Zan was watching the Skin patrol at the city gate; Rath and his brother Laven beside him.
"Four on the gates" he said to his General's brother. "I am leaving it to you and your men to break through the gates, deal with the guards and hold the gate until our reinforcements get here."
"Of course Your Majesty!" Said Laven, saluting. "We will hold them – consider it done."
Zan turned to his best friend who was watching him with a furrowed brow.
"Rath, you shall come with me." He said. "We head straight for the Queen."
Rath let out a sigh of relief. He had been worried that Zan would give him orders which took him away from his King and Queen, orders which he had no intention of obeying. He had been ready to argue.
Zan grinned at his General, guessing some or all his thoughts.
"I'll not send you away from my side" He said laying his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Not after all this time."
A that moment a voice seared through Zan's mind
It was Eowyn. "Zan" she called through their link. "It is done, come to me!"
Zan who had been a ball of pent up stress, moved immediately. Standing in front of his men, he raised his fist into the air. A blinding flash of light flew into the air from his fist.
"CHARGE" Zan roared.
Eowyn took a deep breath and entered the throne room for the first time since her life had been ripped out of her by the Skin Assassin. The sight of the Skin soldiers that filled the room now made her want to turn around and run, and never look back. But she couldn't. She owed it to her people to see this through. She was going to kill Kivar.
As she stepped further into the Throne room, Eowyn saw a sight that nearly made her heart stop. In front of each Skin soldier, knelt a member of the Palace staff, a sword held to their throat. Had she not been so scared for her people, Eowyn would have smiled. Even now ... after the test … after the beating … Kivar still feared her. Feared her so much that he felt he had to threaten others so that he could impose his will on her.
Every eye in the room watched her as she made her way up the long aisle to Kivar. He was sitting on Zan's throne, she noted angrily. Gazing around at her people; some who looked terrified, some hopeless, some furious, Eowyn spoke in their minds.
'Do not be afraid.' She told them. 'I have not come to submit to Kivar. I have come to kill him. Even now King Zan is at the city gates. Our ships are on their way with the rest of our army. When I give the word, the soldiers will think that their swords are red hot and will drop them. Then it will be up to all of you to fight – fight for your freedom, as I will, as Zan will!'
An imposing looking man who knelt near the middle of the room, a man who Eowyn recognised as Briagh, a good friend of Zan's answered her. He had been one of those who had looked angrily at her.
'I am sorry I doubted you my Queen' he spoke into her mind. 'But if I may – Your Majesty looks exhausted. Will the energy required to turn all of the swords red hot not take a lot out of you?'
Eowyn smiled. 'I did not say that I would make the swords hot' she replied. 'Merely that the soldiers would think them so. It is much easier to manipulate men's minds than steel.'
Briagh gave her a barely perceptible nod. 'We will be ready My Queen' he said. 'We will fight with you!'
Before Kivar could become suspicious at the slowness with which she approached, Eowyn made her way towards the Throne. Kivar looked at her with a sneer and then turned to address the crowd.
"You see before you your Queen." He declared. "Queen Eowyn has come to submit to me and to be my Queen, to rule along side me. Zan … Zan no longer wishes to be your King. He has decided to stay on Earth. To make a life there with a human woman. He cares nothing for you."
Kivar's gaze swept the room. "It is time to stop fighting my rule, for it is the only rule you will receive. Your Queen stands with me and so should you."
Kivar turned again to Eowyn.
"Kneel before me My Queen" he commanded. "Kneel and tell your people that you accept my dominion and that you wish to marry me."
Eowyn looked into Kivar's eyes.
"I shall never kneel before you" she said. "I shall never marry you. The only thing I wish to do with regards to you, is kill you!"
With that Eowyn directed a bolt of energy directly at Kivar, knocking him sideways off the throne, where he fell at her feet.
Behind her she heard the Skin soldiers gasp in pain and surprise and heard the clatter of their swords as they dropped them.
"Now fight with me!" she shouted to her people. "Fight for your freedom!"
