Royal Hearts

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  Stacey smirked. “Looks like William better watch out.”

  Ann shook her head in wonder, sure her friend was reading more into the thing with Hathor than what was actually there.

  Chapter Nine

  Present day

  Ivory steps on Mount Olympus

  Planet: Olympia

  Second Commander Jaz wiped the sweat off her forehead as she trudged up another step to get to the ivory palace where the gods and goddesses dwelt. She was beginning to understand why they had put so many steps in the side of the mountain. They didn’t like to be disturbed unless it was important, so they purposely made the journey to their home long and physically exhausting.

  “Now I know why Leader Paff didn’t send out a search party until forty-eight hours passed,” Guard Lino muttered. “Queen Ann would have to go through all this just to get to the gods.”

  “Maybe we should take a break when we get to the next cave,” Guard Falon said.

  “Good idea,” Jaz replied.

  The three found one in short time and sat down to rest. Jaz stretched her weary legs. It felt good to relax. They were only halfway to the palace, and that was while walking as fast as they could up the mountain. She didn’t relish the idea of completing their trek. But even with all they were going through, they were probably better off than Queen Ann.

  She opened her telecommunicator and called Paff. After she gave him the update on the search party, she asked, “Have any new developments occurred since we last talked?”

  “No. Things are the same here,” he replied. “I don’t know if that’s good or not.”

  “As long as Pale is in one piece, I’ll take it as good news. I’ll report to you later.” Putting the telecommunicator away, she turned to the guards who were busy preparing their meal. “Nothing’s changed on Pale,” she told them.

  “The waiting is almost unbearable,” Lino commented. “I can’t believe Omin made a clone. It makes me wonder what else he was up to.”

  “I don’t know if anything can be worse than the Great Prison where massive brainwashing and torture took place,” Falon said. “But let’s hope we can end his plans before he can cause any more harm.”

  They nodded their agreement then turned their attention to the food.

  After they ate, Falon rose to his feet. “I’ll be right back.”

  Jaz watched him go deeper into the cave for a private spot, most likely to relieve his bladder. With a sigh, she joined Lino and went outside the cave to get a good look at the sky which was slowly growing dark. Soon it would be night. She took out her flashlight and made sure it was fully charged and ready to go for an entire night’s walk. She checked her bag to make sure she had enough supplies to take care of their needs. Everything looked good. She sealed her bag and waited for Falon to return.

  After several minutes passed, Lino turned his attention to her. “I think I’ll see what’s taking Falon so long.”

  “I was just beginning to worry about him. Here’s my flashlight. That cave is getting darker inside.”

  Lino went into the cave, and when he returned a couple minutes later, he was alone. “I can’t find him anywhere,” he told her. “I have no idea where he might have gone. It’s not a big cave.”

  Frowning, she followed him back into the cave and examined their surroundings. The cool amber walls of the cave were moist with a substance she didn’t recognize. She also saw a trickle of water flowing from the ceiling on one of the walls. The water formed a small pool that seemed to stay at the same level even though she didn’t see anywhere for the water in the pool to drain out.

  Lino took out his locator. “This device should pick up Falon’s identification badge.”

  Jaz waited as he turned it on and used it to scan the cave. But it soon became apparent this didn’t do any good. Wherever Falon was, there was no way to trace his path.

  “It’s like he vanished,” Lino whispered, still moving his locator to try to pick up any faint traces of their traveling companion.

  “What is your usual action in a situation like this?”

  “Find help from a local in the area. There must be something peculiar about this cave. Perhaps one of the gods or goddesses can enlighten us about this.”

  As much as she hated the idea of leaving Falon behind, she didn’t see any other option at this point. They had already wasted twenty minutes searching the cave.

  “Alright. I’ll follow you,” she said.

  Lino nodded and led the way out of the cave and back up the side of the mountain.

  ***

  Six years in the past

  Hathor’s dorm room

  Dayton, Ohio

  Planet: Earth

  On Monday night, Hathor was taking a long hot shower. His mind was preoccupied with seeing Ann again on Wednesday. If it was up to him, he would have taken her to Raz as soon as he saw her, but he knew he couldn’t do that. He was not to disturb the delicate balance of time. Ann would come to Raz four years from now. He couldn’t take her before then.

  Once again, he secretly thanked Kent for coming up with the idea of a campus tour. He knew Kent wanted to see Stacey again, and Kent had confessed to him later that afternoon he was too nervous to be with Stacey by himself. He thought if her friend and Hathor were there, it would make the situation less awkward. Hathor was more than happy to help Kent out, especially since Kent had figured out an inconspicuous way for Hathor to see Ann again. So Kent was really doing him a favor without realizing it.

  Hathor’s thoughts drifted back to Ann. And unfortunately, it also went to William. She loved William in this part of her past, and from the conversation he overheard in the food court at the mall, it was apparent that William wanted to be with her as well. But there was something about William that bothered him.

