“Patrick,” Queen Dionaea tapped his forearm to get his attention, “I truly want to thank you for what you’ve done. Everyone here is in debt to you. If there is ever anything you need on your journey, I will do everything in my power to provide it.”
“I appreciate that.” Patrick swallowed as his Mother’s voice jumped into his head don’t talk with food in your mouth! “But to be honest, I’m not doing this to have a list of favors owed or debt to collect on.”
“All the same. I look around this room at my subjects,” she smiled fully, “and can’t help but enjoy the smiles on their faces, the plates full of food and the room full of light! And I know all of this was almost taken from us. The beauty of this planet would have been destroyed if King Flaca had gotten his hands on it.”
“It’s honestly nothing you wouldn’t have done for Earth if our roles were reversed.”
“No matter how true that may be, the roles are what they are and it is I who owes you.”
“You owe nothing.” Patrick was starting to get annoyed but knew he had to learn to accept recognition and appreciation from others. “But the gesture is appreciated. How about you help us when we leave? Maybe some supplies for the quest, any soldiers you can spare?”
“Military supplies are easy to come by these days. I can get you more than you need, possibly a dozen times over. However, the downside to that is the same reason we have an abundance of supplies. There are still so many of my people either dead or missing. The Plutonians were ruthless when we discovered them. One day things were going fine, the next, we were waking up to find that thousands of us had been replaced by soldiers from another land.”
She raised her hands quickly, food flying from her fork and bouncing off the chest plate of one of her guards. The guard didn’t flinch or complain as the Queen continued, unaware of what she had done.
“Imagine the shock in that. We didn’t have the time to react appropriately.” She closed her eyes as she held back tears. “My army used to stand over one hundred thousand strong. Now? I’ve got these three,” she motioned over her shoulder at the guards accompanying her and pointed to each in turn, “Zorl, Gon, and Zlynt. There are around twenty thousand others scattered throughout the jungle. Right now they’re just holding our borders.” She dropped her fork to her plate and wiped the corners of her eyes with her napkin. “That’s over eighty thousand souls I’ve failed. Not to mention the civilian numbers.”
Patrick didn’t know how to respond. Luckily for him, Flupotia had been eavesdropping and jumped into the conversation.
“If I may interject,” she leaned over her chair to make sure they could hear her, “I wouldn’t say you’ve failed them just yet. If I know anything about my kind and their tactics, most if not all of your people are still alive somewhere. Patrick,” she looked from the Queen to him, “it’s the same as we saw on Earth. They captured people, studied them, and collected whatever information they could. Our King, as evil, as his goals and actions are, he has generally tried to keep the death count low.”
Queen Dionaea placed her hand on Flupotia’s, “Thank you. I pray to the Spirit of Venus that you are right. I hate to think what would happen if the other Kingdoms chose now to stage an invasion.” Not that they would dare once my messengers reach them.
“Other Kingdoms? How many are there?” Patrick was intrigued.
“There are two others. King Calliphoridae resides south of here, near the equator. His army is far greater in number and he has more than once threatened to take my land from me. The threats, however, are pointless. While they can easily navigate their lands, my jungles have proven far more difficult for outsiders. Except for you.” She winked at Patrick. “There is also the Pirate King Pantopoda. He rules over a series of smaller landmasses in the southern half of the planet. He has never shown interest in an invasion. I believe he prefers the freedom of life on the sea.”
“Interesting. And do you think they would join forces with us?” Patrick was eager for support wherever he could find it.
“In time, perhaps. I would advise against approaching him at the current moment. Give me time to reach out. I may be able to sway them in your favor.” And save me in the process. “Consider it part of my repayment of thanks.” She smiled at Patrick.
He was upset, there was no denying that. He had hoped to travel to Mercury with a large army behind him. To finally have something to show for all the work they’d done.
“For now, we’ll settle for some supplies. Hopefully, on the return journey, Venus will be ready to rise and fight with us.”
Patrick had so many concerns. The only planets not yet fully invaded were Earth, Venus, and Mercury. Earth had proved far less than helpful with only three humans stepping forward to join him. Now that Venus had proved to be stuck in the middle of its own struggles, Mercury was the last hope at bolstering up the army before returning home. Patrick knew this was the only way he was going to get the armies of Earth to rise up alongside him.
Sensing he was now lost to the conversation, Queen Dionaea broke the silence. “I have enjoyed our talk greatly Patrick, and I hope there are more in our future. However, as I’m sure you must agree I need to retire from this feast and set about restoring the might of my Queendom.” She motioned to a Venusian who had stood largely unnoticed behind her. “This is Nagi, one of my most trusted messengers. I leave her with you for any request or question you may have. Once you have had your fill of both food and festivities she will lead you to a place of rest. We will speak again tomorrow.”
She stood to leave and Patrick rose with her. “Thank you for your hospitality. I look forward to questioning the prisoners with you tomorrow.”
“As do I. Goodnight to each of you. May the Spirit of Venus protect you.”
