Part 23
Illyrian Camp - Illyria
Tess sat at the head of the table, her back straight, her hands folded neatly in her lap. Her full concentration was focused on Hamor, who was discussing the strategy for taking first the Ring and then the Citadel, with several of his ranking officers. They were ignoring her completely, as they had done since the moment she had joined them - or at least since the moment immediately following the initial fawning, bowing and scraping.
It had been three days since she and Kyle had joined her people and with each passing hour Tess became more frustrated. The Illyrians were in complete disorder, still reeling from the loss of the Citadel and the Ring over three months ago. From what Tess had gleaned, they really didn't know how to go about reclaiming what rightfully belonged to them.
They were like a ship without a rudder, no true leader having emerged to trim the sails - or to at least order them trimmed. Hamor was doing his best, had once been a great general in his time…but the irony was that he had handed over all of the reins of command to Tristandor, Michael Guerin in a previous lifetime, and had not been particularly keen to retake them upon Tris's death - a death which very few were aware had actually happened. He was doing his best, had already reclaimed the Citadel once, but he was tired and it showed.
Not to mention the fact that the entire people had completely lost hope that their king was ever going to return to them because they still had had no idea where he was. Hamor was trying to command an army full of low morale and even less hope.
The news that Tess had brought - that Max had returned to the Citadel and was currently embroiled in a battle of wits with Tarsus - had seemed to throw the leaders of the Illyrian army into further confusion. Queen Milena's plan to hold Max's kingdom under interdict, meaning that in the minds of the Illyrians, very little time had passed since Jaxon had been their king, had been useful in some ways, but in others had been quite destructive.
Because while the Illyrians remembered Jaxon as a strong ruler with a head full of dreams for the peaceful reunification of his planet, they ALSO remembered Max's LAST stay on Illyria, when it looked like he had turned against his own people and had gone to lead the Dernians. And so the fact that Max had headed straight back to Tarsus upon his return to the planet was not looked upon favorably. The fact that they also had no idea where he had disappeared to BEFORE returning to the Citadel was even more confusing.
No one knew who they could trust. And while Tess had been greeted with all the dignity they bestowed upon her as their king's wife, she had not been blind to the suspicious looks cast upon her by some. In their minds she was first and foremost Sabrya of DERNIA. She was not Illyrian and while her marriage to Max in their last lifetime had been meant to heal the wounds between the two factions, it could not have been easy for her in those days, looked upon as a traitor by many of her husband's people. Tess was beginning to understand why Sabrya had been such a woosie, as Kyle would say, in her last lifetime. She already had enough people hating her for doing absolutely nothing. Enraging them further by trying to rule them would have been a disaster.
Which was why, up until now, she had allowed Hamor to dress her up as a doll queen, in long flowing robes and with tight crowns on her head, to try and reassure them all that she was the innocent, guileless girl they remembered, when in fact she was the furthest thing from that there was. She had wanted to get the lay of the land before she took control.
Tess Harding had softened in the days since she had first arrived in Roswell, her one goal to claim Max Evans as her own. But that didn't mean that she didn't remember how to scheme with the best of them. Although she had fallen in love with Kyle, loved Liz and the other humans who had been their salvation on Earth, her first loyalty was - always would be - to Max, Isabel and Michael. And now her sharp mind was going to be used for their benefit. Returning to Illyria to see the mess these people had made of HER home planet had only reinforced this.
Enough was enough.
"…don't understand why the King has gone to the Citadel." One of the captains was saying, bringing the conversation full circle for what seemed like the twentieth time. Tess thought his name was Bor. "He should have first come here to rally the troops, to give us hope. Instead he sends us an a slip of a gir…" Captain Bor trailed off before he finished that rant, glanced at Tess uncomfortably. "My apologies your highness."
It was the first time anyone had paid attention to her all morning.
Tess stood up. Hamor was looking at her, a weary expression on his face. He was loyal to the core, but he was entering the last stages of his life, was already well into his 19th decade if what she heard was true. He had helped Milena to hold the planet for a generation. It was time to give the poor old soldier a rest. While his face was still ageless, he was clearly exhausted.
