Beyond the Stars- Awakened

by Angela Morales

  Present: Inanna Sleeps

  R ia had abandoned the cave where Meretseger, Salixz, Zech, and Inanna remained. Inanna remained unconscious and barely breathing after being injected by Ria with some sort of numbing concoction that left her in a comatose state. The cave was quiet and somber as Zech, Salixz, and Meretseger remained by Ina’s side. They could only hope for the best, but with each waking moment, Ina seemed to weaken.

  “The medicine isn’t working, Meretseger,” Zech cried desperately.

  “Be patient, Zech,” Meretseger tried reassuring him.

  “How much more patient do you want me to be? We’re going to lose her!” he yelled angrily.

  “Brother, Meretseger is doing everything she can,” Salixz added empathetically.

  Zech tried to calm himself. He sat by Inanna’s bedside and took her hand in his.

  “Please Ina, I need you to wake up; awaken my love,” he whispered.

  Ina’s eyes seemed to dance underneath her eyelids, but she remained unresponsive. Zech, holding back his tears, pressed his lips to hers, willing his touch to magically make her wake. Opening his eyes and giving into the reality before him, he nuzzled his face into Ina’s neck, and let the tears fall from his eyes.

  Past: Pipa’s Last Breaths

  “H old my hand,” said the beautiful stranger that entered the hospice room.

  Pipa looked up at the beautiful angel; it was time. Inanna and her family had stayed by Pipa’s side the entire week, knowing that she would soon be gone forever.

  Inanna caught the distant look in Pipa’s glassy eyes.

  “Pipa?” she cried.

  Inanna knew it was time, even though Pipa had not responded to her all week.

  Pipa wondered if anyone else could see the glory of the beautiful beings that came to collect her spirit to eternity. After a week of agony, they were finally here for her. But now, in her last breath, she had questions. Questions she couldn’t verbalize. Pipa was worried for Inanna’s safety. Something deep down in the pit of her soul made her worry for Ina. Would Pipa finally know the truth about her beloved granddaughter and where she came from? Pipa knew Ina was different from the moment she had met her. Her intuition made her believe there was something out of this world that was close to Inanna – something people would never understand. She remembered the times she’d encountered those glowing creatures in Arizona.

  Maybe now she’d finally know the truth.

  Maybe they were angels?

  Pipa kept it a secret for many years, but now, in her last moments she felt clarity. The powerful being before her smiled at her kindly – it was an angel for sure – reassuring her that Inanna would be okay. The angelic being was beautiful. She had long, golden ringlets, and was accompanied by another angel, with smooth, dark brown skin, and short, curly hair. Another walked in, and another, and another; all with different skin color, hair, and various colored eyes. Some had wings; others did not. One thing was for certain – these were not beings of Earth.

  “Come with us,” said the celestial woman.

  Pipa’s body took its last breath, as her spirit rose out of her physical body, and followed the angels. She looked back one last time, and smiled at Inanna and her daughter, Marjorie.

  “When will I see them again?” Pipa asked.

  “When it is their time,” one answered with a reassuring smile.

  “Will Inanna be okay?”

  They nodded reassuringly.

  “Tell me please, I need to know. Why is Inanna so different?”

  The angels looked at each other, hesitant to answer.

  “I know she’s different. I’ve seen things, lights, visitors; they couldn’t have been from this Earth.”

  The angels glanced at each other once more, as if they’d come to an agreement.

  “She is from the same universe all beings are connected in. The universe is full of life.”

  Pipa watched them, as if wanting to know more.

  “Inanna’s mother is a human, and her father was from a planet named Cova,” a male angel answered with a heartwarming smile.

  Pipa looked back at Ina, astonished and yet relieved to know the truth.

  “Please look after her,” Pipa begged.

  “She will find her own way,” said one of the angels. “We all do...”

  Ina held Pipa’s lifeless body in her arms and wept; unaware of the spiritual experience that was taking place.

  “I love you, Pipa,” she said.

  Suddenly, a thousand glowing butterflies fluttered in through the door and covered Pipa’s body. In an instant, they flew out the window and vanished in the air. Everyone in the room was mesmerized by the beautiful sight.