“The same to you, Queen Dionaea.” He bowed slightly, unsure of how to end the interaction.
“One last thing,” she laughed as she lifted Patrick by his shoulder. “Please, forgo the formalities and just call me Dee.” She smiled one last time at everyone around her, turned on her heel, and left the hall.
Everyone that remained continued to dine well into the night. They ate until they were full and then ate some more. Nobody stopped until every bowl was licked clean, every bone stripped of its meat, and every glass emptied.
◆◆◆
Look at them, Gon thought to himself as he watched Patrick and the others enjoy the feast. They think they’re so righteous and all-powerful. We wouldn’t be in this mess if it wasn’t for them. Gon stared with great anger in his eyes. It took everything in his power not to reach out and strike them all down.
“Do it!”
The voice of Sardena rang through Gon’s head. He flinched for a moment as the voice tore through his skull. No! He hollered back finally. Not while the Queen is still here. Gon narrowed his eyes, but you, he honed in on the back of Patrick’s skull, you aren’t getting off this planet alive.
◆◆◆
Patrick stumbled behind Nagi as she led them to their sleeping quarters. After the Queen had left, Patrick had been dragged to the dance floor by Chelydra, who refused to leave his side for the rest of the night. He was tired beyond belief but would have kept going if the food had not run out and the music not stopped.
Nagi led them across the large clearing and past the rows of hollowed out trees. There was a path beyond them that wound away from the town center. Not much further down the path, they came upon a dense row of leaves that she moved aside in the same way her Queen had. This clearing was far smaller with thinner vines hanging from the leafy ceiling. Attached to the vines just inches from the ground were oversized hammocks. Patrick stumbled into a hammock between Frize and Flupotia.
“I will be just outside should you need anything.” Nagi nodded at the three of them now lying in their hammocks and stepped outside, letting the thick layer of leaves fall in place behind her.
Now left alone, the three dove into conversation. They spoke of the beauty of the Queen and the gene
rosity of her people. They spoke of the prisoners and what they hoped to gain from questioning them. They spoke of the other Kingdoms of Venus and what that may possibly mean for the rebellion. Flupotia did all she could to keep the conversation flowing and her secrets hidden. She focused on moving the entire fleet closer to the Queen's home, finding Gin-us and the soldiers that had left with him, how they would distribute whatever supplies the Queen offered and a dozen other things. She continued to drone on until she saw Frize and Patrick dozing off, only ceasing once both their eyes had closed. Alone now, she lay in bed wondering where this journey would take her next and how much longer she could keep her secrets.
◆◆◆
Sardena had watched the feast from the safety of her home. She had seen the dark cloud of hate surrounding one of the Queens trusted guards and had urged him to attack during the feast, out in the open where everyone could see. But the guard held fast to his plan of stealth and secrecy. This, however, was not the plan Sardena wanted to see play out.
As Gon approached the sleeping quarters in the dead of night, Sardena realized Nagi had fallen asleep. Foolish Venusians, she thought, leaving just her to stand guard? Sardena focused her energy on Nagi and yelled into her mind, “Wake up!”
Nagi jumped from where she had been sitting and screamed aloud in shock at the scream in her head. What happened next could never have been planned for. The scream from Nagi startled Gon who was standing at the entrance to the sleeping quarters. He turned abruptly and thrust his spear forward where it made contact with Nagi. As she stumbled backward Gon cursed to himself. He thought for a second he could save her, but upon inspecting her wounds he saw the damage was too severe. He pulled his spear free from her body and took off into the woods, eager to be as far away as possible when her body was discovered.
◆◆◆
It was Nagi’s scream in the middle of the night that woke everyone suddenly. Frize was the first to jump from his hammock, falling to the ground and cursing silently as a small ice chip slid across the ground. As he stood and ran to the door, Flupotia and Patrick untangled from their sheets and followed close behind.
“How do we get out of here!” Frize was trying to shoulder his way through the thick layer of foliage which would not yield. “It won’t budge! Everyone step back!”
Frize stepped back with his arms out wide to push Patrick and Flupotia behind him. He then leaned forward with both hands stretched before him. He let loose a massive flame that quickly raced across the entryway exposing the world outside. Flupotia and Patrick watched in horror as the flames started to climb to the ceiling. Frize, given his own genetic makeup, was able to quickly shift his flames into a stream of ice that froze the fire in its tracks. It was an eerily beautiful sight, the flames appearing frozen in time, hanging from the burnt foliage.
The group piled through the opening and found Nagi leaning against a nearby tree. Both her hands were pressed firmly against her stomach doing nothing to stop the blood that was now pouring out. She held a bloodied hand up to Flupotia who ran to her side.
“There’s a traitor amongst us.” Nagi coughed violently sending blood splattering to the ground in front of her. “Find him.” She coughed once more as her eyes rolled in the back of her head and her body went limp in Flupotia’s arms.
Flupotia placed a finger on the girl’s neck and after a moment looked up to the crowd around her. “She’s dead.”
