The Changeling Princess

by Jackie Shirley

  The gladiator competition had been between Demons, but I still couldn’t get over how bloodthirsty the spectators were. If a Demon was on his back, the winning Demon always looked to the spectators for a sign. Similar to the ancient Roman games, thumbs up indicated life and thumbs down meant death. Just like clockwork, the spectators rose to their feet and gave the thumbs down sign. In the hours that passed, we never saw one gladiator that was spared by the spectators. The crystal had influenced the citizens of Vadraza to the point that they had no compassion left. I thought it was sad.

  There were several competitions pitting gladiators against fierce animals. The animals were strange looking because the crystal had altered them into Demon beasts. The gladiators were really at a disadvantage because all they had for defense was their swords and shields. If the combat was one on one, the Demon rarely won.

  We had been at the games for most of the day when the main event finally arrived. A gate at the far end of the arena opened and in walked Java, a twelve foot giant carrying a sword and shield. Judging from his body mass, I estimated his weight to be between six to seven hundred pounds.

  “This guy is a gross combination of mean and ugly,” said Wade. “I wonder what his parents looked like.”

  “Only you would come up with a question like that.”

  Java walked to the center of the arena and faced the royal box. He raised his sword over his head and roared. “I challenge Nardo to a fight to the death. If I win, I will be rewarded with all the gold ohms that I can carry.”

  “Java has no chance of winning,” I told Wade. “Nardo has absorbed so much power from the crystal that he’s ten times stronger than Java.”

  I watched as Nardo jumped into the arena. The chant from the crowd was so loud that it could be heard ten miles away. “Nardo, Nardo, Nardo, Nardo.”

  Nardo increased his size to twelve feet tall before picking up his sword and shield. He was now as tall as Java and just as heavy.

  Both fighters were extremely cautious as they circled each other. Java made the first offensive move, but was caught off guard and knocked to his knees. Java was quickly on his feet and went on offense again. Java used his sword and made a slicing motion across Nardo’s stomach. Nardo’s stomach turned dark green and there wasn’t even a scratch on his skin.

  “Nardo has absorbed the power of the crystal to protect his body,” said Wade. “Java can’t compete against that.”

  Java was by far the superior fighter, but he had no chance of winning because he couldn’t hurt Nardo. We were ten minutes into the match and Java was so tired that he was barely able to defend himself. When Java was on his knees and completely helpless, Nardo raised his arms over his head and growled like a wild animal. The growl sent a chill through every spectator seated in the coliseum.

  It was a chilling sight to watch as Nardo morphed into a hideous monster. His upper body was covered with scales and he had the head of a lizard with flaming green eyes and long sharp teeth. The spectators were cheering as Nardo opened his massive jaws and tore Java’s head from his body. I thought the whole scene was disgusting, but the spectators were captivated by the violence.

  Nardo then proceeded to tear the flesh from Java’s quivering body, devouring him like an afternoon snack. Wade and I were speechless, but the spectators cheered until there was nothing left of Java but his bones.

  “That was sickening,” said Wade. “I think I’m going to skip dinner tonight.”

  “The siblings are insane by our standards, so we need to be careful. We’ll have a better idea of what to expect after we discover the limits of the siblings’ power. Are you sure you’re not hungry.”

  Wade paused. “I could probably eat some fruit.”

  “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

  CHAPTER 74

  We started out with a simple game plan. We’d familiarize ourselves with the city and talk to the local citizens. We quickly found out that everyone was a big fan of Subaza and Nardo, but I suspected their devotion was based on fear. If anyone spoke out against the royal couple, they ended up in the arena facing a certain death. Life had very little value in the Kingdom of Vadraza.

  The palace that the siblings lived in was quite a sight. It was a typical Roman estate, about a city block in size and was surrounded by splendid trees and shrubbery. For a personal touch, there were several beautiful statutes of Subaza and Nardo on the property.

  “The siblings are in love with themselves,” I said laughingly to Wade.

