Gin-us made his way down the stairs, admiring the scene below him. It was eerily familiar to that of the one he had experienced on Earth. Only this time, he was seeing it from an entirely different angle. He saw those he had attacked lying on the ground in defeat, severely burnt in several locations. This is the last time I use this power.
“Who are you?” Pollenia eyed Gin-us with suspicion, holding his ground but not attacking.
“I’m the guy who just saved your life. A thank you sounds like a more appropriate opening.” Gin-us eyed Pollenia and raised an eyebrow at him.
“Thank you,” he said after a long pause. “My name is Pollenia, and you are?”
“Gin-us. Are you from this area?”
“The jungle, no. Venus, yes.” He eyed Gin-us speculatively. “You’re from Pluto as well?”
“Mars. Although we travel with some from Pluto.”
“And yet you still fight against them?”
“The lines of war aren’t always that black and white.”
“No, I suppose they aren’t.” Pollenia looked over the Plutonians and Venusians around him. “How did you end up here?”
“Started in a place eerily similar to this actually. I was a prisoner back on Earth. Ended up escaping with the help of a human. You know, he actually helped me retake my throne.” Gin-us smiled as he recalled his adventures with Patrick.
“From Earth you say?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re a Martian King?”
“That I am.”
“And I’m free to go?”
“That you are.”
“I need to get back to my brother, the Desert King. He’ll want to know what happened here.”
“A prince then?” Gin-us eyed him speculatively. “Is your kingdom far from here?”
“A days ride at most.”
“And your brother, is he fighting the invaders?”
“He was. Until they took me as a prisoner. I fear he may still blame the jungle Queendom. Our relationship isn’t exactly the best.”
“After all of this,” Gin-us waved his hands around the room at the different Venusians milling about, “you think you can convince him otherwise?”
“I have no choice but to convince him.” Pollenia paused for a moment and stared Gin-us down from head to toe, taking in the Martian King. “Any chance I can get you to come with me?”
“I would, but I should get back to my people. Tell them about what happened here.”
“I can’t convince you otherwise?”
“Sorry, but no.”
“Once you’ve spoken to your people or if you change your mind, I’ll be waiting for you. Head south from here and cross the sea. You’ll find a small island just off the coast with a tower of blackened brick. The entrance will be hidden beneath the water at the southern tip of the island. At the top of the tower, you’ll find several bags. Place one of the orange bags into the pit and light it afire. When I see the smoke, I’ll know it’s you.”
Gin-us asked Pollenia to repeat the instructions before saying goodbye. Taking one of the ships, Gin-us began the trip back to his base. He was eager to share what he had found with the others.
Run, young Prince. Sardena sat in front of her mirror, watching as Pollenia flew over the jungles to his home in the desert. There is great magic in you; you may be just what I’m looking for. Only ten passings old and already a force to be reckoned with, Sardena rubbed at her temples, it’s clear that this war is going to be fought and likely won by some of the youngest fighters this galaxy has ever seen. She raised her eyebrows as she watched Patrick making his way through the other side of the jungle. Which of you is the power I truly seek? Which of you is the one that will help instill our will upon the galaxy?
◆◆◆
X: A Traitor Exposed
Queen Dionaea had hastily made her way home, her hair swinging wildly around her as she flung herself across the jungle. I hope Aldrovanda is okay! She only came to a rest when she approached a giant wall of foliage with no clear entrance. She placed a hand upon it and waited for the foliage to part. Once open, she flew high above the heads of those in the village below. Again, she only stopped when she reached a second wall of foliage, this one hiding her home from the rest of the village.
Dionaea dropped from the trees and landed effortlessly, silently, and with incredible grace. She placed her hand upon the wall of foliage and watched as it spread apart at her touch. She jumped through when the space was just large enough for her to fit, and let it snap shut behind her.
She rushed across a small field of blue flowers and crossed a short bridge covering a moat. On the other side was a pathway lined with tall red grass and paved with stones of deep gray and brown. At the end of the path, was a large tree with a small door carved into it. Knowing the rush she was in, she didn’t bother with the lock on her door. Instead, she simply slammed into it, breaking into her own home. She could not have moved any faster if she tried as she ran up the stairs and burst into a room at the top of the stairs, her eyes darting around the room in a panic.
Her eyes settled on a hammock in the corner of the room where a small lump was bundled beneath heavy covers. Her heartbeat only returned to normal when she heard the sounds of snoring and saw a slowly rising and falling chest. She leisurely made her way over and sat down at the edge, gently rubbing Aldrovanda’s back to wake him.
“Aldro.” She rocked the hammock gently pushing from the floor with her two feet firmly planted. “Wake up Aldro.”
“Dee, is that you?” Aldro rolled over in his bed and pulled free of the sheets. “Where have you been?”
