Chapter 22
Danielle’s Sacrifice
A light from behind Jared revealed that he was in a closet-sized space instead of in the mirrored room. He spun around and was startled to see Dreggan and one of his guards standing in the doorway.
How can this be? Jared was confused and numb all over.
Dreggan snapped his fingers, and the guard dragged Jared out of the closet. Danielle and Paul were already out of their closets and being held by guards.
Jared couldn’t believe it; they were back in the control room of Obalin. They had never really left Obalin.
A sick feeling hit him in the pit of his stomach. It was all a simulation.
Dreggan had tricked him, Danielle, and Paul into saying their passwords.
“No!” Jared breathed out, shaking his head.
“Children,” Dreggan snorted. “It was almost too easy,” he boasted. “I can see you were impressed with my simulation. Well, I told you I’d get the passwords one way or another.” He let out an evil laugh as he shook a clenched fist in the air.
Jared’s disbelief turned into anger. He struggled against the hold of the guard that had him, but he couldn’t free himself. He wanted to cut Dreggan in half with a tahsil.
“You’re nothing but a liar!” Jared yelled through gritted teeth.
Dreggan said, “Me, a liar? Not any more so than your precious Masters of Teruvisa and your wonderful Judges. I, like them, have been using the truth to suit my own purposes.”
“You killed my parents!” Jared growled.
Dreggan remained calm. “No, I didn’t. In fact, they’re in Obalin at this very moment. I can fetch them right now if you’d like.”
Jared stopped struggling. He wasn’t sure if Dreggan was telling the truth.
Dreggan narrowed his eyes and pointed at Jared. “You were just told what Manasto and Verissa wanted you to hear to get you to do their bidding.” He stood up straighter with an air of arrogance about him. “The truth is they joined me voluntarily once they saw the greatness we could achieve together.”
Jared didn’t believe that his parents were traitors, but Dreggan sounded so convincing.
“And, you can be a part of it, too.” Dreggan held out a hand and then closed it into a fist. “Join us, Jared. You can become so much greater than you’ve been led to believe. I’ve seen what powerful skills you have. I’ve seen you’re potential.”
“Don’t do it, Jared,” Danielle said, tears streaming down her face, her eyes full of rage. “He killed your parents, and he killed mine too. He’s lying.”
Dreggan strolled over to Danielle with his hands clasped behind his back. “Oh am I? Well, I assure you, your parents are quite safe and alive, too, Danielle. See for yourself.” He held out an upraised palm to his side.
Jared turned his head as two people, who were seated, got up, stepped forward, and pushed back their hoods. Ferran had mentioned that the Council suspected Danielle’s parents were killed for their failure to get the MSIs, but there they were—alive.
Jared blinked hard. He almost couldn’t believe his eyes. In the back of his mind, he wondered if Dreggan was telling the truth about his parents being in Obalin, too.
Danielle gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. Her eyes bulged. She didn’t move.
“Jared. Danielle. Don’t listen to him,” Paul said. “Jared. Your parents are dead. Danielle. Your parents are traitors. Remember what Ferran said. Neither of you listen to him. Dreggan’s a traitor and a li—”
The guard put his hand over Paul’s mouth to muffle any further pleas.
Dreggan took Jared by both shoulders and looked into his eyes. “Don’t listen to them, Jared. Listen to your heart. You’ve known all along that your parents were alive. Embrace the truth. Say you’ll join me, and I’ll call your parents up here right now.”
Jared looked into Dreggan’s soulless eyes and pulled back. I can’t believe anything he says. My parents are dead. “Never,” he whispered.
“Excuse me?” Dreggan cocked his head and raised an eyebrow.
“You heard me.” Jared gritted his teeth. “I’ll—never—join—you.”
Dreggan stood up straighter with no expression on his face. “No matter.” He waved his hand dismissively. “I have the passwords now.”
He pulled the book-sized cartridge from his robe and turned around. A guard grabbed Jared from behind and held him back once again. Dreggan inserted the decoder in a slot on the control panel.
