I’m sorry this is a little late this week, my weekend was full of delirium and pain – in other words I have strep. But the meds are finally starting to work and I’m almost back to full strength.
Thanks as always to those of you reading, and a huge thanks to those who leave feedback.
Carolyn : Many thanks to your constant feedback. I really appreciate it. And things always look darkest before the light, or something like that
Chapter 31.
“No, you cannot go,” Michael stated firmly, his whiskey-colored eyes meeting her flaring greens ones as he stood his ground once again.
“Why?” Maria returned stubbornly. “It’s not like I’ll be on my own. I’m followed constantly by Kyle, Jackson, and the purple brigade.” She waved her hand to indicate the two of the guards sent by Larek standing by the door to the large room they were currently inside.
“I need you to be safe, Maria,” Michael repeated for what felt like the millionth time, his hand sweeping wearily over his face.
Maria inched closer to him, adjusting the skirts of her long dress and pushing Michael back a little in his chair so she could settle in his lap.
“I just want to meet and greet the people, too,” she explained gently, her fingers toying with the straight edge of his jacket.
“It might be a good idea, my Lord,” Jackson intervened, stepping in once the couples’ discussion was coming to a lull and the two had calmed. “The people will love to see Princess Mia. She is their future queen, after all.”
Maria turned abruptly to face Jackson, and therefore, didn’t see Michael shaking his head and moving his free hand frantically, trying to stop Jackson from saying anything else.
“Don’t I have to agree to a marriage before I’m proclaimed their queen?” she asked haughtily.
Jackson’s eyes shifted from Maria to Michael, and then back to the blonde.
“Well, actually, no,” he replied reluctantly. “Only your parents need to agree, and since they already did…”
“Wait,” Maria interrupted him, her hand raised in a stopping motion. “My parents are on Earth, not any other planet. And if you think Amy Deluca will agree to her only daughter marrying at the ripe young age of 17, you’ve got another thing coming.”
Jackson looked uncertainly at Michael and then back to Maria. “On this planet, you are Princess Mia, and your parents are the rulers from Plantgesia, and they have agreed to your marriage. And I have to point out by Antarian laws, you are already married. You share the connection that manifests after a joining.”
“Well, shit,” was all Maria could say.
“All that is left is the ritual,” Jackson added.
“Ritual!” Maria squeaked. “That doesn’t sound good. That sounds like blood-letting, maybe a sacrifice, some chanting, and possible group sex.”
“Hey, I’m down with that,” Kyle’s voice erupted from the other side of Michael. When three heads turned to him, he added with a grin, “Well, the orgy part, anyway.”
“There is not gonna be an orgy,” Michael stated calmly.
“That’s right,” Jackson agreed. “It’s actually a pleasant ritual, not unlike the ceremony many humans go through.”
“And Grand Master Toman suggests we do it sooner rather than later,” Michael slipped into the conversation.
When Maria swung her accusing eyes to him, he continued. “He knows about the connection, right? He told you if we used it, others will know, too. The easiest thing to do would be to just do it.”
“Just do it,” Maria repeated deadpan.
“You know, it doesn’t stand on Earth, just here, and I’ve told you my reason why I want to go ahead with this,” Michael said softly to her.
Maria nodded. She understood his reasoning but it still felt like a big deal to her.
“If you let me go with you into the city, then we can go through with this ritual,” she bargained with a sly smile.
“That’s not fair, Blondie,” Michael moaned.
“Hey, if I’m gonna be your queen, I’m sure the people will want to see me.”
“It’s true,” Jackson conceded, nodding his head and looking to Michael.
“Ok,” Michael relented. “But we double your guard, and as soon as we are back within the palace walls, we
do this ritual thing.”
“Deal,” Maria smiled holding her hand out to shake on it.
“Deal,” Michael agreed and leaned in to kiss her lips gently.
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The large group stepped through the palace’s overlarge gates and out onto the path which was bustling with activity that afternoon. The path from the palace led directly into the center of the city, and the city had sprawled out beyond the palace walls, so they were greeted immediately by the people as they slowly made their way to their final destination.
The wide walkways were crowded with many of the citizens of the city eager to see their new king close up.
They cheered as Michael and Maria strolled down the dirt track, Kyle and Jackson immediately following behind them with Isabel walking between the two of them.
Isabel had yet to tell Michael and Maria about the conversation she and Max shared earlier that day, and she hadn’t seen Max since their conversation either. She expected he was somewhere within the palace walls, maybe even talking to Lyarna and recanting his plea and making arrangements to go home. Liz, too, was missing from their group, as she could not be found either, and Isabel just hoped the brunette hadn’t found trouble wherever she was.
Two of the royal guards marched out in front of Michael and Maria with four more following behind Kyle, Jackson and Isabel. Four of the Plantgesian guards also followed those royal guards, making their number of guards at 10, not including Kyle and Jackson.