  Present: Ria and the Trolls

  I t was a damp and eerie night; it had already been days since Ria had furiously injected Ina and abandoned Meretseger’s cave. Ria tried to tell them, but they just wouldn’t listen. Everything had changed, and she was no longer working on anyone else’s terms. Ria contemplated her plan over and over in her mind, hiding away alone to think before she made her final decision. Her plan was now set! Once again, she felt all alone in the world. She had entered the world alone, and practically lived most of her life feeling abandoned. If she had to die in solitude too, then so be it. If it was the last thing she did, Ria was determined to get vengeance for all the injustice she had known.

  Ria made her way through the thick woods. Injecting Ina and leaving everyone behind in the cave without an explanation was sending a clear message that she had turned against her friends. She even hid Meretseger’s cane, which meant Ina would be in a trance until the cane was present. Meretseger’s cane was vital to her being able to cast or break spells successfully. Ria covered all her tracks and bases, and she knew the dangers. If she wanted to eventually use Inanna’s powers, she needed to act quickly. Leaving Ina in the tranced state for too long could eventually kill her. Ria knew now wasn’t the time to kill Ina. In fact, Ria had no intention of killing Inanna in the first place, nor did she want to seal Cova’s fate by allowing their only hope to die. Ria wanted the cure for Cova, but she was tired of following orders given by those who were blinded by their own agendas. She was willing to make a sacrifice for the greater good.

  Owls and creatures of the night sang their song – two moons hung low and bright in the sky. Ria finally arrived at a cave that had a large wooden door. She reached for the knocker and tapped twice. A massive, hairy troll peered his angry eyes and gnarled nose through a sliding peephole in the door.

  “I need a place to stay for the night,” Ria said tartly.

  He opened the door to the musty cave that was full of hungry trolls.

  “Well, well, well, if it isn’t Ria herself - my ungrateful daughter. It has been quite some time,” said the seven-foot ogre. He was clearly the alpha male of the pack.

  “I’ll never be your daughter, Febus,” she said coldly. “I’ve brought food, and I know your entourage is starving.”

  She waved the dead deerlike creature as if teasing the hungry trolls, then tossed the freshly hunted game into the cave. The pack rushed like hungry wolves to devour the meat, barking and drooling like angry hyenas.

  “Come in,” said Febus with a sinister smile. “What brings you here, child?”

  “I’ve come to stay for a few days. I need to remain unnoticed.”

  “Aren’t your orders to report straight to King Kah? You haven’t angered him, have you? I wouldn’t want you bringing problems to our land,” he announced condescendingly. “We’ve got enough bad blood with both nations, and you are no longer my property.”

  “I will report to Kah when the time is right. I only need a place to stay, for now. I’ll keep you fed with the best game while I’m here. I’m the best hunter you know, and by the looks of it, it’s obvious your trolls are starving,” she persuaded.

  Febus brought his dirty hand to Ria’s face, and moved a curl away from her eyes. Ria glared resentfully and turned her face.

  “Do
n’t touch me, Febus. You reek of sewage; if you touch me again, I may just have to kill you and feed you to your hungry pack.”

  Febus smirked and chuckled. “Always feisty you were.”

  Ria scoffed, “I’m no longer the helpless little orphan girl you could control and toss around.” She walked past Febus to get the attention of the trolls who were done feasting on the carcass.

  “Haw!” she yelled.

  “Haw – haw!” the trolls responded, and gave their attention to Ria. It was evident they were grateful for their meal and wanted more.

  “If you want to be well fed for a while, pay attention,” she spoke authoritatively. “I need your help.”

  The trolls began laughing and snickering to one another.

  “How many years have you been banished as outcasts?” she called over their snickers. “Do you want the Euron nation to rule your lives forever – or do you want to be free to roam Cova as you please?”

  The trolls listened attentively. “You know Kah will back you up, if you show him you're worthy. I have a proposal that will make you the most respected creatures in all of Kahnroch. I need you to help me do something no one yet has been able to do,” she paused, moving her eyes from troll to troll, creating the anticipation. “I need you to help me get into Euron’s Palace walls.”

