by S. E. Smith
Bahadur nodded his head. “I didn’t believe it myself until I caught a glimpse of it. His symbiot is no longer gold such as yours. It is as black as his eyes. Somehow, his essence has contaminated it. This is all speculation but from what I have seen and learned it fits. The negative energy of his symbiot is strong enough to destroy the positive energy of the others.”
Mandra was silent as his mind flashed through the possibility of what Bahadur said. Raffvin was of royal blood. His essence was incredibly powerful as was all the royal descendants. His symbiot would be just as powerful. If his symbiot could not escape back to the Queen it would be dependent on Raffvin for its continued existence. Raffvin’s madness must have affected it.
“Only my brothers and I have a symbiot as powerful as his. If what you say is true, it is possible our symbiots are the only ones powerful enough to survive an encounter between us,” Mandra replied thoughtfully.
Adalard shook his head. “If it has been feeding on his negative energy it is quite possible that it would take the combined forces of all of you to defeat it.”
All four men were silent as they thought of the devastating effect of what could happen. It was quite possible one or more of them would be killed trying to destroy his uncle and his symbiot now. It was not death that Mandra feared but the effect it would have on their mates. Zoran, Trelon, and Kelan could not be asked to face their uncle. All three of their mates were breeding. If they were to be killed it was possible their mates and offspring would perish. That left him and Creon. Mandra thought of Ariel and her delicate beauty. The thought of her dying because of him sent such intense pain through him it felt like a physical blow. He rose and walked over to look out of the cave. He stood staring sightlessly over the barren sands trying to calm his mind enough to think rationally.
Mandra turned toward the others fighting the despair creeping into his soul. His uncle needed to be stopped even if it meant sacrificing his and his mate’s life. He looked at each of the men intently before walking back toward them. He was about to explain his plan of attack when Precious burst into the cavern, wild with rage. All four men turned as one. Gold shot out of Precious to wrap around Mandra’s arms and chest. Flashes of images flared through Mandra as Precious related what had happened to Ariel.
“My mate is in danger,” Mandra bit out.
..*
Ariel moaned as she woke. She blinked several times as she waited for everything to come back into focus. Her hands moved against her side. She felt a soft, moist grass-like moss under her fingers. She slowly pushed herself up surprised to find she wasn’t restrained in any way. Looking around, her mouth dropped open as she stared in disbelief at the glittering world surrounding her. She looked down and noticed she was indeed on a bed of moss of some type. It was bright red and silky to the touch. Large mushroom shaped trees about the size of apple trees were scattered about the huge cavern. Ariel looked up at the ceiling and noticed it was a shimmering blaze of yellows, blues, and greens. Her eyes followed down the walls that glittered with lights like she had seen before. Cut into the walls were what appeared to be small homes with balconies lining along them. Small creatures of all different colors stood looking down at her. She pushed her hair back away from her face frowning when she noticed it was loose from her braid. The white-gold strands seemed to glow in the strange light of the cavern.
Ariel curled her long legs under her and watched as several small flying creatures approached her. They looked like a type of bat but had sharp pointed ears with long, muzzles. Each had tiny bridles and saddles with the small creatures riding on them. She remained frozen, watching them curiously as they approached her.
The creatures flew around her until they surrounded her. A small group of six landed on the moss not far from where she was sitting while the others continued to fly around, circling her from a distance. She let her eyes follow the tallest of the creatures. It stood about twelve inches tall and walked with a flowing grace that made Ariel smile.
“Hello,” Ariel said softly with a smile.
The creature stopped at the sound of her voice. It looked uneasily at her for a moment. One of the creatures behind the tall figure moved forward and said something to it. Ariel couldn’t hear what they were saying but it seemed as if the second one was arguing with the first. Ariel remained still, waiting.
Finally, the first one nodded to the second one which came toward her. Ariel kept her hands on her thighs and waited not wanting to startle the small creatures. She watched as the small, green creature moved closer and closer to her. When it stopped, Ariel fought back a sigh.
