Amber Waves - 25. Chapter 25

AMBER

Amber wanted to cry.
No, she was crying.
As the rollercoaster plummeted yet again, the queen of Astara stared at the bloody mucus in her son’s hair.
She was so tired. She couldn’t do this again.
“Itumak! Itumak, get Captain Darren!” Aaron screamed as they climbed once more.
The neko did nothing as they went over another drop. When they bottomed out and began rising toward a loop, he finally moved, fighting to clip an earpiece on before the rollercoaster could interrupt him.
“Captain Darren, call an ambulance.”
How could he be so calm? Amber blinked away tears, berating herself for the question. He had to be calm. Panic would help no one. She needed to pull herself together; no one could see the queen of Astara crying.
She could already see the captain moving near the line, forcing people back while on the phone. Renshin and Duncan appeared, helping him shoo people back while the wolf guards held another group of onlookers at bay.
And then they hit the loop.
Amber’s stomach flipped. She fought back the urge to vomit, and fell into another coughing fit as they straightened out again.
Breathe. Pull yourself together. No one can know how sick you are.
She dabbed at her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. The rollercoaster hissed to a stop.
And there was her captain, offering his hand. His eyes met hers, a thousand apologies within them.
“Everything will be okay.”
No. It wouldn’t. But for one more moment, Amber believed Captain Darren. She stepped out of the car, accepting his support while maintaining her composure. Beside her, Itumak was furiously wiping through Aaron’s hair, getting the blood out before anyone could see. Gods, please don't let anyone see....
“They’ll meet us at the east entrance,” Captain Darren continued. “Guard Itumak. You are to take Prince Aaron back to Astara. Protocol Indigo.”
The neko’s eyes widened to saucers. He nodded firmly, and took Aaron’s hand.
“No, I’m staying here,” Aaron denied.
“Aaron, you need to be in Astara,” Amber croaked out. “Someone has to be in place to take the throne.”
“Don’t say that!”
“Prince Aaron,” Amber said sharply, fighting back another cough. “You will do your duty to your people. Find Jason Farin. Tell him Mydara has fallen.”
“Mother, I-”
“Don’t make a scene. We mustn’t let the people see us crack.”
Aaron’s lip quivered. He lowered his head, and took a deep breath.
“Good boy.” Amber smiled wanly. “Now get going.”
“Ren, Duncan, follow the prince and I,” Itumak said tightly, pulling Aaron toward the crowd of people.
Amber could already see cameras flashing. Her mind worked furiously, trying to put the right spin on this.
“Captain, I believe I’m feeling better,” she said as Captain Darren led her through the park. “Everyone vomits on rollercoasters.”
“My queen, please,” Captain Darren said, latching onto the explanation. “I would not be doing my job as your protector if I did not have the doctors take a look.”
Her throat was sore. Her chest was on fire. But that could just be explained away by her coughing fit. How? How could the doctors have missed this? It had only been six months since her last appointment; surely that wasn’t enough time for it to return! And why had there been no sign?
Yet even as she thought it, Amber knew that wasn’t true. Her trouble breathing wasn’t just from the thinner air. She hadn’t been eating as much at meals, even before Mydara; she hadn’t wanted to. The signs were there. They were just so small she hadn’t even considered that they were signs. How could she be so stupid?
She could hear the sirens already. Good response time. She would have to praise the emergency responders when she got out of this.
By the time they reached the eastern entrance, followed by a crowd of onlookers, Amber was walking on her own. She was breathing, a little stunted, but the air was flowing.
Aime and Greggory growled at the crowd, holding them back as the EMTs rushed toward the queen with a gurney.
“Can you tell us what happened?” an elf asked, looking between Captain Darren and Amber.
“I coughed up bloody mucus on one of the rides,” Amber said quietly.
“Okay, can you sit down for us?”
Amber nodded, sitting on the gurney and pulling her legs up.