"Apologies are unnecessary Captain." Tess replied quietly, doing her best to speak like the queen they expected. They had no idea that she was really only a teenage girl from a small town on a planet half-way across the universe. Watching all of those old PBS historical dramas with Liz, Maria and Isabel - the ones that Michael stated made him want to puke - was coming in handy right about now. "I understand your frustration, but there are things about Max… er Jaxon…that you cannot understand. He had a perfectly legitimate reason for heading to the Citadel - one that I won't go into now - but suffice it to say that he has sent me in his stead. I am tired of sitting here debating the same points over and over again. It is time to take action. He is waiting for us and we are NOT going to keep him waiting any longer than necessary." She paused, her mind whirling. "And he did not send me alone. He sent my trusted bodyguard, one we would do well to include in these meetings."
She smiled to herself. That had been a stroke of genius. The Illyrian leadership had refused to allow Kyle anywhere near their meetings, aware that he was not Illyrian OR Dernian, and confused by the fact. They didn't quite know what to make of the boy - the one who refused to treat the queen with the proper respect and had the strangest vocabulary they had ever heard. They also didn't understand why he always complained of being cold. They were in the middle of one of the warmest winters in memory on Illyria.
Captain Bor looked at another soldier sitting across the table, his face expressionless. "What say you Lorn?"
"I don't trust him," snapped the other man, the one Tess recognized as having captured she and Kyle in the first place. She didn't blame him. Kyle had shot off his mouth particularly brutally to him. "And my question is - if the king was not to come himself, why did he not send General Tristandor? He is a man we would all be willing to follow. He was judged worthy by the Ring."
Hamor sighed heavily, falling back into his chair. "Tristandor is not here Lorn. The queen is right. We are simply speaking in circles at this point. The king is waiting for us. If this Kyle Valenti is capable of helping us then I suggest we at least hear him out."
Tess grimaced. She hadn't meant for Kyle to take over the whole operation, just for him to come and lend his support to her. Typical men. Tess was beginning to wonder how the heck Milena had controlled them all over the decades. Her respect for her former mother-in-law was bumped up another notch.
Hamor snapped his fingers and a guard left hurriedly, returning several minutes later with a miserable looking Kyle. Tess had not seen him since the day before, when she had managed to sneak into his tent for a few minutes. He had not been extremely pleased to see her. Being the all- American boy he was, all of the protocol associated with a monarchy was practically driving him insane.
"I don't understand why you can't hang out with who you want to." Kyle had complained briefly yesterday. "You're the queen. Doesn't that mean that you don't have to answer to anyone?"
"You'd think." Tess replied with a snort. "They are always looking for weakness Kyle. We have to follow the rules even more closely than anyone else. They seem to expect a certain decorum and its hard enough for me without you making it more difficult. I remember some stuff from being Sabrya - Nasedo did some regression with me when I still lived with him - but I don't remember everything. They think I'm married to Max. What would they think if they saw me hanging all over another man?"
"I thought kings and queens had affairs all the time." Kyle had replied, shaking his head.
"Kings yes." Tess had returned. "For the queen to have an affair is tantamount to treason. Gotta keep the heirs in the family you know." She had smiled slightly. "And I'm getting the impression that Queen Sabrya wasn't that popular to begin with. A lot of the courtiers don't seem to enjoy having a Dernian as their queen. I bet they would do anything to bring me down."
Kyle had looked at her closely, seemed to realize for the first time. "Tess, its dangerous for you here."
"Not while they still intend to keep Max on the throne. I am his wife and, anyway," She smiled at him teasingly, "I'm used to being the outsider. Don't forget they still have no idea about Jennetta and the role she is to play. As long as I am Max's wife - his regent in his absence - I'm safe."
"I don't like this at all." Kyle had replied, but he had seemed to settle down a little bit after that, clearly worried that every word out of his mouth would somehow betray her.
And now she was bringing him right into the den of lions.
Kyle looked around the tent, a bemused expression on his face. "What's up? Dinner already?" He asked sarcastically, eyeing the empty table.
"Kyle Valenti." Captain Bor, clearly the speaker for the majority of the men there. "The queen tells us that the king sent you here to help us plan our attack. What does Jaxon want of us?"
Kyle's eyes widened. He glanced at Tess. "Er…"
Tess jumped in smoothly. "Kyle needs to be debriefed first Captain. Please tell him where things stand at the present time."
Bor's eyes narrowed. "Well, the Citadel and the Ring are in the hands of the Dernians. The king is apparently ensconced comfortably at the Citadel, sharing meals with our enemy if I am not misinformed." He paused. "I am also hearing tell of a witch who has gained access to the king. We have spies who tell us that Tarsus let the king see one of their female prisoners almost immediately upon arrival at the Citadel and that he spent the…" Bor stopped abruptly again, glanced at Tess.