Zan cut down the man in his path with a bolt of his power. They had yet to gain the palace as the Skin soldiers were fighting with a ferocity that surprised even Zan. Antarian and Solarian battle cruisers dotted the skies, having been able to enter Antarian air space as soon as Eowyn had disabled the Orbital Shield. The Skin soldiers were fighting for their lives. They could see that they would be unable to win against the superior numbers of their enemies, but they were determined to take as many of them with them as they could.
As he made his way through the city to the palace with Rath and his men by his side, Zan could see that Eowyn had placed a barrier for those who could not fight to shelter behind. He was worried, the amount of energy that Eowyn would have required to do this would be energy that she would not have at her disposal to fight Kivar. It was typical of his wife he reflected. She put her people first with no thought for herself! Making it all the more important for him and his men to reach her, to help her. Seeing the palace doors before him, Zan led his men in a charge against the soldiers stationed there cutting them down rapidly in his haste to reach his wife. Felling the last man Zan pushed open the doors and stepped inside his palace for the first time since Kivar had had him assassinated. This time he vowed to himself … the outcome would be much different.
Panting, Eowyn looked around the throne room, all the Skin soldiers who had been there were either dead or had fled the room. The people of the palace had fought valiantly, taking up their persecutors swords and battling for their lives.
Sweeping the room with her gaze to assess if there were any casualties, Eowyn paled as she realised something. Kivar's body was not there! He was gone!
Eowyn turned to Briagh with a desperate look. "Kivar?" she questioned him.
Briagh rushed up to her "He escaped out of the door behind the thrones My Queen" he told her. "I tried to go after him, but there were too many Skins!"
Ewoyn nodded, "come with me" she ordered and ran to the door which led to the Royal Wing of the palace – towards her and Zan's private chambers. Kivar was nowhere to be seen as they ran down the long dimly lit corridor. There were about twenty rooms in this section of the palace.
"Split up" Eowyn ordered Briagh. "You take the rooms on this side, I'll take the other side."
Briagh looked unhappy. "My Queen" he objected. "You are exhausted. You should not be without protection!"
"I shall call if I find Kivar" Eowyn reassured him. "I will not face him on my own."
With an unhappy nod, Briagh started towards the first of the doors, as Eowyn checked the rooms on the other side of the corridor. The first few rooms were empty. The next room was their bedroom. Entering brought back a rush of memories. The room had not changed. This was the room where she and Zan had been able to be together, to be alone. It was here, away from the pressures of ruling that they could forget everything and get lost in each other.
Moving towards the bed, flashes of their many heated encounters swept through Eowyn's mind. She sighed, hopefully it would not be long before they had peace, and they could be with each other again, always.
"Missing me already My Queen" a voice said behind her. It was not Zan. She turned. It was Kivar!
"Kivar" she hissed and launched herself at him, emitting a blast of power as she did so. But Kivar easily deflected the weak blast, throwing Eowyn to the floor with a blast of his own. Eowyn realised to her dismay that she had used almost all her reserves of power …
Used them to mind warp Nicholas into thinking that she had submitted to him and that he had brought her to Antar
Used them to place a barrier for her people to hide behind
Used them to defend herself against the mind probes of the Tria
Used them to make the Skin Soldiers drop their swords …
… and now she had not enough left to kill Kivar as she planned. Eowyn could have wept with frustration. But she would not waste the energy she had left. She could still fight!
She drew a breath to call Briagh as she attempted to rise from the floor. But Kivar was too fast, he grabbed her by the hair by one hand and threw her back to the ground, knocking the air out of her lungs.
"Now My Queen, I have you exactly where I want you" he purred into her ear as he pressed himself against her. "I may no longer have your planet, but I will have you. Even if Zan wins, he will always remember this!"
Kivar pressed his lips to hers in a bruising kiss. Eowyn gathered her last strength and used it to push Kivar off her. He strained against the hold of her power, trying with all of his might to reach her. She was weakening but she held him off her still.
"It is futile to resist Eowyn" rasped Kivar as he pushed against her hold. "You have not enough energy. It is only a matter if time …"
A voice barked from the doorway
"Time's up Kivar!"