Part 55
"Are we there yet?"
Kate glanced at Michael, who was sitting next to her. He had reached forward and hit the button on the back of the seat in front of him, which opened a com link directly to the pilot of the small star cruiser in which they were presently traveling.
"Soon, General." The pilot sounded polite, but long-suffering.
"Well, hurry up," Michael said gruffly, switching off the com.
Kate smiled to herself when Isabel turned around in the seat ahead of them and snapped, "Michael, if you do that one more time, I swear I'm going to come back there and make you regret it."
Michael scowled, then retorted, "Yes, Mommy."
Isabel glared back. "If you stop acting like a child, I'll stop treating you like one. Can't you just sit back and enjoy the fact that we're on a spaceship or something?"
"I'm not a little boy, Isabel," Michael replied, his voice rising. "You can't distract me with this spaceship garbage. We need to get there! I don't trust that guy not to do something crazy."
"I'm sure we're going as quickly as we can," Kate soothed. "It's space travel, Michael. It just takes longer."
Michael turned his heated gaze upon her, making Kate cringe slightly. "I get that," he said. "What I don't get is why your brother hasn't returned any of our calls. I would be a whole lot more relaxed if he wasn't such a loose canon. Ironic that he was telling i me /i not to do anything stupid," he finished, under his breath.
Kate sighed, lowering her gaze. She wished she could deny it, but Michael was right. There was something fishy about the fact that they had been unable to raise Will on any communication orb since their last conversation, when her brother had warned them all against acting in haste, because they might regret the consequences if they ever managed to get back to Earth. "I wish I knew what he's doing," she murmured. "I hope he's okay."
"I don't trust that guy," Michael said abruptly.
Isabel twisted in her seat again. "Michael!" She glanced at Kate meaningfully, momentarily making Kate feel like she wasn't there at all.
"Well, I don't," he insisted. He looked at Kate. "No offense. It's not like I'm saying I don't trust you."
"None taken," Kate replied wryly. She wasn't offended, she realized. Because she was just as suspicious as Michael was. The fact was that, until she exposed him, Will had pretended that he was Khivar, which had seriously unnerved her. She still couldn't explain to herself what had been going through her brother's head. But, she could guess at some reasons for his behavior. None of them pleased her, and all of them involved his obsession with reclaiming Rowena - Liz - as his own.
Michael was opening his mouth to complain again, when he was interrupted by a beeping noise. Isabel reached forward and hit the blinking button on the console in front of her. "Yes?"
"If you'll look at the view-screen, highness, Sardica is just below us."
Isabel fiddled with a dial in front of her, and the large screen, that divided the compartment in which they were traveling from the pilot's cabin, lit up abruptly, causing all three of them to gasp in amazement at the vision that greeted them.
Antar had been spectacular, without a doubt. As they had left the capital planet, covered as it was in the lights of its vast cities, Kate had been certain that she would never witness such a sight again. But Sardica was magnificent in its own, completely unique, way. There were the lights of large settlements on the surface of Kate's native planet too, but there were also huge expanses of blue, which could only be one thing. Water. Sardica was completely covered by water.
When their ship finally landed, about another fifteen minutes later, the extent of what this meant greeted them as they debarked. The platform upon which they exited shifted slightly with every step they took. It was little more than a giant dock. Looking around in amazement, Kate realized that the whole city to which they had been brought was floating upon the ocean, which apparently covered the whole surface of the planet.
Why had no one ever told her that Sardica was a water world? How could this have been one of the memories she had lost? But, suddenly, it made complete sense that she had always felt uncomfortable in the desert on Earth. She felt lost there, bereft in some way she had never understood. As she breathed in the sea air that surrounded her, for the first time in her life, she felt like she was coming home.
Once they were swept into a nearby building by the guards who had accompanied them, Kate no longer felt like the ground was in movement beneath her feet. The edifice was obviously grounded in a way that the landing platform had not been.
"Princess Karana!" A grey-skinned man in a green uniform emblazoned with the symbol of the house of Sardica, came forward and bowed. Kate guessed that he was an immigration officer of some sort, because she was beginning to suspect from the bustle surrounding them that they had been escorted into something like a customs building back on Earth. "Welcome. What a...pleasant surprise." The way he trailed off for a moment made Kate wonder if he was really pleased to see her at all. She felt her heart start to beat unsteadily. "We were not expecting you!"
"You weren't?" Michael demanded, stepping forward. "That's funny. Considering her brother invited us here."
Isabel elbowed Michael firmly. "What my i husband /i ," this was said through gritted teeth, "means is that, if you contact Khivar, we are certain he will confirm our invitation."
"Not that I need one," Kate added. "This is my home."
"Of course it is, Princess!" the landing official exclaimed. "I did not mean to imply otherwise. It is just that we are unprepared to receive someone of your rank." He sounded embarrassed. "I fear that our hospitality will be poor."
