Chapter Seven
"I thought you said you knew where you were going?" Finn huffed agitatedly.
"I'm only as good as the blueprints the General left me," Poe returned, as he led them down the third identical looking corridor in Theed Palace.
The blueprints in question were meant to direct them through the subterranean tunnels connecting the hangar to the palace, but so far, the Resistance members hadn't made much progress. They appeared to be lost.
In between the two squabbling men, Rose Tico rolled her eyes, fingers nervously stroking her Haysian medallion. Her husband had been on edge since news of Rey's capture hit the Resistance base. He'd immediately stormed into the command center to order a strike team be assembled. Of course, Poe had already begun doing just that.
It had taken her a few hours to change the electronic read-out on the First Order shuttle they'd commandeered, but once the tracker was rerouted and the codes were updated, they were ready to go.
Rose reached for Finn's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze through the rough leather of their First Order uniforms. Why these people insisted on wearing so much black, she would never understand. It was constructive and muted, though Rose figured that was to be expected. The First Order did not breed independence. It bred discipline.
She shivered as she recalled Finn's upbringing — or at least what details he'd been comfortable enough to share with her so far — and vowed to rescue whomever she could from a similar fate. No child should be subjected to such a life.
"Almost there," Poe shot over his shoulder.
Ahead of them, Rose saw a pair of doors. The corridor was a dead end. As they came to a halt in front of them, Poe's holo flickered out.
"Kriff," he cried, smacking his palm against the projector. The map didn't reappear.
"Give it to me," Rose grumbled, snatching the device out of his hands. She turned it over, scanning the underbelly of the outdated piece of equipment, while the two men inspected the doors.
"Which way would you go?" Poe asked them. "Left or right?"
"How am I supposed to know?" Finn muttered, anxiously checking behind them.
Her husband had been watchful ever since they disembarked the shuttle. Rose understood his concern. They'd barely escaped capture last year, only to nearly die in a firefight afterward. Of course, his concern wouldn't outweigh his fear for his friend. Finn was a true rebel, even if he was just only coming to terms with it.
"You're the one who worked for the First Order the longest," Poe remarked.
"In case you haven't noticed, Poe, this isn't the Supremacy or Starkiller. This is Theed, a palace which has stood centuries before either of those bases," Finn groused. "I wouldn't know which way to go, which is why we brought the kriffin' map!"
"No need to shout," Poe stated, running his hands over the doors as if he could discern what was on the other side simply from touching them.
"Keep it down, both of you," Rose asserted, glancing up from the device long enough to give them both a pointed look. "Someone might hear you."
"Yes, little rebels," an unfamiliar voice entered the conversation. "Someone might hear you."
The trio spun around. Finn and Poe aimed their blasters at the owner of the voice, while Rose backed up a step, clutching the holo map tightly. The speaker was tall, dressed in black robes with his face hidden under a helmet.
One of the Knights of Ren.
Rose swallowed. She'd heard stories of the ruthless warriors while mining in Otomok. Together they could overthrow entire planets, more efficient and powerful than the whole of the First Order armies combined. Standing before one now, she found she couldn't disagree with the assessment. The sight of the man alone had her pulse quickening.
"Back off, bucket head," Poe barked. "We're here for our girl."
"Your girl?" The knight's head tilted slightly with what Rose would have called amusement, if she wasn't debating how to get them out of this situation. "I believe you are mistaken, Commander Dameron. The last Jedi belongs to no one, least of all you."
"Where is she?" Finn lunged forward. "Where is Rey? What has he done to her?"
A low chuckle was the knight's only response. The sound had gooseflesh rising across Rose's arms under the stiff material of her stolen uniform. It sounded inhuman coming from the faceless creature.
"You're outnumbered," Poe went on. "Just tell us where Rey is and we'll be on our way."
"I'm afraid you do not fully grasp who is in power here, Commander," the knight continued to chuckle.
"Oh yeah?" Finn managed to get off a shot, but the bolt never made contact. It remained in the air, hovering in the space just past the end of his weapon.
Poe cursed under his breath before following suit. The end result was the same. Rose stared wide-eyed at both men, then glanced at their target. The knight flicked his wrist. Both blasters and their frozen shots crashed against the side wall.
"As you were saying, Commander?"
Rey headed away from the gazebo. Her instincts told her this direction would lead to the labyrinth's exit. She wasn't sure when she'd encounter the remainder of the knights, but it seemed the closer she got to the end, the more eager they were to see her fail.
