In the West Camp. Octavius and Demadrian were sitting on mattresses inside a tent. They were facing each other. Sapiod X was standing behind Octavius, and Hamlet, who had fluffy Lily standing on her back, was lying beside Octavius. The Hat Lady was sitting on the bed next to Demadrian. She had only just let him shapeshift back into himself.
‘I could take all four of you with ease,’ said Demadrian as he stared at Octavius.
‘Stay cool,’ said Octavius. ‘The most important thing is that we’ve stopped Tiberius.’
‘I don’t want him stopped; I want vengeance,’ growled Demadrian.
‘I have the most reason to seek vengeance on Tiberius,’ said the Hat Lady. ‘However, I will not seek it at the expense of those I or my dearest friends care about.’
‘That’s because you’re weak,’ sneered Demadrian as he continued to stare at Octavius.
The Hat Lady reached out to grab Demadrian. He shuffled away from her to the other end of his bed. Hamlet sniggered loudly.
‘Stupid Sape,’ scoffed Demadrian.
‘I’m not afraid of a hat-wearing midget,’ chuckled Hamlet through the mind voice on her head.
‘Hey, that’s rude,’ said the Hat Lady as she looked at Hamlet.
‘Always on point,’ chuckled Octavius as he rubbed Hamlet’s head.
Orcilla rushed into the tent. ‘I’ve spoken to Shamia,’ she said as she looked around the tent. ‘She has given me terrible news about the underground city.’
‘You can’t fully trust what that panicker says,’ sighed Demadrian. ‘You should have spoken to Frank for a more measured response.’
‘Cecil and his enforcers have massacred them,’ said Orcilla as she looked directly at Demadrian.
‘Ordered by Tiberius,’ said the Hat Lady.
‘You trusted them to put an end to Tiberius,’ sneered Demadrian aggressively as he stared intensely at Orcilla. ‘You must feel very foolish right now.’
‘Angelo managed to survive and so did a few others,’ said Orcilla. ‘Shamia and Flint have been kind enough to take them in.’
Orcilla left the tent to find Volo.
The next morning, Miro called an emergency executive council meeting. Duffo, Henders, Head Enforcer, Hermon, and Benny had gathered around the table in the town hall.
‘This is an executive council meeting,’ said Duffo angrily as he pointed at Benny. ‘Why’s this guy here?’
‘Henders and I asked the Grand Vizier for him to be reinstated,’ replied Hermon. ‘Of course, he understood the brilliance of the suggestion and naturally approved.’
Miro entered the town hall. Six imperial guards followed him, and behind them was Julie.
‘What in the hell is she doing here?’ asked Duffo angrily as he stood up.
‘This executive council needed Downs’ representation,’ said Miro as he pulled up a chair for Julie. ‘She’s been on this council before. She’s familiar with and qualified for the job.’
Henders clapped his hands in joy, and Miro took his place at the table.
‘Welcome back, I’ve really missed your baking,’ said Benny.
‘I won’t be doing that for a little while,’ replied Julie.
‘She will be my personal advisor regarding the Downs residents,’ said Miro.
‘What Downs residents?’ sighed Duffo. ‘The last lot have been sent off to the East Camp.’
‘Hence, the need for a voice in their absence,’ said Miro angrily. ‘Enough questions! We have more pressing matters to discuss.’
‘The absurd arrest of my father,’ said Duffo angrily. ‘When he returns, you’re going to pay the ultimate price.’
‘Our “so-called Emperor” faces serious allegations, which need to be resolved,’ said Miro calmly.
‘Such disrespect is an act of treason,’ shouted Duffo.
‘If he’s found guilty, we will need to crown a new Emperor,’ said Miro, tilting his head slightly to the left. ‘That’s why we need to get it right.’
‘Calm down, big guy,’ said Hermon as he leaned forward. ‘Serious allegations need to be addressed.’
‘Alright, I’ll humour you,’ said Duffo as he looked at Hermon, nodding. Then he sat back into his seat.
‘The Emperor Tiberius has been accused of identity theft,’ said Miro. ‘DNA tests taken by our highly skilled technicians indicate this to be true. I want this to be resolved by you, our most honourable executive council.’
‘I apologise for jumping on this a little rashly,’ said Duffo, nodding. ‘It is the role of this council to sort out such problems. It is, after all, what the Emperor himself would have wanted.’
‘He’s spot on,’ said Hermon energetically. ‘There’s nobody I trust more than myself.’
