Venus Rising Page 2

  “Fine. I’ll play your stupid game.”

  Kiera smirked and stood as the crowd’s whooping and hollering floated over the bubbling reservoir.

  Two hovercrafts sat close to vat number eleven. Each of their bodies were constructed of a single, circular frame that housed the seating area, and a long, straight tail making the ships appear like strange, white dragonflies.

  Kiera climbed into one while Bragnia climbed into the other.

  Kiln followed Bragnia in.

  “Do you know how to fly one of these?” he asked.

  “I’m not an idiot, Kiln. I’ve been flying hovercrafts since I was twelve.”

  Kiln held up his hands. “Fair enough. Just go once around vat twelve and back.”

  She smoothed her red hair back into a ponytail, her eyes focused on the vat. “I’ll be fine. I don’t need help from a slave.”

  Kiln frowned. “Fair enough.” He climbed down from the hovercraft, and took his place next to Nadira.

  “What did she say?” Nadira asked.

  “She said that she doesn’t need help,” Kiln replied.

  “Foolish.”

  “I have a bad feeling about this.”

  “Don’t be such a worrier.” Nadira hit him playfully on his bicep. She admired his strong profile. His well-muscled build. “Would you go with me?” she asked.

  “Where?”

  “To Mahala?”

  Kiln paused and turned to her. “Is that the alcohol talking?”

  “Maybe. But if it wasn’t, what would you say?”

  “I would say that we don’t have to make that decision yet.”

  “But if we did?”

  Kiln didn’t respond, his eyes turning back to Satch, who had taken his place between the two hovercrafts. He held up three fingers, then two, then one. When all of his fingers disappeared, the two hovercrafts were off.

  The race was neck and neck. Then, Kiera’s ship gained speed and pulled away on the outside.

  Bragnia revved forward.

  Kiera was a ship’s length ahead as they reached the vat and headed in for the turn.

  Bragnia’s ship, flying on the inside, turned wide. Too wide. She bumped the tail of Kiera’s hovercraft, turning its nose toward the vat.

  Kiera’s ship flew forward in its new direction.

  In a panic, Bragnia stopped short, then pulled up just as Kiera’s ship raced past her, and slammed hard into the side of the vat. Kiera’s body flew out the front window and exploded in a mess of blood and gore down the scrubbed walls of the metal tank.

  Icy water sloshed over the crushed ship and its driver.

  “Kiera!” Nadira screamed, running to the ship. She reached the vat first, her stomach lurching as she took in the sight of her mangled friend.

  Kiera lay broken and bloodied atop the wreckage of her crushed ship.

  Satch pulled up short behind Nadira. He screamed. Falling to his knees, he crawled to his dead love, pulling what remained of her body into his embrace as the hovercraft glowed red, comming the Emergency Medical ships to their aid.

  2

  Time stood still.

  Alone in a cold cell within the Enforcer station, Nadira stared at the dirty green, potholed walls, her mind replaying Kiera’s death on an endless loop. Her crushed head. Her bloody clothes. Nadira’s mind reminded her of every gory detail.

  She didn’t notice her mother’s arrival until the middle-aged woman cried out her name.

  “Naddie, are you alright?” Grand Empress Marie Lumesta wrapped her thin arms around her child and hugged her tightly.

  “I’m fine.”

  “I was so worried.”

  “Is everyone else gone? They split us up when we got here.”

  “Yes. You’re the last one. I saw Shar-jon’s mother on the way in.” Assured that her daughter was still alive and well, Marie’s temper kicked in, her chestnut eyes turning to daggers. “What were you doing at the reservoir? I thought you were in bed.”

  “Kiera’s dead,” Nadira blurted out. “We stole our mothers’ hovercrafts and turned off the anti-crash mechanism so Enforcers couldn't track them.” Nadira’s voice cracked as a tear slid down her cheek. “She flew through the glass.”

  Her anger abating for the moment, Marie placed a hand on her daughter’s dark, kinky hair.

