Chapter 41
Colt woke up in a fog, his head pounding and throat parched as the ground shook, tilting first to the right and then the left. He cracked his eyes open, and from what he could see he was in some kind of holding cell with a single bulb that was caged by wire.
His arms were bound behind his back as he sat cross-legged on the floor, and his neck was constrained by a collar that was bolted to the wall. He tested the length of the chain, but there wasn’t much give.
The room echoed with the roar of an engine, but it wasn’t until someone moaned that Colt realized he wasn’t alone. The walls of the cell were lined with prisoners, each bound as he was, though none was awake. He shook his head, desperate to clear his vision as the effects of whatever the Thule had drugged him with started to wear off.
The room shook as he looked in vain for a familiar face, all the while hoping that Danielle, Oz, and the others had managed to get away. Or maybe they were dead. Either way, Colt had to push those thoughts to the back of his mind so he could concentrate on escaping.
The hot air was thick with moisture, and his entire body was coated in sweat. He wondered if his wrists were slick enough to slip though the cuffs, but the metal bracelets were too tight. He tried to snap the chain that held them together, but it refused to break. Exhausted, he closed his eyes and laid his head against the wall, trying not to give in to despair.
It wasn’t long before he heard the sound of feet shuffling and keys rattling, and when the door finally opened, Colt saw the man behind all his misery.
Still fighting your destiny? Aldrich Koenig walked over and put a hand beneath Colt’s collar so he could pull him to his feet. “It’s time,” he said, this time aloud.
“What are you going to do to me?”
Koenig smiled. “Take you back to Gathmara where you’ll be publicly executed, proving once and for all that we are mightier than the superstitions of our forefathers. The Betrayer will die, and I will take my rightful place as the head of the five armies. Once we’re united I’ll come back to Earth and exterminate all of humanity.” He licked his lips. “Though perhaps I will spare your Lily to be my bride. She is, after all, a rare beauty.”
Raw fury leapt inside of Colt as he fought to break free from his restraints.
Koenig simply smiled. “Oh yes . . . a rare beauty.”
Colt closed his eyes and imagined the massive gateway swirling in the atmosphere over Sanctuary. He pictured massive airships emerging from the portal, accompanied by a fleet of Taipan star fighters.
Yes, something like that, Koenig said.
It felt disgusting, but Colt concentrated as he painted the picture in his mind. The air shimmered and then it shook. The gateway started to expand until a flash of light burst and the portal disappeared. The airships were engulfed in the blast, and as they fell from the sky, it was Colt’s turn to smile.
Koenig slammed Colt against the wall, and the air exploded from his lungs.
“They’ll . . . find me,” Colt said.
“No, they won’t,” Koenig said with a sneer. As he turned and left, Colt broke into a wide smile. Koenig had invaded his thoughts, but Colt had managed to steal a thought of his own. It was only for a split second, but Colt knew what they had to do. Koenig had let slip an image of the reactor that powered the gateway, and all Colt had to do was find it.