Alchemist (39 page)

“Bitch.” Terry
cursed, turning away from the wreck that lay motionless in a
growing pool of dark blue blood before her. She hurried back to her
father. Halfway across to him, the guards came bounding through the
library archway. Ninu’s cries had not gone unheard.

“Princess!” one of
them called.

“Get me a doctor!”
she shouted, going to her father. “Dad...” she muttered, her voice
thick with emotion as she grasped his hand. His eyes flicked to her
and she could see the anger burning within them. Putting her other
hand under his back, she sat him upright and laid his head back
against the chair.

The guards buzzed
about him. One checked his pulse while another examined him for any
sign of where the poison was injected. They quickly found it, a
small slither of a silver needle tucked away under his collar at
the base of his neck. It was pulled out and the soldiers set a few
of their probes to examine him while they waited for the doctor.
But despite all the commotion around him, Fallo’s eyes remained
fixed firmly on that of his daughter.

******

Terry’s head hung
limply against her neck. She had fallen asleep in a high-backed
chair beside to her father’s bed. A sharp hiss made her head snap
up with her arm blade drawn. Seeing no one there she looked to his
bed.

Her dad sat bolt
upright, hands either side of him. Rage set a hard edge to his
features.

“Dad?” she quietly
asked. She did not dare move any closer.

His head slowly
turned toward her. She winced under his gaze. “Daughter.” He
replied, the word flat. “Are you hurt?” he asked, emotion finally
creeping into his voice.

She nodded. He
reached for her, his gaze unyielding.

Terry sat on the
bed and let him put his arm around her. She wrapped her arms around
him and shut her eyes. Fallo pressed his head against hers. “You
saved me.” He muttered, staring at something in the distance.

“I wasn’t going to
let that bitch anywhere near you.” She looked up at him and saw the
vengeance burning bitterly in his eyes.

“Where is
she?”

“Lyle’s holding
her.”

“Kila?”

“He wasn’t
involved...”

“He broke his
promise.” Fallo drew away at that. Pushing the quilts from him and
tidying his robes he stormed out the chamber; their ends flapping
furiously behind him. “Come!”

The Shape of Things
to Come

Guards pulled Ninu
to her feet. She stumbled and was dragged back up with heavy hands.
The bruises on the soft flesh beneath her armour smarted under
their rough grip. The soldiers gave no special treatment to the
traitor of the crown, even if she had been deemed family only a few
shout hours before.

Two other guards
held her father Kila back. The man had crumpled now following his
protests. Tears rolled down his cheeks from fearing eyes; the dread
and defeat of what was to come. He howled, pleading and begging for
the King to spare his child.

But any ear Fallo
might have had for mercy had long since fallen deaf. He glared at
his niece furiously. She lowered her gaze to the floor.

Hundreds of
soldiers lined the room lest another attempt be made on their
King’s life. Fallo had more strength than ten of them combined. But
the events of the evening had proved that even he was not
untouchable, in spite of all his power. The men and women of his
personnel guard had insisted on defending their liege lord and his
daughter. There was no breed of Alchemist more faithful than the
soldier caste.

Lyle stood to the
edge of the gathering, involved but not participating. He brooded
under his heavy brow, his expression mirroring his older brother’s.
Terry stood beside him, but her expression was much more
sombre.

“Do you know how
many Alchemists have made an attempt on their monarch’s life before
you?” Fallo asked; his voice cutting through Kila’s hysterical
wailing.

Ninu’s only good
eye found him out of the remains of her broken face, but Terry
could see that she was terrified. She trembled, unable to force the
words out from between bloodied lips.

“None
.” Fallo said bluntly. He walked toward her.
Her good eye widened and she struggled, but the guards held her
firmly in place. The King stooped so they met eye-to-eye.
“
None
.” He turned, his crimson
robes buffeting around behind him. He stormed to where his men held
his brother. “You should be proud Kila! You’re orphan child is a
pioneer in a twisted respect!”

“Please...please...”

