Fireworks exploded in the sky filling the night with bright colors of blue, green and red. He didn’t even look up; all he could think about was ending the traitor Cashius. Kal pulled his dagger out from the side of his boot and started to dash up the stairs towards the Grand Hall. Cashius had pulled Iya inside after making their big announcement. He knew Kal would react after seeing the kiss with Iya, he counted on it. Seeing his love wrapped in the arms of his enemy made Kal want to explode in anger. The Sagen captain didn’t want to wait for a plan, he wanted blood… He got a few steps in before he felt someone grab him by the arm. It made him look back quickly in shock for he wasn’t expecting anyone to stop him. When he looked back it was his father, Artemis.

“Kal! Where are you going and what’s going on?!” Artemis screamed over the cheering crowd while looking down at his son’s weapon. He then quickly glanced around hoping no one got alarmed.

Kal jerked his arm out of Artemis’s hands screaming back, “Don’t act like you don’t know what’s going on! I have to help Iya, she needs me right now…” Kal tried to turn back around to dash up the stairs and again, his father pulled him by his arm. This time Artemis pulled Kal back down the stairs and around the corner. Kal was surprised how strong his father was because he definitely was resisting.

Once they were out of prying eyes Artemis shoveled Kal against the wall, “It’s happening, isn’t it? Answer me!”

Kal huffed and pushed his father away, getting free from his grasp. “You should know… aren’t you apart of the committee? Sitting by the camp fire, singing songs and holding hands… Gerok told me everything. You’re as much as a traitor as he is…”

Artemis grabbed Kal again by his collar getting in his face. “Boy, you know nothing.” He let his son go and looked down staring into space. Artemis then started whispering to himself just barely enough for Kal to hear. “I thought I did everything to prevent this… I thought we took care of it.”

Kal stood up and straightened his shirt, “All this time you were sending us on a wild goose chase trying to figure out who sabotaged our terminals and you knew it was Cashius all along.”

When Kal dropped Cashius’s name Artemis’s face and whole demeanor changed immediately, “Cashius? No… no how can that be? He’s our Star Lord…” He was in shock. He didn’t see that coming…

“Sucks, doesn’t it? I have to get back to Iya, she needs me.” Kal tried to make his way back around to the stairs but Artemis grabbed his arm once more.

“Iya can take care of herself!?” Artemis cupped his chin piecing the puzzle together. “Why are you making this so personal? What else is going on? I need to know everything this is very serious.”

Kal stood up straight and stood his ground. He was no longer afraid, “It’s not personal it’s fact. I want to kill that murderous traitor and help save the woman that I love. I love Iya da. We loved each other and I don’t know what’s going happen…”

“She must be playing along. I’m sure now tonight was just a ploy. We need to go! Kal, I’m telling you if you go up those stairs that’s the end of the road for you, maybe for all of us. We leave now and come up with a plan, you’ll live to fight another day. If I’m right about their grand master plan Proctor instilled in them, they still need to get rid of the royal family. You have to trust me…”

Kal stared at his father straight in his eyes. It was difficult for him to think his father and personal hero used to be a traitor. He knew in his gut and his heart that wasn’t him anymore. It was exactly what Gerok had said. “I trust you da…”

Artemis nodded his head and patted his youngest son on the shoulder, “Come, Jayce and Surra are waiting in the gardens. Surra was the one who came and got me. We didn’t know what had happened to you. Well, now we know. You were with Gerok… Where is he?”

“Dead… Jayce killed him trying to rescue me. Gerok kidnapped me and tied me to a chair. I ran into him and his daughter at Proctor’s house. That’s where he told me everything. Jayce totally took him by surprise.”

“We’ll have time to mourn later. Gerok knew his past sins would catch up to him. Let’s make haste… We don’t have much time left.” Together they quickly turned the corners of the palace to get straight to the destination. When they arrived, Kal and Artemis walked up on the coupled embraced. Jayce and Surra hugged tight while rocking slowly side to side dancing to the music playing on the other side of the palace. They were whispering in each other’s ear, happy to enjoy the moment they longed for the whole time away. As the song stopped, they slowly let go they could hear footsteps approaching them. Together they turned around to see Artemis returning with Kal.

