Beyond the Stars- Awakened

by Angela Morales

  Lacey continued to interrupt, “But, but, that’s typical many times of compulsive liars in cases like this – we see it time and time again. How can we believe what this man is saying, if he wasn’t honest about his whereabouts to his own mother? The evidence is clear, and I’ll be happy to speak to Keith’s defense attorney once he’s been taken in as a main suspect. I’m sure that’s the direction this is heading.”

  “We can’t say yet who the main suspect is, or if Keith Merritt is in fact going to be considered a suspect in this case.”

  “Well we’re running out of time. Thank you for being on tonight. Once again, we want to know what our viewers think of this case. Leave a message on our news page. Stay tuned - I’ll see you after this short break.”

  Keith sat in disbelief as he turned off the television. He couldn’t bear watching the news anymore.

  Past: Meretseger Meets with Heron

  M eretseger had tried for so long to convince Heron to meet with her. After multiple attempts, he agreed to meet with her in secrecy, along with ENSA. There was also another witch present, in case anything went south and they needed to rely on sorcery.

  “Meretseger, it’s been a while,” Heron said suspiciously.

  “Your Highness, I come in desperation. A vision keeps me up at night, and I fear we are running out of time. I am here to plead with you - Kah has found the daughters of Atum. I know this to be true. Our planet is going to die of the Core Disease without the help of the princesses. It’s up to us to do something.”

  Heron examined Meretseger for a moment.

  “Meretseger, while I admire your gift for visions, and I know many that have proven to be true, you can understand why our nation would not be inclined to trust you. We are already aware that the princesses have been found, but Kah is unwilling to relinquish either one of them to our kingdom. We cannot risk -”

  “Heron, you must listen,” Meretseger interrupted. “I have been banished for centuries and accepted my fate, but in this case, we are all in danger if we don’t do something.”

  The other witch was quiet, but she was watching Meretseger’s every move and listening to every word.

  “She tells the truth,” the witch confirmed.

  Heron and his guards looked at each other uncomfortably.

  “Well, it seems we can trust your word this time, Meretseger,” said Heron. “Do you have a plan?”

  “We have no choice but to capture the princesses and place them in squanters.”

  “That’s impossible!” Heron yelped.

  “Nothing is impossible,” said Meretseger.

  “She speaks truth, again,” confirmed the other witch.

  Present: Jeneka the Witch

  J eneka was Meretseger’s sister. She lived in solitude and confinement by choice, and avoided any interaction with beings unless absolutely necessary. One day, as she sat looking over the mountain, she noticed Meretseger approaching. Not excited nor bothered, she stood to greet her.

  “Sister, what brings you here?” she asked.

  “Jeneka, I need your help.”

  “Speak no more. I have heard, in the distance, that a war is coming. There’s nothing you can do to stop it.”

  “Your ears may hear, but my visions see far. Even if war comes, we have a chance at winning.”

  “That’s not my problem,” Jeneka said coldly. “And the goodness in your heart wouldn’t let you hurt a soul. Therefore, without the heart of a dead soul, I cannot help you.”

  “Jeneka, for once would you step out of the dark side and help your sister! Help all Cova!”

  “I have no desire to help Cova. When I needed Cova, everyone turned their back on me. I live a peaceful life, in solitude. I desire nothing more. If it’s Cova’s time to decease, then so be it.”

  “You can’t possibly mean that?”

  “I do,” Jeneka said ever so simply.

  “You’re a bitter witch. I too have known banishment and it hurts, but in the end, we are all one in this universe. It’s our job to protect it.”

  “Nothing we do will change the destiny of our planet,” said Jeneka.

  “That’s not true!”

  “Leave,” said Jeneka.

  “Jeneka - please,” Meretseger pleaded.

  Jeneka simply stood and turned to her cave, slamming the door behind her.

  “Jeneka!” Meretseger called out.

  Jeneka did not answer.

  Past: Heron Sends a Message

  I t was early morning, and the Kingdom of Kahnroch was damp and eerie with fog. Kah overlooked the kingdom from his balcony, as he shooed off naked servant women who still lingered in his bedroom.

  One of the servants rushed over to him.

  “Your highness, the Court Master requests to speak to you.”

  King Kah turned toward the door.

  “Tell him to meet me in the Eastern Quarter.”

  Kah knew his last encounter with Heron had been tense, and it was only a matter of time before war might break out. He was already ready to fight, but he also knew that the Euron Nation held two very powerful weapons that could ultimately destroy the planet if they wanted to. He needed to be careful. As he approached the Eastern Quarter, he took a deep breath and made sure to look confident.

  “Good morning, Court Master. What word to you bring me?”

  The Court Master handled all of the incoming news. Often times King Kah and King Heron would send their Court Masters to the border of the lands to exchange messages.

  “King Heron has threatened war, your Highness. He’s given an ultimatum to release the princesses.”

  “I was banished from Euron, remember? Why would I give them my princesses,” Kah seethed through his teeth. “I saved them! They will stay in Kahnroch, understood!?”

  “Yes, master.”

