The Royal Pursuit

by Ruth Ann Nordin

“More often than not, you believe in me more than I believe in myself. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  “Oh, you’d be fine. You’re tough.”

  “Hardly. If I seem tough, it’s only on the outside.” She turned her attention back to the crystal ball. “If I’m going to do this, I’d better get it over with. Contact the Augurs,” she told the ball.

  Hathor stepped back so that he wouldn’t interfere with their view of her. The crystal ball only worked well as a communicator if one person was close to it.

  “What is the leader’s name?” she asked Hathor.

  “Gaius.”

  She repeated the name to herself as she waited for the image of the Augur to show up in the crystal ball.

  The Augur’s image shouldn’t have shocked her but it did. After dealing with various aliens who looked different from her, except for the Olympians and some human Razians, she hadn’t expected the Augur to be human. He had short black hair, gray eyes, and pale white skin.

  “Leader Gaius?” she asked.

  “Yes. But you may refer to me as Gaius. Titles don’t impress us on Aug,” he warmly answered.

  Again, she was startled. This time, it was his apparent easy-going manner that made her wonder what type of aliens these Augurs were. How could they be so uncompromising while seeming to be so flexible in their speech?

  Pushing aside her questions, she said, “I am Queen Ann from planet Raz. You have asked to come here tomorrow to speak with me.”

  He nodded. “Yes. That is true.”

  She glanced at Hathor, who smiled his encouragement. Ignoring her racing heart, she said, “I’m afraid we are going to have to reschedule that meeting.”

  “Why?”

  “I have an emergency to tend to. I just found out about it an hour ago.”

  “I know.”

  She blinked. Did these Augurs excel in shocking people? It was as if he was one step ahead of her.

  “You must go,” he continued. “This matter with the Olympians is important.”

  “Oh…ah…” She struggled to find her voice.

  How did he know about the Olympians? She had just found out an hour ago. Surely, news didn’t travel that fast across the galaxies. Palers didn’t have anything to do with Augurs, so they wouldn’t have notified them.

  “We will still be meeting your husband, the king,” Gaius spoke. “So there is no need to cancel.”

  “Well…I…” She forced herself to stop and take a deep breath. “You see, he is going with me. He is my protector.”

  “No. He will not go.”

  “But he always accompanies me whenever I need to take care of important business. I can arrange it so that Athen can meet with you. Athen has been trained in these matters and is fully capable of speaking on Raz’s behalf in my or the king’s absence.”

  “This is an extremely important meeting, and we must meet with the king tomorrow. No other person will be acceptable.”

  She took a minute to absorb his words. Her mind raced through all the arguments she could use, but one answer kept flashing over every one of them: they do not lie. If they didn’t lie, then they did have to meet with Hathor and it did have to be tomorrow.

  “Can I ask why you insist on coming tomorrow?” she ventured, although she already knew what he would say.

  “I’m sorry. I cannot comply with that request. We must talk with him tomorrow.”

  She closed her eyes. She took a moment to gather her composure. His tone was friendly but firm. He was very clear on his intentions. If she refused his terms, then he would never meet with them. She hated what she was about to do. She knew Hathor wouldn’t like it, but deep down, she knew she must do what Gaius wanted. She opened her eyes.

  “Alright,” she softly answered.

  Behind her, she could hear Hathor’s gasp.

  Gaius smiled at her. “You made the right choice. We will be arriving at noon. You know what time that is.”

  “That’s an Earth time,” she replied, confused.

  “Correct. You will let the king know what time that is in Razian time. I look forward to meeting him tomorrow.”

  She said good-bye and closed her communication. The crystal ball returned to its clear state.

  “How could you do that?” Hathor demanded, coming over to her.

  “I didn’t want to,” she said.

  “Then don’t. You’re the queen. You can do anything you want.”

  “It’s not that simple. I have responsibilities. I can’t let my personal feelings interfere with what’s best for Raz.”

  “Are you kidding me? You don’t need the Augurs. Raz doesn’t need them. We’ve been fine without them and we’ll continue to be fine without them.”

  “How do we know that we don’t need them?”

  He shook his head, his arms crossed. “I don’t like it.”

  “I don’t either.” She put her hands on his arms, looking at him.

  He turned his head, his body stiff. He refused to look at her.

  She sighed. “I want you with me when I leave for Lone, but,” she quickly added when she saw him start to respond, “something tells me to listen to the Augurs. There’s a good reason you have to be here. I have no idea what that might be, but I have to do what I feel is right.”

  “Maybe I’ll go anyway.”

  For the first time since she became queen, she was going to have to tell him something she never thought she’d say. “I’m the queen, and you have to obey me.” She said it as kindly as she could, even knowing it would still come out harshly.

  He stepped away from her so she couldn’t touch him anymore. “Fine.”

  When his eyes met hers, she didn’t say anything. A cold shiver raced up her spine.

  “May I leave or do I have to stay here?” he snapped.

  Her faced flushed as her own anger surfaced. “I don’t care what you do.”

