex?” Liz asked her friend presently, hoping to shake off her strange thoughts by focusing on the things right in front of her.

“It was some kind of interrogation room,” Alex replied wearily, “It’s sort of fuzzy for me now.” He closed his eyes, as if by doing so he could get closer to touching the memory and understanding it. “I was…on some kind of table and…they had me strapped down… There were all this tubes…connectors suctioned to my head and heart… They wanted to know but…I was confused… I couldn’t remember.” His eyes snapped open in frustration. “I can’t remember. It’s like it’s a blur now.”

“You’ve told me before that they wanted a translation,” Liz prompted gently, “Do you think that’s what they were after?”

Alex grimaced at the thought, struggling to remember. “That might be it,” he replied groggily, “If I close my eyes I can see…symbols…but they don’t mean anything. I feel like they expected me to know, but I don’t know, Liz. I really don’t.”

“Can you remember what these symbols look like?”

“I think so.”

“Do you think you could draw them?” Liz asked, “Are you strong enough?”

Alex nodded tiredly and with Liz’s help he pushed to his feet and stumbled over to her cot. While he fell against the bed in sheer exhaustion Liz hurried to the simulator to recreate a pen and a sheet of paper. By the time she made it back over to the cot Alex’s eyes were closed and his chest was rising and falling with the deep even breaths of sleep.

“What do they want from you?” she muttered to herself, setting aside her pen and paper. The moment they touched the table both evaporated into nothingness but Liz barely noticed. She sank down to the floor to study his sleeping countenance at close range. “I wish I knew, Alex,” she whispered regretfully, “I really wish I did.”

~~~***~~~***~~~

“I had no success, my lord.”

Nicholas “Orayn” resisted the understandable desire to cower in the face of his master’s rage. Khivar angrily flung several items across the captain’s stateroom before finally regaining his composure. Nicholas decided he would kill the guard once Khivar vacated his body. After all, someone must pay for the damage done. In the meantime, however, he paid his master obsequious regard and kept his stance respectful and humble.

“Lord Khivar, you must not tax yourself this way,” Nicholas soothed, “The process is slow. It is possible that Asha has buried her memories so deeply that she truly believes she is this…this Alex Whitman. I will break her.”

Khivar sneered. “You haven’t thus far, Orayn,” he commented coldly, “Perhaps you are not the right person for this assignment. Perhaps I should replace you.”

At the menace in Khivar’s tone Nicholas quivered anew. “My lord, please don’t be hasty,” he rushed, “I must be delicate with her mind. If I push Asha too hard we might lose her entirely and then you will never have the translation.”

“How deep can the memories be?” Khivar ranted in an underbreath, “She translated the Foursquare book so why can she not translate the rest?”

“But she did it the human way, remember, and she took many months to do it,” Nicholas pointed out, but then promptly cowered when Khivar shot him a withering glance.

“That book is a holy writing,” Khivar considered, “Human beings are not complex enough to decipher a language so far beyond their mental capabilities. What Alex Whitman did…what Asha did was nothing short of divine.”

“Yes, my lord,” Nicholas agreed respectfully.

Khivar tapped his chin thoughtfully as he regarded his minion. “I suspect she is playing games with us, much the way she did back home.”

“Reborn or not, she is still High Priestess, my lord,” Nicholas reminded him, “You will never harness the Granolith’s power if you harm her. Asha and the Granolith are one.”

“I know that, you fool!” Khivar snapped, “I have no intention of harming her…yet…at least not until I get what I want.” He flashed Nicholas with harsh eyes. “Has anything come from placing her with the Parker girl? If my dreams are true then Asha must surely recognize the child she carries.”

“There was nothing,” Nicholas said, “She knows nothing beyond Alex Whitman’s memories. In her mind the Parker girl is carrying Max Evans’ child. She has not made the connection to Zan.”

“I want you to speed up the process,” Khivar ordered, “Do all that you can without killing her or destroying her mind. Time is running short. The civil unrest on the planet is becoming more uncontrollable. The rebels press nearer and Tankan has recently declared war. If I can’t access the Granolith and soon, Antar will fall.”

“Give me time, my lord,” Nicholas replied, “I will retrieve her memories.”

“Yes, you will,” Khivar declared flatly, “Or you will definitely answer for your failure upon arrival.”

~~~***~~~***~~~

Tess was the first to speak after Max’s marvelous revelation. She was really the only one capable despite the emotion threatening to close her throat. For days she had been struggling with Alex’s death. Even knowing that she hadn’t acted of her own accord did nothing to assuage Tess’ guilt. She had been sure that she would never manage to wipe his blood from her hands. But now Max had changed that bleak outlook with one simple declaration: Alex Whitman is alive.

“It…it was just a trick?” she whispered painfully, “He’s not… I…I didn’t…”

“No,” Max confirmed softly, “You didn’t.” Quiet sobs of relief rocked her body and she buried her face in her hands as Kyle looped a comforting arm around her shoulder. “I know this is very confusing for you all.”

“Yeah…confusing,” Maria muttered thickly, optimism and despair at war within her. After the last couple of weeks she’d endured Maria was almost afraid to let herself hope for something good. It seemed whenever something good happened for them something bad followed close on the heels of it. She wanted to rejoice over her friend’s miraculous resurrection but at the same time she was dreading the bad news she knew was coming.

“So we know Alex is alive,” she went on woodenly, “What exactly does that mean, huh? He’s still on that ship with Liz. We can’t get to her and we can’t get to him so what exactly are we supposed to do? This situation hasn’t exactly improved in my opinion.”

“And how do we know that this guy is even Alex?” Michael charged in his usual oafish fashion, “He might be a plant Orayn is using just to fuck around with Liz’s head.”

“I hate to agree with him but…Michael has a point,” Kyle threw in tentatively, carefully avoiding Tess’ incredulous stare as she lifted her head from his shoulder, “I know how bad you guys want Alex to be alive. I want that, too, but…we can’t ignore the facts. Somebody got buried…somebody who looked a helluva lot like Alex Whitman. If he wasn’t in that casket then who the hell was?”

All eyes swung around to Max, waiting for the answer. “Liz didn’t have a chance to give me the details,” he told them, “She didn’t even realize it was a dreamwalk until halfway through but she said it was Orayn’s plan to take Alex back to Antar with him the whole time so it’s likely he’s the one who set up everything about Alex’s death, body and all.”

“But what does Nicholas…er…Orayn want with Alex in the first place?” Kyle asked.

“We already know that Alex translated the Foursquare book,” Max sighed, “Orayn seems to believe that Alex can translate the ancient Granolith prophecy for him as well.”

“Ancient Granolith prophecy?” Maria echoed blankly, “What the hell is that?”

“We explained to you before how the Granolith is very powerful, right?”

“Yeah…you said that it was Antar’s equivalent to the Bible,” Kyle interjected.

“Yes, but that’s not all it is,” Max replied in a foreboding tone.

“Oh God, what else?” Maria cried in exasperation, “Just get it over with for fuck’s sake!”

“The Granolith isn’t just the path to the Great One,” Isabel picked up in explanation, “It’s the means to become like Him. All-knowing…all-powerful…”

“I’ll be damned,” Kyle uttered.

“That’s the very reason we were assigned as protectors,” Tess explained, “If the Granolith and its keeper were to fall into the wrong hands…”

“Fan-fucking-tastic,” Kyle muttered as Tess trailed off into silence, letting her grim statement hang in the air, “There’s no telling what Khivar will do once he gets his hands on that translation.”

“Wait a minute,” Maria said, directing a pleading look in Tess’ direction, “Isn’t Khivar your brother? Couldn’t you just…um…talk some sense into him or something?”

Tess shook her head at the irony. “If only it were that simple,” she laughed humorlessly, “My brother has always been very headstrong. The problem with Khivar is that he believes he is right. He believes that Zan wrongly usurped his throne, which entitles him to revenge. He won’t stop until he has it.”

“Or until we stop him,” Michael concluded ominously, “We don’t have a choice anymore, Avarre…we have to kill him.”

“No,” Tess protested, lurching to her feet to circle the captain’s chair and shoot Michael an angry glare. She gripped the headrest with stiffened fingers. “I didn’t agree to it last time and I don’t agree to it now. No matter what he has done he is still my brother. I cannot kill him. There has to be another way.”

“He’s also still our enemy,” Max reminded her softly, “We have to think about our people, not ourselves.”

“So what happens to Alex and Liz?” Maria interrupted, “I mean…this is all some political game that started on your planets years ago yet my friends are the ones caught in the middle. They’re the ones getting kicked in the teeth for your foul-ups the first time around! I don’t give a damn about Khivar! I just want my friends back.”

“Liz is a part of this, too, Maria,” Isabel said, “Whether you want to accept it or not. She’s the key to everything.”

“The key?” Kyle queried, “What does that mean and why does it make my stomach hurt?”

“Orayn wants Alex to translate the prophecy but he can’t,” Max expounded, “No one can do that except the keeper.”

“Liz,” Maria concluded painfully, wrapping her arms about her middle to fold herself into a tight ball, “And what happens to her once she gives them what they want, huh? Will they kill her?” She stabbed Max with emphatic green eyes that were shrouded with pain. “Don’t bullshit me, Max…am I ever going to see my friends again?”

“Yes,” he swore vehemently, “Don’t forget that I have as much stake in this as you do, Maria, maybe more. I’m going to get Liz and Alex back…even if I have to die trying.”

“Then we need to come up with a plan,” Michael interjected, “because I get a really bad feeling that time is running out.”

[Deejonaise]

In case I don't say it enough, thanks everybody for the feedback you give and thank you, Kay, for beta'ing so diligently.


Chapter 23

“There’s a rock shaped just like an eagle’s beak…just like back home. That’s where I’ll be. When you get off the ship, escape to the underground caves and follow the clues back to the surface.”

Liz fluttered open her eyes and found Max looming above her. She pushed herself into a sitting position, casting furtive glance around her to confirm that she had not left her cell room and that the force field preventing her escape remained in tact. She lifted her hand to touch his face, a little saddened when her fingers drifted right through him. The two exchanged a regretful smile. “I’m dreaming, aren’t I?” she concluded.

“Yes,” Max confirmed, easing down onto the cot beside her so that they were hip to hip. He, too, felt the loss of not being able to touch her physically. It felt as if a hundred years had passed since he last held her in his arms. His eyes glittered in the darkness as he stared down at her. “Is Alex alright?”

She nodded, her eyes drinking him in even in the murky dimness. “He’s asleep in the adjacent cell,” she said, “They brought him back late this afternoon. He was exhausted after what Nicholas did to him.”

“Did he tell you what that was?” Max asked.

“He said he couldn’t remember,” Liz replied, “Nicholas is messing around with his mind again, Max. We have to get him away from here.”

“As soon as the ship lands…the moment you disembark you need to create a diversion and then get the hell out of there,” Max instructed, “Antar is a series of underground caverns…if you escape to the holes Orayn will not find you. There is one particular cave with very distinctive markings…just like at Riverdog’s cave. Follow those markings and you’ll find me, Liz.”

“How will we make the escape?” she wondered in a panic, “Max, the baby’s growing so big…I don’t know how fast I’ll be able to run or even what sort of diversion to cause…”

“Try to charm one of the guards onto your side,” Max suggested, “It may make an impact on them that you are carrying the heir to the Antarian throne.”

Liz immediately warmed to the idea, her mind working furiously. “Alex’s guard seems to have a soft spot for us,” she considered, “We’ll work on him…get him to trust us.”

“That’s a good girl,” Max commended with a proud smile, “I know you’re going to do just fine. God, I miss you, Liz.”

“I miss you, too,” she replied thickly, “It’s almost been three weeks since I saw you last, Max…I mean, really saw you.”

“I think about you every day,” Max told her, “You and the baby. I dream about the three of us being a family.” A beat of dramatic silence passed between them before he said, “When this is over…I want us to get married, Liz.”

“Married?” she repeated in soft surprise, “Only you would propose to me when I’m being held captive on a UFO bound for an alien planet.”

“Welcome to my world,” Max teased, “So what do you say?”

“I don’t know,” she hedged deliberately, smiling at him impishly, “Did you even ask me or were you just making an edict or something?”

Max hesitated for a moment but not because he was unsure of himself. He had known from the first moment he glimpsed Liz Parker in third grade she would make a tremendous impact on his life. After all they had been through marriage seemed the most logical and welcome next step. Max didn’t have any doubts that he wanted to make Liz his wife. What he feared was that she wouldn’t want to make him her husband.

On the one hand, he knew that Liz Parker would accept his proposal without hesitation, but on the other, Max knew that Asha would not give in so easily. That was one thing that had not changed about her. Whether she was Liz or Asha, she still retained an incredible sense of duty. Asha’s first loyalty had always lain with her service to the Great One and responsibility to the Granolith. The one time she had dared to compromise her conviction and faith had spelled disaster for them all. Max was unsure that she would want to take such a risk again or even if she would forgive herself for doing so in the first place.

Presently, he had the advantage because Liz didn’t remember who she had been but Max knew that wouldn’t always be the case. Once Liz began to regain her memories her views on their relationship might change entirely. Max knew it wouldn’t be fair to her to propose marriage knowing later her conscience might force her to break the engagement. Liz didn’t deserve the guilt and Max didn’t think he could deal with the possible heartbreak.

Finally, Max sighed, his smile faltering a bit as he regarded her in the darkness. “Maybe I should wait until later to ask you,” he reasoned, sensing her disappointment and hurt even though he couldn’t clearly see her face, “At least until this whole situation calms down a bit.”

“You don’t want to marry me,” Liz surmised stiffly, “Is it because of Tess?”

“No, that’s not it,” Max protested.

“But you do remember her?” Liz charged.

“Yes.”

“And you loved her?” she prodded in a suffocated tone.

Max was hard pressed to bite back his smile when he heard the jealousy lacing her words. “Yeah…like a sister,” he said.

At first, Liz only latched on to his initial response. “Oh God,” she groaned painfully, “So…so you did love her…you did…” She cut off abruptly, a frown creasing her forehead. “Wait a minute. You loved her like…like a sister?”

“Like a sister,” Max reiterated wryly.

“Oh…well…I’m confused.”

“It’s simple really. I was in love with someone else,” Max said.

Liz swallowed back her groan of frustration. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, she thought. Good grief! Could she get a break? “Who was she?” she asked thickly, preparing herself for massive heartbreak.

Again Max hesitated. He wanted her to know the truth, was fairly bursting to tell her all of it but he was also highly aware of their precarious situation. If Orayn were to learn the truth about Liz’s identity things could get potentially rocky for them. But then again, Max knew that if Orayn really wanted to get inside Liz’s head he could discover the truth whether Liz was aware of her past or not. He supposed forewarned was forearmed and better Liz learned the truth from him than from Orayn. If he learned the truth either way they would have to deal with the fallout.

“Who was she, Max?” Liz queried again, her voice rising with an alarmed edge.

“You.”

Instead of the heartbreak she was expecting Liz felt massive confusion instead. “Huh?” she balked, “You loved…me? What are you talking about? That doesn’t make any sense, Max. You didn’t even know me in your first life.”

“But I did,” Max insisted, “You were Asha b’da Ra’shen of Ista and I loved you. I love you still.”

Liz frowned, scooting away from him as if she’d thought he’d gone insane. In that moment she wasn’t sure he hadn’t. From her viewpoint Max was talking pure craziness.

Though the name sounded vaguely familiar to Liz, at that second, it seemed indelibly foreign to her as well. All her life she had been Liz Parker, controller of her own destiny and absolutely sure of who she was and what she wanted. But if she really was this…this Asha of Ista then she really had no control at all because she was someone else entirely and the rules were changed.

