Page 62 of Twins for the Barbarians

But the kid holds on to his last breath, using it to chuckle dryly. “You’re done, Solomon.”

Kharo and Helios are just as helpless, forced to watch these last moments of our dear friend’s life as he insults the king of Opal City one last time.

“I freed Leela,” Kingo manages, his eyes slowly closing as he lies on the floor, palms opening up toward the ceiling, toward the universe so that it may receive him back into its cosmic fold. “She’s been at it all afternoon, unlocking the gates and disabling your stupid labyrinth defenses…the Kreek fighters have breached your city. It’s over…”

“You filthy little—” But Solomon doesn’t get to have the last word as Kingo stills, his eyes fixed on the ceiling as their red flames dwindle and fade.

“It’s over,” Helios says. “You might as well concede now, and we’ll arrange for a trial. You’ll have a chance to defend yourself.”

Solomon laughs hysterically, then starts spinning in circles, looking for something while desperately trying to keep it together. “Or…even better, I’ll go finish my work elsewhere, and the rest of you can die,” he says, then grabs what beakers and vials he can from the table and removes a blue glass capsule from one of the desk drawers.

“What are you doing?” I ask him, alarms ringing in my ears.

“I'm ending this once and for all,” he says. I don’t need you; I don’t need anyone. You can all die. I’ll start from scratch.”

He tosses the capsule. It hits the wall and explodes into a puff of blue vapors that stretch and expand like a menacing mist. “Solomon, don’t do this!” I cry out, but he covers his nose and mouth with his sleeved arm and runs out of the study. “Shit, shit, SHIT!”

“Hold your breath,” Kharo grunts as he takes a deep breath and keeps it in. Helios does the same.

The blue mist fills the room, and my heart is beating a million miles per minute while the synapses in my brain work in a rapid-fire succession toward survival. I hold my breath and pray to every god and thread of the universe itself, desperate to survive this. But I am bound. Unable to move. Unable to do anything as chaos continues to unravel outside.

Solomon is gone.

Kreek fighters are shooting their way through the palace. The Opal City soldiers try to stop them, but I hear more bodies falling. Thud. Thud. Thud. Rushing footsteps. Orders are being barked across the hallway. Servants screaming and fleeing for their lives. Yet one of them stumbles into the room just as my face is about to turn purple. I’m not sure how much longer I can keep this breath in. My fucking lungs hurt.

The servant gives me a startled look, yet he doesn’t stop. With shaking hands, he runs over and grabs a scalpel from Solomon’s table, using it to unlock my cuffs. He starts coughing, harsher and harsher, as the blue mist fills his chest. It’s a poisonous gas, and it has devastating effects on the poor man.

“Free yourselves,” he croaks as he collapses onto his side.

I manage to slip out of my open cuff, then use the scalpel to open the others as well. By the time I’m fumbling with Helios’s restraints, the blue mist is working its way up my nose and into my lungs. I’m coughing, but I won’t stop. I can’t stop.

“You can do it,” Helios groans as I manage to set him free.

The world starts spinning. I see the ceiling, a strange heat burning through my body. Kharo’s voice reaches my ears, along with the sound of cuffs jingling on the marble floor. “Hold on, Alicia. Hold on, we’ve got you…”

29

Kharo

Our nightmare is far from over.

We’ve already inhaled too much of the blue mist, and it’s still spreading. I carry Alicia on my back while Helios and I struggle to run as fast as we can, making our way down the stairs. Ahead, we see soldiers fighting Kreek warriors, but the poisonous gas is following us down the stairs.

“Get out!” I shout at everyone in sight.

“The poison will kill you!” Helios snarls. “GET OUT OF THE PALACE!”

Too many thoughts cross my mind at once. I can only focus on escaping, and even that feels like an impossible feat. Alicia moans, her head on my shoulder as she starts coming to. “Stay with me, Alicia,” I tell her. “We’ll get you out of here.”

I have no idea what we’re walking into, though. I don’t know what awaits beyond the palace’s front doors, but we must reach them. My legs feel heavy, and my knees turn to mush. I fall, and Alicia falls with me. She gasps and quickly reacts, scrambling back up and eager to pull me out to safety.

“Helios, Kharo! Come on!” she cries out. “Please!”

“Go,” I tell her, unable to pull myself back together. I’m so fucking weak. “Our children…Alicia, save our children.”

“I can’t do this without you!” she sobs, and it’s tearing me apart to see her like this.

But there’s nothing else she can do. Helios gathers what’s left of his dwindling strength and pushes her away. “Go, Alicia! Save yourself!”

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