when she saw a gigantic rat-like creature rushing toward her. The beast had its mouth open, revealing several rows of sharp teeth. Mia took off running, but the uneven surface made it difficult for her to keep her balance. The monster roared as it closed it on her and the girl fell to the ground.
The beast was nearly on top of Mia when two shots of laser fire rang out. The monster roared again and it fell to the sand with a loud thud. It moaned once more before falling completely silent. Mia looked around frantically to see what had killed it. Her eyes widened when she saw two figures moving quickly toward her. They were diminutive men with white beards and they wore matching tan shirts and pants. They stopped in front of her and examined her closely. “Thank you for saving my life,” said Mia, rising to her feet. Neither man spoke, but they continued to stare at her. One reached out and poked Mia’s right leg. “Stop that,” she said, swatting at his tiny hand. “Where am I?” she asked.
The men looked at each other and nodded. The one that poked her spoke. “You are Mia Sword, are you not?” he asked. He scratched the tip of his beard and squinted at her.
The teen found herself nodding. “How did you know my name?” she asked.
The other man clapped his hands. “The prophecy has come true,” he said. He tapped his friend’s right shoulder. “The Second Savior has arrived. Joy be to Nature.”
Mia shrugged. “What are you talking about?” she asked. “What prophecy? I’m not a savior, I’m just lost.” She looked around again. “Really lost. And I’d like to go home.” She stepped past the two men and they followed her. “How do I get out of here?”
“She wants to leave, Pinto,” said the man who poked her. His friend shook his head.
“You can’t leave, Mia,” said Pinto. “Jola and I have to bring you back with us. It’s very important.” He tried to grab her shirt sleeve, but she slapped his hand away. He looked at her sorely. “You don’t understand. You have to come with us. If you don’t, all will be lost.”
Mia glared at Pinto. “Look, I don’t want to be ungrateful, but I don’t know what you are talking about. All I know is that five minutes ago I was in my home in Hartstown and now I’m in the middle of some desert. It’s hot, I’m tired and thirsty, and I want to go home.” She stomped away from the men, and walked toward the horizon. She stopped and turned to face them. “Where am I?” she repeated, “and which way is home?”
“You are in the Kingdom of Krollia,” said Pinto. He took a deep breath. “We can’t help you get home. No one can.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “And no one will, for we need you here, Mia. You have a destiny to fulfill.” Jola nodded in agreement.
Mia shook her head in frustration. “I don’t know who you think I am, but I’m just a girl from Pennsylvania. I’m not some savior. I don’t have a magical destiny.” She sighed. “You’ve got the wrong person.” She took a breath. “Now is there a cell phone I can use, or some police station I can visit? I need to get home.”
Jola was about to respond, when a thundering sound drew everyone’s attention. Pinto quickly grabbed Mia’s right arm and dragged her behind a rock formation. The men dropped to the ground and held the girl close to the surface. She tried to scream, but Pinto covered her mouth and told her to keep quiet if she wanted to live. She looked at the spot where they had been standing and she saw men on horses riding quickly past. The men were tall, muscular and had bronze skin and long, blonde hair. Despite the heat, they wore long, grey pants and red shirts. Each had laser rifles slung over their shoulders. The riders suddenly slowed down as if something caught their attention.
The lead rider, who also wore a triangular, brown hat, brought his horse to a complete stop and he dismounted. That was when Mia saw that the transport creatures were not horses, but four-legged animals with dragon-like heads and scaly skin. The lead rider took a device out of his shirt pocket and slowly turned from right to left while the other riders lined up behind him. Mia thought it looked like a cell phone, but the rectangular gadget beeped as the man scanned the area. He stopped when the beeping grew louder.
The rider looked at the instrument. “No doubt, this is where the incursion occurred,” he said. He put the device back in his pocket and addressed the other men. “Fan out and look for her. She couldn’t have gotten far.” The men quickly moved off in all directions as the lead rider remounted his steed.
