Chapter Twenty

Never would I leave you...

"Are the vessels ready?" Nyla asked the most efficient of her commanders, the only man she trusted who manned the door to her quarters daily.

Sudama, her mighty warrior who knew little of his past, would protect his overseer with his life just like the rest of them.

"Affirmative." He stood tall with his chin raised and hands behind his back.

"I need the best soldiers to accompany me on this journey. Can I trust you on that?" Nyla barely raised her eyes while she sat behind her desk, tapping her holo board and seeing all operations around the Dome since Vermeen's presence.

She was enraged, but she had her way of handling her emotions by overworking herself. She mostly deprived herself of sleep for days.

"Yes, overseer, you can trust me," Sudama answered and left instantly.

At dusk, Vakiyv awaited, keeping an eye on the manned door to the entrance of the torture cubicle. There was no way they were going to be replaced or be exhausted. They were taught to stand for three days without food even; it was the highest torture, but they all lived with it.

Vakiyv had a plan that meant betraying, escaping, and choosing the people he grew up with for a girl he barely knew. A girl who opened another part of him to feel what wasn't there before. The need to see another part of himself that was vulnerable from the brutal warlord he was destined to be.

Vakiyv became invisible; his cloaking power wouldn't work long if he fought in combat. He approached the two guards stationed along the empty passageway. He took them down with a quick blow to both necks, breaking their windpipe and pulling them one after the other into the chamber room, where they couldn't be seen for a while.

Shyva was famished and battered from the torture and the truth. She lay wasted with her hung neck. Vakiyv overrode the system to the best of his technical abilities; he alone had access since he became the army's second in command.

The cubicle opened, gases poured out, and he went in to unstrap Shyva. Many thoughts had played in his mind about what they might do to her and how he wouldn't forgive himself if she was to stay any more day.

He lifted her on his shoulder and left the room. Shyva's eyes opened in slits.

"You came… for me…" she whispered.

Save yourself the strength; you'll need it once we are out of here.

"Where are we heading?"

Out of here, I can't let you stay another moment.

"You are taking me with you?" she whispered as he carried her into the vessels' space. In the room were concealed war ships and transport ships behind the walls that only needed a click to release them. Operating the controls to release a vessel transport pod into a smaller ship that could take them far away and undetected with the efficient resources. In a few moments, he lifted Shyva into the ship to the seat beside him while he would coordinate the ship in auto-mode. He began flicking buttons and pushing gears, powering the ship.

"Hang on." He spoke to Shyva who was half unconscious and strapped on the seat but she could hear him.

The humongous space gate slid to the right. Vakiyv pulled onto the gears and lifted the vessel upwards, out into the sky. He cloaked the vessel before leaving the world undetected. His identity granted him exit. It would be a while before they figured his escape but little did he know Vermeen knew his every move.

Nyla pursed her lips on the gigantic spiral vessel like the others following behind. For the first time in her history she couldn't predict her outcome with Vermeen but, there was one thing she knew, she was going to leave being the winner. 

The Red Lords' world, unlike the Dome, was not sophisticated with their technology because they were determined they had the best of warriors. The veil over their kingdom could be overrode with Nyla's technology and she did.

They were in Vermeen's kingdom and she gave the last orders before leaving.

"Find her and return without me immediately. I will find my way out. She is top priority."

"Affirmative." They answered to her and she descended down a thick rope before the others had their ship approach the ground. Nyla had only been to Vermeen's kingdom once and she knew everywhere in it like the back of her palm.

Vermeen's quarters were hidden among the monstrous towers. His floor appeared to lack windows and entrances but she knew he had to be there. The life in Blood Veil wasn't as beautiful as the life in Dome. The buildings and vessels spoke of destruction and narcissism. The colours were grey and the world relied on a white heavenly body, the moon that shone at night at the dome. Men and male creatures were harmed, marching and flying vessels for their daily activities. A few of the recruits trained vigorously without fear and the hunger for blood.

Commands were yelled and orders obeyed.