“It looked like a clot, about as big as a coin. Dark,” she added. “I was having trouble breathing on Howling Mountain, and it led to a coughing fit.”
“Are you having difficulty breathing now?”
“Some,” Amber said. “It’s a bit painful to get a full lungful.”
“Okay, have you had any contact with irritants lately? Smoke or chemicals, possibly vapours?”
“We passed a food truck that was causing a lot of smoke.”
“Any recent traumas to your head, throat, or chest?”
Amber shook her head.
“Any history of respiratory issues?”
“Lung cancer,” Amber said quietly. “The doctors told me they got rid of it six years ago, and I haven’t had any real problems until now.”
“Okay. We’ll get you to the hospital and get you examined.”
“Captain Darren needs to remain with me,” Amber said firmly before the captain could speak up.
“Of course. He can ride in the back with you.”
Captain Darren waited for the gurney to be settled in the back of the ambulance before climbing inside himself. Amber reached for his hand, seeking his warm reassurances, needing them.
“Captain…” she whispered. “I’m scared.”
“It’s going to be okay, my queen. I won’t leave your side.”
Captain Darren squeezed her hand as the ambulance started moving. Amber breathed a little easier with him by her side. She would not panic. She would not despair. Amber had beaten this once, and she would do it again.

ITUMAK

“What the fuck is Protocol Indigo?” Aaron hissed.
Itumak combed through the cloaks at one of the shops in the park. He pulled a nondescript cloak and tossed it at the prince.
“Put this on. Fast,” he said as Ren and Duncan collected their own cloaks. “Ren and Duncan will act as decoys, draw the media away from us.”
“That will never work. Anyone can see Ren is not you, and Duncan looks nothing like me. He’s a human for fuck’s sake!”
“They don’t have to look like you. They just have to be confusing enough to warrant attention,” Itumak said, draping his own cloak over his head.
“What the fuck is going on?” Aaron demanded, finally relenting and putting the cloak on.
Itumak pulled the prince’s hood up, making sure his face was obscured.
“Captain Darren gave me orders to take you to Astara. I am authorised to use any means necessary.”
Any means. The thought filled him with ice. Itumak would gladly give his life for Aaron; life without his friend was no life at all. He didn’t know if he could take someone else’s.
“As of this moment, you are the most important person on Astara,” the neko continued quietly.
He dropped several silver coins on the counter, ignoring the elven cashier’s glare.
“Keep the change,” Itumak muttered, before guiding Aaron to the store entrance. “Ren, Duncan, you go out first. Make for the south gate, then link up with Captain Darren and follow him.”
The two nodded, and pushed through the door. Itumak gave them a moment before following.
“Is that Prince Aaron?” he called.
Instantly, a crowd started forming, eyes peering at Ren and Duncan as the two hurried into the park. Itumak took Aaron’s arm and pulled him west.
“There, that should keep the press off our backs,” he muttered.
“You can’t think that possibly worked,” Aaron protested.
“See for yourself,” Itumak said, guiding the elf to the park exit. He pulled out his phone and called for a car. “It makes more sense for Ren to be your guard; he’s in uniform. I can go relatively undetected.”
As long as no one recognised him. Which was probably going to happen. But that’s what the cloaks were for.
A car was waiting for them by the time they reached the car park. Itumak wasn’t sure about this; maybe he should have called the palace. But that would take nearly half an hour, time he didn’t know they had.
He opened the back seat, ducking his head in.
“You’re Sam?”
“That’s me,” the elf driver nodded.
Satisfied, Itumak made sure Aaron got in safely before sliding in after him.
“We’re going to Fort Sandolin,” he said.
The elf frowned at him.
“I don’t drive cats.”
“What the fuck do you mean?” Aaron demanded.
Itumak took a deep breath. His hand touched the grip of his pistol, and he fought the tremors already threatening him as he pulled it against the elf’s head.
“Drive.”
“HOLY SHIT!”
His finger twitched beside the trigger guard, and Itumak took a deep breath as the car lurched forward.