  It wasn’t just the fact that Hathor didn’t care for the guy. He never did think much of William since he didn’t care enough for Ann to go to Florida to be with her when he had the chance. There was something else, something that lingered on the edge of his mind. It was like a faint tickle that he couldn’t scratch.

  He got out of the shower and absentmindedly dried his body. Afterwards, he threw on a pair of comfortable shorts and a green t-shirt, settled on his bed, and closed his eyes.

  He replayed the conversation he overheard between William and his friend. It was that strange comment William made about déjà vu. How did William word it?

  Maybe I should just say that meeting her yesterday was like déjà vu.

  Yes, that’s what he said, and there was something suspicious in the way he said it. And there was more to it than that. William’s friend had remarked that he missed the “old William.” Why would he make such a comment?

  Déjà vu. Déjà vu…

  Hathor had heard that expression before. But where? And when? It wasn’t a term used on Raz. Palers didn’t use it. He never heard an Olympian say it. In fact, he couldn’t think of a single planet where anyone on the world said it…except…

  He sat up, his eyes wide open. Ann said it. It was after she became the queen of Raz. She’d told him about the Palers sending her back to Earth at the time when she was seventeen. She’d told him she wasn’t the same person she’d been when she and William dated the first time. She had retained her memories of the future but it was as if William was experiencing everything for the first time.

  “At first, it was like I was going through everything for the first time,” she’d explained to Hathor, “but slowly I noticed that my memories started coming back. It was as if I was living in a state of déjà vu. Déjà vu is when you feel like you’ve been through something before.”

  And that’s how William felt now. Could it be possible that he was the one who had the memories this time, but she didn’t? Maybe William remembered everything, like Hathor did.

  Hathor decided it was time to pay William Nichols a visit. He had to find out what was going on. He didn’t know where William lived, but he was sure he could get Kent to hel
p him find out where he was. People on Earth must know how to find each other. Yes, he’d ask Kent for help. And then, he would pay William a visit.

  ***

  Present day

  Inside the Lower Depths of Mount Olympus

  Planet: Olympia

  Guard Falon slowly regained consciousness. He winced in pain as he struggled to wake up. His left shoulder hurt, and by the way things felt, he wouldn’t be surprised to learn it was out of joint.

  He groaned, a slight echo bouncing off the walls around him. What happened to him? He struggled to recall the events leading up to his current predicament. The last thing he remembered was that he had just finished eating his meal and had gone deeper into the cave to find a private spot to go to the bathroom.

  After he finished, he noticed a tiny crack in one of the walls. Deciding to investigate, he walked over to it and noticed that a sliver of light was coming through it. It was odd to see a light radiating from behind the cave’s wall considering this cave was carved into the side of a mountain. He reached up to touch the crack. The crack widened and began to morph into a big, gaping hole. He took a step back but tripped and fell toward it. The last thing he remembered was the hole closing behind him. From there, the impact from the fall knocked him unconscious.

  With a groan, he made himself sit up and searched his pockets until he found the device he needed. He pulled it out with his good arm. His enthusiasm quickly turned to dismay when he saw that the telecommunicator had broken in the fall.

  This was bad. He didn’t have many supplies on him. He had a small flashlight and a compass. Resigning himself to the difficult task ahead of him, he got to his feet. His legs seemed to be alright, so he should be able to walk without any trouble. Glad for some good news, he took out his flashlight. Everything around him was so dark. Just where did the light come from?

  “Whatever it was that I saw, it’s gone now,” he mumbled.

  He turned the flashlight on and examined his surroundings. The walls around him were as moist as the cave’s walls up above had been. He noticed that the walls ascended upward, without seeming to have an end in sight. How far had he fallen?

  Turning his attention to the ground, he realized it was soft dirt. He put the flashlight in his mouth so he could take out his compass and read it. He, Jaz and Lino had been going northwest up the mountain. He found the direction they had been going and headed in that direction. With any luck, it would lead him to his way out of here and back to where he needed to be.

  ***

  Six years in the past

  Current Events class

  Ann’s High School

  Dayton, Ohio

  Planet: Earth

  Ann yawned as soon as she sat in her seat in class. Of all the classes she had, this was the most boring one. Stacey saw her yawn again and giggled.

  Ann decided to ignore her. She opened her notebook, ready to take notes. She envied Teresa, who was currently in her English Composition III class.

  Ann turned her attention to the teacher who entered the classroom. Sister Clair looked unusually happy that day. Good. Maybe she wouldn’t give everyone homework tonight.

  “Boys and girls, we are living in historic times,” Sister Clair said cheerfully, not using her usual monotone. She eagerly passed out the new issues of the news magazine to all the students. “Someone great has achieved what had once been thought to be impossible. There is finally peace in the Middle East!”

  Ann took a magazine from the person in front of her and handed the other issues back to the person behind her. She glanced at the front cover in mild interest. Alexander Napoli. He was a good looking fifty-five-year-old man wearing a dark blue business suit. His brown hair had hints of gray in it, and he wore a big smile. He was standing between the Israeli Prime Minister and several Arab leaders.

  The title of the issue read The Dream For Peace Comes True.

