Ria tiptoed, careful to not be seen. She hid behind a plant, as another maid past.
Finally, Ria made it past the palace staff, carefully hiding behind pillars as she made her way to Nefertiti’s wing. Another two guards stood by Nefertiti’s giant double doors. She had to think quick, as she looked around to make sure no one was watching. Running and jumping off a wall, she put one of the guards in a choke hold. The other guard drew his laser gun.
“If you shoot, you know we’ll both die,” Ria’s eyes flickered green.
As Ria’s eyes glowed brightly, the guard before her became mesmerized. He was in a trance for a moment, and then quickly fell to the floor. Ria collapsed, clutching her head in agony, bringing the other guard down from her grip. She knew that trancing someone was a risk; powers could only go so far before they hurt the person using them. Trancing was not something she had done often. It took her a moment to regain her strength.
Ria slithered across the floor to Nefertiti’s door, trying to stand up with little success. She could hear the trolls coming, fear making its way up her spine. She had to be strong in front of Febus. Febus would only trample on her and take over – possibly killing Nefertiti before finishing what they had agreed upon – killing Ria too when he was done. This would be the end of Cova, the end of everything. I shouldn’t have involved the trolls, she thought to herself. She had no choice; it was her only chance to do what she knew had to be done. There were only seconds, maybe less. Ria picked herself up, fingertips barely reaching the handle. Stretching as far as she could, her hands finally managed to open the door. She crawled in on forearms, her vision blurry from the amount of power she’d lost.
“Nef –” she whispered, barely audible. “Nef – er – ti – ti,” she finally managed.
“Well, well, well,” Febus made his way into the room. “What do we have here?” he snarled in delight.
Ria felt a burst of pain, as Febus grabbed her by the neck and tossed her.
“Where is the Princess?!” he yelled in fury.
“I don’t know,” Ria fought for her breath and finally coughed.
“You lied! As usual you’re a slithering, useless liar!” Febus yelled.
Ria focused and thought of Zech. She went back to the day when she met Zech in the forest, and he had given her the strength to escape Febus’ control. She felt a sudden burst of energy. Fighting her way out of Febus’ grip, putting him in a lock, she pounced on his back and then landed on her feet.
“I may be many things, Febus. A liar is not one of them.” Ria’s eyes flickered again. “I almost got killed by trying to get past those guards; I too, expected Nefertiti to be here!” she yelled.
“Is that so?” Nefertiti came out of a hidden door, with Salixz walking before her.
“Is it true, Ria?” Salixz said in anger.
“What are you doing here?” Ria was surprised to see Salixz.
“You betrayed us, Ria!” Salixz seethed with anger.
“I can explain,” Ria pleaded.
Nefertiti interjected, “There’s nothing to explain. We were prepared. Salixz had a vision of you making a deal with Febus, he just got to me before you and your trolls killed me.”
“Killed you?” Ria looked offended. “Well then, apparently Salixz’s visions are tarnished. I had no intention of killing anyone. But now I feel like a fool; maybe I should have considered it.”
“Save it, Ria!” Salixz interrupted. “It’s obvious; you are setting us all up! All you want is power! How could you do this to us? To Zech!?”
“Zech doesn’t care about me. And who the hell are you to be judging me? Does Nefertiti even know that the stone she entrusted you with was all a set-up to begin with?”
Febus stood there amused, listening intently to the argument before him.
“What is she talking about?” Nefertiti asked suspiciously.
“It’s complicated,” he said.
“It’s actually simple,” Ria stirred.
“Did you set me up?” Nefertiti asked.
“He was sent here by Kah to get the stone. He made you fall in love with him in order to get the stone; that was the plan.”
“Is it true?” Nefertiti asked.
“Yes,” he answered. “But it wasn’t like that in the end.”
Nefertiti shook her head in disbelief.
“So there. We’re all just one big set-up. I’m no different than you are, Salixz. And if you must know, you just messed up my plan. But of course, no matter where men are in cosmos – you’re all stupid.”