“Max, I’m human,” she reasoned gruffly, “I can’t be this person you think I am.”

“You are her,” Max said, “I recognized you even when I couldn’t remember who you were, Liz. It’s always been us and it will always be us.”

“But I’m human,” she persisted stubbornly.

“You are.”

“So how can I be…”

“Your soul is hers even though your body is different,” he explained, “Asha has the means to live forever because of the Granolith. She will be reborn again and again because she is blessed with the Great One’s favor.”

“Who was she?” Liz wondered shakily.

“She…you were a High Priestess,” Max replied, “A mediator between our people and the Great One. Through you we could touch His glory and please Him. You were…holy by association…almost worshipped among our people…like a goddess…”

“And I loved you?” she asked.

“I loved you,” he clarified, “Your first loyalty was always to the Great One and the Granolith. I, on the other hand, was quite infatuated with you…very distracted. Unfortunately, you always seemed to be too preoccupied to notice…always focused on your goals.” He smiled at her in the dimness. “Sound familiar?”

“Vaguely,” she murmured with a grunting laugh, “So what exactly did you do to convince me? Don’t tell me I was shot in that life, too.”

“No,” he answered, shaking his head, “I kissed you. We were in the temple and you were trying to convince me that you felt nothing for me at all. I told you that I loved you and then…we kissed.”

Liz swallowed, her throat curiously arid. “And…”

“And then you kicked me out of the temple,” Max concluded wryly, “I was banned from attending religious services for a week.”

“Ahh…” Liz chuckled. She didn’t have any clear memories or even vague recollections of the things Max was telling her, but they sounded familiar…right and real. “I wasn’t impressed with the fact that you were my king?” she goaded sweetly.

“Not one single bit,” Max laughed, “But I didn’t let that discourage me. Eventually I wore you down.” He didn’t tell her that the night she finally gave into him, the night she finally stopped fighting her feelings was also the night he died and his empire crumbled. “So you see, Liz…we were meant to be then just like we’re meant to be now.”

“What about Tess?” she wondered, “Was she really your bride?”

“Yes,” Max said, “But our marriage was a platonic arrangement. We were…are best friends. My mother did not know of my feelings for you. If she had there would have been a great scandal. A relationship between us was expressly forbidden.”

“So that explains the message in the orbs,” Liz mumbled in thought. Max nodded. “If I’m Asha then…does that mean that we can’t be together anymore,” she reasoned, “If it was forbidden before then it probably stands to reason it’s forbidden now.”

“We’re not those people anymore,” Max argued, “I’m not a king and you’re not a priestess. We’re Max Evans and Liz Parker and we’re having a baby together. That’s all that matters.”

Liz nodded her agreement though there was something within her that remained doubtful. “You’re right,” she whispered, “It’s just with everything going on I can’t help but worry.” She glanced over towards the barred window where she could hear Alex muttering softly in a fitful sleep. “Do the others know?”

“That he’s alive? Yes. I told them this afternoon.”

“And?”

“They’re still in shock,” he said, “I think they feel caught between wanting to believe and wanting to keep their guards up. They’ll be okay.”

“Are they there with you now?”

“Yes, everyone’s here,” he told her, “Isabel is holding the dreamwalk for me but I can tell she’s getting tired. I can’t stay long.”

“Well, tell them that we’re holding on,” Liz replied, “Tell Maria…tell her we’ll see her again soon and not to worry.”

“I will.”

~~~***~~~***~~~

“Kyle?”

He lifted his head at Tess’ soft whisper, surprised to see her silhouetted in the entrance of his stateroom. Kyle rolled upright, pushing back the covers. “What’s wrong?” he asked, his mind already playing through a myriad of dire scenarios. The ship had fallen quiet hours ago, with most everyone dropping off in exhaustion. Despite that, Kyle wasn’t surprised to see Tess still awake. “You couldn’t sleep?” he queried.

She bit her lip and shook her head sharply, sending her blond curls spilling over her shoulders in disarray. “You mind if I sleep in here tonight,” Tess asked tentatively, stepping more fully into his room, “I kinda don’t want to be alone.”

Kyle gulped down a anxious breath and jerked a nod. “Come on,” he invited in a whisper, shifting in his bed so that she could stretch out beside him. They snuggled together under the covers. “So I know you wouldn’t come to my room like this unless something was wrong,” he began after a comfortable silence had descended between them, “Wanna talk about it?”

Tess shrugged and snuggled closer. “I miss Jim,” she muttered into his shoulder.

Kyle tipped a curious glance down at her. “My dad?”

“You sound surprised,” Tess replied, leaning back to level him with a frown, “I happen to love your dad.”

“Yeah…I know that,” he said, “It’s just… I figured that…well…now that you remember who you were…are… I thought maybe you didn’t need us anymore.”

“I never took you for a dumb jock before this moment,” Tess responded sardonically, “But that asinine comment is definitely making me rethink the decision.”

“What? It’s a valid concern, okay,” Kyle tossed back, “You’ve got a home now, Tess…a family. You don’t need my dad and me anymore.”

“Kyle, that’s not true,” she protested softly, “Just because I remember who I am doesn’t make me need you and Jim any less. Besides Max, Michael and Isabel…you two are the only family I have.”

“What about your mom?” he wondered, “I know you and your brother aren’t exactly close with him trying to kill your friends and all, but you’re hardly alone anymore, Tess.”

“I don’t belong on Antar,” she whispered sadly, “For a long time I really believed if I could just go back home then I would fit, then my world would start to make sense. I never felt like I fit on earth so the theory made sense.

“But even after I found out we were returning home I still didn’t feel…” She trailed off, groping for the right word only to have Kyle come to her rescue.

“Connected,” he ventured quietly.

She smiled at him, her blue eyes connecting with his in a melting stare. “Yeah, that’s it exactly,” Tess said, “I didn’t feel connected, not even after I started remembering my old life. I was lying in my room trying to figure out why that was, why I didn’t feel that sense of belonging when it hit me.”

“What?”

“You,” she whispered, “You and your dad…you guys are where I belong, Kyle. You’re the first real family I’ve ever had. My family on Antar was too mired down in politics and duty. I…I don’t think we ever cared for one another as individuals. I didn’t know that kind of life until I came to stay with you and your dad.”

“That’s because we love you, Tess…Avarre,” Kyle murmured simply.

“I love you, too,” she replied fervently, “I mean….I really love you, Kyle.”

The atmosphere between them warmed as Kyle recognized the full implication of what she was telling him. Suddenly he became vibrantly aware that she was lying beside him covered in only a flimsy tank top and wrinkled pajama bottoms. His body’s reaction was distinct and instantaneous. Kyle scooted back against the wall, putting as much distance between them as he could.

“Tess,” he began shakily, “I don’t know if this is something we should talk about while you’re lying next to me, okay?”

Unaware of the effect she was having on him, Tess plunged on. “I need to tell you how I feel before I lose my nerve,” she persisted, “I’ve never been in love, Kyle, not even on Antar. I was too duty bound to give it much thought.”

“But…”

“But now I have given it thought,” she whispered, “A lot of thought and…what I feel for you isn’t just attraction. I love being with you, Kyle. You fill up the empty space inside of me. You make me feel like I belong somewhere. I don’t want to lose that. I don’t want you to pull away from me just because some things have changed.”

“I’m not going to pull away from you,” he promised, “I’m here, Tess. I’ll always be here.”

“You really will?”

Rather than answering with words, Kyle showed her with actions. A smile trembled on his lips as he leaned forward to brush her lips in a tentative kiss. Though the contact was fleeting the spark between them was undeniable. Kyle’s smile widened, his heart pumping with emotion as he recognized he was falling fast and hard. He kissed her again, his mind saturating with love and lust as Tess fit her body against his and pressed firmly into his arousal.

However, when he swept his hand down her back to cradle her buttocks and deepen his kiss, Tess rolled from his arms and slipped from the bed. She gnawed indecisively at her swollen lower lip, regarding him with sultry blue eyes. “I think that’s enough for tonight,” she said.

Kyle fell back on his elbow with an incredulous guffaw. “You’re kidding! Don’t go all shy on me now.”

She offered him a wistful smile. “I don’t know…” she considered, “Like I said…I’ve never been in love before. I want to do it right and not rush things.”

“Oh…” Kyle sighed with obvious disappointment, “Okay.”

“Good,” she giggled, “I’ll see you in the morning then. I love you, Kyle.”

“I love you, too.”

He watched her dance out of his room with a sappy grin, wondering all the while how the hell he’d gotten so lucky.

[Deejonaise]

Chapter 24

“You’re practically the queen in his eyes.”

Liz rolled her eyes. “Oh, whatever.” She was having a difficult enough time accepting she was this supposed high priestess of the Granolith. She didn’t need someone’s aspirations for her as queen on top of that.

“No, seriously,” Alex insisted, “He totally worships you because you’re carrying Antar’s next heir. He’s weird and creepy about it but I think we can still use that to our advantage.”

“How can we be sure?” Liz considered, “Maybe he just wants us to think he worships me so that he can trip us up with Nicholas. Let’s not give anything until he tells us something first.”

“Whatever you say,” Alex replied with a shrug, “I don’t know what the hell is going on regardless.”

For weeks she had been doing as Max had instructed her via dreamwalks. Careful to keep her details vague, Liz had encouraged Alex to befriend his guard though he wasn’t entirely sure why he had to. But even despite that vagueness, Alex had pitched himself into the task, which he found not to be as difficult as he’d expected.

Suaba, Alex’s personal guard, was seemingly becoming very fond of them both. Lately, he had been the one to nurse Alex back to health after Nicholas’ extensive mindraping sessions. Sometimes Alex would come away from the experiences too weak to even breathe and Suaba would heal him. Both Liz and Alex were very aware that Nicholas didn’t order his actions either.

Still, they remained leery. While Liz knew they had to gain his trust in order to plot a successful escape she was not at a point where she could give her trust to Suaba. He still worked for the bad guys. His allegiance was to Khivar, which meant his reliability, compassion notwithstanding, was up in the air. He was a risk, pure and simple, and Liz didn’t know if she could afford it.

For their safety, Alex remained in the dark about the details of their escape. He wasn’t even completely aware that they were plotting an escape. Alex was only aware that he needed to befriend Suaba and so he worked towards that end. Liz hadn’t even shared with him the amazing revelation Max had given her about her past life. Unfortunately, Alex wasn’t in a position to have such privileged information. Ever since Nicholas had stepped up his raids of Alex’s mind both he and Liz recognized they were treading on dangerous ground.

“Maybe you should make the first move,” Liz mumbled to herself in between nibbling bites of her lunch, “Something has to happen soon. We’ll reach Antar in another two weeks or so.” As if in agreement, her son leapt and turned within Liz’s womb, startling a surprised smile from Liz. “You just had to throw in your two cents, didn’t you?” she teased her belly.

“Is he kicking again?” Alex asked excitedly, already scooting closer so that he could lay his hand against Liz’s thumping abdomen. “Wow…” he breathed when the baby did another turn for him, “…that’s incredible. I never get tired of feeling that.”

“He’s showing off for you,” Liz said.

Alex grinned at her. “You think so?”

“Ah…yeah, Charlie totally loves his uncle Alex.”

Her response caused him to rear back carefully. “Charlie?”

“It’s…it’s not official,” Liz rushed out, blushing, “I haven’t talked to Max about it yet but…” The baby gave another vigorous kick within her and she smiled. “…he seems to like it.”

“Charlie?” Alex whispered again, visibly stunned.

“For Alexander Charles Evans,” Liz clarified, “For you, Alex.”

“You’re naming your kid after me?”

“Well, I planned it from the beginning,” Liz said, “The second I found out he was a boy. It…it just seemed like the right thing to do considering…”

“…considering I was dead,” Alex finished for her, “But Liz, I’m not dead.”

“I know,” she replied, “But my feelings haven’t changed about it. I still want to name him for you.”

“You think Max will go for it?” Alex wondered.

The baby did another rolling tumble and Liz rolled her eyes over the action. “Charlie seems to think so,” she laughed, “I guess he thinks he’s the voice of authority.”

Alex let his hand fall away from her belly, undeniably moved. “Man,” he sighed, “I still can’t believe you’re pregnant, Parker. It’s unreal.”

“Why?” Liz asked, insecure, “Because you can’t picture me as a mother?”

“Because you’re becoming more and more a mother everyday,” Alex elucidated, “I listen to you sing to him at night, Liz. You sound so protective and loving. It’s like you’re changing into this whole different person, which isn’t a bad thing… It’s just really amazing to watch.”

Liz caressed her hands up and down the rounded slope of her belly. “You really think I’ll be a good mom,” she queried, “I mean, Charlie hasn’t even been born yet and already I’ve put him in danger. What sort of mother does that make me…that I couldn’t protect him?”

“One that can’t control every little thing that happens,” Alex told her, “Cut yourself some slack, Parker. You’re a great mother and a good friend. The only reason I’ve made it through the last few weeks is because you’ve been here. I know you’ll fight for Charlie just like you’ve fought for me.” He fell silent then, his forehead creasing with a sudden and sobering thought. “You know Isabel hasn’t tried to dreamwalk me,” he commented sadly, “Not even once.”

Liz wasn’t surprised by his comment. Though Alex spoke of Isabel very rarely Liz knew she was on his mind constantly. Ever since he learned that Max had told the others about his being alive Alex had been chomping at the bit for that first confrontation…one that was seemingly NOT going to come.

“Alex, don’t sweat it,” Liz whispered, “Isabel knows how dangerous it could be if she tried to contact you. Nicholas might get suspicious.”

Alex rolled his eyes. “Nicholas doesn’t have to even know the difference,” he snorted, “He could just think I’m dreaming about her, which isn’t out of the ordinary, you know. I…I just think she’s avoiding me.”

“It’s not that, Alex,” Liz denied softly.

“Then what?” he ranted, “I mean, she finds out I’m alive and that doesn’t even warrant a measly dreamwalk?”

“She wants the first time she sees you to be in person,” Liz told him gently, “That’s why she hasn’t attempted the dreamwalk. There are things she needs to tell you face to face.”

He went still in gradual stages, pinning her with expressive blue eyes. “What things?” he asked deliberately.

Liz broke his stare with a self-conscious cough. “It’s not my place to say anything,” she hedged, “But they’re good things, Alex…good things…”

“You’re not just saying that,” Alex prodded hopefully.

“That’s the real reason,” Liz insisted, “She’s avoiding you but not for the reasons you think, Alex. Isabel has a lot she wants to say to you but she wants to wait until you can both sit down together so just be patient with her, okay?”

“Okay…I’ll be patient,” he sighed and then grinned, “…Er…I’ll try anyway.”

“Good,” Liz commended, clasping her hands together in her lap, “Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way and it looks like neither of us is going to have any more lunch, let’s practice drawing the symbols some more.”

“Liz, I told you,” Alex replied with some exasperation, “I don’t remember. It’s pointless. They are right there on the edge of my consciousness but…I can’t reach them. My mind is too fried to try this again.”

“Alex, this is important,” she persisted, “If we find out what Nicholas wants from you then we’ll have a one up on him. I can even show Max the drawing. Maybe he’ll understand it.” Alex groaned at her wheedling. “Won’t you give it a try?”

“Fine,” he grumbled, “We’ll try again. But you’re a harsh taskmaster, Parker, and I hate you.” But the words lost some of their conviction with his engaging grin.

They worked together tirelessly, until small beads of sweat began to form across Alex’s forehead and upper lip. Each time he closed his eyes the alien hieroglyphic would flash in his mind, just out of his reach. The effort it took to concentrate made his head pound. “I can’t reach it,” he grunted in frustration, “I can’t reach it and it’s right there…”

Liz reached out to touch his hand. “Try harder, Alex,” she urged.

Neither was prepared for the moment when the symbol suddenly burst into his mind, flashing before both their eyes; clear and distinct. The blood whooshed in both of their ears as a brief moment of vertigo claimed them both. It was over in the blinking of an eye and Liz snapped back from him with a gasp, shocked by the mutual flash and something else…something infinitely more peculiar…

“Oh my God…” she uttered.

“What?” Alex asked, noting her rapid paling with growing alarm, “What’s wrong?”

“I know what it means,” Liz whispered, her eyes round with fear and dread, “I know what it means.”

“Liz?”

“Destruction, Alex,” she declared ominously, “It’s coming.”

