The Royal Pursuit (5 page)

Hathor was ready to make a cutting
remark. Then he stopped himself because he knew his friend was
right. He would never forgive himself if Ann died thinking he was
mad at her. “You do well to remind me of such things.” He turned
and left.

***

Planet: Lone

A single figure slowly walked toward
the Austere Complex. He barely noticed his surroundings. Despite
the dire condition the Nicals found themselves in because of the
virus, the vegetation and animals were thriving. The lush green
trees and plants covered the hilly land. It was similar to Earth
with differences, but those differences were so minor as to be
negligible.

The man wasn’t interested in such
details though. He had a mission, and he was determined to see it
through. He wore white. Everything was white, from his hat down to
his boots. Even his neatly combed short hair was white. However,
his eyes were gray. He carried a white cane, although he never used
it to help him walk. Some probably thought it was merely for show,
but this cane was his secret weapon.

He didn’t mind the fact that his boots
got muddy from his trek through the wet dirt in the forest-like
environment surrounding the group of ten wooden rundown
buildings.

He continued his walk, anticipating
the announcement he was about to make to the Nicals. He had waited
a long time for this moment. Soon his dream would come
true.

The building he needed was in the
center of the diamond-shaped complex. The building had seen better
days. Its wood was chipping on the outside and some of the windows
had been boarded up. Although it was in sore need of repair, it was
the best one they had remaining from what had at one time been a
flourishing civilization. That was where the survivors chose to
keep their living quarters. They took great comfort in staying
close together. This was fine with him. It made it that much easier
to gather them under his wing.

He grinned as he walked up the stone
pathway to the front entrance. Weeds had grown in between the
stones, but he paid them no mind. He did not bother knocking on the
door. He simply opened it, letting it creak in protest. His
footsteps echoed on the floor, which had suffered many scratches
from decades of use.

He knew where to find them. They would
be together in the meeting room. He noted that the door to the
meeting room was partly open. He rolled his eyes at their
incompetence. They had just stolen the Olympians’ immortal power,
yet it never occurred to them to remain diligent against an
impending retaliation. It was amazing they had survived as a
species for as long as they did.

He didn’t mind spying on them. In
fact, it was the best way he could find out about them.

Their ruler opened the dark curtains.
“We are no longer harmed by the sun’s rays. We can go outside
without protection on our skin.”

The Nicals ran to the window, bathing
in the sunlight, childish delight on their faces.

The man wasn’t surprised. They were
simple creatures who were easily amused.

“
My body feels perfect,”
one of the Nicals said. “I can feel the immortality flowing through
my veins.”

“
It’s a wonderful feeling,”
another one agreed. “We should have thought of this sooner. We
could have avoided much heartache and despair. We could have saved
so many of our fellow Nicals.”

The group sobered at the
realization.

The man chose this particular moment
to make his presence known to them. He entered the room and
strolled over to one of the empty chairs and sat down as if he
belonged there. He noted their hair turned yellow at the sight of
him, even though their facial expressions remained neutral. Their
hair gave their true emotion away. Fools, he thought. They should
have shaved their heads as their ruler had done. Fear made their
enemy that much more powerful, for without fear, he never would
know he could manipulate them.

He dismissed his observation and
leaned forward. “They are coming after you because of what you’ve
done, but you insist on sitting around as if you’re safe. Now,
that’s not very smart.”

Their ruler finally found his voice.
“Who are you, and what are you doing here?”

The man pretended he was offended. “I
came across the universe to protect you and you question my
motive?”

“
I don’t know
you.”

“
Oh, that’s easy to
resolve. I am the only one who can save you.”

The ruler shook his head. Around him,
his companions began to openly display their worries.

The man in white focused on their
ruler. “Do you think the Olympians will let you get by with
stealing?”

“
How do you know about the
Olympians?” the ruler asked.

The man picked up his cane and tipped
his hat to the left. “How could I not know? Everyone found
out.”

“
We didn’t steal,” Dour
replied. “We merely copied their power. Surely, they understand
that.” His firm resolve was beginning to crumble.

The man shrugged. “Call it what you
want. It doesn’t affect me. I’m not the one they’re going to
kill.”

The Nicals glanced nervously at their
ruler.

“
They won’t destroy us when
we explain the situation to them,” the ruler said, his voice weak.
“They can share their immortality.”

The man raised his eyebrow, amused
that they didn’t realize the full scope of what they had done. He
decided it was in his best interest if they didn’t find out. It
could disrupt his plans. He sighed heavily. “If only it were that
easy…”

The ruler didn’t speak.

The man decided it was time to offer
them the hope they needed. “I will protect you. They have enlisted
the help of the Razian queen and the Palers. I am sure you are
aware of what a formidable foe they can be, especially when they
work together.”

Several Nicals gasped.

The man smiled to himself. Yes, they
knew all too well that Raz and Pale were an impressive
threat.

“
They are going to kill us,
but we will die if we give the stone back,” a Nical softly
cried.

“
Either way, we are
doomed,” another one agreed.

“
It would appear that way,”
the man acknowledged. “Unless…” He dangled the suggestion in front
of them, waiting for them to take the bait.

“
Unless what?” the ruler
asked, no longer trying to hide his fright.

“
Unless I come to your
aid,” he offered, smiling benevolently at them. “I am greatly
impressed with your knowledge of the beings in this universe, and
in exchange for unlimited access to your library, I will save you
from annihilation. Do we have a deal?”