Her wound continued to pulse, heat radiating from the burn. Engaging the four earlier had winded her and aggravated it. Rey looked for a place to rest.
While the stubborn part of her brain urged her forward, tending to her injury was imperative for survival. Besides, it wasn't as though she'd be left alone for days in a sweltering AT-AT nursing the wound. Once the trials were over, Rey could go on her way.
She spotted a tiered fountain and took a seat on the edge of the bottom row.
Carefully, Rey peeled back the bacta patch to inspect the damage. She winced at the sight. The laceration had begun to heal, but it was still a raw, angry red color. With the palm of her hand, she smoothed the patch back in place. Hopefully, the remaining bacta gel would mend the injury so it didn't scar.
The gentle sound of water trickling down from the top tier was soothing. Rey couldn't feel any knights in her proximity, so she took advantage of the rare moment to simply sit and breathe.
Unlike the thick, humid air on Yavin IV, the air on Naboo was crisp and fresh, with a hint of salt from the Great Lakes. Rey leaned back on her hands, inhaling deeply. It was refreshing, this change of scenery. Though she didn't want to admit it, this place was beautiful. She understood why Ben had chosen Theed Palace as his home.
Her stomach grumbled, reminding her how long it had been since lunch. Rey groaned inwardly. After years of unstable nutrition, her time with the Resistance and on Yavin IV had spoiled her. Even though it had only been a few hours since breakfast, her belly ached for sustenance.
Rey pushed off from the fountain, wandering around the enclosed area. There were a couple of trees located near where she'd entered the clearing. None of them was fruit bearing. Around the other pathways, there were thick shrubs. She searched under the leaves and along the thin branches, hoping to find some berries or something.
Then she saw a blend of orange and pink. Ducking down, Rey drew back some thicker branches at the base of one of the shrubs to reveal a peach. Dirt covered the soft fuzzy skin of the fruit, but she didn't care. The forgotten treat was exactly the kind of nourishment she needed.
Rey retrieved the peach, turning it over in her hands. She returned to the fountain to wash it off before using her tunic to wipe it dry. Gripping the fruit in one hand, she raised it to her lips and took a bite.
The second the taste hit her tongue, Rey recognized something was wrong. Sihan peaches were known for their sugary sweet flavor, but this one had a strange acidic taste.
Rey dropped the peach, immediately feeling the effects of whatever poison had been injected into the unsuspecting fruit. Her skin grew hot and itchy while her insides began to cramp. The unexpected discomfort stole the breath from her lungs and she crumbled to the ground.
Rey clutched her side, her vision beginning to blur as a fever settled over her body. Her lips were chapped and her mouth was dry. She tried to pull herself up enough to drink from the fountain, but each attempt to move resulted in pain. The pain started as a dull, throbbing sensation before it increased to sharp stabbing agony.
She resigned herself to sit back against the bottom row.
That was when the knights appeared, a dark horde bringing the promise of death.
Despite her delirious state, she noted they were one short. Archais wasn't standing with his brothers.
"What have you done?" she hissed at them, as they surrounded her.
"Our duty," one — she thought it may have been Cadmus — responded. "Snuffing out the light, once and for all."
The knights couldn't have known that while they carried out their orders, they were awakening a power far darker than anything the last Jedi had used before.
A power better left dormant.
Kylo decided to have lunch served in his chambers in order to keep Temiri content. The boy hadn't left the balcony since they saw Rey. Kylo could feel him testing his abilities, searching the maze for the Force signatures of each knight still in play, as well as his teacher.
The minutes were ticking by and Kylo's relief at knowing Rey was safe was only slightly tainted by his fear of losing her. If she continued to surpass each test, win each battle, he'd have no reason to keep her on Naboo. He'd given her his word. As much as it hurt him, Kylo wouldn't lie to her the way the Skywalkers had.
He couldn't.
No, if she won, he'd honor their arrangement. He'd allow her to leave with Temiri and then...
...then he'd be alone. Again.
His mood spiraled from hopeful to sullen as the servants brought in dish after dish for their afternoon meal. While they set up a table and spread out the food, Kylo turned his attention away from his aching heart.
Temiri was leaning on the railing, both arms propped up on the marble as he peered out onto the gardens.
"Lunch is ready," Kylo called to the boy.
He rushed inside, taking a seat next to the Supreme Leader. Like Rey, the child seemed to respond well to food. Kylo would gladly order Rey a ten course meal each evening if she'd agreed to stay with him. He'd give her anything. He'd give her everything.
Kylo was musing over what incentive he could offer her when Temiri began carving up a nerf steak. He smirked, amused by the boy's appetite and sat down.