"It's all right," Kate reassured him. "Rath, Vilandra, and I have no need of ceremony. We would like for you to contact my brother immediately. He is, as we have said, expecting us."
The official glanced at Michael, and then Isabel, his eyes widening. He bowed again, more deeply this time. Kate realized that it was because Isabel was of a greater rank than she. "I beg your forgiveness, your highness. I did not recognize you!"
Kate felt her heart go out to the poor, flustered man. "There is no harm done," she insisted. "We would just like to proceed to the palace."
But the man was babbling now, obviously very upset. "This is the second time in a cycle that we have been unprepared to greet royalty. First Lady Rowena arrives, unannounced, and now you all. How are we supposed to do things correctly if we are not informed?"
"Rowena?" Kate interrupted his tirade. This was news. Liz had not been with Will when they had last spoken to him. "Rowena is here?" She felt a rush of relief, which was quickly followed by a twinge of nervousness. "Was Zan with her?" she asked quickly.
"Zan?" The officer stared at her. "No. The high king is not on planet." He looked dismayed at the mere idea. "He's not coming too, is he?" He glanced around in despair.
"No, no," Kate assured him quickly. "I swear we'll let you know if he's coming." She looked at Isabel, who shrugged, obviously as perplexed as she was as to where Max was. This seemed to satisfy the immigration officer though, because he escorted them through the receiving area, to a large garage like structure, which was filled with slips that housed water craft of all shapes and sizes.
"The royal barge is, of course, at your service," the officer told them. "It is always ready to go."
"Excellent," Kate said, smiling slightly. "Thank you."
"Oh!" Michael called out to the officer, as he turned on his heel to leave them. "By the way, do you have a jail or something in there?" He inclined his head back towards the immigration building.
"Yes, why?" the officer asked, sounding nervous again.
"We have a prisoner on our ship. Stick him in there, will ya? We'll be back for him later."
Kate looked at Isabel, who was glaring at Michael. "Michael, what did you do?" she finally asked under her breath.
"I brought Grant with us," Michael replied, sounding surprised. "You didn't think I was just going to let him run back to whoever is messing with us, did you?"
"Michael! I thought we agreed that we were going to let him go! That we didn't want the timeline to be too messed up!" Isabel exclaimed. "You told us that you didn't tell him anything about who you thought he was. That it would work. With me gone, it's not like they can go ahead with the plan anyway."
Michael shrugged. "I changed my mind."
"Michael!" Isabel looked about ready to throttle him.
"Hey, I go with my gut!" Michael replied. "My gut was telling me not to leave the creep back there. So sue me!"
"Michael, you know he's not Grant yet, right?" Kate asked carefully.
Michael looked at her peevishly. "What, am I an idiot? Of course I know. I also know I'm right about this."
"Fine," Isabel sighed. "I just hope we don't regret this."
Michael's expression softened. "Iz, I swear I know I'm right. I just don't buy that we're changing everything back on Earth. I mean, it just doesn't i feel /i like that's what this is about."
"What do you think it's about?" Kate asked, curious.
"I think we're supposed to learn things," Michael replied. "Like when we brought you back. We couldn't do it until we learned stuff about ourselves. Like how Isabel wasn't herself until she understood that she wasn't going to betray me and Max. It just makes sense to me that it's why we're here. To learn stuff."
"So why isn't the granolith just letting us see our past lives?" Isabel asked. She sounded impressed with Michael's reasoning though, and relieved too, if Kate was not mistaken. Kate didn't blame her. It would really relieve a lot of the tension for all three of them if they knew for a fact that their every move wasn't dooming their friends back on Earth.
"Because someone hasn't learned what they're supposed to," Michael said, his tone darkening. He looked at Kate. "Three guesses about who it is, and the first two don't count."
"You think it's Will," Kate said, wishing that she didn't agree.
"The fact that Liz is here, and Maxwell isn't..." Michael raised his eyebrows. "That pretty much pounds the last nail into his coffin, in my opinion. He's up to something."
"I don't know," Isabel said. "I mean, he seemed really sorry about working for the other side. He was really upset after you got hurt," she told Kate.
"That was before he had the chance to change everything to his own benefit," Michael reminded her. "He's the one who's completely convinced that everything we do here is going to change the future. He still thinks he has a chance. I mean, I'm not saying he ever meant for you to get hurt last time," Michael added, looking at Kate. "But we brought you back once, after all. Why would he let that stop him now? He knows that if he screws up, we can all bail him out."