  “Yeah, it wouldn’t surprise me if they’re lovers. They are two really sick people.”

  “You have to admit that the Queen is a beautiful woman.”

  “So was Neela, the Witch of Haven Town. There is a saying that ‘beauty is only skin deep.’ That applies in spades to the Queen. If she revealed her true appearance, I bet she’d make the Wicked Witch of the East look like a beautify Queen.”

  I flinched. “That’s not something I’d want to see.”

  Wade and I were talking to a local merchant when we discovered that the Queen held an audience with her subjects once a month in the royal palace. “Are there any restriction?” I asked.

  “Only that a visitor is required to bring a gift,” said the merchant. “The more expensive the gift, the more influence you have with the Queen and her brother. I should also mention that the Queen likes to be entertained.”

  “When’s the next audience?” I asked.

  “Tomorrow at noon,” replied the merchant.

  “This is the perfect opportunity for two strangers to enter the palace,” I told Wade after we left the merchants establishment.

  “I think we should pass ourselves off as traveling magicians.”

  “Good thinking, Wade. It might be fun to use our skills out in the open.”

  “What about a gift?”

  I thought for a moment. “How about a pair of capes made from a force field? I think they’d be impressed with a fabric that’s indestructible.”

  “I like that idea, but I wouldn’t make them completely indestructible. You don’t want to give away too much of your power.”

  “Your right, I didn’t think of that. I’ll play it safe and keep my energy beam on low when I make the capes. ”

  “And I’ll come up with some neat tricks to show off our powers.”

  “That shouldn’t be difficult for you. I’ll try to come up with a couple of fancy capes for us to wear. Impressive capes will give our act a little class.”

  “Are you going as the Changeling Princess?”

  “Yes, my toga will fit right in and I want my Ivarr skills to be at full power. There’s no telling what we’re going to run into.”

  Wade looked eager. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

  * * *

  We should have gotten to the palace earlier because the line was a block long. The line actually moved fairly fast because the Queen didn’t have an ounce of patience. As we had been warned, if the Queen is not impressed with your gift, the palace guards grab you by the seat of your pants and quickly boot you out the door. In some of the old movies I’d seen, it’s called “The Bums Rush.”

  We waited in line for two hours. When we were finally admitted, our first glimpse of the inside of the palace was breathtaking. Everything was made of glistening white marvel and the floors were clean enough to eat off. When we finally made our way to the throne room, it was like walking into the past. My imagination was working overtime as I envisioned a Roman Emperor sitting on the throne.

  Subaza and Nardo were elevated in matching gold thrones. Sitting beside each throne was a live creature that resembled a lion. The hand-picked palace guards were decorated in gold armor. The gold armor wasn’t practical for battle, but it was extremely effective for show. The palace guards stood side-by-side all the way from the front entrance to the throne room.

  Lying directly behind the two thrones was the biggest crystal I’d ever seen. I estimated that it was a hundred feet long and ten feet thick
.

  “That’s a really big crystal,” said Wade.

  “There’s no doubt that this is the mother lode that landed on this planet. The size of the crystal may have something to do with the open ceiling.”

  Wade looked up at the open sky. “Maybe they built the throne room around the crystal when they built the palace.”

  “I guess it’s possible. Can you feel the crystal’s power?” I asked.

  “Yes, it’s awesome.”

  When we finally made our way to the front of the line, Wade stepped forward and made his pitch. “Oh great Queen, we are humbled to be in your presence. I am Waylon the Magician and this is my wife Janika.” The Queen interrupted Wade.

  “What is your gift?”

  Wade stepped forward and held out one of the transparent capes.

  “I can barely see it,” said the Queen.

  “What is your favorite color?” Wade asked.

  The Queen paused. “Purple.”

  Wade tossed the cape up into the air and used his heat beam, turning the cape purple before it floated back into his arms.

  “Oh, I like that trick,” said the Queen. “But what good is a cape? I have many capes.”

