The Heretic of Sælonis ||A Sci-Fi Romance Novella||

I won't let it be for nothing

The guards watching me had disappeared as Nierhæ had spoken her threat to the camera, leaving me still tied to the fucking chair.

The planet had kept rumbling and had begun to shake beneath me as I tried to figure out how to break free of my ropes. I'd so far concluded that it was impossible, but I would keep trying.

Dying tied to a chair wasn't really a part of my life plan.

"Cædir." Vyrekne's familiar voice echoed into the room, and although I tried to look at her, there was no point in it.

"Get me out of this fucking chair." I hissed, and her footsteps thundered over to me. "How's the plan going?"

"We didn't get all the Huntsmen, but we got most. There's apparently more Mertonians in the faction than I thought..." It wasn't just me? There were others?

"How many?" I asked as she undid the last of the bonds.

"Only about six of you, but that's much more than I... I thought it was just you, but they've covered their accents fairly well." She explained as I stood up. "We took that escape ship you told us to get. We've got kids and innocents on there. All the recruits in the Huntsmen faction are on there. It's still open for anyone that gets there in time."

Good. That was good.

"Come on, your armour was this way." She gestured for me to follow her, so I did without hesitation. "How long do you think we have left?"

Another earthquake underfoot knocked both Vyrekne and me to the ground briefly.

If it was that strong, then the planet's core had to be ruptured...

"Not long," I replied as we stood up and ran again. An acidic feeling filled my body as we sprinted, simply because I didn't know where Nierhæ was.

And I didn't feel the constant presence of the Aura around me.

It was almost as if there wasn't any left to give. If Nierhæ had connected to enough of it to rupture the literal core of the planet, then there might not be enough to go around.

And if she had channeled that much of it...

"Your armour was just in here." Vyrekne turned a tight corner, and I followed to find my armour on a table, ready to be given to the next Huntsman and reshaped to fit them.

"Thank you. You've done..." I trailed off. "I appreciate everything you've done."

"It's not for you, it's for my home." She took a deep breath.

"Either way, Vy, thank you." I picked up the legs of my armour. "And you should go, now. Get back to the ship so you can jump off planet." Sethes shook again underfoot. "The Huntsmen will need someone to lead them."

"And you don't want to do that?" She asked me, and I shook my head as I put the armour on.

"I have a feeling that Nierhæ and I will have our work cut out for us," I answered.

"If she survives, that is." If? Well, I knew she would push it to have enough power to destroy the planet, but...

"She'll survive." I murmured as I slipped the arms and the chest plate on. "She has to."

"Cædir, the current field reports say she's not visible out there. As in her body isn't flesh anymore-"

"She has to survive, Vy. If she doesn't, then us being betrothed was pointless. I won't let it be for nothing. This war won't be over until every planet is free, and until then we'll need her..." I picked up my helmet after every other piece of my armour was on. "I'll need her."

Silence followed for a moment, before Vy took off her helmet and I could see her eyes again.

"What if she doesn't make it?" She whispered, and I shook my head.

"Don't even toy with that idea. I'll get her out." I put my helmet on and picked up the gun left on the table. "Is my ship good to go?"

"Yes," Vy replied before she put her helmet on, too. "But promise me that if it comes down to it, and you can't save her from herself, that you'll get out of here. The Fifth Heir of Mertonis will still make for a bright flame to follow into battle. You'll be the King once you win a duel, and a Mertonian King is something that would benefit the rebellion greatly. Especially one that knows how Sethes works."

There was no way I would leave Nierhæ. I wasn't sure I could physically do it.

But Vyrekne wouldn't leave until I told her I would, even if she knew the promise was empty.

"I promise." It was the most blatant lie I'd ever told, because I had no intention whatsoever of following through.

Vyrekne sighed. "Be careful, please."

I nodded, and before I could say anything, she turned and ran away.

Well... I guess it was time to kill the Council.