Chapter 14


Max quietly moved into the tent and waved the guard off, who silently left. A soft smile started to form on his lips as his eyes landed on her still form on the mattress on the floor. Pausing by the end of the mattress he discarded his jacket and carefully climbed onto the mattress, molding his body against hers. A peaceful feeling fell over him and he could feel his tense muscles relax.
She stirred to life as she felt his arms fold around her. "Max?"
Max placed a tender kiss on the side of her neck. "Yes, love."
Liz turned in his arms so that they were facing each other. A sleepy smile claimed her lips as her gaze landed on his beautiful face and that she could with her own eyes see that he was unharmed.
Max responded to her smile with one of his own. "Hi..."
"Hi," she mumbled back.

"You are so beautiful, have I ever told you that?" Max whispered, his fingers tracing a heated trail down the side of her face.
"I believe you have," Liz said softly.
"Well, that simple word doesn't even come close," Max said. Liz's eyes drifted closed as he started raining slow and warm kisses over every millimeter of her face.
"I missed you," Liz whispered.
"God, I missed you," Max said, his voice breaking somewhat with emotion. Liz's breath caught in her throat at the emotions she could feel from him tumbling over her. "I missed your calmness, your logic, your support, your love. I even missed your stubbornness."
Liz opened her eyes and searched his face. "How did it go, Max?"
Max smiled faintly and pressed a light kiss on her lips before he began to talk, "It won't be long now."
Tears sprang up in Liz's eyes. "What?" she asked breathlessly, her heart slamming in her chest at the hopeful tone in his voice.
"There was this woman at the meeting – Serena."
"Serena," Liz mumbled. Images of Future Max telling her about how she one day would become friends with someone named Serena flashed through her mind.

"Liz?"
"I-" Liz searched Max's eyes, "She was the one to modify the Granolith into a time machine so that the future version of you could pass through.
"Max stared at her. "Really?"
Liz silently nodded.
"She's been seeing Emma every day," Max said, holding Liz's gaze. The tears brimming in Liz's eyes spilled down her cheeks and Max's thumb gently brushed them away, his arm tightening around her waist. "She is working undercover at the palace where they are keeping Emma. She's supposed to try to get Emma to talk.
The tears were flowing freely down Liz's cheeks now. "Is she- is she..."
"She's okay. Unharmed," Max answered her unspoken question. "But she's lonely and she's scared."

Liz sobbed and nodded before putting her arms around Max and pulling him close, seeking comfort in his warm embrace.
"Who is...Is she to…to...be..."
"She is to be trusted," Max answered quietly, holding her trembling body close, trying to fill the void inside of him. "She will take care of her. This is really good news, sweetheart. We have someone working on the inside."
"Can we somehow...talk to her...contact her in some way?" Liz asked, trying to prevent her tears from falling.
"Serena will try to work with Emma to help her open up the connection she has to you again. Serena thinks it has been damaged somehow."
An immense feeling of relief floated through Liz. She couldn't be there for her daughter, but if someone she could trust, someone that Max trusted, was there with her, it was the next best thing.

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Serena walked down the long familiar corridors. The walls were still made of glass around her. The guards were still as suspicious as before. The people were as subdued in their appearance as they had always been. But to Serena, everything had changed. She had stood face to face with the man whom she had sworn loyalty to since Khivar's men had invaded her home when she was just a little girl. She quickly shook the thoughts of her family away. She never let herself think about what had happened that night, when she had become an orphan in the blink of an eye. It was then that she had sworn to bring Khivar down even if she was killed in the process. She would avenge the deaths of her parents if it was the last thing she did.

Khivar had a lot of blood on his hands. Millions of people had suffered horrible deaths because of one of his callous and cold orders. He considered the peasants as inferior creatures. The people who stood above them in the social hierarchy - the soldiers and the wealthy upper class - were allowed to do about anything to those poor people. Once, Serena had been one of them. She had been one of the peasants who had suffered pain under Khivar's reign.

