Leaving Sivadia (2 page)

Oz paced the observation room as the unmanned
surveillance pod approached the Haagon mothership. A ship that massive would
hold thousands of fighter craft. If they launched them against Sivadia, the
casualties would be extensive.

He held his breath and initiated the pod’s welcome
message. If the Haagons had come in peace, he and Cieran would go to the ship
and greet them in person. If they came to destroy Sivadia, as they had done
with so many other planets in their galaxy…that would be a different story.

One of the deflector shields raised on the Haagon ship.
The built-in translator sent their reply across the screen. It held only two
words…DIE, SCUM. It was immediately followed by a missile that blew the pod out
of existence.

Oz and Cieran’s eyes met. Seconds passed without either
of them uttering a word. This was it; the moment they had prayed would never
come had arrived. When the Haagons invaded other planets, their massive size
and numbers had made them impossible to defeat.

“We’re not going down without a fight,” Oz said. He
turned to his lieutenant. “Launch a missile to test how strong their deflector
shields are.”

“Yes, sir.” The officer activated the missile. Once it
was locked on, he looked at Oz for the final order.

“Fire.”

They watched the monitor as the missile launched and
headed for the ship. Fire flew from the ship’s hull at the impact site. Once it
evaporated, no damage was evident.

Oz scrubbed his hand across his face. “Damnit, we have
to get them to lower those shields.” He looked at the Lieutenant. “We’re going
to irritate them enough to lower those shields and send aircraft out to take
care of it. First, get our pilots in the air to take care of whatever they send
out. Then we’ll fire one missile every thirty seconds. Before you start firing,
load thirty missile silos ten deep. Once those shields come down, fire all
thirty missiles sites simultaneously. Let’s see how those bastards handle three
hundred dead-on missiles with no shields to protect them.”

“That sounds like an excellent plan,” Cieran said. “I’m
going to call Ximena and tell her to get ready to leave for the launch
facility. You might want to call your parents and do the same.”

“Good idea…one less thing to worry about. I don’t want
them trying to transport out of here in the middle of a war zone.”

Oz picked up a com-link to make the call.

“Sir, everything is in place to start the firing
sequence,” the lieutenant said.

Oz snapped the com-link off. “Okay, fire at will.”

Oz twisted his neck from side to side in order to loosen
the tight muscles, and then locked his gaze on the screen. A repetitive, single
missile began firing at the Haagon ship. As everyone watched, you could have
heard a pin drop inside the control room.

After the eighteenth missile hit the Haagon ship, the
shields beneath it deactivated and aircraft began pouring out. “Now, now, now!”
Oz said.

Thirty missile silos opened simultaneously and launched
their massive loads of warheads at the Haagon ship. Sivadian pilots engaged the
aircraft as soon as they reached airspace. When the first missiles hit the
Haagon ship, it rocked violently from side to side, and the belly erupted into
flames. Everyone anxiously watched the screen for results. Moments later,
pieces of the ship started breaking off. Missile after missile slammed into the
ship until it broke into two large pieces and plunged toward Sivadia. Cheers
erupted inside the command center.

Cieran clamped his large hand on Oz’s shoulder. “That,
my friend, is why you hold the title of ‘Sivadia’s greatest warrior.’”

Oz didn’t like the praise that came with a victory. All
he had ever done was try his best to keep their planet and those he loved safe.
But he had a bad feeling that this particular victory would be short-lived.

 After everyone had reported in, Oz left the
command center to go and check on his parents. They lived on the outskirts of
the capital city in the small community of Rabak. His father was a member of
the royal council, but had never liked being in the city. He preferred the
solitude of his home. Oz didn’t know how he would take the news that everyone
who had clearance for the launch facility was expected to be there by
nightfall.

If the Haagons returned and fighting ensued, two hundred
people transporting at once could be dangerous. A little over a century ago,
when the threat of the Haagons coming to their planet had begun, they built a
large underground facility and launch-pad. It held five Sivadian ships, three
of which were filled with precious artifacts that would travel with them to
their new planet. The other two ships would house those who were chosen to go.
The royal family and council, along with a few of their servants. The rest were
the top people in their respective fields, all of the sciences, doctors,
agriculturists, architects, and the arts. Oz wished they could take everyone on
the planet, but it wasn’t possible. Five ships leaving at once ran a risk of
drawing the Haagons' attention. If no Sivadians escaped, it would be the end of
their race.