~~~***~~~***~~~

Max and Isabel tried valiantly to ignore the quiet make-out session between Maria and Michael in the co-pilot’s chair but they were unsuccessful. The quiet whisper of their clothing and pleasured humming was difficult to block out. Isabel emitted a loud snort of disgust, which was blatantly ignored. “Great,” she muttered, “Spring fever on a space ship. Somebody kill me now.”

“Just concentrate on the controls,” Max told her, placing her hand back against the steering console, “Right now the ship is on autopilot, but when you flip this orange switch to the left then you’re in control. When you are you need to remember that pulling up makes the ship go forward and…” Max trailed off when he realized Isabel wasn’t listening to a word he was saying but rather staring at the kissing couple with envy gleaming in her brown eyes.

Max petted her hand, reclaiming her attention. Isabel’s walls went up instantly at his touch, her expression becoming remote once again. “Do they have to be so obvious?” she groused.

“You really miss Alex, don’t you?” Max inquired gently.

Once again Isabel’s vulnerability flashed up in her eyes though she maintained her blasé demeanor. “Of course, I miss him,” she brazened, “So do you…we all do, okay.”

“But it’s different for you,” Max deduced softly.

Isabel stared off into the black space before them, her features stony. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Isabel, I know how you’re feeling right now,” Max whispered, “Probably better than anyone. Being apart from Liz this way, wondering and worrying if she’s okay…it’s killing me.”

“But at least you get to talk to her,” Isabel pointed out stiffly, “You know she’s relatively safe. Alex is being tortured everyday, Max. There’s no telling the damage Nicholas is doing to his mind or if he’ll be the same once it’s over.” She choked off in a sob but courageously blinked back the tears gathering in her eyes. “God,” she uttered pitiably, “I can’t even comfort him.”

The others were unaware of the bad position Alex was in. After a long and fervent discussion Isabel, Liz and Max had agreed to keep the information from the rest of the gang. Better to let them rejoice in Alex’s miraculous resurrection than to have them worrying that they might possibly lose him again in the end. But keeping the secret and hiding her pain was growing increasingly difficult for Isabel. The pressure was immense and she was very near to cracking beneath the strain. Max imagined that watching Tess and Kyle grow closer and Maria and Michael’s relationship escalate wasn’t helping matters either.

“Hey, you guys,” he piped in groaning annoyance, hoping to spare Isabel further pain, “Why don’t you take it to your room? I’m trying to teach Isabel how to fly the spaceship and you’re distracting her.”

“What…hey…I’m teaching Maria, too, okay,” Michael maintained in the brief moment he came up for air, “…We’re…uh…we’re in the middle of a lesson right now…” Promptly afterward, however, his face disappeared behind the curtain of Maria’s wavy blond hair. A series of giggles followed another round of smacking kisses. Both Max and Isabel rolled their eyes over the display.

“God, just go!” Isabel cried in annoyance.

“Fine,” Maria sniffed, hopping up from Michael’s lap and plucking hold of his hand to take him with her, “We’re going, but come and get us when you’re ready to contact Liz. I wanna talk to her tonight.”

“Sure,” Max agreed, watching as his friends disappeared from the cockpit together.

“I assume she won’t be helping me co-pilot,” Isabel commented brusquely when they were gone, “My God, they’re such horndogs!”

“Let them be happy,” Max scolded, “We’re dealing with so much crap right now… They’re entitled to a break, okay.”

“And who’s going to help me fly the ship?” Isabel queried tartly.

“Maybe we’ll ask Tess,” Max suggested.

“Yeah…if you can tear her away from Kyle’s side long enough,” she snapped, “I can’t take anymore of this kissy-kissy, gooey, ooey crap, Max. I swear I’ll go insane!”

Max grunted his empathy at her comment. He didn’t want to begrudge his friends their happiness but, honestly, he was having as difficult a time seeing them together as Isabel. Watching their love blossom only made Liz’s absence in his life more acute. Some days the outlook felt so hopeless and bleak that Max considered giving up altogether.

However, he steadfastly kept his spirits constantly buoyed with the positives. Both Liz and Alex were alive and relatively well and, due to the fact Orayn had no idea they were on his tail, he and Michael had closed the day’s head start Orayn had gained on them to a mere eight hours. If things went as Max hoped he would be able to land the craft within a few hours of Orayn’s touchdown.

Once on the planet’s surface he would meet up with the rebel fighters on the outskirts of his kingdom. From there they would travel to the rendezvous point to await Alex and Liz’s arrival and then afterwards…they would deal with Khivar.

“I don’t think I’m ready to face him again,” Isabel whispered, reading her brother’s thoughts with relative ease. Now that their memories had resurfaced the connection between them was stronger than ever, so much so that they could communicate without words. “I’m not ready.”

“You don’t have to be,” Max told her, “Michael and I will face him for you. If you stay behind I won’t think less of you.”

“No,” Isabel said, shaking her head, “I’m the one who brought him into our lives…I’m the one who has to deal with him.”

“You didn’t bring him into our lives,” Max protested dryly, “Please don’t start with the self-blame.”

“I loved him,” Isabel persisted stubbornly, “I trusted him and…and…”

“And that doesn’t matter anymore,” Max interrupted with gentle insistence, “I’ve been thinking about this for a while now, Is. We can’t hold ourselves responsible for what happened in that other life. Despite our memories…our genetic make-up, we’re different people now.”

“But we’re not different,” she countered in quiet vehemence, “Inside me, inside my heart I am still Vilandra C’era of the House of Zanden. I am still a princess, born royal. But, at the same time, I’m Isabel Evans, too. I miss Mom and Dad and…and I want to go to college and buy my first car and… I don’t know…I just feel like I have these two different personalities and they are both me but I don’t know how to reconcile them.” She lifted her conflicted gaze to her brother’s. “I mean…who are we now, Max?”

“I don’t know, Isabel,” he replied sadly, staring down at the ship’s control board, “I really don’t know anymore.”

[Deejonaise]

Thanks to kay_b for beta'ing me and all you feedbackers and lurkers out there. Love ya!

Chapter 25

“Has there been any progress?”

Orayn was growing increasingly tired of that question and ever more frustrated with his failed efforts as the days passed though he was wise enough to hide it. Each day Khivar would ask the same question and each day Orayn would have to confess that he had failed yet again. His master was growing steadily more impatient and time was quickly running out for them both. The rebels were advancing without let up and fighters from Tankan had landed on the planet. Khivar grew more and more agitated with the lack of advancement and, consequently, so did Orayn.

However, if Orayn believed he’d been made tense by Khivar’s first question, he practically collapsed at his master’s feet when Khivar asked his next one. “And what of my sister?” he barked, “Has there been any news?”

Gulping down the sudden fear that rose in his chest, Orayn stifled the urge to pace the stateroom nervously. “Your sister, my lord?” he squeaked, “What about her?”

“Don’t be dense, Orayn,” Khivar replied, “Have you been able to locate her at all? It has been weeks and you’ve given me no update.”

“Update, my lord,” he croaked.

“Where is she?” Khivar reiterated sharply.

Orayn gulped again, considering the wise option of flight. He had never imagined when he lied to Khivar and told him that Avarre had abandoned him and refused to aid him in his quest for the throne that Khivar would want to have any further dealings with his errant sister. Orayn had been sure he’d gotten away with her death completely. It had seemed a simple and concise way of ridding himself of a long and well-hated enemy. Back on Antar she had always been elevated above him time and time again. Little had changed even when she was thought of as a traitor! Orayn mentally ground his teeth. What irony that Khivar would still want to know her whereabouts. It was really too bad that she was dead.

A sick ball of dread settling in his stomach, Orayn made a hasty effort to cover his ass. “My lord, do you really think that wasting precious time to search for a traitor is wise,” he hedged boldly, “You cannot afford to be dis--,”

“Silence!” Khivar roared, “Do not presume to tell me what I can and cannot afford. I want Avarre found at once, no exceptions or excuses!”

Orayn knew better than to argue. “Yes, my lord,” he replied demurely, his crafty mind already concocting a plan, “Would you like her duplicate as well?”

“What do I want with a defective?” Khivar snorted disdainfully, “I want my sister, you fool, not some experiment gone wrong! I’m hardly pleased with the ones we have here.”

Though he was seething inwardly Orayn kept his features respectfully neutral. “Does Lonnie not please you, Lord Khivar?” he queried, grateful for the subject change.

“She is a pale imitation of Vilandra,” Khivar said, “I do not like her nor do I trust her. Though I find mating with her…enjoyable on occasion…she is quite willing to lie and cheat for me…perhaps even kill.”

“I don’t understand. Does that not prove her loyalty?” Orayn wondered in confusion.

“No,” Khivar snapped back, “It makes me trust her even less! If she is willing to lie and cheat for me would she also not be willing to lie to me and cheat on me? She is so willing to betray others…how do I know she will not betray me?” Khivar shook his head at the consideration. “No, she is expendable. The true Vilandra would never lower herself that way. She’s the one I want. Bring her to me as well.”

“My Lord--,” Orayn began in protest.

“You will give me what I want!” Khivar roared angrily, “I will begin my reign with my betrothed and sister at my side and you will make it so!”

Orayn wanted to rebel at the order. He wanted to defy Khivar just as he had dreamed of doing for decades but he lacked the courage. The realization sickened him and filled him with self-loathing. He hated Khivar all the more for it. “And what shall I do with Asha in the meantime?” he inquired demurely, his true feelings carefully masked.

“Leave her be for now,” Khivar ordered, “The Great One only knows what damage you’ve done to her with your bumbling efforts. I will take over where you have failed. How many more days until you arrive?”

“Three, my lord.”