"Vermeen!" Nyla spoke as she walked through the walls to his quarters unnoticed, like Vermeen predicted she was beginning to see the vastness. of her powers, every discovery was limitless.

Vermeen who vaped from an ancient engraved pipe didn't shudder, he had awaited her return but hadn't envisioned it would be discreet.

"Aren't you full of surprises yourself?" He swirled in his seat to face her.

Nyla didn't respond, running towards him to dig both blades held in her hands into his neck but he lowered himself to the floor and swirled horizontally, pulling her towards him and rolling over to overpower her.

"You can't always win." He wrestled her underneath his strong, muscled body. Binding her hands with his and lowering his lips. She knew what he was doing. If he hadn't betrayed her, she would have fallen for it but the memories were a mere fiction she tucked deep in her mind and forbade it to resurface.

"I love you Nyla." He admitted and she didn't believe.

"Another one of your stunt to undress me and fuck me like you wish to."

"Maybe but I didn't mean for it to be this way, I only…"

"You only cared about yourself just like you told on me to the Lords of the Land."

"And how did that go?" he grinned.

"You almost got me killed and my world destroyed."

"Nyla you never see how I have been pushing you towards your limit to be who you truly are. To use your powers endlessly."

"Don't talk to me like you did me a favour."

"I did and I have always tried to help you."

"Don't talk to me…" She faltered, feeling her body betray her despite her mind. She still loved him because of a bond he didn't know existed.

"I still love the way you resist your feelings." He gripped both hands with one of his and traced her cheekbones with his thumb, "You have no idea how many time I have fought against the idea of abducting you and having you for cresce"

"We both get very busy don't we!"

"We always have the tiniest of time to get back together for times we missed apart don't we."

Nyla swallowed hard looking away.

"You say you love me." She smirked, slowly blinking and biting down on her lips.

Vermeen fell for her charm and she tackled him, straddling him with his hands tied above his head.

"I didn't see that coming."

"You still want to fuck me and I am not interested." She jabbed her index finger on his chest.

"You're lying." He frowned, enraged at his mistake and she saw through it.

"That's how it feels." She lowered her lips to his, searching his eyes for the violence he wanted to unleash, testing him to know if he would do so to her.

She kissed him, breathless for she always wanted to feel his love over and over again. Vermeen kissed her in response, hungry for her. He would never hurt her. Teeth grazing each other; lips nibbled and the swallow of their liquids; the love play of tongues and the jolts of sensation it sent through their bodies.

"Did you? Did you?" Nyla stooped, "Did you think we could be a family?"

Vermeen froze and saw there was something she wasn't telling him.

"You didn't want a family?" she asked again.

I have sincerely never thought about having a family, we never couldn't stay together. We had soaked ourselves in our ambition and in our ways we denied each other love for many vasa. The formality and the deceit. I almost lost you.

"I did," he admitted, emotion deep in his gaze, "Before our world fell and I didn't find you all those vasa."

He was vulnerable and it was the first time she saw through his defence.

"We had a child." She lowered her lips to his ears and he gulped.

"You didn't tell me."

"I didn't have to." she tapped his neck with a finger and smiled, "you didn't want me, anything that reminded you of the ancient world."

"That's not true."

"Then what is? To be a god and rule us all. To dictate when to fuck me whenever you want and still rule the world I built."

There was no response he could give; she had said it all.

"Is this child still alive?" he asked with humanity.

"Yes, I am here to take her back from you."

Vermeen coughed blood and stared into the eyes of Nyla. She kissed his forehead and he remembered what she had done. The poison was on her finger all along, the poking pin worn as a ring. Vermeen stayed paralyzed but he was losing contact with reality.

"Shyva is my daughter alone and I will never leave you to live with that truth. I brought her to this world and she will never know you."

Vermeen laughed, spittle of blood flung in the air.

"She knows a lot of secrets too."

Nyla scrunched her face and lifted his chin, "How much?"

"Enough."

She dropped his head and stood over him blasting his skull open with her laser weapon.

"A mother protects her child with the truth and from the truth."