‘We’ll all be the judges,’ said Miro. ‘I know we will reach a fair outcome.’
‘The leadership of the Empire is at stake,’ said Duffo, grinning smugly. ‘That is exceedingly important.’
Julie giggled a little. Both Benny and Henders gestured with their thumbs up, and Head Enforcer stared angrily at Duffo.
Flint, Angelo and the rescued followers had arrived in the West Tribes’ main underground city. Shamia, Homer, Leticia, and her guards welcomed them to the city centre.
‘Oh, we seem to have a bit of a chill down here today,’ said Shamia to Angelo and the followers. ‘Don’t worry, our buildings are very cosy. We promise you that you’ll feel very comfortable.’
‘This city is so beautiful,’ said a little girl as she skipped towards Shamia. ‘I love it here.’
‘I’m glad you like it,’ said Shamia in a panicked tone as she looked at Angelo, who was staring blankly into space. ‘I didn’t know you were allowed to talk to us.’
‘When you were guests in our city, we were not permitted,’ said the little girl. ‘Now we’re here, it’s different.’
‘Oh, that’s wonderful,’ said Shamia as she looked at Angelo for a response.
‘What’s your name?’ the little girl asked Shamia as she twirled around her. ‘I’m Chamele.’
‘I’m Shamia, the leader of the West Tribes,’ replied Shamia as she looked at the other followers who appeared terrified. ‘It’s nice to meet you.’
Frank came rushing over to them. He was wearing a dark blue onesie and a huge red and green wig. ‘Here to audition for roles in my great musical, I assume,’ he said as he looked at them.
‘Their home is unlivable, so we’re taking them in,’ said Shamia in a frustrated tone. ‘Don’t you remember last night?’
‘I’m so disappointed at your jealousy,’ said Frank as he squinted his eyes and placed his hands on his hips. ‘We haven’t even had the first night, and you’re already talking about the last night. If that night ever comes, it’ll be Sapey’s darkest night.’
‘I like you,’ said Chamele as she put her arms around Frank.
‘Have they been checked for diseases?’ asked Frank as he looked at Flint.
Flint frowned angrily at Frank.
‘Let’s contact Orcilla and the followers in the West Camp to let them know you’re all fine and well,’ said Shamia as she looked at Angelo.
‘That would be the appropriate thing to do,’ said Flint, nodding slightly. Angelo continued to stare at Shamia with a blank expression on his face.
‘Frank, please look after the followers while I take Flint and Angelo up to my office,’ said Shamia as she smiled at Frank.
‘Do I look like a babysitter to you?’ replied Frank while raising his eyebrows. Chamele continued to hug him.
Shamia looked at his bright wig and onesie and smiled back at him and said, ‘You always look the part.’ She turned around and led Angelo and Flint to her office. Frank frowned angrily as he watched them leave.
‘Trying to outmanoeuvre me is never a smart move,’ mumbled Frank under his breath.
‘You’re so funny,’ giggled Chamele.
Shamia turned on her computer. Flint and Angelo stood behind her in view of the camera. Shamia was feeling incredibly uneasy, but she could not understand what it was.
A technician received her call. ‘Hello, leader of the West Tribes,’ he said.
‘Oh, oh, he knows who I am,’ said Shamia, trying to sound excited.
‘How may I help you?’ asked the technician.
‘Oh yes, good question,’ replied Shamia in an even more nervous tone as Flint placed his hand on her shoulder. ‘I would like to speak to Orcilla and her leadership team.’
The technician quickly got up and ran off.
Meanwhile, Frank had instructed the followers to sit down outside his office while the technicians served them soup. Chamele had followed Frank into his office. He was unable to keep her out.
‘Here take this slice of chocolate cake,’ said Frank as he handed Chamele a plate with a very small piece of cake on it.
‘Oh, this looks nicer than a potato,’ chuckled Chamele.
‘Keep it down,’ said Frank as he frantically began typing on his computer. ‘I need to help my extremely dimwitted leader.’
Chamele shoved the whole slice into her mouth.
‘I’m in,’ sniggered Frank as Shamia’s face appeared in the top corner of his screen. He could hear her humming as she waited for Orcilla.
Orcilla, the Hat Lady, Demadrian, Volo, Walter, and Octavius entered the communications room.