After King Zan died, the world had fallen apart. War had broken out amongst the people. Neighbors who had been friends since they were old enough to speak were suddenly arguing, betraying and even killing each other. It had not been difficult for Khivar to seize power. Antar had cried out for a strong hand to rule them. They were desperate. However, if they had known what they signed up for, they probably wouldn't have even looked at the paper. New regulations had been constructed to keep the people on a short leash. People were raped of their personal belongings, only allowed to own the basic necessities like water and bread. Everyone who tried to stand up to the new king was killed, often publicly, to make an example and teach others what would happen to law-breakers.

Serena kept her eyes straight ahead of her, her face revealing nothing of the thoughts swirling in her head. She knew how dangerous it was to be doing what she was doing. If someone found out that she was one of the loyalists, she would be executed. No questions asked. It was vital to play her cards correctly. One slip up and it could cost her her life. But last night her mission had gotten even more dangerous, if possible. She was the only one working on Zan's side that had close contact with his heir. The heir was the purpose of Zan's return. Because even if no one had spoken it aloud, it was pretty clear that Zan was not here to free his people, he was here to bring his little girl back. Serena was still unsure of how to feel about that. They had fought long and hard, with a strong, albeit distant, hope in the back of their minds that Zan would eventually arrive and return order to the world. It had slipped out to the Loyalists that Zan, his sister, his commander and his wife had all been sent to another planet to be reborn. They had been sent with all the information they needed, which would be programmed into them as they were grown in pods. Nothing would have changed. They would wake and it would be as if nothing had ever happened. They would still remember Antar and everything that had happened there as if it was yesterday.

But for some reason, Serena wasn't so sure that was the case. Something must have happened. Something must have interacted with the memory retrieval, distorting it. Somehow, Ava - Zan's bride - had turned against her own people and instead gave her loyalty to the enemy. And the man Serena had met yesterday hadn't been Zan. He hadn't looked like Zan, but for that Serena had been prepared. The rumors said that the DNA of the royal four had been mixed with human DNA. They looked human. That was part of the scientists' plan because then they would not stand out as different on earth, and they would not be immediately recognized as who they were when they returned to Antar. However, it was clearly not only their outsides that had changed. Their insides were different. They were more cautious. More fearful. More insecure. Not trained soldiers with years of experience. They were just kids. Serena was about the same age as Zan, but on Antar the children had to grow up fast. And now she was entrusted with Zan's child. Even if he weren't working to free them, Serena would do everything in her power to keep his child safe. She walked up to the guard purposefully as he squinted cautiously. He easily recognized who she was, but it was still possible that it was someone else disguised as her. Her essence still needed to be verified. Serena stepped up to the guard without a word, waiting patiently as the guard slowly let his hands hover over her body. The guard nodded, verifying her identity and Serena waited for him to let her enter. But when he didn't move, she frowned slightly.

*Requesting permission to enter,* she said.
*There is nothing to see in there,* the guard answered.
Serena's frown deepened. What was he talking about? *I am here to meet with the little girl,* she clarified, taking a step closer to the entrance. The guard immediately stepped in front of her, blocking her way with his massive body.*I have clearance to meet with this girl,* Serena said, *Every day.*
*She is not there,* the guard answered.
Serena's heart skipped a beat. *She is not there?* She forced her voice to remain calm. It would not be good to betray the panic she felt rising up within her at the guard's words. She was not even supposed to have an emotional bond to the girl. *Has she been moved to another room?*
*No,* the guard answered shortly, as though talking to a wall.
Serena's face turned colder as she stared at the guard. *Was she taken outside.*
*No.*
*Where have they taken her?* Serena demanded, her voice rising.
The guard stepped closer to her, his body looming over her slight frame. His face contorted in a menacing glare, and he spoke, coldly, *I am not permitted to discuss this. If you need answers, you will have to talk to the Livenders.*
The Livenders? Serena's heart sank. This was not good. If she had to talk to the Livenders to get information, it meant that something big had been changed. She quickly turned on her heel and headed down the hall to find out what had happened to Emma.

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She slowly lifted her head from the ground. It was pounding intensely, making every slight movement of her head amplify through her body, spreading all over. She could feel it most immensely behind the bone at the front of her skull. A pounding that was crying for attention just by the way it was effectively blocking out the capability to focus on anything else.