A red light started flashing on the decoder, the end of which was partially sticking out. When the light turned solid green, a small, holographic, satellite dish, appeared on the end.
Danielle’s parents, who had already sat back down, started tapping on their touch screens.
“Children, sit down and relax. You’re about to witness a new beginning for Obalin and the beginning of my reign as the ultimate Master.” He pointed his finger at some empty seats.
Guards escorted Jared, Danielle, and Paul over to the chairs, sat them down, and stood at their sides. The guard next to Jared kept a firm grasp on his shoulder.
This can’t be happening. Jared was angry at himself for being tricked but more upset that Dreggan was going to win.
Dreggan approached Jared and squatted down to his eye level. “Now, as a thank you for your help in making this day possible, I have a little secret for you.” His evil grin grew wider and wider. “You were probably told that my version of the new technology would help me control everyone in my kingdom. Well, that’s not entirely true.”
Jared wondered what Dreggan was getting at. What? It won’t control anyone?
Dreggan stood up and cleared his throat. “No, not true.” He puffed out his chest. “I will be able to control anyone and everyone—in Obalin and Teruvisa, and on Earth.”
Jared’s jaw dropped. This is getting worse by the second.
Dreggan rubbed his hands together. “Eventually, I’ll even conquer the entire universe, but my first goal is to expand Obalin so that it encompasses all of Teruvisa and Earth.”
Oh no. It just got worse. Although Jared didn’t understand how Obalin would encompass Teruvisa and Earth, it didn’t sound like a good thing. This is bad.
“You see, through the technology of Sedroth, I have developed the power to change the melding process the Founding Masters used to create Teruvisa. Our world will no longer be connected to Earth; it will swallow up Earth.” Dreggan closed his hand into a fist. “Earth will be no more. Teruvisa will be no more. Only Obalin will remain.”
Jared, shocked and horrified, leaned back into his chair. It was hard to believe that Dreggan was so powerful that he could destroy Teruvisa and Earth.
“Sir, we’re ready,” Danielle’s dad said. “Shall we load the passwords to restart the systems?”
“Mom. Dad.” Danielle was looking at her parents but asked Dreggan, “Do they know who I am? Do they recognize me?”
Dreggan responded casually, “Of course they do.”
Jared wondered what Danielle was going to do.
Danielle’s parents stood up, looking at her blankly. Danielle’s guard allowed her to stand up. Speechless, she looked back at her parents. Then, she ran over to them and threw her arms around their waists.
Her parents’ moods instantly changed. It was very strange. They were suddenly very warm. They stooped down to her eye level.
Her mother, Jenna, wiped the tears from Danielle’s face. “We’ve missed you, Sweetheart.”
Her father, Darren, said, “We’d like nothing more than for you to stay here with us.”
“Yes,” added Jenna. “We have a lot of catching up to do.”
Jared couldn’t accept what he was seeing. She’s not really going to join them, is she?
Danielle hugged her parents again, then, composing herself, took a half-step back. Jared could only see her profile, but the look on her face was unmistakable—rage.
“I don’t know you. You’re not my parents anymore. You betraye
d your friends and Teruvisa! I would rather die than betray my friends!”
Jared was relieved that Danielle was still on the good guys’ side, and he was impressed with her boldness. She had come face to face with her parents and rejected them. She was demonstrating remarkable confidence as well as extreme loyalty to Teruvisa.
Darren and Jenna stood up straight and became expressionless again. It was as if they had been putting on an act.
Jared realized just how true Ferran’s words were regarding those who joined Dreggan: it was like Danielle’s parents were dead; they didn’t have real emotions or minds of their own.
Danielle flung her arms wildly, hitting her parents. Darren grabbed her wrists but then let go, letting her slump to the floor. She started sobbing deeply. Jared could tell that she was emotionally drained.
“Put her back in her seat,” Dreggan commanded.
A guard picked up her limp body and placed her in the chair. She sat there whimpering and looking down at the floor.
Jared looked at Paul. His face expressed the same frustration Jared felt.
As Danielle’s parents took their seats again, Jared could feel his blood running hot. He glared at Dreggan.