  “The nerve of Heron,” seethed Kah.

  King Kah thought for a moment. He would have to find a way to get rid of Heron, too; he was becoming a nuisance. However, he didn’t want to anger the people of Euron to the point of war. Not yet. He needed to think strategically before he made a move.

  “Is this all?”

  “King Heron says they will grant us amnesty. He states, you need not return to Euron, but you may live in peace wherever you please knowing our nation will not retaliate against you. The people will pardon you if you give us the princesses.”

  The Court Master paused nervously and cleared his throat. “We would also like to know where Atum’s body was buried.”

  “Oh, how tempting it is to take them up on their offer. Even offering to lie to his people for me…how noble,” Kah smiled sarcastically and glared into the Court Master’s eyes, making his knees weak. “You can relay the following message; I am not seeking your people’s pardon. I won’t sleep until I rule all of Cova.”

  “Your Highness, with all due respect, you are declaring war against the nation of Euron if you follow through with this.”

  “So be it,” said Kah.

  “Yes, Master.”

  Present: Liam

  “I need a passport; new name, new identity. I need to get out of here, now.”

  Liam spoke quickly into the payphone that was tucked away on the European street. The mystery person on the other end agreed to Liam’s request without question.

  “Thank you, I owe you.”

  He hung up.

  Past: ENSA & Meretseger

  M eretseger cautiously entered the Palace. Although she knew she was safe, she couldn’t help but worry that someone would turn on her. The guards that had come to her cave to escort her had promised to protect her. She disguised herself with garbs and face paint, acting as a Covian creature. The guards escorted her to the quarters where King Heron and his men sat around a round table, discussing a plan to capture the princesses. Meretseger had already had a vision of the conversation beforehand.

  “None of that will work.” said Meretseger abruptly.

  All the men stood up in respect.

  Mer
etseger was taken aback, as it had been so long that she’d experienced anyone trusting her.

  “Our planet will die if we don’t raise the princesses at the right time,” Meretseger continued.

  “If this is true – what are you proposing Meretseger?” Heron asked.

  “A planetary squanter,” she said.

  A squanter was a type of spell that paused time. Planetary squanters could pause time for an entire planet. A being could also be placed in a squanter box to pause time only for them. Anyone under a squanter would not age or perish while under the protection of the squanter spell.

  Heron and his men looked at each other in doubt.

  “And a separate squanter for each princess,” she added.

  “That’s a legend. A squanter has never worked,” Heron said.

  “Not in our lifetime. But when I awoke – I just knew – I – listened – the vision and power came to me in the middle of the night – the vision told me that a squanter was the only way. I was able to pause time with my cane, and I was able to see the future. I’ve been able to do many things in my years on Cova, but never something like this. There were two babies, each in a squanter.”

  Heron thought for a moment as all the men began to murmur to each other with doubt.

  “How long do we need?” asked Heron, interrupting the men.

  “That’s the problem,” Meretseger said. “It’s not a simple squanter.”

  Meretseger tried to find the right words, for it was a bit complex to explain.

  “These Earth people, they are more primitive than our kind. The children’s mother is different though. Atum was lucky to have found a human that – somehow was beyond the intellect of her current species. These people believe we are some sort of fallen angels or gods, which is why we were able to travel back and forth without problem. They don’t understand that we’ve built the pyramids as a map to land our ships, so they use them as burial grounds for royalty thinking they are divine tombs.”

  “So? They bury the dead in our mapping system – what’s your point?” one man grunted, impatiently.

  “The humans will eventually catch on to our existence and realize we are not gods - merely a more advanced species. If they catch on, they will be looking for ways to find us, capture us, and experiment on us. My visions confirm that in a few centuries, humans will evolve into a more intelligent species. With more knowledge they will desire more power; it’s inevitable.”

  Heron cursed in Covian.

  “This is more complicated than we imagined,” said Heron.

  “It’s worse.” said Meretseger. “There are other crossbreeds. They are not as powerful as the princesses. Atavans laid with humans on these trips, changing the DNA of humans as we know it. If they catch on to this as well, this puts us in greater danger for experimentation.”

  “Can we find the cross-breeds and bring them to our planet?” asked Heron.

  “My vision tells me we won’t find them. They are blended in too well. It will be a new human race, one of more intellects, but one of more complexities. We will need their resources once the Core Disease spreads, but for that I will need to build a portal. The only way for me to successfully do that is through a planetary squanter while I work,” said Meretseger.

  “You’re suggesting that we squanter time for all of Cova, except for you?” Heron asked wearily.

  “Essentially, yes.”

  “No! She’s tricking us!” yelled one man. “She may be right about the visions, but she’s up to something!”

  Meretseger’s heart began pounding. She knew all too well what treason a second time would mean for her. She had to convince them of the truth.

  Heron looked around nervously and Meretseger stood nervously.

  “Meretseger, you have come to divulge overwhelming information. If the cross-breeds develop powers like ours and find entry into Cova, none of this will work,” Heron said.