The boys huffed and rested their hands on their knees as the they tried to catch their breath. Surra looked down at Kal and couldn’t help but to embrace him as well. He had no idea how worried she was until she almost squeezed the life out of him. She took a step back and introduced Aiko to Artemis, “This is Gerok’s daughter, Aiko. She’s an ally for now and a Skinner…” Surra twisted her head sideways as she watched her uncle’s reaction. “So, now that we’re all here what are we going to do?”

Artemis turned and looked at Aiko from head to toe, “A Skinner, huh? Interesting… There might be hope for us yet. We definitely could use something extra right now. It has become our duty to save the king and his family. It has fallen upon us to do this without alerting everyone we are under a siege. First, we must find General Amos he’ll know what to do.” Artemis turned and looked up at the palace and saw Cashius escorting Iya towards the penthouse. They didn’t notice the small group standing together below. There were lots people walking around singing and dancing enjoy the festival. He turned around back to the group. Before he could get anything out, they all heard someone yelling from behind. Patricia and Jaron Jr. came from the around the bushes surprised to see everyone.

“There you are! Jayce we’ve been looking all over for you. What in the hell is going on? Since when Iya did like Cashius enough to make him, her Chosen for life?” The Second born princess glared over at Kal giving him a look like she knew. He turned his head completely towards her catching on to the signal she was giving him. The young captain tried to keep his composure. He felt the disappointment of not returning sooner creep up his back again. Everything inside of him wanted to search and destroy his enemy.

Artemis brought Jaron Jr. and Patrisha up to speed to what was going on. He asked if they ran across Amos at all but both shook their heads saying no. Jaron Jr. was especially angry at the situation. He paced back and forth, stomping and kicking the bushes around him. After he was finished venting, he turned and addressed

Artemis face to face, “Tell me you didn’t know about this? Tell me you weren’t working against us this whole time?”

Artemis stood up straight looking Jaron Jr in the eyes, “I swear to you with my life, I am loyal to your father and to Sage. That is why I have been your eyes and ears this whole time. I warned you one day my prince they would resurface.”

Patrisha turned to her brother first before turning to the rest of the group. “So the rumors are true then? Some are saying Cashius is connected to Proctor. How did we not see that coming? Our very own Star Lord has become the worse enemy we have ever faced…” The mother to be placed his hands in her face and began to sob. Jaron wrapped his arms around his sister while staring at Artemis.

“I thought we took care of this?” Jaron spoke in signal, “you said all of this would go away… We underestimated them.”

Artemis didn’t take his eyes off Jaron as he exhaled deeply, “Yes we did…”

***

Cashius held Iya by the arm as he quickly escorted her back to the penthouse. They cut through the palace for a shorter route. When they arrived at his room, Iya noticed a lot more people in the hallway. She yanked her arm back and notice majority of the people she didn’t recognize. The only a few looked familiar, they were members of the Sagen Council. She didn’t take her eyes off of them and neither did they as she walked by. She whispered to herself, “Traitors…”

Cashius shoveled her inside his room and noticed the room was filled with Barbarians. Some were still dressed in the maid and butler uniforms others were in their armor. Iya stopped in her tracks, she didn’t know what to do. She was severely outnumbered and was not equipped for a fight. The Star Lord stood behind the princess and put his hand up getting his army’s attention. “Listen up! There’s been a change in plans, I will handle the royal family. Move on to the next phase of the plan.” He waved his hand towards him, “Bring them out.” Four Barbarians held each arm of the Iya’s mother and father. They walked them towards the center of the room, in the middle of the Barbarian army. As the king and queen were escorted to Cashius the ugly savages barked and snared at them. King Jaron didn’t flinch as he held his wife tight by his side.