“And all women seem to be the same as well – catty and unpredictable!”
“Well I’ve just about had it watching this saga; I came here for the princess, and that’s what I’m leaving with,” Febus said angrily.
“No, Febus. I came here for the Princess,” Ria said with tilted head and raised a brow. “Oh, and one more thing, I have a spell to break,” she smiled. “Remember?”
“What the hell is going on?!” Salixz yelled. “Nefertiti, go back to the quarters. Let me handle these fools.”
“I can take care of myself,” said Nefertiti. “It seems to me everyone is on their own here.”
Ria laughed, “She’s a smart woman, Salixz. It looks like Nefertiti doesn’t need you.”
Nefertiti narrowed her eyes in anger. She felt betrayed by Salixz, and worse, she hated Ria.
Febus charged towards Salixz, trying to get past him to get to Nefertiti. Salixz withdrew his sword, only to get it knocked out of his hands by Ria. Ria jumped over Febus and made it to Nefertiti. She held the sword to her throat.
“Now everyone, shut up,” Ria commanded.
Nefertiti stood perfectly still.
“If you kill her, none of us will survive,” Salixz said calmly.
“Kill me then,” Nefertiti said furiously.
Ria’s eyes turned sad, as she looked into Salixz’s eyes. In that moment, she let him in. It had been years since she’d let someone into her mind; possibly since her childhood when she shared so many memories and secret thoughts with Zech. It was in that moment that Salixz understood Ria and why she’d come here. In one swift motion, he pulled out a dagger and slit Febus’ throat. Blood gushed from his jugular, splashing onto the floor and over Nefertiti’s dress. Nefertiti gasped and swallowed hard.
Ria let go of Nefertiti, and the three of them stood there silently for a moment.
Ria pulled out an empty vial and scooped up some of Febus’ blood.
“I only need a drop. I told you, I’m not a liar,” she said to Febus, who was already dead.
Ria looked down on Febus and a tear ran down her cheek. She wasn’t sad for Febus, but she felt as if a load had been lifted off of her shoulders. She took a deep breath and let out a breath of relief.
“What just happened?” Nefertiti was still puzzled.
Ria looked at Nefertiti and then back at Salixz. “There are more. If they’re not dead, they’ll be back. We need to go.”
“Not before I get some answers,” Nefertiti demanded.
“She’s right, Nefertiti. If we stay, we’ll all be in danger,” Salixz agreed.
“I can’t just leave my uncle here,” she cried. “He’ll be killed, and it will be my fault.”
“If we don’t leave, all of Cova will die. We don’t have a choice,” Ria demanded. “I’ll explain everything on the way.”
“That’s not very reassuring.”
Ria let out a sigh of frustration. “Just like Inanna – needing answers for everything.”
“Inanna?” Nefertiti yelped surprised.
“We found the lost princess,” Salixz remarked. “She’s in Meretseger’s cave.”
“Oh my.” Nefertiti was shocked. “I’ve dreamt of this moment. How can I trust you after all that has transpired?”
“I read her mind, Nefertiti. Ria had a plan all along. She wasn’t here to hurt you; she was here to protect you,” Salixz reassured her.
Ria knew it was a risk using so much of her
power in one day, but she took one last chance. She let Nefertiti into her mind. She showed her the real plan, the one where she enticed the trolls to believe she needed them. The plan where she actually just needed the trolls to get into Euron, because Ina and Salixz hadn’t trusted her from the beginning.
“Why didn’t you just let your friends read your mind from the beginning?” Nefertiti asked.
Ria just smiled. “I didn’t think you’d trust me.”
A maid opened the door and fainted when she saw the site before her. Screams were heard in the hallway, as footsteps made their way closer.
“The trolls!” Salixz yelled. “Run!”
They went through a secret passage, through a series of hidden doors and tunnels. The chuckles of trolls and thumping footsteps could he heard getting closer. They finally reached a locked gate. Nefertiti banged on the gate in frustration.
