The Changeling Princess

by Jackie Shirley

  “We are warriors from a faraway land,” I said. “You are an evil Vampire and you’re reign of terror is over in Haven Town.”

  The Queen’s face went through a rapid transformation, revealing her true identity. The once beautiful Queen was now disgustingly ugly, matching the ugliness of her soul.

  “I’ve ruled this town for over a thousand years,” she screamed. “You can’t defeat the power of the crystal. Wa-zola-mem-po- omba.”

  There was a sudden puff of smoke and a cat-like Demon emerged. He was similar to the Peace Makers, but bigger and stronger. He was armed with a sword and shield, so Wade stepped forward, challenging the Demon. The Demon’s roar was deafening.

  The fight lasted less than a minute as Wade gave the Demon a quick lesson on the art of sword fighting. The final blow to the Demon’s midsection literally cut the creature in half.

  The Queen’s scream was ear piercing. She was still holding on to the crystal as she began another chant. Before she could say another word, I hit her with a pair of energy bolts. To my surprise, the bolts were absorbed by a protective shield the Queen had placed around herself. I changed my tactics and forged a force field, completely encircling the Queen. The fear in her eyes told the whole story as I began reducing the size of the force field. The Queen’s protective shield crumbled, leaving her frail body completely unprotected. My force field got smaller and smaller until suddenly, the Queen exploded into thick black smoke. When I dissolved the force field, the room was filled with the familiar stench of a dead Warlock.

  “Yuck,” Wade said, holding his nose to block the stench filling the room. “The Queen got what she deserved, but I didn’t expect her to explode.”

  “That’s because the Queen was a Warlock.”

  “I knew that. Don’t forget, I’m a Witch.”

  The stench was dissipating as I secured the crystal and we searched the Queen’s quarters. Wade was running his hands over a wall when he detected a force field. “There’s a force field covering this wall,” he said as he stepped back to focus his energy beam.

  “Be careful,” I shouted. “You don’t want to destroy what’s behind the wall. Use your energy beam as a laser to cut an opening.”

  Wade did as I asked and we entered a room that was downright chilly. The room was the equivalent of a wine cellar with shelves lined with wine bottles. “Those bottles were filled are blood,” I said.

  “I’ll wager the blood was taken from the victims who supposedly went to Haven. I wonder what happened to the bodies?”

  “Seeing as how we’re dealing with Demons, the bodies were probably devoured.”

  Wade frowned. “I’m sorry I asked.”

  As I had done in Castle Town, I doubled my height as I prepared to draw the energy from the Queen’s crystal. I focused my energy beam to a fine laser and began boring a small hole, making my way slowly toward the source of the crystals power. When I reached the power source, I drew the power into my energy beam and watched as the crystal turned to a dull green. I had to take a deep breath to clear my head.

  “I guess we should check out the rest of the fortress,” said Wade. “I’m sure it’s filled with Peace Makers.”

  We hadn’t gotten twenty feet down the corridor when we were confronted by four Peace Makers. Our energy bolts made short work of them, leaving their scattered remains all over the corridor walls.

  More Peace Makers from the arena area came rushing toward us. We opened fire as soon as they were in sight, stopping them in their tracks. The walls of the fortress were beginning to look like someone had smeared them with rotten meat. I knew Wade would have liked using his sword and battling the Peace Makers in mortal combat. He was a warrior at heart and it was easy to see why he had been chosen to be an Ivarr’s companion. He was loyal, honest and fearless.

  We searched all the rooms in the fortress before going down to the lower area. We descended down a long stairway and found two Peace Makers roasting meat and two more who were eating at a nearby table. I didn’t want their remains all over the room, so I focused my energy beam like a laser, cutting the two creatures in half before they could rise from the table. Wade attacked the other two creatures with his sword. I was amazed at how quickly Wade made short work of them.

  “Wouldn’t it have been easier to use your energy beam?” I asked.

  Wade grinned. “What’s the fun in that, besides, I needed the exercise?”

