Empress Fallen (Through Darkness Book I)

Chapter Three: To the End: Part 2

ii. Fragmenta

Aliya closed her eyes. The dread she had felt since the Enforcers arrived was making her head ache. She was almost too scared to look at Harith and Jagan. She opened her eyes again, clenching her fists, teeth gritted. Kuval looked back at her with a sad smile, then stepped into the lines of red.

'No.'

Someone pushed through a cluster of slaves behind her. She whirled around. Jagan threw himself towards the front, but just as he passed her, she caught him with both arms, holding him back, desperate.

'Jagan, don't, you'll be taken, please,' she whispered in his ear, 'please.'

He stared at her, still struggling, but then a light dimmed in his eyes and he looked down, motionless. She kept a hand on his arm, turning again. Kuval was chained by two Enforcers and then led away. The Captain closed his fist and the shimmering list disappeared. He made a move to leave, but then he hesitated slightly and strode straight towards them. He looked down at Jagan, the corner of his mouth curving upwards.

'Would you care to join us in the Lower Chambers?' he hissed. Jagan didn't say a word, his fists clenching. Aliya tightened her hold on his wrist.

'Are you sure?' the Captain snarled again. His voice deepened and he straightened. 'Then stay the hell in line.' And he brought his left arm up, silver club brandished, and smacked Jagan across the face.

Jagan crumpled to his knees and Aliya stepped forwards in rage. The Captain shoved the club in his belt, swinging the plasma rifle strapped to his back round and aiming it directly between her eyes.

'Don't move,' he growled. Then he kicked Jagan once in the stomach, and strode from the room. No one moved for several seconds as they wallowed in shock and confusion. But noise gradually began to reassert itself.

Aliya dropped to Jagan's side, taking his head in her hands. The entire left half of his face was a deep red, already swelling, and his nose was bleeding. He closed his eyes, leaning into her hand for a moment.

'Jagan –' but then he pushed her off, rolling to his knees and clutching his stomach.

'I'm fine, I need –' he grimaced, wiping the blood off his face, 'I need to help my father.' He hauled himself to his feet.

That's when the Enforcers began herding them out of the storage room. The wounded were forced up, the air filling with even more cries of pain. Soon, they were surrounded by the red rock of the passageways and the crowds dwindled as they were forced into their designated cells. Aliya stayed beside Jagan, leaning on him slightly as she limped. She searched vainly for Olun, questions still burning inside her about the operation her mother discovered, the operation that the Empire held in such deep confidentiality that they killed whoever learned of its existence, the operation that forced her family to flee millions of kilometres. Harith was close behind them.

'Vindex, Vindex, he'll be tortured, I've heard the stories, I've heard them,' he groaned, his voice cracking. 'There are rumours of a bio weapon, one that targets your nerve cells, it's said that it feels as though your blood is on fire –'

'Harith,' Jagan snapped. He turned to Aliya. 'If we can slip away, we can get to the elevators, override the security systems. We must get to the Lower Chambers.' Aliya just watched him as they were shoved down the corridors.

'Aliya, don't look at me like that, we can do it,' he said, wincing as she leant too heavily on him, his bruised ribs clearly hurting him. Panic rose inside her when she saw a silver plate on the rock wall, Level Sigma:2 – Section B66. Her cell was metres away.