Chapter 9 | Ethan | Raid

Umida shifts her gaze between Ethan and the large Krot, her hand on her chest. "What? Ethan? Why does Exalted Bhilzal want him?"

"That is not for me to answer," it says. "Is Zelmira Neri here?" It looks at all of their faces.

Iris points up. "I'll go get her." She goes upstairs and Ethan stares at the Krot, wide-eyed. He's still not sure how to take this. Summoned to Bhilzal?

Zelmira walks downstairs with Iris. Her long black hair is a mess, as if every strand on her hair decided to go in a random direction. She’s changed into a purple nightgown. "Thanks for calling me, Iris, but I wonder what lump of your brain did you hit to become pragmatic? Oh, and I hear someone wailing on Earth. Do you know who?" she asks, jeering.

Iris ignores her and walks to Ethan. "Take care," she whispers, patting his back. "Be…mindful of what you say."

Umida runs to the door and throws Ethan's bag at him. "It's cold outside," she says, and Ethan opens it, putting on an added t-shirt.

The large Krot takes both Ethan and Zelmira outside the dormitory and the four Krot guards outside raise their right front paws as the large Krot passes them.

"So? What violation are you guilty of? Except for the fact you were born, I mean?" Zelmira asks, looking at a red light that illuminates the black floor on the spaceship. It is strange, Ethan thinks, needing illumination for a black floor.

"I haven't done anything wrong," Ethan says, crossing his arms. It’s still cold.

Zelmira nods. "I believe you. You look so pathetic that I can’t see you accomplishing anything in life, right or wrong."

Ethan looks at her and is about to retort when he remembers how Iris dealt with her. He clenches his jaw, looking forward. He'd rather look at the Krot and the backside of its yellow head than speak to her.

Neither of them talks and they’re soon taken into a wide black building. The temperature inside is still cold, windows letting the air blow through. The inside has many plants decorating the room in various colours like red, pink, blue and green. They don’t seem to be from Earth.

Bhilzal stands on a silver platform that's hovering in the air. Its head turns to them.

"Come," it says, and they walk behind Bhilzal and its hovering board. Soon there's a stench of metal, and Ethan knows that whoever lies on another silver platform in the corner is dead long before he reaches.

It's a young girl with blonde hair and has cut marks all over her. Dried blood rests on her chest, and there are distinct holes that pierce her thin legs. The body has been divested of its clothes, if it ever had any. Bhilzal turns to look at them, two of its large yellow eyes on Ethan and the other two on Zelmira. "Do you know this girl?"

"No," Ethan says. "Possibly," Zelmira says.

Bhilzal turns all of its eyes to Zelmira. “Elaborate.”

She approaches the corpse, looking down at her face. “Her transgression?”

Bhilzal says, “She tried to kill Elder Tujen, but was shot before she could. There are no records of her in our data. I need to know whether she belonged to the 5th district or not.”

She turns to look at Bhilzal. “I can divulge information, but I require full immunity with no further queries. I also want a favour.”

Bhilzal looks down in front of him as if looking at a screen that they can’t see. “...what favour?”

She smiles. “Annihilate the 5th district.”

Bhilzal's mouth, which is a slit without lips, opens and it says, "We will be raiding them tomorrow, but we need the permissions of Gorons to destroy a district."

Her wrinkly nose gets even more wrinkled as she says, "Then get me Gandharva Bhaumik. I want to relish torturing that unhinged garbage."

Bhilzal looks down in front again. "Spell his name.”

“G-a-n-d-h-a-r—”

“Found him. What has he done? Reports say that he's just a normal man who likes gardening. I can't hand him for no reason...unless there something else I need to know about him?"

Zelmira purses her lips. "No, he's just trampled on my foot in the past." There's silence for a few seconds. “...Our negotiation is concluded, then."

The large Krot walks to her and raises one of its paws over her head. Bhilzal stops it, saying, "No, she is a Numen candidate. Do not harm her,” and the Krot backs off.

Ethan looks at Bhilzal, then says, "How about you give Zelmira her own room on the spaceship as a reward?" It would also keep her away and solve their problems.

It turns to Zelmira who nods, saying, "It would bring me great solace to depart from those idio—"

Ethan interrupts her, “It’s nice when we’re together, but sometimes we humans really need our space...right, Zelmira?”

She smiles playfully at Ethan. “...assuredly, that’s how it is. I’d like the room.”

“Consider it done,” Bhilzal says. “You will get a room near your dorms by tomorrow. Now speak.”

Zelmira looks down at the corpse. “You have ascertained her ancestry, correct?”

Bhilzal looks at the corpse with his two eyes and at Zelmira with the other two. “Using the DNA technology that you humans have employed in the past, we found her to be the daughter of Paulette Lafrancois and Raphael Lafrancois of the 5th district...but no record of her exists.”

“Her birth was concealed, then,” Zelmira says. “I witnessed her when I was there—she’s not the intruder to the 5th.”

Bhilzal blinks, turning to Ethan. “They lied. There will be consequences...and it seems Della Gray is the only escapee we need to chase after.”