She rolled her eyes, although she felt a rush of relief at the news that Max, at least, seemed to have access to Liz. "Oh for God's sake. What the king did or did not do is none of our affair at the present time. The important thing is that he IS the king and he's expecting us."
"Right." Kyle supplied from her elbow. Tess glanced at him gratefully. "And while you guys are sitting around on your butts gossiping about the royal family, Tarsus is lording it over all of you in that Citadel. For a guy who says he doesn't have any emotions, he seems really unwilling to give up power, in fact seems to crave it. He wants this win. It seems like you don't. The other team is in the end zone guys. Defense isn't working. It's time to go on the attack."
The soldiers all exchanged looks, complete confusion on their faces. "End zone?" Lorn asked disdainfully, as though it pained him.
"Never mind." Kyle snapped. "The point is, its time get our butts in gear. Are you men or are you mice?" Tess stared at him. "Coach used to say that to us all the time." He muttered under his breath. "I think he got it of an old comic book." She brought her hand up to her mouth to hide her grin.
Hamor stood up. "You are right Valenti." He looked around the table. "It is time to move. We will call in the troops. We will plan an assault on the Citadel for two months hence…"
"Two months." Kyle blurted. They all turned to stare at him. "Make that two days. I just heard…"
Lorn rolled his eyes, sighed condescendingly. "It takes more than a month to call in the troops from their various outposts."
"Which is why you lost the Citadel in the first place." Tess snapped. Lorn whitened. "Tristandor would never have allowed the seat of government to sit so unprotected after Milena and Hamor fought so hard to reclaim it." She smiled at Hamor.
"Tristandor is not here." Lorn muttered. His voice became stronger as he accused. "Where is he? Where is our general? And where is the Princess Mirana? She has not been seen in close to three years. It is no wonder the people are losing hope, are losing battles. Our leaders have done the same."
Tess eyed him sadly. What he said was more than true. She closed her eyes briefly and then said, "A time is coming when all this will be forgotten Captain Lorn. The time spoken of in prophecy is upon us. Tristandor has seen to it." Tess felt a flash of pride in her brother. Michael's goal had always been to find his home, ironically had found it in Maria's arms, which had also resulted in the birth of the one who was going to reunite their planet after so long.
It was Bor who realized what this meant first. "The Chosen One?" He gasped. "Has the union of Tristandor and Mirana resulted in the birth that we have awaited so long?"
Tess saw Kyle grimace at that. "I can say no more now." She replied evenly. "Just know that my brother will return - soon. In the meantime though, your king awaits you."
"Te - er, your highness, there's something you should know." Kyle said into the silence that had descended over the tent.
Tess looked at him. "What?"
"Well, I think the messengers were afraid to come in because he -" Kyle pointed at snarky Captain Lorn accusingly "told them that the meeting was closed. I tried to get in but they wouldn't let me. It's why I just said that we had two days, if that. Tarsus has made his move."
"What do you mean?" Hamor demanded, his voice reflecting his concern.
"The sentry brought a flyer type thing in from that city we saw yesterday." Kyle explained hurriedly. "Tarsus is advertising it all over the area apparently."
"What?" Tess whispered, fear suddenly gripping her heart in a vise.
"The execution of King Jaxon of Illyria."
The Citadel
Liz was half-sprawled across the window sill of her cell. She was sawing at the bars with the dinner knife that had been left on the table the night before - before Max had come to her.
She bit her lip at the thought of last night and all that had passed between them. Now was not the time. If she ever wanted to see him again she had to get out of there. The feeling of fear and dread that had taken root in her heart when they had been wrenched away from each other had only increased when she had felt a great spasm of physical pain a few moments ago.
Something had happened to Max. She knew it. Their connection was even stronger now that they had bonded on the most intimate level of all. She could feel him all the time - almost to the point that if she spoke to him with her mind, he might hear her.
Liz had even tried that but the gaping silence that had greeted her had been more devastating than not having tried at all. He was deliberately shutting her out, was trying to protect her from knowing what was happening to him. She knew it.
The Citadel had been quiet for several hours. After that one gigantic explosion, the bombardment had ended. In fact, when Liz had finally thought to actually look out her window, the plain below had been empty, no sign that there had been any sort of army gathered there at any time in the past few hours.
Things were just getting more weird by the minute. Tarsus was an expert at psychological warfare, which Liz now understood he was waging against both she and Max, first by kidnapping Liz and trying to convince Max that she was dead, now by allowing them one night together and then wrenching them apart again.