There was someone talking. By its hoarseness, she concluded that they were whispering, but when the sounds passed through her eardrum, the pounding in her skull magnified it into loud cries.
"Mommy! Mommy!"
The first thing she noticed when she pried her eyes open was the blindingly intense light. It was so compact it was like someone had pointed flashlights directly into her eyes.
"Mommy!!!"
She forced herself up in sitting position and felt dizziness take control of her senses. Blinking repeatedly against the painful light, she slowly turned her head to take in her surroundings. However, the only result was an increase in her dizzy feelings. The floor was moving, swinging back and forth, and she had to support herself from falling by digging her nails into the floor. As her nails scraped against the hard surface, she looked down, feeling the world tip around her as she did, and noticed that the ground was made out of stone. White, blinding stone.
"Mommy!!!"
She had to get up. Her little girl was here somewhere and she needed her. She wanted to answer her, but she could hardly form any coherent thoughts, let alone could she form any words intelligible enough to be spoken. Her body felt like lead, but as her daughter's frightened voice echoed through the blinding light once again, it was as if an inhuman force was taking hold of her, and she struggled to her feet.

Windows.
Large windows were surrounding her. A long corridor stretched itself out in front of her. It was so long that she couldn't see the end of it as she squinted her eyes against the bright light seeping through the windows.
"Mommy..."
The voice of her little child once again bounced off the bare walls, and she started to move.
"Mommy... heeelb!!"
Her heart tightened and she fought back the burning tears. She was here. Her little girl was here somewhere. She had to find her. As she walked further down the corridor, she watched with mounting panic as doors - thousands of doors - rose along the sides. They hadn't been there before.
Her legs stumbled with fatigue and the pounding grew worse. Her hand stretched out to steady herself. As her hand touched one of the doors a strong current went through her body and she felt herself fly through the air. She landed hard, the back of her head hitting the hard floor. Nausea overwhelmed her and the light gradually began to lose its brightness.

"Mommy..."
And just as the darkness was at its darkest and was slowly eating away all the traces of consciousness, she felt something graze her forehead. Lightly. Softly.
"Mommy, wake ub..."
"Baby?" she croaked, her voice suddenly returning to her. The dizziness and pounding that had earlier occupied her tired brain slowly dissipated.
"I's scwared."
She slowly pried her eyelids up and her heart stopped in her chest. Hovering over her was her beautiful daughter's face.
"Emma?" she croaked, hopefully.
The small child fingers continued tracing her forehead. "I don't wanna be wif the bad men anymore."
"Oh my God," Liz whispered and sat up, her eyes never leaving Emma's face for a second. She didn't even dare to blink. She quickly wrapped her arms around Emma's tiny frame. Tears streamed down her face as she held on to her tightly, never intending to let go.
"Emma, honey. Are you okay?" Liz sobbed, pulling back to search Emma's face. She stroke the dark curls away from the girl's face and brushed the tears away from her cheeks.
"I wanna go home now," Emma whispered and her bottom lip started to tremble.
"We are going home, baby," Liz promised, with all her heart. If it was the last thing she did, it would be to keep that promise.

"Is we going home now?" Emma asked, a twinkle of hope in her eyes.
Liz's throat constricted with sorrow. "Soon, baby."
Emma's face crumbled and she started to cry. "I want to go home now. I don't like it here."
Liz took her in her arms and pressed her tightly against her. "I know, honey. I know," she sobbed.
The silence surrounding them was suddenly broken and Liz fearfully looked up to see two men in dark blue uniforms walking towards them.
"No," Liz whispered. "No, no, no!"
She quickly scrambled to her feet, pulling Emma with her. Emma's arms tightened around Liz's neck and she buried her tear-stained face against Liz's chest.
"Don't let 'em take me, don't let 'em take me," she pleaded frantically.
Liz tightened her arms around her little girl, turned and ran. She had never run as fast before. The ground was hard against her bare feet. There was no wind. No sound. Only the stomping feet of the men behind them.

The floor started to tilt and she stumbled.
"No," she mumbled agonizingly as she fought to regain her footing. She recovered her balance and continued running but there was no end to the corridor. No hiding places. Her hand let go off Emma's dark hair and started the never-ending task of trying to get one of the closed doors open. But they wouldn't open. They were all locked. And before her eyes she could see the doors further down the corridor sink into the walls. Disappearing.
"Please, don't..." she sobbed, both to the hopeless situation and to the men chasing them.

