Palatinii Cycle

by G'vonni Avner

  Katie examined Tantor’s body. It was thicker and larger than it had been when she met him.

  “What happened to him?” she asked.

  “It looks like he was infected,” Koran said. “I’m not sure with what. But I think the pirates did this to him. Maybe it’s a game they play with their prisoners. Some plants can cause a similar reaction, but those are rare and grow only deep underground, so I don’t think he caught some here.”

  “Is it like rabies?”

  “In a way,” Koran answered. “This might be more brutal though. This changes your thought process and your memories, causing you to hear things and see the world differently. Everything around you becomes an enemy, but studies have found that you are still you, you just can’t control yourself anymore.”

  “There were times when he seemed scared while he was attacking me,” Katie said.

  Koran sighed. “He probably was. Only he couldn’t control himself. It’s too bad that there isn’t a cure for it.”

  “How did you find me?” she asked Koran.

  “Good ears,” he replied. “I am surprised that he dragged you so far away, instead of just killing you right by our camp.”

  Katie heard footsteps approaching and tensed up. Instinctively, Koran got up and stood by Katie, in case something else was ready to attack them.

  Relief flooded Katie when she saw that it was Tyson. His face was white. “Katie? Where the hell have you been? I woke up and no one was around! Do you have any idea what I thought may have happened, especially after what we just went through?”

  Katie opened her mouth to explain, but Tyson saw Koran standing behind Katie and didn’t want to hear it.

  “So you decided to take the son of a bitch for a walk?” he said, angrily and cruelly. “We barely know the dude, and he isn’t even fully human!”

  “Don’t call him that!” Katie yelled.

  “What? He’s descended from dogs! Back where I’m from—no, back where we’re from, that isn’t a thing. And if it was it would be an abomination and would be locked up in a lab or executed.”

  Katie was shocked that Tyson was saying things and didn’t find any words to say. Koran didn’t look hurt, or phased at all, and also stayed silent.

  “Where’s Tantor?” Tyson asked.

  “Dead,” Katie told him. “If you paused in your ranting long enough you would have known that. He was attacking me.”

  Tyson didn’t hear her. “Why is he dead?”

  “Because I killed him,” Koran replied before Katie could. “He was going after Katie, trying to kill her, so I did what I had to do.”

  Tyson scoffed. “Of course. You killed him and found the perfect excuse to do so.”

  “He saved my life!” Katie shouted back, walking towards Tyson.

  “I don’t trust him!” Tyson yelled.

  “He saved my life,” Katie said softly, trying to reach reason in Tyson.

  Tyson shook his head. He looked into Katie’s eyes with a hard, cold stare. “I’m done with this. You’re coming with me.”

  14

  The Queen Rising

  “Let Ariah know that he is to command the third ship,” Queen Nayara told her daughter. “You’re to command the second one. And take Emily with you. Nothing will get in our way, not even our dull-minded servants.”

  “On it,” Sabrina replied.

  “Hurry,” Nayara said sharply. “Our ships have already set course. Soon you won’t be able to transfer ships. I’ll contact both of you when we are close to Oasi.”

  Sabrina nodded and hurried out of the room. Nayara slid the door to her cabin shut. Her room was large, complete with a bathroom and a large tub. There were two separate rooms in the back. She appointed her General to command this ship in the meantime so she could attend to her own business. Her General was faithful and shared the same vision.

  The Queen had thought long and hard about her next actions. She knew that she had to overtake Oasi and make it her own. There weren’t any official leaders of the world, but Oasi was the closest thing Narque had. Oscurilina would also have to be awakened. With the fairy at her command, she would be invincible, and Death itself would fear her.

  Queen Nayara washed her face in the sink and then walked into the smaller of the two rooms in the back. This room was round with wooden panels lining the walls. There were a few tables against the walls and a round one in the middle. On top of the round table was a dark granite bowl.

  Nayara placed her hand over it. The basis was filled with two inches of water. Blood fell from her fingernails, though no cut was visible. The blood fell slowly in drops. One, two, three, four, five.

  The water burned red momentarily until the sight of a cave replaced it. Queen Nayara looked for something within the cave. She didn’t move her head closer to the bowl but scanned with her eyes. Then she found what she was looking for; a man, sitting by a stone wall, his head on his knees and arms over his head.

  “John Dimes,” Nayara said. The man jerked his head up.

  “What do you want?” He spat out as best he could though his voice was hoarse and shaky.