Dreggan returned the look, staring him straight in the eyes. “Restrain them.”
After the soldier guarding Jared pinned his arms down, clamps shot out of the armrests, locking his wrists in place.
Jared’s sneer was met by Dreggan’s self-satisfied smile.
Jared thought of all the nightmares he had, the many years without his parents, They gave their lives for a reason, and all the training he received. I can’t let Dreggan win.
Dreggan turned and walked toward the other end of the room. “Load the passwords.”
Jared looked at his fists. They were clenched tightly.
The regular lights turned off as the main systems of Obalin began to shut down for the reboot, and the backup lights came on.
With a surge of adrenaline, Jared tugged on the wrist clamps and... they opened. He was amazed. He didn’t really think he’d be able to free himself.
He immediately came to his senses, shot out of his chair with the speed only omporulae could offer, put on his laris (all he had to do was reach inside the pocket in his robe, and the laris attached itself to his hand), grabbed the decoder, and yanked it from the console.
“NOOO!” Dreggan yelled.
Jared swung his arm at the console as hard as he could. “Tahsil!”
His blade ripped through the computer console.
Dreggan howled, “AAAH!”
Jared’s next goal was to free his friends, but as he turned, Danielle and Paul were already at his side.
He wondered if they had broken their restraints or if the main power going out had cut power to the wrist clamps, but he didn’t have time to speculate further. “Let’s go!”
An alarm sounded, and a male voice said, “Global security alert.”
Jared, Danielle, and Paul omporulaed to the door. Jared pushed a button on the panel next to the door, but the door didn’t open.
He punched several more buttons, but nothing happened. The backup power wasn’t supplying power to the door.
“We can’t get out!” Paul grabbed the sleeve of Jared’s robe.
Jared heard Dreggan say, “Effa’am solum.”
Jared, Paul, and Danielle were trapped in a bubble of light.
I failed. Jared dropped his head and turned around.
Dreggan walked toward the youths. “Did you really think you could get away so easily?”
Dreggan stopped when Darren said, “Dreggan, we’re back up, but we have major system failures. We need to dump the new system files, restart, and get our old systems back online.”
“Do it, fast.” There was a hint of panic in Dreggan’s voice.
“Yes, sir, but it’ll take some time.”
Dreggan snapped, “Don’t give me excuses! I want results!”
“As you wish.” Darren began working without further argument.
Jenna also began busying herself at her console.
Dreggan released the solum and addressed the guards. “Get the decoder.”
Jared put up an estio as a guard reached for the decoder, and then he tranquilized that guard and another guard, who both toppled over. The remaining guard seemed to hesitate.
Dreggan shouted, “Fool! Stun him!”
The guard wasn’t fast enough, though.
Jared stunned him first. “Tordistrem!”
The guard stumbled backward into a chair, tripped, and then fell down, moaning.
Jared pointed at Dreggan. “Pana’idem!”
Dreggan held up his hand, and the light disappeared as the tranquilizer hit his palm.
Dreggan glared at Jared. “You insolent little... ena’prosh!”
Jared only had a split second to react. Almost instinctively, he held up his arms. “Estio.”
Jared didn’t know how he did it, but he had produced a shield larger than he had ever made before. It blocked the blast of light from Dreggan’s hand. However, the force of the impact threw Jared back against the door, and he dropped the decoder.
Jared was momentarily dazed but quickly shook it off. He pointed his laris at Dreggan, who, at the same moment, shot at him again.
Jared saw a flash of light as a chair flew in front of him and then disintegrated.
Jared was confused. What happened? He hadn’t had time to put up a shield and, even if he knew how to, definitely hadn’t summoned the chair to him to block the shot.
Dreggan narrowed his eyes and snarled at Jared.
Jenna, who had stopped what she was doing on her computer and stood up next to Dreggan, slowly raised her arm and pointed at Jared. “Bereh shaval!”
Danielle flung herself in front of Jared. “Est—!
The instant the blast hit her, she was enveloped in light and disappeared.