Iya turned her head so quickly towards Cashius she almost had whip lash. When she saw her parents walking towards her all hell broke loose in her head. She thought as long as she did what he asked her family would be safe. He made it seem if she agreed to be his Chosen, he would ensure her family’s safety. Iya tried to rush into the crowd, pushing her enemy out of the way. She was so scared, her parents they were in the middle of pure danger. “No! Ma! Da! You lied to me you son of a bitch!”

Although Iya was not dressed nor equipped for a battle, nothing was going to stop her from trying to save her parents. She ran up to the closest armed Barbarian and pulled his sword of the sleeve. In one swing she took the Barbarian’s head and kicked his body to the floor. The room went silent as the Barbarians watched the Sagen Commander flicked the sword to one side cleaning the fresh blood from the blade.

Many enemy soldiers rushed the commander and one by one all went down. Iya tore through many Barbarians with ease. Her dressed was ripped in several places, it was getting in the way anyway. She ripped the lengthy dress on the side allowing more leg room. She kicked her shoes off towards her enemy as a distraction and continued to lunged towards the enemy. The numbers started closing in on her but that didn’t stop her one bit.

Iya swung her sword in all directions, killing as many as she could. For a moment, Cashius and his followers started to believe she could clear the room by herself. The thought made the Star Lord’s followers anxious and began to worry. The Barbarians tried their hardest to stop the commander and finally caught a break in capturing her. They were tripping over bodies before they got her to stop. It took five strong Barbarians to hold Iya down and still they struggled. They pulled Iya to the wall and locked the shackles to her wrist. Iya twisted and yanked on the two-foot chains that dangled from the wall trying to break free.

Once Iya realized her fight was over, she let out a big roar that made even the largest Barbarians jump. “AWW! I will kill you Cashius! I will KILL YOU!” Iya screamed and hollered as she watched her mother and father being escorted out of the penthouse. She felt completely helpless and most of all betrayed… The Sagen Commander was one of the most fierce, skilled, and most respected soldiers Sagen had ever seen. In that moment, Iya felt like she was nothing. She felt like she should have done something more instead of playing along. She just needed more time… everything happened so fast but now it too late.

Iya continued screaming at the top of her lungs. Squirming around like a wild animal, kicking and pulling at her chains. She was pulling so hard she began to bleed from her wrist. Big drops of blood circled her surroundings as she pulled as hard as she could. Iya struck real fear in the Cashius’s followers. One of them felt the need to say something. “My Lord…” said Councilmen Derek, “Please heed my warning. You can choose any other girl anywhere you’d like to continue your bloodline. I know you love Princess Iya but she… she will kill you. This is what she was bred for my Lord, to fight and slaughter our enemies. Now we have become her enemy and you want to domesticate her? She will stop at nothing until you are dead. Cashius, my Star Lord, please hear what I am saying.”

Cashius raised his left hand without turning around, “What are you saying?” He didn’t take his eyes off Iya, not for one second as he pondered on his changed plans. This is not how he planned on everything going down. It truly shattered him to think he could no longer have her. A long time ago Cashius had already chosen Iya, he cared about her. He loved her… The plans had to change, he thought. If he wanted his plan to succeed, he had to eliminate all threats. Being discreet was no longer an option… Originally, Cashius didn’t want her to know. In this moment he knew deep down what Derek was saying was true. Iya would stop at nothing until every member who betrayed Sage was dead, that was her duty.

“I’m saying my Lord, you should kill them all… You can’t leave Iya alive after slaughtering her family. Start fresh with a different bloodline.” The Second born Council member looked up at Cashius as he waited for his response.

Cashius took a big gulp and continued to stare at his love as she screamed in agony and pure anger. He knew in that moment if he truly wanted his plan to succeed, he was going to have to follow through. He would have to take out anyone who opposed him, that was the next phase of his plan. He finally took his eyes off of Iya and looked down in disappointment. He softly replied, “You’re right… if we want to succeed, we’re going to have to kill them all…”