Ivendir paced along the castle corridor. He just made the list of a few officials and other important people who weren't trustworthy in his opinion. He planned to invite them for a little display of his power. They evoke too much fear in him. He wanted to be sure that they won't threaten him anymore.

As his device beeped, he accepted the call and raised his hand to his mouth.

"Commander?" he asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"They escaped," whispered the voice from the communicator.

Ivendir's legs trembled and then numbed. The sense of terror or panic strangled his voice in his throat. His muscles tensed, pressing his chest and taking the air from his lungs. He could physically feel how his heart rams against his ribs and sends stinging pain with every beat.

Relaxing his fists, he exhaled and focused on his constricted chest. The thought of Brymir let him regain a sense of control. Fear became a primitive and pathetic emotion to him. He swore it to himself and, first and foremost, to his cousin.

"Great job," he hissed, wrinkling his nose. "You, the unit of the highest qualified guards, behind the walls of the best secured prison on this planet, let them escape?"

"...they weren't alone," the voice explained. "Someone helped them. It can't be a coincidence that a few doors were left open and the sensors didn't detect it."

"Where are they now?" barked Ivendir, tensing his fingers.

"They entered the blue zone and activated the rings."

Ivendir inhaled through his clenched teeth. After turning on the spatial rings, tracking the ship was virtually impossible. He let his wrath stifle the last remnants of fright.

He raised his eyebrow, nervously looking around. "And you inform me about it now? A few hours..." He gasped and shook his head. "Then at least find the individuals that helped them."

Before the voice answered, Ivendir had added, "You know there's over ten candidates for your position. Go."

"Understood, Your Highness."

The call ended. Ivendir rubbed his eyes. These dozens of seconds exhausted him more than a whole day of exercise. His white face made him resemble a lifeless, marble sculpture.

Fine, he thought. That's fine. There will be more opportunities to show... the consequences of treason. That's fine.

He shrugged and raised the corner of his mouth in a gloomy, hopeless smile. These Vardir have no place to go back to.

Stretching his arms and relaxing his muscles, he headed towards his chamber. And I'm not going to be afraid of them. Not anymore.

Erilaz couldn't sleep a wink that night. He just spun languidly on the seat in the cockpit, gazing at the lentoid vortex of stars with an empty sight. The botanist gave his friends and him some clean but small clothes. A green flannel shirt tightly covered up his drooped shoulders, and only three buttons in the middle were fastened. He used a cable tie to strap his greasy hair since the botanist didn't need any hair accessories. Despite weary eyes and a pulsating headache, the teasing memories and afflictive thoughts dug into his mind.

It was him all this time. He pursed and contorted his lips. This leech... He always pretended to care for my father. Always nice and polite. Helpful and caring...

A stream of hatred shook his exhausted body. He clenched his fingers on the armrest, even though it costed him much mental and physical effort.

I can't leave him like this. He needs to pay. For killing the true king and ruining this kingdom.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

The emptiness behind the illuminator remained deaf to his calls of spite and disdain. Thousands of little bright streaks shot across the space to disappear in the middle of a vortex. The worlds around some of these stars weren't even aware of his existence, let alone his wrath and pain.

He slowly scratched the armrest, releasing a little snippet of his fury. My kingdom.

Raising his head, he looked at the control panel. A few icons and graphs glowed faintly, presenting the current and estimated data. Erilaz recalled the basics of piloting. He realised he was just a few hand movements away from turning the ship around. In the next few hours he could take a step on Helvettian land again and tear off the face of the worst traitor that his planet has ever seen.

You idiot. He sighed and shook his head. Not now.

Relaxing his fingers and gazing at the ceiling, he repeated, Not now...

No matter what he told himself, he couldn't get rid of the imagination of dead and forgotten Ivendir.

He will pay, he explained to himself as if his mind suddenly divided itself into two different individuals. Just not now.

