Sacrifice
A Sequel to Quietly into the Night
Conventional Couples
Rating: PG-13

Chapter Twelve

Antar – Capitol City

A bright light filled the storeroom, and Max and Michael appeared within the light. They stepped out of the beam and looked around, but the room was empty. Michael signaled Max to wait, and he opened the door to the shop and stepped through it. Within moments, he was back, looking very unhappy.
"There's nobody out there, and the place looks like it's been ransacked several times.
"Damn it, we're too late. When I find Isabelle, I'm going to kill her," said Max
"Calm down Maxwell," said Michael. "The last thing we need is for you to get all bent out of shape. That's MY job after all. I don't know why Isabelle shoved you out of the way and came here first, but I'm sure she had a good reason. If you are smart, you'll listen to her before you kill her."

"OK, Mr. Voice of Reason," snapped Max. "What exactly do you propose we do then?"
"Well, the first thing I propose is that we change our appearance because I think that if we set one foot out those doors looking like this, we'll end up dead." Both men used their powers to modify their appearance. Michael searched through the storage bins and found some Antarian clothing. They shed their regular clothing and dressed in the Antarian clothing and hid their own things in one of the bins. They both drew the line at removing their wedding bands. It was not a custom observed by the Antarian culture, but neither one of them felt comfortable with removing that particular link with home.

A noise in the store drew their attention, and Michael pushed Max behind him and the two entered the shop.
"Who are you?" asked the young woman who stood in the middle of the shop. Her hair was a brilliant shade of chestnut and was swept back from her face and arranged in a cascading manner that showed off its incredible length. Max and Michael looked at each other, unsure of what to do. Both of them had picked up the rudiments of Antarian vocabulary, and could understand the woman, but neither of them felt confidant enough to speak with her.
"I said who are you?" she demanded. "You are not the owners of this establishment, are you? I don't recall seeing you here before."
Max took a deep breath and said in his broken Antarian, "We are kin to Naloch. We heard that he was missing and we thought to come from our home and help Saranara and Jereon in the shop."
"How kind," said the woman looking around her at the shambles. "However, I do not think you are doing a very good job."
"I am sorry," Max said. "We are in the process of, um, reorganizing the shop. We are not open for business today, but hope to reopen soon."
"Interesting," said the woman, but since I am already here, and do not wish to wait, you shall assist me now."

Antar - Royal Palace

Please Liz, let me in, pleaded Kyle.
Kyle.
Liz, is that you? Are you all right? Where are you, what's going on?
Kyle, shut up and listen to me. Get Kam, and my journal and get out of the palace. You have to get him out of here. It isn't safe. Kivar is going to kill him, and probably you too.
What? Why?
Kivar says I must marry him; it will make him look even better in the eyes of the people. And Kyle, he says if I don't, he'll kill Kam. Kyle, promise me you'll get him out of her.
I will Liz, but I'm going to come back and get you out of here too.
No, Kyle, don't. I'm not important here. Get Kam out of here, and try and find a way home.
Liz, I,
No, Kyle you have to do it, you have no choice. Please!
I love you Liz, and I'll be back to get you, I promise.
I love you too Kyle, and the only promise I want from you is that you will protect Kam.
With my life.
Thank you Kyle, said Liz. Kyle tried to reach out to her with his mind again but found that she was blocking him again. He went into Liz's room and found the journal she kept hidden and stuffed it into a bag. In his room, he found the weapons he was allowed to carry and armed himself, and grabbed some clothing. He then went to Kam's room and packed some of the boy's clothing with his. He picked the sleeping child up and carried him into the closet and then woke him up.

"Kaminator, wake up dude," he whispered.
"Unca Kyle," said the small boy in a sleepy voice. "What's the matter? Is mommy back?"
"No kiddo, she's not, but I did talk to her, and she thinks that you and I should go on an adventure."
"What kind of adventure?" asked the child.
"She and I both think that we should get you out of the palace, but it's going to be hard to do it without anyone seeing us."
"Is this like another game?"
"Yeah, Kam it is," said Kyle with a weak grin. "We're going to try and sneak out of here without anybody catching us, and then I'm going to take you someplace where you'll be safe."
"With Lexie?"
"I sure hope so," said Kyle. "Now, are you going to do everything that I say?"
"OK, but can I bring Balchie and Betchie?"
"Balchie and Betchie? Who are Balchie and Betchie?" asked Kyle.
Kam slipped out of the closet and came back a few minutes later with something hidden behind his back. "This is Balchie," said the boy, "And this is Betchie. Mommy said she made them for me and Lexie before we was borned." Kyle reached out and took the two misshapen things from Kam.
"Wow, your mom made these? What exactly are they."
"Their bears Unca Kyle. Mommy said every kid should have a bear and she made them for me and Lexie."

Kyle blinked rapidly to stop the tears in his eyes from falling down his face. "Yeah Kaminator, you can bring Balchie and Betchie with you. We'll put them right here in my bag." He took the two bears and stuffed them in his bag. "Now come with me and be very quiet." He opened the door to the closet and he and Kam slipped across the room. Kyle opened the door to their quarters and looked out into the hall. He grabbed Kam's hand and pulled him out into the hall. Carefully, he and Kam made their way through the network of passageways. Kyle led them down a staircase and into a dank and airless room. He pressed a sequence of bricks and a door slid open in the wall. He stepped through and pulled Kam after him. Once through the door, he flipped a switch and the door closed. He waited a moment to see if any alarms were sounded. When they were first taken to the palace, Liz had been fitted with a bracelet that had a sensor in it that triggered an alarm. Kivar had threatened several times to do the same with Kam, but to Kyle's knowledge never had. Still he waited to see if they had raised any alarms.

Kyle and Kam quickly journeyed down the dark passageway that opened up in a cave not to far from the Capitol City's main gate.

Antar – Capitol City

Max and Michael were unsure of how to help the woman standing before them. They certainly had no idea what type of good the shop carried, and both were unfamiliar with the currency used on Antar.
"As I said, we are not open for business, but perhaps if you were to return tomorrow, my niece or nephew could assist you."
The woman whipped around, fury filling her eyes. "You lie. My father had no brothers. I am not your niece. Who are you and what are you doing in my father's store. Answer me now before I kill you," she said. She raised her hand to attack, and Max and Michael followed suit and raised their arms as well.
"Wait, don't!" shouted Max. "Allow us to explain."
"Explain? I know the explanation. You are trying to loot our store, well I won't have it, do you hear me?"

The door opened and a man dressed in Antarian garb carrying a small child with hair so blond it was almost white entered the shop. He quickly placed the child on the ground and stood in front of him to protect him. "Saranara, wait," he said. "What's going on here?"
"I found these two intruders looting my shop. I was just about to take care of the situation when you arrived."
The man stepped forward and looked at the two strangers. Turning away from them, he looked at the woman. "I don't think you want to do that Saranara," he said.
"Why not?" she asked. "I have every right to protect my livelihood."
"Because you are about to kill the King and his second in command."