“She said she did
it because of something you told her.” He grabbed Kila by the chin,
forcing the man to look him in the eye. “And you know exactly what
I am talking about. Now you will both pay the price.” Pushing him
away he turned back to his niece.

Kila’s eyes
widened as he saw a blade slither silently from Fallo’s sleeve.

“No! No!”

Fallo stood before
Ninu. “Do you have anything to say?”

A tear rolled free
from her remaining eye. “Uncle...”

“You’re no family
of mine.” And the blade shot diagonally up through her throat, its
tip piercing the back of her skull behind the eyes. Terry looked
away. She was a natural borne killer but her methods were clean and
quick like those of her kin. But what her father had done was
messy; a deliberate display of power and a deadly warning to
others. A gurgle came from Ninu’s throat as the blade slipped free,
followed by a river of her blood. Kila howled and crumpled to the
floor as the guards dropped Ninu. The life force poured from her,
forming a dark pool where her body had fallen.

Fallo wiped the
blade on his robes. Glancing at Lyle and Terry he walked away, half
of the guards following. Lyle gestured to the two holding Kila.
“Give him a moment then take him back to his rooms. Keep him under
lock and key, he is not to go anywhere.” He said. Turning to one of
the other guards buzzing after the King, he gently halted the woman
and took her to one side. “Once Kila is away, please bury the
body.” He whispered. The Alchemist gave a respectful bow and
returned to the far end of the chamber, moving against the tide of
her brethren.

Terry and Lyle
exchanged glances, but neither said a word. With unspoken consent
he followed her leave.

“You did
this!”

Terry stopped and
looked round to the guards who were dragging Kila away. A defiant
fire had ignited in his teary eyes. “You could have stopped her!
You could have ordered her to stop! You could have controlled her!
But you didn’t!”

Lyle’s finally
snapped. “Hold him!” The two guards stopped, dragging him to his
feet. Lyle drew a blade and made to move but Terry caught his arm.
He looked at her.

“Stand down
general.” She said. His lips pressed into a thin line as he was
gripped with hesitation. Finally he sheathed his blade and gave a
slight bow before stepping back.

Terry waved the
guards on. She watched as they took him. He did not struggle. With
his head pressed against his chest he sobbed, grieving for his lost
child.

******

Terry returned to
her chambers alone with a heavy heart. She had turned down the
offer of protection from several groups of guards on the way. She
knew instinct drove them to defend her, even more so after what had
happened that night, but the constant offers quickly became
irritating. She was also confident that there would be no repeat of
an attempt on her or her father’s life. He had been right. There
had never been one before and chances were there never would be one
again.

Terry pushed the
oak doors shut behind her. She pressed the back of her head against
it and closed her eyes. A heavy sigh deflated her lungs and fatigue
gripped her limbs. Pushing away from the door she made her way
through to one of the smaller apartments; one of the ones she used
when in human form. It was much smaller, had a double bed and other
bits of furniture. If not for the rocky walls that surrounded it,
it would have passed off as anyone else’s bedroom. She flopped
backward onto the bed and covered her eyes with her arm. The
lanterns were turned up to full brightness and she was feeling far
too lazy to shut them off.

“Terrifallo.”

She sat up,
finding her father standing in the giant archway to the
apartment.

“Dad...” She
replied, unsure of what to say. It had been a bloody day.

“May I come
in?”

She thought it an
odd question considering there was no door. But she did not point
it out, deciding that he was only acting out of courtesy.
“Yeah.”

He crossed the
threshold and came to sit beside her on the edge of the bed. She
slid over to join him. A long silence passed between them.

“I trust you are
not angry with me?” Fallo asked, catching her unexpectedly.

She frowned. “No,
why would I be? She deserved to die.” And she meant it...for the
most part.

“Absolutely.” He
replied, his steely gaze reflecting hers. He blinked and it
vanished. “But it was hard. She was still my niece.”

Terry felt a pang
of guilt pass through her. “I know.” She sighed. “I know we didn’t
get on much but still...”

