Prologue
“Your Majesty, we must retreat!”
“We shall not. We must gain more time for our escaping people, General Krang.”
“But...,”
“We have spoken. Our word is law.”
He bowed low, unhappiness clearly showing on his face. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
Queen Haytilia the Kind, eighth monarch of the Pasfal bloodline, was afraid. Her people were losing the battle against the human horde that was invading their lands. She had tried for several months to negotiate with the surrounding human kingdoms. Her efforts had proved futile against the humans’ greed. The land her people cultivated was lush with life, produce, and commerce. It was those things that the humans in some of the more inhospitable countries surrounding her desired.
She wasn’t going to let them destroy her people, whose lives she valued more than the land itself. The door to the throne room burst open, and a winded soldier ran in.
“Report!” Krang barked.
“The humans have breached the inner walls and are coming this way!”
Haytilia stood. “And our people?”
“They have all escaped into the underground tunnels. Your elite guards are the only ones left, Your Majesty.” The man sank to his knees, still breathing hard.
“Your Majesty, it is time,” Krang reminded her.
She stood and came down the dais. Five more guards hurried inside and formed a circle around her. General Krang took the lead, and the messenger joined him. The group made their way to the secret passageway. Krang pushed the concealing door asid,e and they went in. The door slid closed behind them, plunging them into darkness.
With a snap of her fingers, an orb of blue light appeared above her hand. She passed it to Krang as they continued deeper into the tunnels. They traveled in silence until the roar of a waterfall filled the air. They were almost out. Without warning, the ground beneath their feet bucked, sending them falling to the rocky ground.
“Your Majesty!”
“General!”
She belly crawled toward him, fighting against the rocking and breaking of the ground beneath them. She snarled when she felt the pull of a Manipulator. How dare the humans bring one of those twisted beings here in the sacred land of the Perihada! Her powers began to rise in response to the threat. If the Manipulator managed to make it to the mystic waters, the land would be doomed. She would not let it happen! She only had a little way to go. She ignored everything, focusing on reaching Krang. She was within reach of him when the ground beneath her crumbled. She shrieked and felt herself falling. She heard Krang’s roar and reached up toward him with all her might.
“Your Majesty!”
Krang’s fingers wrapped around her wrist and tugged. Surprised, she dangled briefly before he hauled her up to the small ledge. She lay against him, panting. All around them, the ground continued to break and crash down into the murky depths below. She reached out with her Tierran power and stopped the flow of the land’s energy. It was a temporary measure at best. She felt the work of at least three Manipulators. Without other Heiachwar to provide support, she was limited in what she could do. Tears ran down her cheeks as the land cried its pain at the violation of its soul.
“I am sorry,” she whispered.
“Come, Your Majesty. We must reach the waterfall.”
“You are right.” Haytilia wiped away her tears and stood. She created another light orb and gave it to him. She placed her hand in his and followed his steps closely on the badly broken trail. The roar of the water grew louder, and then they were there. Her heart filled with joy and awe at the sight of it. The lifespring of Maav den Garu. A calmness settled over her, and she straightened. It was time to stop the invaders.
She glanced at Krang and frowned. She sniffed the air and gave him an accusatory glare.
“General, you are injured! Why did you not inform me?”
“It was not necessary to say anything about a mere flesh wound. I am your sword and shield. Remember that, Your Majesty.”
His stern expression stopped her from saying more. She pursed her lips, angry at him for being stoic. She spun on her heel and stomped the remaining few feet to the small ledge. The water pooled before her, rippling with the colors of the rainbow, its sparkling glow lighting up the cavern. She removed her outer robe and stepped into the pool in her shift. She treaded water until she was in the center, where a small dais was built for standing. The water hit her mid-chest, caressing her playfully.
The water rippled once more, and the faint sound of singing rose around her.
“I’m happy to be back, too,” she whispered.
She merged her Aguan awareness with that of the water. She became one with the flow of the water and the land. She sought out the damaged areas, and her heart grieved. The humans had overrun her home. It could not be saved at this moment. If only the Tattooed Warriors had not gone on assignment, things might have been different. Now, all was lost. She began to retract her awareness. She had to tell General Krang. She was almost back into her body when she felt the approach of evil. She forced herself the rest of the way in. Her eyes opened, and she shouted, “Look out!”
He was already spinning around, sword out, but was too late as the claw of the Kott Yiyen slashed his chest and stomach open. Krang’s expression of disbelief as he fell back into the water speared Haytilia’s soul, and an agonized scream erupted from her throat. He turned his head and mouthed, “Your Majesty,” before sinking below the water’s surface.
The Kott Yiyen stared coldly at her as it licked Krang’s blood from its claws. It was too much for Haytilia. The water bubbled and steam rose as a red-black glow spread outward from her body.
“You, Monster! You shall pay.”
She raised her hand, and a flare of fire shot out, engulfing the creature. It screeched an unearthly shriek as the fire consumed it to ash. The sound of clapping startled her, and she turned hate-filled eyes toward the source.
Standing on a ledge above her were four human males.
“Impressive. But of course, one expects nothing less from the Queen of Perihada.”
She growled, “Who are you?”
“Your new master, Lord Rasac.”
She started laughing, a menacing, vibrating thing that made the very air hum with it. She saw the humans pull their swords out, but that didn’t matter.
“No man is my master, fools! Now, feel the wrath of the Perihada!”
Haytilia reached deep within her and called forth Uyum. Her skin danced with the colors of her emotions. She hurled them outward and watched as they slammed into the walls, ground, and ceiling. She ignored the panicked shouts of the retreating invaders and the howl of the lifespring as it protested her actions. She was beyond caring. Everyone could die. Yes, let them all die. She laughed maniacally as tears coursed down her face and debris from the cavern’s roof plunged toward her. Yes, let it all die.