“Who are they?” whispered Mia. Jola put up a hand to quiet her. She watched the riders dash around in their quest. One began to move toward her and the old men. Pinto tugged on her shirt and dashed toward another set of rocks. Jola put an arm across the girl’s back and guided her toward their new destination. Mia could hear the rider approaching them. She saw Pinto push aside a rock and dive into a hole. She followed him with Jola behind her. The dust obscured the rider’s view and the three ducked out of sight as the rider passed them.
The trio sat in the four-foot deep hole for several minutes, listening for the sound of their pursuers. Pinto eventually slid aside the rock that covered the hole and he peeked out into the searing daylight. He nodded and climbed out of the hole before taking Mia’s hand to assist her. Jola followed them to the surface. Mia dusted off her clothing. “Can you please tell me what is going on here?” she asked. “Who were those guys and why were they looking for us?”
Pinto shook his head. “They are Terrasells, and they were looking for you, my dear,” he said. He too wiped the dust from his clothing. “Those men are soldiers from Emperor Rol’s army.” He shook his head. “They must have detected your arrival. This is very bad.” Jola nodded.
“Emperor Rol?” asked Mia.
Jola sighed. “Emperor Rol the Ruthless,” he said. “He is the ruler of Krollia.”
“I take it from his name he is not very friendly,” said Mia. She paused, trying to take all this in. She didn’t understand what was happening, even as her mind started piecing things together. The two old men nervously clenched their hands. “What does he want with me?”
“You are the Second Savior,” said Jola.
“And what exactly does that mean?” asked Mia. She wiped her shirt sleeve across her sweaty face. Part of her kept hoping that this was just a dream and that she would soon wake up, but her intense thirst and her aching body told her otherwise.
“Follow us,” said Pinto, as he started walking in the opposite direction of the riders. Jola fell in step behind him. “We will explain along the way.” Pinto looked over his shoulder and waved a hand at Mia. She shrugged and reluctantly joined the old men.
They traveled more than a mile before Pinto spoke again. “Krollia is the richest kingdom on our planet,” he said. His breathing was labored from the long walk. He dabbed a rag against his forehead to wipe away the sweat. “You wouldn’t know it by looking, but we have more water than any other place in the world. Emperor Rol stores it in thousands of large containers that he has hidden throughout the land. But he keeps it for himself.”
“Except on Water Day,” added Jola. He strode beside his friend and did not seem to be as troubled by the walk. Mia even noticed an enthusiastic bounce in his step. She guessed that Jola must have been younger than Pinto.
“Yes, there is Water Day,” said Pinto. “One day a month, we Narlands go to a market place where we are allowed to fill containers with as much water as we can carry. But even that is limited.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “This water hording by Emperor Rol has created many enemies for Krollia. We are under a constant fear of attack from outsiders. And there is even violence among our own kind for possession of water. We all need it to survive. If we could find those hidden containers, it would weaken his hold over us and it would make it possible to overthrow him.”
Mia shook her head. “That is very fascinating,” she said, with a hint of sarcasm. “But what does any of this have to do with me?” she asked. She stopped and looked up at the setting sun. A cool wind was finally blowing over the land and she wondered how cold it would get at night. She k
new that her light clothing would do little to keep her warm. She rubbed her hands together and peered ahead of them, but she did not see any signs of civilization. “And where are we going?” she asked.
Pinto rubbed his neck. “We are going to our village,” he said. “It isn’t much farther.” He stopped to catch his breath. The man then turned to face Mia. “I know all of this is strange to you. But it doesn’t change the truth. Our ancient texts tell of two saviors who will one day come and free us from our bondage. The first has already arrived, but he was quickly captured by Rol’s men.” He paused to take a deep breath. “We have word that he is still alive but we are not sure where he is being held for they move him to a different location every day. I think part of your duty will be to help us free him so that together the Two Saviors can fulfill their destinies.”
Jola folded his hands in front of his chest. “Rol would do everything he can to stay in power. He is most likely questioning the First Savior to learn what he can about you. But once Rol thinks he is no longer useful, he will kill the First One. That is why we must rescue him as soon as possible.” He gently took Mia’s right hand in his. “We believe in you, Mia. You must believe in yourself. Everything depends on
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