  The room was silent for a moment, when suddenly the trolls burst out into laughter, and began rolling on the floor uncontrollably. “That’s impossible,” mocked one of them.

  Ria’s eyes flickered with fury as she took out a small dart gun and instantly shot three of the rolling trolls unconscious. With perfect precision, a small knife shot from her hand, pinning a troll to the wall by his ponytail. The others gulped and shut up.

  “Let her speak. If it is true that Ria can free our tribe from over a thousand years of banishment, we should listen.” Febus paused. “To ask such a high favor of us should be a compliment, is it not?” He glanced around the room as the trolls nodded anxiously.

  “And of course, to ask such a high favor means we should negotiate a high price, do you not agree?” he looked around at the concurring trolls.

  “There is no reward. Except your freedom,” Ria said coldly.

  “We won’t be free while the Euron’s exist!” he growled.

  “Then I guess we’ll have to kill them, won’t we?” Ria responded calmly and evenly.

  “Ahhhh… that’s more like it,” Febus grumbled anxiously awaiting the plan.

  “When the time is right of course,” she interrupted. “You must follow my lead.”

  “Ria, my esteemed daughter,” he paused while the other trolls giggled at his sarcasm. “If you can free our tribe – we – will follow you anywhere,” he bowed.

  “You must promise to follow my instructions very carefully. You must not stray from the plan. I need to be able to trust you, Febus,” she pressed.

  “You have my attention,” he said.

  “I need your word.” She waited for his answer

  “Tell me more and then I’ll decide,” he negotiated with an evil smirk.

  “I know where the lost child is,” Ria blurted out.

  Gasps filled the room and Febus’s demeanor changed.

  He motioned for the other trolls to be silent and the room became still. He motioned with his hand for Ria to carry on, and evil entered his eyes.

  “Exactly what you heard...and that is exactly why I’m here,” Ria said.

  “How do I know you’re not lying? You’ve abandoned us before.” said Febus.

  “You don’t.” she said assertively. “But I have the stone that belonged to the lost princess, Inanna.”

  More gasps and snickers filled the room.

  Febus roared into guffaws in disbelief.

  Ria pulled out the stone which shone brightly in colors foreign to the human eye. Febus went silent. His eyes were wide as headlights, as he drooled over the precious stone.

  Ria quickly put it away. “No one touches the stone.”

  Febus was curious. “And the lost child? You say you know where she is? Does Kah know? He will kill us all for treason if we don’t tell him about this.”

  “Kah will know soon enough, but before I tell you more, I need your word.”

  “You have my promise,” Febus nodded.

  “I need to get into the palace, and I can’t fight the guards alone. We will not slay anyone – only put them in a deep sleep. I don’t want to give them more reason to come after us once we’ve left.”

  “Well, that’s no fun,” he said disappointedly.

  “I need your word, Febus,” she said.

  “All right,” he paused. “Let’s say your plan works. What next? There must be something you want…”

  “What I want is to save Cova, before anyone else catches wind of where Inanna is. If anything happens to her, we all die. When that is done, you can take her to Kah yourself. I could care less what happens to Inanna after she’s served her purpose.”

  Febus smiled sinisterly.

  “We must infiltrate the palace walls and get to Princess Nefertiti. Without the stones, there is no cure for our planet. The prophecy is very clear that all stones are needed. We need to be careful that King Heron does not see us. We want to get in and out as quickly as possible.”

  “And where is Princess Inanna now?”

  “Help me get into Euron and then I will show you to her.”

  Febus laughed incredulously.

  “Princess Inanna is in a deep sleep – a spell only one person can save her from,” Ria said.

  “How do you know all this, and how do you expect us to succeed in your plan?” Febus asked suspiciously.

  “I brought Inanna into Cova and cast a sleeping spell - one not even a witch can break. I was raised by manipulative, brainwashing, wild trolls, remember? You can’t possibly doubt my abilities that much, Febus - for you yourself used my gifts to your benefit for many years. Now it’s my turn to use what I know, to finally get what we’ve all really wanted.” She smirked at her own condescending pun with raised eyebrow.

