They focused all of their energy on the massive fire, watching as the flames slowly began to grow. This might actually work, Flupotia thought to herself as the fire continued to rise. Now fueled by her growing confidence, the flames shot off into the sky. The ones closest to the fire jumped back from the sudden heat, some with singed hair and clothing. Those further from the flames reacted in different ways. Some crouched down low with their backs turned to the growing flames, others stood still with a palm firmly planted over their mouths, and yet there were still a few who hadn’t even flinched.
Flupotia and Frize then pulled the fires back down to the jungle floor. The flames raced through the camp, circling around the Plutonians at a breathtaking pace. Screams quickly filled the air around them as the camp descended into a panicked chaos. Some tried to fight back, firing their guns into the flames as if they could do any real damage. The bullets burnt up in seconds while the laser beams and explosive rounds only added to the fires fury. Realizing there was no fighting back, many of the soldiers ran for the edge of their camp and jumped into the water running alongside it.
“What now?” Frize hollered to Flupotia over the sounds of the roaring flame.
Flupotia shrugged, honestly not sure what the next steps were. If they pulled the flames back and let them die out, the Plutonians would quickly regroup and would be on high alert. If they kept the flames burning, then they could retreat to the jungle and regroup. Beyond that, they also risked harming any prisoners that may be found.
“We have to let the flames die out, it’s our only play.”
Frize nodded, knowing the alternative was to kill every soldier in the camp with the fire. Neither wanted that level of death on their hands. So they released the flames, the smoke quickly dissipated and everyone got their first look at the true extent of the fires damage. The ground was scorched black as were dozens of trees on the outer edges of the camp. Some trees were still burning, small flames licking away at their bark. Many of the Plutonians had suffered varying degrees of burns, but many more were unscathed. The majority had tossed their weapons and jumped into the river and were now cautiously making their way back to shore.
There was a wave of definite anger in the eyes of those still on land. These soldiers already had their weapons raised as they scanned the tree line around them. Their guns quickly turned on the ship as screams poured from the entrance followed by a large group of Venusians. Not a single shot was fired as the Venusians quickly launched themselves into the center of the battle. They pulled weapons free from some while restraining others. The battle was over before it had even started. Flupotia and Frize emerged from the shadows to meet the Plutonians at the water's edge. They ushered them up one by one until all were tied up and under guard.
Queen Dionaea stood at the edge of the clearing on a small hill, her people staring up at her waiting for a speech. She wasn’t sure what to say, she was overcome with emotion and joy at having found so many of her people still alive. It gave her hope that Flupotia’s words were true and many others still lived. From the back of the crowd that had piled out of the cave, a young Venusian woman was maneuvering her way through the others.
“Dee!” she shouted above all the commotion, her voice getting lost in the crowd. “Excuse me, please!” She pushed her way carefully through the crowd, doing her best to not interrupt anyone reuniting or celebrating. “Dee!” she shouted again, this time much closer to the Queen.
That voice, Queen Dionaea heard her name shouted from the crowd, it can’t be! She scanned the crowd to see who had called for her. Then her eyes settled on the source. Dionaea fell to her knees and started laughing, a wide grin spreading across her face. The Queen then jumped from the hill and ran to meet the other Venusian. The two met in the middle, where Flupotia and Frize saw them embrace with tears in their eyes.
“I never thought I would see you again! I feared the worst!” The Queen hugged the Venusian in front of her, a feeling of ecstasy encompassing her. “Come, you must meet Flupotia and Frize!”
The Queen dragged her companion through the crowd. Everyone they passed stepped back and bowed their heads slightly. She knew it wasn’t the right thing to do, ignoring them, but at this point, she didn’t care for the formalities of the crown. With the Venusians parting for her they made quick time crossing the clearing.
“Flupotia, Frize!” Queen Dionaea was still holding the other Venusians' hand tightly. “I would like to introduce you both to Drosera.” She pulled Drosera closer to her side and smiled brightly. “My wife.”
“It’s a pleasure meeting you both.” Drosera paused to examine them both and raised an eye to her Queen. “And how may I ask that you know these two?”
“These two.” The Queen smiled again and laughed. “These two have done so much for our people in such a short time. If it weren’t for them, I would be on a prisoner transport back to Pluto right now!”
“Well then.” Drosera narrowed her eyes at them. “Thank you for all you have done for our people.”
“Please, no thanks are necessary. I think we both agree we’ve had enough of that already.” Frize nodded in agreement with Flupotia. “We’re just happy to be helping. And we hope in time your Queen will be able to support our growing army.”
“If you’re truly here under the name of peace, I don’t see why we won’t be able to support you.”
The group fell into conversations surrounding next steps. The Queen and her wife desperately wanted to help but could not commit any soldiers. It was made quite clear, that while they were an ally, their main goal was to protect Venus above all else.