“I need the key! I left the key in the library!” she yelled.
“We can’t go back,” Ria said.
“We’ll have to break it,” Salixz offered smoothly. “Move.”
Chuckles were coming closer; the trolls had found a way into the hidden passages.
“Hurry,” Nefertiti whispered in desperation.
Ria was alert and aware of every inch around them. “They’re getting closer. I can smell them. There are three of them.”
Salixz pulled as hard as he could so the bars would budge. They expanded – little by little making a wider path for them to go through.
The trolls had made it. Their laughs echoing in the underground sewer.
“You know, you probably should’ve stayed in the safety of the castle.” Ria mocked.
One came closer and snapped his teeth like a dog.
Ria pounced like a cat, and landed behind the trolls. She was distracting them, as Salixz continued pulling at the bars. Nefertiti grabbed a metal pole that was nearby, hoping she could use it to defend herself.
Ria gave Nefertiti a flicker of her eyes, allowing her to read her thoughts. Pretend to fall, pretend to fall, she messaged her.
Nefertiti fell to the floor. Like predators, the trolls turned and drooled over their prey. They growled like dogs and barked like hyenas. Ria took her chance and hopped on the back of one of the trolls, attempting to choke him. Nefertiti swung the metal bar as one of the trolls just smacked it out of her hand. Ria locked her grip as Salixz turned to join the fight, pulling out his sword. Nefertiti tried getting through the stretched bars of the gate, but they were still too narrow. The troll pulled Nefertiti by her leg, making her fall face first. Salixz turned and chopped the trolls arm off, sending another gush of blood onto Nefertiti’s dress. Turning back to the other troll, he noticed Ria was struggling. Finally, the troll under Ria’s grip fell to the floor. The other was now outnumbered and began to back away.
“You have to kill him,” Ria demanded.
The three ran after the troll. Ria climbed on top and snapped his neck with one quick motion. Salixz, Ria, and Nefertiti stood there in solemn silence for a moment, realizing they’d just slayed three trolls in a matter of minutes. It was an unspoken fact that they all bonded in that moment. It was ride or die from then on. Salixz looked over and noticed something shiny on the wall. He quickly went over and grabbed a key off the wall.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Ria blurted out.
Salixz opened the gate and they ran quickly.
“Wait, what about Heron?” asked Nefertiti.
“He’ll be okay, Nefertiti. The other trolls won’t dare step foot in Cova. The strongest ones are dead.” Ria reassured.
“He’ll worry; I can’t just leave him,” Nefertiti pressed.
“Nefertiti, if we don’t leave now, we will all die. Cova is in great danger. The Core Disease is taking over; we’re running out of time. You and Inanna are our only hope, and she’s already withering away,” Salixz said.
“He’s right. And your sister will die if I don’t bring this troll blood to her quickly,” Ria added.
Salixz gave Ria a grim look.
“Of all the spells; that’s the one you chose?” Salixz asked sarcastically.
“Sorry! I didn’t know what else to do! No one would listen to me and I had to think quickly. The only thing I found was a sleeping spell that could only be broken by troll blood.”
“Well let’s go then,” Nefertiti pressed.
The three ran through Euron to a near shore of the Diamond Sea, careful to not be seen. The pestilence of death plagued their noses, Nefertiti almost vomited.
“I can’t fathom seeing my people this way. I’m leaving them in despair.”
“You have no choice,” said Ria.
The sun was rising as they made their way through the forest.
“We’ll have to be careful while the sun is up. We can’t risk being seen,” Ria observed.
“She’s right,” Salixz agreed.
They made their way through the forest and stopped occasionally if they heard anything suspicious. They were getting tired, hungry, and anxious so they decided to rest for the night.
Past: The Red Stone
F ebus held the red stone in his hand.
“If you ever touch this stone again, I will kill you,” Febus said to five-year-old Ria.
“It gives me more power. I need it,” she said.
