Royal Hearts (28 page)

Hathor frantically searched the spells for
something he could use. “I wonder if I can locate her yet.”

“I thought you couldn’t use it for that,”
Kent said.

“It’ll only work in this situation if Ann is
in danger. That would put Raz in danger, too. This book and Raz are
connected. Raz makes sure its safety is a priority.” He spoke the
spell, and a holographic map of the globe appeared in front of
them, the red dot marking Ann’s current location.

“What does that mean?” her father asked,
gesturing to the map.

“It means Ann’s in danger,” Hathor forced
out. He’d figured the book would now locate her, but it was still
hard to find out for sure.

“She’s only seventeen,” her mother said. “How
can all of this be happening to her?”

Hathor couldn’t worry about what her parents
were going through, even though it hurt to see them agonize over
their daughter. Time was wasting, and quite frankly, he didn’t have
time to explain everything.

“You need to get to the hospital,” Kent told
Ann’s mother, providing a much needed distraction.

“I already called for an ambulance,” her
father replied. “This day has been unbelievable.”

“Ann’s on her way to the United Nations,”
Hathor said as he flipped to another page. “I’ll have to go there
and rescue her.”

“Why would she go there?” Stacey asked.

“Omin’s clone wants her dead.” When Hathor
saw their startled expressions, he explained, “Omin’s clone is
Alexander Napoli.”

“She told us who he is. We just never
imagined he wanted to kill her,” her father softly replied.

“She’s in charge of Raz, and she’s made
alliances with planets Pale and Olympia. Even Omin would have a
hard time defeating the three planets working together against him.
This is his clone’s way of eliminating his enemies.” Hathor could
tell that they were too stunned to fully take in what he was
saying. He decided to stop and just focus on the spell he needed.
When he found it, he began to recite it but looked up at the four
bewildered people. “I will do everything I can to save her. I
promise.” He quickly said the spell and disappeared.

***

Six years in the past

United Nations

Planet: Earth

Hathor arrived at the United Nations before
Ann did since the Book of Spells was more efficient than any of the
Paler or Olympian spaceships were. The scene around him was
chaotic. Massive groups of people rushed for cover as fighting
ensued between the military aircraft and Paler warships in the
sky.

Pieces of furniture and flags were strewn
across the room, and he sadly noted a few dead people lying on the
floor. Omin’s clone should never have been allowed to create such
havoc on an innocent planet, but Omin was notorious for being a
creature of no mercy. Apparently, Omin’s clone was the same
way.

Hathor glanced around the unfamiliar
building. Where should he go? The Book of Spells led him here for a
reason, and it had to do with finding Ann.

“Aliens! They’re here!” a woman screamed as
she ran into the room.

Several other scared people followed her.

She saw Hathor and ran over to him. “They’re
coming. The invaders are coming into this building. Hide
yourself!”

It took Hathor a moment to realize she was
talking about the Palers. Before she could run off, he stopped her.
“Who are they coming after?”

“All of us. They want to take over
Earth!”

“Are they a threat to Alexander Napoli?” He
had to know if these Palers would help him or not.

“They’re a threat to all humans. Of course,
they’re after him, too.” She shook her head in wonder at his
questions. “Please, let me go. I need to hide!”

He released her arm and watched her and the
others hurry for cover. He breathed a sigh of relief. He hoped it
was Leader Paff and his army. Just to be sure he had some
protection from anyone who might have a chip inserted in them, he
used the Book of Spells to produce a sword that would give him
protection from the Paler guns. He wasn’t worried about being
attacked by an Earthling since he looked like them. No doubt, they
would see him as an ally.

Soon, ten Palers stormed into the room. He
recognized Leader Paff right away. Behind him were nine of his best
ground fighters.

Paff saw Hathor and rushed over to him.
“Hathor! Thank goodness you’re safe. But where is Queen Ann, and
what are you doing here? When we tracked you and Queen Ann, you
weren’t here.”