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Back in Selva, Patrick had woken from his painful sleep and was now waiting on everyone else to return. He paced the Great Hall nervously, annoyed that he had not been able to join as they hunted down the Plutonians. A loud commotion from outside grabbed his attention and he rushed to the doors flinging them open. Coming from the forest was a group of Venusians at least tenfold the size of the one currently living at the capital. And leading them all was Flupotia, Frize, and Queen Dionaea who was linked arm in arm with another Venusian. Patrick ran to the group and almost knocked Flupotia to the ground as he wrapped her in a bear hug.
She resisted at first, well aware of how inappropriate the action was. But as she looked around and realized nobody else was truly paying attention, she gave in to the warmth and comfort that came with his touch. He pulled back, leaving her wishing for just a few more seconds of that comforting feeling.
“Where did you find all of these Venusians?”
“It’s a long story, one better told another time. For now, we have some prisoners to deal with.” She motioned to the back of the caravan of Venusians where the prisoners were all tied together and being led through the woods.
“Must be quite the story.”
“Patrick,” Queen Dionaea had made her way over and interjected into the conversation, “I would like to introduce you to my wife, Drosera.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Drosera bowed deeply to Patrick, and unsure of what to do he bowed back.
“The pleasure is mine.”
“Once the prisoners have been dealt with, I’d like to speak with you three in the Great Hall?” It was a clear demand, posed as a question.
“Of course.” Flupotia nodded. “Patrick, care to question them with me?”
Together Flupotia and Patrick followed the Plutonians to the cells where those they had already captured were locked up. After the new prisoners were added to their ranks the cells were packed to the brim.
“Who here speaks for all of you?” Patrick stood just feet from the edge of the cells.
“I am the General of this Army.” One of the Plutonians at the front of the crowd stepped forward. “You can call me Kruun. Who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?”
Patrick eyed the General and wasn’t surprised to see a battle-worn soldier before him. There was a scar on the left side of his face that ran from the
base of his jaw, across his ear and then jumped forward to his eye. The eye beneath the scar was white and glassy.
“I am Patrick.”
“I should have known!” The General almost smiled at him. “Would have felt a fool if we had fallen to any other. What is it we can help you with, oh great savior?”
I guess they do understand sarcasm. “I just want information. How many of you are there, how long you have been here, whatever you have to offer.”
“And what makes you think I’ll give you any of that?”
“It would make your stay here much easier if you cooperated.”
“But it will make my life much worse when I get out of here and have to tell my King how I sold him out.”
“When you get out of here? Is that so?”
“You’re a fool if you think we’re the only forces he sent to this planet. There are hundreds, possibly thousands of soldiers across the planet, waiting for the right moment to attack.”
He laughed at Patrick then, not the laugh of a madman, but the laugh of someone who knows he just took the upper hand.
“That look on your face, did you just put two and two together? While you’re here fighting for Venus, who is protecting Earth?”
“There’s nothing on Earth worth fighting for. We stole your orb. We made you run for the stars.”
“The orb? Do you think that matters? Do you think that’s the only source of magic in this galaxy? He’s already out there, looking for new ways to take you down. And he’ll find them. That I can promise you.”
Patrick didn’t break eye contact with the General as he stood up. “To everyone else in this cell, the offer is extended. Come forward with any information that proves fruitful and you will be granted amnesty and immunity from crimes committed in the name of your king.”
The General kept eye contact as he spoke even louder. “And to anyone who does step forward, you will first have to go through me. And when we take this planet back, you will be made an example of.”
It was clear that Patrick had gotten all he was going to at that moment. There was no telling what truth lay in the statements the General had made.
“The offer stands. Any who wish to come forward, you can speak to any who guard you and they will bring you to me.” With that, he turned on his heel and left.
Flupotia walked alongside Patrick. “You think that was wise?”
“What other choice is there? Either they come forward with useful information on their own, or we scour the planet until we’re confident it’s been cleared.”
“If you think that’s the best course here. But we really don’t have the time.”
“We’ll have to talk to Dee. They’re aware of the threat now and we’ve got them going in the right direction.”
“Hopefully they can take the planet back while we travel to Mercury. I’m afraid we’ve spent too much time here already. This was supposed to be a short trip, just recon and recruiting.”
They came into view of the Great Hall then and Patrick was left unable to answer. Spilling from the steps all the way to where they now stood was a large crowd of Venusians, leaving a path between them and the entrance. Without fear, the two followed the path laid with a thick layer of the red grass. Each of the Venusians smiled and nodded slightly as Patrick and Flupotia passed.