  “This cap is indestructible,” said Wade. “It is stronger than battle armor.”

  “That flimsy thing, I don’t believe it.” The Queen rose from her throne and commanded one of her palace guards to destroy the cape with his knife.

  The palace guard became frustrated after several minutes of thrashing the cape. “My knife is not sharp enough,” said the guard.

  “Hold the cape out in full view,” commanded the Queen.

  The palace guard held the cape off to one side as Queen Subaza fired an energy bolt at it. The palace guard approached the Queen and handed her the cap for examination. She smiled when she examined the cape and saw that it was only slightly singed.

  “This is indeed a powerful cape. I could destroy it with more power, but it is too beautiful. I accept your gift.

  “What do you have for me?” Nardo asked as he rose from his throne.

  “We have an indestructible cape for you too, Lord Nardo,” I said as I stepped forward. “What color does your heart desire?”

  “I like red. Red is my favorite color.”

  I spread the cape out and used my heat beam to paint it a bright red. Then I placed the cape around Nardo’s neck and secured it.

  “You look very handsome, Nardo,” I said with my sexiest smile.

  Nardo rushed to an exquisite full length mirror behind the throne. “Yes I do, I do look handsome. I accept your gift. If you are magicians, what kind of tricks can you do?”

  Wade covered my body with a veil. I turned into an invisible Mist and Wade let the veil drop to the ground.

  “I love disappearing acts,” said Queen Subaza. “Can you make your wife appear in another form?”

  “Your wish is my command, great Queen.”

  Wade stretched his cape out onto the floor. Suddenly a form began to take shape under his cape. What I had done was morph into the likeness of one of the large cats seated next to the siblings.

  “Look at that,” yelled Queen Subaza. “Janika has morphed into a Zionoid.” The Queen rose to her feet and clapped.

  One of the Zionoids was growling at me as it rose and came toward me. I doubled my size and watched the Zionoid back up in fear.

  “This is marvelous,” said Nardo. “Janika is indeed a great Magician. I vote for an extended stay.”

  The Queen rose to her feet again. “Waylon and Janika will be our guests for the next three days. Show them to their quarters.”

  “It looks like we’re in,” Wade whispered as we were led out of the throne room.

  “That’s true, but we are going to have to be very careful.”

  “By the way, did you pick up on Nardo’s roving eyes? It’s obvious that he’s attracted to you. I’m sure he’s never seen anyone as beautiful as the Changeling Princess.”

  “I think you’re exaggerating, but Nardo thinks he’s a ladies’ man and we may be able to use that to our advantage. We need to gather as much information as possible before taking on the Queen and her brother.”

  “I understand your logic, but I wouldn’t want to be in Nardo’s shoes if the Changeling Princess is as mischievous as Janis Johnson.”

  I acted insulted. “Honestly, Wade, the Changeling Princess isn’t that kind of girl.”

  CHAPTER 75

  We were shown to a beautiful room near the rear of the palace. Dinner would be served when the Sun sets in the Western sky. I thought it was going to be a very interesting evening.

  I spent the next two hours designing clothes. I decided I wanted the Changeling Princess to look as sexy as possible to attract Nardo’s attention. I wanted my clothes to be revealing enough to interest Nardo, but tasteful enough pass Subaza’s scrutiny.

  I finally decided on multi colored veils that showed just enough of my figure to temp a man’s imagination. When I finished, I did a quick twirl in front of Wade.

  “Do you like it, Wade? Do you think I’ll catch Nardo’s attention?”

  Wade looked at me and grinned. “You know, Janis, I thought your toga was sexy, but you’ve outdone yourself. You’ll be lucky if the palace guards don’t drag you away for their own pleasure.”

  “You forget that Demons are gender neutral, but I’ll still take that as a complement.”

  “If you want to do a test, use me for a guinea pig and I’ll see how long I can hold out before I submit to your demands.”

  I walked over to Wade and put my arms around his neck. I ran my tongue over his neck and nibbled gently on his ear.