  “I know,” she said. “The Enforcer told me that you had been out there racing, drinking, and being … illegal with your slaves. I suppose it’s all true.” Her hand came up to the golden locket in the shape of a bean that she wore around her neck, and she stroked it anxiously. “At least you had enough sense not to turn off the medical alert.”

  Nadira nodded and ran a hand over her face. She had known Kiera since primary school. It was strange to think that she’d never see her again.

  “Where’s Kiln?” Nadira asked softly.

  “He’s gone.”

  “What do you mean gone?”

  “He’s been taken away for execution.”

  Marie looked around the empty cell.

  “Execution?”

  Marie’s temper resurfaced. “Yes, execution. It's what happens to slaves who are found drinking and hovercraft racing, and Mother Goddess knows what else.”

  “Mother, you can’t let The Enforcers kill him.”

  “I didn’t let anyone do anything.” Marie smelled her daughter then leaned away in disgust. “Nadira, you reek of alcohol.”

  “Mother, listen to me!” she cried. “You cannot let them execute Kiln.”

  “You should have thought about that when you were out with your friends. Kiera is dead, and as for the rest of you, well, let’s hope we can still carve out a life for you after this debacle. Do you know the favors I’ll have to comm in just to have this removed from your record?”

  “What about Shar-Jon and Bragnia?”

  “Shar-Jon’s mother has served on High Council for years. Her life will go on. Unfortunately, retired High Priestesses don’t have as many connections. Bragnia’s being sent to Habitat Omega first thing tomorrow.”

  “No,” Nadira gasped. “Mother, you have to help her. You can’t let her become a baldy. This whole thing happened because she was trying to help Kiera. Oh. It’s all my fault.”

  “I can’t help her. I can barely help you. Now, let’s go.”

  Nadira bit her inner cheek and followed her mother out of the cell. She'd only known Bragnia for a short time, and although the girl was uptight, she didn’t deserve the life of an Enforcer.

  I should never have mentioned that stupid race.

  Guilt snaked through Nadira, squeezing her heart, as she marched behind her mother. They walked out of the Enforcer station and toward a bright blue hovercraft where Marie’s Prime Servant, Maxwell, awaited them. His dark skin was nearly invisible in the low light. The door of the ship lifted open as they approached.

  “Good to see that you are unharmed, Empress,” he remarked, his voice rumbling through the night.

  Nadira ignored him, entranced by the blue coloring of the hovercraft.

  The same blue as Kiln’s eyes.

  A tear dripped down Nadira’s cheek. She thought of the man she’d owned for the last ten years; the man who’d won her heart the moment she’d set eyes on him. He kissed her at exactly three a.m. every morning as he snuck from her room. There would be no more kisses now. No hugs. No whispered promises. No warm touches. She imagined him being dragged into the Hall of Judgment for execution.

  Her world turned cold.

  He’s going to die, and it’s all my fault. I’ll never see him again, and it’s all my fault.

  She wished it were her execution instead.

  Marie walked past her, climbed up the narrow stairs that led up to the ship, and dropped into her white cushioned seat. She fumbled with the safety straps before yanking them across her breast, forming a black X. She clicked them in place at the center of her chest and looked at her daughter, who was still standing outside of the ship.

  “Get in this hovercraft immediately. You have caused enough trouble for one night.”

  Nadira didn’t move, her eyes glazed as she stared at the hovercraft.

  “Nadira!”

  Nadira shook her head to clear it. Her feet seemed to be made of iron, every step heavy as she climbed into the hovercraft and pulled her safety straps across her chest.

  The engine purred. The ground dipped from view as they rose into the sky and headed home.

  “I’ll have to comm the Hall of Judgment to have this wiped from your record,” Marie said. “What would make you act out like this? I thought we had a good relationship. You used to tell me everything. Now you just shut me out. Did I do something wrong? Did I say something?”

  Nadira dropped her head in shame. In reality, her mother didn’t do anything wrong. Marie was fair, and allowed Nadira to come and go as she wished. The fact was: Marie represented the very society that forced her and Kiln to keep their love a secret, and for that single transgression, she’d fallen into the category of intolerable.

