EPISODE 4

Home Invasion

Deklyn’s capital city of Pyus stretched into the forests of the central continent as far as the eye could see, as did the centuries-old trees that covered the entire region. Even from Anais’s balcony in her family’s company palace far above the tree line, she could see little but the lights trickling through the leaves of the treetops. A few buildings jutted from between the trees, but nothing coming close to the way the palace loomed over everything.

They had codes, which stated no building could stand taller than the palace. It came from the rules of Deklyn’s planet-wide kingdom, meant as a symbol of the merchant-lord’s power. That symbol meant nothing in the age of space travel. It was antiquated and idiotic, just as many of the rules governing her life. How much better could they serve the population if they allowed more upward building?

Anais sighed as she watched a shuttle launch from the clearing at the edge of the horizon. She could see the transport’s lights flicker in the distance as it disappeared into the atmosphere. Many a time had she seen transports take off, and just as many she’d wished she could be on one to see what it was like among the stars. Her people never left their world.

She turned back into her room, a spacious cell, but still a prison in many ways. Lush silks adorned her bedposts and fluffy pillows covered the bed itself, which was carved from the finest emberwood in the local forest. She even had a personal terminal for virtual reality games and communication, a luxury few could afford. Still she felt trapped.

A full length mirror was opposite her balcony, and she stared into it. White fur covered her face, unblemished and with consistent coloration. It made her blue eyes stand out, giving her an innocent quality she often used to get into dance clubs without paying. A pink dress came down just above her knees, accentuating her curves perfectly. It had better, with how much it had cost. Her legs were long and slender, though she still didn’t think she was quite as pretty as her best friend. Speaking of whom…

“Computer, call Lyssa,” Anais said.

She waited as her comm unit tried to connect with her friend.

“Hey,” Lyssa’s voice came through her room’s speakers, audio only.

“We still going to sneak out tonight? We can go dancing down at Shimmies Club.” Anais asked.

“You have to give me a couple of hours. My parents have people over and they’re still here.”

“It won’t even be worth the cover credits if we go that late.”

“I’m trying, okay?” Lyssa laughed. “You’re always in a rush and on the move, aren’t you?”

“You know me,” Anais said cheerfully.

“I’ll call back in a bit. Don’t leave without me.”

“I won’t.

With a bleep, the comm signal clicked off.

Anais sighed. She really should be more careful about sneaking out like this. Though she was not a direct line for inheriting the family company, there was still a need for security. Often in Deklyn’s history, where members of the most powerful merchant-lord’s family had been used in hostage situations, things had ended very badly for the royal merchants. But times had changed, hadn’t they?

What could she do? Her long ears twitched in irritation. She flopped face-first into a giant body pillow on her bed. There were the games on her tablet, but none of that sounded appealing. Why was everything so boring?

Her keen hearing picked up the sound of hurried footsteps outside her door, down the hallway. Who could be coming her way at this hour?

Someone kicked the door in. Anais screamed and clutched at her pillow, as if that would provide any semblance of defense. Four men holding guns burst through the doors. These weren’t Deklyns. They didn’t have the long ears or thin eyes with large pupils that her people did. They wore armor and helmets, but the designs wouldn’t accommodate such features. The shields over their faces revealed beady red eyes and pale yellowish skin. She’d seen this race before in her schooling vids. These were Sekarans. But what were they doing here?

“Hands up. Get off the bed,” one of the Sekarans commanded her in his language, something she had learned as part of her schooling for trade negotiations.

Anais clutched at her pillow even more tightly, digging her nails into it. This couldn’t be happening. Where was the palace guard?

As if understanding she wasn’t about to comply, the other men pressed forward. They grabbed her by the arms.

Anais kicked at them, squirming as much as she could. She screamed at the top of her lungs, over and over, until one of the Sekarans ripped some of the silk lining off of her bedpost to tie it tightly around her mouth and gag her. She still screamed into it, but found that the energy she was expending quickly outweighed the small amount of noise she made.

The men moved her out the door of her room and into the hall. What she saw made her eyes go wide. The entire palace was filled with these Sekaran soldiers. How had they all arrived here so fast and without alerting anyone? Where was the rest of her family?

The lead Sekaran met up with another. “Is the palace secure? Are there any others?”

“A few women to take back home. Many fine jewels. The sheikh will be pleased.” He gave a leering glance over Anais. “Very pleased. This one he may even take as a wife.”

The leader laughed. “We’ll see about that. Perhaps I’ll be granted a promotion and be allowed to take one of my own!”

Anais squirmed again, trying to shake herself free from the invaders. When she did, she caught a view further down the hall. The palace guards had all been killed, their bodies piled on the floor, blood splattered along the walls and tapestries. Horror filled her. She wanted to vomit. She didn’t know which person was which, but she thought of Tyrin, her personal guard, and the two young gentlemen at the stairs, who had always complimented her on how pretty she was. She’d never hear from them again.

Then it really struck her. What happened to her father, mother, and brothers? Were they bound like her? It sounded like she was some sort of prize to be won rather than a simple hostage. What did that mean for the others?

“Can someone help me with this one? She’s feisty as all get out,” one of the Sekarans said.

She had to escape, had to find help somewhere. She broke from the Sekaran’s grip and stumbled onto the floor.

When she looked up, another guard smacked her in the skull with the butt of his laser-repeater. The world spun and blinked out.