“It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you,” Ariel said quietly. “You can come closer. I promise I won’t hurt you.”
..*
Tia stopped at the sound of the huge creature her brother had captured. Her tiny ears twitched as she listened to the soft sound. Her brother thought to kill the creature who invaded their world but she had protested. She was the Keeper of the Stories. When she saw the pale white-gold wave flowing from the creature she knew it was the creature the ancient stories talked about. This creature was to be treated with reverence.
Tia moved closer. She reached out and touched the large being with the tip of her long green fingers. When the creature remained still, she moved a little closer. The creature moved slowly raising one large appendage. Tia waited, frozen in fear as her little heart beat frantically. As much as she was confident this was the creature the stories passed down through her people talked about, she was still unprepared for the size of it. The creature laid its pale limb down on the soft moss with the palm facing up. Tia looked at it before looking up into the creature’s eyes. The color was a soft warm brown and did not appear to hold any danger in them. Tia took a tentative step forward, stopping when her brother hissed out in alarm. She turned her head and shook it at him. Reaching out again, she touched the warm limb. It was soft and smooth. Tia glanced up again. The creature nodded. Tia climbed onto the limb and waited. The creature moved cautiously, as if aware of Tia’s fear. Tia looked around her as the creature lifted her up into the air. She stood up looking around her as her people slowly knelt down. Only when her brother knelt as well did Tia turn to face the goddesses who came from above.
..*
Ariel studied the slender, green figure she held gently in her hand. Now that it was closer, she could tell it was a female. Large, brown eyes dominated the face. Her nose consisted of two small slits. Her mouth was small and filled with tiny, sharp pointed teeth. Her arms and legs were very long for her body. She had three fingers on each hand. She was wearing a colorful tunic made of plant fibers. The patterns on it were so small, it was hard for Ariel to see the details but she knew it would be breathtaking.
The tiny creature studied her as she studied it. Ariel smiled again. “You are so beautiful,” Ariel whispered gently. “It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Ariel.”
Tia tilted her head to the side and listened. The goddess’ voice was soothing, gentle as if she knew Tia was afraid. Tia couldn’t understand what she was saying but knew she was speaking to her. She turned and raised her hand. With a flick of her wrist, her brother and two of the warriors flew up to her. She quickly spoke to them. Tamblin started to argue but one look at his sister’s face and he knew she would not be deterred. He looked at the creature holding his sister so carefully in her hand before he nodded to his sister. With a sharp command, they flew away.
Tia turned and bowed to Ariel before she sank down to sit in the palm of her hand. Ariel had the feeling something important just happened but she didn’t have a clue what it was. The creature in her hand appeared to be waiting for something. Ariel looked around her as thousands of creatures stood watching her with opening curiosity. She let her eyes wander over the cavern again. Each time she looked a new detail seemed to come into focus. She noticed several large waterfalls flowing from the rock into a miniature river that flowed into a larger basin or lake. A gleaming, clear structure was carved into
one of the walls not far from the largest waterfall. That was where the three men on the flying creatures went to. Ariel looked down startled when she felt a tap on her palm. The tiny female in her palm was checking her hand out as carefully as she was checking out its world.
Ariel’s eyes jerked up when the three men returned. Two of the creatures held a large sack between their flying creatures. They flew up to the creature in her palm that stood to one side as they lowered it down until it rested in the center of her hand. Once it was safely deposited, they flew down to the soft mossy ground again. The creature in her palm carefully released the top of the strings holding the cloth closed and stood back as it fell open.
Ariel’s breath caught at the sight of a large, red glowing stone and translucent chain sitting there. The tiny creature moved forward and pointed at Ariel than at the stone. She motioned that Ariel was to put it on.
Ariel nodded in amazement and reached up slowly with her other hand to pick it up. Realizing she would need both hands, she lowered the tiny creature back to the ground and waited as it jumped off her palm. Once she had both hands free, she turned the stone over in her hand. It was the strangest but most beautiful stone she ever saw. Lifting the chain, she saw it glowed with the same glittering light as the sand and walls.
