The Royal Pursuit Read online

  “Ann, that was amazing!” Hathor exclaimed as he ran into the room.

  She was too weak to reply.

  He took her in his arms and helped her stand up. “We don’t have much time. This city will sink back into the ocean soon. Leader Paff brought a spaceship. We should go back with the Palers. Athen said there’s something important to discuss.”

  “I thought I was going to die,” she whispered.

  “You gave me a good scare,” he admitted. “Athen and I saw you dangling from the rods along the bottom of the floor. I nearly had a heart attack. Then we could see you and William up here fighting. I was so proud of you when you got him.”

  She held him tightly. “I was remembering what you told me in my combat lessons. He tried to break my concentration, but I didn’t let him.”

  He laughed and kissed her. “He won’t give us any more problems.”

  “Good riddance,” she agreed.

  As they turned to leave the room, she spotted Pallid. He stood at the doorway. “I believe this belongs to you,” he said.

  Hathor took the Book of Spells from him.

  “I found it by the future machine,” the man explained.

  “Ann told me what you did back in that room when Reed was about to inject her with the abortion solution. Thank you,” Hathor said.

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Come with us. The Palers have a spaceship waiting for us. Atlantis will sink again.”

  “No. I belong on Earth. The Augurs told me something I’ll never forget. They said I will help your daughter, Amanda, destroy this city someday.”

  “Why would you do that?” Ann asked.

  “That’s what I need to find out.” Pallid paused. “I need to shut down the clones before they do any more damage. After that, I will go back to Europe. When the time is right, I will come here again.”

  They nodded and left him.

  He stopped by Zeus’ office and entered it.

  Ann and Hathor continued down the stairs. When they got to the lobby, the clones were dead, and Stacey and Kent were with Athen. Ann removed the protective barriers around the Palers, alarmed when she saw that Falon was wounded and bleeding. She ran over to him, Jaz, and Paff.

  “Is he still alive?” she asked.

  Jaz fought back her tears. “Yes, but not for long.”

  “Wait!” Athen interrupted. “The Nicals have the Stone of Immortality right now. Optima said it can heal people who have fatal wounds. If we get him to Lone in time, they can put the stone on him and heal him.”

  “We must move fast. We don’t have much time,” Paff said.

  They took him to the spaceship.

  “Come with us,” Ann told Stacey and Kent, who looked surprised by the whole thing.

  “I…We…” Stacey began, looking overwhelmed by all the activity around them.

  “You want to check out other planets, right? This is the perfect opportunity,” Hathor encouraged.

  Stacey glanced at Kent. When she saw him nod, she agreed.

  The ground began to shift beneath their feet. They quickly boarded the spaceship, realizing their time in this city was short. As Ann took a seat on the spaceship, she looked out at the beautiful city. It was sad to leave it behind.

  Captain Hanty started the ship and maneuvered it off the ground. Ann glanced at the Nicals around her, feeling strange around them, considering they were the enemy. She wondered about them but figured she would find out more about them soon enough.

  She turned her attention back to the city as it slowly sank back into the ocean. It was a smooth and peaceful descent, as if it was a natural thing for a city to disappear like that.

  She sighed when she saw a tiny boat depart from the city. Pallid. He found his way off the city. She recalled what he’d said about his future. She wondered about the Augurs’ words to him. They didn’t lie. Someday her daughter would meet up with him. It was strange to think he would look as young as he did now, yet she and Hathor look older.

  She looked over at Hathor in the seat next to her. He was talking excitedly to Kent and Stacey while holding her hand. She smiled to herself. She was happy with the way things worked out. She wouldn’t trade her life for anything.

  Hopefully, Pallid would find his own happiness someday. From the brief time she had known him, she sensed he was lonely. It didn’t seem that immortality was worth it if he had to spend eternity by himself. She sighed, content to return to contemplating her own life for a while.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Aboard the Paler Spaceship

  Galaxy: Mythical

  By the time they arrived in the Mythical Galaxy, Falon’s condition was extremely poor. Ann’s heart ached to watch Jaz worry over him.

  Ann went over to her. “I can take him directly to the Austere Complex right now. I can only take one person with me, though, so you’ll have to stay on this ship and wait until you arrive there to see him again.”

  Jaz looked at her with hope in her eyes. “If he can get well that much sooner, I will gladly let him go for now.”

  Ann smiled at her. She took Falon’s hand in hers and was immediately transported to the main room of the Austere Complex where the remaining Nicals anxiously waited for their companions to return.

  “Guard Falon is near death,” Ann explained, ignoring their shock. “Can I use the Stone of Immortality to make him well again?”

  Without question, they gave her the stone. She brought it to his gunshot wound and waited. He recovered almost as soon as she placed it on him. Surprised at how quick and efficient the stone was, she laughed with joy.

  “You’re going to live,” she told him. “You had us all scared there for a while.”

  He glanced around him. “Am I back on Lone?”

  She nodded. “Jaz and the others are on their way here. I couldn’t risk wasting any more time waiting for the spaceship to get here.” She finally noticed the hopeful stares of the Nicals around her. “Hi. I’m Queen Ann from Raz.”