Ethan stammers at the sudden mention of Della. “W—what do you mean?”

Bhilzal descends off his flying platform, looking down at Coraline. “It was well hidden, but we found Della Gray’s blood in the forest in the evening. We also found the Krots blood there. She must have faked the blood and the bodies being in front of the 5th district’s gate to throw us off her scent.”

Ethan’s eyes widen, and Bhilzal says, “I summoned you to let you know because she’s your family. The 5th district will be raided tomorrow and if we find them harbouring her, we will bury her with it. We will also decide what to do with you.”

Ethan doesn’t know how he walks back to the dorms. His thoughts are spinning with memories of Della, and only when the large Krot has escorted them back to the entrance of dorms does he snap out of it.

“Hey! Are you listening?” Zelmira asks, grabbing his shoulder.

“What?” Ethan asks, wiping the water off his eyes.

“Visit me tomorrow morning before I get the room,” she whispers.

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Ethan narrows his eyebrows. “Why?”

She smiles. “We are a team now, aren’t we?”

“I would never team up with—”

She keeps her right hand on his mouth. “Hush. Don’t make a commotion. You hindered me when I wanted to condemn the others, didn’t you? You don’t want them to know of our altercations?”

“It would be a bad look,” Ethan says, shaking her hand off his mouth. “That’s what was decided.”

“I concede, it would look bad. Abominable, even. Obey me and they won’t have to find out.”

Ethan turns to her, his fists clenched. Della is out of his thoughts now—he needs to deal with his own danger first. “Are you blackmailing me?”

“...And your sister is a notorious rebel.” Her smile widens as she whispers. “I wonder, how many Numen candidates are enlightened to this knowledge? And how will they react once they know?”

Ethan gulps. Only Umida and Royce, the two Numen candidates from his district know if it. “So…” Zelmira taps his back. “Tomorrow morning. We will formulate tactics for the subsequent phases. We’re a team now, whether you want it or not.”

Iris, Eric and Umida exit the boys' dorms, looking at both of them. “I knew I heard voices! Thank God you’re safe!” Umida says, running up to Ethan. She hugs him for a short time, then glares at Zelmira.

Zelmira walks away from them, then sneers at Iris, who stands by the door to the boys’ dorms. “Look at you, enjoying the party after forsaking your husband and child. You have no heart, do you?”

Iris ignores her and Ethan looks at Zelmira’s retreating back. Why only Iris? She even stopped insulting him after he ignored her, and there are four people except her here, but she decides to insult Iris? Umida has also said that she’s extra nasty towards Iris. “Could it be…” he whispers.

He shouts, “You're projecting, aren’t you? That’s why you’re always insecure around Iris. I know why now—you’re projecting. You’re the one who has abandoned someone.”

Zelmira turns around, her eyes wide. She runs to him but Ethan grabs her arms before she can hit him. “Shut up! Shut up! Projecting? Me? You ignoramus! I don’t have a child! She doesn’t exist!”

He laughs. He’s certain now. He releases his grip and pushes her away. She hits against the wall of the corridor, falling to the ground.

She opens her mouth, but when she sees Ethan, Umida, Eric and Iris staring down at her, she gets up and runs up the staircase, tripping twice, screaming, “You better remember what I said! Tomorrow morning!”

He smiles at her retreating back, then looks at the others. He needs to reduce her leverage. If they are going to find out anyway, he’d rather have them know directly. He puts his chest out, saying, “I’m the brother of Della Gray, the notorious rebel!”

Chapter 9 | Della | Counterraid

Gandharva looks outside the window. “For starters, she started the most successful human rebellion in Goron history.”

He turns back to her. “But that’s a topic for another time. I want you to know the agenda for today’s address.”

“I told you I don’t neither want nor need a script,” Della says, rolling her eyes.

“I need you to mention how you are going to free the other districts as well. That’s all. You can do what you want with the rest of the speech as long as it’s not stupid.”

“And how am I going to reach the other districts? We can’t get outside the gate without their heads. Didn’t they confiscate them already?”

Gandharva smiles. “Did I not tell you on the day we met? You will be an angel that frees other districts. I invested in you knowing that we had means of going there.” He pauses. “I know multiple ways to get out of here, after all, we can’t lose to a single girl, can we?”

It takes some time for Della to realize that he’s talking about her. “What? Really?”

“I’ll take you there sometime tomorrow. We’ve dug a hole that goes outside from below the walls—It’s one of the three ways.”

“No, I tried that. The walls go deep.”

“This hole is deeper,” Gandharva says. “It took many years to dig.”

“...Oh. So after I’m done my bit...I tell them that I’m going to...free...the other districts as well, right?”

“Yes, because you—”

Della hears a faint noise, like a mosquito buzzing. Gandharva’s eyes widen and he gets off his chair, making it fall behind. He looks outside the window, then says, “Grab the bag and get out! This is an unplanned visit!”

She scowls, getting up. What’s happening? She hobbles to the door, and the doctor who she had seen when she first woke up enters. Markus, she thinks. Gandharva looks at him and says, “Get this room cleaned and get someone else to occupy it!"