Although, becoming used to a new planet would be a
challenge, they had been lucky to discover one in another galaxy where the
people looked very similar to them. The only difference was most Sivadians were
a bit taller and leaner than the inhabitants of Earth. Also, earthlings did not
require a blood substitute to survive. Earth was their best choice for a new
home. And until Haagons developed the technology to generate and travel through
wormholes, there was no chance of them following.

Oz materialized outside his parents’ house.

Where is Mother? She always meets me at the door,
like she has some sort of sixth sense about my visits.

He opened the door and went inside. “Mom, Dad?” A loud
thud came from the upper level. He went upstairs and froze when he reached the
top. The scent of blood lay heavy in the air. He pulled his gun and eased down
the hall, checking each room as he went. The door to his parents’ room at the
end of the hall was closed, but the strong scent came from that direction. His
heart raced and he had to stop himself from busting inside.

Please let them be okay.

Oz listened outside the door. The hair on the back of
his neck stood on end. He’d never heard anything like the wet, popping sound
coming from inside. He stood back and kicked the door so hard it came off the
hinges. An enormous Haagon stood to its full height of eight feet, and it was
as ugly as it was huge. Other than their size, they had the body of a Sivadian,
but above the shoulders, their appearance got really freaky. The neck and head
was that of a hairless, canine with an extra-long snout and teeth.

The creature roared, and blood dripped off its teeth and
chin, drooling down its neck and the front of its body. His father lay at its
feet with half of his chest and abdomen missing. His mother was in the corner,
her eyes cloudy and unfocused.

Pain lacerated Oz’s heart at the sight of his parents.
He emptied his gun into the Haagon’s chest. The monster staggered backward, but
regained its footing and headed toward him.

Oz pulled double daggers from his holster, aimed for its
heart and buried them in the Haagon’s chest.

A loud roar vibrated through the room. The Haagon looked
down and yanked the daggers from his body and then slung them against the wall.

What was it going to take to kill this damn thing?

Oz slammed another clip in his gun and shot it between
the eyes. The monster fell to the floor and didn’t move.

A head shot must be their vulnerable spot.
Oz glanced at his parents lifeless bodies. Tears blurred his vision
and he yelled, “No! No! No!” His legs weakened and he fell back against the
wall, slowly sliding to the floor. He’d lost the only family he had, the only
people who loved and needed him.

I should have let the monster kill me too.

His bloody daggers lay in the corner. A red haze of fury
consumed him as he crawled over to them. He gripped a knife in each fist, rose
onto his knees and screamed as he repeatedly buried them into the Haagon’s
chest. With each thrust of his blades, blood sprayed his face and clothes. He
stabbed both blades into the center of the monster’s neck, sliced down the
sides and around the back, severing its vertebra. Exhaustion overcame him and
he collapsed onto the floor, saturated in Haagon blood.

***

A faint, persistent buzzing started in Oz’s ears. He was
face down on the floor. He attempted to push himself up, but it was like his
body weighed a thousand pounds.

 
Had someone drugged him?
Hands flipped him
over and he tried to focus on the faces surrounding him.

Cieran’s face appeared only inches from his.

“Oz, wake up!” He moved away and said something to the
others. Moments later, someone lifted him from the floor and they transported.

The second time Oz regained consciousness; he was in the
castle infirmary. He glanced up at a bag of fluids and followed the tubing to
an IV in his arm. His heart raced as the scene at his parents’ house came
crashing around him with a vengeance. Movement caught his attention. Cieran
stood at the door talking to the doctor in hushed tones.

“What happened to me? How long have I been out?” Oz
asked. His voice was so hoarse he hardly recognized himself.

They both swirled around and stared.

“Somewhere between two to three hours,” the doctor said.
“You left for your parents’ house around two hours before they found you, and
you’ve been unconscious since you arrived in the infirmary an hour ago. The
doctor shone a light in Oz’s eyes. “How do you feel?”

Heat flooded Oz’s face. “How do you think I feel? A
fucking monster killed my family!” This guy was an imbecile.

Cieran laid his hand on Oz’s shoulder. “There were three
other attacks. All of them happened outside the city. After we destroyed the
mothership
, there were four Haagon fighter pilots
unaccounted for. Last report we received, they were all eliminated.”

Oz scrubbed his hands across his face. “Those things are
hard to kill.”