Her legs kept moving, but fatigue was coursing through her now, weakening her, and she knew that it was only a matter of seconds before she would fall. She shifted Emma's weight onto her other hip.
"They're coming, mommy. The bad men. They're coming," Emma cried.
And Liz fell to her knees. Her legs couldn't sustain their combined weight any longer. She took a strong hold of Emma and pulled her towards one of the walls. She didn't dare to look around them. She didn't want to know if the men were still following, or how close they were. She curled up against the wall and pulled Emma up in her lap. Wrapping her arms around her daughter she buried her face in her hair and tried to shield her as much as she possibly could from the horrors threatening them.
"I'm sorry, Em. I'm so sorry," she sobbed into her hair. Emma's small hand clutched the hem of her shirt, her small body trembling with fear. "I love you. I love you so much. Daddy loves you so much. And we are going to come for you."
"Don't give me away. Don't leave me here," Emma cried.
"We are coming to get you. We will soon be together again," Liz whispered.
"I's swcared."
"We are here, baby. We will come for y- Nooooo!!!"
Emma was ripped out of her arms. "MOMMMMYYY!!!

"Liz! Honey, wake up. Wake up."
Liz bolted upright in the bed, looking around herself frantically. "Emma? Emma?!!"
"She's not here, sweetheart," the voice beside her said softly, guiltily.
She turned her head and her eyes adjusted to the darkness and focused on the person beside her.
"Emma," she whispered brokenly, lost.
His warm and comforting arms surrounded her, but they couldn't give her any comfort tonight. She felt cold and hollow. Like she had lost her little girl all over again.

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Max eyes traveled over her curled up body. She was curled up against his side, her arms and hands tucked between the side of his chest and her stomach. Her hair was spread out loosely over her back, in stark contrast with the deep frown on her forehead. He lifted his hand and softly traced the crease with his finger. She had been crying all night, finally falling asleep due to exhaustion early in the morning. Even in her sleep, he could see the tension in her body. And her sleep was troubled. She was whimpering and sobbing. Crying out the name of their daughter. Even though she had been too upset to tell him what she had dreamt, he knew that it had been about Emma, and it had been something that had shaken her to the core.

His hand followed the side of her face, down her cheeks. She had lost a lot of weight since they had arrived on Antar. Since Emma had disappeared. Her spirit was tired. He could feel it. He could feel how she was struggling every day to move on, to keep her head up and not break down. He wanted to help her. He wanted to shoulder some of her burden, even if he already carried the same burden himself. He would do anything to ease that troublesome wrinkle from her face.

His finger traveled down the curve of her neck, unable to stop himself from relishing in the soft feeling of her delicate skin. Sometimes he would stop and think about how lucky he was to have her in his life. He had almost lost hope when she had disappeared. When he had thought that she had died. But now she was here, lying beside him. The love of his life, curled up next to him. He felt a sting of sadness in his heart when his thoughts fled to their beautiful daughter, the person who was missing from their life, preventing it from being perfect. He had always known that revealing himself to Liz all those years ago would be dangerous; not only to himself, Michael and Isabel, but to Liz as well. He had always watched her from afar like a dream he could never reach. And when she had accepted him, loved him, danger had crept back into his life. He had tried so hard to push her away. To make her stay away, because he knew that there were so many things she would have to give up to be with him.

A small smile grazed his lips. His hand caught one of her dark silk strands in his hand and he let them caress his fingertips. She hadn't let him push her away. She hadn't let him give up on them. She was a stubborn woman, but he thanked his lucky stars every day for it, because if she hadn't been so stubborn about showing him how much she loved him and that they belonged together, he would have been miserable right now. Miserable and alone.

His eyes jerked to her face as a vulnerable whimper escaped her lips and he put his arm around her and pulled her closer. She snuggled up to him, holding on to him as she always did. Seeking strength from him, as he did from her. They were really incomplete without each other. Unable to function separately. Unrestrained, his thoughts traveled to Emma, their special little girl. So smart, happy and carefree. But only before he came into her life. Just being her father had caused her problems and now someone had taken her. He had failed to protect her. Failed to keep his little girl safe and Liz happy.

