The Royal Pursuit

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  Instead, he was stuck reading through a boring list of rules that didn’t even matter to intergalactic relations. Who cared what time he would eat if he was ever on Aug? At this point, he didn’t want to go to Aug or see another Augur for as long as he lived. Sure, they were nice, but they were also annoying with their insistent demands.

  He got up, changed into his pajamas, and slipped into bed. He could smell Ann on her pillow. He missed her. They had only been apart from each other when she was sent into the past back on Earth, her home planet. He didn’t like being away from her, especially when he had no idea what was happening to her. The Great Magician would not be notified of her danger because Raz was already protected because of Katherine. If Ann died, then Katherine would take over. That was encouraging, but he didn’t want anything bad to happen to Ann. She was the most important person in his life.

  ***

  Atlantis

  Planet: Earth

  When the five people left the submarine, they were giddy with anticipation. This was a monumental event, and they were fortunate to be a part of it.

  Kent glanced at Stacey’s eager face. She could hardly contain her excitement. He was happy for her. She was going to be famous after this. He secretly wondered if it would change their relationship. She would be in the public eye now. Would she still have time for him when the reporters wanted to contact her and the cameras began to play a big role in her life? He pushed aside his worries. This was her time to shine, and he wouldn’t let his selfishness interfere with that.

  Mark and Stephen controlled the instruments they needed to collect samples and record data. Kent, Stacey, and Captain Reed carried flashlights.

  Kent set his feet on the sand, wishing to walk up the ivory colored steps.

  “This material is unknown,” Stephen reported as he checked the steps. “We don’t have anything like it.”

  “I guess we’ll have to attach a name to it,” Kent said. He moved his flashlight through the dark water. Several fish swam past them, but for the most part, it was deserted, which gave them plenty of opportunity to explore without any problems. “I can’t get over it. These buildings change color depending on how you flash light on them.”

  “We should go inside one of the buildings,” Captain Reed suggested.

  “Which one?” Mark asked.

  “The building is made from a different material than the steps are,” Stephen reported as he swam over to one.

  “That would explain why the steps don’t change color,” Kent thoughtfully stated.

  “I want to see the arc,” Stacey said.

  “We will do that soon enough,” Captain Reed replied. “It is a considerable distance from here. I recommend we search one of these buildings.” He pointed his flashlight at the two buildings on either side of them. “What do you think?”

  She nodded. “Let’s check this one out.” She pointed to the building on the right. “Mark, do you recognize the language?”

  Mark typed the foreign words into his translator. He shook his head. “No. This is an unknown language.”

  “Let’s check it out and see what we can find,” Captain Reed said.

  They agreed and entered the building in single file. Kent was the last one inside. As he examined his surroundings, he marveled at the type of affluent society Atlantis must have been. A large ivory staircase wrapped its way around the circular light blue wall.

  The staircase led to a second floor, which had various artworks on the walls and many closed doors with markings on each one, which he guessed was their numbering system. The artwork decorating the walls were of various people he didn’t recognize.

  Kent laughed to himself. Of course, he wouldn’t recognize the people. They had long since died, and since their city fell into the ocean, they had, in a sense, disappeared from the face of the Earth.

  “This must have been a hotel,” Stacey said.

  Kent turned and noticed an ivory desk, plush white sofas, and matching chairs that furnished the room. None of the furniture had decayed, something that surprised him even more than the fact that the buildings were still in good shape. The circular ivory table in the center of the room seemed to dominate it. At one time, this place must have been an elegant getaway for its guests. It made perfect sense that this building would be a good hotel since it was on the edge of the city. Its location would have put it right on the beach.

  “It’s almost eerie to think that people once walked through here,” Stacey softly said. “Who knows what stories this place would tell if these walls could talk.”

  It was a sobering thought, Kent admitted. How many lives were lost on the day Atlantis fell into the ocean?

  “I say we check out some of the other buildings before we go back to the submarine,” Captain Reed said, breaking the silence.

  They nodded and left the building.

  ***

  In the Wilderness

  Planet: Lone

  Ann walked with Athen and the Palers toward the Austere Complex. Their trek through the forest was longer than she had anticipated. The explosion of the Paler spaceship had set them further back than they’d expected.

  Despite Ann’s apprehension, she led them through the thick, tall trees in the forest. Since she was the one who knew where the stone was, thanks to her magic, it was up to her to be the leader. She carefully made her way through the forest, dodging weeds and stepping over tree roots.

  She was grateful no wild animals attacked them. She saw several furry small animals that resembled squirrels and birds on Earth, but she knew they were a different species.

  Jaz called out, “Wait,” in a whisper.

  Ann, Athen, and Falon obeyed her, and Ann looked uneasily around them. Everything was quiet except for some animal noises. What had Jaz heard? Falon and Jaz took out their guns and scanned the area, ready to shoot at anything that posed a threat to the group. Ann grew nervous. Why didn’t she sense anything? Shouldn’t her magic tell her if she should be on her guard?