“I will bring it to you once per week. You must never take it from me. Remember, you owe me your life. I am your father, and good girls listen to their daddy,” he ordered.
Present: Back to the Cave
R ia, Salixz, and Nefertiti made it back to Meretseger’s cave.
“Where’s my cane?!” Meretseger demanded, cursing Ria in Covian.
“Relax, she’s on our side,” said Salixz.
“Still brother, you choose to believe Ria’s lies?” Zech yelled.
Behind them all, Princess Inanna began to stir. The group gasped as her eyes opened, taking in each one of them. Seeing Ria with the group, Inanna knew she needed to speak.
“He’s right,” said Princess Inanna. “Ria saved my life.”
Ria was silent and tears filled her eyes. She tossed Meretseger’s cane to her, still full of loose dirt from where it had been buried.
Nefertiti was in awe. She had waited for this moment her entire life. “Sister – Inanna?”
Nefertiti walked over to Inanna and touched her face.
“You look nothing like me,” she laughed out loud.
Nefertiti had dark skin, long dark brown hair, and green eyes.
“It’s me,” Ina said hugging Nefertiti.
Ria stood in the distance, but something inside her gave her chills. The candles in the cave flickered, and the room went silent.
“I can feel that Ina’s powers are awakening and great danger is coming,” said Meretseger. “Look at her!” she yelled. “How can no one else see the ever-present menace closing in.”
Her words came to fruition faster than they could prepare. Kah’s men surrounded the exterior of the cave.
“We have visitors,” said Inanna. “I can feel them in my bones.”
“I can smell them with every fiber in my body,” Ria confirmed.
“And I can taste them on my tongue; it’s nauseating,” said Nefertiti.
Ria walked over to Ina.
“I’m sorry. I had no other choice,” Ria told to Ina.
Ina nodded and smiled. “I know.”
Ria pulled out Inanna’s stone and handed it to her. Suddenly an explosion of lightning bolted between them, sending a kaleidoscope of colors dancing all over the cave walls. The rest looked on in amazement. Something sparked and awakened Inanna’s true powers and she suddenly began to float. Ria remained on the ground and suddenly fainted.
“What is happening?” Zech cried in disbelief.
A tornado cloud began to form around Ria.
“Nefertiti, hold up your stone!” commanded Inanna.
“What in the universe is happening?” Meretseger whispered to herself.
>
Nefertiti held up her stone, and lightning bolted out of it and struck Inanna’s stone. Now Nefertiti was floating too. Ina and Nefertiti were floating in the air, watching the tornado that surrounded Ria completely. Ria laid helplessly in the eye of the storm.
Inanna suddenly had a revelation, and she and Nefertiti fell to the ground. The tornado surrounding Ria finally stopped.
“There is another stone,” Inanna whispered.
“What?” Zech asked with a puzzled expression. “What are you talking about?”
“There’s a third stone!” Ina yelled desperately. “We can’t do anything without the third stone.”
The cave was silent.
“Meretseger?” Ina demanded.
“There’s a third child,” revealed Meretseger.
“Meretseger, you’ve known about this?” Ina asked with tears in her eyes. “Why haven’t you told us before there was a third?”
The witch bowed her head in shame. She began to tell them the reason as to why she kept this information secret, but stopped. She paused again, this time the words coming to her without interruption.
“The stone is gone. It was stolen from me years ago. I hid the child and the stone for years. It was a stillborn child; I didn’t even check to see if it was a boy or a girl! I didn’t know what to do! After the squanter was done, the tomb was empty, and the child and stone were gone. You have to believe me,” Meretseger begged.
“How could you keep this from us? And you did nothing about it?” Nefertiti demanded.
“If this is true, this changes everything. The prophecy is clear that nothing can be done unless all the stones are present,” said Zech.
“We have to find that stone,” Inanna commanded.
“One will perish…one will stay…one will stray,” Meretseger repeated.
“What?” Zech said.
Beyond the Stars- Awakened Page 19