  It was then that I saw a human arm on the barbecue pit. “I guess we know what happened to Helena and Jozwa.” I saw a look of disappointment on Wade’s face. “It’s so sad,” he said.

  “It certainly is. These people didn’t deserve to die like this. Let’s check out the rest of the fortress before we decide what to do next.”

  We covered every inch of the fortress before we decided to fly back to town. Once we were back in town, we saw several Peace Makers still making the rounds. It was obvious that they weren’t aware that Queen Neela was dead. I explained my plan to Wade.

  “The first thing we’ll do is turn ourselves invisible. Then we’ll use our power of telekinesis to grab the Peace Makers and fly them out of town. Once we’re in a secluded area, we’ll simply destroy them.”

  Wade shrugged his shoulders. “It seems kind of cruel.”

  “What choice do we have? If we let then live, they’ll just terrorize the townspeople until there power begins to fade. Without the Queen to stop them, the townspeople will eventually end up on the barbecue pit for dinner.”

  “What about reversing the power of the crystal?”

  “When I probed the mind of a Peace Maker, I discovered that he was once an insane criminal. I think the town is better off without them.

  “Yeah, you’re right. Up, up and away.”

  “I was waiting for that.”

  We made ourselves invisible and flew out over the city. When we picked up the Peace Makers, we carried them off one by one to a deserted area in the countryside. Death by an energy bolt was an instant, painless death.

  “I take back what I said about killing the Piece Makers,” said Wade. “Death by energy bolts is a thousand times better than what they deserved. Those creatures loved to torture their victims before devouring them, so they’re getting off easy. I should have whittled them down to size with my sword, one body part at a time.”

  “Now you’re getting gruesome, Wade. You don’t really mean that.”

  Wade sighed. “I guess I’m just letting off steam.”

  “I think you are, too. You don’t have a mean bone in your entire body.”

  “Neither do you.”

  “Are you sure about?” I said as I morphed into Queen Neela. “Wanna see my fangs?”

  “Will you quit that? Jeez, you’re such a tease. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be married to someone like you.”

  “With my morphing skills, you could have a different woman every night. Doesn’t that appeal to you?” I thought Wade was going to explode.

  “No it doesn’t. No one can replace Janis French. And that’s the truth.”

  I was really moved by Wade’s last statement. He was so sweet, I felt myself melting on the spot. “Do you really mean that, Wade?”

  “Well, maybe you could do a Queen Neela once in a while, just to keep me from getting bored.”

  I stood with my hands on my hips. “Boy did I fall for that one. You know, Wade, you always get the better of me.”

  Wade placed his hands on my shoulders. “Wanna kiss and make up again?”

  I was laughing as I pushed Wade away. “I’ll save that for later. Our next priority is to destroy the fortress. Then we have to find a way to let the townspeople know that the Queen is no longer a threat. Let’s head back to the fortress. I have a hunch that a big tornado is heading our way.”

  * * *

  We positioned ourselves at the foot of the fortress. When Wade raised his hands toward the sky, the wind began blowing and the sky turned dark. The ground was shaking when suddenly a massive torn
ado appeared. The funnel was a good two hundred feet in diameter and it was heading straight for the fortress. Wade had taken complete control of the elements.

  The entire fortress was sucked into the tornado. When the tornado disappeared into the sky, all which remained of the once mighty fortress was a patch of barren land.

  “You were terrific, Wade. Your control over the elements is amazing.”

  “It seems to be getting easier and easier for me. What do we do now?”

  “Are you familiar with Pegasus?

  “You mean the mythological winged horse in Greek mythology?”

  “That’s the one. I’m going to morph into Queen Neela and talk to the townspeople. When I’m finished, I’ll give you the sign and you morph into Pegasus. I’ll climb on your back and we’ll fly out of the valley.”

  “That’s a pretty dramatic exit, but I like it. And I like the idea of using my new morphing skills. I hope I don’t morph into Elsie the cow.”