  “Good. Since I have the queen’s permission, I will gladly leave.” He stiffly bowed and left the room.

  She sat down on one of the oak chairs, her hands shaking. They had had their fights before, but she couldn’t remember seeing him so upset. She did the right thing in insisting he stay to meet the Augurs. She had to keep telling herself that because she was beginning to wonder why it had made perfect sense to agree to Gaius’ terms when she was talking to him.

  ***

  Alpha Head I

  Planet: Pale

  “Queen Ann asked for our help, and I told her we would be glad to assist her to planet Lone,” Leader Paff concluded. He’d just finished explaining Olympia’s crisis to First Commander Zak and Second Commander Jaz, who sat across from him in his office.

  “If there are only thirty-seven Nicals,” Jaz began, “then we don’t need to send an army of Palers.”

  “Perhaps two Palers will be enough for the task,” Zak added. “Since their numbers are so low, I am wondering if they are a new species or not.”

  Paff shrugged. “I don’t know anything about them. I did a quick search for them in our database, but they aren’t listed anywhere.”

  “It would appear that they are new in existence,” Jaz said.

  “It does appear that way, doesn’t it?” Zak replied.

  “But…?” Paff asked.

  “What troubles me is why a new species would be interested in immortality,” Zak said.

  Jaz raised an eyebrow. “Interesting observation. It could be that they are dying out. We weren’t so far from facing Paler extinction on this planet under Omin’s rule.”

  Paff nodded. “One thing is for sure. We shouldn’t attack them until we find out what their motives are. If they are trying to survive, then it would be wrong to destroy them. However, we cannot condemn the Olympians to death. There must be a compromise we can reach. Jaz, would you mind going on this mission with your husband, Guard Falon? You two are best suited for it.”

  “It will be an honor to work with Queen Ann again,” she replied. “We will leave as soon as we can ge
t the needed supplies ready.”

  “And I will work on getting you a proper spaceship,” Zak added.

  “Good,” Paff said. “If at any time, you need assistance, you can call me on this telecommunicator.” He handed the device to her. “Let me know when you’re ready to leave, and I’ll notify Queen Ann.”

  With a nod, she left, Zak following behind.

  ***

  Location: Austere Complex

  Planet: Lone

  Ruler Dour ordered Tan and Xan to bring in Sando. The other thirty-three Nicals watched in both dread and anticipation as Tan and Xan brought Sando into the poorly lit room.

  Optima wrung her hands. Sando was her brother, and she desperately wanted to see him live. She winced at his pale complexion, clammy skin, and shaky breathing. The virus was quickly weakening his blood and would soon turn it into powder. It was the same virus that wiped out most of their civilization over the course of two years.

  Dour took their stone out of the sack and glanced at Optima. “Where should I put it?”

  She cleared her throat. “Try his chest.” At least, it seemed logical personal contact with the stone would heal Sando from the viral infection.

  Optima watched as Dour followed her instructions. Her tension rose when Sando remained the same as he had been. Maybe their plan had failed. Maybe nothing was in the stone after all. She looked away. She couldn’t bear to watch anymore. If her brother was going to die, it was too painful to watch.

  Several gasps brought her attention back to Sando’s body. She put her hands to her mouth as tears filled her eyes. A glowing blue light swept from the stone and covered his body. His shaky breathing calmed and his body fought off the virus.

  It was working!

  “We did it! We’re going to live!” Xan exclaimed. “Optima’s plan has saved us.”

  The Nicals congratulated her.

  She barely heard them. All she knew was that her brother was going to live. She ran over to him and touched his hand.

  His eyelids fluttered open. “Optima,” he whispered, still weak from being ill for ten days.

  “I know.” She laughed and squeezed his hand. “You don’t have to say it.” She knew he wanted to thank her. She wiped the tears from her eyes. “It’s over. The horrible virus is gone forever. We will live as the Olympians do now.”

  He squeezed her hand to show his gratitude.

  “Rest. We have plenty of time to talk later,” she said.

  Time. What a wonderful word. With their newfound immortality, the concept of time no longer frightened them.

  Chapter Four

  Palace Gardens

  Planet: Raz

  Once Hathor had time to settle down, he found Athen inspecting the gardens. “I need to ask you for a favor,” Hathor said.

  Athen jerked. “Nice of you to sneak up on me like that.” He made a mark on the paper that was attached to his clipboard. “What is it?”

  “I have to be here to meet with the Augurs tomorrow, so I was wondering if you would accompany the queen to Lone.”

  Athen didn’t hide his surprise. “Don’t you always go with her on these trips?”

  “She has decided I have to be here instead.”

  “You obviously have a problem with that,” he commented.

  “It doesn’t matter what I want. It’s her will that prevails. My opinion doesn’t matter. But I won’t let her go without someone there to protect her. The Palers are great and will do a good job, but they aren’t familiar with the Book of Spells.”

  “She is the queen. Her powers are greater than anything the book can provide.”

  “She needs all the protection she can get. I’m not going to put her at greater risk if I can avoid it.”