The servants left them to eat together. Kylo was impressed by the variety they'd provided. The table was decorated with various meats, fruits and vegetables. As he scanned the available options, his eyes caught the rare orangish orb sitting atop a bowl of fruit.
Sihan peaches were a delicacy this season, considering the drought in the Kathol Outback. He briefly wondered how the kitchen managed to retrieve the sweet products of Sapella. Kylo decided it was a perk of his status as Supreme Leader and plucked the plump fruit off the table.
He started to bring the peach to his mouth but found himself unable to move.
"Stop!" Temiri's eyes were wide, his hand outstretched towards the fruit.
"Temiri—."
"It's poisoned," the boy cried. "Can't you sense it?"
Kylo shook off the child's Force hold and analyzed the fruit. On the surface, it appeared normal, but when he inspected it further, he felt the treachery hidden inside.
Poison.
Shoving back from the table, he stood up, dropping the peach in the process. Kylo stared at Temiri, who slowly rose from his seat, mirroring the Supreme Leader's stiff posture.
"Master," Archais charged through the double doors unannounced.
Kylo tore his stunned gaze away from the boy to his loyal friend. "What is it?"
"I've captured three rebels breaking into the palace. They came for the Jedi," Archais informed him. His brow furrowed and he glanced at the table, then at Temiri and finally Kylo. "What has happened?"
"Hux," Kylo sneered, coming to the most logical conclusion. "This has his signature all over it."
Archais' hand went for his weapon, but Kylo shook his head. "No," he directed his friend. "You are the only one I can trust. I need you to take the boy and the rebels to the rendezvous point."
"Master, do you think this course of action wise when they—."
The Supreme Leader placed his hands upon the knight's shoulders and stared into his mask. "I have asked a lot of you over the years, my friend," Kylo told him, "but what I ask of you now is perhaps my greatest request of all."
"Until the end," Archais replied dutifully. "I will meet you at the safe house. You and your lady."
Kylo nodded his agreement, hoping it was that simple. These things rarely were.
"Temiri," he dropped his hands and turned his attention back to the boy. "I need you to go with Archais."
"I want to stay with you," the child whined, his eyes filling with tears as he picked up on Kylo's apprehension.
"It's not safe for you. Or Rey," the Supreme Leader admitted. "I need to find her."
"I'll go with you," Temiri insisted.
"No," Kylo argued. "Rey entrusted you to me in her absence. I won't betray her trust by risking your safety."
"But—."
Kylo knelt before the boy so they were at eye level with one another. "You saved my life and for that, I owe you a great debt, but this I will not allow. Do you understand?"
"Yes, but...," the child struggled to form his next words, "but you'll bring her back, right? Both of you will come back?"
"Of course," Kylo ruffled Temiri's hair the way his own father had down to him as a child. "We'll see you soon. Both of us."
The boy nodded and Kylo straightened up. He guided the child towards his knight. Archais reared his gloved hand on Temiri's shoulder.
"We will see each other again," Archais told Kylo.
"May the Force be with you."
It was the first time Kylo had uttered those words in years, yet they'd never felt more right than in that moment.
"And with you, Master."
Once Archais and Temiri were out of sight, Kylo scanned his chamber. Other than the poisoned Sihan peach, there was nothing amiss. Odd. He'd thought Hux would want proof of his demise.
Unless...
He felt it then — the panic, the fear.
Rey!
Ben!
Everything stilled, going silent as the Force connected them with a jolt.
She was clutching her side, bent over on the ground somewhere within the labyrinth. Her forehead was beaded with sweat and her skin was sickly pale. He felt his entire body go rigid with terror. Temiri may have saved him, but no one had been watching the last Jedi.
"Poison," she fought to speak.
Kylo watched helplessly as her eyes darted around. He couldn't see her surroundings, which made it difficult to determine if her reaction was due to the toxin or the approach of an oncoming attack.
"Rey, I'm coming for you," he promised. She didn't appear to hear him. "Rey?"
She cried out, curling around her midsection. He recognized the symptoms as his fear became reality. The venom of the Parnassos beetle worked immediately if ingested. He needed a medic and he needed one now.
"Rey!"
The bond snapped shut, throwing him back into his chambers.
Kylo roared with rage. He'd kill them. Every single one of his knights would meet the end of his lightsaber for daring to defy him. And Hux. Hux would get the public execution he so desperately wanted. Kylo would see his head on the chopping block for this.
