The King part 42

DEE

I’m getting really tired of these fucking portals.

The pain is unbearable. But it’s not like I want to keep crossing it. Whoever manages these damn things just doesn’t know what side to toss me on!

Once I gave a final goodbye to Cherry, she cranked on the machine and I clung tightly onto Vadnar as we crossed worlds. Now I’m lying on mud, with a ringing in my ear and a desperate alien that’s asking me if I’m alright. Vadnar seems to ignore his own pain to look over me. I moan that I’m fine, but that’s not enough for him. He cradles me on his lap and repeats himself.

It’s so bright I keep my eyes closed. But I know we’re back on Zolan because the air is crispier. It has its distinct smell. I pull lungfuls in, missing it.

“I’m fine,” I tell Vadnar for the umpteenth time. “Where… where is everyone?”

“The fort is nearby,” he answers. “Don’t worry. You’re safe.”

But is he safe? He’s a wanted man. And if we’re teleported too close to a town, he could be recognized and captured. I’ve dealt with too much bullshit this week. Losing Vadnar when I just got him back is not happening.

I squint my eyes, fighting a headache as I look around the muddy hole we seem to have landed in. I look for Ranrok in a final, pathetic attempt. But he’s not here. He made his choice to stay behind in a foreign world—just like I did. I know I have to accept it, but it won’t come easily.

“Let’s find the fort,” Vadnar says, standing and leading me to his back.

I don’t even get to make a sound of protest before he heaves me onto his back and climbs out of the hole. At the top, we look around and find unfinished developments. Homes that were never built.

“We need to get to higher ground. I think I recognize where we are but I must check.”

We trek higher up a hill, with Vadnar carrying me on his back because he’s convinced I’m hurt. When we get to the top, I almost wish we didn’t make it. We have a good view of the fort, and it’s destroyed. Stone has collapsed everywhere, and black burn marks cover the grass. Our flags don’t fly anymore. They were taken down. And the wooden gates lay torn down. The worst part of it all is the deadly silence.

Where is everyone?

“Dee, you must stay here. I will investigate.”

“But—“

He gives me a scalding look. “I sat with my arms crossed on Earth. But here, I am in charge. I will not lead you blindly into the dark.”

I know he won’t bend on this, so I sigh and turn my attention back to the fort.

Vadnar thanks me and kisses my temple. I’m left behind with our supply bag tightly clutched against my chest.

Vadnar slowly descends down the hill, taking cover behind the few trees as he approaches the fort. I don’t see him enter from the west side, and anxiety crippled me as I wait many endless minutes for him to re-appear.

I dig my nails into the dirt, looking around desperately and considering looking after him. I know I’m not supposed to. That I should trust his skills, so I bite down on my lip and force myself to stay still.

Vadnar enters my line of sight minutes later, with two males beside him. Vaine and Hull. They look tired. Their clothes are ripped and dirty, and their faces hollow. Looks like they’ve been through a lot.

Seeing that no one is behind them, I run down the hill with my arms extended. Hull dives out of the way like I’m an incoming missle, but Vaine accepts me, jumping and laughing with joy.

“Dee! Dee!” He yells with joy.

My face hurts from how hard I smile. I missed Vaine and his innocence. He is one of my truest friends on Zolan, and even Vadnar sees it.

“Good to see you,” says Hull from a distance, because he knows he wouldn’t have the same luck as Vaine if he embraced me.

“What happened?” I ask, stepping away from Vaine to look at the fort. “I mean, I’m so glad to see you are both well. But… what happened to everyone? The masters and entertainers? The fort.”

Hull shrugs. “Everything went to hell once Vadnar vanished. Masters thought the fort was haunted, and that’s why you two went missing. There was disorder as we struggled to find leadership. One by one the masters began to leave. And the attacks from the crown didn’t help. The crown has more soldiers. They overran us.”

“Is it just you two now?” Vadnar asks, his gaze hard and his fists clenched.

I can’t imagine the pain he’s in. He worked tirelessly to get to where we are now, only for it all to be ripped away.

“It’s us two, plus about two dozen loyal masters. We are staying elsewhere. Vaine and I only came here to loot materials.”

Vadnar drags a hand through his hair. “How long were we gone for?” He sounds frustrated. Angry that we faced such a setback.

“I don’t know. I lost track of the weeks. Where is Ranrok?”