“About that,” Cieran said. “You were covered in Haagon
blood when we found you. The doctor thinks some either sprayed into your mouth,
or it penetrated through your skin. It acted as a sedative, or created some
type of chemical reaction that caused paralysis. That must be how they were
able to capture so many people on the other planets they’ve invaded.”

Oz looked at his arms. Someone had washed the blood off
and removed his bloody clothes. “Is there something I can put on? I need to get
back to my parents and take care of their bodies.”

“ It’s already done,” Cieran said. “I sent a cleanup
crew in while you were unconscious. Once we get to the launch facility, we can
hold a memorial service for them. If that’s all right with you?” He placed his
hand on Oz’s shoulder. “They were like my own parents.”

Oz and Cieran had spent countless hours at each other’s
houses when they were young. Since his father had served on Cieran’s father’s
council, Oz couldn’t remember a time when they weren’t friends. As they grew
into young men, they had fought together, keeping Sivadia safe from invading
civilizations. They quickly became known throughout the land as ‘The Prince and
the Aristocrat Warriors.’

When the former king died, it had affected Oz almost as
much as it had Cieran. The queen wasn’t far behind him. She mourned herself to
death for the loss of her life-mate. At least he didn’t have to watch his own
mother do the same.

Oz pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to staunch the
threatening tears. “Have you already sent Ximena and the boys to the launch
facility?”

“No. Other than myself, there’s only one person I trust
with their safety, and he was unconscious.”

Oz jerked back the covers and was as naked as the day he
was born. “Get me some clothes and let’s get your family someplace safe.” 

Cy paced in front of the window inside his room, a
combination of waiting for his father to return, and waiting for the Haagons to
attack. Father had told them to be ready in an hour, but that was three hours
ago. Since they destroyed the Haagon ship, maybe he’d changed his mind about
going to the launch facility.

He wasn’t looking forward to staying in that place. Due
to the cramped quarters, he would be forced to share a room with Vind. They
hadn’t shared rooms since they were five. After what happened in the cave, he’d
have to sleep with one eye open in case Vind decided on an encore performance.

Someone screamed outside. Cy ran to the window and
jerked back the curtain. The sky was filled with large, white pods, floating
soundlessly to the ground.

Haagons.
His heart
pounded in his ears. Where had they all come from? Down below, people scurried
around the castle grounds, some screaming, some quiet. They all wore frightened
expressions as they ran for cover. Gunfire erupted from the roof of the castle
and a few of the pods erupted into flames. Cy itched to have his hunting rifle,
but Father kept their guns locked inside a safe when they weren’t hunting.

The door flew open and his mother ran in. “Grab your bag
and let’s go. Your father said for us to get the servants together and go to
the underground tunnels. He and Oz will meet us there.”

Cy grabbed his bag and met Mother and Vind at the door.
He glanced back through the family room windows. The sound of anti-aircraft
guns firing at pods was deafening. Many were erupting into flames before they
could land. But it would take a lot of blasting to take care of thousands of
pods.

How many Haagons would fit in each pod, anyway? Probably
only one, according to how father and Oz described them. Something so large had
to be strong. A regular body with the head of a jackal, what would that even
make them? Lycan or something else? Dangerous, was the only answer that came
into Cy’s mind.

“Come along, boys. We need to get away from these
windows.” His mother opened the door and ushered them through. “We’re meeting
the servants at the kitchen.”

As they hurried down the hall, Cy glanced in each room.
It could be the last time he’d ever see the palace and he wanted to remember
everything the way it had been. He glanced at Vind and he seemed to be doing
the same. If he had ever been the sentimental type, he’d kept it hidden. But
the longing in his eyes suggested he loved the palace as much as Cy did.

When they reached the kitchen, Alpheus threw one arm
around Cy’s shoulders and the other around Vind’s. “I’m so pleased you both are
safe,” he said. Alpheus had worked for the royal family since Cy’s father was
young, and had been his and Vind’s caretaker since birth. Although he wasn’t
blood related, he was very much a part of their family. The rest of the royal
staff came out carrying their bags, and then everyone scurried down ten flights
of stairs to the underbelly of the castle.

Relief flooded Cy as his father and Oz met them at the
entrance to the tunnels. Something was wrong with Oz. His eyes looked lifeless,
as if a light had short-circuited inside of him.