“Good,” Khivar commended, “You will leave immediately once Asha and the human girl are brought to me. Do not return to Antar until you have my sister and Vilandra with you. But mark me, Orayn, if you fail me again… It will be the last time.”

~~~***~~~***~~~

Max snapped open his eyes when he felt someone watching him.

He was still in his stateroom as he had been before his nap but now Liz leaned above him, her expression soft with love. Max stared up at her in hungry fascination. “You’re getting good at this,” he whispered, smiling at her.

“It’s Charlie,” she said, “He’s a natural when it comes to this sort of thing.”

“Dreamwalking inutero,” Max mumbled good-naturedly, “Only my kid.”

“Only your kid,” Liz agreed with a smile.

Max knew there was little point in reaching out to touch her belly. Nothing was tangible in the dream realm, still he couldn’t quite hold himself back. Both he and Liz shared a sad smile when his fingers drifted right through her. “How is my little guy?” he queried, putting on a brave smile, “He looks bigger today.”

“He is bigger today,” Liz replied wryly, “It’s like he tripled in size over night. I wish you could feel him kick, Max. It’s the most amazing thing.”

“I wish I could, too,” he murmured regretfully and then he closed his eyes, “Describe the feeling to me.”

“I don’t know I’ll do it justice but I’ll give it a shot…” Liz hedged self-consciously, “I guess in the beginning it felt more like butterflies inside me…you know, really faint and fluttery. Sometimes I thought I was imagining it. Later, as he got bigger, I could feel him gently stretching inside me, like he was turning or something. I could even see his little foot or elbow or whatever as it rolled across my belly. Now it feels like he’s trying to kick his way out,” she finished laughingly.

“Sounds feisty,” Max considered with a grin, “Wonder where he gets that from?” They both exchanged knowing snorts of laughter and answered together, “Isabel.”

Liz giggled. “So I guess that means we’re going to have our hands full, huh?”

“I know Isabel’s just going to love it.”

They shared another round of soft laughter but it died between them all too quickly as the reality of their situation asserted itself once more. They had been reduced to talking to one another in dreams and it had been literal months since the last time they touched physically. The strain was beginning to wear away at them. Liz nibbled on her lower lip, feeling the weight settle onto her shoulders once more. “Suaba says we’re due to land in another three days,” she told Max, “He said he’ll provide a distraction so that Alex and I can make a run for the caves.”

“Do you feel like you can trust him?” Max asked.

“He hasn’t given us any reason to think differently,” Liz said.

And he had not. The Antarian guard had made an unlikely but surprisingly reliable ally. According to Suaba he was a loyal servant to the House of Zanden, however, when Khivar came to power those allied with the King had been given two choices: serve Khivar or be killed. Many Antarian family houses were all but decimated in their refusal to bow to Khivar’s will. Many others fled to the outskirts of the kingdom hoping to protect their families and themselves. A few weren’t fortunate enough to escape and they had done whatever necessary to preserve their lives and the lives of their family. Suaba was one of those individuals.

“I think we can trust him,” Liz told Max presently, “We don’t have a choice really. I don’t see us having a prayer of escape without his help. Mountains or not…Nicholas is going to dog us if we run and we’re going to need someone to hold him at bay.”

“Speaking of Orayn…” Max opened carefully, “Has he still been tormenting Alex like before?”

“Oddly enough he’s left Alex alone,” Liz remarked sullenly, “I know that should make me happy but it doesn’t. For a while, I think he got excited because Alex helped him decode a small portion of the message but I don’t think he realizes the memory was mine and not Alex’s. I can’t help but dread whatever Nicholas is concocting in that sick little mind of his.”

“Have you been able to decipher any more of the message?”

Liz shook her head. “I don’t think it’s safe to try,” she whispered, “And, honestly, I don’t know if I want to. I might have been this…this Asha person once but today I’m Liz Parker. I don’t want to have her memories, Max.”

“Well, for right now that works to your advantage,” Max reasoned, deciding not to argue with her about it, “If Orayn has nothing to go on he’ll be less likely to bother Alex. You and he will need all of your strength to make a successful escape.” He cast a glance down her rounded figure, his brows snapping together in a worried frown. “Are you sure you can run like that, Liz?”

Liz drew herself up in mock affront, grateful that he hadn’t pressed her about the Asha issue. “Are you trying to imply that I’m fat, Max Evans?”

“No!” he burst out sharply, only to realize belatedly that she was teasing him. He grinned at her. “No…never. That’s not what I’m getting at. I don’t want you endangering the baby or yourself trying to make this escape.”

“We don’t have much of a choice, do we?” Liz murmured sadly, “Don’t worry about me. This belly isn’t going to stop me. I want to protect our child, Max.”

“He’s protected,” Max whispered, “He’s safe inside you.”

Liz nodded, seeing little point in debating that particular issue with him either. Charlie hadn’t even been born yet and already Liz felt like she was failing him. More and more lately she had been finding herself ensnared in this enormous sense of duty. Liz didn’t only wish that she could do more but she knew she could. She sensed she had the power to change things, she just didn’t know how. What she couldn’t figure out was if those sudden feelings sprang from maternal instinct or something else entirely.

“I wish I knew what’s happening to me,” she muttered, “I feel like I don’t know who I’m supposed to be anymore. Everything is so complicated.”

“Liz?” he murmured in concern.

“Max, do you think we could just have a normal conversation for once,” she asked with sudden vehemence, “No alien subterfuge, no holy priestesses being reborn in the bodies of teenaged girls, no possible world destruction. I just want to talk…just be Max and Liz for a little while anyway.”

“Okay,” Max agreed slowly, “What do you want to talk about?”

“Pepperoni pizza.”

Max choked on his laughter, surprised by her answer. “What?” he guffawed, “What about it?”

“I miss it,” she said, “I’ve had one from the simulator but it’s not the same. It tastes synthetic.”

“That’s because it is.”

“Exactly my point!” Liz cried in frustration, “I miss the cheese and the way your fingers get all greasy when you hold a slice. I miss the salty pepperoni taste and the tang of the pizza sauce. The simulator just doesn’t capture those flavors. It’s like eating cardboard.” Liz heaved a massive sigh. “I could really go for a slice right now…with extra cheese and a hand tossed crust.”

Again Max had to stifle his laughter. She reminded him of a little kid who had been denied McDonald’s…petulant and yearning. “Okay…so what else could you go for right now?” he pressed gamely, “If you’re going to fantasize you might as well go the distance.”

“You.”

Very gradually the laughter faded from Max’s face. “Me?”

“Yes, you. I miss you, Max,” she whispered solemnly, “I miss making love to you.”

Her blunt reply caused Max’s body to suffuse with heat. “Oh…Liz…” he groaned, trying desperately to ignore the sudden clamoring in his groin, “Maybe we shouldn’t have this conversation.”

But it was too late. Liz had already broached the subject and now she had no intention of letting it go. “I know it’s only been like five times between us but… I miss the way you feel against me, Max,” she continued fervently, “I miss your touch and your smell and the full feeling of having you inside me.”

Max swallowed hard, his eyes darkening with each whispered confession. “I miss that, too, Liz,” he replied, “I really wish there was a way for us to be together…just so I could hold you. I’d be happy to simply touch you right now, Liz.”

“Where, Max?” she queried gruffly, “Where would you touch me if you could?”

His eyed drifted down to the rounded slope of her abdomen. “Your belly,” he said without hesitation, “I’d feel our baby, Liz.” He smiled a little when her hands fell onto her distended stomach. It was as if she was touching for him, letting him live the experience through her.

“Where else would you like to touch, Max?” she asked thickly.

“Your hair,” he whispered, “It’s longer than I remember.” Before it had reached just an inch or two below her shoulders, now it flowed nearly to her waist.

Obliging, Liz sifted her fingers through the silken strands, sending them spilling over her shoulders. “It’s the hormones,” she explained breathlessly, “They’re making my hair grow like mad.”

“What else are the hormones doing?” Max wondered, darting his avid gaze all her face and body.

“Well, my breasts are really sensitive,” Liz confessed with an embarrassed flush, “And…and my nipples are darker.” Their eyes connected in an unspoken moment, sexual tension crackling between them.

Finally, his words nearly inaudible, Max asked, “Can I see them?” Liz answered with a mute nod and reached behind her to unfasten the tie at her neck. The shimmering white garment she wore pooled in her lap a few seconds later, revealing her swollen breasts to Max’s hot eyes. “Wow…” he gulped, “They’re…um…pretty big now…”

“Max,” Liz groaned, half in laughing exasperation, half in acute discomfort, “Come on!”

“Hey, bear with me,” he grumbled, “I’ve just…I’ve never seen you this way, Liz. You look so…so beautiful…”

“You think so?” she wondered mournfully, lower lip quivering as her hormones sparked a mercurial change in her mood, “Does that mean you wish my boobs were bigger?”

“Liz, I’m not saying that…”

“You obviously like me better this way,” she sniffled.

“That’s not it either,” he insisted emphatically, “Liz, I think you’re beautiful no matter what, okay! But I’d be lying if I said seeing you looking like this didn’t really, really turn me on. You just look so different and I want to explore those differences…every, single one.” Liz’s features lost much of their rigidity as she stared down at him. “Liz, I think you’re gorgeous, inside and out.”

She nodded, seemingly satisfied with that answer. Only when she was composed again did Max let his eyes travel back down to her breasts. “Are they sensitive?” he demanded gruffly.

Liz lowered her eyes as a becoming pink blush tinted her skin. “Yeah…very much.”

“Show me.” Her eyes locked with his, Liz lifted her fingers to barely glance her aching nipples, the scant touch causing them to shrivel in reaction. Max hissed aloud and moaned her name. Caught up in the moment and saturated with lust, he started to ask her to touch herself again when he suddenly heard his name being called.

Just like that his sister’s voice punctured the dream realm and the moment dissipated. Liz disappeared from before him, scattering away like dust in a windstorm as he was awakened by Isabel’s none too gentle shaking. Max popped open his eyes and glared at her, seriously contemplating bodily harm. In that particular moment, he could have cheerfully throttled her. “This had better be good, Isabel…” he growled in warning.

“Get up,” she ordered tersely, “You should come see this for yourself.”

Still frustrated and grumpy, Max suited up into his jumper and stomped after her for the cockpit, cursing under his breath the entire way. However, the moment he entered the oval captain’s circle his irritation was forgotten. He was brought up short as he saw them, small and still a distance away, yet incredibly distinct. One golden planet flanked by two swirling blue ones on either side.

They weren’t in formation. It wasn’t the right time of year but Max would have recognized the scene anywhere. He had spied it enough from his own ship to know it immediately but the familiarity didn’t render him any less awed. His heart strummed slowly in his chest, gaining momentum as he drifted forward.

“Oh my God…” he whispered to himself.

“Yeah, exactly,” Isabel muttered in agreement, her tone laced with the same reverent awe, “We’re home, Max.”

[Deejonaise]

Chapter 26

Antar consisted of nothing more than barren desert land and immense mountains that towered clear into the atmosphere. Clouds obscured the impressive summit and hung about the mountain face like gossamer, cotton tendrils. Both Alex and Liz held their breaths as the ship coasted past, left speechless by the majestic sight before them.

Max had been describing his home world to her for weeks now but there was something vastly different between hearing a description and seeing it with her own eyes. Really, Antar didn’t strike her as all that different from home despite its blue purple sky and twin blazing white suns. The most curious difference was that the dust on the planet had a remarkably golden hue, almost shimmering under the glare the suns provided…like diamond flecks. Despite its general starkness, the planet was strangely beautiful in a wild and primitive way. The terrain reminded her of New Mexico, endlessly barren but extraordinarily stunning just the same.

She and Alex pressed their noses up against the small oval window at the back of Alex’s cell and just stared in amazement. “Holy nuts…” he breathed, “This is a history making moment, Liz.”

“I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore, Toto,” Liz mumbled absently.

“Liz,” Alex gulped, “I know that we’ve been through some wacky stuff lately but this is the ultimate. In a few minutes we’re going to take our first steps on the soil of an alien planet. Do you know what that means?”

“What does it mean?” Liz whispered, unable to tear her eyes from the scene that grew closer with the ship’s descent.

“We’re the aliens now.”

His incredulous remark finally snapped Liz out of her dazed stupor. She whipped around to face Alex in breathless excitement. Now that they were finally landing there was no reason whatsoever to keep Alex in the dark any longer. Today they would be free. “Max is on his way,” she told her friend, relieved to voice that wonderful hope after nearly two months of silence, “His ship can’t be more than a few hours behind us.”

“His ship?” Alex bleated, “Whoa…Max is on a ship? Since when did Max get a ship?”

“Nasedo had one hidden,” Liz told him, “It was supposed to be like his back up plan.”

“So Max is flying the ship?” Alex reasoned aloud, “Who’s flying with him? How does he even know what he’s doing?”

“Okay, first he’s got his memories back from before,” Liz said, “And secondly…Michael is helping him fly. Actually, they all are. Isabel, Maria, Kyle, Tess…they’re coming for us, Alex. God, you don’t know how many times I’ve wanted to tell you that.”

“Wait a minute,” Alex said slowly, “Tess? Do you mean she’s…she’s alive?”

Liz nodded slowly. “When we run we’re going to rendezvous with them. Max plans to gather an army to storm the palace,” she explained, “He’s taking Khivar down.”

“You’re saying he’s going to declare war?”

“Yeah…”

Alex digested that piece of incredible news with difficulty. “Okay…maybe I’m being a dumbass, but…why can’t they just get us and then we haul ass off this godforsaken planet?” he groused, “Let Khivar have it. I just want to go home.”

“Antar is in civil split,” Liz explained, “If Max doesn’t do something about Khivar the wars will continue and spread throughout the planetary system. Khivar will continue to try and kill Max so there won’t be any contest for the throne. And as long as he’s trying to rule unrightfully, so will others.”

“So we’re going to war,” Alex concluded grimly.

“We’re going to war,” Liz confirmed.

“Does that mean that we’re never going home then?” he wondered dully, “Because I can’t see Max fighting for his people and then bidding them ‘adieu,’ if you know what I mean.”

“No. Max is staying only long enough to establish peace again and then he’s abdicating the throne,” Liz explained, “After that we’ll be free…and then we can go home, Alex…”

Almost hot on the heels of her declaration, the ship lurched unexpectedly causing both she and Alex to spill to the floor in haphazard heaps. They hardly had the time to right themselves before it lurched once again, more violently than the last time and they crashed into an adjacent wall. A loud grinding noise sounded through the chamber, almost like ripping metal and the entire ship began to vibrate ominously. Another jolt sent Alex and Liz careening once more, until they found themselves wedged beneath his cot, their bodies aching from being tossed about so violently.

“What’s going on!” Alex screamed just as the power within the ship blinked out.

A moment later the loud blaring of sirens began and the confines of Alex’s cell became bathed in blinking red light. The ship began to steam and hiss as various pieces of machinery shut down. Even the shield blocking their exit suddenly disintegrated. Liz and Alex scrambled painfully to their feet just as Suaba strode inside.

“Quickly,” he said, ushering them out into the darkened corridor, “We haven’t very much time.”

“What’s happening?” Liz demanded anxiously, as they were led hastily in an unknown direction, left with little choice but to follow Suaba helplessly.

“Mutiny,” he answered vaguely, “The ship just crash landed. You have approximately ten minutes to make it to the underground caverns before this ship is stormed. If they take you to the palace, his majesty will never see you again.” He took them to a large vent shaft which had had its cover removed. “Climb inside,” he ordered, “This vent will lead you to an outside chute. Once you make it out safely, run fast and don’t look back. No matter what you see or hear, don’t look back.”

“You’re not coming with us,” Liz cried in horror.

“My destiny is to die here,” Suaba replied, unflinching, “It is as it should be and I am not alone. We will all die as loyal servants to his majesty.” Alex and Liz stood frozen, staring at him with a mixture of grief and admiration. “Go!” Suaba commanded, “This is no time for your inane human emotions! I am a warrior and I must do a warrior’s duty.”

“We won’t forget this,” Liz promised, lurching forward to throw her arms around him for an awkward hug. Alex followed suit and for a few, brief seconds the three were oblivious to the sirens blaring around them.

“You must go,” Suaba said again, pushing them towards the vent, “Remember my family name,” he pleaded as he replaced the grating, “Ti’thor. Tell my king…I died loyal.”

Alex and Liz watched him walked away before the insistent blaring of the sirens and laser fire compelled them to start the long crawl down the ventilator shaft. Above their heads they could hear shouts and frantic footfalls, which prompted them to scurry faster down the tunnel. Liz recognized the urgency and part of her realized the need for escape, but there was another part of her that was ordering her to stay behind. She was leaving something…something important…

By the time they reached the end of the vent shaft she and Alex were puffing and sweating. Alex tried to push out the grate covering but he found it secured tightly. He could already hear Nicholas outside ordering his troops to split up and search. They had to get out but the damned cover wouldn’t budge. After securing Liz a safe distance away, Alex began trying to kick it free.

Asha.

Liz jerked upright while Alex kicked the grate covering like a man possessed. He didn’t appear to have heard anything but the voice sounded clearly in her mind. She glanced around her, her heart hammering with dread.

Asha. Come to me.

“No,” Liz muttered to herself, shaking her head wildly, “No…”

But the memories came on anyway, fast and undeniable. She saw so much more than her life on Antar. Liz saw the beginning, the cosmos. She was there when it had been formless, merely open space. She had been at the Great One’s side and served as his apprentice. She had been his favored one.

Antar had been the first of his created civilizations, the magnification of his glory and He had entrusted her with it’s overseeing. She had served as protector of the planet for many eons, from the first male and female Antarian through the formation of the four sister planets. She had been present at the first coronation for the House of Zanden and she had watched its kings rise and fall for centuries upon centuries.

Asha had been a loyal servant of her God, a faithful vessel until him…until Zan. He had made her question her duty, her existence, even her faith. He had made her love him and when she did she began to question everything she believed in. Now, after eons of service, nothing made sense to her anymore.

Liz stroked her hands down her belly, feeling the life growing there. It was evident that she loved Zan still. Even when she hadn’t been able to remember anything she had still loved him. Perhaps she would love him always.

Come to me.

I am no longer clean, she said in her heart, I cannot serve you.

Come to me and all will be forgiven.

Alex finally managed to kick the cover partially free. He had made enough room for them to squeeze through but when he grabbed hold of Liz’s forearm to push her through she held back.

“Liz, what are you doing?” he cried frantically, “We have to go! Nicholas and his men will be here any minute.”

“I can’t go with you,” Liz said, shaking her head, “I can’t leave the Granolith.”

“The Granolith?” Alex bleated in confusion, “What…why? I don’t understand what you’re talking about, Liz!”

“I must stay here,” she explained urgently, “But you have to leave. They have no further use for you, Alex, and they will kill you now. You have to run…go to Max. You have to.”

“You’re crazy if you think I’m leaving you here!” he cried.

“You don’t have a choice,” Liz told him frantically, “I will be fine but you won’t. You have to get out of here! Please, trust me!”

“I can’t!”

She grabbed hold of his shoulders and gave him a shake. “Listen to me!” she ordered sharply, “Max will understand why I stayed behind but he won’t know unless you’re there to tell him! You have to go.”

“But…but Liz, I don’t even know the way!” Alex protested in a stammer.

At his frightened reply, Liz laid her hand against his forehead and closed her eyes. “Oh Great One, grant me favor, please,” she prayed reverently, “Spare his life, my lord. Listen to the voice of your servant and spare him.”

A warming glow began to radiate from Liz’s palm, healing Alex, strengthening him…changing him for the long and arduous journey ahead. Liz slowly removed her hand from his skin and their eyes connected in a knowing stare. “Do you know the way?” she whispered.

“Yes,” he replied faintly, “What…what did you do to me?”

“You’d never make the journey on your own, Alex,” Liz told him sadly, “I had to do it…I had to…”

“What must I do?”

“Follow the symbols,” Liz instructed, “Many rebels have gone the path before you. They have left the clues.” Alex nodded his understanding. “Travel through the tunnels for now,” she commanded, “Until you’ve gained a considerable distance and then come above ground. The r’tua burrow during the day and forage for food. It would be dangerous for you to remain below ground.”

Alex gulped. “The r’tua,” he questioned.

“Giant millipedes,” Liz clarified.

Her answer provoked an understandable grimace of distaste. “Great.”

“They sleep at night,” Liz reassured him, “You can travel underground once the suns have set. Both suns, Alex, not just one. And always keep your shield activated when you are above ground otherwise the rays from the suns will kill you.”

“You’re just full of good news, aren’t you?” he deadpanned.

“Do you want to be safe or not,” she returned dryly.

“Why didn’t Suaba tell us any of this?” Alex wondered.

“He didn’t know what affect Antar’s atmosphere would have on a human,” Liz explained, “I do. The plan was to travel above ground as much as possible once we made it away from the ship safely.” She shoved him towards the tiny opening, her eyes growing dark with urgency. “Go now,” she ordered, “Orayn will be upon us soon and then there will be no choice. You understand why you must leave?”

Again Alex nodded. “I do.”

“Then go,” she whispered, “I will see you again soon.”

He darted across the clearing then and headed for the base of the mountain, erecting the protective green shield around his body when he burst into the sunlight. Liz watched his retreating figure until the glare from the suns obscured his form from view.