  “I can’t resist you Wade, your body reeks of virility and it’s enough to drive a women wild.” I teased Wade until he pushed me away.

  “I should have known you’d do something like that after I made that stupid remark.”

  We stared at each other until we laughed. Being around Wade was never boring and I loved him for it.

  The dining room wasn’t nearly as crowded as I thought it would be. With the exception of Queen Subaza and Nardo, there was only one other couple besides Wade and myself.

  Sitting directly across from us were Benzer and Carla, an extremely good-looking husband and wife dance team. Benzer was extremely tall and had the body of a gymnast. When I listened in on Queen Subaza’s thoughts, I discovered that she was planning on having Benzer for dessert later in the evening.

  Benzer and Carla started the evening’s entertainment. They were captivating as they danced around the beautiful marvel floor. The dancing, which was part acrobatics, did an excellent job of showing off the beautiful bodies of both dancers. When Benzer flexed his muscles, I could hear the Queen’s breath quicken. Queen Subaza was ten thousand years old, so she gave a whole new meaning to the definition ‘horny old broad.’

  Wade and I were to perform our magic tricks next. Wade waved his magic wand and I turned into a Mist. I floated around the room until I was directly above Nardo. When I materialized, I was sitting on Nardo’s lap with my arms around his neck. I laughed out loud and jumped to my feet.

  “I like that trick,” said Nardo. “Can you change into a naked Bazra?”

  I wasn’t sure what a Bazra was and I wasn’t about to ask. “I don’t do naked in public,” I said with a giggle and a charming smile.

  We finished up by doing some morphing tricks and returned to the dinner table. The Queen clapped her hands and the servants served dinner.

  The table was loaded with enough food to stuff an army. I liked the roast beef, but Wade couldn’t get enough of the barbecued dragon breasts. It became instantly apparent that everyone at the table liked to eat.

  There was a lot of conversation and a lot of laughter at the dinner table. When we were finished with the meal, I sensed a heat beam directed at Carla’s forehead. When Carla complained of a headache, I knew immediately that the Queen was separating Carla from her husband.

  “You stay h
ere and enjoy yourself,” Carla said to her husband. “I’m going to my room and lie down for a little while.”

  I was positive that Carla would be in her room for the rest of the evening. Benzer didn’t know it yet, but he was about to be consumed by the Queen, who had the morals of a black widow. I had no idea if Benzer and Carla would leave the palace alive.

  Right on cue, Wade complained of indigestion and asked to be excused from the table.

  “Of course,” said Nardo. “I will give Janika a personal tour of the palace.”

  Wade left the dining room and Nardo offered me his open hand. “Shall we begin the tour? I think you will find it quite interesting.”

  Nardo led me down a hallway until we came to a large steel door with two metal rings. He opened the door and we stepped inside. I lost my breath for an instant when I saw an enormous room filled with gold ohms. Mixed in with the coins were precious jewels and pieces of gold art work. Super rich didn’t even come close to describing the wealth of the siblings.

  “Shades of Scrooge McDuck,” I muttered.

  “Who’s Scrooge McDuck?” Nardo asked.

  I giggled. “Scrooge McDuck was a fictional character in the village I grew up in. He was so rich he couldn’t count all of his money. I used to pretend I was going to be rich someday.”

  Nardo put his arm around my waist. “Janika, you can have all the wealth you desire. All I’m looking for is a little affection.”

  Nardo tried to kiss me, but I pushed him away. “I’m a married woman,” I said.

  Nardo looked surprised and then he turned angry. “So what, I’ve been married to hundreds of women. If it pleases me, I could have you dragged to my quarters and force you to submit to me. No one denies me my pleasures.”

  I surprised Nardo by pushing him backwards. “Let’s get something straight, Nardo. I’m not a helpless maiden who can be pushed around. My bite is worse than my bark and I’m not afraid of you. I have immense powers and I’m not afraid to use them.”