  “And what would that be?” he asked.

  “Freedom,” said Ria.

  “Power!” Febus yelled angrily.

  “Isn’t it the same thing?” Ria retorted haughtily.

  “You know that Cova will perish for good if we don’t do something. Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted, Febus? To be honored by Kah and yet to live freely as you please? At least now you have a chance to have both - by saving your planet, and by earning Kah’s respect.”

  Febus thought for a moment and took in a deep breath.

  “How can you cast spells - you must have had help from a witch? Everyone knows you can’t break a spell without a witch.”

  “You’re right, Febus - but that’s only if you can’t outwit a witch. And one thing I’ve learned, probably more for my own amusement and pleasure, is that outwitting souls who can’t see beyond their emotions is not a difficult feat. You see, like me as a child, Meretseger has been blinded by her emotions - the woman has become senile and irrational. But of course, I wouldn’t dare cast a spell that only I could break - then I wouldn’t need you,” she said as she ran her finger down his arm. “I’m doing you a favor - you help me and the spell will set you free. So, I cast a spell that only your blood can break…”

  Febus swallowed hard.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll only need a drop,” Ria smirked sinisterly as she whispered the words into Febus’ ear then walked away and stood on a table.

  “Carry on,” he said and regained his composure.

  “Once we arrive in Euron, you must wait for my lead. When I make it to Nefertiti, I’ll make her believe your tribe was holding me hostage and that I escaped. I’ll show her the stone; she’ll follow me to Inanna, and there we will capture both princesses and take them to Kah immediately.”

  Febus pondered. “You better not disappoint me, Ria.”

  Ria stood there stoically.

  “Well, are you in or
not?” she asked impatiently.

  Febus hesitated a moment.

  “Well, what do you think my friends?!” he hollered.

  The other trolls all hawed in delight.

  “Just imagine the power you would have if you brought both princesses to King Kah,” Ria said persuasively.

  The sinister smirks and laughs began to echo in the room.

  “You would be saving our planet from the Core Disease, and you’d be free from banishment,” she whispered in delight. “All of Cova is dying – they need you! If you save our planet from the Core Diseases, everyone will worship you. And with Kah’s support, you will be invincible!!!”

  ”Haw! Haw!” they all called.

  “Retreat to your quarters!” Febus yelled suddenly. “I need to be alone with my daughter.”

  Ria hated being called Febus’s daughter, but she knew now wasn’t the time to argue that. Despite how evil Febus was and how horribly he treated her, he was the only father she’d ever known. Besides, he would never dare hurt her now. When Ria had first escaped Febus’s control at almost ten years old, he probably would have killed her.

  Years later, she encountered him again in the woods. Febus saw that Kah had taken Ria into his military control, and that his most trusted men, Salixz and Zech, were protecting Ria at all times. Febus was no match for Kah. As long as Febus knew that Ria belonged to Kah, he had no interest in harming her.

  Febus walked over to the fire that illuminated the cave.

  “The Core Disease has killed your mother. She didn’t know what to look for - we were all starving - it was inevitable. On her way back from picking Picalow Shrooms, she ate one that had been infected. She never made it back home.”

  Ria was taken back for a moment. Of all the trolls, Shakrah was the one that had treated her the kindest. Most trolls were taught to be greedy and conniving creatures. Like all species, some chose good, and Shakrah was a special soul. Cova’s core was dying, and diseases were spreading in the roots of plants. Shakrah must have mistakenly eaten the shroom, but for a second, Ria wasn’t so sure. Febus had been abusive for so many years - it may have been Shakrah’s only escape. For a moment Ria became enraged with Febus, but she hid her emotions through gritted teeth. Now was not the time. She focused on the Core Disease and what she needed to do. The only thing that could cure the Core Disease was the power of the stones and the princesses’ powers. Only if Inanna could learn her true powers, could she effectively use the stone. Only then would she be able to cure the core of Cova, by placing her power into the core of the planet, for the roots to heal and restore themselves.