Loyalties

Chapter 9

I can't feel myself walking. I'm going off instinct. Left, right, left, right, I think as a guard nudges me in the back, wanting me to move faster. Everywhere we went, there were squads of Black Sun, dressed in their armor, their rifles armed.

Turning around countless corners, we stop at a set of double doors. They look like that of an old castle, painted all black. At the door, two soldiers in a lighter armor stood guard.

"We are here to see the Emperor," the leader of my escorts says to one of the guards. The guards both stand motionless. A few seconds later, the guards swing the doors open, revealing a massive room.

It has the complexion of a dome, the top glass stained green. Where the glass meets the concrete structure, the Black Sun insignia is painted in white. On the floor, grey tiles make a circular pattern. In the middle of the pattern, the insignia is again there, and that is were I stand.

In front of me, a counsel of empty chairs looks at me. However, the middle three chairs are filled. The middlemost chair looks like a throne, the back extended, with ends that represent a crown. To the right of the throne, sits a man I haven't seen before. He looks a lot older than the man sitting in the throne. To the left of the throne, sits Jade, almost happy seeing me in pain.

"So, you are the Royal Admiral everyone is talking about?" the man on the throne says, his voice echoing. I stay silent, not wanting to talk. "You have caused us much trouble. Your friends are here to try and get you back." The man laughs, the echo sending shivers down my spine. "They will not get you."

The man gets up from his chair, and as he walks down, I catch a glimpse of the hilt of a knife, but I can't be sure. The man's black robes trail behind him, each step sounding like a thud. I look at Jade, and I think I see her fearful. But I hate her. She betrayed me, her family, everything.

I focus my attention back on the man. He walks towards me, and once the distance between us is halved, he takes off his robe. His black hair is slicked back, his smirk and eyes want blood. He wears black armor. By the looks of it, it seems it's made out of Tarkattan gems, resistant to both rails and lasers.

"You're a fool for not joining us," he says, hammering a fist in my gut. I groan, and collapse to my knees. "Pathetic," he says, kicking the side of my head the side of my head, and the cold floor greets me.

Laying there helplessly, the thunder of a boot into my torso is the only thing I feel. I don't even know if I'm breathing. Everything moves so... slow.

I must've passed out. The next thing I know when I regain my senses is I'm inside a ship, the roar of the jet engines making it sound like there's something wrong. Looking around, everything is illuminated by a group of small lights, and there are five Black Sun guards with me.

"Where am I?" I ask, not knowing if any of them heard me.

"Going home," one said. "We got all the info we need."

"Luckily you were unconscious," a second said. "Made you more of a burden." This one sounded like Alex, but I can't be sure.

"Where are you taking me?" I ask again, hoping that one of them will at least semi answer, and not joke around.

"Adrian," the second voice said again. "It's me, Alex Daemon. How are you so stupid to realize that we've been with you?"

I didn't choose to answer. I let my best friend and the other soldier drag me. Looking, I see that they're taking me towards the hangar.

"Take him home," Alex says, putting his helmet back on and checking the magazine. "I have unfinished business here." With that, he took off.

"Can you walk, sir?" the soldier asks me, sounding more of a younger man. I shake my head. "Help get this prisoner on the ship," the soldier calls two other Black Sun guards to help him.

Once I reach the ship, I feel the cold metal floor as I'm thrown into the ship. The friendly nods to the two guards, and he walks towards the cockpit.

"Ready to go home, sir?" he asks, lifting the ship off the ground, and into space.