And he was winning. Liz could feel her nerves on the brink of shattering. Hysteria was lying just beneath the surface of her outer calm. The only thing holding her together was the knowledge that Max needed her and the knowledge that Tess and Kyle were going to try and rescue them.
They were not completely alone on this planet. Even if Michael, Isabel, Maria and Alex were trapped on Earth, unable to help them, Tess and Kyle would come through. Liz was sure of it.
But Max was not going to be able to wait that long. Liz had to find him immediately.
And so she continued to saw futilely, not even making a dent in the peculiar metal that made up her prison.
She was so intent on her work she didn't hear the cell door slide open, only became aware that she was no longer alone when the person spoke. "Are you having fun over there?"
Liz whirled, her eyes wide and disbelieving.
Max was leaning against the door-frame, his arms folded across his chest, one eyebrow raised wryly.
"Max!" Liz threw the knife down, raced across the cell and threw herself into his arms. He caught her easily, laughing.
"Hey! It's okay! I'm fine." She rained kisses all over his face. "Better than fine now actually." Max set her down, pulled her against him.
"What happened? Max, where did they take you?" Liz demanded, staring up at him. "You look fine!" She said accusingly. "Why did you leave me here? I was going out of my mind!"
Max frowned slightly. "I'm sorry about that." He said. "They took me to see Tarsus. We settled things once and for all."
"What was that explosion? Was it your people?" Liz had a million questions running through her mind, didn't understand why Max was being so cavalier about the whole thing.
"Oh, that was the Dernians blowing up the last of their stored arms. It appears that they are about to surrender." Max led her over to the cot, sat down, pulled her onto his lap. "Tarsus just wants to make sure that there are no misunderstandings when he hands over the Citadel officially to me so he's getting rid of it all." Max sighed, rolling his eyes. "I guess one of his men got a little over-eager and set one of the explosives off in the courtyard rather than waiting until they had moved them out of the fortress."
Liz stared at him. "Tarsus gave up? Just like that?" She asked finally. This didn't sound right at all. "Why would he do that Max? After everything he's done to stay in control, he'd just give up as easy as that? And you believe him?"
Max shrugged. "I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth."
Liz felt a shiver descend her spine. She gently disentangled Max's arms from around her waist, stood up. "I don't understand."
"It's over Liz. Jennetta can come home and claim her throne. We won." He was eyeing her with concern. "You don't seem happy about this. Tarsus is even going to let us leave. We're going to join the Illyrians for the official hand-over." He frowned. "What's wrong sweetheart?"
None of this made any sense. Liz could feel her mind frantically trying to sort it out. There had to be some craft behind this latest ploy of Tarsus's. Why was Max falling for it so easily?
Or was she just paranoid? Had Tarsus truly screwed with her mind so completely that she couldn't believe that they might actually get some good news? Tarsus wasn't supposed to have any emotions. How could they understand someone who never did anything with any sort of emotional investment? Why couldn't he just change his mind on a whim and decide that Max was the king after all?
And yet - something was just wrong here.
"Max, I think we need to think about this…" Liz trailed off, flinched. She had just felt a stab of pain in the vicinity of her ribs. She raised her hand, rubbing gently at the area.
Max was on his feet, at her side in an instant. "Liz? What's wrong?"
And then Liz understood. That pain. It had been very much like the one she had experienced earlier - when she was sure that Max was being hurt.
Which could only mean one thing…
The person standing in front of her, a look of concern etched on his handsome face was not Max at all.
And yet he looked so much like him. Could she really be sure?
Liz could feel hysteria beginning to claim her again. If it was Max, how could she tell him that she suddenly had the weirdest feeling that she couldn't trust him? It would devastate him.
There was only one way to find out for sure, to find out whether this was HER Max or some shapeshifter - maybe even Tarsus - impersonating him.
Her Max was pure, good and open. She would be able to connect with him immediately if this was him - especially after how close they had been to each other last night.
It was another reason she was almost positive this was not him - the vibe he was giving off…or, rather, the lack of a vibe. She couldn't feel him at all.
Liz bit her lip, continued to stare at him with wide eyes. Max's hands were on her face, clearly trying to get her to speak to him.
"Liz? Please tell me what's wrong." He was beginning to sound frantic - like her Max would sound.
And yet…
Liz did the only thing she could think of. She placed her hands on both sides of his face and looked right into his eyes. "Kiss me Max. Now."
His eyebrows drew together slightly but he quirked a grin at her. "Is that all it is? Your wish is my command."
An instant later his lips were on hers.