The tiny creature made a noise and motioned for Ariel to put it on again. Ariel nodded and quickly slid the stone over her head lifting her heavy length of hair out of the way so it nestled between her breasts. She adjusted the stone, holding it as she stared into the swirling color locked inside the stone.
“Thank you, it is very beautiful,” Ariel said softly looking down at the tiny creature with a smile.
“It is our gift to you, goddess. It was told that you would come for it one day. I consider it a blessing that it happened during my lifetime,” the small creature replied in a lilting voice.
Ariel gasped and her face lit up with joy. “I understand you!”
“As we can now understand you, my goddess. It is the magic of the stone,” Tia replied moving closer.
“My name is Ariel,” Ariel replied with a twinkle in her eye that these creatures thought she was a goddess of some sort.
“I am called Tia. I am the Keeper of the Stories. This is my brother, Tamblin. He is our leader,” Tia replied.
Ariel looked at Tamblin who was standing back looking at her nervously. He seemed far too young to be the leader of a small kingdom. She watched as he straightened to his full twelve or so inches before he bowed stiffly.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, your majesty. I apologize for trespassing on your world but I have to admit I am very happy to meet you,” Ariel said sincerely as she bowed her head in respect.
Tamblin straightened even further if that was possible at Ariel’s respectful acknowledgement of his position. He strode forward to stand near his sister who looked at him in amusement. She nodded at him to say something.
“My goddess, the people of Glitter welcome you. We hope you will bless us with your stay,” Tamblin stumbled out.
“Oh, thank you but I really need to get back to my people. The others will be worried about me,” Ariel said hiding her smile at Tamblin’s obvious relief at her not staying.
“The gold creature and several others are at the gateway. They do not seem happy to be separated from you,” Tia said with a tilt to her head again as she looked questioning at Ariel.
Ariel chuckled. “No, I imagine they are not very happy. One of them is my mate. He is very protective of me.”
Tia looked thoughtful for a moment before she nodded. “They are your guards?”
“Something like that,” Ariel laughed again at the thought of Mandra’s face when he found out what new adventure she had been on. At least she wasn’t going to bring any of these little creatures back with her.
“My brother and I will escort you back to the gateway,” Tia replied with a bow. “I ask only one thing if you would not be offended, my goddess Ariel.”
Ariel paused as she stood up. “What can I do for you, Tia?”
Tia looked down at her slender fingers before she looked up with a pleading look at Ariel. “Our world was once abundant with a creature that fed the sand crystals. When the creatures disappeared, so did the trees of our world,” Tia replied waving a hand to the large mushroom shaped trees. “We were forced to live under the hot sands. Would you… would you grace us with more creatures so our world can again flourish under the stars?”
Ariel knelt back down, thinking. “Do you know what these creatures looked like?”
“Yes!” Tia’s face lit up with hope. “We have images of them left to us by our ancestors. Come, we will show them to you before you leave.”
Ariel bit her lip and nodded. She laid her palm down so Tia could once again climb onto it. Ariel stood up careful of the other creatures that moved rapidly out of the way. The warriors on the bat-type creatures lifted off and followed her and Tia as she moved carefully over the mossy ground. Once in the corridor she was able to move a little faster. They entered another large cavern were two creatures about the size of a wild boar laid. Their eyes glowed red and they growled when she entered. Tia quickly made a noise and the creatures lay back down but never took their eyes off her. Tia turned and pointed up to the top of the cavern. Ariel’s head tilted backwards so she could see what creatures Tia was talking about looked like. When she saw the images it took everything in her not to burst out laughing. She knew exactly which creatures Tia was talking about. Shaking her head at how small the universe really was, she looked down at Tia with a grin.
“I think I have exactly what you are looking for!” Ariel said with a huge grin.