Kate felt sad that she couldn't argue with Michael. But she truly could not disagree. She had forgiven Will for what had happened back on Earth. She, better than anyone, knew how much of who he was had been wrapped up in finding Rowena, after all. And even Michael believed that he hadn't meant for anyone to get hurt. But learning that Ro was not his, and had never been his, had obviously destroyed something inside Will. Kate suspected that he was never again going to be the same brother she had always admired, the one she had always trusted to do the right thing. His obsession with Rowena had corrupted him. The scariest part of all was that she couldn't help but believe that Will was reliving exactly what had happened to his counterpart - the one who had rejected Serena when he had learned the truth about his wife.
Which had been one of the reasons their system had disintegrated into civil war. One of the things they had to make sure didn't happen again.
Unless she could get through to him, and if Michael was right - that they were in the granolith to learn about themselves, not about their past lives - then they might be trapped here forever.
Alex's face flashed into Kate's mind, making her close her eyes to shut it out. She thought of him often, but just as quickly made herself stop. She couldn't allow her feelings for him to interfere with what she knew she had to do - with what was right.
But he would not leave this time. The idea that she was never going to see him again...She couldn't bear it.
By the time the small boat shuttle in which they were riding pulled up in front of a huge palace, Kate's resolve was set. She was not going to leave her brother's side until she had made him accept that Liz belonged with Max. She would not allow herself to be stuck in this limbo forever. They were here for a reason, and she was not going to let Will's stubbornness keep everyone from returning to their loved ones back on Earth.
They all belonged on Earth, together. Liz belonged with Max. Michael belonged with Maria.
Isabel belonged with...
Kate blinked, and felt her heart stop.
She realized that she had been just about to think, "Isabel belonged with Alex."
Kate stumbled slightly on the walkway. She had been following Michael and Isabel into the palace, but she felt her legs weakening beneath her. Where had that completely out of left field thought about Isabel and Alex come from? And why did it seem to be affecting her physically? What was wrong with her? Why did she suddenly feel so out of it?
"Michael..." she called out weakly. She knew it was in vain. He wouldn't be able to catch her before she tumbled off the swaying walkway and into the water below, which was where she was headed if she collapsed. Michael was too far away. No one could help her.
The next thing she knew, the water was closing over her head. It was cold, but it was not cold enough to stop her from sinking into unconsciousness.
Right before she slipped away, she heard someone calling her name.
"Karana! Kara, come back!"
Her last coherent thought was that it was Jack.
"We are going, so do not argue."
"I will not argue," Khivar replied. He was pacing under the tall windows of his office, his hands clasped behind his back. "I am just angry that I cannot go too."
"You know why you cannot, brother," Karana said, feeling sympathetic. "We cannot allow Zan to get his hands on you. He will win if you are captured." She looked at Jondar, her cousin, who was nodding his head in agreement.
"I know that," Khivar snapped. "Which was the argument that Rowena used to convince me to allow her to go to parlay with him in the first place. It is still a valid argument. But it does not mean I have to be happy about it." He stopped in front of Karana, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Promise me that you will bring her back, Kara." He looked at Jondar, too, including him in his words. "I am placing my trust in both of you to do this."
Karana reached out and embraced her brother, tears in her eyes. She did not understand how it had come to this. How could Zan have possibly changed so completely? It made no sense. He had always struggled against the yoke of his father's desire for more dominance by Antar. The destruction of Valonia had been beyond her comprehension, and, at one time, she was sure it would have been beyond that of Zan as well. And, now, he was responsible for the kidnapping of that same planet's queen! The Zan she had known would not have held an innocent hostage. There had to be more to this than a simple power struggle.
She was absolutely determined that she would not return to Sardica without answers. She and Vilandra, who had recently fled to refuge on Karana's planet - refuge from Vi's own beloved brother! It was absurd! - were in agreement. There was something wrong with Zan. It was now clear. They had failed him once; Karana by allowing him to send her away from Antar, Vilandra by deserting him and taking her army with her. They would not fail him again.
They would save him from whatever madness had claimed him. Freeing Rowena was the first step towards his salvation.
"I will not return without her, dear brother," Karana whispered. "I will save your wife. This is my vow."
And, by saving her, Karana knew that she would also save her friend.
It was surprisingly easy to penetrate into the palace on Antar. Too easy. They had decided ahead of time that they would go in alone. They did not want to risk a fire fight - one that could result in the injury or death of either Zan or Rowena. Vilandra, of course, knew the palace like the back of her hand, and Karana knew it well too, having visited many times. It would just be safer and more logical for them to do this without their guards, without their armies.
Things went wrong ridiculously quickly. The plan was for Jondar and Karana to free Rowena from the dungeons, which was where they all assumed she was being kept. Assuming anything was their first mistake.
In the meantime, Vilandra would go confront her brother. They would remain in contact the entire time, using communicator orbs, which had been refined to the point that they would not even require thought to use. This proved to be their second mistake. Because Zan knew immediately they were there. And the communicators just ended up telling him exactly where they were.