“Itumak, what the FUCK!?”
“Quiet. Please,” the neko breathed, his hand shaking.
A noxious odour filled the car — someone had crapped themself. At this point, Itumak wasn’t sure it wasn’t him. Tears pricked his eyes as he holstered the gun, and Itumak grabbed his wrist, trying to keep the shaking from being too obvious. It was necessary. It had to be necessary.
This wasn’t him. This couldn’t be who he was; who he was becoming. Itumak couldn’t believe he’d done that. Why couldn’t he have just called the palace, waited for a driver? It would have been so easy. And he wouldn’t have pulled a gun on an innocent bystander. However racist that bystander was.
But they were speeding through the hills now. It was done. And he would have to live with it for the rest of his life.
Fort Sandolin appeared like a ghost in the mountains. A gate barred access, and Itumak felt the car speed up. His eyes picked up every movement: the trees whipping past, the guard stepping out of the guard post, the driver unbuckling his belt.
The car skidded to a stop and the elf threw himself out the door.
“HELP! HE HAS A GUN!”
Itumak took a deep breath. Things had just gotten complicated. He fought back a laugh. Complicated was trying to wipe blood out of hair before anyone could see it. Complicated was trying to sneak a prince across the continent.
This was beyond that. The guard would be well within her right to fire on them; they were technically trespassing on royal property. The fact that they were armed only added fuel to the fire. Itumak couldn’t take the chance that Aaron might be harmed because of his actions.
“Stay here,” he said, opening the door.
The neko stepped outside, holding up his hands. He ignored the elf cowering on the ground, and walked toward the guard.
“Halt!”
Itumak froze. He thought frantically; there were codes for nearly every situation. What was he supposed to say when he had the prince with him?
“Cat’s cradle!”
Instantly, the guard’s expression changed. She turned, sweeping her rifle on the elf.
“Get back in your car. You were never here,” she said tightly.
“But-”
“Leave. Now.”
Itumak motioned to Aaron, and the prince stepped cautiously out of the car. The car door slammed shut and the smell of burnt rubber filled the air as the car spun. Itumak paid it no more mind, guiding Aaron to the guard post.
The guard shoved a phone at him, and Itumak held it up to his head cautiously.
“Hello?”
“With whom am I speaking?” a woman’s stern voice demanded.
“Guard Itumak Nareen, Astaran Palace,” Itumak said quickly. “I have the prince in my protection. We need a flight to Astara.”
“Let me speak with the prince.”
Itumak handed the phone to Aaron. The elf took it hesitantly.
“Hello? Yes. Yes, he was ordered to by Captain Darren.” Aaron frowned, shifting his feet. “I’m sorry, General Soria. This is an emergency. Is there anything faster? Yes, I understand you advise against it. I understand the risks.”
Itumak chewed on his lip. What the fuck was Aaron getting them into? What risks?
Aaron handed him the phone again.
“General?” Itumak said, trying not to sound like the frightened neko he was.
“There is a transport taking off in ten minutes with an airborne platoon. They will be dropped over the mountains and the transport will continue to Astara. You will be on that plane with the prince before it takes off.”
“Yes sir.”
The line went dead, and Itumak handed the phone to the guard.
“Come on, Prince Aaron. We need to find a plane.”

AARON

The plane rattled around him. Aaron clutched the side of his plastic seat, trying to breathe normally. There was no in-flight movie to distract him, no drinks to calm his nerves. The roar of the engines was not muted by padded walls.
Across from him, a mix of elves and nekos stared at him while trying to act like they weren’t staring. Parachutes sat tightly packed beside each of them, and rifles were slung over their shoulders.
The Crown was sending them to fight, to die. They flew knowing some of them might not come back from wherever the plane was taking them.
Aaron felt bile rising to his throat. He swallowed harshly. There were impossible moments in his time as prince. Realising a whole world rested on his shoulders. Accepting that his mother could leave him alone in the world, unprepared to face the challenges ahead.