‘Oh, we have a full audience,’ said Shamia as she moved her head from side to side slightly in excitement. ‘Look, everyone, Angelo is with us, and he’s alive and well.’
Angelo stared blankly into the camera.
‘He’s not well,’ blurted out Walter. ‘He has a killer headache. I see it in his eyes.’
‘We are grateful you’ve survived,’ said Orcilla as she looked at Angelo. ‘I know you must have endured something terrible.’
‘I will travel to the surface and reunite my followers,’ said Angelo as he stared blankly into the camera.
‘You’re always welcome in our camp,’ said Orcilla, smiling slightly.
‘You should eat a couple of bananas,’ said Walter. ‘I’ll get my assistant to bake them into muffins. They’ll fix you right up.’
‘Flint is very eager to live on the surface permanently, so that isn’t a problem,’ chuckled Shamia as she looked at Flint, whom she could see in the box at the corner of her screen.
‘Oh yes, indeed,’ replied Flint as he squeezed Shamia’s shoulder a little harder. ‘The underground should only be reserved for second-class citizens, nobodies, and idiots.’
Shamia panicked and started to breathe heavily. Angelo moved his face next to Shamia and stared directly into her right eye.
‘Damn it,’ said Frank angrily. ‘She’s choking again, unbelievable!’
‘More cake, please?’ asked Chamele.
‘Help yourself to the whole thing,’ said Frank. ‘Just don’t distract me.’
‘Oh yummy!’ shouted Chamele in a deep voice.
‘Don’t shout!’ said Frank as he frantically pointed to the rest of the cake. ‘You’ll break my concentration.’
‘This has been a rough period for everyone,’ sighed Shamia. ‘Maybe we should have a restful day…’
‘We can rest when we’re dead,’ interrupted Angelo as he continued to stare at Shamia. ‘My followers must be reunited, and the true temple must be claimed.’
‘Wonderful,’ replied Orcilla. ‘We look forward to seeing you soon then.’
Both Angelo and Flint stared at the screen. Shamia was almost in tears. After a few more awkward seconds, the call ended.
‘That was really messed up,’ said the Hat Lady.
‘Angelo is completely off, and so is Flint,’ said Orcilla, shaking her head. ‘We need to step carefully.’
‘It’s the lack of ventilation,’ remarked Walter.
‘We should arrest Flint on arrival,’ said Octavius, frowning slightly.
‘Blancmange boy might be right for once in his life,’ remarked Demadrian.
‘No, we should screen all of them,’ said the Hat Lady. ‘The suspicious Flint character could be any one of them by the time they reach here.’
‘I can tell you’ve spent time with the great Eugene, friend,’ chuckled Walter as he raised his eyebrows.
Meanwhile in the West Tribes’ main underground city, Flint, Angelo, and Shamia had returned to the city centre to speak to the followers. Frank and Chamele had joined them. Chamele was eating a donut that Frank had given her to keep her quiet.
‘We’re going to the West Camp,’ said Angelo to the followers.
‘I’ll let you have some of my guards to escort if you like,’ said Shamia.
‘No, we’ll take all your guards,’ said Flint firmly.
Oh, I, umm, oh, okay,’ stammered Shamia in an uneasy tone.
‘Da!’ said Frank as he slapped his forehead.
Angelo and Flint stared at him angrily.
‘He’s so funny,’ said Chamele as she skipped towards Angelo and Flint.
Twenty minutes later, the followers and all the guards had climbed into the West Tribes’ fleet of vehicles. Shamia, Frank, and Leticia were in the tunnel to wave to them as they left.
‘This isn’t right,’ said Shamia, shaking her head. ‘I’m not sure what happened.’
‘It’s called being weak,’ said Frank as he waved his arms around.
‘You don’t understand how difficult it was,’ said Shamia as she weirdly contorted her face.
‘Just say, “NO”,’ said Frank as he rubbed Leticia’s shoulder. ‘I didn’t let them take this megastar. Letting Homer join them was bad enough.’
‘As usual, you’re right,’ sighed Shamia as she re-entered the city.
Frank smiled as his eyes bulged slightly.
Sapien Loop: Worlds Collide is the final book in the Sapien Loop trilogy. It continues directly after the events of the second book. The world above and the world below merge into one world. The conflicts in the underground world are brought to the surface. The new ruling elite attempt to crush any resistance from above and below in an attempt to create a new global empire.
Currently, three books from the series have been published on Amazon; see the links below:
All individual chapters can be found on my 