Illyrian Camp - Illyria
Tess sat at the head of the table, her back straight, her hands folded neatly in her lap. Her full concentration was focused on Hamor, who was discussing the strategy for taking first the Ring and then the Citadel, with several of his ranking officers. They were ignoring her completely, as they had done since the moment she had joined them - or at least since the moment immediately following the initial fawning, bowing and scraping.
It had been three days since she and Kyle had joined her people and with each passing hour Tess became more frustrated. The Illyrians were in complete disorder, still reeling from the loss of the Citadel and the Ring over three months ago. From what Tess had gleaned, they really didn't know how to go about reclaiming what rightfully belonged to them.
They were like a ship without a rudder, no true leader having emerged to trim the sails - or to at least order them trimmed. Hamor was doing his best, had once been a great general in his time…but the irony was that he had handed over all of the reins of command to Tristandor, Michael Guerin in a previous lifetime, and had not been particularly keen to retake them upon Tris's death - a death which very few were aware had actually happened. He was doing his best, had already reclaimed the Citadel once, but he was tired and it showed.
Not to mention the fact that the entire people had completely lost hope that their king was ever going to return to them because they still had had no idea where he was. Hamor was trying to command an army full of low morale and even less hope.
The news that Tess had brought - that Max had returned to the Citadel and was currently embroiled in a battle of wits with Tarsus - had seemed to throw the leaders of the Illyrian army into further confusion. Queen Milena's plan to hold Max's kingdom under interdict, meaning that in the minds of the Illyrians, very little time had passed since Jaxon had been their king, had been useful in some ways, but in others had been quite destructive.
Because while the Illyrians remembered Jaxon as a strong ruler with a head full of dreams for the peaceful reunification of his planet, they ALSO remembered Max's LAST stay on Illyria, when it looked like he had turned against his own people and had gone to lead the Dernians. And so the fact that Max had headed straight back to Tarsus upon his return to the planet was not looked upon favorably. The fact that they also had no idea where he had disappeared to BEFORE returning to the Citadel was even more confusing.
No one knew who they could trust. And while Tess had been greeted with all the dignity they bestowed upon her as their king's wife, she had not been blind to the suspicious looks cast upon her by some. In their minds she was first and foremost Sabrya of DERNIA. She was not Illyrian and while her marriage to Max in their last lifetime had been meant to heal the wounds between the two factions, it could not have been easy for her in those days, looked upon as a traitor by many of her husband's people. Tess was beginning to understand why Sabrya had been such a woosie, as Kyle would say, in her last lifetime. She already had enough people hating her for doing absolutely nothing. Enraging them further by trying to rule them would have been a disaster.
Which was why, up until now, she had allowed Hamor to dress her up as a doll queen, in long flowing robes and with tight crowns on her head, to try and reassure them all that she was the innocent, guileless girl they remembered, when in fact she was the furthest thing from that there was. She had wanted to get the lay of the land before she took control.
Tess Harding had softened in the days since she had first arrived in Roswell, her one goal to claim Max Evans as her own. But that didn't mean that she didn't remember how to scheme with the best of them. Although she had fallen in love with Kyle, loved Liz and the other humans who had been their salvation on Earth, her first loyalty was - always would be - to Max, Isabel and Michael. And now her sharp mind was going to be used for their benefit. Returning to Illyria to see the mess these people had made of HER home planet had only reinforced this.
Enough was enough.
"…don't understand why the King has gone to the Citadel." One of the captains was saying, bringing the conversation full circle for what seemed like the twentieth time. Tess thought his name was Bor. "He should have first come here to rally the troops, to give us hope. Instead he sends us an a slip of a gir…" Captain Bor trailed off before he finished that rant, glanced at Tess uncomfortably. "My apologies your highness."
It was the first time anyone had paid attention to her all morning.
Tess stood up. Hamor was looking at her, a weary expression on his face. He was loyal to the core, but he was entering the last stages of his life, was already well into his 19th decade if what she heard was true. He had helped Milena to hold the planet for a generation. It was time to give the poor old soldier a rest. While his face was still ageless, he was clearly exhausted.