  I frowned. “That would not be a dramatic exit.”

  * * *

  Thousands of people had gathered near the platform at the foot of the hill. They had witnessed the destruction of the fortress and they were filled with both fear and curiosity. I knew they were waiting for their Queen.

  Wade and I turned invisible and made our way onto the platform. I morphed into Queen Neela and made myself visible.

  “Look it’s the Queen,” someone shouted.

  I raised my hands over my head and shouted “Quiet.” My voice was so powerful it sounded like thunder. There was an eerie silence before I spoke.

  “Citizens of Haven Town, the time has come for me to leave this valley. I have been called by a greater power because I am needed elsewhere. I am taking the Peace Makers with me, so you must learn to govern yourselves. My departure also means that no one will be called to Haven when they turn forty. If you can learn to love one another as brother and sister, Haven Town will flourish beyond your wildest dreams.”

  I turned sideways and gave Wade a nod. You could hear the gasps from the crowd as Pegasus; the beautiful white winged horse suddenly appeared beside me. I turned to Pegasus, slid up onto his back and rode sidesaddle, Pegasus flapped his wings and we raised high into the sky. We were about fifty yards off the ground when we suddenly turned invisible.

  “Fly me out to the edge of the valley and land.” I told Wade.

  “The Queen commands and I obey.”

  “Oh good, a horse that can talk. That’s really cool.”

  I found it quite thrilling to be riding the legendary horse from Greek mythology. Swooping up and down over the air currents reminded me of riding a merry-go-round. I guess I was still a little kid at heart.

  We landed on the ground and turned visible. I morphed back to Janis French and Wade morphed back to his human form. “You were a beautiful Pegasus,” I said. “You took my breath away.”

  “I’m glad you approve. Where do we go from here?”

  “We’ll keep heading west toward the next crystal. Let’s morph into Mists because it’s easier to travel that way.”

  * * *

  We’d gone about four hundred miles when we came to a large ocean. We landed on the water’s edge and morphed into human form. The soft breeze told me that this ocean was similar to the Pacific, unlike the cold waters of the Atlantic. I had to decide on a course of action. “The crystal is defiantly in the water,” I said.

  Wade looked troubled. “I can’t swim, Janis.”

  “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem. Our powers should allow us to hold our breath under water, indefinitely. If you think going under water is going to bother you, you can travel in Mist form and we communicate through telepathy. I think we’ll be capable of handling anything that comes our way.”

  Wade tried to look calm. “I’ve always had a fear of water, so please don’t be mad at me if I don’t look enthused.”

  “I like the fact that you’re man enough to admit it. If it becomes more than you can handle, I’ll find the crystal myself. Is that fair?”

  “That’s more than fair. Are we going to fly out there?”

  “My senses tell me the crystal is close, so let’s just swim out there.”

  Wade morphed into a Mist and we walked out into the water until it was up to my waist. I dove under the water and used my power to pick up speed. Wade was right beside me, slipping through the water in his Mist form. I sensed he was relaxed, so I knew the water wasn’t bothering him.

  We were less than a mile from shore when I felt the presence of the crystal below me. The depth was about three hundred feet, so we were still in shallow water. We dove to the bottom. The crystal was laying on the ocean floor in plain sight. It was about the size of a dinner plate and it was glowing.

  I was about to fetch the crystal when I sensed something swimming toward me. I turned to see a giant octopus heading toward us at a really fast speed. The creature was on the attack, so I surrounded it with a force field, rendering it motionless in the water.

  There were two possibilities. First, the sea creatures on this planet were really huge. Second, this octopus had reached its enormous size by extracting energy from the crystal. If the latter was true, it was probably returning to the crystal to renew its power.

  I dissolved the force field and hit the octopus with a green energy burst, testing it to see if I could reverse the effects of the crystals. It was like watching a disappearing act as the giant octopus was reduced to one third its size. It quickly swam away and I picked up the crystal.