  Athen sighed sympathetically. “Her job is made for risk. You can’t always be there to protect her. There are times when she will have to confront danger by herself.”

  He frowned. He didn’t want to hear this.

  “I will go with her, as long as she agrees to it,” Athen complied. “I can’t force her to take me.”

  “Yes, I am well aware we must all obey her.” He crossed his arms.

  “It’s none of my business what happened between you two, but considering the fact that she is going to Lone and will probably have to engage in combat, is it really wise to let her go without telling her you love her?”

  Hathor was ready to make a cutting remark. Then he stopped himself because he knew his friend was right. He would never forgive himself if Ann died thinking he was mad at her. “You do well to remind me of such things.” He turned and left.

  ***

  Planet: Lone

  A single figure slowly walked toward the Austere Complex. He barely noticed his surroundings. Despite the dire condition the Nicals found themselves in because of the virus, the vegetation and animals were thriving. The lush green trees and plants covered the hilly land. It was similar to Earth with differences, but those differences were so minor as to be negligible.

  The man wasn’t interested in such details though. He had a mission, and he was determined to see it through. He wore white. Everything was white, from his hat down to his boots. Even his neatly combed short hair was white. However, his eyes were gray. He carried a white cane, although he never used it to help him walk. Some probably thought it was merely for show, but this cane was his secret weapon.

  He didn’t mind the fact that his boots got muddy from his trek through the wet dirt in the forest-like environment surrounding the group of ten wooden rundown buildings.

  He continued his walk, anticipating the announcement he was about to make to the Nicals. He had waited a long time for this moment. Soon his dream would come true.

  The building he needed was in the center of the diamond-shaped complex. The building had seen better days. Its wood was chipping on the outside and some of the windows had been boarded up. Although it was in sore need of repair, it was the best one they had remaining from what had at one time been a flourishing civilization. That was where the survivors chose to keep their living quarters. They took great comfort in staying close together. This was fine with him. It made it that much easier to gather them under his wing.

  He grinned as he walked up the stone pathway to the front entrance. Weeds had grown in between the stones, but he paid them no mind. He did not bother knocking on the door. He simply opened it, letting it creak in protest. His footsteps echoed on the floor, which had suffered many scratches from decades of use.

  He knew where to find them. They would be together in the meeting room. He noted that the door to the meeting room was partly open. He rolled his eyes at their incompetence. They had just stolen the Olympians’ immortal power, yet it never occurred to them to remain diligent against an impending retaliation. It was amazing they had survived as a species for as long as they did.

  He didn’t mind spying on them. In fact, it was the best way he could find out about them.

  Their ruler opened the dark curtains. “We are no longer harmed by the sun’s rays. We can go outside without protection on our skin.”

  The Nicals ran to the window, bathing in the sunlight, childish delight on their faces.

  The man wasn’t surprised. They were simple creatures who were easily amused.

  “My body feels perfect,” one of the Nicals said. “I can feel the immortality flowing through my veins.”

  “It’s a wonderful feeling,” another one agreed. “We should have thought of this sooner. We could have avoided much heartache and despair. We could have saved so many of our fellow Nicals.”

  The group sobered at the realization.

  The man chose this particular moment to make his presence known to them. He entered the room and strolled over to one of the empty chairs and sat down as if he belonged there. He noted their hair turned yellow at the sight of him, even though their facial expressions remained neutral. Their hair gave their true emotion away. Fools, he thought. They should have shaved their heads as their ruler had do
ne. Fear made their enemy that much more powerful, for without fear, he never would know he could manipulate them.

  He dismissed his observation and leaned forward. “They are coming after you because of what you’ve done, but you insist on sitting around as if you’re safe. Now, that’s not very smart.”

  Their ruler finally found his voice. “Who are you, and what are you doing here?”

  The man pretended he was offended. “I came across the universe to protect you and you question my motive?”

  “I don’t know you.”

  “Oh, that’s easy to resolve. I am the only one who can save you.”

  The ruler shook his head. Around him, his companions began to openly display their worries.

  The man in white focused on their ruler. “Do you think the Olympians will let you get by with stealing?”

  “How do you know about the Olympians?” the ruler asked.

  The man picked up his cane and tipped his hat to the left. “How could I not know? Everyone found out.”

  “We didn’t steal,” Dour replied. “We merely copied their power. Surely, they understand that.” His firm resolve was beginning to crumble.

  The man shrugged. “Call it what you want. It doesn’t affect me. I’m not the one they’re going to kill.”

  The Nicals glanced nervously at their ruler.

  “They won’t destroy us when we explain the situation to them,” the ruler said, his voice weak. “They can share their immortality.”

  The man raised his eyebrow, amused that they didn’t realize the full scope of what they had done. He decided it was in his best interest if they didn’t find out. It could disrupt his plans. He sighed heavily. “If only it were that easy…”

  The ruler didn’t speak.

  The man decided it was time to offer them the hope they needed. “I will protect you. They have enlisted the help of the Razian queen and the Palers. I am sure you are aware of what a formidable foe they can be, especially when they work together.”