  Athen reached in his pocket to pull out the Book of Spells. As soon as he gasped in alarm, Ann realized he had lost the book. He probably dropped it when they were falling out of the spaceship. She turned her attention to the trees around her. She didn’t see or hear anything unusual. What was she missing?

  Jaz fired her gun.

  Then everything around Ann became chaotic. Out of nowhere, two people jumped on her. Startled, she fell to the ground. Before she could move, one of them chained her hands together. She briefly noted a web-like net snatching Jaz’s and Falon’s guns out of their hands.

  As they struggled against their attackers, a man dressed in white struck Athen with his white cane so Athen couldn’t move. The man in white swiftly turned to do the same to Jaz and Falon.

  Before Ann could throw her two attackers off of her, one of the Nicals pressed a clear crystal to her forehead. She struggled to get away from it, but they were too fast for her. She felt the magic leave her body. It was at that moment she realized how much magic Raz had granted her. She hadn’t used it much in the past, so she’d never harnessed its full abilities, a decision she was quickly regretting. If she had trained more in it, then she might have reacted swiftly to protect her and her friends from their attackers.

  “Well done,” the man in white said, satisfied.

  By the time Ann was on her feet, Athen, Jaz, and Falon were also chained.

  “Queen Ann.” The man in white bowed. “What a pleasure it is to meet you at last. I have heard so much about you.”

  She remained quiet, figuring there was nothing she could say to make the situation better.

  “You are beautiful, though disappointing. I had expected more of a fight out of you,” he continued. He shook his head. “You can’t have it all, I suppose.”

  She thought it was odd when he ignored her friends. For some reason, his focus was exclusively on her.

  “Come. We need to get back to your ruler,” he told the Nicals.

  They nodded. />
  He started walking. As they followed him, they led their captives by the chains. Ann couldn’t help but notice the Nicals, though just as human as the man in white, wore tattered brown wool clothes and looked as if they hadn’t slept in days. She also noticed another peculiarity. Their hair seemed to change color.

  Two of her captors had yellow hair. The only woman in the group had green hair. The two men leading her by the chains had blue hair. What did the different colors mean?

  Athen, Jaz and Falon walked behind her. Ann was sure they were making plans to escape, but she wondered if such planning was in vain. They wouldn’t be getting out of these chains unless one of the Nicals released them, and from the way things looked, they weren’t likely to do that.

  Again, she felt helpless. She recalled the comment the man in white had made to her. He was disappointed in her because she didn’t put up a fight. He was right. What good was being the Queen of Raz if she relied on others to protect her all the time? She forced aside her doubts about her abilities.

  Now wasn’t the time to dwell on her insecurities. There would be plenty of time for that when she was safely back on Raz. If she got back… There were no guarantees. In her line of work, there was never any guarantees.

  She sighed. She wished Hathor was here. She was glad to have Athen, Jaz, and Falon with her. They were good friends, but she needed Hathor’s strength. She never realized how much she’d depended on him until that moment.

  Chapter Seven

  In the Wilderness

  Planet: Lone

  Ann was having difficulty keeping up with the Nicals. They walked amazingly fast for a group of people who wore soft-soled shoes. Her own hard-soled boots should have been better than their shoes against the rough terrain, but she reasoned they were used to walking on rocks, twigs and tree roots.

  Jaz, Falon, and Athen kept up with the Nicals’ pace without the trouble she had. She was surprised the Palers could keep up with them because Pale was flat and smooth. Raz had similar patches of forests like the one they were currently walking through. Athen, however, often traveled through the forests in his job of searching for any problems to introduce to Hathor, who in turn informed her of anything he felt was a concern to address. Therefore, she had expected Athen to be experienced with such hard terrain.

  Ann was the first captive in the single line. One of the male Nicals walked beside her, ensuring that she would not try to escape. The man wearing white walked in front of her. When she ventured to look behind her, the Nical would direct her attention back to the front, obviously wishing to discourage her from sending any secret messages to her friends. She sighed and resigned herself to an unpleasant encounter with the other Nicals who were undoubtedly waiting for their arrival.

  At mid-afternoon, they stopped to take a break. Ann and Athen sat on a log. She moved uncomfortably on it, trying to find a smooth spot, but it was no use. She watched as Jaz and Falon sat on another log several feet from them. The Nicals remained standing, their attention directed to the man who wore white. He spoke softly to them, so Ann couldn’t hear what he was saying.

  “I’m sorry I failed you, Queen Ann,” Athen said, staring at the ground. “Hathor will be disappointed in me.”

  She looked over at him. “You didn’t know this was going to happen. Whether or not you were here, we would have been captured.”

  “I know, but he trusted me to protect you. If I hadn’t lost the Book of Spells, then I might have been able to cast a spell over them to freeze them. Then we wouldn’t be in this situation.”

