The Children of Zegandaria - Atanas Marinov, Atanas Marinov, Atanas Marinov, Atanas Marinov (world best books to read txt) 📗

endless to them. But those few years had left an unforgettable imprint on her mind.

He shook his head - now was not the time to be distracted. He decided to use subterfuge.

Sasia had learned more than a trick or two during her training as a military pilot - they would be of great use to her now.

Apparently the Archist's men were well trained, because no one had ever tied her up like that.

The knot was a special one, triple twisted and multi-layered as Sasia would put it. Each pilot was required to recognize at least fifteen basic types among them, the seatless and the so-called constrictor[43]. Sasia felt that the knot was made in a way where the more it moved, the tighter it tightened.

She had very little time left - she was perishing, like someone blown by a huge boa constrictor.

Inwardly she relived her worst nightmares over and over. Demons tormented her mind - Apparently there was some unclean force hovering around the Archistratus - it couldn't be otherwise. She had never

experienced these feelings - even when she had participated in the battle for

Diomedes base. Never had she felt such hopelessness.

When she closed her eyes she felt an absolute emptiness. It lasted an eternity.

At one time the cage opened and soldiers stepped inside:

- "You're coming with us!," they roared. "We'll take you to the Crimson Giant! Then they quickly dragged her out."

Hope remained somewhere at the bottom of her cage.

THE CRIMSON GIANT

 

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN: THE CRIMSON GIANT

 

Many would look askance at such chatter-so much ado about nothing. Somewhere in the depths of everyone's mind there is a crimson giant - some associate it with Hell, others simply with their imagination.

The Archistratus had decided things very differently. The giant's maw was hollow, and special furnaces heated it; when they placed the cleric inside, the sounds from outside were heard as wonderful music.

Sasia was to be placed in this very device, of which she had not the slightest idea.

They'd been preparing it for a long time while she'd been quietly cowering in her cage.

Mark was nowhere to be seen as the Archist had chained him up and placed him in a slightly better spot. But only for the moment.

Once she got the supposed intelligence from him, she would hastily liquidate him. In the meantime, he hadn't stopped eating and drinking and enjoying life just as he knew it. Demons had no reason to mess with him in that regard. He was a master - and a completely real one at that.

Where there were soldiers - they also knew that the Archmistress could soon be master of all. Only Om Gur Nal was perhaps still more powerful than he. And the Duchess would also fall prey to him, never mind that they were related.

The Archmistress was genuinely amused - he was especially pleased with the information he had received from Mark about the situation as it was.

He ordered to watch the execution of the woman, who appeared to be an important ex-military man. Above all, the archpriest was afraid of some completely unexpected coup that would sweep him off his feet.

Many had been hurt by his brutal nature - they would hound him until they destroyed him without a drop of mercy.

His lecherous nature loved to grope and humiliate not only women, but his own officers - only his ties to Ada gave him some backing, but that backing could retreat from him at any moment.

Sasia was hoisted up a special ladder before being stuffed into the device's rumen.

Special ducts brought in the hot air that was supposed to suffocate and even roast her alive.

They hadn't even bothered to remove her spacesuit - just stripped her of the compressed air bottles and that was it.

The temperature began to slowly rise. It was going to get very, very hot here in a moment.

Sasia began to feel the special alloy of her suit begin to soften - apparently those guys knew exactly what they were doing. Step by step they were going to cook her like she was in a tin can. And maybe the Archistratus was even a man-eater!

She didn't expect Mark to save her like some superhero, on the contrary, she wondered if he was still alive. She pounded on the walls of the metal giant with increasing force, at which it began to make inimitable sounds.

He felt that the end would come soon. He pressed a hidden button on his suit's cooling system - hopefully it was helping her a little at least.

Indeed, it had some effect for a minute or so before the hot air invaded the depths of her peculiar shell.

The heat would fry her back, shoulders, chest and crotch. She flopped like a fish.

Then suddenly the hot stream stopped. Sasia, half dead, barely opened her eyes - she couldn't hear any sounds from outside or over the radio. Her spacesuit was bulging like Swiss cheese. She was also unable to move her arms and legs.

Someone or something had ripped the lid off the giant, which was practically a giant oven.

