The Venerate Order

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Taleri

Morning sunshine danced across my eyelids to awaken me. As I leaned up from the bed, I saw that Strafe was still asleep. He looked like a model as he lay there; I wouldn't mind seeing him every day. I was curious to hear more about the United States of America and his world. The fire had died but left a pleasant aroma of burnt wood. Meditation was how I began my days. With so much death permeating my life, it was necessary to cleanse my spirit to keep my sanity. I looked toward the sun and crossed my legs. I breathed deeply in, then out. It was so refreshing.

After a while Strafe finally got off his lazy butt. He did some morning stretches and took a great big yawn. He retracted my bed, which awakened Brutus. The wolf made sure to keep his eye on me at all times. By the time Strafe got done cleaning up, I was still looking toward the sun. He had a puzzled gaze when I turned around and winked at him. He still kept his guard up.

Strafe told me we had to get going. Brutus was getting restless, so we jumped on his back and headed on our way. We traveled for about another twenty miles before we could see Dhenfen'Ce in the distance. It resided in a valley and stretched for miles. The Grasslands were slightly elevated and looked down upon the city. The amazing part of Dhenfen'Ce was what irritated my father the most, the Crystal Dome that surrounded the entire metropolis. Translucent shielding that protected it from enemy shells and most other ordinance. The city was a feast for the eyes of those who had never seen it before. Strafe stood there looking at it in amazement.

There were monuments and beautiful Sorian structures in every direction. When entering the city through the main gate, visitors walked down the Victory Promenade, lined with statues of their past heroes, war memorials and most importantly the statue of Soria's first president astride a horse with the golden flag raised high above him, waving into the sky. His name was Saeson Dhenfen'Ce. Regardless of how I viewed the people, even then, as my enemy, I was always awestruck by this place. Strafe helped me to dismount from his wolf and grabbed me gently by my elbow. While I felt like showing him what I could do, my armor would hide it from him.

Slowly, I turned on my aura and I could feel the tattoos etch themselves all over my skin. I was chosen to wield the Power of Compassion. The gift let me control the actions of anyone I touch. My eyes and hair changed color to pink and I looked into his eyes. Strafe suddenly stopped in place like a soldier going to attention.

"What's wrong Strafe?" Brutus asked him.

Strafe stood there frozen in place like a statue. If I hadn't forgotten how smart that damn wolf was I would've escaped.

"Let him go, Taleri, or I will show you how sharp my teeth are," Brutus spoke.

It was too late to react. I saw military personnel approaching us. Word must have gotten out about the attack. People were whispering and pointing fingers at us. I decided it was time to hop on the Air-tram.

"Listen wolf, let's not do anything hasty. We don't want Strafe to, let us say, swallow his tongue? We're going to the Senti Embassy. I'm not going to rot in a jail cell. Let's get on this train up ahead." I commanded him.

"I could smell you were hiding something from us. I made a mistake of not killing you," Brutus replied with his teeth showing.

"You wouldn't have been the first. Let's go," I stamped my foot on the ground and led them away.

We made our way through the crowd and hopped on an Air-tram. Air-trams aren't like ordinary trains that run on tracks on the ground. Instead, they fly through the air in wind tunnels. They act as hyper loops, transporting people in a vacuum. There aren't any physical tracks and trains can switch directions simply by connecting to other wind tunnels. It helps to free up space around the city. The best part, no noise, and it feels like riding on a surfboard. So, all I needed to do was get to the Senti Embassy. I didn't want to hurt Strafe, but if the wolf or the military tempted me I would do what I had to do to escape.

We rode the train to the Government Center and to my surprise were greeted by the Sorian Elite Guard. They literally dropped right in front of our eyes out of the sky. These soldiers could navigate through the city by using propulsion boots in their armor. They wore jet-black helmets that made them look like robots. Their armor was skin-tight and they all carried Gun-Cannons. Their Gun-Cannons could put a hole the size of a bowling ball in a person.

I sized them up. If I didn't have Brutus breathing down my neck, I would've made them tear each other apart with my gift. The wolf was too smart to get too close to me, as I would've commanded him to eat them alive.

One man stepped toward us; he wasn't part of the Elite Guard. He was wearing green armor and carried his helmet in his hand. Brutus growled, but he didn't flinch. This man was middle-aged, I could tell by his wrinkles. In the other hand, he held a gold scroll. He had the eyes of a real man. Eyes that had seen glory. Eyes that had accomplished a lot in life. True Warrior traits.

"My name is Captain Richard Ghennon, SkyGuard Commander of the Aero Force here in Dhenfen'Ce. Please come with us," the man said, motioning us to enter a building behind him.

I powered down my aura and let Strafe go. There was no getting away now. As Strafe pulled his arm away, he quickly rubbed his face to clear his mind.

"What the hell?" he moaned while looking back at me.

"Our visual scanners picked up this murderer you're with, but we have no database for you, young man. We have some very important business to discuss," Captain Ghennon replied. We followed them into the building.

The building opened up into a great hall, lined with balconies. From the looks of it, we were in a courtroom. The flags and insignias of the various states across Soria lined the walls. At first, the Guards suggested that Brutus wait outside but after he showed them his teeth, they let him inside graciously. Before I could react, the Guards placed heavy metal cuffs on me and escorted me to the middle of the room.

"Thank you for finding this killer; we will take her off your hands. How you captured her, Mr. Rocknus, I don't know, but you can rest assured you did us a great favor. I will escort you to the International Intelligence Agency for debriefing and to get your full report on the incident in Mylintus," Captain Ghennon said to Strafe.

"Hang on Mr., ah, Captain Ghennon. My memory is a little fuzzy. I don't remember getting into Dhenfen'Ce," Strafe replied as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Probably fatigue. You look like you've been through a lot," Ghennon patted him on the shoulder.

Strafe nodded and then looked at me, "What are you going to do with her?"

"She is being charged with committing war crimes against Soria. I understand you brought her to us because she is a person of interest. More than likely she will end up in prison unless a deal can be brokered," Ghennon replied coldly.

"What?" Strafe responded.

"Son, this is way over your or even my head. The colonel, our boss, gave us these express orders. You are lucky she didn't cut you into pieces in your sleep. She's killed more people than the winter volcanoes. The Violet Rose, General Taleri Ganser has a reputation for being Senti's top assassin," Ghennon explained as he turned toward the escort.

Strafe looked speechless. He took one more glance at me, as I now had two people restraining me with a neck collar. I stood calmly as the doors started to close. I turned around one more time and locked eyes with Strafe. I gave him a wink and blew a kiss to him just as the doors slammed shut. He looked terrified.