He missed her. He missed Emma terribly. He hadn't gotten the chance to really get to know her, but in the short time period he had been with her he had fallen in love with that innocence, that happiness. Emma was so much like he remembered Liz to be when she was younger. When he had watched her playing on the playground with Maria. She had been so happy then. She had been happy all the time. She had been happy on that fateful day in the CrashDown. But after that she hadn't been happy. Not like she was before. She was weighed down by his secret. And he had never wanted to burden her with it.

"Max..."
Her soft voice broke him out of his self-blame and his attention immediately focused on her beautiful, albeit tired, face.
"Hey," he said softly and lightly moved some errand strands away from her forehead, "How are you feeling?"
"Please don't blame yourself," Liz said slowly, her dark eyes meeting his.
"I wasn't," Max said lightly. But he was already kicking himself for letting his feelings get the upper hand. Sometimes he forget how closely connected he was with Liz. She had enough to deal with with her own feelings right now, she really didn't need his too.
"Max," Liz said, the warning clear in her voice.
"I'm sorry, love," Max said, placing a lingering kiss on her forehead.
Her eyes were closed as he pulled back and directed his eyes back to her face.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked gently.

Without opening her eyes, she slowly shook her head and emitted a tired sigh.
"You should get some more sleep," Max said.
She nodded and her body relaxed some, sagging into him. Her breathing evened out and Max laid back, intending to close his eyes when her voice reached his ears.
"Just five more minutes," she said, her voice sounding so defeated he felt his heart crush under the weight of her feelings of anguish ripping through the connection. "We don't have time to sleep..."
"Five more minutes," Max said, fighting against the tears burning behind his eyelids, and his arm tightened around her, pulling her even closer.

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*I need to talk to His Majesty,* Serena insisted.
*His Majesty is still asleep,* the soldier replied, standing his ground.
*This is urgent. If I cannot speak to His Majesty, at least let me speak to Rath,* she persisted.
"What's going on?" a voice interrupted, just as the soldier was about to answer Serena.
Both Serena and the soldier turned their heads to see Michael moving up to them. Serena visibly relaxed.
"Rath," she said and slightly bowed her head.
Michael raised his eyebrows at her manners. "Michael," he corrected. "It's Michael."
"Michael," Serena said, her stoic stance softening some.
"So, Serena was it?" Michael asked, stepping closer.
"Yes, sir," Serena nodded.
Michael dismissed her courtesy with a wave of his hand. "What do you want?"
"I need to see His Majesty," Serena said.
"He's asleep," Michael said.

Serena restrained a frustrated sigh. It was of high importance that she got to speak with Zan.
"But you can tell me and I'll inform Max," Michael said when he saw the disappointment flash over her face.
"I apologize, but I can not do that," Serena said.
Michael frowned.
"I'm Max's second in command. If he is not available, you speak through me."
"I need to speak to His Majesty directly," Serena said.
"Look," Michael's irritation was increasing by the second, "Liz had a rough night and Max has been up all night worrying about her. They both need to sleep to regain their strength."
"I understand that," Serena said, her voice softening at the fierce protectiveness she could trace in Michael's voice. "But this is about the princess."
"The princess?" Michael's confusion was apparent. But only a fraction after he had asked the question, it struck him what she meant. "You mean Emma? What about Emma? Has something happened?"
Serena nodded. "Yes, sir. This is what I need to discuss with His Majesty."
Serena yelped in surprise as Michael took a hold of her elbow and pulled her with him. "Come here."

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Serena was patiently waiting where Michael had left her, a couple of feet outside Max and Liz's tent. Even though it was still early morning, the area was already buzzing with life. Soldiers were up, either standing guard on the fringes of the camp, or eating and talking amongst themselves. It was clear that His Majesty and his friends were safe here. At least, as safe as they could be in the precarious situation they were in. Kira had trained his men well and they all seemed focused on what they were doing.

"Serena."
Serena snapped out of her thoughts and saw Max stepping out from the tent. He looked tired. She hadn't been able to really see him when they had first met. It had been too dark. But here, at the dawn of a newborn day, she was able to see all the signs of fatigue on his face. Some she was sure had been there for a long time. She had a feeling he was someone who took a lot on his own shoulders, someone who felt responsible for everyone around him. And it seemed as if it was slowly wearing him down.