  “None of my visions have confirmed that the humans will have powers beyond our control. However, if we don’t do this, we risk losing our princesses and entire existence. If you agree to the planetary squanter, I can bring you the princesses.”

  “If we are all asleep, how can we be sure you’re bringing us the princesses?” scoffed one man.

  Meretseger stabbed her cane into the marbled floor like a bolt of lightning, pausing time around her for a few seconds. Everyone and everything froze, except Meretseger. Then, she removed the cane from the ground. Pointing her cane in front of her, a globe about six feet tall and three feet wide began playing a holographic image for them. First, it showed how Meretseger had just paused time and how Heron and all his men had stood there, unknowing.

  Next, it showed Kah’s men, ransacking homes, looking for Atum and Akeena. It also showed his men passionately sleeping with servants of Egypt and the pharaoh’s wives and concubines. Next, it was the vision of Cova’s end. The land was barren. Atavans and all creatures of Cova lie dead on desolate ground. Suddenly, there were massive ocean waves, and in the distance, there were thousands of glowing spheres. Just like that, the holographic vision disappeared.

  “As you can see, this is our future. If we don’t place the squanter now, our destiny is definite extinction.” her confidence returned.

  The men looked around suspiciously at one another.

  “With all due respect, I am powerful enough to do this without your permission. I am presenting this to you for the sake of our princesses. Both princesses will need to be placed in and out of the squanter at exactly the same time; otherwise, it will throw off their powers, or even worse...” she pauses, “we will lose them. We will also have to keep them separated during the squanter. Naturally, their powers will try to fight the squanter. We will need to leave one of them on Kahnroch’s land.”

  “What? No!”

  The men began arguing in disagreement.

  “Silence!” yelled King Heron. “Anika has already confirmed that Meretseger’s visions are all true. We don’t have time for doubts. We trust you Meretseger. Proceed with your squanter.”

  The men were silent, but some were obviously not in agreement.

  “It’s the only way.” said Meretseger.

  “My main concern is our planet’s safety. Anika has stated that it is a dangerous spell.”

  “Yes, it is, but it has been done before,” Meretseger reassured. “It’s documented that my great-great-grandmother was able to replenish our waterways using resources from the Crystalline planet, ten thousand years ago. There are cracks in time – wormholes – I think I can reconnect more portals to Earth to help us survive.”

  There was a brief pause.

  “And all this time we’ve been trapped here because of low fuel - meanwhile there is another means of travel?!” a man asked angrily.

  “It’s not that simple. If we had more portals it could be dangerous to our planet.” she warned. “In the meantime, we need a diversion for Kah. My visions also confirm he is somewhat fearful of the Euron nation, as he knows you have gas weapons that could extinguish his people.”

  “How will we squanter the princesses at the same exact time but on different lands?” asked Heron.

  “I already captured one of the princesses.”

  Meretseger opened her garb, in which a baby slept snuggled on her chest in a sling.

  “This is Princess Nefertiti,” she said with a smile.

  King Heron and the guards were in awe. King Heron grabbed the baby and held her lovingly.

  “What about the other princess?”

  “She will be fine. At exactly midnight, not a minute before or a minute later, you will place the baby into this squanter box.”

  Meretseger waved her hand and a coffin-like wooden box appeared before them.

  “I’m sorry we underestimated you Meretseger. We’re glad to have you back in Euron.” said King Heron.

  “When the time is right,” Meretseger continued, “when we wake from the planetary squanter, and when the signs of the Core Dise
ase are present, we will release the princesses from their squanters and allow them to grow, as any other atavan in Cova. They’ll hopefully develop powers, and by then, they can help us. Let’s hope the planetary squanter allows me to open the portals so we can slow down the Core Disease.”

  In an instant, Meretseger was off. At exactly midnight, the babies were placed in their squanters boxes with their birthstones. Meretseger then held a red stone in her hand up to the moonlight, said a few words in Covian, and buried the stone between Euron and Kahnroch, deep in the Dark Forest. The planet’s life suddenly stopped, and everything paused in time, except for Meretseger of course.

  Present: Febus Visits Kah

  F ebus walked through the dark forest, very careful to not run into any enemy creatures. Trolls ruled the dark forest, but there were other creatures of the dark forest who did not welcome trolls near their tribes. After so many years of coinciding in near each other’s tribes, the trolls had become evil and greedy. They stole from other creatures and were known for their sly ways. Therefore, not even Kahnroch wanted much to do with the trolls.

  Sometimes, when Kah needed help, he turned to Febus. Kah had always been impressed that Febus had managed to raise a runaway atavan from Euron without getting caught by the Euron nation. But Ria had escaped Febus at the age of ten, and after surviving on her own for almost five years, at fifteen years old, and Kah took her in as a servant. When he realized her advanced powers, he trained her to be a warrior.

  When Zech had returned empty handed on his mission to find Inanna, Kah turned to Ria. Zech was imprisoned, tortured, and held captive until Ina found him. When Zech escaped with Ina, and Ria abandoned Kanroch, this only infuriated Kah even more. He sent for Febus and commanded him to immediately tell him of Ria’s whereabouts if she returned.