Sasia looked and saw no one. When, with a semblance of crawling, she managed to get out, she saw that everyone had perished. All except Mark he was missing.

She turned and saw him. Something had crushed his head like a cockroach's.

Apparently it was awfully strong.

He looked around - the weather around was still hostile and unpleasant. He tried to find a spacesuit that was in reasonably good condition

- No luck!

She decided to take off her own, but before that she noticed that Mark's suit was in prime condition for some reason - she took it off and saw that he was almost twice her size. It would have knocked her out, but it was still infinitely better than nothing.

She slipped it on as best she could. The suit wasn't unpressurized - everything was starting to fall into place.

Internally, she calmed herself and checked the autonomous breathing systems and the safety valve - no problems. She only had to use her own helmet, as the thing had splattered Mark's along with his own head.

Sasia looked around for some sort of weapon. She didn't have any other sense. She told herself that she would at least fight to the last.

THE UNSEEN

 

CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT: THE UNSEEN

 

So many things were on her mind - and she was fragile - she was a woman after all. There was no remembrance of the former tumultuous youth when the twenty-eight year old girl had believed in all these beautiful things. Now she knew that life was nasty and dirty and rule number one was to survive. Even at any cost. Long gone were the days of true friendship. The diaper was before her eyes.

It appeared that somewhere in there was a hidden ghost warrior who had slaughtered the others. Madness had overtaken his mind. Sasia couldn't see him because of his fashionable costume. But what was he looking for here? There had to be some logical explanation! The ghost warriors were the elite of the army, and as such, they had to abide by a special code of silence. Sasia knew this well.

This loner's name was Von Blask. Some two or three years ago, he had accepted the Archmage's tempting offer to guard him - and for a serious sum of money.

Every ghost warrior gave his word to serve his master no matter the circumstances, and the master was obliged to look after him as well.

The depth of the ghost warriors' understanding was so different from that of ordinary people that time simply did not pass for them.

Sasia acknowledged this fact. The whole point of their lives consisted in the fact of serving.

Whether Von Blask was sad or disagreed with his lord, he had to protect him.

Sasia had received training as a military pilot, but she had never served in the infantry, and yet she had heard this and that about those dreaded wars.

Some of them went insane precisely because of the disconnect in performing their duties, others had an even worse fate.

As much as she took into account the fact that Von Blask hadn't killed her yet, she knew it was just a happy accident.

Von Blask took off his helmet and for the first time she saw the tired face of a man in his fifties with a deep and thoughtful look.

- "Is life so unkind to you, girl?," he growled throatily. "You are not the first or the last to rebel against my master. Why do you do it at all? What are you gaining?"

Sasia answered absolutely nothing.

Von Blask walked over and caught her under the chin.

- You're lucky you survived when everyone else, even the Archmistress, is dead. This is my revenge for all the ghost warriors who gave their lives and more in the battle for Au Kaktir.

- "Is that why you did it?," asked Sasia timidly.

- "And not only that!," he answered her grimly. "This corrupt system must go. Yes, I am a simple soldier, but I see it every goddamn day. It is getting worse and worse. It is only a question of time. Well, of course, and a little nerve.  But in the end...," he didn't finish, but Sasia had a good idea what he was talking about.

- "Is Mark alive?," she asked him quickly.

- "Ah, your friend?," he drawled. "Well, he died! Apparently the detonation was louder than you suppose. You know, it's probably much better that way!"

Lightning roared all around. The weather was becoming not very pleasant. And Sasia was all alone with this depressed and gloomy warrior who had obviously become very sad.

- "Have you seen the distant stars?," he asked her, somewhat sadly. "I once served under the command of Vice Admiral Kenji Nolsuro. Then that traitor Hans...did what he did..."

- "Why did he do that?," she asked him again.

The ghostly warrior didn't answer, but his fearsome figure was enough to inspire her awe. And to make her realize for the first time the human side of the warrior.

- "Have you heard of the Last Gate?," he asked another question. "Hans was trying to open that particular one, but failed. And went to a completely different place. A place he might not like, but it might be right for him. Who knows what was going on in his head then!"

- "And why should I believe you?," she asked, puzzled.

- "Because I am his father!," was the reply.

- "How is it possible at all?," she restrained herself.

- "Your question, my girl, should be where the Last Door leads,"