  She shifted so she could face him. “Athen, listen to me. It’s not your fault we’re stuck in this predicament. Everything happened so fast. I didn’t have time to use my own magic. I don’t need to use spells to protect myself or anyone else. But it does neither of us any good to concentrate on what we should have done. The point is we’re alive.” After a moment, she added, “To be honest with you, I froze up back there. I knew how to work a parachute. They have them on Earth, but my mind went blank when we jumped out of the spaceship. If you hadn’t been there to help me out, I wouldn’t have made it. You saved my life.”

  He glanced at her, as if seeing her for the first time. “Hathor’s right about you. You are amazing.”

  “He said that?”

  “Only all the time,” he teased.

  She blushed at the thought of Hathor complimenting her to his friend.

  “You two are good together. There are times when I look at you two and wish I had that kind of love,” he confessed. “It can get lonely working in the palace. I don’t get many chances to meet women.”

  His words sobered her. “We’ll have to change that when we get back to Raz. You deserve to have a wife. You’ll make a good husband.”

  “Thanks.”

  Someone walked over to them, interrupting their conversation. Optima, the only female Nical in the group, stood before them, a key in her hands. Her hair was still green, which Ann wondered about. The other Nicals’ hair had changed color since their initial interaction.

  “I’ve been volunteered to give you a bathroom break since I’m the only female in the group,” Optima said, her voice void of emotion.

  Ann wasn’t going to turn down the offer. Her bladder had been full for the past half hour. She raised her wrists so that Optima could remove the chains from her. As she stood up, Optima pointed the Paler gun at her.

  “I can’t have the Queen of Raz running off on me,” Optima said.

  “I’m sure you’d outrun me so why bother?” Ann replied. Even with a better pair of boots, it would have been pointless to try. She’d never been great at running. There was a reason she was the last person picked in gym class when she was in school.

  “We will go behind those trees over there so you can get some privacy.”

  Ann glanced in the direction Optima pointed at. She led the way to the spot, Optima following. She didn’t know why Optima felt it was necessary to take her so far away from everyone else. They weren’t even in hearing distance of the others. A chill raced up her spine. Perhaps the Nical intended to kill her out here.

  “You can go behind that bush,” Optima instructed, her back turned to her.

  Ann shifted uneasily. “Okay but it’s going to take a while. I’m not used to being monitored while I go.”

  “Take all the time you need.”

  Ann obeyed. After what seemed like hours, she was finally able to go. As soon as she was done, she returned to Optima. She was ready to walk back when Optima stopped her.

  “What is it?” Ann asked.

  “How does it feel?”

  “Better.” Why did the Nical care how an empty bladder felt? Didn’t Nicals go to the bathroom?

  “No. Your pregnancy. How does it feel to be pregnant?”

  “Pregnant? I’m not pregnant.”

  “You can’t tell?”

  Ann didn’t like the knot that formed in her stomach. “No. I’m not supposed to get my period for another week and a half.”

  “It takes you that long to discover such an important thing?”

  “Well, for Earthlings it does. I may rule Raz, but I am an Earthling.”

  “Nical females can tell right away when they conceive. We have also been cursed to know when other human women have conceived.”

  “Why is it a curse?”

  “Because we lost our ability to conceive before the virus invaded our world. It’s terrible to know you will never carry life inside of you when others do it so easily. You weren’t even planning on this pregnancy, but here you are and that child will rule Raz.”

  Ann felt her face flush. She found it disturbing to discuss such personal matters with a stranger.

  “You conceived five days ago. You have a girl,” Optima revealed.

  Ann’s mind rushed back to the events that transpired five days ago. She had taken the day off from her royal duties to be with her family. It was the day she discovered the Augurs’ desire to visit Raz.

 
“That man, the one who wears white, is not one of us,” Optima quickly explained. “He came, acting as our protector, but I fear he has malevolent intentions for us. We don’t know who he is or where he came from, but I know he has plans for your child. I overheard him talking to someone about killing you if you were pregnant. If you were not pregnant, they planned to sterilize you. Unfortunately, you are with child. I am the only Nical who knows this, and I didn’t have time to warn the others.” She peered around a tree and calmed when she saw no one was coming for them. “There isn’t time to explain what we are going through, but we do not wish you or anyone else harm. That is why I have to release you.”

  “You’re going to let me and my friends go?”

  Optima shook her head. “I cannot do that. We’re not that strong. You need to run as far and as fast as you can. I know the man in white will want to come after you when he discovers you’re gone. Run and don’t look back. If you must stop, then do so in a cave. There are many in that hill over there. The caves around here have a mineral in them that will hide your presence from our technology.”

  “Where am I supposed to go?”

  “I don’t know. All I can do is warn the other Nicals as soon as it’s safe. We will do what we can to help you then.” Again, Optima peered around the trees. “They’re starting to get anxious. They will be coming after us soon. You must go now.”

  Ann didn’t know if this was a trap or not, but she had to assume the Nical’s intentions were honorable. She turned and ran into the wilderness.

  ***

  Optima’s heart pounded as she watched Ann leave. The man in white would be furious with her. She knew what she had to do. If she was going to lie, she had to make it look convincing.