Once inside they saw that the hall had been decorated with all the colors of the jungle. At the head table, Queen Dionaea and her wife stood waiting, both with beaming smiles. Patrick and Flupotia were led to chairs at the front of the room where they were instructed to sit. Frize was already sitting there, waiting for their arrival. As the crowd around them settled all eyes fell to the Queen.
“We are a strong people. I believe each of you that stands in this room today is a testament to that. My wife,” Dionaea turned to Drosera, “I thought she was lost to us along with many others. But thanks to the actions of Flupotia, Patrick, Frize, and the rest of their soldiers I have seen that is not the case.”
Cheers erupted from the crowd, the Queen did her best to quiet them.
“It will be slow, but I know there are more survivors out there and we will find them! By the time you return to us from Mercury, you will not recognize this place!” More cheering. “As a way of saying thank you, I would like to bestow upon the three of you here today the title of knighthood.” She stopped to hold an arm out to the three, welcoming them to stand.
Patrick, Flupotia, and Frize all sat in stunned silence as hushed whispers of excitement raced across the crowd around them.
“Don’t just sit there looking like fools, get up here and accept!”
The hushed whispers were replaced with roaring laughter and Patrick felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment. Frize was the first to stand and make his way to the stage.
“I accept your offer with great appreciation.” He bowed and took a knee in front of the Queen.
Flupotia stood next and took a knee beside Frize. “I accept your generous offer.”
Patrick stumbled from his seat, the entirety of the situation surreal to him. “I,” he found himself at a loss for words as he stood before the Queen, “I accept.” He took a knee.
“I know ceremonies such as these are usually full of festivities and feasts that will last days if not weeks. But,” the Queen paused for a moment, “we cannot afford a luxury such as that in these dark times. When this war is over and you have won,” she looked down at each of them in turn, “you will return to this very place and we will have a proper ceremony to honor each of you.”
“You three that kneel before me are some of the bravest souls I have ever had the pleasure to meet. When all appeared lost and the world was at its darkest you came from the shadows to light our path to salvation. For all the good you have done for my people, for all the good you will continue to do for others, I name thee Knights of the Jungle.”
She lifted a long thin piece of wood that had been hidden within her robes and placed it on the back of Patrick’s head first. “Knight Patrick of the Jungle, I name thee Keeper of Fire.” She moved to Flupotia next, “Knight Flupotia of the Jungle, I name thee Flame Dancer.” Finally, she placed her sword on Frize. “Knight Frize of the Jungle, I name thee Frozen Flame.”
Cheers erupted from the crowd to levels that Patrick had never heard before. Yet as the three stood and turned to face the crowd the levels rose even louder. The newly minted Knights stood there with the Queen who was cheering along with the rest of the crowd. She did nothing to silence her people, opting to let the applause die out on its own. Once it had, she motioned to a pair of bright-eyed Venusians standing on either side of a large wooden crate. With great effort, they carried it to the Queen's side. She unlatched the side and lifted the top revealing an empty space.
“As Knights of the Jungle, you must carry a weapon designated to you by the Spirit of Venus.”
She took Patrick’s hand in hers, closed the lid of the box, and placed both of their hands over it. She smiled as a wind blew through the room that sent a shiver up Patrick’s spine. There was a thud from inside the chest and Dionaea opened her eyes and smiled.
“For Knight Patrick.” She opened the chest and peered inside. Smiling, she reached in. “The Spirit of Venus has chosen the Battle Ax of Agantia!”
She pulled a double-sided ax from the chest that was more beautiful than any Patrick had seen before. The blades on both sides appeared to be made from gold with a handle of dark ebony wood. There were several polished shards of glass, each a different shade of green, implanted in the hilt. Despite the detail and size, it was incredibly light. As Patrick held it out it didn’t feel like he was carrying another weapon, it felt like an extension of his own arm. Wind again blew through the room and Patrick turned his attention to Dionaea and Flupotia now kneeling at the crate.
“For Knight Flupotia…” She again reached into the box and pulled out two items, “The Spear and Shield of Teserof!”
Flupotia slid her arm through two bright red leather strap
s inside the shield. It too had been crafted from the same ebony wood as Patrick’s ax. The spear was of similar fashion, the tip golden, the handle dark ebony.
“And finally, for Knight Frize…” This time she pulled out a cutlass. “The Sabre of Esome.”
Frize took his knew weapon and admired it. While it was not as flashy as the weapons Flupotia and Patrick had received, it was in its own way beautiful. The blade was made from a dark metal. The light in the room refracted off its surface, revealing intricate patterns woven across it. The guard and hilt were made from a blue stone that was cool to the touch.
“I give you,” Queen Dionaea turned to face the crowd, “the newest Knights of Venus!”
The three raised their new weapons above their heads as cheers erupted one last time before they were to depart.
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XII: The Invasion of Two Planets
Aliens from Arapholanx: The Burn of Magic Page 15