  “Is that any way to greet your Queen?” Nayara said, almost mockingly. “I’ve kept you alive this long.”

  John clenched his fists and coughed out a painful laugh. “You will never be Queen. And I am only alive because you need me to be.”

  This time Nayara laughed. “Haven’t you seen it, John? I am already Queen. I’ve been Queen since you left this planet.”

  “Narque still has its freedom and its chosen leaders.”

  The Queen smiled at this. “Narque doesn’t have leaders,” she said. “Oasi is about to crumble, and their council will be no more. This world will have no one else to look to when they are in need.”

  “They will take you down,” John replied. “There is no chance that you will take Oasi. And when you fall, even our Underworld won’t accept you.”

  Again Nayara smiled. “We’ll see about that. Our world is changing John. Too bad you won’t be alive to see it to fruition.”

  “It’s too bad you can’t leave this world.”

  Nayara’s smile disappeared. “You will pay in an eternity of pain for what you did. I will undo the bond you have tied me with. When I have obtained Oscurilina’s true power, I will be able to bend physics and magic as I see fit.”

  John laughed and Nayara scowled. “Give it up. Even if you do break it, there’s still another force that prevents you from entering Earth. With all the power in our world, you still couldn’t dream to break it.”

  Nayara smiled. “Think again. I have delved deep into the workings and lore of our world. I will capture and kill each of the twelve sources of power so that the Palatinii cycle will be gone forever, which will make me the strongest power on Narque, and Narque will then be bound to me.”

  John glared in Nayara’s direction, though he could not see her.

  “Don’t mess with the Covetus.”

  Nayara ignored John’s warning. “After I kill you, I will kill your daughter. Her powers are nothing compared to mine, and I move too fast for her to train. She will die, just like you.”

  “No!” John yelled. He jumped up and kicked the wall several times. He then punched it, nearly breaking his knuckles. He could hear Nayara cackling from her ship. He could not see her but knew that she could see him. It incensed him, knowing that after everything he had done to keep his daughter safe and to ensure that Nayara could not prevail, she still found the one thing that could secure her victory, and guarantee the destruction of this world. John punched the wall again and this time lightning exploded from his hands and lit up the cavern but did no damage to the rocky walls. This was because Nayara had ensured that he wouldn’t be able to escape.

  John thought Nayara would have a smug smile on her face. She was proud that she had built a prison from the strongest of rock that existed. This rock could not be damaged and attracted only cold air and destroyed heat.

  Nayara stared down at John
. She relished in the fact that she had imprisoned John Dimes, leader of the Palatinii, where many would rather die than step foot inside.

  The Queen spat into the bowl and the image of the cave vanished, leaving only the crystal clear water that occupied the bowl many minutes ago. She walked around her room. The reaction from John Dimes was all she needed to confirm that she had already won.

  Nayara scoffed. She knew she had won. She didn’t need John to tell her that. Mainly the Queen enjoyed seeing John suffer. When he left this world to live a new life on Earth with Natasha and their daughter, Nayara knew that would be the moment she could move forward with her goals for Narque and make it a place that she and those who followed her could prosper.

  She walked out of her cabin to ensure that the other ships were on their way to their destination.

  As she walked through the passageways, humans, and creatures alike stepped out of her way. She passed through the kitchen where one of her servants slipped and knocked over a large cauldron of soup. Nayara walked by the arsenal. She had built her ship for war and luxury.

  The Queen stepped out onto the main deck. The General was standing there, facing the large river with his arms crossed. He was referred to as General Roarn.

  “I presume that you have everything in place,” Nayara said as she stood next to him.

  “Yes, my Queen,” he replied, not looking at her. “Ariah and Sabrina are also well in command of the other ships, which are just behind us.”

  Nayara turned her head back to look. Ariah was on the right and Sabrina was on the left. They both were standing at the bow of their ships. There was a small glint in the Queen’s eye that almost looked as if she had cracked a small smile.

  She turned around to face the water again. The river was large, almost three hundred feet wide. On her left, there was a small village built on the water. Large, sturdy logs floated on the water and small houses were made of the same wood. Few people walked about, the women and children were carrying water pots and the men hauled logs back and forth to a new structure that they were building. No one paid attention to the ships as this was a common river used for transportation.

  As if it were planned, Nayara’s ship crashed through the first of many wooden structures of the small water town. Screams filled the air and the wooden floors that floated on the water shattered and dropped its occupants into the river. There were those unlucky few who were in the ship’s path and were instantly pulled under the water, unable to breathe.

