The Poet Heroic (The Kota Series) Read online

  Thurston Olander was thinner than he’d ever been, his face gaunt and pale. His golden hair was stuck to his sweaty forehead. His eyes swung from Cruelthor to Vale and back again.

  “These are my sons,” he said hoarsely. He coughed and lifted his hand to grasp Cruelthor’s wrist. “I name Cruelthor sole heir to the Dominion throne. Upon my death, he will be Lord High Commander of the Dominion Empire. All authority passes to him…” He choked and fought for air.

  A nurse stepped to the bed and tended to him.

  Vale glanced at the commanders and saw them shuffling and looking at each other, then at him. He looked away.

  I shouldn’t be surprised by this, he thought. I’m… I’m not surprised. It would be too complicated for us both to rule. Cruelthor is more suited for it than I am, anyway. …Dad’s probably always planned this.

  Not wanting to know his brother’s thoughts at the moment, Vale still sensed a wave of emotions. Confusion. Anger. Excitement.

  Then, Cruelthor’s thoughts were too strong not to hear. “Everything father told me last night is unreal! How could he hide this from me until now! No wonder he slaughtered our people! And now Mom’s escaped again. Dad’s a goner. I’m going to have to clean up this mess.”

  Vale looked away.

  What the hell? he thought. What is going on?

  “Find her!” Thurston shouted suddenly. He shoved the nurse away and looked around the room, his eyes not focusing on any of them. “She betrayed me! I killed them. I killed them all. But her – find her! The girl must not live! She must not live! The prophecy! She will ruin everything!”

  Vale looked at Cruelthor, who seemed to understand whatever their father was babbling about.

  “Vedanleé…” Thurston stopped moving. His mouth hung open. His eyes did not blink.

  The nurse checked him, then looked at the twins. “I’m sorry. He’s gone.”

  Cruelthor didn’t even take a pause. He turned to the commanders. “Send the techs to the command office immediately. I want my ID tag reprogrammed to access my father’s files.” With that, he marched out of the room.

  Vale looked down at their father, then after his departed brother.

  What the hell? he thought again.

  Cruelthor had insisted upon an immediate cremation of their father’s body, followed by an afternoon service with hundreds of the Dominion’s most loyal citizens in attendance. The commanders and local governors had all expressed condolences to their new ruler, and Cruelthor had been surrounded by them all day.

  Vale, on the other hand, spent the day alone. The only acknowledgements anyone had given him were uncertain glances and a few kind words of sympathy. Now in his sitting room, he rested with an open fiction book on his lap.

  They don’t know what to do with me, he thought. To be honest, I don’t know what to do with me. Dad is dead… Why am I not sadder about that? He was a jerk, but he was my father. What am I feeling? Relief? I feel relief. I don’t have to be a Dominion High Commander. I can be… What do I want to be?

  He jumped in his seat when he heard his door open. Cruelthor strode in, lifted his eyebrows at Vale, and sat in the chair facing him. He wore his finest clothes, the same he’d wore at the funeral service earlier. He sat in the chair with a new level of authority.

  Already, thought Vale. He’s already accepted all of this.

  “Greetings, Lord High Commander,” said Vale with a bob of his head.

  Cruelthor tried to hide a grin. “I thought I’d better come speak with you and make sure there weren’t any hard feelings. I honestly had no idea until last night that Dad was planning this.”

  “So he told you last night?” Vale was finally able to ask the questions he’d had all day. “What else did he tell you? Do you know what he was talking about, there at the end?”

  Cruelthor picked a stray hair off his sleeve with a frown. “He told me a lot of things, Beathabane. A lot of it is…confidential. But now his ravings lately make sense. I’ll tell you what I can, but… There are some Dominion secrets that are for me alone to know. No offense.”

  Vale nodded, trying to adjust to this new dynamic.

  “What was Dad saying about Mom? Did you learn anything about that?”

  “Yeah.” Cruelthor scratched his chin. “All of that is actually why I’m here. I knew you’d want to know. And I need your help.”