"Apologies are unnecessary Captain." Tess replied quietly, doing her best to speak like the queen they expected. They had no idea that she was really only a teenage girl from a small town on a planet half-way across the universe. Watching all of those old PBS historical dramas with Liz, Maria and Isabel - the ones that Michael stated made him want to puke - was coming in handy right about now. "I understand your frustration, but there are things about Max… er Jaxon…that you cannot understand. He had a perfectly legitimate reason for heading to the Citadel - one that I won't go into now - but suffice it to say that he has sent me in his stead. I am tired of sitting here debating the same points over and over again. It is time to take action. He is waiting for us and we are NOT going to keep him waiting any longer than necessary." She paused, her mind whirling. "And he did not send me alone. He sent my trusted bodyguard, one we would do well to include in these meetings."
She smiled to herself. That had been a stroke of genius. The Illyrian leadership had refused to allow Kyle anywhere near their meetings, aware that he was not Illyrian OR Dernian, and confused by the fact. They didn't quite know what to make of the boy - the one who refused to treat the queen with the proper respect and had the strangest vocabulary they had ever heard. They also didn't understand why he always complained of being cold. They were in the middle of one of the warmest winters in memory on Illyria.
Captain Bor looked at another soldier sitting across the table, his face expressionless. "What say you Lorn?"
"I don't trust him," snapped the other man, the one Tess recognized as having captured she and Kyle in the first place. She didn't blame him. Kyle had shot off his mouth particularly brutally to him. "And my question is - if the king was not to come himself, why did he not send General Tristandor? He is a man we would all be willing to follow. He was judged worthy by the Ring."
Hamor sighed heavily, falling back into his chair. "Tristandor is not here Lorn. The queen is right. We are simply speaking in circles at this point. The king is waiting for us. If this Kyle Valenti is capable of helping us then I suggest we at least hear him out."
Tess grimaced. She hadn't meant for Kyle to take over the whole operation, just for him to come and lend his support to her. Typical men. Tess was beginning to wonder how the heck Milena had controlled them all over the decades. Her respect for her former mother-in-law was bumped up another notch.
Hamor snapped his fingers and a guard left hurriedly, returning several minutes later with a miserable looking Kyle. Tess had not seen him since the day before, when she had managed to sneak into his tent for a few minutes. He had not been extremely pleased to see her. Being the all- American boy he was, all of the protocol associated with a monarchy was practically driving him insane.
"I don't understand why you can't hang out with who you want to." Kyle had complained briefly yesterday. "You're the queen. Doesn't that mean that you don't have to answer to anyone?"
"You'd think." Tess replied with a snort. "They are always looking for weakness Kyle. We have to follow the rules even more closely than anyone else. They seem to expect a certain decorum and its hard enough for me without you making it more difficult. I remember some stuff from being Sabrya - Nasedo did some regression with me when I still lived with him - but I don't remember everything. They think I'm married to Max. What would they think if they saw me hanging all over another man?"
"I thought kings and queens had affairs all the time." Kyle had replied, shaking his head.
"Kings yes." Tess had returned. "For the queen to have an affair is tantamount to treason. Gotta keep the heirs in the family you know." She had smiled slightly. "And I'm getting the impression that Queen Sabrya wasn't that popular to begin with. A lot of the courtiers don't seem to enjoy having a Dernian as their queen. I bet they would do anything to bring me down."
Kyle had looked at her closely, seemed to realize for the first time. "Tess, its dangerous for you here."
"Not while they still intend to keep Max on the throne. I am his wife and, anyway," She smiled at him teasingly, "I'm used to being the outsider. Don't forget they still have no idea about Jennetta and the role she is to play. As long as I am Max's wife - his regent in his absence - I'm safe."
"I don't like this at all." Kyle had replied, but he had seemed to settle down a little bit after that, clearly worried that every word out of his mouth would somehow betray her.
And now she was bringing him right into the den of lions.
Kyle looked around the tent, a bemused expression on his face. "What's up? Dinner already?" He asked sarcastically, eyeing the empty table.
"Kyle Valenti." Captain Bor, clearly the speaker for the majority of the men there. "The queen tells us that the king sent you here to help us plan our attack. What does Jaxon want of us?"
Kyle's eyes widened. He glanced at Tess. "Er…"
Tess jumped in smoothly. "Kyle needs to be debriefed first Captain. Please tell him where things stand at the present time."
Bor's eyes narrowed. "Well, the Citadel and the Ring are in the hands of the Dernians. The king is apparently ensconced comfortably at the Citadel, sharing meals with our enemy if I am not misinformed." He paused. "I am also hearing tell of a witch who has gained access to the king. We have spies who tell us that Tarsus let the king see one of their female prisoners almost immediately upon arrival at the Citadel and that he spent the…" Bor stopped abruptly again, glanced at Tess.