They filed into the narrow tunnel one at a time. Due to
the metal composition of the rock and soil, they couldn’t transport and would
have to travel through the tunnels on foot. They were sandwiched front and rear
by heavily armed soldiers, with Oz up front leading the way. Cy’s mother
followed them, then Vind and Cy, with his father directly behind him.  

Once everyone was inside, Cy jumped as the door slammed
shut and the locks engaged. He should feel safe locked away deep underground,
surrounded by so many people. But he felt more like a trapped animal, sitting
in a field surrounded by hunters.

“Father, where will this take us?” Cy asked.

“We’ll come out in a forest outside the city. Once we
leave the tunnel, we’ll transport to the launch facility.”

“What if the Haagons are there when we reach the end?”

“We’re prepared for that. Don’t worry, Cy. We will make
it to the facility safely.”

Bile rose in Cy’s throat. There was no one he trusted
more than his father. But the sky had been so saturated with Haagon pods, how
could any place on Sivadia be safe enough for them to hide?

They had been traveling through the tunnel for an hour
when his father’s com-link buzzed. Cy recognized Oz’s voice coming through the
earpiece, and strained to hear what was being said.

Oz is just up front. It must be bad if he doesn’t
want to yell so the whole group can hear.

“Cieran,” Oz said. “The Haagons have overtaken the
castle. The fighters are still clearing the woods at the exit. When the tunnel
ends, we’ll have to remain inside until we get the all clear. As the lieutenant
checks-in, I’ll let you know how things are progressing.”

“Thanks for the update.”

Thirty minutes later the tunnel ended. Oz turned to the
group and held his hand in the air. “It’s clear for the moment, but I need
everyone to move quickly and to transport the moment you clear the tunnel.”

Cy’s mother turned and looked at him and Vind. One
perfectly arched eyebrow rose, her telltale sign that you had better listen to
what she was about to say. “Boys, you do exactly as Oz said.” Her eyes met her
husband’s. “I truly hope you’re not planning some type of heroics.”

“I’ll be right behind them, dear.” A hint of amusement
laced his father’s voice. Mother was the only person who could get away with
ordering the king around. Their love was evident every time their eyes met. If
Cy ever found his life-mate, he would strive to show her the same respect and
adoration his parents had always shown each other.

A tall ladder attached to the wall led up to a manhole
cover. One of the guards climbed up first. As he slowly removed the cover, Cy
held his breath and prayed the woods were not still full of Haagons. The
guard’s body eased through the hole and disappeared. Cy tensed as gunfire
erupted in the distance.

Once they had the all clear, his mother and Vind climbed
through the manhole. A hand reached through and grabbed hold of Cy’s arm…his
mother’s. As soon as his feet hit the ground, she spat the order. “Go.”

Cy didn’t hesitate. The air around him shimmered as he
followed the vapor trails of the previous transporters. Moments later he
materialized outside the launch facility. It was already dark, and Sivadia’s
magnificent beauty lit the skies with ever-changing shades of blue, green,
pink, and purple. The colors were brighter and more beautiful high in the Sewol
Mountains.

Moments later, his mother and father materialized, hand
in hand. She had lectured them about leaving the moment they were outside the
tunnel, but she had stayed behind until the last of her family was out. She
headed down a ramp that led to a set of hidden doors. “Come along, boys. Let’s
get inside.”

They entered a huge underground hangar that housed all
five ships. Their quarters were on one of the two transports that would carry
people if it became necessary to leave. Father had said they would remain here
until the last glimmer of hope died; the same hope each of them had that the
Sivadian army would defeat the Haagons and they could return home. He and Vind
followed their parents through the building. Everything looked so cold and
industrialized, nothing like the luxurious palace they had lived in.

They climbed the ramp and entered one of the ships.
Inside, it resembled a submarine they once toured. You had to step through each
door frame so they could be sealed off from the rest of the ship. They passed
what looked like a large control room. Rows of seats lined the walls, each with
straps to hold a person in.

Cy glanced at his father. “What are those seats for?”

“We must remain in those during take-off and reentry.”

“Do you think we’ll really have to leave?”

“Son, I’m not going to lie to you. We are outnumbered,
and although we’re well hidden here, eventually the Haagons will find us. When
I see that they’re moving closer, we will leave in order to ensure the
continuation of our race. Do you understand my reasoning?”

Cy gazed off in the distance, not really seeing
anything. “Yes, Father, I understand. I just wish there were another solution.”

“Me too, Cygan. Me too.”