A Dance Of Crowns & Thrones | Book I

Chapter 115 | In The Land Of The Devil

As Matthew made his way across the stark landscapes of Creon, each step seemed to echo through the corridors of time, stirring up echoes of his younger, wilder days. Back then, he and Toni, along with Richie and Jesse, had been little more than reckless teenagers, stupid and greedy and naïve with the powers they held. They had roamed these very lands, challenging the entrenched powers and making choices that would shape their world in ways they couldn't have imagined.

The Creon that stretched out before him now bore scant resemblance to the untamed wilderness of his memories. It had morphed into a refuge for the galaxy's outcasts and criminals, a place where lawlessness reigned supreme. Here, in the shadows of a forsaken world, blacklisted traders and ambitious warlords had carved out their dominions, etching a complex network of illicit trade deep into the rugged terrain.

Now, as Matthew traversed its hostile expanse, he felt the weight of his history with this place pressing down on him. The thirteen-year-old version of themselves first stormed through this place, tearing apart the system that thrived on the planet. But those actions had set wheels in motion, transforming Creon into a fortress of the most dangerous galaxy. Xero, who now led the most formidable cartel here, had a long memory and an even longer reach.

The legendary dust storms of Creon swirled around Matthew, their relentless gusts providing a veil of anonymity as he navigated through the city. Clad in a black hooded cloak from Allegiant, he blended seamlessly into the shadows, his presence nearly invisible among the crowds. As he moved, he kept his head down, taking in the stark transformation of the environment. What had once been a thriving city was now a shell of its former self, the devastation even more severe than he remembered from his youth. The air was thick with dust, obscuring his view and adding a ghostly pallor to the desolate streets that bore witness to the city's decline.

While Matthew harbored a deep-seated resentment towards Creon, his current visit bore no intention of wreaking havoc. His primary focus was to retrieve his girl, her dim-witted cousin, and leave the planet as soon as possible.

Navigating through the gritty, sand-covered streets toward the heart of the city, Matthew was acutely aware of Eko's last known location—a market near the bustling docks. He also knew that Madison had been keen on boarding a cargo ship in this vicinity.

As Matthew navigated the bustling city crowds, he adjusted his black gloves in a nervous gesture, drawing deep breaths to steady the pounding in his chest. He pulled his hood tighter over his face for added anonymity, wary of every glance that lingered a bit too long. As he ventured into the chaotic dockside it was alive with an array of creatures, critters, and traders from every corner of the universe, each adding to the cacophony and vibrant chaos of the marketplace.

Matthew was acutely aware of the dangers lurking in such a crowded and lawless place. The presence of bounty hunters was a real threat, but it wasn't just their appearance that was a threat, it was the fact of the high bounty that still hung over his head, if they managed to get their hands on him, it would spell disaster. He could lose Eko and Madison in the ensuing chaos, or worse, they could be kidnapped and used as leverage against him.

The stakes were dangerously high, and every stranger's glance felt like a potential threat as he pushed forward. As he passed through rickety metal gateways that marked the entrance to the sprawling expanse of docking bays, the chaotic symphony of the docks assaulted his senses. Ships of all sizes and shapes thundered overhead, descending into or blasting off from the makeshift platforms that served as launch pads. These ships, unregulated and wild like the planet itself, navigated the skies with a lawlessness that mirrored the bustling market below.

The air was thick with the scent of ionized engines and the tang of alien spices, mingling with the metallic tang of oil and sweat. The cries of alien beasts being herded or bartered added an otherworldly quality to the scene, their calls echoing strangely among the clatter of cargo being loaded and unloaded. Traders shouted over the chaos, hawking goods from distant galaxies, their voices blending into the sounds that filled the docks.