The Ardoon King Read online

Chapter 60: Parole and Dominion

  It was morning, and this morning, the two women had their breakfast served to them in their room. Fiela made a show of remaining in bed as the Peth delivered the meager offering, allowing Thal, disheveled, to rush about the room picking clothes up from the floor. When the Peth left, and the door was shut, Fiela sat up and threw her legs over the side of the bed.

  “You can stop pretending now,” she said.

  Thal continued to tidy the room. “Who is pretending? I have always done this.”

  Fiela scrunched up her nose. “Have you?”

  “Yes, and thank you for not noticing.”

  “Sorry.”

  The girl rose, walked to the table, and sat. “Moldy bread, mold cut away, toasted. Oh, and look! Green powder partially dissolved in warm water.”

  “The Peth caught a rabbit this morning,” said Thal, pulling the blanket taut on the bed and moving the pillows to the head. “Lunch will be better.”

  Fiela let out a loud breath. “Thal, please! Come here and eat. I feel guilty watching you buzz about while I am eating.”

  The woman, wearing only her robe, fluffed the pillows before turning and walking to the table. “You will not feel guilty if you help.”

  “Nor will I feel guilty if you eat with me. I prefer my remedy.”

  Thal sat, a weary smile on her face. “Aren’t you the clever one?”

  “No,” said the girl, nibbling on her toast. “That would be you. I would be the other one. You know - the queen.” She grinned, then winced after tasting the green liquid. “Yuck.”

  “It is unsweetened. Plain water would be better. But the Peth worry that plain water will not impress you.”

  “And this will?”

  “Not in a positive way, perhaps.”

  The two ate in silence before Thal said, “Fiela, what exactly will happen when we return to Steepleguard? I have committed myself to your play but I do not know my role there.”

  Fiela nodded, as if expecting the question. “I will be your champion and protector. You will be my mentor and my counselor.”

  “You still want me to mentor you?”

  “Of course. It is what Ben will want, too. I also need your counsel. You will help me solve problems. You are smarter and wiser than me. We both know that.”

  “I do not feel wise,” replied Thal. “I feel rather like a fool for not better comprehending how my time with Ben would be perceived. It was foolish of me to work with him so long and behind closed doors. Even at night. I have put myself in this position and without you I’d have no hope of escaping Lilitu’s wrath.”

  Fiela looked at her plaintively. “You will not hold against me what I have had to do, will you? The ghastly things I have said and done here?”

  “Of course not,” Thal replied. “Truly. I regret putting you in such a position. And Sam.”

  “Don’t. You’re my best friend. I would not want to lose you. And Sam will be a great help. He is Ardoon and will be viewed as an objective witness. He will not answer questions about what has happened here, but his silence will speak volumes. Lilian and her supporters will rejoice at the tales of my ill-treatment of you.”

  “What else must I do, Fiela? When we return? Surely I have a larger role in the play than mentor? I cannot imagine Lilitu will be satisfied with only that.”

  Fiela swallowed and wiped at her mouth. “She won’t. It only sets the stage.” She was quiet for a moment. “Thal, I must ask a tremendous sacrifice of you. It is necessary, or else everything we have done will be for naught.”

  “We are talking about my life, Fiela. You have already seen that I am willing to sacrifice my honor to preserve it. You must know I am willing to make whatever sacrifice is necessary.”

  Fiela nodded. “Good.”

  Thal waited. “So? What else is required of me?”

  The girl looked into her eyes. “I will speak to Sister and tell her that I want authority over you.”

  Thal shrugged. “That is nothing at all. You already have that. You are my queen.”

  Fiela shook her head. “No, I refer to exclusive authority, which means she will have none. You will be put on parole, but under me alone.” She lowered her chin, not wanting to see the other woman’s expression. “I speak of dominion, Thal.”

  The other woman froze. “What?”

  “Dominion. But I will only make such a request with your consent.”

  Several seconds passed.

  “Dominion,” repeated Thal at last.

  “Yes. I’m sorry. It is the only way to protect you from her, or her supporters. She must think you utterly powerless. You must not be a threat. And I must deprive her of power over you. Dominion accomplishes both.”

  The other woman rubbed at her eyes. “Would she allow it?”

  “Before, no. But when she hears of your supposed subjection, she will. I will brag and gloat and she will do what I ask. Then we shall have my husband issue the command.”

  “He won’t, though. You know his morality.”

  “We won’t tell him everything. I do not wish to deceive him, but this is a matter of life and death. If he does ask questions, you must answer them, and say whatever must be said. I cannot lie to him, Thal. It’s quite impossible.”

  There was another long silence.

  “I understand, Fiela.”

  “Do you consent?”

  “I do.”

  Fiela breathed out and lifted her chin. “I am sorry. Your parole will be very difficult. The conditions of dominion are harsh. I will do everything I can to make your life as normal as possible, though.”

  Thal nodded, saying nothing. She was nervously biting at a thumbnail.

  Fiela continued. “I will also request my own suite. It will be for my studies, because you and I will not be able to use Sister’s once we return. You will have to share it with me, of course, during the day. You will be as free as ever, at least there.”

  Thal again nodded, pinching off a piece of her toast. She gazed out the bedroom window.

  The toast dropped from her hand. “Fiela?”

  “Yes?”

  “What is that?”

  “What?” asked Fiela. Then she saw it.

  Everyone gathered on the large concrete patio at the back of the McMansion – the one that would have overlooked a golf course. The area had been cleared of snow several days before. The object a half mile in the distance was massive, black, and triangular. It hovered perhaps a thousand feet above the surface, slowly rotating. On each side of the craft was a white light the blinked erratically. It screamed “UFO!”

  “Aliens!” declared Sam, lowering his binoculars. He held his free hand over his heart, as if to keep it from escaping his chest. “I knew it! They were behind all of this! The apocalypse and the temples and everything else! Now they’ve come to colonize the planet.”

  Fiela looked the man. “Only yesterday you told me it was the stonemasons who caused the apocalypse.”

  “No, no,” said Sam dismissively, waving her away. “The Freemasons!”

  “I thought it was the Bilateral Commission,” said Callis.

  “Trilateral!” said Sam, agitated.

  “Not the Alligator People?” asked Fiela, grinning.

  Sam huffed. “Don’t mock me, people! I said it was my personal theory. Or theories. I like to keep my options open. Now I see that I was wrong. It was the aliens, just like my buddy Pete said.”

  Fiela shrugged. It was probably unfair to make fun of the man. He was right, after all, about a grand conspiracy to end the world. He was merely misguided about who was behind it.

  “Anyway,” continued the man, “how can you people be so calm? Look at that thing! It’s Phoenix all over again! God Almighty, there’s probably a fleet of ‘em!”

  A Peth approached and handed Callis a small sheet of paper. The captain read it, smiled and handed it to Fiela.

  Sam saw the smile. “What?”

  Fiela read the note, shrieked a laugh an
d spun in a circle. “Yes!”

  “What?” Sam asked again.

  Callis looked at the man. “Your aliens know Morse code, apparently.”

  “What?”

  “The blinking lights on the craft. It’s a message.”

  “Oh,” said Sam. Not quite ready to admit defeat, he said, “What’s the mothership saying? ‘Surrender?’”

  Fiela handed Sam the sheet of paper. “Not quite.”

  Sam looked at the handwritten note. It contained only cuneiform characters. Disgusted, he lowered it to his side. “I can’t read this chicken scratch! What does it say, Fiela?”

  “Sorry, Sam. It says, ‘Red Guard Acknowledge.’”

  The girl turned back to Callis. “Okay, let’s pop smoke!”