The Last Narkoy
Balance of Power – Book 2
Opening Scene
Aila opened her eyes to a vision of the field of stars outside her bedroom window. At first, a smile crept on her lips when she remembered where she was – in the ambassador’s cabin of the Azeran. Only days prior, she was shunned by her planet and scheduled to be executed. Now, she was Cireem, married to one of the leaders of the most powerful armies in the galaxy. She glanced at her hand as it rested on the pillow beside her. On her ring finger rested the golden ring with the royal mark of the Rook, a present from Marnet Colis Desvin, the Crown prince of Juvin-que, and her new husband’s brother.
The smell of smoke filled her nostrils, causing her to sit up. Her cabin was filling quickly with smoke. In the distance, she could hear her door chime ring, followed by, “Get it open!”
Moments later, a man as wide as her doorway rushed into the room. “Cireem, where are you?” he called out through the smoke.
The sensation of the need to cough overwhelmed Aila’s chest as she attempted to call out. She rolled out of bed and onto the floor as smoke filled the room. Thankfully, in the past, she had learned always to keep a set of clothing nearby in case someone was to break into her home. She quickly dressed into her Tasgool black medical uniform and slipped on her shoes.
“In…” she covered her sleeve over her mouth to help shield her from the smoke, “…here.”
The man rushed into the bedroom, his face covered with a breathing mask. He rushed to Aila, placing another mask over her face. She graciously accepted the mask, breathing in the clean oxygen.
“We need to get you off the ship,” the man insisted, taking her by the hand.
“What’s… going on?” Aila gasped, feeling as though she couldn’t gain enough oxygen from her mask.
“Don’t fight it. Try to breathe normally,” he instructed. “We’re under attack. The Zalmin planted a spy who sabotaged our engines. My orders are to see you safely to the shuttle bay and get you off the ship,” he explained.
“What about the Chadon?” Aila asked, holding onto the man’s shoulder as he guided her to the door.
“You will meet her there,” he assured. “Come. We must hurry.”
The door opened to a cloud of smoke. If it weren’t for her holding onto the man, she wouldn’t know where she was walking. All she could see was dark smoke, and all she could think of was that she was grateful that she was wearing the mask.
When they reached the shuttle bay, a ship was waiting for her. However, it wasn’t the normal shuttle that she arrived in. No, this ship looked like it was equipped for battle. What she thought was peculiar was that there was only enough room for her and the pilot.
“What about the Cha–“ Aila started questioning, only to feel her mind grow fuzzy. She could feel her body grow instantly weak, collapsing to the bay’s floor. The mask was removed, allowing her to see the man helping her. To her horror, she recognized the man as one of the agents who had been trying to arrest her on Zaltez, the planet she had escaped execution from. In his right hand, he held a tranquilizer air syringe.
“You can’t get away from us that easily,” he spat in disgust. “Load her on board before they notice she’s missing.”