~~~***~~~***~~~

They stepped out onto the planet’s grainy surface, covered from head to toe in a shimmering protective gear. “Why are we wearing these tin suits again?” Maria groused as they started forward across the barren plain.

“The sunlight would kill us otherwise,” Max answered, “Though we can breathe the air, the rays from the suns are enough to literally cook your skin.”

“Wow. It just keeps getting better and better,” Kyle remarked sardonically, “I sincerely hope I don’t offend anyone when I say this but…I’m not impressed. I wanna go home.”

“So noted,” Michael replied dryly.

“So make it so, Number One,” Kyle tossed back, “Let’s get Liz and Alex and get the hell off this rock. I’ve definitely had it with the final frontier of space!”

“Hey, Valenti, enough with the Trekkie jokes, all right?” Michael grunted, “They were amusing the first few weeks but now they’re just lame.” He and Kyle exchanged eyerolls which were largely ignored by the rest of the group.

“So what now, Max?” Isabel wondered wearily, “Do we just wander around in the desert until someone comes to pick us up?”

“Uh…negatory,” Kyle interjected, “What about food and water and shelter? I didn’t travel thousands of light years just to become barbeque.”

“Max knows what he’s doing,” Tess reassured the group quietly, “Let’s trust that alright.”

“Trust or not, I want to know what happens next,” Isabel persisted stubbornly.

“Um…Isabel,” Maria squeaked out tentatively, pointing out towards the horizon, “I think we’re about to get an answer to your question.”

Five pairs of eyes followed the direction of Maria’s disbelieving gaze and froze in amazement. There had to be hundreds of them, if the first visual estimation was correct. They lit the horizon with an unearthly golden light, so brilliant in their formation that they were almost blinding. The ground sparkled and came alive with their approach as they caused particles of dust to dance in the white sunlight. They marched in identical order, united and strong, a formidable army.

The king’s army.

Max fixed his eyes straight ahead and mentally prepared himself for the coming battle. “Okay,” he murmured, urging the group forward as he started across the slippery sand, “Let’s do this.”

[Deejonaise]

...I'll expect some mild panic over this part but just try to trust me. There's a method to my madness.

Chapter 27

He found her cowering in the tent, a large blanket wrapped around her body. Beneath the fringed edge he could see the glinting metal of her protective armor. She had yet to remove it even though both suns had long since gone down. He imagined she must have been cooking underneath all that tin foil, not that she’d ever admit it. But one glance at her mottled, flushed features said it all.

Michael smirked his amusement over her theatrics and hunkered down before Maria’s crouching form. “I’ve been looking for you for the last half hour. What are you doing?” he asked, peeling the blanket back from her head.

She quickly wrenched the blanket from his hands and whipped it back over her head. “Don’t do that,” she hissed irately, “I’m not coming out from under here until it’s time for us to find Liz and Alex! This planet is dangerous!”

Michael arched his brow thoughtfully and gave it a scratch. “Don’t you think you’re being overly dramatic?” he queried.

“I can’t go back out there,” Maria declared with a wild shake of her head, “Have you seen the bugs on this planet? Oh my God…they’re as big as crows.”

“They have to be,” Michael reasoned glibly, “Otherwise the r’tua would make a meal out of us a lot more often.”

“I’m in hell. Ugh,” Maria grunted with a disgusted grimace, “That’s another thing! Giant worms? There are giant worms on this planet! Why, God, why? Slimy, disgusting…we barely need the little ones!”

“They actually have a purpose, you know. They help to shape the terrain on this planet. How do you think the underground caverns were formed?” Michael asked glibly, “We can’t depend on oceans to do it. Antar is only 35% water, very unlike earth.”

“Thank you for the geography lesson,” she bit out, “But I’m freaking out here, okay. You might try being a little more sympathetic.”

“Maria, you don’t have to be afraid,” Michael assured her gently, his tone losing it’s teasing edge, “I’ve had years of experience on this planet. I know how to protect myself and you.”

“You’ve also been away from it for fifty years,” she pointed out dryly, “You’ll forgive me if I don’t put all my confidence in you, Spaceboy.”

“We’ll manage,” he said, unconcerned.

To have him so calmly brush aside her fears was the final straw for Maria. “Great,” she snorted, “So either I’m attacked by giant insects, eaten by giant worms or I die of thirst.” She trilled a soft, hysterical laugh. “I don’t know why they don’t make this place a vacation spot,” she finished sarcastically, “It’s like a small slice of paradise!”

However, her bravado crumpled a moment later along with her features as she dissolved into hiccupping sobs. “I…I just can’t do this anymore, Michael!” she whined plaintively, “I’m tired and scared and a million miles from home! I miss my friends! God, I miss my mother of all people! All this time I thought I couldn’t wait to get the hell away from Roswell, New Mexico…now I’d give my left arm just to see it again!”

Without a word, Michael pulled her into his arms and let her sob out her misery onto his shoulder. He didn’t resent her breakdown. On the contrary, he was relieved. Maria had been through a great deal in just a few months. Michael had been dreading the moment when she would finally snap. He supposed it was better that she did so now before they went marching into battle with Max’s army to face Khivar than when they were waist deep in wounded and dying soldiers. Michael knew from experience that it was going to get a helluva lot worse before it got better. They didn’t have just Khivar’s men to contend with, but rebel forces from Tankan as well.

An eternity later Maria’s sobs finally died down to sniffles and Michael lifted her face from his shoulder so he could brush away the wetness clinging to her cheeks. “You must think I’m the biggest wimp,” she muttered in self-deprecation, “You’re probably going into battle in a few days but here I am slobbering all over you. You must be really disappointed.”

Michael stared at her blankly. “No…why would I be?”

“Well, you’re this great military leader,” she reasoned glumly, “and I’m just a…a basket case.”

“This is your first time in battle,” Michael replied sympathetically, “You’re entitled to freak out a bit. I remember my first time…my aura was a sick green color for days. I couldn’t eat or train. Zan was completely disgusted with me. He had already served in his father’s army for two years so--,”

“Michael, you’re not helping,” Maria whispered, “Whenever you start talking about ‘old times’ on Antar it seriously creeps me out, okay.”

“Sorry.”

“Anyway,” she dismisses with a roll of her eyes, “The point I was trying to make was…aren’t your people expecting me to be all strong and Amazon-like, you know, because you’re a…a warrior?”

“Nah,” Michael tossed back with a shrug, “They think humans are generally weak for the most part. Hell, most of them were surprised that Valenti volunteered to fight alongside us. Don’t tell him but…they laughed about it when his back was turned.”

Maria’s eyes bugged at his casual remark. “You’re not going to let him, are you?” she burst out in horror, “He’ll be killed! Valenti would never forgive us!”

“Max and I have got a couple of weeks to convince him of that before we reach the rendezvous point to meet Liz and Alex,” Michael said, “We’ll try to change his mind before we get there but, in the meantime, he’s pretty determined to see it through.”

“What the hell is he thinking?” Maria muttered to herself, “Has the radiation from the suns baked his brain?”

“Tess will be fighting alongside us, too,” Michael explained, “I think his ego is probably rebelling against the idea of his woman going to war while he sits on his hands.”

“This isn’t his fight,” Maria argued.

“Which Tess and I pointed out to him,” Michael said, “But he’s not listening to us. Tess was wondering if you’d have better luck.”

“Me?” Maria balked.

“Well…we thought since your parents were dating and all…”

Maria groaned her interruption. “Look, I like Kyle,” she said, “He’s cool in my book but we’re a long way from siblings, okay. Why don’t you ask Isabel? They’ve been doing that whole bonding thing lately.” Michael’s eyes skittered away at the question and Maria groaned again. “Oh…didn’t work out, huh? So I’m a last ditch effort, is that it?”

“Essentially,” Michael grunted, “Will you talk to him?”

“Oh, alright!” Maria huffed reluctantly.

However, when she didn’t budge for several moments Michael regarded her with a curious stare. “Um…you might have to leave the tent to do it,” he suggested quietly.

