Zyra raised her ship’s thrusters to maximum setting and closed in on the shuttle. She had just entered the kill zone when an enormous spaceship suddenly appeared in front of Helship-II. Zyra had no time to adjust her flight path when a stream of blinding white energy struck Helship-IIand hurled her backwards out of her chair.
#
“In Tarnos’ name, what that?” asked Klarrg, his blood-red eyes wide and fearful. Moyna and the other pirates stared with mouths gaping wide. The main view screen revealed an oblong vessel that was so massive that it seemed to occupy all of space. It had a bulbous exterior connected by three main sections. Mounted in the center of its bow was something that looked nearly like an eye. Before they could get a good glimpse of the strange ship, it faded back into the darkness of space nearly as quickly as it had appeared.
“Wh-What was that…ship?” asked Moyna.
“That was Intruder,” said Molly.
“Intruder?” Moyna repeated.
“It saved us,” said Tabbers.
“Why?” asked Kato.
“Does it matter? You are all alive. That should be enough,” Molly replied, still staring at the star-filled view screen.
“You and your damned secrets,” chewed off Moyna. “I’m starting to think Tabbers is right. But we’ll deal with you when we reach Darokk. Kato get us to that jump gate. Everyone else back to your seats. I just hope that bounty hunter’s dead. I’ve had enough surprises for one day.”
Moyna’s reference to Zyra caused Molly’s face to grow dark. She had had enough of Zyra’s interference with her plans. If they were ever to meet again, Molly would make certain that it would be for the last time.
Chapter Five
Inside the hazy, smoke-filled flight control room of Helship-II, Zyra Zanr let out a hacking cough, waving the black smoke from her eyes as she gazed at the snowy view screen in front of her.
“Computer, reroute emergency power to forward visual sensors.”
At her command, the familiar backdrop of space filled her view screen. Though the pirate shuttle was nowhere to be seen, Zyra was relieved to see that the ship that had attacked her was no longer present. Zyra wondered why the ship had opened fire on her. But suspicion began to gnaw at her mind.
“Computer, cue freeze frame image of attacking warship and display on main view screen.”
Once again, the image of the strange vessel appeared before Zyra. She gazed at the massive starship which had attacked her only minutes before and studied its alien design. The ship was as large as a small moon. Its eel-like shape gave it a predatory appearance. The hull of the ship, though appearing metallic, rippled as though every inch of its surface was interacting with space in an entirely sentient way. Zyra had encountered bio-ships in the past. But this one was far more advanced than any she had seen before. In fact, she had never seen anything like it. Zyra slammed her fist angrily onto her blackened navigation console.
“Damn you, Forsythe! You lying bastard!”
Zyra knew without a shadow of a doubt that the ship on her screen was Intruder. Admiral Forsythe had hid the truth from her. Intruderhad not been destroyed as he claimed. The mysterious alien ship which had destroyed worlds had crossed her path. But why did it fire on her then disappear? There was something else going on that she did not understand; something that Forsythe failed to tell her. But for all the subterfuge surrounding Intruder, there was only one thing Zyra truly cared about. One thing that mattered to her more than learning Intruder’s secrets. Zyra swore to bring the mystery to an end with the barrel of a smoking gun.
“Hope you’ve made peace with your god, Molly. Time to die.”
Read on for an excerpt from
The Legend of Witch Bane
by Kevis Hendrickson
It was not yet dawn when the children left the castle. While Kòdobos and Laris mounted their respective horses (that is, Amaxilfré the Swift and Everest the Enchanted), Anyr was made to ride upon a little pony which would bear her along the journey. Not surprisingly, because of its small stature, it had been called Sprig.
As the children rode on through the castle gates, they discovered that there was a thick fog covering all the land, so far as they could tell, extending from the inner wards of the castle to the hills beyond. How far the fog went, none of them knew. But here and there along the cobblestone streets of town there were bodies strewn along the ground as if laid there to frighten anyone who passed by. There, asleep in the middle of the road (and still dressed in their pajamas, I might add) was the baker and the miller, and the tailor as well. Not very far from them lay the old shoemaker. No one had been spared the enchantment, not the youngest child or the eldest of the elderly.
The children were frightened, of course. You would be too if you were to happen upon such a dreadful sight. But alas, Laris, Kòdobos, and Anyr had no choice but to brave the unknown. For such was their love for their mother and father, and for their people, that they would risk their very lives to save them.
Now it so happened that there was a raven, the blackest you ever did see, making roost atop the roof of the town cathedral. It watched the children with wary eyes. Anyr was the first to notice the bird and grew curious of it.
“Do you see that raven?” she asked. “It’s watching us with its terrible black eyes. I don’t like the looks of it.”
“Perhaps it simply wants to make a meal of Kòdobos,” said Laris, chuckling.