Dionaea looked down at her brother, the secret Prince, and pushed a few strands of hair from his face. Aldro was not like his sister or any of the other Venusians. From a young age, he had proved to be incredibly wise, seeing things that were about to happen long before anyone else. But this gift had come with the curse of disfigurement. His body was oddly contorted with a head and hands far too large for the rest of him. His spine had grown at an odd angle which resulted in poor posture and a slight hunchback. To avoid scrutiny and unkind words, their parents had kept him secret since his birth.
“I’m sorry, brother. I was inexplicably detained.”
“By the ones who glow the color of our mother’s favorite flower?”
“Yes, although you already knew that, didn’t you?”
He nodded as he pulled the rest of the covers from his body and swung his legs off the bed. He grunted as he stood, the effort putting great strain on his weakened muscles.
“And now you’re here to ask my thoughts on the newcomer?”
“I am.” Despite their conversations always progressing in this manner, she was still amazed at his abilities.
“And the prophecy?” he croaked as he grabbed a cup from a cabinet.
“Has everything happened as I said it would?”
“Could you tell it again?”
She leaned in with trembling hands and a pleading look, hoping she had missed something in the prophecy. She wasn’t ready for this.
“When ally is found hidden amongst the enemy and neighbor becomes friend. When fire falls from the sky and unites with royal blood in battle. Then will be the time to unite as one. The day will come when the true leader of Venus will be forced to make the ultimate sacrifice. Only this path will keep the galaxy from falling to darkness.” He coughed, filled his cup and took another large gulp.
Queen Dionaea nodded to her brother and strode across the room to where a radio was sitting on the counter. “Guess that means now is the time to put old quarrels behind us.”
She picked up the radio and with a few keystrokes, the line crackled to life.
“Outpost eighteen, reporting in.”
“How many do you have left at your outpost?”
“Not many I’m afraid. Half dozen capable, another half dozen in recovery.”
“I need you to send two of your fastest on an urgent mission.”
“Ma’am, I don’t know that we can spare…”
“This isn’t a question. It’s an order.” Silence followed. “Select two of your fastest. The first is to travel to King Calliphoridae and the second to the Pirate King Pantopoda. You’re sending them with a white flag and a message. The foretold prophecy is at our door.”
“Is that all?” There was a slight hint of confusion in his voice. “Ma’am?”
“Yes. Thank you.” She hung up the phone and turned back to her brother. “Well then, onto the future.”
“Cheers!” He lifted his cup and downed another large gulp.
◆◆◆
The Venusians led Patrick, Flupotia, Frize, and the prisoners through the jungle to the deepest part. The trees around them grew so thick, that in some areas it appeared night had fallen, no sunlight able to reach through. In these areas, there were vines growing up the tree trunks that pulsed vibrant hues. The vines lit the jungle up in a different way than the light of the clouds, casting shadows that were eerily beautiful.
The path ended abruptly as the group arrived at the same wall of heavy green foliage the Queen had recently passed through. Patrick pushed his hand into the wall and felt it push back. One of the Venusians who had spent the hike close to Patrick’s side laughed quietly and placed her own hand on the wall. She smiled and then winked at Patrick before closing her eyes. She whispered something under her breath and Patrick felt the wall give way beneath his own hand. He stumbled forward as the leaves pulled back, revealing they had been less than an inch thick.
He stood up rapidly, his cheeks flushed, and did his best to avoid the female Venusians' eye contact. He dusted off his pants and then raised his head slowly from his chest. His eyes went wide at the sight before him. The clearing that had been hidden behind the wall was over a hundred times larger than the one he had landed in.
He turned around and was amazed to see the wall of thick leaves rising to the sky, hiding the clearing in its entirety. From the ceiling of the dome hung thousands of glowing vines, the same ones that had lit the path here. On the left side of the clearing were a series of large trees with doors and windows carved at the base. A few of these doors stood open, and from where he stood, Patrick could see the makings of a home inside them. The opposite side of the clearing had several smaller domes of foliage, each hiding its own secret. Beyond these was a large forest that continued further than Patrick could see.
At the center of the village, lying just in front of a deep forest, was the largest tree any in the galaxy had seen before. While the great redwoods of California had paled in comparison to the trees in the jungles of Venus, those same trees now paled in comparison to this one. It was as wide around as several buses laid end to end, growing no thinner as it rose out of sight.
“Greck!” the one who had broken through the wall hollered to another who was sitting outside a nearby tree. “Find Lith, tell him to prepare the greatest feast he ever has!”
Greck looked up with confusion. “Now, if you please.”
As Greck took off running, the one giving orders turned back to Patrick. “I will have Tabina show you to the Great Hall of Leijona.” A young woman stepped forward. “It is there that the Queen will meet you. I will see to it personally that the prisoners are dealt with and then I will return to you.” She nodded and began to depart.
“Wait!” Patrick grabbed her hand. “I didn’t catch your name?”
“My name is Chelydra.” She smiled at Patrick again before turning to lead the prisoners away.
“Follow me please.” Tabina began walking and left everyone to fall in line behind her.