“It’s a long story,” Hathor replied, glad to
see that Paff and his men weren’t being controlled by a chip.
“Queen Ann was abducted by a Paler and a human woman. She should be
here soon. I think Omin’s clone is bringing her here.”

“Do you know who the Paler was that took the
queen?”

“No.”

Paff sighed. “Second Commander Jaz, Guard
Lino and Guard Falon went on a search with some Olympians to find
you and the queen. I haven’t been able to make contact with Jaz for
days. I’m afraid something has happened to them.”

“Maybe Omin’s clone got them before they
could reach us.”

The Olympians wouldn’t have any interest in
confronting Omin’s clone. Their only concern would be to save Ann.
But somewhere along the way, the clone must have intercepted them,
which explained why a Paler attacked Ann in the parking lot.

“There’s something important that you need to
know,” Hathor told Paff. “Omin’s clone is disguised as Alexander
Napoli, a human here on Earth. He created a small chip the size of
a Paler orange seed, and he has implanted about twenty percent of
the planet with it. He probably forced the Olympians and Second
Commander Jaz and her two companions to take this chip. The chip
brainwashes those who take it so that they will do anything he
says. You have to remove the chip from their hands in order for
them to be back to their normal selves.”

“How will I know if they have a chip in them
or not?” Paff asked.

“There will probably be a scar where the
incision was made.”

“Since some Earthlings have been infected
with this, too, we need to remove their chips as well. If we can do
that, then Omin’s clone will lose his army. Then we can isolate him
and get rid of him so that he’s no longer a threat to anyone.” Paff
took out his telecommunicator and pressed a button.

The captain quickly answered. “Leader
Paff?”

Paff quickly described the situation.

“I will notify the ranks to focus their
efforts on removing the chips,” the captain replied.

Paff ended the communication. “Thank you,
Hathor. Will you be coming with us?”

“Yes.”

Together they headed for the location Paff
expected the Palers and Olympians to be, the nine Palers following
them.

***

Alexander Napoli’s Underground Chamber

Jaz was slowly recovering from the brutal
punishment Omin-2 had given her for losing the queen of Raz. In the
beating, he had damaged the chip so that she had enough of her own
free will to force aside the messages from the chip.

She groaned as she sat up on the table,
pretending not to care that there were about a hundred humans
standing silently in the room, guns in hand, waiting for their cue
to attack. She was certain these humans had the chip in them. She
recalled how painful the chip had been to insert. It didn’t hurt
her physically. It was the mental pain that ripped through her mind
that caused incredible agony. In some ways, it was worse than the
Great Prison had been.

“I see you feel well enough to join us.”
Omin-2 said.

She decided to play along so he wouldn’t
suspect that she was no longer under his control. Lowering her
gaze, she offered a submissive nod.

“You failed on the mission I sent you on
yesterday, but fortunately for you, I am merciful and forgiving,”
he continued. “You will come with me. The others will remain here
until they have defeated those rebellious Palers under Paff’s
command. It shouldn’t take too long. Once they begin receiving my
chip, they will give them to others, and before you know it, Pale
will be mine.”

She just stared at him. She wanted to jump up
and grab a gun from one of the mindless humans in the room, but she
made herself stay still.

He turned to the humans, Lino, Ares, Zeus,
and Apollo who waited for his orders. “Leader Paff and his small
group of do-gooders are on their way here as we speak. I will
depart from here with Jaz. When you have succeeded in bringing the
Palers and Earthlings to their knees, you will be honored above all
others. I will give you special positions of power under my reign.
Come, Jaz. We have important work to do on Pale.”

She bit her tongue to force aside her
protests and simply nodded and followed him.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Six Years in the Past

Aboard the Olympian spaceship

Planet: Earth

Athena smiled as she engaged her shields that
would hide them from the Paler warships. “Despite our lack of
technological advancements, the Olympians have designed ways to
become invisible to our enemies,” she told Ann.

Ann fought to get off the chair, but the rope
binding her to it was too strong. Her hands and feet weren’t
budging from the chair either. She groaned in aggravation. How was
she supposed to help the planet Raz if she couldn’t even help
herself? She wondered if Hathor knew where she was. She knew he
would be worried about her. But at least Athena and Falon left her
parents and Stacey alive, so she had that comfort.