“Then I’ll give it something to eat,” said Kòdobos as he brought Amaxilfré to a sudden halt.
“We don’t have time for this, Kòdobos!” said Laris. Kòdobos knew Laris was right, but ignored her just the same. He leapt down from his saddle and alighted on the ground. Afterwards, he stooped to grab a small stone and hurled it aloft at the raven. The raven flew from its perch just in time to avoid being struck by the stone.
“Take that, you stupid bird!” cried Kòdobos.
“Would you grow up?” said Laris. “You’re such a pest!”
“And I suppose you aren’t ever a pest, either?” asked Kòdobos.
“Not nearly the pest you are,” answered Laris.
“Would you two stop it? This isn’t going to help our parents,” said Anyr. The fact that Anyr was only seven years old and behaved as if she were the eldest of the children was no slight embarrassment to Kòdobos and Laris. Hence, not wanting to allow their little sister to outdo them, they assumed their silence, although it took some time for either of them to remove the sulking look from their face.
For nearly a week, the children journeyed from the castle to the woods beyond the next village, where they slept quite comfortably in the house of an old shoe cobbler. Unfortunately, the shoe cobbler, like the rest of the people of the kingdom, was asleep. He might never have known that he had as guests the royal children, had they not written him a nice letter by which to thank him for his kindness in allowing them to stay in his house. The children also left him a few gold coins as a token of their appreciation.
Some time passed before the children made their way out of the old shoe cobbler’s village. They were preparing to enter the road that led to the northern lands of Kaldan when several approaching knights galloping thereto nearly collided into them.
“Out of the way, or we’ll run you down!” cried one of the knights from atop his mount. Kòdobos and Anyr hung back to avoid the knights, but it was too late for Laris to escape. By now the knights had halted their manic ride to investigate the children. Laris had the poor luck of having been trapped on the road by the knights and watched with stiff eyes as they circled about her on their steeds.
“What’s your business here, girl?” asked the first knight, a rather rambunctious-looking fellow with much dirt on his face.
“Why should you care? This isn’t your country,” said Laris, having noticed that the knights did not wear the colors of her kingdom.
“We are lords here! You will answer us now!” the knight fired back.
“Or what?” asked Laris, not pre
tending to hide her defiance of the knight who she assumed had come to invade her father’s kingdom. Hence the knight withdrew his sword and trained it on Laris.
“Mark well my words, girl. You’d best be quick with your speech, or I’ll have your tongue on the edge of this sword!” he said. Then the other knights with him began to close in on Laris.
“Let her alone!” cried Kòdobos, bolting from the side of the road on his horse to challenge the knight. He was so eager to defend his sister that he fell from his saddle and landed on the ground with a loud clunk. The knights could hardly contain their laughter at him. One knight leapt down from his horse and gave Kòdobos a shove on the rear with the heel of his boot, knocking him back to the ground when he tried to get up.
“This one here’s a feisty little chap, for all the good it’ll do ’im,” the knight said.
“Guard your reach!” cried Laris, now drawing forth one of the swords from the pair of sword sheathes on her back. There was a bright gleam on the slightly curved edge of her sword (which was called a saber) that revealed the badge of a coiling serpent on its blade.
“So, you have a sword? Careful now, girl, or you’ll hurt yourself!” the knight said. Before any further hostilities could be exchanged between Laris and the knights, a long procession of knights approached from the far side of the road.
“Stay your swords, men, and explain yourselves!” cried the knight riding at the head of the procession. It was apparent that the knights confronting Laris were very afraid of the knight who questioned them.
“My lord! We encountered these three here on the road. Gave us a bit of a fuss they did, and won’t yield the road,” said the knight who had taunted Laris.
“I can scarcely imagine why these children should pose a threat to your scouts, Harsrick,” observed the lead knight.
“Aye, sir, not much of a threat,” the knight called Harsrick said. “But this one here’s the ringleader, and I daresay she’s a bit of a brigand what with her rough speech and all.”
“A brigand, you say? Do tell, girl, why you should have rough words with my men,” the knight demanded.
Being respectful of the man whom she deemed to be the highest ranking of the knights, Laris answered him in a courtly manner (or I should say in as courteous a fashion as she would allow herself under the circumstances). “Dear sir, my siblings and I were merely trying to get to the road when these fellows accosted us. They threatened to cut my tongue out or the other. I should have slain them all if not for the presence of your grace.”
“You are a bold one, girl,” the leader of the knights replied, not finding Laris’ speech amusing.
“I speak only truth, sir,” said Laris, still trying to decipher the knights’ purpose in coming to her father’s kingdom so heavily armed.
“What are your years?” the knight asked her.
“Not yet ten and five years, sir,” Laris answered.
“You are hardly more than a girl, and yet you stir not at the sight of hardy knights? An impressive feat by any standard,” the knight explained.