She rolled her eyes, although she felt a rush of relief at the news that Max, at least, seemed to have access to Liz. "Oh for God's sake. What the king did or did not do is none of our affair at the present time. The important thing is that he IS the king and he's expecting us."
"Right." Kyle supplied from her elbow. Tess glanced at him gratefully. "And while you guys are sitting around on your butts gossiping about the royal family, Tarsus is lording it over all of you in that Citadel. For a guy who says he doesn't have any emotions, he seems really unwilling to give up power, in fact seems to crave it. He wants this win. It seems like you don't. The other team is in the end zone guys. Defense isn't working. It's time to go on the attack."
The soldiers all exchanged looks, complete confusion on their faces. "End zone?" Lorn asked disdainfully, as though it pained him.
"Never mind." Kyle snapped. "The point is, its time get our butts in gear. Are you men or are you mice?" Tess stared at him. "Coach used to say that to us all the time." He muttered under his breath. "I think he got it of an old comic book." She brought her hand up to her mouth to hide her grin.
Hamor stood up. "You are right Valenti." He looked around the table. "It is time to move. We will call in the troops. We will plan an assault on the Citadel for two months hence…"
"Two months." Kyle blurted. They all turned to stare at him. "Make that two days. I just heard…"
Lorn rolled his eyes, sighed condescendingly. "It takes more than a month to call in the troops from their various outposts."
"Which is why you lost the Citadel in the first place." Tess snapped. Lorn whitened. "Tristandor would never have allowed the seat of government to sit so unprotected after Milena and Hamor fought so hard to reclaim it." She smiled at Hamor.
"Tristandor is not here." Lorn muttered. His voice became stronger as he accused. "Where is he? Where is our general? And where is the Princess Mirana? She has not been seen in close to three years. It is no wonder the people are losing hope, are losing battles. Our leaders have done the same."
Tess eyed him sadly. What he said was more than true. She closed her eyes briefly and then said, "A time is coming when all this will be forgotten Captain Lorn. The time spoken of in prophecy is upon us. Tristandor has seen to it." Tess felt a flash of pride in her brother. Michael's goal had always been to find his home, ironically had found it in Maria's arms, which had also resulted in the birth of the one who was going to reunite their planet after so long.
It was Bor who realized what this meant first. "The Chosen One?" He gasped. "Has the union of Tristandor and Mirana resulted in the birth that we have awaited so long?"
Tess saw Kyle grimace at that. "I can say no more now." She replied evenly. "Just know that my brother will return - soon. In the meantime though, your king awaits you."
"Te - er, your highness, there's something you should know." Kyle said into the silence that had descended over the tent.
Tess looked at him. "What?"
"Well, I think the messengers were afraid to come in because he -" Kyle pointed at snarky Captain Lorn accusingly "told them that the meeting was closed. I tried to get in but they wouldn't let me. It's why I just said that we had two days, if that. Tarsus has made his move."
"What do you mean?" Hamor demanded, his voice reflecting his concern.
"The sentry brought a flyer type thing in from that city we saw yesterday." Kyle explained hurriedly. "Tarsus is advertising it all over the area apparently."
"What?" Tess whispered, fear suddenly gripping her heart in a vise.
"The execution of King Jaxon of Illyria."
The Citadel
Liz was half-sprawled across the window sill of her cell. She was sawing at the bars with the dinner knife that had been left on the table the night before - before Max had come to her.
She bit her lip at the thought of last night and all that had passed between them. Now was not the time. If she ever wanted to see him again she had to get out of there. The feeling of fear and dread that had taken root in her heart when they had been wrenched away from each other had only increased when she had felt a great spasm of physical pain a few moments ago.
Something had happened to Max. She knew it. Their connection was even stronger now that they had bonded on the most intimate level of all. She could feel him all the time - almost to the point that if she spoke to him with her mind, he might hear her.
Liz had even tried that but the gaping silence that had greeted her had been more devastating than not having tried at all. He was deliberately shutting her out, was trying to protect her from knowing what was happening to him. She knew it.
The Citadel had been quiet for several hours. After that one gigantic explosion, the bombardment had ended. In fact, when Liz had finally thought to actually look out her window, the plain below had been empty, no sign that there had been any sort of army gathered there at any time in the past few hours.
Things were just getting more weird by the minute. Tarsus was an expert at psychological warfare, which Liz now understood he was waging against both she and Max, first by kidnapping Liz and trying to convince Max that she was dead, now by allowing them one night together and then wrenching them apart again.