“We’ll be at the United Nations in a few
minutes,” Athena said as she steered the ship by the military jets
that were firing at a Paler warship.

Falon glanced out the window. “The Paler
warships are just sitting in the sky, protecting their crafts with
the shields. Why aren’t they attacking the humans?”

Athena shrugged. “I don’t know. It doesn’t
make sense.”

“The Palers should be fighting…unless Leader
Paff told them not to. But why would he do that?” He glanced at Ann
as if she should have the answer.

“How should I know?” Ann asked. “I don’t even
remember you two.”

“Quite a clever plan Omin’s clone had.”
Athena nodded in appreciation. “It makes perfect sense to defeat
your enemy by making her unaware of who’s a danger to her. Ares is
probably proud of the tactic.”

“Ares? The god of war?” Ann asked.

Athena looked at her. “What do you know of
the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus?”

“Only what I learned in Greek and Roman
mythology. I guess it was more than a myth though.”

“You always did know a lot about us. It was
quite delightful to know that our fame survived the ages on this
planet.”

“And you’re the goddess Athena who sprang
from your father’s head?”

“Yes.”

“You’re known for wisdom. You are the
favorite daughter of Zeus, and you’re one of the three virgin
goddesses.”

Athena grinned in pleasure. “Which was your
favorite goddess as you studied the mythology?”

“Believe it or not, you. You possessed the
level-headed thinking I always admired.”

“You’re not just saying that to get me to
side with you, are you?”

“If Apollo were here, he would verify the
truth in my statement.”

“Remarkable. I will beg Omin’s clone to spare
your life. I would hate to see you die.”

Falon rolled his eyes in disgust. “You
Olympians are incredibly vain.”

“Ah…he anticipates our arrival,” Athena said,
ignoring Falon as she landed the spaceship on top of the
building.

Ann glanced out the window at the two
gathered on the roof, waiting for them. Apparently, Omin-2 was
keeping his Alexander Napoli appearance. She guessed it was so the
Earthlings wouldn’t attack him since the Palers were obviously not
attacking now. He had a Paler with him—the same Paler who had
attacked her yesterday. She wondered about the poor physical
condition the Paler was in since there was no way Ann did that much
damage to her yesterday.

She mutely watched as Omin-2 and the Paler
boarded the ship. The Paler seemed to recognize her, for her eyes
widened in surprise when she saw her.

“Sit over there, Jaz,” Omin-2 ordered.

Jaz obeyed.

Ann glanced at her, wondering if she had the
chip in her hand. What was the distinction between those who had
the chip and those who didn’t?

Omin-2’s eyes fell on Ann as he sat in his
own seat. “I see that William wasn’t able to do his job. If that
lame-brained human wasn’t so crucial to my plans, I’d eliminate him
for such incompetence.”

Ann blinked in surprise. What did Omin-2 want
with William?

“We have one brief stop to make before our
departure to Pale,” Omin-2 told Athena. “Take me to Xenia, Ohio. I
believe that’s where we’ll find that sniveling coward.”

“Yes, lord Omin-2. We will find that
sniveling coward,” Athena replied, ascending into the sky.

Omin-2 leaned back and smiled at Ann. “It’s
nothing personal, Queen Ann, but quite frankly, you are my biggest
threat. That king you chose, Hathor, isn’t much of a comfort
either. But William… You should have chosen him. If you had, this
wouldn’t be necessary. All is not lost though. There’s still time
to make things right. Of course, if this final plan fails, I will
have to kill you.”

Ann shivered at his threat. Only, she knew it
wasn’t really a threat. It was a promise. She swallowed the lump in
her throat and forced herself to look away from the intimidating
Paler. She hoped Hathor would find her and save her before it was
too late.

***

Outside Alexander Napoli’s Underground
Chamber

United Nations

Leader Paff had just found the hidden chamber
when his telecommunicator beeped an urgent message. He stopped his
team to check it.