  Nadira turned back to the window.

  Marie let out a frustrated breath. “Fine. Don’t answer. I swear these girls today are the most disrespectful creatures I’ve ever encountered. If I had done this to my mother, she’d have had me in an Enforcer camp before first light.”

  The hovercraft landed outside of their home. Egg shell white and two stories tall, it possessed large black doors and more windows than Nadira had ever cared to count.

  Jumping from the hovercraft, Nadira ran into the house behind her mother, trying to gather the words that would force her mother to act.

  “Mother, you have to find out where Kiln is and stop his execution.”

  “No, Nadira. I have to think of you first. Not the help. After all he's done, we
shouldn’t even be speaking his name.”

  “Mother, please.” Nadira stationed herself in front of her mother, blocking the way to the sitting room. “You can't just let him die.”

  Marie blew out a breath and threw up her hands. “If there is time, I will see what I can do for him. If not, then we can pick up another slave tomorrow.”

  “No! I will not take another slave. I only want him.”

  “You’re being insane. Maxwell, bring her a hot beverage, and help her to her room, please.”

  “Yes, Grand Empress.” Maxwell gently took her arm. “This way, Nadira.”

  Nadira broke away from him, rushed to the wall communicator – the comm – and stood in front of it.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Find Kiln. Or else, every news feed on the planet will know what role I played in Kiera’s death.”

  “Calm down.” Marie held up her hands to her daughter as if she was a wounded animal. “Don’t do anything irrational. I understand that tonight got out of control, and Kiera paid the price, but you are alive. You are still here. You can still do something with your life. Don’t let your grief ruin your future.”

  “I love Kiln,” Nadira said. “I won’t see him die.”

  Marie grabbed Nadira’s arm and shook her. “Don’t you say that! Don’t you dare say that in this house!”

  “Bring him back to me, Mother. Or else, I will comm everyone and tell them what I’ve done.”

  Glaring, Marie took a step back. “You stubborn, foolish girl.” She faced the wall comm. “Comm the Hall of Judgment.”

  It took half an hour before Marie was finally connected to Hi-Roc, the head Enforcer. The brutish looking woman didn’t seem happy to be woken out of her sleep.

  “Grand Empress Marie Lumesta,” Hi-Roc yawned, cracking her back as she stretched. “May your mother be well.” She wiped the sleep from her eye, and coughed violently.

  “Yours as well. Officer Hi-Roc, I’m sorry to wake you at this hour.”

  The large woman scratched herself, and raised a hairless eyebrow at Marie.

  “What is it that I can help you with?”

  “First, I must tell you that this is a very sensitive matter that will require your upmost discretion.”

  Hi-Roc’s forehead wrinkled, her baldhead reflecting the light from the wall comm.

  “Go on.”

  “My daughter has gotten herself into some trouble. I would like her record expunged.”

  “Expunging public records is no small feat.”

  “I’m willing to compensate you in any way I can.”

  “Fifteen thousand vesuvians,” Hi-Roc replied. “That is the price for my discretion, as well as my services.”

  Nadira brought her hand to her throat.

  “Fifteen thousand vesuvians?” Marie asked. “Don’t you think that’s a little steep?”

  “For an ambassador’s daughter? Not likely.”

  “Regardless of what you may have heard about my salary, I live a very modest life.”

  “I’m sure. Fifteen thousand vesuvians, or else your daughter’s discretion will become Venus gossip by tomorrow.”

  Marie swallowed. “Fine.” She picked up her touch screen, and with a few slides of her finger, transferred the funds.

  On the other side of the screen, Hi-Roc monitored her touch screen closely. After a few seconds, she looked up at Marie and smiled with gold-capped teeth.

  “Was the transfer successful?” Marie asked.

  Hi-Roc squinted, as if trying to unravel a great mystery. “What transfer?”

  Marie tilted her head and spoke slowly. “The fifteen thousand vesuvians that I just transferred into your account.”

  “Fifteen thousand vesuvians?” Hi-Roc whistled. “That’s a lot of funds. What was it for?”