  “Okay?”

  “Mom did come back a few days ago. Turns out, she was in hiding with a group of our Kota people this whole time. She had a new husband and a daughter. A whole happy, new family.”

  Vale sat back in surprise. He didn’t know what he’d expected to hear, but… Their mother had made a new life and been happy?

  “A little while ago,” Cruelthor went on, “I guess her new husband made her angry or something, and she tried to run away with their daughter. But the guy kept their kid and sent Mom away on her own. That’s why Mom came back here. Considering Dad wanted her and all the Kota dead, that seems pretty stupid. But, I guess she was desperate to get her daughter back. She made a deal with Dad. She told him she’d lead his soldiers to the Kota remnant she’d been living with so the soldiers could slaughter them. In exchange, she wanted Dad to promise he’d allow her and her daughter to live in peace.”

  Vale, amazed, wiped his face with his hands. “I’m guessing Dad didn’t do that.”

  “Nope. Commander Rilen took a whole squadron of drone soldiers to where Mom and the girl were living, and his orders were to kill her on sight. But Mom must’ve not trusted Dad – guess she’s not so stupid after all – and she wasn’t there when Rilen showed up. She’s vanished. Again.”

  Vale nodded in thought. “So did Mom curse Dad? She must’ve known he wouldn’t keep his promise, so she cursed him.”

  Cruelthor rolled his eyes. “If anything, maybe she poisoned him.”

  There’s no point arguing about it, thought Vale. Whatever happened, Dad’s dead. Mom is gone again.

  This was all so crazy, but one thing made his heart a little lighter. “We have a little sister?” He smiled at his twin.

  “Half-sister, yeah.”

  “Right before Dad died, he said to kill them. He said, ‘The girl must not live.’ So…” He swallowed but was relieved to see Cruelthor shaking his head.

  “No, I’m not going to kill our little sister. I can’t tell you everything, but I know what Dad was so afraid of. I know why he killed our Kota people. He was nuts, but he had his reasons.” Cruelthor bit his lip in thought. “But I don’t think our sister is a threat. At least, not yet. If we can get to her first, we can bring her here to live with us.”

  Vale nodded in agreement.

  Thank God, he thought. This poor girl…

  “How old is she? Any idea where she is?”

  “She’s six, as far as we can sort out. And nope – no idea where she is. That’s where you come in.” Cruelthor leaned forward and raised an eyebrow. “I’m being publically named Lord High Commander next week, so I need all the time I can get between now and then to plan my coronation ceremony.”

  Yet we buried Dad in an afternoon, thought Vale.

  “Once I’m in charge,” Cruelthor went on, “I’ll have a ton of work on my plate. I don’t and won’t have time to find our sister. But…”

  “But I do.” Vale nodded. “I’ll talk to Commander Rilen and go to Mom’s last known whereabouts. I’ll look for clues. Maybe someone knows where she went.”

  “What makes you think anyone would tell you?”

  Vale smirked. “What makes you think they’ll have to?”

  Cruelthor matched his smirk. “Good point.” He rose from his chair. “I’ll bump up your usual security detail and give you one of Dad’s…one of my private jets. Check in with me if you find anything.”

  “Will do.”

  “I’ll see you next week for my coronation?”

  “Wouldn’t miss it.” Vale smiled awkwardly.

  As the door closed behind his brother, Vale rose to pac
k a bag.

  2

  Vancouver

  He hadn’t been in the woods for years, certainly not since moving to the Capitol House. Not like this. Not in the wild.

  The hiking trail had thinned several kilometers ago. He now stepped over frosted roots and rocks, his boots crunching the crisp fall leaves. Branches stretched over the trail, and he’d ordered his bodyguards not to disrupt the foliage. Brom led him while Tor and Coi followed behind, guns at the ready.

  He’d searched for six days. The house his mother supposedly had lived in was empty. The Kota camp the Dominion drones had attacked was a dead end of information – burned corpses and piles of destruction were all that remained. The closest population in Vancouver reported hearing heavy gunfire in the woods, but understandably no one had investigated. Shortly thereafter, a few local grocers said a woman and young girl had been around, shopping for food and supplies before disappearing into the woods again.

