Courage Comes From Lies

Chapter 36: Devin/Yolaris

| 3:58 in the afternoon |

Devin's POV//

I couldn't afford to waste anymore time with reaching Tara. I checked her GPS on the map and I saw that she'd already reached my mother's main capital. Jasmine had tried to call me a total of six times and left me twelve voicemails and seventeen texts, telling me to stop at Heidi's and rest more before continuing. "Why can't she understand I can't afford to stop any longer?" I kept thinking that to myself as I traveled. I'd already used the FTL action about fifteen minutes ago to try and speed up. I only got about thirteen hours ahead. And I'd thought long and hard about if I should ask Jasmine if it was safe to use it twice in a row. However I decided against it because my pride wouldn't allow me to. Even though I trusted her with my very life, something told me I couldn't trust her for this specific operation because she couldn't begin to understand the love I have for Tara. I picked up on that immediately and understood that if I was to get Tara back, I'd have to do it myself. After maybe twenty minutes of more thinking, against my pride, I left Jasmine a voice message of my question to her. Four minutes later, she replied to me with urgency, warning me not to use the FTL action more than once after every hour of using it. I asked her why and she responds saying it'll overheat the engine and cause me to crash. I didn't reply to her, just letting that text sink in. I won't be able to make it before Tara meets my mother if I don't use the FTL method again. But if I do, I could crash or potentially die. I checked my GPS and noticed I was exactly two and a half days from Heidi's and over three days away from where Tara has just landed. This put me in an tight spot. I knew I needed to stop at Heidi's and let my weapons and ship be readily equipped with what I need to face whatever I will be facing while back on the palace grounds. But at the same time, I knew that if I didn't get to her in less than a day, I wouldn't be able to stop my mother from doing whatever she wanted with Tara. And I couldn't let that happen. I couldnt. So in another big brained decision, I shut my eyes, pressed the button again and just hoped for the best as the thrusters powered up.

Yolaris' POV//

"Finally. Finally." I excitedly paced my room after receiving the good news. Tara's finally reached my capital. She's here. After all this time of waiting, loss and anger, I finally get to look at her face to face and for some reason I was nervous. Tara Koldem is the only person in the entire galaxy that I know is a threat to my way of life as well as my future. If she discovers she has the power of the Ancient Star Guardian, there's no telling what she'll do and I refuse to take that chance. After I get rid of her, I'll be able to live in peace. The minute I got the alert, I began prepping a huge banquet for my guest and sprucing up the palace and property. I walked down the hall with one of my castle's consultants going through a checklist with her.
"Are the grounds keepers about finished with the Garden?" I asked her while nodding to another worker in regards to a potted plant's placement.
"Yes, My Queen. Your cooks are in the middle of preparing the banquet and I've given word that your youngest daughter's room shall be where Tara stays until her end here."
"Perfect." I thanked her and went my separate way to check up on the grounds keepers. But before I could even get to the palace doors, a guard came running up behind me yelling frantically. "My Queen! My Queen!" I stopped and turned to him. "Archimedes. You're supposed to be guarding the dungeons' entrance with your sister." He stopped in front of me, breathing heavily as I looked at him. "Calm down, Archimedes. Catch your breath first then explain to me what's going on." I watched him lightly grip his chest as his breathing slowed. "There you go. Now. Calmly explain to me what's happening." He swallowed taking a deep breath then looked at me with great alarm.
"Princess Amanda is missing!"
I blinked looking at him in complete disbelief and all at once, I felt my good mood drain away. "What?"
"Erin said she had a weird feeling so she told me she'd check all the cells. After maybe about six minutes, she came running back out yelling that Princess Amanda was gone. All that was left were the old clothes that she wore while in captivity."
I stared at the floor silently just taking in what I was being told. Amanda... Just when I thought I'd finally get my life back together, here you are again popping back up like a nasty infection. I clenched my fists, feeling my rage rise again.
"What shall you have me do, My Queen?" His question broke me out of my mentality and brought me back to reality. I shook my head and took a deep breath.
"Is anyone searching for her right now?"
He shook his head. "I was told to immediately come to you. We're awaiting your orders."
"Alright. Gather up a search party of exactly twenty-seven guards. Have them scan over every part of the palace grounds. No place is off limits. I cannot have her escaping the property."
"Yes, My Queen!" He bowed then hurried away, leaving me with my thoughts. Amanda. Once again you're disrupting my plans for the future. I don't know how she was raised to be so disobedient and defiant but I know where I went wrong. I gave her the chance to prove to me she could listen by keeping her alive. Now I know what I have to do. I'll make sure she isn't able to screw over anything else in my life, permanently.