Flupotia laid Nagi on the ground and gently closed her eyelids. “May the Spirit of Venus protect you,” she said, not knowing what else to do for her.
Upon hearing of Nagi’s death, the Queen quickly made her way down to the sleeping quarters to bless her body before it was taken away. She asked if any would guard Nagi’s body while it was prepared for burial in her family tomb. Flupotia readily volunteered, not wanting to leave the young girls' side. She requested Frize to join her. With them otherwise indisposed, it fell on Patrick to join the Queen to her home where they could begin their investigation.
“I don’t understand why anyone would have wanted her dead. Regardless of how wonderful a soul she was, my people have already seen such slaughter.” The Queen quickened her pace, leaving Patrick in a slow jog to keep up. “You say she mentioned a traitor, but nothing else?”
“That’s all Flupotia says she heard. I wish we had gotten to her side sooner; we may have gotten more from her. You need to share with us how you open your doors. I don’t want to see something like this happen again.”
“Yes, yes.” She waved her hands as if the request had annoyed her. “I’m just in shock. I don’t understand why anyone would want to do this! We need to find out who this traitor is. We’ll round everyone up in the Great Hall immediately, question each of them. We’ll find out who is lying to us.”
“Is that really the best idea?” There has to be a faster method!
“Please, while you are a guest in my home, do not question my decisions.” She was stern, and although she was ahead of Patrick and faced away from him, he could sense the anger her face was displaying.
Patrick didn’t have time to argue or plead his case. All of his attention was focused on running through the jungle. There were vines lying everywhere, roots sticking from the ground at odd angles and large trees blocking the path at each turn. The Queen moved with an effortless grace that could not help but be admired. Finally, much to Patrick’s relief, they arrived at another wall of thick foliage.
“Here,” she grabbed his hand and placed it on the wall, “all you have to do is ask the Spirit of Venus for entry. If you are deemed worthy, it will let you pass. If not, you will have to fight your way through.”
“That’s it?” And this is what keeps you from being invaded?
“Yes, please hurry. We don’t have all day to be out here waiting on you.”
Sorry, Patrick thought to himself as he closed his eyes. “Spirit of Venus, I ask for your permission to pass.” This is ridiculous.
“You need to say it more with your mind, less with your mouth. You cannot fool the Spirit of Venus. Try again.” She had her arms crossed and was tapping her left foot impatiently on the ground.
“Spirit of Venus, please grant me permission to pass,” Patrick whispered, I am of no danger to those residing here.
With that thought, the foliage quickly parted ways revealing the Queen’s home to Patrick. He tried to take in the sights but was hurried along. Racing through the field of blue flowers, he followed across a short bridge and through her shattered front door. There’s a story there for sure. Queen Dionaea stood at the side of the door and beckoned for Patrick to enter. As he stepped inside he was again amazed by what he saw.
As big as the tree had seemed on the outside, it appeared even larger on the inside. The entire thing had been hollowed out, as high as the eye could see. Along the outer walls of the tree was a staircase that spiraled upwards where it came to a stop at the ceiling, another secret door perhaps? The space Patrick and the Queen stood in was furnished eerily similar to that of his own except everything was made from wood. There were couches and armchairs on one end of the room, carved from the tree itself. Next to this area was a kitchen of sorts, with counters, cabinets and a small island with four stools, again carved from the tree itself. Just beyond the kitchen was a large table surrounded by a dozen high backed chairs, similar to the throne in the Great Hall. On the opposite end of the room was a giant hammock hanging from thick vines. There were large blue leaves rolled up as pillows with a green leaf larger than Patrick had ever seen serving as a blanket. Next to the bedroom was a walled-off area with a hollowed-out vine hanging from above with a small cutout in the floor beneath, indicating this was the bathroom. The Queen's home was truly a beautiful sight to behold.
“This room,” he started, staring around in wonder, “this place, it’s absolutely gorgeous.”
“I assume the homes of Earth are not like these then?”
“Similar but different. We don’t live inside the trees like this, and
the way the furniture is just carved into the home itself. It’s just…” Patrick was at a loss for words and just continued to stare in amazement. “It’s like a treehouse on steroids.”
“Treehouse?” She looked up from the desk she was rummaging through and stared at him as if the term was meant to mock her.
“Back on Earth, I had one as a kid. No more than a few planks of wood nailed to a tree and a rope ladder hanging down. Carried up a few old picnic chairs and board games.”
“Sounds like a sentry post.” She fell to the chair at the desk. “I can’t believe how many of them must stand empty now, no soldiers left to man them.”
Patrick shifted uncomfortably, Flupotia is better at this stuff. “You can’t give up hope yet. You heard Flupotia, they may all still be alive.”
“Hmm.” She returned to whatever it was she was doing, leaving Patrick in silence. She let out an exasperated sigh, “I just can’t believe someone would kill Nagi like that. What purpose could that possibly have served?”
Aliens from Arapholanx: The Burn of Magic Page 13