“I fear nothing, sir. Least of all you or your men,” Laris snapped suddenly.
“You see, told you, I did, sir. Quick with insults, this one,” the knight called Harsrick said.
“You must have faerie blood to speak so fearlessly to a troop of armed men,” the knight said as he observed Laris’ rising temper.
“Cordially, sir,” Laris bluntly replied to the knight.
“I imagined as much. What are you, girl? Elf-kind or other?” he asked.
“Other,” said Laris in her grimmest voice. It was obvious to all who beheld Laris at that moment that she was growing quickly dangerous. For a brief time, no one would speak. Then—
“I think we have bothered these children enough,” said the lead knight. “Harsrick, prepare your men. We ride to the castle.”
Not wanting Laris or the knights to have further harsh words that could cause a mighty battle to ensue, Anyr suddenly came forward and besought the lead knight of his attention.
“Sir, if you would. Can you please tell us who you are?”
If ever there was any hostility between the knights and the children, it was at the sight of Anyr that their anger faded.
“I am Kisrick, King of Urince and the Fire Plains.”
“Then have you come to invade this land or to speak with my father?” asked Anyr.
“Your father? Are you Krüge’s children?” asked the knight who was now revealed as King Kisrick.
“We are,” said Laris, not yet betraying her hostile tone.
“Then forgive my rudeness and that of my men,” said Kisrick. Now, at last, he removed his helmet to reveal an aging man with a weathered appearance and long graying hair. “We have ridden long and hard from the Fire Plains to beseech your father’s audience. But on our arrival to your kingdom, we have discovered a great blight of an enchanted sleep upon your people. Tell me, has your father, the king, also fallen to this malady?”
“He has, your majesty. As have all our people,” said Anyr.
“Then we have arrived too late. Not yet a week ago, rumor came to me that your father had sworn off the rule of the High Queen and had rebelled against her. I knew that if the rumors were true, war would come of it. Many years ago, before any of you were born, a great war was waged in the realm against Rhiannon. One by one, all kingdoms fell to her dreaded army of goblins and evil men. Now no one opposes the High Queen, and all pay her tribute in gold and blood. No one, that is, until your father pronounced his kingdom’s independence from Rhiannon’s rule.”
“Then you came to help us?” wondered Anyr.
“I did, little princess. I had come to seek your father’s counsel to see if I could join his rebellion. I doubt sincerely that the combined strength of Kaldan and Urince alone could have stopped Rhiannon, but together we might have inspired other kingdoms to join us. Perhaps in that way, Rhiannon could have been overcome. But now that I learn of your father’s doom, I know that my people shall not rise up against Rhiannon anymore.”
“Please, your majesty, we are on a quest to break this curse. Can you not help us?” asked Anyr, thinking that perhaps the help she was longing for had finally come.
“What more can I do, little princess, but to offer you and your siblings sanctuary in my country? There you would have food and a warm bed. But Rhiannon would no doubt seek you out. And I lack the strength to keep her from you. Whatever quest you are on, I am afraid I can be of little help to you children. I must go back to my country now, and I expect hope shall have gone with me.”
“There is always hope, your majesty,” said Kòdobos. When King Kisrick looked upon Kòdobos, he realized that he was the spitting image of his father.
“Young prince, you are far younger than I and can afford to live with hope. I have no such luxury. I have seen Rhiannon’s might. I have beheld her great army spread darkness abroad the land. Many people have thought like you, and they fought Rhiannon to their last breath. Yet it is she who now has mastery of the land.”
“Even so, someone will defeat her one day, your majesty. If it comes to it, I’ll defeat her myself!” said Kòdobos.
King Kisrick descended from his horse and fell to a knee to look Kòdobos directly in the eyes.
“Truly you are the son of Krüge the Lion to speak so proudly,” said Kisrick. “Listen, young prince. It is not left to me to tell you what you should do upon your quest or where you should go, for I do not know how to defeat this evil spell that I suppose Rhiannon has put upon your people. But this little advice I can give you. If it is the power to defeat the evil of Rhiannon you seek, it will not come from my kingdom or any other. Indeed, not by the power of kings, or wizards, or legendary weapons shall you triumph over Rhiannon. Look only here to your heart, and you will find the strength to at least stand your ground. Whether or not you are fated to overcome Rhiannon, however, is up to the Gods.”
King Kisrick mounted himself back upon his horse and said, �
�I bid you children farewell. And if ever you need sanctuary, seek me out in my kingdom to the south of your country. There I will welcome you as friends of my House and protect you as best I might for as long as my strength holds out.”
With that, King Kisrick ordered his knights to turn around and follow him back down the road from which they had come. The children stood silent and watched the Urincians leave them, pondering the might-have-beens as well as the grave challenge that yet awaited them in lands far from their own.
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