Messages From a Friend (Poofless)

30

~*Vikke*~

I sit atop my rock, scanning the forest that separated me from the largest military compound in the entire empire, and the home of the emperor himself. The Prince is scarily close to the man who nearly wiped out the entire Minecraftian race. Did the emperor purposely do this to keep him in check?

A snapping branch brings me back to reality, and I carefully slide down the back of the rock to keep myself hidden. Cold water from the river soaks into my shoes, but I grit my teeth and ignore the chill at the sound of boots crunching on river rocks.

"This is where Avr'ile failed the assassination," a man's voice echoes through the air, overpowering the sound of the river. He spoke in Mespelí. Imperial soldiers. I think to myself, wincing uncontrollably. "How on Ype did that woman miss?"

"She lives up to the rumours," a female voice states in a calmer tone of voice.

"Stop fawning over a terrorist!" The man snaps. "Do you want to end up with the same fate as her?" My brows furrow in confusion. They call that island girl a "terrorist?" What did she do?

"No admiral," the woman states quickly. Their footsteps start up again, sounding as if they were getting closer to me. My heart starts to race, and my hand reaches toward the smoke bomb on my belt. It's old technology, but it's all I got...

That, and my dagger...

"A descendant of the late Minecraftian King Vikram warned the girl," the woman speaks up again, her voice eerily close to my rock. "Do you think they have been working together?"

"It's likely." I struggle to hold back a nervous laugh as I hear their voices. You've trained for this Vikke. "Have any of the patrols noticed seen unfamiliar faces appearing around this area?"

"Only reports have been native residents, Sir."

"Good. I hope that boy learned his lesson about messing with Imperial power." The only thing I learned what that the girl is an ally to my people. Biting my lip, I look down into the water pooling around my feet. Out of the muted greys, blues, and whites of the river rock, a flash of bright green catches my eye. Curiously, I lean down to take the object out of the water; careful not to be seen by the imperials.

The green object is small, round, and cold to the touch. It reminds me of the marbles my mother keeps in jars scattered around our home; only this one is a little bigger than those. Throw it. A voice echoes in the back of my mind. Throw it over the rock and toward the forest. Your friend will be waiting for you there. She'll protect you.

"Any news from the Minecraftian we rocketed out?" The man asks. I hold my breath and look up to see him sitting on the rock, facing opposite of me. Minecraftian?

"His ship reported a crash landing in the Southern Hemisphere of the targeted planet. The tracking systems were jammed, and the tracker in Aceti's arm was removed." The woman rattles of the information like a robot. Aceti?The only living Aceti is Fvendal! My eyes widen with shock. They sent Fvendal to another planet?

"Seems there is some sort of sophisticated race of life forms on that planet," The man states. "They Sound more intelligent than our cousins on Modhua."

"All the life we've encountered is no where near our own intelligence. How do we know that Aceti didn't take the tracker out himself?"

"Minecraftians aren't that intelligent," the man states with a laugh. "And besides, he was asleep when we implanted it. He didn't know it was there in the first place." We're a lot more intelligent than you think. Without thinking properly, I reach down and toss a rock to the other side of the river.