Michael held tightly onto Maria’s hand as they wandered through the streets of Starlina City, observing their surroundings as they leisurely made their way into the center of the metropolis. The city was built with the same colored sandstone, the buildings square and identical. It had a simplistic look which surprised Maria as she always imagined alien worlds to be futuristic in their architecture. But then, it shouldn’t really have surprised her, considering her dreams of palaces and stone walls. As they walked, Maria wore a constant grin, waving as they moved down the path together and smiling sweetly at the people they passed.
“Try and smile,” she whispered to Michael and watched as a grimace formed on his face at her suggestion.
“Ok, we are trying to be gracious, not scared the natives away,” she added with amusement.
Michael shot her a look of contempt before turned back to wave with his free hand.
“You know, I feel like Channing Tatum,” Kyle grinned, waving at a cute young woman as their entourage passed.
“More like Peewee Herman,” Isabel laughed.
Kyle shot her a look of disbelief. “Yeah, that’s right. Rag on the downtrodden why don’t you?”
The group, as a whole, chuckled, and Maria found it hard to believe that they were this comfortable walking the streets of Antar. She turned, beaming, to face Michael, and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him tightly into an impromptu hug. She wasn’t sure why she felt the need to be close to him at that moment, but she did, and their entire party stopped in the middle of the pathway, blocking the bypassers as they made their way through the city.
“No need to get all touchy-feely,” Kyle joked from behind them, and the couple pulled apart.
“No need to be all jealous,” Michael quipped, his eyes narrowing on his friend before letting out a bark of laughter.
“I still can’t believe we’re actually here,” Isabel whispered, stepping forward to speak closer to Maria.
“I know,” the other blonde responded. “It’s incredible, huh?”
“Yeah,” Isabel agreed immediately.
Their carefree moment was disrupted with a startlingly loud crashing sound.
The loud boom shocked them at first, and they all stood still in the silence that followed. When the air was filled with one piercing scream then more voices filled the air as the people around them began to move quickly in all directions.
The two royal guards in front of the group turned and rushed to their king, protecting him from whatever foe they were facing. Michael pulled Maria back toward him, enveloping her within his arms, his face turning to Kyle and Jackson and seeing them both protecting Isabel, as she stood still between them, the other royal guards and the Plantgesian guards surrounded their entire group.
Another boom vibrated around the square, this time sending stone and mortar flying in all directions, and a building to the right of them shuddered, the walls seeming to bend slightly and groan with the explosion.
Maria buried her head against Michael’s chest, her body shaking with fear until her eyes meet that of a young child standing beneath the ominously swaying wall, the girl’s face transfixed on her new king and the princess.
“No,” Maria said breathlessly, and she tried to move from Michael’s embrace to help the girl before it was too late.
Michael held on to her tighter, needing to feel that she was there, safe in his arms from the disaster happening around them.
Maria’s eyes held those of the little girl, and she stretched out her hand to the child, beckoning her forward.
The girl didn’t move, just stood here frozen in place with a smile on her face and a disbelieving look in her eyes, as if she couldn’t comprehend she was seeing a princess in real life.
Michael’s arms loosened around her, momentarily distracted, and Maria didn’t realize her feet carried her as well, until she heard Michael’s frantic call behind her.
She knelt down beside the girl, her skirts fluttering carelessly onto the dirty ground, and her eyes searching the child’s to ensure she was all right. She whispered, “Are you ok?”
“You’re beautiful,” was her reply. “Are you really a princess?”
Maria smiled. “Yes. Come on, let’s get you to safety.”
A sharp cracking noise interrupted her next sentence, and Maria looked up sharply to find the stone at the top of the wall was wobbling precariously. She was horrified and was almost certain it was going to fall on the two of them, and her body went into overdrive.
She wrapped her arms around the small girl, pulling her out of danger as the stones started to crumble down upon them both. She held one hand above her head, as if it would stop herself and the child being crushed under the weight of the rocks plummeting to the ground.
A purple haze erupted around her, enveloping her and the young one, keeping them safe as the stones bounced off the one–sided shield and smashed to the ground around them.
Maria turned her head desperately to seek out Michael, hoping he was the one providing this shelter for her and the child. Her heart fell as she watched Michael and the guards surrounding him lifted from the ground and propelled back with force, landing heavily on the hard ground several feet from where they once stood.
In spite of herself, Maria gasped aloud, and tears filled her eyes as she watched her lover, their friends, and their guards thrown backwards. She wasn’t sure if they were still alive or if the blast had killed them all.
Maria was drawn back to her current situation as she felt an arm twist around her waist, and her head
whirled to stare into the darkest eyes she had ever seen. Fear gripped her instantly as she studied the man before her who was restricting her movements. His eyes were as dark as night, his features youthful, contradicting the predatory look he held. He looked familiar and it was a while before recognition hit her.
Nicholas.
Though he looked a lot better than he did the last time she saw him, albeit very briefly. It was when the Skin had arrived in Roswell looking for the Royal Four. She seemed to remember he was more interested in Isabel. What did he want with her?
“Save your mate or the child in your arms,” the man’s voice said, dripping with menace.
Maria raised her eyes to her hand to realize the protective shield was coming from her. She could break it to help Michael or to stop this new enemy, but that would surely kill her and the girl she was trying to protect, or she could save the girl and forfeit herself to this man.