“Oh yeah…” Maria grunted sheepishly as she pushed to her feet, “right.”

~~~***~~~***~~~

Liz waited in her cell, hands folded neatly in her lap, unusually calm.

She had good reason to be in a panic. In a few minutes time she would be facing one of her greatest enemies. There were many hardships she would face in the coming hours and yet…she was calm. She knew that Khivar would probably take supreme pleasure in torturing her and the Great One would offer no protection during any of it yet…she was calm. Liz remained so despite the fact she was aware that she could not keep her child. She could never be acknowledged as clean and acceptable as long as the child remained a factor. There were no options for her. Fate had plotted out another course for the two of them both long before this moment. She had a responsibility, a life that she could not ignore. Her destiny was written in the stars, long before her creation.

That was the very reason she had not run with Alex. Liz understood what had to be. When she’d made her way back into the hull of the ship Orayn had been waiting. She had faced him without fear and with unwavering spirit and he had known the truth the moment he laid eyes on her. The mark of the Granolith was engraved in her forehead. There was no hiding who she was. Even defiled and burdened with the need to atone she could not be less than who she was…a priestess…a goddess…

She felt separated in a sense…two separate people. There was the goddess she was born to be and then there was the mother who fiercely wanted to protect her child. Right or wrong, she loved him. She couldn’t regret his existence but then she also knew that if she kept him everything she held dear would suffer as a result. By sheer force of will Liz remained focused on the duty ahead and not the love she had for her child. If she allowed herself to focus on that love even for a millisecond she knew she’d be unable to follow through with her mission. Consequently, she had gone into Orayn’s hands easily, without a fight at all because she understood that was the way things had to be.

Orayn and his minions had fallen to their knees before her even though Liz was well aware that the action galled him. He hated her just as he always had and wanted to control her, but he also respected her. That respect would not allow him to harm her. Khivar, unfortunately, was another matter. His hunger for power had made him blind and stupid but that very blindness and stupidity worked in harmony with the Great One’s will. He was fulfilling prophecy and he didn’t even realize it…

Liz touched the symbol marring the smooth perfection of her forehead. It had ceased its incessant glowing as well as the crippling burn. The pain had served as a reminder. She remained unclean before her lord, unworthy of service in His court and she would remain so until the child was born. Her child and Zan’s. A child who should have never existed. A child she could no longer keep as her own…not if she wanted to save them all. The fate of the world once again rested on her shoulders and Liz was left with the only choice she could make. Still it hurt, more than she could acknowledge. She was ripped asunder with the knowledge and unable to quiet the part of her that screamed to die right along with him.

When the bars to her cell suddenly slid open Liz didn’t scramble to her feet to pay Khivar the deferential attention he expected but regarded him with a steady, unimpressed stare. She knew his time in this life was limited and rapidly diminishing. Liz had nothing to fear from him, not for herself anyway.

“You were under our noses the entire time,” he scoffed tersely, “How you must have laughed at us all these months, Asha.”

“I have never wished to humiliate you, Khivar,” she said, “Your foolishness is on your own head. I take no responsibility for that.”

“Still as haughty as you ever were,” he ground out bitterly, “Even when defiled.”

Liz didn’t dignify the dig with a response. She was above trading insults with him and there were more important matters weighing on her mind. “Why did you bring me here, Khivar?” she asked wearily, “You know I have never taken part in your wars or political struggles. Antar and its planets were a peaceful system until you chose to pervert the judicial laws.”

“Pervert them?” Khivar spat out, “The Astenian throne was rightfully mine.”

“Everything within this system rightfully belongs to the Great One,” Liz corrected, “And you know it. He, in turn, bestowed that precious gift to me and to the House of Zanden. You have no true jurisdiction nor have you ever.”

“Do not presume to tell me my jurisdiction,” Khivar roared, “My family has ruled on Asten for as long as Zanden has ruled on Antar.”

“Do you forget that Zanden is Asten?” Liz reminded him coolly, “All lines trace back to the royal house. All lines trace back to Antar and the Great One.”

“Bah!” Khivar dismissed irreverently, “I have no desire to know what and what does not trace back to the Great One! Your religious babbling has no meaning for me! ”

Liz solemnly ignored his blasphemy in favor of asking a simple question. “Then what is it that you want, Khivar?”

“The translation, Asha,” he grated, “I want the translation. I want to know how to harness the Great One’s power for myself.”

“If I never gave it to you before, why would I do so now?” Liz reasoned calmly.

The murky gray aura surrounded the brilliant shimmer of his form became black with malevolence and hate. “Do you think it wise to antagonize me? You are without the Great One’s protection now,” he pointed out in a menacingly thoughtful tone, “He will not intervene if I choose to hurt you. I have ways to make you talk.”

“Then use them,” she said, “Protection or not, I will not give you the translation. Were you to know the holy words you would die instantly.”

“Liar!” he spat, “I am well aware of the prophecy as well as the part your child plays in it! My dreams have shown me, Asha…the Great One has shown me! You’re lying now to protect that child and for that reason you have lost your holy standing! You are nothing now. Your power is to be mine. Do not test my good will.”

“Your good will?” Liz inquired softly, “Do you really believe that this is all your doing? Oh Khivar, you are moronic. Everything that has happened has occurred because the Great One allowed it. He willed it.” Liz now fully understood the events that had been put in motion long before she learned that Max Evans was an alien. The shooting, the hiding, the eventual uncovering of Tess and Nasedo…all had been leading them to this one moment.

Khivar eyed her warily, his aura darkening and expanding around his glowing figure. “You think I’m a fool, don’t you?” he queried smoothly, “But I can smell your fear, Asha. You’re not nearly so confident and fearless as you seem.”

He was correct but once again Liz remained silent, knowing instinctively that he was looking to get a rise out of her. She would not give him the satisfaction of betraying a single emotion. She might be torn asunder from within but she would rather die before allowing him to see even a flicker of her pain. Besides that, she was well aware of his dreams. She knew they didn’t mean what he thought they did. Khivar was wrongly overconfident. What he did not know was that his time of ruling Antar would end very shortly.

Her silent response infuriated Khivar. He would have had another flogged for less but Asha was something, someone altogether different. Rather than giving into his anger, however, Khivar regarded her with speculative eyes. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you?” he inquired lightly.

“You can’t,” she replied, “We both know that.”

“And what of your friend?” he countered, “The suns are hot and high. If he does survive the rays, which I doubt, if he goes underground the r’tua will make a quick meal of him.” Liz’s expression didn’t waver. She maintained a façade of blank indifference. “Of course, I’ve not left anything to chance,” Khivar went on blandly, “I’ve dispatched attendants to find him and kill him.” His gaze narrowed as he closed the distance between them. “But you can change that,” he cajoled in a sinister whisper, “I won’t hurt your friend if you tell me what I want to know.”

“You won’t hurt him at all,” Liz tossed back, undaunted, “Because you won’t find him.”

“Your confidence is laughable given your circumstances,” Khivar cried in frustration, “Here you sit, carrying your forbidden child, which is destined for death and yet you act as if you have nothing to fear!”

“I will have my reckoning,” Liz told him quietly, “But it will be to the Great One, Khivar, not you. Never you.” Though Liz made the statement implacably she was shaking within. She had much to atone for…much to pay…much to lose… It had only just begun.

“Fine,” Khivar conceded smoothly, dropping to his knee so that he could sweep his hand over the swell of her belly, “You do not fear for yourself…but what of your child, Asha? Do you not fear for him? Do you not realize that it is my destiny to kill him?”

Liz did realize that it was his destiny to kill her son. She had known since the moment her memories resurfaced and her dread had been steadily growing ever since. It was as if she was locked in a hellish nightmare of her own making.

Khivar asked whether she feared for her son. Fear was an understatement. The truth was she was terrified. Though it was well within her power to destroy Khivar right then and there and the desire to do so was so strong she felt physically ill with the need Liz knew that she could not. So much more depended on her obedience. She could save her child’s life but then in doing so she would endanger countless others. Antar and the remaining four planets would pay for her indiscretion, her disloyalty. To preserve her child alive would effectively end the life span of those worlds. That was the Great One’s offer to her. Either she could have the planets and preserve Zan alive or she could have her son, but she could not have both. She did indeed have a choice but it was really no choice at all. Liz could not afford to make the wrong decision.

Khivar did have a destiny, as did she. Her child was fated to die at his hands, a final act of cleansing for her, but Khivar would die at Zan’s. With the exception of his sister Khivar’s entire household would be wiped out. Zan would pillage the planet until there was none left. No male of his bloodline would ever sit on the Astenian throne again. For those reasons Liz had to believe there was rationale to the Great One’s plan. She had to trust in His infinite wisdom, especially since she had failed Him so miserably. This was the price she must pay for her sin…her child. Her heart bled but her mind accepted the terms. What choice did she have?

Still Liz believed if she proved herself loyal, if she pleased the Great One just so he would preserve her child alive. It was unlikely that she would ever hold her child or even see him again, but she had to believe that he would be spared. The Great One was not so unloving as to take everything from her. Liz clung to that hope like a life preserver. Her faith was the single thing keeping her sane. It was all she had.

“Whatever is done is the Great One’s will,” she answered vaguely, “I won’t interfere.”

Khivar chuckled at her response. “So cool and demure,” he remarked thoughtfully, “You don’t think I know you’re trembling beneath your robes right now. You’d sooner give your life than have something happen to that child.” Liz watched him with a steady, unwavering gaze, which only increased Khivar’s determination to rattle her. “My dreams have told me that I must kill him…your son. That is my destiny but I wonder…will you let me?”

“It is not my will,” she replied, “But His.”

“We’ll see when the time comes,” Khivar said, whipping away his hand and surging to his feet, “We will see.”

[Deejonaise]

Chapter 28

“There is a Tankan attack force within days of our camp, your majesty,” the sentry reported to Max soon after breakfast, “What is your plan for attack?”

Max didn’t know how to respond to that. It wasn’t that he lacked a clear idea for attack. He and Michael had been strategizing that for days. But his heart hadn’t been in it. Instead of plotting out the quickest way to cut the rebel force down his thoughts were saturated with worry over Liz.

He hadn’t been able to contact her since their ship landed. Each and every one of Isabel’s attempted dreamwalks was met with a murky fog. It was clearly evident that Liz was still alive. Max could feel the beating of her heart as if she were sitting right alongside him. He was well aware of her presence but he couldn’t feel her. Attempts to channel Alex were also useless because apparently their friend wasn’t sleeping so much these days. Being well acquainted with the wilds of Antar, Max could well understand why.

“Max?” Michael queried, giving him a gentle nudge when he continued to leave the sentry’s question unanswered, “LuVar is waiting for your reply.”

Max raised his attention to the waiting sentry. “Who’s leading the attack?”

“Hor-daun,” the soldier answered, “He has with him 1800 souls. They outnumber us by three or four hundred.”

Max nodded at this but was not worried. He had faced Hor-daun many times in battle before. At one time the general had loyally served the throne but that had changed very soon after the death of Max’s father. Max and Hor-daun had never seen eye to eye and he’d had the general imprisoned for treason shortly after his reign began. Khivar had, apparently, changed that and now Max was destined to face an old enemy.

The Tankan general was a formidable warrior but a very poor strategist. It was in Max’s favor that he already knew Hor-daun’s weaknesses right off the bat. “His strength is primarily in front and he will fight fiercely. Many soldiers will die there. But…he’ll leave his flank unprotected or possibly his rear,” Max said, “We’ll split apart so that he doesn’t suspect an attack and then infiltrate whichever side is vulnerable. Once we’re inside…kill everything that moves. No prisoners are to be taken.”

“Yes, majesty,” LuVar replied, bowing respectively and ducking out from his king’s tent, “I will ready the troops for departure.”

“No prisoners of war,” Michael demanded when they were alone, “Isn’t that a little extreme, Maxwell?”

“Hor-daun is a ferocious opponent,” Max said, “You know that. If I give him even an inch he’ll slaughter us.”

“Not necessarily,” Michael reasoned, “If we avoid him for just a few days more we can meet up with Larek and his forces and then we’ll outnumber the Tankan army by half.”

“No. I don’t want to wait. I can’t take the chance for any future rebellion,” Max replied flatly, “The only way I can guarantee that is by marching on Hor-daun now and crushing all dissenters that stand in my path. Besides that, it’s important that I win the confidence of my men. I can’t show any weakness and waiting for Larek to back me will only make me seem exactly that.”

“Is that the reason you’ve been acting like a bullheaded freak the last few days?” Michael wondered softly, “You’ve been snapping off everybody’s heads. We can’t even look at you sideways.”

“What do you want me to say?” Max grunted, “Liz is out there, Michael. She and Alex are alone on a strange planet that is full of all sorts of danger. What if something happens to her or…or Charlie. I’d die.”

“You won’t die,” Michael snorted unsympathetically, “She is Asha, remember? Nothing will happen to her. The Great One himself protects her.”

“She doesn’t have those memories, Michael!” Max snapped.

“So you hope,” his friend volleyed back knowingly.

As simple as that Michael lanced to the heart of Max’s agony. He didn’t want Liz to remember. Though he had done the dutiful and right thing by telling her who she was Max harbored the secret hope that Liz would never remember. Max was hardly naïve. He knew that once Liz regained her memories everything would change between them. She would choose her duty, just as she always had, and she would walk away.

Michael clamped a reassuring hand on Max’s shoulder, watching the varied expressions of misery flit over his friend’s features. “It’s different now,” he whispered, “Liz loves you. You two are connected…nothing can come between the two of you.”

“How is that any different from last time?” Max asked glumly.

“Maybe because Asha never gave you the time of day last time,” Michael pointed out, “She spent most of her time denying that she had feelings for you at all. You followed her around like some lovesick puppy, just dripping unrequited love. How many times were you banned from the temple exactly?”

“If you have a point please make it,” Max replied dryly.

“The point is,” Michael emphasized, “you and Liz actually share something this time. It’s not just you chasing her and her fending you off. You’ve traveled the galaxy just to be with her. She’s pregnant with your kid, Max. I’d say the odds are in your favor.”

“You think I’m worrying needlessly,” Max surmised.

“Um…yeah.”

“Okay, so you tell me,” Max challenged, “If I shouldn’t worry about Liz and Alex making it to the rendezvous point safely and I shouldn’t worry about Liz leaving me, what should I worry about?”

“Kyle,” Michael answered succinctly, “That’s why I came in here to talk to you in the first place. He’s still intent on fighting with us.”

Max frowned at that. “I thought Maria had talked to him.”

“That was a wash,” Michael grunted irritably, “In fact, instead of talking Kyle out of fighting he seems to have talked Maria into fighting. Some shit about loyalty and dignity and avenging their friends.”

“You’re not going to let her, are you?” Max burst out in incredulous horror, “She’ll be flattened in two seconds on that battlefield.”

“Don’t you think I know that,” Michael snapped, “There’s no way in hell I’m letting her fight. Which, by the way, is the reason I’ll be bunking down with you tonight.”

Max groaned. “She has to realize that the very idea is suicide.”

“This is Maria,” Michael replied dryly, “Since when has logic ever been a factor where she’s concerned?”

“You have a point there,” Max muttered to himself, “And what about Kyle? How is he supposed to fight? He hasn’t even started manifesting powers yet.” Michael dropped his eyes at that comment and gave his ear a suspicious, self-conscious scratch. Max groaned once more. “When?” he huffed in exasperation.

“Sometime while we were on the ship,” Michael answered, “He didn’t want to say anything because he thought everybody was already freaked out enough over Liz and Alex. Tess has been helping him learn control.” Michael chuckled to himself. “I guess all those times they were locked away in her quarters they weren’t getting busy after all.”

“Well, I never paid as much attention to their love life as you seemed to,” Max tossed back jokingly, “Back to the problem at hand. What are we going to do about Kyle?”

“He’s training already,” Michael informed him, “Short of tying him down there’s really nothing we can do to stop him, Maxwell. He’s his own man.”

“Then we’ll tie him down,” Max said, “He’ll die otherwise.”

“And he’ll never forgive us if we do,” Michael pointed out, “I know I wouldn’t want anyone to do that to me.”

“Valenti will never forgive us if we don’t bring his son back to him,” Max countered, “We’re eight again, Michael. I’ll be damned if I let anything change that now. Besides I’ve never been Kyle’s favorite person anyway. He’ll get over it.”

“The King has spoken?” Michael inquired with a sardonic lift of his brow.

“Oh yeah,” Max confirmed, “The King has spoken.”

~~~***~~~***~~~

“I have made arrangements for you to leave on the next available ship.”

Orayn jumped at his master’s sudden and unannounced entrance though he kept his discomfiture carefully masked. “My lord?” he queried respectively, rising from his chair to offer the seat to his master, “Is it really a wise thing that I should leave now when the planets are in such turmoil?”

Khivar dropped into the chair, leaning his head back against the rest. “I want Avarre and Vilandra found,” he sighed wearily, “Nothing else matters.” Orayn was so preoccupied with the idea of escaping the planet that he altogether missed the penetrating glare Khivar sent in his direction.

After taking a few creeping steps backward, Orayn regarded Khivar with a wary stare. “You seem displeased, Lord Khivar,” he observed quietly, “I would think having Asha in your custody would please you.”

Khivar narrowed his eyes at the thinly veiled admonishment, his ire doubling that Orayn would even dare given the circumstances. “I am not pleased,” he stated implacably, “She is the churlish hag she’s always been. Even without the Great One’s protection she continues to be haughty.”

“I’m sure that will change very soon,” Orayn murmured deferentially, wondering in the back of his mind when he could execute Khivar’s orders and put the galaxy between himself and his master.

He wisely recognized that it was only a matter of time before Khivar learned what really happened to Avarre. Better to have an entire galaxy between them once he did. It wasn’t as if Khivar could or would follow him to exact revenge. His master already had his hands full with the war on this planet. Orayn was determined to use that to his advantage. He couldn’t have Antar to rule; perhaps Earth would have to do…

“How is it that you did not know?” Khivar snapped suddenly, rearing upright.

Abruptly startled out of his secret plans, Orayn stared at his master in confusion. “Know, Lord Khivar?”

“That the Parker girl was indeed Asha,” Khivar spat, “Weeks alone on the ship with her and yet you never suspected a thing. Did you never walk her?”

“I…I did not see the need,” Orayn stammered fearfully.

“You did not see the need?” Khivar repeated scornfully, “You did not see the need? Since when have I ever relied on your judgment for anything, Orayn? You are to execute my orders and that is all!”

“Yes, my lord,” Orayn agreed meekly, “Of course. So in harmony with that I shall ready myself for departure. There is no need for delay.”

However, when he would have scrambled gratefully from the quarters his master’s voice stopped him. “Orayn?” Khivar called after him serenely, slowly rising from his chair, “What exactly are you keeping from me?” He was already well aware, having been briefed fully by Orayn’s men but he was giving the little imbecile time to reconcile himself. He would die regardless but perhaps Khivar would see it in his heart not to make his passing as excruciating.

Orayn paused mid-step, unaware of Khivar’s sanguinary thoughts and praying that his fearful quaking was not evident. He forced himself to pivot around and face Khivar fully. “I do not understand what you mean,” he brazened.

“Your men are being debriefed as we speak,” Khivar commented casually, “But they seem…rather jumpy. Did something happen with the mission that I am unaware of?”

“It is all in my report,” Orayn replied, “Now I really must be leaving--,”

“And everything is in the report?” Khivar interrupted sharply, “Are you quite certain?”

Had it been anyone else Orayn would have been tempted to confess the truth and throw himself upon his master’s mercy. But this was Khivar. He was without mercy. Orayn knew that if he confessed the truth he would be killed. But then he also couldn’t suppress the niggling suspicion that Khivar already knew it. Despite that he still made an effort to cover his ass.

“Everyone is anxious over having displeased you, my lord,” Orayn lied smoothly, “They fear punishment.”

“But you said yourself that I should be rejoicing because Asha has been recovered,” Khivar pointed out with equal smoothness, “So should they since it was by their ship that she was restored.”

“Quite by accident,” Orayn replied around the spasmodic workings of his throat, “She could have escaped entirely had she not come back for the Granolith.”

“Indeed. But tell me, Orayn,” Khivar inquired thoughtfully, the halo of light surrounding his body darkening considerably, “What became of my sister again? Tell me the story once more.”

Orayn gulped. “Your sister?”

“Tell me again how she refused to cooperate with you,” he queried silkily, “How she betrayed you?”

Fear was making Orayn’s limbs tremble, so much so that he took another unconscious step towards the door. “I don’t understand what you’re asking me, my lord.”

“The thoughts we’ve extracted from your men are all a jumble,” Khivar clarified, “Perhaps you can explain to me why they seem to believe my sister is dead?”

Orayn didn’t bother to respond that time but whirled for the door with the intention of running for his life. He didn’t take two steps before he was flanked by two guards and dragged forcibly back inside. His entire body was a quivering mass as Khivar stealthily closed the distance between them.

“You killed my sister,” Khivar uttered calmly, “Tortured her for days and took pleasure in it.”

“No…no,” Orayn denied, shaking his head wildly, “Please…please, no…!”