Serena's eyes traveled to the small figure standing next to Max. She was immediately taken aback by the similarity between that woman and the little girl she had been observing over the last week. The woman looked tired and she wore the same signs of worry as Max did. But it was her eyes that instantly won Serena's respect. It wasn't the strong similarity to Emma's eyes, but the strength and determination in them. The woman's body looked weak, small and worn out, but it was only a facade. The woman had a strong soul and it was shining clearly in her eyes. Serena's gaze fell on their entwined hands and she had no problem at all understanding why Max would choose her as his mate. She was strong. She held her head high, even though she had every cause to break down.
Serena bowed her head. One time for Max and one for the woman standing so close to him that they almost looked like one.

"His Majesty," she said. "My Lady."
"Please," Max said. Serena raised her head to see his reassuring smile. "You don't have to do that."
Serena nodded in compliance. She could feel the curious and interested glances the woman was giving her.
"Honey, this is Serena," Max said, "Serena, this is Liz."
"It's nice to meet you," Liz said and stepped forward, holding out her hand for Serena. Serena looked at it, wondering what she wanted her to do with it.
Liz smiled warmly at her confusion and then stepped up to the woman and gave her a hug. Serena was so surprised she completely lost her tongue. She just stood there, feeling the woman hug her.
Liz pulled back and Serena noticed that she had not let go off Max's hand, not even when she hugged her.

"Nice to meet you too, milady," Serena said slowly, still taken aback.
Liz looked up at Max and Serena saw mutual understanding flashing in their faces. As if they had just agreed upon something.
"Let's sit," Max said, gesturing towards some trunks of trees positioned on the ground.
"Thank you, sir," Serena said and sat down.
Max and Liz shared an amused expression and sat down across from Serena.
"Max told me..." Liz started, but choked on her words. Max squeezed her hand and Serena watched her lean close to him, as if drawing strength from him. "Max told me that you have contact with Emma."
Serena nodded and Liz took a shaky breath. "How...how is she? Is she okay?"
Serena dropped her eyes. She couldn't handle this. Liz's feelings were so strong, she could sense them rippling through the air. The anguish, the sorrow, the fear, it was all coursing through her in violent waves.
"Serena," she heard Max say and she looked up into his apprehensive face. "Has something happened?"
Serena took a deep breath. They seemed like such wonderful people. They really didn't need to hear this. But she had to tell them.

"Serena?" Liz whispered, fearing the worst.
"There has been a development since our last meeting," Serena said slowly.
"What is it?" Max asked with a fearful note in his voice.
Serena looked up into Liz's eyes and saw the tears of fear roll down her cheeks.
"Please, Serena," Liz said. "What have they done?"
"Khivar wants the royal seal," Serena said, not sure of how much they knew.
"Yes, we know that," Max said, remembering one of the many things Kira had taught them during the voyage to Antar.
"Your seal is shared with the one you mate with," Serena continued, "which means that Liz has the royal seal too."
Max nodded. He knew this already. He could feel Liz tensing beside him, as if preparing for the worst.
"Your seal is transferred to your heir, your first born. Emma," Serena said slowly, "And Khivar wants the seal. He has Emma."

Serena knew the exact second it dawned on Liz what she was trying to say. The fear Serena saw on Liz's face was enough to make her want to break down and cry.
"I was to visit Emma yesterday, but she wasn't there."
"Where was she?" Liz whispered, although she already suspected. "Where was she?" she sobbed.
"They had taken her to... I guess you would call it a laboratory."
"No," Max whispered, and as he felt Liz sag against him, his voice took on another strength. "No!"
"They are trying to find a way to remove the seal from Emma and transfer it to Khivar. And if they succeed... They will have no use for Emma any longer, except for maybe a way to make you comply to their wishes."
"The seal is incorporated into her DNA," Liz whispered, her voice cracking with restrained tears. "How are they going to be able to remove it?"

But they all knew the answer to that question. By taking her apart. By going through each and every one of her cells and removing that part of her DNA.
Serena looked at the devastated and fearful faces of that little child's parents and said, "If we don't do something quickly they might kill her."

TBC…