  She’s out here in the wilderness somewhere, thought Vale. They are. When I find them-

  A gunshot sounded, echoing over the wild terrain.

  “Ugh!” Brom suddenly doubled over and fell against a tree.

  “Brom?” Vale hurried forward, pushing aside a branch. “What-”

  Another gunshot.

  Vale ducked and sank to his knees beside Brom, who winced and held his bleeding chest.

  “Beathabane!” Tor called from behind.

  Vale looked back and saw Tor and Coi running to him, guns raised as they scanned the trees.

  “He’s hit!” Vale called. He looked back at Brom. “Hold on, they’re-”

  More gunshots.

  Tor fell first, hit in the leg. He got off a shot before another bullet found his chest. Then he lay still on the ground, bleeding out. Coi ran three more strides before a perfect shot struck his head, and he fell straight forward, never to move again.

  “Beathabane, run!” Brom ordered. He grabbed Vale’s jacket to look at him. His eyes were wide and stern. “Run!”

  Five more gunshots erupted in quick succession, one bullet ricocheting off the tree beside Vale’s head.

  “Go, kid! They’re here to slay you! Go!”

  Vale looked around, saw a clear path behind him, and checked his fallen bodyguards one last time. Then he jumped to his feet and ran through the woods. Gunshots fired, and he tensed before realizing he wasn’t hit. He ran harder, pushing through branches and choosing his footing as best he could. More gunshots fired, now from the opposite direction. They didn’t seem focused on him, but he didn’t stop to investigate. He ran uphill and over to find an open clearing with an abandoned cabin in the center.

  Cover, he thought. Get to cover.

  He sprinted across the clearing and reached the cabin. The steps of the porch were broken, but he jumped over them and landed on the porch, which fortunately didn’t collapse under him. The cabin door hung loose on its hinges, and he pulled it open while trying to hold it intact. Once through, he wedged the door shut again before turning to see where he was.

  A window on either side of the room allowed light into the abandoned building. Dirt covered the floor. A chunk of the ceiling hung down. A dark area on the far side of the room looked like it might lead into a hall.

  Gunshots from some distance away echoed through the woods.

  Vale turned back to the door and closed one eye to look outside through a crack.

  “Don’t freak out, okay?” said a female voice.

  Vale whipped around and looked to the dark hall. He’d been panting before, but now he found his throat was dry. “Who… Who’s there?”

  Footfalls came first, and then a young woman stepped out of the shadowed hall, her arms raised. She came into the light from the windows, and Vale saw she was about his own age. She wore boots, thermal pants, and a slick dark coat. Her head was shaved except for a braided mohawk of blond hair, the ponytail of which was pulled over her shoulder. Her blue eyes widened as she smiled at him.

  “Hello, Beathabane.”

  “What is going on? Who are you?”

  “I need you to calm down, okay? I’ll explain everything.” She kept her hands raised.

  Vale looked out the windows, sure that guns would poke inside and aim at him any minute.

  “The Underground sent assassins,” said the girl. “That’s who shot your men. My team is trying to scare them off. We’ve got this cabin surrounded, so don’t worry. We won’t let the Underground get you.”

  The Underground, thought Vale.

  He knew of the rebel group. They were the strongest opposition to the Dominion, attacking bases and committing crimes all over the globe.

  “They’re trying to kill me?”

  The girl blinked. “Well, yeah.”

  He tried to think. “Your team? Who are you? Are you operatives? Did Cruelthor send an extra team to protect-”

  “No.” The girl shook her head. “Sweetie, I’m not Dominion. But I am here to help you.”

  “Why should I believe you?” Vale felt for the door behind him, but he didn’t see how he could make a quick escape that way.

  She smiled and lifted an eyebrow. “Read my mind.”

  He froze. “What are you talking about?”