  “How many of you watched the news last night?” Sister Clair asked the class.

  Only a handful of students raised their hands. Ann and Stacey weren’t among them. Ann had been too busy talking on the phone with William.

  The teacher was determined to not let their lack of enthusiasm destroy her good mood. “Last night the Jews and Arabs signed a peace treaty, and I believe it’s going to work. What a thrilling time to be alive!”

  Ann flipped through the magazine. She did like to read the comic pieces throughout the magazine but had to turn to the main story on page thirty-four with the rest of the class. She tried to read the article as Sister Clair wanted them to for the next five minutes, but the contents were boring and she didn’t know who these big political people were, nor did she care. Peace in the Middle East was great. But she didn’t see what it had to do with her.

  After five long minutes passed, Sister Clair turned on the TV. She taped just about every news show out there and then brought in what she thought were the best news stories.

  Ann yawned. She had a hard time staying awake during these newscasts. The most interesting parts were the commercials. And it was sad when she looked forward to seeing commercials.

  As expected, the news her teacher had taped happened to be about the same article she’d just told the class to read. Ann’s eyes drooped. She blinked her eyes several times in her struggle to stay awake. Glancing at Sister Clair, she noticed her teacher was so consumed in the news that she wasn’t paying attention to the class. Ann softly turned the pages of the magazine to the comic strips she enjoyed. It was either do that or fall asleep.

  Chapter Ten

  Six years in the past

  Dayton, Ohio

  Planet: Earth

  To Hathor’s relief, Kent found William Nichols’ address by looking it up on something called the Internet, which he accessed through a small device similar to things the Palers used.

  “Do you need a ride?” Kent offered as he wrote down William’s address on a piece of paper.

  “A ride?” Hathor asked.

  “I have a car. It’s not much to look at, but it runs. I can drive you over to his place.”

  “Yes, that would be great.”

  Hathor never realized people were so dependent on automobiles in their daily life. It almost seemed as if they couldn’t do anything unless they had a car or rode the bus.

  “Oh wait. Let me call him to make sure he’s home,” Kent said as he tapped something on the screen of his handheld device. He put it up to his ear, waited for a few seconds, and then made up some excuse about calling the wrong number. Afterwards, he put the device in his pocket. “There. Now we know he’s home.”

  Hathor didn’t know how he figured that out but decided it wasn’t worth asking. He wasn’t going to be on this planet long enough to worry about the strange devices they used.

  By the time Kent pulled up to William’s house, Hathor had rehearsed what he was going to say for the hundredth time. Surely William would understand Ann’s place was on Raz, that she had a destiny larger than a high school infatuation.

  “Do you want me to go in with you?” Kent asked.

  He shook his head. “I’d better do this alone.”

  “Okay. I’ll wait for you.”

  “Thank you, Kent.”

  Hathor got out of the car and walked up to the front door. He knocked a couple times then cleared his throat and straightened his back. As soon as William opened the door, his mind went blank.

  “Can I help you?” William asked.

  “Yes. I need to talk to you,” he finally replied. “It’s of the utmost importance.”

  Eyebrows furrowed, William looked him up and down. “Do I know you?”

  “No. I’m Hathor, and I come from another planet.”

  Understanding lit up his eyes. “Oh! Come on in. My parents aren’t home, so it’s safe to talk here.”

  Hathor followed him into his house, and William shut the door.

  “How much do you know about Raz?” Hathor asked as they entered the living room.

  “Befor
e I answer you, I want to know who you are. I’m familiar with Raz, but I haven’t heard of you.”

  “I was born and raised on Raz. Do you know that Ann Kerwin is supposed to be the queen there?”

  “Are you the one who contacted me through my computer six years from now?” William sat down in a chair and motioned for Hathor to sit on the couch.

  Hathor accepted despite his discomfort. So William had gone back in time six years like he and Ann had. Now the question was how and why. “I didn’t contact you. I was wondering if you know who did, but it doesn’t sound like you do.”

  He shrugged. “No, I don’t.”

  “Is there anything you remember before you went back to this time? Any symbols or strange looking objects or words?”

  “Oh…I think there was something about a Pale.”

  “Someone from Pale? Planet Pale?” Hathor asked.

  After a moment, he nodded. “Yes. Something about a planet like that.”

  Omin’s clone must have somehow found William and used him to get back to this time. For some reason, he had needed William in order to engage in time travel himself. So that meant the clone was lurking out there somewhere, biding his time until he could kill Ann.

  “I know Ann talked about a place called Pale,” William said, surprising Hathor. “She doesn’t remember anything though. I’m the only one who remembers the future six years.”

  “The Paler who sent you back to this time has used you to get Ann back to this time. I don’t understand how he did it, but I know his motives are to harm her.”

  William stared at him for a moment then laughed.

  “This isn’t funny. I remember the future six years like you do,” Hathor said. “There’s something you should know about Ann and her role on Raz. She’s the queen. That makes her the most important person in the world, and it’s only because of her everyone is safe. Right now she needs protection.”