Tia turned to her brother and let out a loud cry of joy. The other warriors followed the shrilled call until the entire cavern echoed with the joyful sound. Ariel couldn’t resist joining in with a laugh.
..*
Mandra slammed into the force field again before collapsing in fury and fear. They had been trying for the past two hours to break through the force field. Both his and Zebulon’s symbiots lay weakly on the sandy floor. They attacked the force field repeatedly but it seemed the more they attacked the stronger the field became as it drained the energy from them. The men then took turns trying to use brunt strength to break through. Hell, they even tried to tunnel through the rocky walls only to find the field stretched to cover the area they broke away.
“Stop, Mandra. It is no use,” Zebulon said as he stopped Mandra’s bloody hand from hitting the glowing wall again.
Mandra snarled and pushed Zebulon away from him. He would never give up. His mate was in danger. It was his responsibility to protect her and he failed. He failed her. With another roar, he slammed his fist against the shield ignoring the pain radiating down his arm.
“Never! I will never stop,” he viciously roared out.
Bahadur grabbed his shoulder and jerked him around. “Then don’t, but be smart. We need to find another way to break through.”
Adalard jerked up as he stared at the glowing shield. “Look!”
All four men turned as Ariel walked toward them. She had a small frown on her face as her eyes followed the blood on the shield down to Mandra’s tightly clenched fists. She bit her lip in worry and hurried forward. As she approached the shield it dissipated as she moved through it before reappearing behind her.
Ariel threw herself into Mandra’s arms as he opened them and hugged him fiercely before pulling back to grip his hands in hers. “What have you done to yourself, big guy?”
Mandra pulled his hands out hers and pulled her back against him, burying his face in her long hair. “I couldn’t get to you,” he muttered hoarsely.
Ariel pressed a kiss to his neck, ignoring the other men who were gathered protectively around them. She looked over Mandra’s shoulder and saw Bahadur looking at her with hunger, regret, and… understanding? She buried her face against Mandra’s neck just wanting to feel his arms around her.
“I’m okay
. I was scared at first but the most incredible thing happened. It was amazing,” she whispered against his neck. “Can we return to the ship? I have a promise to keep.”
“By the gods and goddesses,” Zebulon whispered looking on the other side of the force field at the tiny creatures staring intently at them. “Will you take a look at that?”
Ariel turned to look at Tia and Tamblin who were watching them with avid curiosity. She smiled as she turned in Mandra’s arms. Nodding to them, she watched as Tia raised her hand before they turned and disappeared back to their miniature world.
“Amazing, huh?” Mandra asked watching as the tiny creatures disappeared into the darkness.
“Yes, and utterly cool,” Ariel whispered looking up into Mandra’s eyes which still held the dark fear deep inside them. “I think you are going to be happy with the end result.”
“I already am. I have you back in my arms… safe,” Mandra murmured resting his forehead against hers for a moment before picking her up and turning with a nod to the others to move out. He wanted her off this damn moon before something else happened.
Chapter 22
Mandra looked down at his mate who was sleeping peacefully. They returned from the planet to find out that the Tasiers had multiplied… exponentially. The crew aboard the D’stroyer was frantically trying to capture thousands of the things. The damn fur balls were everywhere! They had stepped out of the shuttle to find the things hopping through the landing bay. They were in the corridors, vents, training room, engineering, even on the damn bridge. And those were the ones the crew hadn’t eaten. By the time they finally rounded them up there was not a single man on board that wanted to ever eat another one again.
Ariel had laughed so hard she could barely talk. It seemed the tiny creatures who took her needed the furry creatures. They had been the creatures that once flourished on the small moon. Tasiers liked the sand and the sand liked their poop. The mushroom trees were spread and grew from it. The tiny creatures were forced to seek refuge under the sands when traders captured all the Tasiers. Without the poop, the mushrooms died and the moon heated up. It took them three days to finally make sure they had captured all the Tasiers on the D’stroyer and transport them down to the unnamed moon. Almost overnight, small fields of tiny spores popped up through the sandy soil.