  “Yes. We figured as much,” one of them said.

  “The other Nicals are on their way here. They’re coming in the Paler spaceship. Everyone is doing fine.”

  They appeared to be grateful for the good news.

  “May we discuss the reason we took the Stone of Immortality’s powers from the Olympians?” the Nical asked.

  “Yes, you may,” she agreed. “But you have to return it. I have a duty to them and cannot let you keep it.”

  “We do not wish to keep it. We thought we were only making a copy of their stone. We had no idea we stole the power from them. We were greatly distressed when we found out, but since the virus is rampant on our planet, we don’t know what to do. We fear that when we return the stone’s power, we will die.”

  Realizing the situation was more serious than she imagined, she sat down and listened as they told her their story.

  ***

  Paler Spaceship

  Athen noticed that Optima sat next to him on the spaceship. Sando sat across from them, and he was talking to Ruler Dour. Athen didn’t hear what they were discussing, nor did he care. He was too worried about being next to Optima to notice what else was going on around him. Would Sando notice he was in love with her?

  “We are very appreciative of all you and your friends have done for us,” Optima said, her hair pink.

  “Can I ask you something?” he asked.

  She nodded, smiling at him.

  He loved her smile. It lit up the entire room…or in this case, the spaceship. He cleared his throat. “Why does your hair change color?”

  “Oh, our hair reflects our emotions.”

  “So it’s a visible sign of how you’re feeling?”

  Again, she nodded.

  “What does pink mean?”

  She blushed. “You will laugh if I tell you.”

  “I’d never laugh at you.”

  “It means I love you.” She stared at her hands as she made her confession.

  His heart sk
ipped a beat. “But what about Sando?”

  “Sando?”

  “Yes. Don’t you love him?”

  “Of course, I do.”

  “Then how can you love me?”

  She looked at him as if he was crazy. “I don’t understand. What does he have to do with you?”

  He lowered his voice. “You’re married to him, or you’re going to be, aren’t you?”

  She blinked in surprise. “No. He’s my brother.”

  The realization rushed over him in a flood of relief. “He’s your brother?”

  “Yes.”

  He laughed, feeling as if a weight had been lifted off his chest. All this time he’d fought his feelings for her, and he didn’t even have to. He could love her after all. She seemed uncertain about his laughter since her hair turned orange.

  “I’ll explain it later,” he said. “Optima, I love you, too.”

  Her hair returned to its pink color.

  He reached out and took her hand in his. His life was looking much better now that he knew he would be spending it with her.

  ***

  Austere Complex

  Ann sat back thoughtfully after the Nicals finished explaining everything to her. “That is the most tragic thing I’ve ever heard. I can’t imagine the pain and torment you must have endured.”

  “Is there any chance the Olympians will share the stone?” Falon asked.

  “The stone won’t work like that,” she replied. Her mind ran through the possible solutions.

  “We would gladly give up immortality for the ability to have children,” the Nical told her. “We miss our children.”

  The others nodded.

  Her stomach grew sick at the thought of losing her children like they had.

  They sat quietly as they listened to the ship land in the middle of the Austere Complex. The Nicals stood up excitedly as the five Nicals walked into the room. They hugged each other, their hair red with joy. Athen, Hathor, Kent, and Stacey followed behind.

  “This is amazing!” Kent exclaimed as he took in his surroundings.

  “I know. Atlantis doesn’t even compare to this,” Stacey agreed. “It’s too bad Stephen and Mark will never see it.”

  Kent and Stacey grew quiet as they recalled the deaths of their friends.

  Jaz ran into the room and hugged Falon when she saw he had fully recovered. Ann had never seen Jaz display so much emotion before. She looked away, feeling like an intruder on their private moment.

  “I must take the stone to the Olympians,” Ann softly told Ruler Dour. “But I want you to come with me. Together we can explain the situation to the gods and goddesses. Perhaps they will have an idea of how we can work something out.”

  “Will they be merciful to us considering the damage we’ve done?” Dour asked.

  “I believe they will be,” she assured him. “Will you come with me?”

  “I see no other choice.” He took the stone from the table.

  “I will speak on your behalf.”

  He appeared optimistic at her promise.

  She took his hand, and they traveled through the galaxies until they arrived in the Ivory Palace on Olympia.

  Athena was the first to notice her. “Queen Ann! Thank goodness you’re here.”

  The other gods and goddesses ran to her as soon as they heard Athena’s greeting. Ann’s heart went out to them. After being perfect and young for so many centuries, their imperfections were obvious. They had graying hair, wrinkles, and increased body weight. They no longer moved with the grace they were accustomed to, and they were beginning to notice the typical aches and pains that accompanied aging.

  “Here is the stone with the immortal power in it.” Ann handed it to Zeus since he was the head god.

  As soon as possession of it returned to its rightful owner, the gods and goddesses immediately regained their eternal youthful appearance. They smiled in pleasure as the sensation washed over them.

  Ann watched the scene with amazement. It was as if someone rewound the hands of time.

  Zeus bowed. “Queen Ann, we are eternally grateful for your service on our behalf.”

  The others followed his lead.

  When they stood up, she requested to speak with them.