“Now I shall take my pleasure in torturing you,” Khivar went on, his aura practically overtaking the golden glow of his body. He flicked a glance to his guards. “Have him beaten thoroughly and then take him to the r’tua pits,” he ordered, “I do believe my beauties are in need of a snack. But don’t let them kill him…not yet anyway.” His form was practically black with glee as the guards dragged a screaming Orayn away.

~~~***~~~***~~~

The suns were scorching hot.

Even through the fortifying shimmer of the shield Alex could feel the intense heat blaring down on his head. He had been walking for years it seemed, wandering aimlessly in the desert. His terror grew with each step.

Antar was a frightful place. In the harsh light of morning he was faced with all sorts of hideous and grotesque sights, things he didn’t even want to contemplate. But the night was by far the worse. Thick darkness cloaked the secret happenings of nightfall. The sounds that penetrated that darkness, the maddening cry of the dead and dying made his skin crawl.

Alex barely slept as a result. He rested his eyes for no more than a few minutes each hour. He couldn’t afford to sleep, couldn’t take the chance of relaxing at all. So sleep deprived and exhausted from dehydration he stumbled tiredly across the desert terrain, searching for the rock symbol Liz had implanted in his mind. He had to find it…for Liz.

She was there in his head all the time, talking to him, guiding him, urging him on. Sometimes Alex thought he was imagining her presence or perhaps the sun was baking his brain into insensibility but he had yet to fall prey to the flesh eating worms that tunneled the ground beneath his feet or the carnivorous insects that hovered above his head and scuttled across the ground. He ignored the decaying corpses he passed along the way, those who had walked this same path and fallen. He bit down against the hunger gnawing in his belly. Liz instilled him with the strength to go on.

Instead of obsessing over his grim circumstances Alex instead concentrated on his homecoming. He could imagine the look on Isabel’s face when she saw him again. Would she hug him? Would she cry? Would she, at long last, confess her love for him? And Maria. Would she talk his ear off? Would she hold him like she never wanted to let him go or would she scold him for “dying on her” in the first place? Knowing Maria it would probably be the latter. Alex grinned faintly over the thought.

But that grin faded moments later when he thought of Max. His sweet homecoming would be inevitably tempered with the bitter. Somehow he would have to explain to Max that Liz had chosen to stay behind. Somehow he would have to explain that she was lost to him forever now.

Alex still didn’t fully understand that himself. He understood that Liz had a duty greater than any of them could fathom but he couldn’t reconcile that it meant she and Max had to be apart. Still at a rather tender age in his life Alex hadn’t had much experience with love but he knew enough to recognize that Max and Liz were the real deal. He couldn’t imagine them apart. They were like the sun and moon…they just went together.

His internal struggles gradually beginning to plague him Alex hunkered down close to a nearby rock to pant out his exhaustion. “Just a little while longer, Whitman,” he muttered to himself, ignoring the large sand beetle that scurried across the desert plain in search of a meal. He held himself still, knowing instinctively that sudden movement attracted their attention. Alex watched the giant bug until it disappeared from his sight.

“Just a little while longer.”

[Deejonaise]

I'll be back on Monday with the next part. Thanks for hanging in, everybody. Just remember, it won't make sense until we're nearing the end but everything will work out the way it's supposed to, I promise.

Chapter 29

Two hundred Antarian soldiers fell in the first hour before Max and his army was able to penetrate Hor-daun’s flank. The suns had been high in the purple Antarian sky, baking the skins of the humans even through their shields. Their arms were now beginning to break out in great, boil like blisters made puffy with fluid but the minor pain seemed worthwhile in hindsight. From the point when the Antarian forces finally penetrated Hor-daun’s battle lines they had known victory. The efficient army slaughtered the Tankan forces from the inside out. They returned to the camp later that evening as the second sun was setting, limp and singed with laser fire and carrying the stiffening bodies of their dead in order to prepare them for burial.

Kyle and Maria watched the procession with horrified eyes, noting how the bodies of the deceased Antarians no longer retained their iridescent glow but appeared black and shriveled like the dead bark of a tree. Max hunkered down before them; war worn and weary and both Kyle and Maria had to fight back a repulsed flinch at his appearance. His cheeks and arms were blistered and peeling, his eyes seemingly devoid of life.

“Now you know why I forced you to stay behind,” Max uttered softly, easily reading the expressions on their faces.

Kyle regarded Max with glittering eyes. “It wasn’t your choice to make,” he grumbled tightly, “You’re not my father…or my king.”

“I tried to make the best decision for everybody,” Max replied.

“You don’t make decisions for me,” Kyle spat in return, “I’m done talking to you about it. Where’s Tess?”

Even despite all he’d seen Kyle maintained his stubborn stance that he’d been wronged and his attitude pushed Max past his limits of patience. “She’s helping to bury the dead,” he bit out brutally, “It could have easily been you.”

“Whatever,” Kyle tossed back, shaking off the electrode bonds that had begun to weaken with Max’s approach, “I’m going to go find her…see if I can help. With your permission, of course, majesty.” The two young men glared at one another for a timeless moment, locked in a silent battle of wills before Kyle finally stomped off in the furthest direction of the camp.

“Is Michael alright?” Maria queried worriedly, claiming Max’s attention.

“He’s fine,” Max confirmed, “He’s helping Tess.” He surveyed Maria warily, his shoulders hunched with defeat. “I suppose you’re pissed at me, too,” he sighed.

Maria shrugged. “Kyle’s angry but he’ll get over it. I know you did what you thought was right,” she whispered. She lifted her hand, as if she meant to touch the pulsing blisters that abraded his cheek but then snatched it back as if she thought better of the action. “Don’t those hurt?”

“You wouldn’t believe how much,” Max chuckled mirthlessly.

“Can’t you heal them?”

“Not on this planet,” Max told her, “Apparently what’s extraordinary on Earth isn’t quite extraordinary here.”

“Oh,” Maria said, watching from the corner of her eyes as more dead were brought into the camp. She winced. “None of you were seriously hurt, were you?” she asked, “Not Isabel or…”

“Everyone’s fine…physically anyway. They’re with Tess,” Max reassured, “You can go if you want.”

“No, you were right,” Maria replied with a sad shake of her head, “I’m not ready for war. What little I’ve seen just makes me want to vomit. So many dead… Where will you bury them all?”

“Mass grave,” Max answered, “Then we’ll say an Antarian prayer so that their spirits can make it into the afterlife.”

“A mass grave,” Maria shuddered, “That’s…that just seems so wrong.”

“Better than to leave their corpses to rot in the suns,” Max stated implacably, “That’s what war is, Maria. It’s not pretty.”

“God…” Maria muttered, “How can you be so calm about it, Max? It’s like you’re not even fazed or anything.”

“I’ve seen it before,” he told her, “Hundreds of times before. This was my life.”

“Not anymore,” she replied knowingly, “You’re Max Evans of Roswell, New Mexico. I hate to see you taking on this role I know you don’t want.”

“If I don’t fight for my people, Maria…who will?”

“I just wonder what Liz would say if she saw you this way,” she murmured more to herself than to him, “What would she think?”

Max fell back on his haunches to contemplate that very thing, dragging a weary hand down his chin. “I don’t know, Maria…what would she think?”

“That’s just it,” she cried in frustration, “I don’t know! I don’t know who she is anymore. Is she Asha, this holy high priestess or is she Liz, the girl I’ve binged on Ben and Jerry’s with since as long as I can remember? And Michael…who the fuck is he? Is he the irritating lout I fell in love with or is he suddenly this commanding military general with an incredible wisdom I can hardly believe?” She threw up her hands in tearful lamentation. “I mean…my God! Who are you people?”

“The same people we were before we left the Earth,” Max said. He tapped his chest just above his heartbeat. “We’re still the same in here, Maria…where it counts. Everything I do is to get us back home again. Everything.”

“I know,” she sniffled, finally breaking down enough to let him pull her into his arms, “I’m just so scared, Max! I’m so scared.”

“Me, too,” Max confessed gruffly, “I’m scared, too.”

~~~***~~~***~~~

Isabel watched as they tossed the last body into the mass grave, unaware of the anguished sorrow that slashed over her features when they did. She didn’t know the soldier personally but she mourned his loss as if she did. Sensing her internal struggle, Michael reached over and administered a gentle squeeze to her fingers. “You don’t have to be here,” he told her.

She tossed him a dejected look over her shoulder. “Yes, I do.” They held stares for a moment before turning to watch as the diggers began shoveling dirt back into the grave. “I remember when my biggest priority was making sure I had a matching shoe for every outfit,” Isabel muttered to herself, “Somehow that doesn’t seem so important anymore.”

“I think we’ve all changed with this experience,” Michael whispered in agreement.

That much was true but Michael hadn’t yet decided if the changing was for the better or the worse. He viewed the resurfacing of his Antarian memories as a mixed blessing. Michael couldn’t deny that he had gained a newfound maturity with the knowledge. Before returning to Antar he had never been able to see the “big picture.” He wasn’t a thinker or a planner but that had changed since he regained Rathalan’s memories. Now he could fully understand why Max had often referred to him as a hothead.

But then there were the undeniable cons as well. Before he had only to carry around the crushing guilt of Daniel Pierce’s death on his conscience. Even though he’d acted in self-defense Michael had never been able to justify the action in his heart. Part of him had been motivated by hatred, part of him had wanted Daniel Pierce to die and that was the reason he couldn’t forgive himself. It was just that miniscule possibility that his actions weren’t as noble as he wanted to believe.

Now things had changed dramatically. No longer did he have Pierce’s blood staining his hands but countless others. Hundreds upon hundreds of faceless dead, slain by his hands. Just as he couldn’t completely excuse his actions with Pierce on the basis of self-defense, Michael couldn’t excuse his actions as a soldier on the basis of war. His conscience prickled him, made it difficult to sleep at night. He knew without asking that it was the same for Max, Tess and Isabel. They were tortured…just as he was.

Isabel spoke again, her quavering voice poking through Michael’s inward musings. “I keep thinking that even if we go home again…nothing will be the same.”

“Probably not,” Michael conceded with a heavy sigh, “We’re growing up.”

Isabel snorted. “Growing up, huh? Is that what this is?”

She thought about all they’d endured in the past nine months. The fear, the loss, the ongoing terror that had become a daily portion of their lives. She thought of Alex and Liz struggling somewhere out in that vast desert, enduring a nightmare that they should never have known. Especially Alex… He was merely being punished for knowing her, for being loyal. When Isabel thought of that she had to believe the price of growing up was extraordinarily high and not worth it at all.

“We have to believe it’s for the good somehow,” Michael considered grimly, discerning her thoughts, “Otherwise it’s all worthless, our whole existence…everything…”

“I just don’t know how I’m supposed to go back to being Isabel Evans when I don’t know who she is anymore,” Isabel cried. She gestured to the open grave before them. “I see things like this and I just know I’ll never be the same. I’ll never forget.”

“We forgot once,” Michael whispered, encircling her waist and pulling her back into the protective band of his arms. He gathered strength from holding her just as she gathered strength from being held. It was a needed moment of peace. Michael swallowed hard as the faces of the fallen soldiers began to disappear beneath the grainy, golden sand. “Maybe we’ll forget again.”

Isabel leaned her head back against his shoulder; letting her eyes drift shut as her body went limp in his loose embrace. “You’ve always been my best friend,” she said quietly, “Did you know that?”

“Yeah…yeah, I did know that.”

“I could never understand why you put forth the effort at all,” Isabel considered, “I was always making your life more complicated than it had to be.”

“I did it for Max,” Michael joked shakily.

Isabel swiveled around in his arms, her eyes dark and probing. “You did it for me,” she countered, “You’ve been a valuable friend to me, Michael, and I have never once said thank you. Not in this life and not before it either.”

“You don’t have to say the words, Isabel,” he whispered, leaning his forehead against her temple, “I’ve always known.”

~~~***~~~***~~~

“Are you still pouting?”

Kyle tossed Tess a disgruntled glare where she stood in the flap of his tent. “I’m not pouting,” he denied petulantly, “I’m thinking.”

Tess shrugged and rolled her eyes as she entered completely and pulled the flap closed behind her. “Thinking…pouting…it all looks the same from where I stand,” she remarked blandly.

“Did you come out here to nag me?” he complained. She said nothing and he stared at her in the flickering firelight as she folded herself down beside him. “You look like crap.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“No, seriously,” Kyle went on, hoping to take the sting out of his observation, “Don’t you have some kind of salve to put on those blisters? They look pretty painful.”

“I’ve got something,” Tess murmured with a confirming nod, producing a small vial in the palm of her hand, “Put it on me?”

Kyle wordlessly removed the vial from her hand and began applying the ointment to her blistered cheeks. Tess held her breath as his fingers fluttered over her tender skin, her heart doing a strange dip over the infinite care he took with her. “Why didn’t you wear your protective armor,” Kyle asked as he smeared the gel across her skin, “Seems like you could have avoided all this.”

“The armor would have been too cumbersome in battle,” she said simply, “I moved quicker without it.”

Kyle bit back a smirk. “And fricasseed your ass in the process,” he grumbled.

Tess giggled softly. “I guess that’s true. You know what they say…’no pain, no gain,’ right?”

Rather than laughing over her quip, however, Kyle’s countenance became even more remote. “Look, I want you to know something,” he began solemnly, his fingers shaking slightly as he continued to soothe her oozing blisters, “I wasn’t pouting when you came in earlier but…I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t irritated as hell with Evans right now.”

“Why?” Tess demanded in a dubious whisper, “He was only trying to save your life, Kyle. You don’t know what we saw on that battle field and you don’t want to know.”

His blue eyes narrowed with unconcealed displeasure. “Are you defending him to me?” he snapped harshly, “Because if you are…don’t! He had me trussed up like a Christmas goose and watched like a three-year-old, for crying out loud! What am I supposed to do? Thank him?”

“For starters,” Tess said.

Kyle grunted at that, throwing aside the ointment in a flash of frustration. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“If he hadn’t stepped in we could be burying you tonight.”

“Wow, is that the general consensus?” Kyle demanded bitterly, “Did everyone think I was going to go out there and be slaughtered like a lamb or was it just you and Evans?”

“You need more training, Kyle,” Tess replied patiently, refusing to be goaded into an argument by his unfair and sarcastic attack, “I’m not opposed to you fighting if that’s what you want to do, but you’ll need a lot more than three measly days of training! So yeah…I do think if you’d have stepped out on that battlefield today you would have been dropped before I could bat my eyelashes. Are you trying to die?”

“I’m not trying to die!” he cried in frustration, “I’m trying to protect you!”

Tess’ mouth fell open. “Protect me?”

That was a new concept for her. For as long as she’d been alive, in human form and Antarian, no one had ever seen fit to “protect” her. She was a warrior princess, after all. She had been fighting since her thirteenth year and was quite skilled in combat. Truthfully, she needed no protection. She could protect herself well enough.

However, Tess was also female and she wanted to be nurtured and cherished just as the rest of her sex. No one had ever nurtured her. That privilege had always been reserved for Isabel. Tess, on the other hand, was the strong one, the rock. But inside she had been just as vulnerable as the rest of them. She had needed someone to hold her, too. And no one had ever seen it…no one except Kyle Valenti.

Kyle watched Tess’ thoughts play behind her eyes and lifted his hand to caress an unblemished portion of her cheek. “When was the last time someone made you feel safe, Tess?” he wondered softly.

She swallowed back a serrated sigh. “I…I can’t remember.”

“I want to do that for you,” he whispered, leaning closer, “I want to make you feel safe.”

“You do,” she whispered back, her eyes connecting with his in a melting stare, “You don’t have to go to war to prove it, Kyle.”

“But I want to,” he insisted emphatically, “I’d die for you if necessary…” Just as he lowered his head to brush her lips in an affirming kiss, however, Tess turned away at the last moment. “What is it?” he asked in confusion.

“The troops…” Tess mumbled, “They don’t understand. In their eyes, I am Zan’s wife and their queen. For us to be together right now would confuse them, Kyle.”

“Oh…okay. So that’s why you’ve been acting so weird around me lately?” he remarked with dawned understanding, “I gotta say that’s definitely contributed to my edginess lately. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“No opportunity,” she replied, “Besides I figured that’s why you were being an ass. Max has had that same problem lately.”

“So what are you telling me exactly?” Kyle asked, “We can’t be together as long as we’re on this planet?”

“I’m not saying we can’t be together,” Tess whispered, “I’m just saying we have to be discreet about it, okay?”

Kyle grinned at her. “Does that mean I can have a kiss?”

“I can’t believe you want to kiss me when I look so horrible,” she lamented wryly.

“I’ll close my eyes,” he laughed.

Unfortunately, his second attempt at a kiss was thwarted as well when the flap of his tent suddenly flashed back. Both Tess and Kyle lurched around guiltily to regard the soldier who regarded his queen with unreadable eyes. However, the telltale darkening of the aura surrounding his body was quite indicative. In the back of her mind, Tess acknowledged that explanations would have to be made…and soon.

“Majesty,” the soldier greeted formally, “The prayer service is to begin soon. We are in need of your presence.”

He disappeared seconds later, leaving Tess and Kyle to stare at one another in awkward silence.

[Deejonaise]

Chapter 30

“Are you still mad at me?” Michael whispered, leaning over Maria’s prone form.

He knew she wasn’t sleeping. Though she had lain perfectly still for the last half hour beside him her breathing remained erratic and jerky. She had been aloof towards him all through the prayer service and supper. Michael figured she was still holding a grudge against him for letting Max treat her little better than a prisoner of war. He hadn’t wanted to go that route but she and Kyle had left them little choice.

Sighing, Michael laid a trembling hand onto the ball of her shoulder. “I know you’re not sleeping,” he said gently, “Talk to me, Blondie.”

Maria shrugged off his touch and flopped over onto her back to regard him with a dull stare. “I saw you today,” she announced flatly, “I saw you on the ridge with Isabel.”

Michael frowned at her in blank confusion. “Isabel?” he questioned, “What about her?”

“You were hugging her, Michael…close,” Maria clarified stiffly, folding her arms over her breasts in a defensive action, “You looked cozy.”

Michael tipped back his head with a long-suffering groan. In an instant he knew where their conversation was headed. “Maria, you’ve got the wrong idea.”

“I don’t think so. You’re in love with her,” she accused in a hurt whisper, “Don’t deny it! I saw it with my own two eyes, Michael!”

“She’s my friend,” he insisted fiercely, “She’s my best friend but that’s all. It’s your wacky ass that I’m in love with, Mare! God, what do you want me to do…write it in blood?”

Maria melted visibly, her expression quavering between disbelief and wild hope. “You’re in love with me?”

He threw up his hands in disgust and rolled over onto his back. “You’re impossible!”

She leaned up onto her elbow and gaped at him. “I’m impossible?” she echoed incredulously, “I’m impossible? Oh no, no, Spaceboy…you’ve got the corner market on that one.”

“How could you think anything was going on with me and Isabel?” he cried indignantly, “She’s like my sister!”

“All I know is that she was crying and you were holding her in this totally tender way,” Maria said softly, “When did you ever hold me like that, Spaceboy?”

Michael rolled to his feet, shaking his head in disappointment and anger. “I’m not going to have this conversation with you,” he declared, “This isn’t the time for us to be divided, Maria. We need to stand together! We need to trust each other!”

Maria reared upright as well. “I want to trust you,” she tossed out tearfully, “Don’t you think I want that? But I don’t even know who you are anymore, Michael!”

Falling back a step with a soundless gasp, Michael blanched. “You don’t feel like you know me?” he uttered in a burning whisper, “And what exactly did I do to deserve your mistrust besides remember who the fuck I am?”

Perhaps if his features had been twisted with rage Maria could have remained firm but instead his face was darkened with a grimace of agonized hurt and Maria couldn’t bear it. She lowered her head, her tears falling in silent plops to her lap. “Nothing,” she conceded hoarsely, “You haven’t done anything.”

“Then why the mistrust?” he pleaded.

Maria lifted wet green eyes full of pain. “You have a whole other life now,” she wept, “Where’s my place, Michael? Where do I fit in?”

Michael fell to his knees before her and scooped up her hand to press it to his chest, right atop his heart. “Here,” he insisted fervently, “You’re here, Maria. No one is going to change that. Not ever.”

Renewed sobs bubbled from her lips as she let her head fall forward limply to his chest. “I’m sorry, Michael,” she cried brokenly, “I’m sorry for doubting you.”

He pressed mindless kisses through her tangle of hair, holding her close as if he meant to absorb her into his body. “We’ll figure it out somehow…I promise we will.”

