“Why then would anyone in their right mind want to be overlord?” I ask.
It’s precisely the wrong thing to say. Sarah winces, and Mom just shakes her head, but I can’t help it. Father’s violent. I know that. He killed to become the overlord, and he’s killed since, has had others killed. I mean, they killed off every last Grot.
If I had been overlord, would I have done the same? Or would I have imprisoned them? I don’t know. I honestly don’t know.
There's no denying it. The world is a dangerous place. While I understand that, I don't know about killing so many. Wiping out an entire species… Yes, the Grots had been evil, but so many lives…
Then again, I almost killed because of a dare and foolishness, so I have no right to judge.
“I killed to become the overlord, yes,” Father says. “I would do it again if I had to. There’s nothing I won’t do for the safety of the Novans and the Kurians, and right now, there’s nothing you can do that will make me believe that you are capable of keeping that simple mandate.”
“What does that mean entirely?” I ask stiffly.
“That means I’m ready to ship you off.”
“To where?”
“Any planet but this one,” the overlord says through gritted teeth.
“Father, that’s too much!” Sarah says. She slaps her hands onto the table and jumps to her feet. “The only reason why Strol—”
“I know. You told me already. The dare. You can act like such a strong, capable, intelligent Kurian at times, but only when you are separated from your twin. Your brother needs to go away for our sake and for yours.”
“But I—”
“You did nothing. You did not force Strol to do anything.”
“He shouldn’t be banished!” Sarah cries. “No one died.”
“Not this time, no, but I will not wait until that happens to act,” the overlord says calmly.
“Mom, please. Talk to Father,” Sarah pleads.
“She won’t,” I say.
Mom sighs and shakes her head. “Maybe your father is right. Maybe going to Earth will help you.”
“How is that punishment?” Sarah asks. “Force him to be a builder, to fix what he ruined. Make him be a farmer, a herder, anything, but don’t send him off!”
“It’s all right, Sarah,” I say evenly. “Whatever the overlord wants, he gets. He wants me gone, so I’ll go.”
Sarah blinks back tears. She storms out of there. I just stand there, accepting my fate, having no idea what the future has in store for me.
As it turns out, the future holds immediate plans for me. The overlord wastes no time, and within thirty minutes, I’m off on a ship bound for Earth. I opt for the deep sleep. I don’t’ want to make small talk with the pilot. When I come to, I don’t feel restorative like I should. I just feel empty.
Lost.
Lonely.
I’ve never felt lonely before. Sarah’s always been there. Yes, we fight and bicker, but we love each other. We’re each other’s best friends.
Now, I have to face Earth without her.
She asked if it would be punishment considering I’ll have relative freedom here. Well, already, I’m feeling the brunt of it.
I stroll through the ship to the door and realize something isn’t quite right. The ramp isn’t unrolled. The door isn’t open.
Confused, I head to the cockpit.
“We’re flying yet?” I ask.
"We'll be there in five minutes." The pilot grins. He's a young one. I can't remember his name. "You woke a little early, it seems."
I grunt and stare out the wide window. A mountain looks ahead, and there’s something small moving up it.
The ship starts to turn away.
“Turn back,” I order. “Go toward the mountain some.”
“Strol, I’m to—”
“A moment or two won’t hurt.”
The pilot hesitates but then complies, and I can see more details of the form. A woman. She’s climbing the tall mountain. It’s so tall she’s been at it for a long while, hours at least. It will probably take her a few days to reach the top.
“Land at the base of the mountain,” I order.
“I… I don’t know if I can. There’s no clear spot that I can see,” the pilot says.
I shrug. “Get down as low as you can. I can jump.”
“Not if it’s too high.”
“The blame won’t rest on your shoulders,” I assure him.
“The overlord said you were to be dropped off at a specific location, and—”
“Give me the coordinates. I’ll go there once I’m done exploring a bit.”
“But—”
“You can do as the overlord says, be his little puppet, but I’m going to come to this mountain anyhow, so you can help me or not.”
“You’re a terrible person,” the pilot grumbles.
I laugh. “Then take me to the spot Father dictated.”
“I don’t want to get involved. Please.”
“I understand. Forget I said anything.”
The pilot rubs his forehead. “I guess it isn’t that big of a deal.”
“No.” I put a hand on his shoulder. “Land where you’re supposed to. I don’t want to risk you getting in trouble for me.”
“Are you sure?”
I nod grimly. Father wants me to go to a certain place. It’s probably military or government run. He’s going to have people here spy on me for him. Not going to happen. I’m not a child. I might have been sent to Earth as punishment, but I’m going to do what I want.
Father’s shadow doesn’t reach here.
But it does reach the ship, so I let the pilot do what he’s supposed to. He lands, and I get off.
A vehicle is heading this way, but I ignore it, and I hightail it toward the mountain. Who knows if that woman will still be there or not by the time I arrive, but either way, mountain climbing looks like fun. And fun is precisely how I want to start my time here on Earth.
4
Isabella
Nature has always been a way for me to release my stress, and I have more stress than most. Or maybe I just don’t have thick skin. I don’t’ know,