He stormed through the secret passageways, a force of nature as his surroundings blurred. When it came to Rey, he'd always had tunnel vision. She had a way of pulling him into her orbit. As bright as the sun and just as gorgeous, it was impossible not to be drawn to her. The fact that someone had ordered her light to be extinguished infuriated Kylo.
Even if he hadn't identified the poison as the same kind which had killed Brendol Hux, he would have suspected Armitage to be behind the coup. The red-headed officer was cowardly. He preferred to remain in the dark and let others carry out his dirty work. The stench of his disloyalty filled Kylo's nostrils as he made his way to the last Jedi.
First, he'd secure Rey.
Then he'd deal with the rabid cur.
He's coming for you. Ben is coming, her mind chanted over and over again. It was the only shred of light Rey could hold onto.
The pain was excruciating, ripping through her like a jagged blade. It tore away at her organs, striking her all over at once.
She was barely conscious of what was happening around her. Her heart beat wildly in her chest, an uneven staccato rhythm which indicated the poison was fast-acting. Once it was in her bloodstream, it was just a matter of time.
A lesser person would have given up, allowed fate to run its course, but Rey refused. She hadn't survived the wastelands of Jakku to die here.
Not like this, not before she could tell him the truth.
Something nudged her side and she howled. The slight tap from what she assumed was a boot tip was torture. Her insides roiled, stinging with every breath she took. Her head pounded from the fever.
It would have been so easy to simply slip into the black, to close her eyes and allow it all to wash over her. It would have been easy to let herself die, but Rey had never done what was easy.
And she certainly wasn't going to give the First Order the satisfaction of her death.
When the knight tapped her with his boot a second time, Rey forced her eyes open. She glared up at him.
"Won't be long now," he observed. The others murmured their agreement, drawing closer to her. "Then we check his chambers. With any luck, he's already dead."
Her gasp came out as a sputtering mess of saliva and shock. She hadn't suspected Ben knew about the poison. His reaction had been enough to convince her he wasn't behind the deadly scheme. Rey hadn't considered the possibility he was also in danger.
Dead.
Was that why he hadn't come for her yet? Had Archais been dispatched to murder his master?
Tears pricked at the corners do her eyes, not from the pain of her body but from the fear in her heart.
Something inside of Rey snapped. It felt like a bone being set, as the latent piece of her found it's rightful place. Around her, the Force shifted dramatically. The air suddenly stilled, a weight settling over the clearing.
The knights glanced around at one another. Rey inhaled deeply and pushed herself up. Her pain receded as she stood. Her saber staff remained clipped to her belt. She made no move to take it, even when the knights brandished their own weapons.
"Stand down," she instructed, her voice level. Not a single one of them spoke as they fell into their attack stances. "Last chance," Rey offered.
Their answer was to charge.
A calm fell over Rey, an unfamiliar confidence overwhelming her as she stretched out her right hand.
Before any of the knights managed to strike her, lightning shot forth from her fingertips. The dark ability coiled around her, protecting and empowering her. Beams of crackling light targeted each of her opponents, freezing them in place as the dark side of the Force penetrated them. It wound around them like a serpent, strangling the life out of them. Their bodies convulsed and their eyes bulged.
She held them captive, allowing the darkness to pour out of her. It flowed effortlessly. The immense feeling of power was as addictive as it was potent. She could feel their life forces dimming. They had been charged with snuffing her out, but they were about to be the ones extinguished.
"Rey!" A voice called to her. "Rey, let them go."
She blinked, struggling to maintain her concentration. She couldn't let them go. They had killed Ben. They had tried to kill her. No, they had to pay.
"Rey," a hand wrapped around her wrist. "Rey, sweetheart, come back to me. Please ."
She winced as light cracked open in her chest, banishing the dark, and lifting the veil from her eyes.
Ben.
Their last hope to bring balance.
Her only hope for the future.
She dropped her hand, the lightning vanishing just as suddenly as it had struck.
Her body felt too heavy and her head was spinning. Before her the ground was littered with unconscious bodies, the knights incapacitated, but not dead. The weight of her actions hit her, causing her vision to dance. A wave of nausea came over her, followed by a bout of dizziness. Her legs gave out.
Rey was vaguely aware of Ben catching her as she collapsed. He leaned over her, cradling her to his chest.
"Ben," she breathed his name, raising a shaking hand to his face.
He was alive. He was safe.
"I'm here," he replied.
She tried to tell him the truth, tried to find the words to express the depth of what she felt. It never came out.
The darkness finally took hold and everything faded to black.
The last thing she heard was Ben screaming her name.