~~~***~~~***~~~

Liz spent all night in prayer.

Her back ached, her neck ached…her heart ached. With each subsequent hour she’d felt like she was drowning. Her world was closing in around her, slowly suffocating her and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Her knees felt like they were on fire. They were bruised and swollen to the point where she couldn’t even stand. She had supplicated with tears and heartfelt pleading until she thought she’d fall unconscious for the weariness of it all but He had not paid her any heed.

However, she did not cry. Liz was more than aware that Khivar watched her. He was waiting for her to break, anticipating with glee the moment when she would throw herself on his mercy or, perhaps, lose favor with the Great One entirely. He wanted her to attack him. Nothing would please him more than to see her fail and what Liz was deathly afraid of was that she would.

It had taken a supreme amount of strength not to blast her way out of her cell and go running for her life. She had little doubt that she would have escaped…but for how long? How long before the Great One exacted punishment?

From a logical standpoint Liz could understand His strict terms. As Asha she had been entrusted with Antar’s safe keeping. It had been her duty to guard the worlds and keep them in order. She had allowed her infatuation with the King to distract her. And then she had committed the ultimate folly…she had allowed him to take her to bed.

Everything following that one, earth-shattering event had been in direct correlation with her sin. She was well aware of why Antar had fallen into Khivar’s hands afterwards, why she and the Royal Four had been slaughtered, and why their world had only suffered more bloodshed and war in the aftermath.

Now she had come full circle and it seemed she’d learned nothing. Her feelings for Zan were still as strong as they’d ever been, perhaps stronger. Liz couldn’t imagine loving anyone or anything more than she loved Max, except perhaps her son. But there were new feelings crowding into her chest as well, new memories…

She could remember back as far as when Antar was formed. When the planet had been nothing more than a cosmic speck of dust and she had loved it from conception. To be entrusted with its safekeeping had been an honor…a blessing. She had been so happy to have that privilege and had served loyally at her post for thousands of years…until Zan.

Asha had loved him from the first; when he was still a little person and tagging along after his father. She had watched him grow into a capable warrior and then a mighty king. Inevitably, as if the gods had willed it themselves, she had fallen in love with him. More than a hundred years later she was still in love with him. Liz doubted those feelings would ever change.

She needed Max so much right then, missed him like crazy. Even despite everything, Liz couldn’t help but feel that he was the only one who could make sense of this whole sordid mess. He was the only one would could make her feel safe. But she recognized that her feelings for him were forbidden, her yearning for him wrong. She would never receive the Great One’s forgiveness if she didn’t come to believe that. And if she never received His forgiveness then she’d be unable to save Charlie and saving her baby was the only thing that mattered. Liz would do anything to keep her son safe…even give up the ones she love most…

And, while Liz did feel an elusive sense of peace at the prospect of being forgiven by her god, she also felt trapped, confused…stuck between the person she was born to be and the small town girl she’d been for the last eighteen years. Liz Parker wasn’t some abstract identity but who she had become. Liz Parker was who she was…who she wanted to be.

And therein lay the crux of her dilemma. Liz was quite certain that the Great One could feel her indecision, her vacillating. What an affront it must be to Him that she would be willing to trade all he had given to her for something that was never to have been hers in the first place. Liz recognized that He would never show her favor as long as her heart remained torn. The thought terrified Liz because if she couldn’t gain His favor again how could she convince him to spare her child’s life? Only He had the power to subvert destiny…after all this was all His plan to begin with.

As if sensing that his mother was agitated over his well being, Charlie turned in his mother’s belly, finding a comfortable spot right beneath her ribs. Liz caressed her rounded tummy with reverent love, smiling a little. “You know I won’t let anything happen to you,” she whispered, “Mommy’s thinking of something… I’ll get us out of this mess, Charlie…I swear it…”

Charlie shifted beneath her heart with her verbal reassurance, receiving comfort from her words and providing it with his close snuggling beneath her heart. Very gradually, however, he began to fall still. Liz recognized his intent only at the last moment. She had little time to brace herself for the wave of vertigo that assailed her as he attempted to pull her into a dreamwalk.

The drab surroundings of her cell wavered and blurred before her eyes giving way to the details of Max’s dream. He stood alone in the middle of the desert, streaked from head to toe in blood, his demeanor defeated and hollow as if having just returned from battle. Liz shuddered just as the dream plane shifted, giving way to a dense forest of trees. Max abruptly began running, hacking his way through the foliage in a frantic search. Liz knew instinctively he was looking for her. His entire being screamed panic and fear.

However, before Charlie could pitch her headfirst into Max’s nightmare Liz wrenched out of the connection with a startled gasp. “We can’t,” she admonished her son, “I can’t. I’m not ready.” He turned within her again as if to ask why. She could feel his uncertainty, his need for his father because he was feeding off her need for the same thing. “I just can’t face your daddy now,” she explained softly, “Not until He hears me again…”

The electronic pulse bars to her cell suddenly dissipated causing Liz to wrench her hands from her belly. The action was too late, however. Khivar had witnessed her tender moment and his eyes gleamed with satisfaction over it.

She didn’t scramble to her feet because even if she had wanted to her swollen joints would have prevented the movement. Liz masked her pain, as she did all her emotions, and regarded Khivar with an icy glare as he strode in with his attendants. He snapped his guards to attention and they, in turn, yanked Liz painfully to her feet. She refused to even wince her agony.

“It’s a brand new day, Asha,” he chirped brightly, “Are you ready to tell me what I want to know?”

Not surprisingly, Liz stared at him, unyielding and silent. Even dirty and downtrodden she remained every inch a regal goddess. Her stature made Khivar even more determined to break her. His aura burned brighter with anticipation. “Then I suppose I’ll just have to convince you,” he said, motioning forward his two guards, “Take her to the interrogation chambers…we’ve got work to do.”

~~~***~~~***~~~

Orayn cursed the sensors in his husk. He could remember when the scientists were first designing the complex, biological skin how the installment of human sensory perception had seemed like a boon. They had all rejoiced over the accomplishment. Orayn realized now that human senses were a mixed blessing. It was true that taste, touch and sound were made alive and vivid for him…but also pain. Pain was equally vivid. Consequently, he was more than aware of the missing limbs below his waist and he was in agony.

The anguished screams of terror coming from the far end of the chamber did little to comfort him. It was true that Khivar had currently occupied his satanic pursuits with torturing Asha, thereby diverting his attention away from Orayn but the knowledge only provided temporary comfort. Orayn was well aware that Asha would not give surrender the translation no matter what means Khivar used. Eventually, Khivar would grow tired and frustrated and then he would seek out his betraying servant. Orayn was quite sure he wouldn’t survive another encounter.

He hung suspended by his wrists from a rusted chain bolted into the ceiling. His wrists were raw and blooded from his constant struggles to free himself. Although he wasn’t completely sure why he tried. Even if he somehow managed to free himself it wasn’t as if he could run to safety. He had no legs.

Orayn might have laughed over that if the situation wasn’t so very pathetic. It wasn’t surprising that now, when Orayn came so close to his own death, that he began to rethink his life’s pursuits. Power, prestige…none of these he could take over with him into the afterlife. Worse yet, he had incurred the Great One’s wrath and he would face that judgment as well.

His only satisfaction was that Khivar would soon join him.

~~~***~~~***~~~

Max lurched out of his nightmare with an anguished gasp, shattering the stillness of his tent with his harsh sobs. Though he couldn’t remember any details of the dream upon waking he didn’t need to either. Max knew instinctively what the dream had been about. Liz. He couldn’t shake the foreboding fear that he would not see her again. The uncertainty gnawed in his gut despite Michael’s reassurances. Max just knew something was wrong…

Groaning to himself, Max scrubbed the remnants of sleep from his eyes, ripped back his blanket and rose to his feet. Sunlight poured in through the flaps of his tent, alerting him to the fact that he’d slept much longer than he intended. He glanced over at the crumpled armor in the far corner of his tent. He didn’t relish the idea of donning it but there was little choice. The necessity simply made him miss Earth all the more. He yearned to see his mother and father again, wondered if they were missing him and Isabel as much as he and Isabel were missing them.

He was just beginning to secure his breastplate when LuVar ducked his head inside. “Majesty,” he began deferentially, “A caravan has arrived.”

Max flicked LuVar with confused eyes. “A caravan,” he uttered, “What kind of idiot would dare to travel into the middle of a military camp?”

“Your mother, majesty,” LuVar answered, “She has arrived.”

Max barely had time to adjust to that bit of news. He was still frozen in shock when LuVar suddenly snapped back to attention as the announcement was made. “Her majesty, Katha, queen of Antar.” Moments later, the flaps of his tent were parted and a golden figure with white robes drifted regally inside.

For Max the reality of seeing her in her true form was a shock. Though he could well remember what she looked like it was the blonde image of his mother from the orbs that he carried in his mind. However, Max quickly shook off his astonishment, as surprise slowly gave way to joy.

Like her other Antarian counterparts she was shrouded in pure light. It radiated from her body in white-hot brilliance, almost blinding Max with the intensity. Her eyes were a blazing azure blue, sharp, penetrating, knowing… The aura that hovered on the edge of her body light was a deep, abiding purple. The color for royalty and very fitting.

“Zan,” she greeted him formally, “Is this how you greet your mother after fifty years?”

Max dropped to his knee before her, respectfully bowing his head. “My apologies, Majesty,” he murmured, “I was not expecting to see you until after we had rendezvoused with Larek’s forces.”

Katha nodded her acknowledgement and gestured for Max to rise. “I did not wish to wait,” she declared implacably, “Larek will tell me nothing of what goes on with you so I decided to come to the source.”

“Mother,” Max scolded as he rose to regard her once again, “This is hardly the place to discuss it. I cannot believe you made the trip in such dangerous conditions. You’re not safe here.”

“Do not presume to tell me where I am and am not safe!” his mother snapped, “I’m am a great deal more advanced in years than you, my boy, when triple your life experience. You’d do well to remember it.”

“Yes, Majesty,” Max replied respectfully.

His mother harrumphed. “And why do you insist in speaking in this horrid English,” she demanded, “Is your own native tongue not sufficient? You are home now, Zan.”

“I’m comfortable with English, Mother,” Max replied mildly, “But please…feel free to speak the home language if you wish.”

“And will you continue to respond to me in English?” Max said nothing but his silence was response enough. Katha sniffed dismissively, her eyes narrowed with disapproval. “You’re as impertinent as always, I see. Where is your sister?” she demanded arrogantly, “I would have her here as well. And Rathalan and Avarre.”

“Mother, it is still early yet,” Max explained wearily, “The others are asleep. We fought a great battle yester eve.” He had forgotten how very commanding his mother could be. Max approached her attitude with a mixture of fondness and annoyance.

“Well, wake them!” Katha commanded, “Wake them all! I am the Queen, am I not?” She leveled LuVar with an authoritative stare. “See that it is done. I want my family gathered before me this instant!” When she turned to regard Max once again Katha found that her son was appraising her with a smile that was both long-suffering and amused. Katha’s aura warmed to a swirling blue to see the affection in his eyes. She felt her own gruff demeanor melt away in the face of his reverential stare.

“You have missed me, haven’t you?” she observed with a degree of pride.

“Yes, indeed, Mother. I have.”

For the first time since stepping inside his tent, Katha took her only son into her arms and held him tightly despite the fact her royal propriety forbade such flamboyant shows of affection. At the moment she simply didn’t care about propriety. She was too overjoyed to have her son back and she let herself feel it…and show it.

“I have missed you, my son,” she whispered to him in their native tongue, “I have missed you so. Welcome home, Zan.”