They took a moment to look at each
other, quietly seeking out another possible solution. When none
presented itself, they nodded, one by one.

The ruler resigned himself to the
man’s proposal. “Yes, we will do as you ask. Only, how will you
protect us?”

“
Minor details. Don’t worry
yourself over them.” The man stood up. “I will do my part. All you
need to do is follow my instructions.”

He proceeded to fill them in on the
part of his plan that they needed to know. The rest, he would use
at his own discretion.

***

Royal Palace

Planet: Raz

In her and Hathor’s bedroom, Ann
quickly dressed in one of her combat outfits. She wasn’t sure what
material it was made of, but it was designed to resist abuse. She
decided on a dark green outfit since Lone was full of trees and it
would be easy to blend into the background, just in case she needed
to hide from the Nicals.

She wasn’t sure what to expect. She
had already been to Olympia to announce her plan to go to Lone with
the Palers. Now she was getting ready to leave. She wished Hathor
was going with her. She always felt safer when he did. She liked
Athen and was glad he was going, but it wasn’t the same as having
Hathor there. She stared at her reflection. Forcing aside her
lonely feeling, she pulled her long brown curly hair back into a
French braid.

She hated it when she and Hathor
argued. They didn’t agree on everything, and she knew disagreements
were bound to happen in a marriage. Still, the timing couldn’t have
been worse.

She pulled on her black boots, aware
of how they conformed to her feet, then stood up. The Palers were
due to arrive soon. She didn’t have time to waste.

She opened the door. When she saw
Naomi was in the hallway, she called out to her.

Naomi bowed. “Yes, Queen
Ann?”

She smiled at the elderly woman. “Do
you know where Hathor is? I need to speak to him before I
leave.”

“
He is waiting with
Katherine and Matthew for your departure,” she replied.

Ann breathed a sigh of relief. She
thanked Naomi and ran outside. As soon as she saw Hathor smile at
her, she smiled back, glad to be on good terms again. Katherine
stood by him while Matthew picked up rocks on the ground beside
him.

“
I thought if I brought the
kids with me, you couldn’t stay mad at me,” Hathor said.

She closed the distance between them.
“I’m not mad at you.”

“
I’m sorry I reacted the
way I did earlier.”

“
It’s okay. I
understand.”

She glanced at the sky. She could
already see the Paler spaceship in the sky. She bent down to hug
Katherine and Matthew. Katherine, understanding that her mother
would be gone for a while, hugged her back. Matthew, too young to
understand, struggled to get out of her arms so he could continue
playing with his rocks.

She smoothed her outfit as she stood
up. She hugged Hathor who held her tightly to him. “I wish you were
going with me,” she whispered.

“
I know.” His breath felt
warm against her ear.

She reluctantly pulled away from him.
She took out an emerald jewel dangling on a thick gold chain. “When
you are done talking with the Augurs, I want you to join me. Athen
will be taking the Book of Spells, so you can use this to go to
Lone and find me.” She put it around his neck. “The Augurs never
said you couldn’t help me when they left.”

His smile widened.

The Paler ship was getting closer.
They would be landing in the next couple of minutes.

Hathor cupped the side of her face and
kissed her.

She wished the kiss could have lasted
forever, but Katherine’s excited cries over seeing the Paler ship
brought her attention back to the matter at hand.

“
Be careful out there,
Ann,” he whispered.

“
I will,” she
promised.

Athen walked out of the palace,
holding the Book of Spells.

They watched as the Paler ship
landed.

Ann took a deep breath and turned
toward the spaceship. Athen took that as his cue and said good-bye
to Hathor.

“
Take good care of her,”
Hathor said.

“
I will protect her with my
life,” he replied.

Second Commander Jaz exited the
spaceship and walked up to them. “Greetings, Ann and Hathor. Are
you ready?”

“
Actually, Athen will be
coming instead of Hathor,” Ann told her. “Hathor has to attend an
important meeting with the Augurs tomorrow.”

Jaz’s eyes widened. “The Augurs? That
is a high honor. They are very selective about who they
visit.”

“
Really?”

“
Yes. Pale has never been
blessed by their presence. They are widely known for their
benevolence. Even if they may seem uncompromising, they do so for
the benefit of those they associate with.”

Ann felt much better after hearing
this. It reaffirmed her decision to have Hathor stay behind to see
them.

Hathor patted her lower back and
kissed her cheek. “It looks like you were right.”

She returned his smile. “For once,”
she joked.

Jaz waited for a moment before saying,
“Falon will be going with us as well. It seems pointless to send a
large group to confront thirty-seven Nicals.”

“
How are things with you
and Falon? You have been married for a year now, correct?” Ann
asked.

“
You have a good memory.
Things are wonderful. Thank you for asking.”

Ann was glad to see Jaz with Falon.
They were good together. “Well, standing around here isn’t going to
save the Olympians. We better go.”

Athen and Jaz nodded and walked to the
spaceship.

“
You’d better join us as
soon as the Augurs leave,” she told Hathor.

“
I’ll be on Lone before
they leave the atmosphere,” he assured her. “I love you.” He
squeezed her hand.

“
I love you,
too.”

She followed her friends to the
spaceship. As she climbed the steps to the ship, she looked back at
her husband and children. She hoped that everything would be
alright. She could tell he was worried about her. He had done what
he could in sending Athen in his place. She loved him all the more
for protecting her even when he couldn’t be with her.