Patrick stood behind for a second to watch Chelydra. A slow smile crept up the left side of his face when she turned back around and caught him staring. Flupotia cleared her throat next to Patrick and he turned to find her arms crossing her chest and one eyebrow raised. Patrick wished he were invisible as his ears turned red. He shrugged his shoulders at Flupotia and fell in line with everyone else.
The Great Hall of Leijona it turned out, was a large, hollowed-out room in the middle of the massive tree. Two enormous doors of heavy steel marked the entrance, with intricate patterns pounded into the metal. As Tabina pushed the doors open and the group piled in, the childlike looks of wonder on everyone’s face only grew.
The vines from outside circled around the outside of the Great Hall and cascaded in through the stained glass windows high above their heads. There were twenty long tables lined up in rows, filling the hall. As Patrick walked across the room he could not help but drag his hands across the surface of the table. The grain of the wood was like nothing he had ever seen before, the patterns absolutely captivated him.
Lining the walls of the Great Hall were canvases at least twenty feet long and wide. Each of the canvases depicted a different scene from the jungle's rich history. From the canvases, Patrick could see that there were three species calling Venus home. There were the green ones he had already come to know, yellow ones with sharp brown spikes protruding from their bodies, and blue ones that appeared to prefer life on the water. Patrick was relieved to find that none of the paintings depicted him controlling fire.
At the front of the room was a table slightly raised and laid perpendicular to the others. There was one high backed chair directly in the middle and it was clear that this was Dionaea’s throne. On each side of her throne were half a dozen smaller versions of the same chair. This was where Tabina directed everyone to sit.
To the right of the throne, she sat Patrick and Frize, to the left Flupotia and two of the Venusians. The remaining chairs were left empty. As the five sat in silence at the head of the room, others began to file in and wait for the Queen’s arrival. The room was buzzing with excitement as everyone spoke in hushed whispers and tried to hide their stares and pointing fingers. These strange newcomers had saved their queen from the invaders, yet nobody knew who they were.
Flupotia, Patrick and Frize did not hear as Queen Dionaea entered the room from a door behind them. It was only when a blanket of silence spread across the crowd and the two Venusians at their table stood that they noticed her. Patrick was floored by her beauty. In the few hours they had spent apart, she had undergone a complete transformation. Her vined hair which had been hanging sporadically was now tied up in a large bun, held in place by a colorful wrap. She had showered, washing the mud from both her face and arms to reveal golden freckles splattered across her green skin. She was clothed in a long flowing gown, woven from vines and leaves of many different colors. Behind her stood three guards, all carrying large staffs with spearheads on one end and a large rounded blunt on the other. The three of them were wearing matching armor made from the same metal as the doors of the Great Hall.
The Queen slowly walked down from the main table and wove her way through the aisles. She held her hands out to every Venusian she passed, smiling at some and nodding to others. When she had reached the far end of the room, she turned back to face her people one last time. With a final smile and a nod, she made her way back to the throne. Before sitting down she stopped at Patrick’s side and held her hand out to him. Not wishing to offend her in any way he readily took her hand and pushed back his chair. Queen Dionaea then led Patrick from behind the table to the front of the large crowd, holding his hand the entire time. Patrick could feel the sweat beading up in his palms but refused to let go.
“Good evening to all who have gathered here.”
Even her voice was different now. Patrick noted a sense of formality and command that had not been there before.
“I am grateful for each and every one of you who has taken the time from your busy lives to join us. I know we have struggled greatly over the past several wits during this invasion. We send a silent wish to those who are no longer with us tonight.”
She bowed her head and closed her eyes. As Patrick saw everyone else in the room follow suit, he too bowed his head.
“If it were not for those of us still here today, I myself
would be on my way to Pluto now as a slave. No matter how small a role you have played in the journey thus far, know that it has not gone unnoticed.” She turned to face Patrick and raised his hand higher. “And a special thanks to our new friends and allies. It is their dedication and devotion to rid the world of evil that saved our planet today. And for that, I am ever in your debt. I hope the feast we have prepared for you tonight may serve as a small token of my appreciation.”
She bowed to Patrick and he was taken aback. To be praised and honored by a Queen was an experience beyond any other. Queen Dionaea let Patrick’s hand fall as she stepped back, waving to the entire table behind her where Flupotia and Frize stood awkwardly with Patrick. Thunderous applause raced across the Great Hall as everyone cheered for their new heroes. The applause lasted an uncomfortable amount of time, but finally, Queen Dionaea was able to calm her subjects. She then retired to her chair to enjoy the feast with everyone else.
The food was absolutely incredible. While Patrick had planned to steer clear of new foods after his encounter with the brithog, he couldn’t help himself as plates passed by. He took a little from each, the smells overpowering any uncertainty he had. Soon his plate was overflowing with mounds of food. Just don’t ask where it came from he said to himself as he stuck a small cube of meat into his mouth.
Aliens from Arapholanx: The Burn of Magic Page 12