  Way to go, Janis. Returning the octopus to its original size was a stroke of genius. I bet there are a lot more of those overgrown creatures swimming around these waters.

  That’s true, but they’ll eventually revert back to their original size without the crystal. I was glad I could change the big guy back to his original size without hurting him.

  You did the right thing.

  How are you holding up with this underwater thing?

  Pretty good, I’m beginning to feel like an invisible fish.

  Why don’t you morph back to your human form before we swim back to shore? I’m curious how you’ll handle your fear of the water.

  Wade did as I asked, so I picked up the crystal and we swam toward the beach. When we were out of water, Wade was beaming. “I guess you’re not afraid of the water anymore,” I said as I squeezed the excess water from my hair.

  “No, and I have you to thank for that. You’ve really been a positive influence on my life.”

  I was proud of Wade. He was a warrior, but he had a sweetness about him that was really unique.

  I doubled my height and went to work on the crystal, drawing the crystal’s energy into my energy beam. When I finished, it was time to set out in search of the next crystal

  CHAPTER 61

  We’d covered about three thousand miles and we were still flying over the ocean. When we reached the crystal, it was obvious that it was lying at the bottom of the ocean. I was amazed that I had the power to detect a crystal from such a vast distance.

  The water was four to five miles deep. I sensed that the extreme depth could affect my powers, so I discarded my Mist form and tripled my height.

  Wade morphed into his human form. “What’s going on? Why did you increase your height?”

  “The crystal is directly below us and the water is about five miles deep. I tripled my strength because the depth might be a problem. I want you to do the same thing.” Wade nodded his head and then did as I asked.

  “Okay, what’s next, Janis?”

  “You morph back into a Mist and we’ll both turn invisible. Are you ready for the plunge?”

  “No really, but I don’t have a choice. Let’s get this over with because I’m sick of water. I just want to get back to dry land and walk for a hundred miles.”

  We plunged into the water and began descending toward the ocean floor. We passed several schools of fish and a lot of oversized sharks. The sharks had massive jaws, far
larger than the sharks on Earth. The huge sharks may have been products of the power of the crystal.

  The water darkened because we were losing sunlight. I placed my energy beam on low and used it as a flood lamp. At a depth of three miles my flood light picked up the outline of a large whale that was at least a hundred and fifty feet long. He was not only larger than the blue whales on Earth; my senses told me that this whale had the attitude of an attack shark. I fired a low level energy blast in his direction and he quickly swam away. I became aware that Wade was nervous, even with his Mist protection.

  We were close to the ocean’s bottom when I saw the crystal, resting on a rocky plateau, a hundred feet in front of us. It was only about a foot in diameter, but it was extremely powerful. Swimming directly over the crystal was a huge creature that looked like a dragon.

  The winged creature fired a blast of hot air directly at my bright light. I fired an energy bolt with just enough power to stun the creature. I moved in quickly and picked up the crystal, safely tucking it away before Wade and I headed for the surface.

  We were thirty feet out of the water when I stopped and forged a stationary force field below our feet. This would provide me with a secure surface to stand on while I worked on the crystal. Wade looked like ghost when he assumed his human form.

  “You know, Janis if you treat all your dates like this, you’ll end up an old maid.”

  “Ah, come on, Wade that was fun.”

  “I have to say this, but you give a whole new meaning to the definition of Party Girl.”

  “Was it really that bad?”

  Wade dropped his frown. “It was pretty bad, but the next time it won’t bother me as much.”

  “That’s because you’re not afraid to face your fear. That’s what makes you a warrior.”

  “Flattery will get you everywhere.”

  I giggled and then I got down to the business of draining the power from the crystal. When I was finished, I dropped the dull looking crystal back into the ocean. My senses told me the next crystal was on the other side of the ocean.

  We flew for another two thousand miles and then we came upon a small island. The Sun was setting, so we decided to land. I caught a couple of small ocean fish and Wade built a fire on the beach. We found some trees with delicious fruit, so we had our own little Hawaiian luau.