  “You’re a telepath. It’s a big secret, but… I know.” She smiled again. “Go ahead. The easiest way for me to prove you can trust me is to let you look in my mind.”

  Vale wavered. If he distracted himself by looking in her mind, she’d have time to attack him. “How do you know about my telepathy?”

  “We’ll get to that. Just go ahead and read my mind, Little Lord Fauntleroy.”

  He made a face. “In no way am I like-”

  “Crap, no, that’s totally off, isn’t it? Literature was never really my thing, but I was trying to impress you. I was always way better at Science and Math.” She winked. “You’re not the only one with a Dominion education, you know.”

  “I thought you’re not Dominion.”

  Her face grew serious for the first time “Not anymore, I’m not.” She tapped the side of her head. “Come on, telepath. Get on with it.”

  Vale hadn’t heard shooting in a while. He was either completely out of danger or about to be in a lot more of it.

  But I need to know what’s going on, he thought.

  He met her eyes, felt for her mind, and entered her thoughts.

  She sneaks out of her parents’ house and runs to a hovercar where her friends are waiting. They cruise down the night streets until they get to a Dominion treatment station. Here, they park a short distance away and hold back giggling as they quietly approach the station’s side windows. Peeking inside, they see a long line of poor citizens. She giggles with her friends to see the old clothes the citizens are wearing, and they point and laugh from outside the window. Then, as the last citizen in line receives his treatment injection from the Dominion doctors, one of the doctors orders drone soldiers to block the people from leaving. The citizens look around in confusion and panic, and suddenly one bolts for the exit. The nearest drone shoots the citizen in the chest, and the man falls to the ground in a puddle of blood. The girl and her friends stop laughing and watch as drones bring a giant cage into the room and push the citizens inside. The citizens cry and scream in terror, but the Dominion doctors ignore them as they stand before the cage. Then, one of the citizens falls to his knees and starts shaking. The others in the cage back away, but then another man starts convulsing and falls to the floor. Then another. Soon, every citizen in the cage is factoring from DRK infection. The girl then realizes that they weren’t given treatment injections – they were directly injected with the virus. The citizens begin to shriek and growl, factoring as the DRK quickly evolves them into subhuman monsters. The girl and her friends back away from the station and run to their hovercar.

  Vale closed his eyes and disconnected from her mind. He took a moment to analyze all he’d seen. Looking back at her, he saw she was unnerved by the memory she’d shared. Regret, sorro
w, shame, and rage wafted from her mind.

  “You’re Nocturna,” he said first, “Elite Sonne’s daughter who went missing. The official report was that you were kidnapped by the Underground in retaliation for Sonne raising taxes on his region.”

  She shut down her emotions. “I know. I read the newsfeeds – which maybe you should do more of, by the way.”

  “I always keep up to date on-”

  “I don’t mean that Dominion bullshit. I mean the rebel newsfeeds that report what’s actually going on in the world. Seriously, Beathabane – I know what it’s like to grow up in the Youth and think you know everything, but it’s much smarter to wake up and learn the truth.”

  Vale opened his mouth to argue but closed it again as he remembered her memories.

  I had no idea the Dominion was experimenting with the DRK, he thought. Those poor people. I know my father was doing some terrible things, but this…

  “Now, as for why I’m here…” Nocturna took a step forward to peer up at him. “There’s a lot you could do to help us.”

  “Us who? Who are you working for?”

  “I’m with a new group of rebels. The Underground won’t take us because they think we still have loyalties to the Dominion.” She shook her head, sincerity radiating right off her. “But it’s exactly because we were in the Dominion that we can do the most damage. We know how the system works. We have professional training. We’re educated way more than the average citizen. And you…” She lifted her hands to point at him. “Imagine what you could do from the inside. You could help us end the Dominion once and for all!”

  “End the-” Vale managed a laugh. “Are you kidding me? I’m not going to help you rebels bring down the only world order!”

  She visibly forced herself not to yell at him, and she took a breath. “You’re the one who likes stories. Do you know the one about the man in the iron mask?”