And he was winning. Liz could feel her nerves on the brink of shattering. Hysteria was lying just beneath the surface of her outer calm. The only thing holding her together was the knowledge that Max needed her and the knowledge that Tess and Kyle were going to try and rescue them.
They were not completely alone on this planet. Even if Michael, Isabel, Maria and Alex were trapped on Earth, unable to help them, Tess and Kyle would come through. Liz was sure of it.
But Max was not going to be able to wait that long. Liz had to find him immediately.
And so she continued to saw futilely, not even making a dent in the peculiar metal that made up her prison.
She was so intent on her work she didn't hear the cell door slide open, only became aware that she was no longer alone when the person spoke. "Are you having fun over there?"
Liz whirled, her eyes wide and disbelieving.
Max was leaning against the door-frame, his arms folded across his chest, one eyebrow raised wryly.
"Max!" Liz threw the knife down, raced across the cell and threw herself into his arms. He caught her easily, laughing.
"Hey! It's okay! I'm fine." She rained kisses all over his face. "Better than fine now actually." Max set her down, pulled her against him.
"What happened? Max, where did they take you?" Liz demanded, staring up at him. "You look fine!" She said accusingly. "Why did you leave me here? I was going out of my mind!"
Max frowned slightly. "I'm sorry about that." He said. "They took me to see Tarsus. We settled things once and for all."
"What was that explosion? Was it your people?" Liz had a million questions running through her mind, didn't understand why Max was being so cavalier about the whole thing.
"Oh, that was the Dernians blowing up the last of their stored arms. It appears that they are about to surrender." Max led her over to the cot, sat down, pulled her onto his lap. "Tarsus just wants to make sure that there are no misunderstandings when he hands over the Citadel officially to me so he's getting rid of it all." Max sighed, rolling his eyes. "I guess one of his men got a little over-eager and set one of the explosives off in the courtyard rather than waiting until they had moved them out of the fortress."
Liz stared at him. "Tarsus gave up? Just like that?" She asked finally. This didn't sound right at all. "Why would he do that Max? After everything he's done to stay in control, he'd just give up as easy as that? And you believe him?"
Max shrugged. "I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth."
Liz felt a shiver descend her spine. She gently disentangled Max's arms from around her waist, stood up. "I don't understand."
"It's over Liz. Jennetta can come home and claim her throne. We won." He was eyeing her with concern. "You don't seem happy about this. Tarsus is even going to let us leave. We're going to join the Illyrians for the official hand-over." He frowned. "What's wrong sweetheart?"
None of this made any sense. Liz could feel her mind frantically trying to sort it out. There had to be some craft behind this latest ploy of Tarsus's. Why was Max falling for it so easily?
Or was she just paranoid? Had Tarsus truly screwed with her mind so completely that she couldn't believe that they might actually get some good news? Tarsus wasn't supposed to have any emotions. How could they understand someone who never did anything with any sort of emotional investment? Why couldn't he just change his mind on a whim and decide that Max was the king after all?
And yet - something was just wrong here.
"Max, I think we need to think about this…" Liz trailed off, flinched. She had just felt a stab of pain in the vicinity of her ribs. She raised her hand, rubbing gently at the area.
Max was on his feet, at her side in an instant. "Liz? What's wrong?"
And then Liz understood. That pain. It had been very much like the one she had experienced earlier - when she was sure that Max was being hurt.
Which could only mean one thing…
The person standing in front of her, a look of concern etched on his handsome face was not Max at all.
And yet he looked so much like him. Could she really be sure?
Liz could feel hysteria beginning to claim her again. If it was Max, how could she tell him that she suddenly had the weirdest feeling that she couldn't trust him? It would devastate him.
There was only one way to find out for sure, to find out whether this was HER Max or some shapeshifter - maybe even Tarsus - impersonating him.
Her Max was pure, good and open. She would be able to connect with him immediately if this was him - especially after how close they had been to each other last night.
It was another reason she was almost positive this was not him - the vibe he was giving off…or, rather, the lack of a vibe. She couldn't feel him at all.
Liz bit her lip, continued to stare at him with wide eyes. Max's hands were on her face, clearly trying to get her to speak to him.
"Liz? Please tell me what's wrong." He was beginning to sound frantic - like her Max would sound.
And yet…
Liz did the only thing she could think of. She placed her hands on both sides of his face and looked right into his eyes. "Kiss me Max. Now."
His eyebrows drew together slightly but he quirked a grin at her. "Is that all it is? Your wish is my command."
An instant later his lips were on hers.