Staring into the eyes of people about to die.
Never before had he realised fully who he really was. People died for him. And he wanted it to stop. Aaron couldn’t have that kind of responsibility — he was just an orphan, not some commander who could lead an army!
What was he even supposed to say to these people? What words could make this acceptable, make their deaths meaningful? For all his oration practice, for all his impassioned speeches before the council, Aaron had no idea how to talk. He fought back the sting of tears — how helpless was he in the face of true adversity?
He couldn’t do this. He was going to step down. If Amber made it back to Astara, Aaron was going to tell her he couldn’t be the world’s next king. Lord Sarin was next in line; he could raise someone else to lead their people to the slaughter.
Yet even as he thought it, Aaron knew he could never step down. How could he push this agony onto someone else? Anyone who was okay with people dying would be a terrible ruler.
Red light flooded the belly of the plane. Aaron’s breath hitched — were they in trouble? No, the paratroopers were standing. They were going to jump.
“Check your lines!” a neko yelled from the back of the line.
Each soldier checked a long line hanging from their packs. At their sergeant’s command, they connected the lines to some point Aaron couldn’t make out in the dim light.
“Sound off!”
Each soldier called out up the line as they ensured they were properly hooked and their equipment was in order. An elf approached the group, standing just ahead of the door. Aaron wasn’t sure exactly what he was doing; he just seemed to be watching.
And opening the door.
The roar of the plane was suddenly a hundred times louder. Aaron winced as wind whipped through the door. His gaze swept down the line, memorising the faces prepared to jump out of a moving plane. Aaron’s eyes zeroed in on a dangling line, and the elf shuddered.
“Captain!”
He was moving before he even realised it. The elf stumbled as the plane shuddered, falling next to the neko squad leader. Reaching up, Aaron grasped the line hanging from the neko’s backpack. Their eyes met, and the neko’s lips quivered.
“Thank you, your Highness!”
He reached up, hooking himself to a cable Aaron could now see running the length of the aircraft.
The red light vanished. Green light flooded the plane in its place.
“Go!”
Aaron’s eyes widened as the elf by the door shoved a neko out of the plane. One by one, the soldiers jumped or were pushed from the plane, plummeting before their parachutes opened. Aaron stared at the growing collection of lines dangling from the cable, feeling ice coursing through his veins. How could they bring themselves to do this? He’d be far too terrified to willingly leave a flying plane.
“Aaron, sit down!” Itumak called.
The prince staggered back to the seat beside the neko. The door closed suddenly, and the lack of wind made the world seem almost silent.
“Your Highness!” He blinked as the elf stood before him. “We will land at Fort Elias in five hours, barring any mishaps!”
Aaron nodded firmly, not trusting himself to speak. Beside him, Itumak had no such problems.
“Make sure there is a car waiting for us at the fort!”
“Yes sir!”
The plane’s roar increased suddenly, and the world tilted. Aaron bit back a scream as they climbed higher into the sky. Beside him, Itumak took a deep breath.
And laughed.
Aaron wanted to slap him. How could he laugh at a time like this? The queen could be dying at this very moment, and all the neko could do was laugh.
The elf who’d closed the door stared at Itumak for a moment.
“Your Highness, I have a sedative if it is required,” he said.
Aaron nodded again. With the way he was shaking, he really needed something, anything to calm himself. The prince was a jittering mess, his mind filled with doomsday scenarios. The plane falling from the sky, insurgents shooting at them, the pilot crashing into a mountain.
Captain Darren calling to tell him his mother was dead.
A pill was pressed into his hand. Aaron swallowed it greedily, coughing as the dry pill scraped his throat.
The elf pulled himself back to the cockpit, casting one last glance at Itumak. He vanished into the front of the plane, leaving the prince with no companion save for a laughing neko.
Aaron tried to settle down, maybe get some sleep. There was no sense worrying — what would come, would come.
Beside him, Itumak cackled maniacally.