“Ranrok decided to stay,” I answer.

Hull looks shocked by this.

“Weeks.” Vadnar spits. “We were gone for weeks while everything we built was getting torn to shreds. Fuck!” He yells.

I touch his trembling, clenched fist, and give the men a weak smile. They take the hint, and walk away to give us privacy.

“It’s not your fault.” I squeeze his shoulders. He can’t even look at me as his head hangs in shame. “Don’t you dare blame yourself for what you had no control over.”

“I keep failing everyone.”

He’s gritting his teeth, raising a fist to slam it into his chest punishingly before I place my palm on his chest to protect it. He stops instantly.

“You never failed me. And you freed all of those men from slavery. They decided to join you. You gave them a gift they didn’t get in years: choice.”

He finally lifts his head, revealing so much pain in his eyes that my armor nearly cracks and chips. Because I’m scared and ashamed, too. But I’m trying to be strong and saying all the right things because I know that although Vadnar’s muscles are impenetrable, he has a gentle soul. He doesn’t have to be strong all the time. I don’t need him to be.

Reaching up, I wrap my arms over his shoulders and hug him tightly. He breathes heavily into the nape of my neck, struggling in a gut-wrenching display of emotion.

I whisper sweet nothings as I stroke his back, but he only allows a glimpse of his weakness before straightening and calling back the men. He’s back in business, and the other men are, too.

We plan to meet with the others and formulate a new plan. A fresh start.

Vaine is speaking with Vadnar as I walk up to Hull. “I wanted to thank you for looking after Vaine while I was gone. He’s a good person. A bright, pure light that gives us more reason to fight for freedom.”

“That’s what Vadnar thinks about you,” Hull counters. “But there is no need to thank me. Vaine is my friend. Rather empty headed, but he’s entertaining.”

I smile, and Hull sighs. “And I’m sorry for the way I treated you in the prison. You didn’t deserve that.”

I dip my chin. “That’s in the past. Focus on the present. Vadnar needs you. He may be too proud to say it, but he’s afraid. All of us are. But the crown is too important to give up.”

That’s the end. Hull doesn’t speak, only looks at what remains of the fort.

We have to start over.

As we make our way to the compound where the rest of the masters are staying, I realize that the fight is far from over, and I’ve made peace with that.

TWO YEARS LATER

“Dee, I told you to stop sneaking around.”

I smile sheepishly at Vadnar. He had been training the masters and spotted me behind the trees  following the exercises. I’ve been getting stronger. Building muscle. Vadnar enjoys my improved cardio as I swing on top of him and ride him for fifteen minutes, but he hates when I sneak around to practice.

“Sorry, boss. It won’t happen again.” I mockingly salute him, and he scowls before returning to the men.

I look towards the sun. Over the past year, we’ve been staying on a mountain. Our numbers slowly rose to a hundred as we ran around scouting and rescuing masters. We attacked the coliseum twice, freeing dozens of gladiators. Vadnar never allows me to join those missions, so I contribute by fishing. I enjoy the focus it takes, and how I can feed the ranks.

The masters find brotherhood among each other. We help them regain a healthy weight and keep them active with tasks to distract them from the memories of the horrors they escaped. There are a few entertainers among us. I’m friends with most of them, and give them relationship advice. Although things between Vadnar and I aren’t perfect, I’ve learned a lot about what makes him tick and about myself. I help the women by applying these lessons to my advice.

We have become a tight community. And soon, in just a month, everything we have been preparing for will be tested. We are attacking the palace. The crown has ignored all of our requests to submit. They also do nothing about the slave farms, gladiators, and the sex trafficking that have terrorized masters. So we’re invading, and making these changes ourselves.

There has been an outcry from Zolans—because the citizens have begun to realize how masters are tortured. Every time we shut down a farm, we make sure the world knows of it. Vaine and I work together to publish these papers and spread them far and wide. Over the past two years, Zolan has been waking up. Shame runs deep through its cities, because they know that they have let masters suffer.

I’ve been enjoying as much time as Vadnar as I can, because this time, I really don’t know if he’ll come back. When he marches into the capital with his masters, it will be more dangerous than crossing a portal to Earth.

A/N: The King is ending soon! I just posted part 1 of Ranrok’s one-shot. His story only has 2 parts.

READ PART 43 >

<Swipe left to right for previous part>

📋 View Table of Contents for The King

📚 View All Books