Maria felt herself deflate. This was her fault. She insisted on coming out here today to meet the people, and now Michael’s worst fear was becoming a reality, though the danger was not from Max, but from a different predator who was watching her intently as she weighed up her options.
The man beside her chuckled. “Wise choice, Your Majesty.” And he moved her quicker than she thought
possible as she clung to the frightened girl in her arms.
****************************************
Michael blinked once, then again, as the dust settled around him. He coughed as the particles entered his lungs, his natural reflexes taking over to expel the foreign body from his body.
He sat up slowly, his hand reaching for his head to try and still the painful throb which was pounding violently. He felt something wet on his forehead, and he pulled his away to discover blood on it. It didn’t register that he was bleeding until the sticky liquid seeped over his right eye, and he blinked violently, raising his other hand in an attempt to clear his double vision as he struggled to rise to his feet.
“Maria?” he called out, surprised at how low his voice sounded.
He cleared his throat and then tried again, thankful to hear his voice louder and stronger.
There was no reply.
The dust continued to settle around him. Three of the guards had died in the incident with two more injured and unconscious.
“Maria,” he called again, concern starting to set in as he didn’t see her and couldn’t hear her voice.
He stumbled to his feet, brushing debris and dust off him. He caught a glimpse of pale blue silk material and staggered over to it, frantically trying to remember what color dress Maria had worn that day.
He pushed the broken body of a royal guard off the figure wearing the gown to find Isabel underneath. Her face was stark and smeared with dirt, her hair unraveling and her clothes torn and bloodied.
She blinded then coughed, repeating his earlier movements, and he felt a surge of relief rush through him as he realized Isabel was still alive.
“You ok?” Michael asked, his voice hoarse.
“I think so,” she nodded and turned her head, squinting her eyes to try and see through the settling dust and debris. “Kyle?”
“I’m ok,” the other boy answered from their left. “My leg hurts like a bitch, though.”
Michael moved over to his friend and immediately dropped to his knees, pulling a broken wooden beam from Kyle’s legs to see a large gash along his thigh, blood spilling from the wound at an alarming rate. Michael quickly unfastened the belt around Kyle’s waist that held together the vast fabric of his religious robes and fashioned a tourniquet above the wound.
“You’ll be fine,” he told his friend, hoping what he was saying was true. He lifted his eyes again, searching the area for Maria. At the sound of running feet, he turned back to look back in the direction they had previously walked to see Jackson running back toward them with several more guards from the palace.
“Where’s Maria?” he asked, hoping Jackson had fulfilled his previously discussed duties and moved Maria to safety immediately.
“I don’t know,” Jackson answered, his voice thick with confusion as he studied the landscape around him.
The devastation in the area was great. Several walls had crumbled with a few still tittering precariously. In the chaos, the people of the city were helping those fallen and injured. Some men were already lifting broken beans to help support the damaged buildings. The noise level was rising as people shouting out, looking for family and friends, and others gave instructions to those willing to help.
“You don’t know,” Michael roared, ignoring his hectic surroundings as he closed in on the other man. “You don’t fucking know.”
Michael stood, panic starting to set in.
“Maria,” he bellowed into the area surrounding them, his mind hardly registering the destruction and pain surrounding them.
Jackson took a step back from Michael, his eyes lowering to the dirt path before them. “I went for help,” was all he could say.
“You went for help instead of doing what you were supposed to do? Protect Maria. That was your only objective.”
“Michael,” Isabel interrupted, laying her hand gently on his arm.
“I can’t find her, Isabel,” he told her, his voice lost unsure.
“We’ll find her,” she reassured him, placing a gentle hand on his arm. “She has to be here.”
The street was busier now, as more people were moving around after the blasts. Some were pushing stone and wood from beneath the fractured wall. Others were helping unbury fellow citizens under the rubble, stone and wood that became airborne during the incident. Others were moving cautiously through the fallen masonry, clearly looking for friends and family members who they were separated from during the initial blast.
Michael moved to help one man to his feet. As he grasped the man’s hand and pulled him to a standing position, he asked, “Have you seen the princess?”
“No, Sire,” the man answered, leaning against what remained of a wall.
Michael grabbed one of the guards following him, pushing the stunned man toward the injured person by the wall. “Help him,” he instructed before turning and moving further into the area.
Michael pressed on to another person, again asking if they had seen the princess, but again, the citizen did not know where she had gone, either.
Eventually, he found someone who had seen Maria.
“She was saving a little girl, Sire,” he was finally told by an elderly woman whose gray hair and wrinkles defined her features.
Michael lowered himself to her level before asking, “What happened, and where did they go?”
“Nicholi was here, my Lord.”
Those words made the blood run cold in his veins.
Nicholi. He was the one responsible for their deaths in their previous lives at the behest of Kivar. They all had dies at Nicholi’s hands.
“Nicholi took the princess and the little girl,” the woman spoke again, and the hair on Michael’s neck stood on end.
Nicholi now had Maria. Which meant Kivar had Maria.
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