It was Jondar who first knew that something was wrong. "There are no guards," he whispered to Karana, as they huddled together near the entrance to the prison area of the palace. "It makes no sense, Kara. Why are there no guards?"
"What need of guards among friends?"
Karana jumped, knocking into Jondar. They both stumbled clumsily down the final steps into the open space leading to the cells.
Kara had recognized the voice instantly, of course. It was Zan, and he was marching down the steps behind them, his sister grasped firmly by the upper arm. He was followed by a stream of guards wearing the blue-grey of the house of Antar. Apparently guards were required amongst friends, Karana reflected, momentarily wry.
Zan's next comment solidified that this was all deadly serious though. His piercing dark eyes lit on Karana first. "I am mistaken. There are no friends here." He gestured and the guards swarmed Kara and Jondar, quickly subduing them. They had held their weapons in their hands, but there was not even time to attempt a shot. It was such a well-executed maneuver, Karana knew that they had been expected. Maybe not today, but this was a trap nonetheless.
Zan thrust Vilandra down the remaining steps. The princess sprawled on the floor next to Jondar, who helped her up. Vilandra held herself stiffly. Karana knew her well enough to know that she was on the verge of tears.
"Why have you come back?" Zan narrowed his eyes on Karana. "My sister tells me that it is for Rowena, but I cannot believe that this is so."
"You no longer believe in loyalty?" Vilandra demanded, her voice shaking. "What has happened to you, Zan? I do not understand what you have become."
"I have become what our father always wanted me to be," Zan growled. "You know this to be true, Vilandra."
Kara frowned. She realized that this was the first time she had ever heard Zan address his sister by her full name. It had always been Vi, or Vivi, or Vili. Never Vilandra. She felt a shiver descend her spine. This, more than anything, frightened her. Until this moment, she realized, she had not feared coming here at all. In spite of everything she knew he had done, she had not feared him.
She knew now that she should have.
"You have never cared about what our father wanted!" Vilandra reminded him. "What has changed, Zan? I demand to know!"
Karana watched Zan's face. It was a mask. He did not bother to answer his sister's question. Instead, he turned on his heel and started to walk away. "Deal with them," he instructed the guards as he made his way past them.
"You coward!" Vilandra hissed, loudly enough that Zan turned his head and stared at her.
"What did you call me?"
"You can't even deal with us yourself? Me, your sister. And your friend, Karana. We /i love i you, Zan. How dare you treat us this way?"
Karana could feel the rage coming off Vilandra in waves. She was no longer sad, just furious, in the way only siblings could feel towards each other, because it was also wrapped up in love.
Which was why she said what she said next. She was his sister. It probably never crossed Vilandra's mind that it was a bad idea. And, so, she taunted her brother. "I dare you, Zan. I dare you, brother. I dare you to put me in that cell as we used to do, when we played together as children." Vilandra stepped away from Jondar, who had been supporting her after her tumble down the stairs. She straightened her back and glared at him. "I dare you."
And, before Karana's horrified eyes, Zan very deliberately took a weapon out of the hands of the guard standing next to him. Kara heard Vilandra gasp slightly, but it was the last sound she made before Zan shot her down.
It was in that very moment that Karana knew the truth. This was not Zan. It was impossible. He was either possessed, or someone had taken over...
And, abruptly she knew. It was a shapeshifter. There was no other possible explanation. As she fell to her knees beside her best friend, as Karana held Vilandra in her arms when Zan's sister closed her eyes and died, Kara knew with every ounce of her being that this was not Zan.
Karana did not even raise her eyes as Zan shot down Jondar next. She bowed her head over Vilandra's corpse, silent tears streaming down her face.
"What are you doing? Stop! This was not what was supposed to happen!"
Kara raised her head, and stared dully at Rowena, who had appeared on the staircase above them. Her sister-in-law's horror was written all over her face. She wondered briefly if Zan would kill Ro after he was done with her. Why, in fact, was she still alive at all, if this was what he did to people he cared about? Rowena's death would mean nothing to him, if he killed his own sister, and one who was like a sister, so easily.
Karana's gaze shifted to Zan, who was now standing over her, the weapon bearing down on her.
Strange, Karana reflected briefly, as she stared into the abyss, already having accepted that her life was over. But Rowena does not seem afraid. She has made the same mistake. Because this is not Zan. He will kill her too.
The real mistake, in the end, was that neither Vilandra, nor Karana, had been able to believe that Zan would really do them harm. No matter what demons had claimed him, it had truly never crossed either of their minds that he could actually hurt them. Karana reflected on this fact and did not regret it. She was glad that she had never broken faith with her friend.
Because, as she stared death in the face, Karana, Princess of Sardica, was convinced, although she would never know the hows or whys, that the man killing her was not Zan at all.