Markus nods and turns to go. Gandharva stops him, saying, “Also get Cinzia and Arjun to our emergency point. Fast! Remember the drill!”

The buzzing sound gets louder and Della looks up at the ceiling. It’s the Kix airships.

She looks at the stairs in the building and starts limping down with her injured leg. She screams as Gandharva lifts her up, grabbing her back and legs. He runs down the stairs with her in his arms. She would have appreciated a warning, but now is not the time to complain.

He keeps her down as soon as they’re at the entrance. A plump man stands near the door. Della remembers him. He’s the district leader...the scapegoat that handed Coraline over. His entire body is shaking.

“Calm yourself, man!” Gandharva shouts at him. “They’re not here for your head. If they were, they wouldn’t need to bring so many airships. Now listen. Get everything unlawful—all the weapons and all the research done by Xieren. Also, the people whose deaths we faked. I need them at the hole!”

The district leader runs away, saying, “Yes, Your Majesty!”

The buzzing sound gets louder, and now Della knows that they are dealing with many airships. “It’s been eight years since they last raided us like this,” Gandharva says. He puts a hand in his pocket, removes a handkerchief and throws it to her. “They are here for something big. It’s either me, Cinzia or you. Hide your face with that,” he says, and she ties his handkerchief around her face. He lifts her again, running outside.

Della looks up at the sky, not having anything else to do as Gandharva carries her. The handkerchief blocks most of the light, but she can still feel the sun’s warmth as the buzzing of the airships keeps growing.

She removes the cover on her face once Gandharva drops her. They’re inside a room. Della can see the hole, and it has a cover that looks exactly like the floor around it. Some men hold wooden spears in their hands. The district leader also stands there.

A woman wearing a red traditional Chinese dress enters with a bag. She looks around and goes to the district leader. “This is all the research,” she says, handing the bag over. She looks at Della, smiling. “Is this...our saviour?” Della smiles back at her, wondering how desperate people have to be thinking that someone in her state seems to be a saviour to them. She isn’t even in the fancy angel dress that hides her scars.

The district leader glances at Gandharva before nodding. “Good work, Xieren.”

Markus enters the room with a young girl and a kid with him. That must be Cinzia and Arjun, Della thinks. The two remaining ghosts. They’re thirteen and four if she remembers correctly.

“Sir, didn’t we also fake the deaths of two men?” Gandharva bows, reminding the district leader.

Two men run into the room just after that. “This is the meeting point from our emergency drills, sir! We also brought the emergency bag.” One of them says, looking at the district leader. He then looks at Gandharva. “Hey, fancy seeing you here...but civilians really shouldn’t get in this mess.”

“We needed help and he got mixed in it, but ignore him. He’s not important. Alex and Fodor, you two join Her Holiness,” the district leader says, pointing at Della.

The airships are almost upon them now, them wheezing louder and louder. Della knows from riding them that they always accelerate and deaccelerate slowly. It will take them a few minutes.

One of the Alex or Fodor enters the hole, carrying Arjun by pressing him against his right arm and his chest. He also has all the weapons stuffed in a bag that he carries in his left arm. The other of Alex or Fodor carries the cloth bag with the dress of angel in it and unlawful research material. Then the young girl stands at the edge of the hole, and the scapegoat district leader has push her in to get her inside.

After them, Della enters the hole bracing her injured leg and arm. The hole is narrow at first, but after sliding for half a minute, it gets large enough for five Dellas to slide down together. She can hear the others going down the hole, their bodies skidding against the ground. What little light is in the hole disappears when she looks up just in time to see them shut the hole’s cover. She then hears the creaking sound of a desk or a bed being moved. Her chest heaves as the air becomes thinner and she strains herself to speak. “I want you to listen to my commands,”

“Yes, Your Holiness,” Alex or Fodor says.

“Of course, Your Holiness,” the other of Alex or Fodor says.

“...okay,” Cinzia says.

“I wanna go home!” Arjun says.

Della clears her throat. “I was told that this hole leads outside. Is that correct?”

“Yes, Your Holiness.” one of the Alex or Fodor says.

“When I first...saved you, there were two Krots guarding the gate,” Della says. “It’s possible that with so many Krots assembled for the raid, the districts have a single Krot guarding them.”

“We will conduct counterraids from outside,” Della continues, “Striking down other districts will relieve pressure here.”

“But I’ve only been outside for a few minutes,” Alex or Fodor says.

“I have plenty of experience from the military,” the other of Alex or Fodor says.

“Worry not,” Della says. “I can...perceive a river in the distance. We shall have no shortage of water. I can also...sense...an abandoned human district. It should provide adequate shelter.” She pauses for a second. “By next week, I want to conduct enough counterraids to have every district talking about me. Talking about the fact that I exist. That humans have an ally. That everything has an end, and for the Goron Empire, it’s me.”

“Yes, Your Holiness,” Alex and Fodor say.

“...alright,” Cinzia says.

Arjun starts crying.