  Marie looked at Nadira, then back at Hi-Roc. “For clearing my daughter’s permanent record.”

  “Grand Empress, that sounds like a bribe. Something that I would never take part in. I’m sorry to say that I’ll have to disconnect this comm.”

  Marie’s eyes went wide. “What? No. You can’t!”

  “A word of advice. Next time, don’t interrupt my beauty sleep.”

  The screen went blank. Slamming her touch screen down onto the sofa, Marie let out a frustrated scream.

  “That trickster! That sham!”

  “Can she really do that?” Nadira asked. “Can she keep the funds?”

  “What funds? According to her, this never happened.”

  “But it did happen.”

  “If I try to go after those funds, she will bring me up on charges of bribery.” She ran a hand over her face. “I can’t believe that I fell for that.”

  “Well, what do we do now? We have to get Kiln out of prison.”

  “Kiln is the least of my concerns. This will be your third slave infraction. They’ll come to take you away in the morning.”

  “Take me away? But I was just released.”

  “You were released because I bribed the guards. We all did. By tomorrow, an Enforcer will knock on this door and drag you before High Council. You’ll be banished, or worse, executed.”

  “No. Mother, there has to be another way. There has to be something else we can do.”

  Marie grunted in frustration. “There is one more person I can comm. Go to your room. I will come for you when I’ve spoken to her.”

  “Who is it?”

  “Go to your room.” Marie’s voice left no room for argument. “I will come to you when I’m finished.”

  Eying her mother warily, Nadira complied, following Maxwell to the silver circle that hovered an inch above the floor. They stepped on and the circle glided upward, taking them to the second level.

  When she was sure they were gone, Marie turned back to the comm.

  “Comm Empress Drell.”

  The screen flashed twice before a woman answered. Her silver hair was smoothed back into a bun at the base of her neck, and her cool grey eyes looked upon Marie with not only recognition, but friendship.

  “Marie?” the woman asked. “Is everything alright?”

  “Hello, Drell. May your mother be well.”

  “And yours.”

  “I’m sorry to comm at such a late hour.”

  “I’m old. I never sleep. What’s the matter, dear?”

  Squeezing her lips together, Marie sat on the white sofa, and avoided the eye of the woman on the screen. Empress Drell was the Leader of High Council. If Drell lost faith in Nadira, then the powerful career that Marie envisioned for her daughter would become nothing more than an impossible dream.

  “What is it, dear?” Drell asked. “Is something wrong? Is it Nadira? Is she in trouble?”

  “Yes.”

  “What can I do?”

  Marie shook her head. “I don’t know. It’s hard for me to say. You’ve done so much for my family already, and I don’t want to disappoint you.”

  “Disappoint me? Marie Lumesta, you could never disappoint me. You saved my life—not once but twice. If there is anyone that I owe a debt to, it’s you. Even if that debt requires a little … discretion.”

  Marie’s hands fiddled with her necklace, her eyes not able to meet Drell’s.

  “Is it about what happened with those girls at the reservoir?” Drell probed. “One of them died, yes?”

  Marie’s eyes shot up.

  “It is, isn’t it? Was Nadira there? Is she well?”

  Taking a deep breath, Marie stood, walked close to the comm, and looked her friend in the eye.

  “Drell, Nadira was there when the group of girls were apprehended by the reservoir. She was there when Empress Kiera was killed. I need her record expunged and her Prime Servant released.”

  “Consider it done.”

  Marie nodded, embarrassment raising the color in her neck. “I’m sorry to have asked you, but I had no one else to turn to. Hopefully, this won’t interfere with Nadira’s future plans in High Council.”

  “Nadira is a bright girl. Just because she veers from the path does not mean that she’s lost it entirely.”

  “Thank you, Drell. This means so much to me.”

  “Raise Nadira to be the woman that you know she can be. If anyone can do it, it’s you.”

  The comm blanked off.

  Wiping her sweaty palms on her lilac jumpsuit, Marie stepped onto the elevation plate and rose to the second floor. She knocked twice before turning the knob to Nadira’s room.