  “Of course.” Zeus nodded. “Please, have a seat.”

  She urged Ruler Dour to the elegant white couch with gold trim. He obeyed and remained silent as she told them the reason the Nicals took the stone’s power.

  When she was done, Apollo nodded. “She tells the truth.”

  Zeus turned back to her. “So if the Nicals could be cured of this virus and regain their reproductive capacity, they will be content with that?”

  She looked at Dour.

  “Oh yes,” Dour said. “We don’t wish to live forever. We just don’t want to die out as a species.”

  “That’s understandable,” Zeus replied.

  “You can’t be immortal and have children,” Hera said. “It’s one or the other. So you choose to have children on your world.”

  “They give us warmth and laughter,” Dour replied. “So yes, we do.”

  Aphrodite shuddered. “Why ruin the fun of recreational sex with a pregnancy?”

  Hera rolled her eyes. “You were the product of such an event,” she reminded her.

  “That’s why I never let it be known to the Greeks. I made them think I came from an oyster. I was the choicest of pearls. All the men thought so.” She winked at Dour.

  Dour looked shocked at her behavior. “Sex is enjoyable in itself. That is true. However, there is something special in knowing you can create life in the process.”

  Ann smiled as Aphrodite frowned, obviously burned by his rejection of her. Hathor was the same way with Aphrodite, always making it clear to her he wouldn’t be intimate with her.

  “Don’t you ever stop?” Ares growled. “I swear, you get worse all the time.”

  “I have an idea,” Athena suddenly spoke up.

  Thankful for the change in topic, Ann leaned forward to hear her speak.

  “Demeter controls the seasons,” Athena began. “Her flowers bloom in the spring. Winter is the season for colds and flus. Those are viruses. When her flowers bloom, the cold and flu season ended on Earth because of the potent fragrance in her flowers. We should send a bouquet of her flowers to the Nicals. I bet it will clear up that virus that’s been plaguing them.”

  “An excellent idea,” Zeus praised her.

  She beamed with pleasure.

  “Your reproduction problem is another issue,” Hera said. “We had a similar development on Atlantis with the Infers we created. The Infers were a group of people we developed with a remarkable ability to remember everything. They were the people who wore all white. Their job was to pass on knowledge from one generation to another, but we messed up somewhere in creating them because they could not reproduce. We searched for a cure, but we were unable to find one that would keep their line pure. We only intended for one Infer to marry another Infer so that the line of memories and knowledge would be perfectly preserved. We discovered that they could reproduce if they mated with other types of humans. So an Infer could mate with an Augur and produce a child.”

  Pallid must have been an Infer, Ann realized. No wonder he wanted a Stone of Immortality so badly that he found one and kept it in his cane.

  “Perhaps if your species found another species to get involved with, you will reproduce again,” Zeus suggested, turning to Dour.

  “There are humans on Raz,” Ann added.

  “Other planets have humans on them as well,” Athena said.

  “It’s worth a try,” Dour replied. “We may lose our identity as being Nicals, but we will survive through our children.”

  “You can still pass on your wisdom and knowledge of being a Nical,” Ann gently reminded him.

  “Hephaestus, will you please go find Demeter and have her gather some flowers for Ruler Dour? Tell her Queen Ann is here on his behalf,” Hera requested.


  Hephaestus hurried to obey her.

  “Since Persephone is back with her again, Demeter will have a bunch of those flowers ready,” Hera said.

  Ann’s eyes widened. Hera had been kind to Hephaestus this time. She hadn’t been that way towards him before. In fact, the other gods and goddesses had been nicer to him this time.

  As if sensing her unspoken question, Apollo said, “Our sudden mortality taught us to appreciate others as they are.”

  She smiled. So something good came out of them aging for a while. She was glad to hear it.

  Hephaestus soon returned with the flowers. “Demeter was bringing them here as a way of saying thank you to Queen Ann, so I didn’t have to go far to find her.”

  “Thank you, Hephaestus,” Hera replied.

  He seemed much happier than Ann ever remembered, and she was glad for it.

  “We need to go. We are anxious to find out if these beautiful flowers will work,” Ann said. She glanced around the room. “Thank you for your help.”

  Then she took Dour’s hand, and they traveled back to Lone where a group of faces looked at them expectantly.

  “I can feel the virus coming back,” Sando said.

  Dour took the flowers and handed one to each Nical. “Tell me how you feel after you sniff this flower,” he told Sando.

  Sando looked confused but sniffed the fresh lavender fragrance. His face lit up with pleasure. “I feel well again.”

  Ann breathed a sigh of relief. Her eyes met Hathor’s and she smiled.

  “Demeter’s flowers eliminate viruses. It’s safe to say the virus that has caused so much death is now gone for good,” Ann said.

  “What a great feeling!” Sando cheered. “We’re going to be alright.”

  “There’s better news,” Dour revealed. “We may have lost our ability to reproduce with our own species, but we might be able to reproduce with other humans. The Olympians said it worked for a group of humans known as the Infers. It may work for us. At least, we need to try.”

  “I volunteer to try it,” Athen offered. “What do you think, Optima? Would you like to marry me and see if we can have a child together?”