  It didn’t take long to turn the whole town into nothing but a wreck of wooden splinters. The other two ships also passed through, but the damage had already been done. Nayara walked to the edge of the deck and looked back. Those that survived were struggling to get to land.

  “My Queen,” General Roarn said. “How close would you like to be to Oasi before we touch land?”

  “We will approach their shoreline and invade their docks,” Nayara answered, walking back to the General. “My presence will be known. The city will have a short time to surrender before we set our attack. Those that join us will be transported to our hospitality camps where they may learn our ways until we rebuild our world.”

  General Roarn nodded. “How long do you want us to wait before we set foot into the city?”

  The Queen turned her head slowly and stared at the General. “You will know when the time is right. I will make that very clear when it is.”

  General Roarn gave one small, slow nod. “Of course, my Queen. I apologize for questioning your tactics.”

  “No matter,” said the Queen, looking out at the sunset again. “That isn’t what is important now.”

  Roarn nodded again.

  “When will we arrive at the city?” the Queen asked.

  General Roarn cleared his throat before answering. “In just a few short days we expect to see the city.”

  “Good. You better keep it that way. I may be patient, but I have been waiting too long for this,” the Queen warned. “Do not delay me.”

  “Of course, my Queen,” he replied.

  Nayara kept her stare outwards. She liked the General for who he was and what he could accomplish. He showed her his loyalty many years ago and proved to her to be faithful and dedicated. While the throne to this world would be her own, she knew that she needed those who she could trust by her side.

  Nayara knew that her power had to be earned. She had to make it known to all that if anyone attempted to undermine and usurp her as Queen, they would be killed before they had a chance to face her. That meant that she needed her army everywhere so they could keep order once she established it.

  After several minutes, Nayara walked away and headed back towards the kitchens. The smell of food reached her nose, but she wasn’t hungry. The Queen had another purpose for visiting the galley. She entered a smaller room where they washed the dishes. A man dropped a pot on the ground, spilling hot and scummy water all over the floor.

  “Pick it up!” Nayara yelled at the man. He was the same man who had spilled the soup earlier when she walked through. Rightfully, he was sent to clean all the dishes for wasting food, and now she wanted to handle him personally. He was a smaller man.

  “Hurry!” Nayara yelled again. The small man did as he was told, fumbling the pot as he grabbed it.

  “I-I-I’m s-so sorry, my Queen,” the man said in a whimpering voice. He soaked up the water with a thick, torn rag.

  “Sorry?” Nayara whispered. “You’re not sorry, you’re scared. I can see it in your eyes. The fear runs through your veins like lights that glow whenever I am near. You want nothing more than to be off of this ship, and as far as from me as possible.”

  The man’s eyes widened and he stuttered as he spoke. “N-no, m-my Qu-Qu-Que-een. I w-wish n-nothing more th-than to s-serve y-y-you.”

  Nayara stared coldly down at him. “You’re a pathetic liar,” she spat at him. “Do you believe I don’t know who you are? You have two children and a wife back in your town, which you have taken leadership of. You want to be back with them, not serving me.”

  The man was silent, frozen with fear and was no longer sopping up the water which was dripping back onto the floor from the rag.

  “Yes, I know,” she said in a loud whisper, stooping down slightly to talk closer to his ear. “But you should know that I am a kind Queen, and I grant wishes to those who serve me.” The Queen stood back up to full height. “If you want to be off this ship, then so be it.” Nayara’s eyes narrowed and her mouth was even but rose a bit in a small smile on one side.

  “Come,” she commanded.

  Queen Nayara led the small man out of the galley and upstairs onto the main deck. Some of the crew stopped working to see what was happening. Luckily for them, this is exactly what the Queen wanted.

  “Is there anyone else who wishes to leave this ship?” she called out. “Speak now or forever hold your silence. This offer won’t come again.”

  Nayara looked around. No one came forth.

  “Very well,” she said. “Get the plank!”

  On command, four people ran off the deck and returned moments later carrying a large, flat wooden plank. They placed it on the railing of the ship between two hooks that balanced it.

  “Get the little man a step stool,” she said.

  Another man ran inside to retrieve the requested item.

  “Fredrick, the leader of Malkasa, has as good as admitted to me today that he wished to be off this ship and no longer serve me. He would like to be back with his family,” the Queen announced. “As I am a grateful and caring Queen, I will grant his request.”