Drawing a deep
breath, Fallo hardened his resolve. “Regardless of my feelings, she
made her choice. She could have killed me if not for you.”

“Why was she so
obsessed over the crown anyway? I thought she was only trying to
wind me up with what she said at the banquet that night.” She
sighed. “Now I’m not so sure...”

“We will never
know, so I would not dwell on it. It was insanity to make such a
ridiculous demand. Injecting her with our nanos would have killed
her. Her father or Lyle may be a different story but even they
might die if such a thing was ever attempted.”

A long silence
extended between them.

“Can I ask you
something?” Terry suddenly said.

“Anything.”

She hesitated.
“When I was in exile, did you ever consider doing it? So there was
an heir?”

Fallo turned to
his daughter. Cupping her cheek in his hand he gazed into her eyes
and said; “Never.” His eyes gleamed. “If none of this had happened
I would have come and got you sooner rather than later.”

Her heart was in
her mouth. “Really?”

“Yes.” There was
no hesitation in his words, no doubt in his eyes.

Not knowing what
to say, all she could do was nod. Looking away she said, “You never
told me about what’s happening on Friday.”

“I was going to
today but in light of events...”

She nodded. “I
know, its okay, I don’t mind.”

“I think we should
postpone.”

“Yeah.”

He fixed his gaze
on her. “Thank you.”

She blinked,
confused. “What for?”

“You saved my
life.”

“It was
nothing...really...”

“One thing I don’t
understand though.” He said, thoughtful.

“What?”

“Why did you not
kill her?”

Terry shuffled
about on the bed, suddenly finding herself uncomfortable. “I would
have if I was in my real form.” She shrugged. “But she was no match
for me. Also I was more worried about you. For a moment when I
walked into the library I thought you were dead.”

A flicker of rage
darkened his vision as he remembered. “She came to my chambers
asking to see me and I let her in. She asked to borrow a book and
that is why we went to my library. It was when I went to sit down
she came and hugged me.” His expression hardened. “Then she slipped
that blasted needle into my neck.” He looked back to his daughter.
“I felt it going in and I felt the poison creeping through my
veins.” Fallo shook his head. “I swung at her but missed and I fell
into the chair. I was terrified she was going to try the same thing
on you when you came in.”

“She wouldn’t have
done. There would have been no-one to inject her else.”

He did not appear
reassured. “It still could have happened and that is what frightens
me. And she was clever, using a poison that paralysed my entire
body else I could have ordered her to stop but I couldn’t
speak.”

“What are we going
to do about Kila?”

He regarded her
for a long while, considering his thoughts. “He will not be
returning to Troqueer colony if that is what you mean. I will need
to send someone else to assume command of my affairs there. He
can’t be trusted now. He will remain here where he can be
watched.”

“He’s not done
anything wrong.”

“Lyle told me what
he said to you after I left. You had every reason to slay him.”

“He was
angry.”

“He’s dangerous!
His child is dead, adopted or not! He will come looking for
revenge!”

Terry seemed
dubious. “I don’t see it in him.”

He pointed a
finger at her. “I didn’t see it in my niece either but you saw what
happened!”

This silenced
Terry.

“You should have
killed him for his insolence. You’re mind is still clouded with the
flawed ideologies of mankind.” He nearly spat when he spoke of the
prime apes.

She stood. “I’ve
had my fill of blood for one day father. Killing him wouldn’t have
helped the situation in any way.”

Fallo shot to his
feet. “Daughter.” he called.

She stopped in her
tracks. “Yes?”

“Please look at me
when I’m speaking to you.”

So she did.

Fallo walked over
to where she stood. “I do not want this to end in another argument.
I am keeping him locked up to protect you. All I do, I do to keep
you safe. Yet time and time again you either run off or demand we
do the opposite putting yourself in harm’s way. Twice in recent
weeks I’ve had to come to your rescue, both times where you could
have died if it had not been for my intervention.”