One part wanted to stay calm and logical while the second one abandoned all control and filled him with the most savage wrath and aversion. He began to breathe faster. The ferocity gradually consumed his nerves. His body and brain thirsted for only one thing–a rapid and effective revenge on the false king.

"Hi," said Andvari, peeking from the corridor.

Erilaz sighed as these words made him snap out. "What are you doing here?" he asked, staring at the wall.

Andvari approached him. His pale face gained some red, making him look more alive, but his eyes still appeared empty and glassy. He took quite a dose of medicine and even the magnetic buckles couldn't stabilise his unsteady gait. His long dreadlocks were tied in a bun because they floated all around him like sea serpents. The botanist gave him his loosest coat but the buttons couldn't come into contact with each other even on his waist, and the sleeves reached the middle of his forearm. A thick, white bandage covered his hand but the brown remnants of dried blood stuck under his nails.

"I can't sleep. And you?"

Erilaz give him a quick, melancholy smile. "Same here. Earlier you looked like you were going to fall asleep standing up."

"It's hard to sleep peacefully when your best friends could have died," answered Andvari, sitting down in the pilot seat, "because of your own stupidity."

"But we're alive." Erilaz shrugged. "And yes, we could have died, but that would be our own fault."

Andvari stared at Erilaz in disbelief. "I'm not a kid. You don't have to comfort me like this."

He rubbed his eyes and clenched his teeth. Even though he got some painkillers and Erilaz dressed his wounds, he seemed to suffer some terrible pain.

Erilaz leant towards him and raised his eyebrow. "What?"

Andvari hit the armrests with his fists and grunted with anger. "I have to say it!"

Erilaz nodded timidly. He didn't know what to expect from his friend, but considering the exhaustion of them both, it couldn't be anything serious. He was sure that Andvari just wants to complain about some petty thing or thank him for help once more.

"At that moment when... when you aimed at me," Andvari began, and his eyes flickered with panic. "...I thought you really wanted to kill me."

Erilaz opened his mouth, insecure about his response, but Andvari continued:

"You get it?" He spread his arms. "I was sure for a moment that you... you, my most trusted friends, wanted to kill me."

Erilaz's overstressed brain couldn't find the right answer once again. He stared at Andvari, trying to wrap his head around it.

"I lost my faith in you," added Andvari and lifelessly hung his head.

Erilaz needed a moment to understand this confession. He began to wonder what he did wrong. He felt like he wasn't good enough to gain Andvari's absolute trust. They helped each other at every opportunity, but Andvari might need more proof. It ran counter to Erilaz's vision of his friend. Unlike his father, Andvari never cared about competition. They never had to compete for each other's trust.

"And what now?" asked Erilaz. "You expect us to hate you for that?"

Andvari raised his eyes as if that question was rhetorical.

Erilaz shrugged, averting his gaze. "We all have some... imperfections. Remember the battle with the Moryans?"

"Don't even remind me of that..." muttered Andvari, resting his head on his arms. He bent over the control panel and nestled his face in his hands.

Erilaz snorted with disdain towards himself. "At that moment I just... stood in the middle of the battlefield, putting you all at risk. That was my imperfection."

He scratched his head, slowly wobbling on the seat with a distant expression on his face. "Don't think too much about yours."

He gazed at the illuminator again. The view was still the same–stars appeared, stretched and disappeared. The quiet, monotonous hum of engines let him forget about the current conversation. Seconds passed, but Erilaz didn't feel the flow of time. There was no reference point like the sun in the sky, clocks on the buildings or spaceship above the city.

He yawned, narrowing his eyes. As the reality returned to him, his senses recognised his environment.

Andvari sat next to him, resting his head and arms on the control panel.

"You really should go to sleep," said Erilaz.

Andvari's ear slightly quivered but he didn't respond.

Erilaz raised his eyebrow and whispered, "Andvari?"

Andvari still slept peacefully.

Erilaz shrugged. "So..." he began, curling his legs up and lying his head on his knees, "good night, I guess."