Royal Hearts Read online

  The magician focused his attention on the crystal ball. His eyes became a milky white color and his ball turned the same color.

  Hathor shifted, afraid that even the Great Magician wouldn’t know where Ann was.

  From next to him, his mother gave him a sympathetic pat on the arm.

  The minutes dragged on for what seemed like an eternity. Hathor pressed his hand to his side, noting that the pain was in a small spot. At least, it wasn’t his entire side that got injured. He was fortunate his injuries were simply bruises instead of broken ribs.

  Finally, the magician’s eyes returned to their normal blue color, and the crystal ball went back to being clear. “The good news is that the future queen is safe. There seems to be no immediate threat to her well-being.”

  Hathor released his breath.

  “What’s the bad news?” his mother asked.

  Having not considered that part of the equation, Hathor’s attention returned to the magician.

  “As Hathor guessed, she is also in the past. Six years. She is on Earth, but, unlike you,” he looked at Hathor, “she has no memory of the future six years. She only remembers what has happened up to her seventeenth year. This would make approaching her difficult since she won’t know who you are.”

  Hathor groaned. How could she not remember he was her husband?

  “To go to the future where you came from, only the Palers can help you with that. And it must be a Paler from the same future you came from,” the magician added.

  Hathor couldn’t believe it. What else could go wrong today?

  “What about the Book of Spells? Will that help him find the Paler who can help him?” his mother asked.

  “Not directly. He must identify the Paler he needs, and I don’t know who that is. I can only tell you that the Paler will be on Earth when he needs him,” the magician replied.

  What in the world did that mean? Hathor hated it when the magician spoke in such a cryptic way. But he had to focus on important things first. “Will Ann remember who she is when we go back to the future?” Hathor couldn’t bring himself to say if we go back to the future. He wouldn’t allow himself to think negative thoughts. He had to remain strong for Ann’s sake.

  “Yes. That which took her memory away in the time travel will return it to her on her journey back.”

  “You must be careful when you meet her,” his mother warned. “You can’t scare her off by telling her about her future. She needs to trust you in order to follow you to meet the Paler.”

  “The Paler may come for her,” Hathor whispered as he recalled Omin’s threat. In a louder voice, he added, “In my time, a Paler created a clone, and this clone threated to kill her so she can’t become the queen in the future.”

  “Be diligent. Whoever is behind this is clever, so you’ll need to proceed with caution,” the magician said.

  “The life of a queen is one filled with adventure, and sometimes those adventures are scary,” his mother told Hathor. “You can do it. I raised you for this role.”

  “Do you have the Book of Spells with you?” the magician asked.

  Hathor pulled the book out of his pocket. “Yes.”

  “That book will get you to Earth. I will set it up so you will be an Earthling once you are there. You must blend in with the others. You will have an identity suitable for your age. That way, you won’t raise any suspicions. This Paler who poses this threat to you and the future queen must not be aware of your presence.”

  The idea of being an Earthling made Hathor uneasy. Would he feel different?

  “Will the Hathor of this time be here when this one departs for Earth?” his mother asked the magician.

  “After Hathor gets back to his own time, yes.”

  “So until then,” his mother began, “I will not see the Hathor of this time, and I cannot mention this to him when I do.”

  “It would be wise to keep quiet. You don’t want to disturb the delicate balance of time.”

  “Good luck, my son.” With a smile, she hugged him.

  He hugged her back. He would succeed. He had to believe that. Because if he didn’t believe it, he was already doomed. Releasing his mother, he opened the Book of Spells, took a deep breath, and recited the spell that would take him to Earth.

  ***

  Six years in the past

  Ann’s house

  Xenia, Ohio

  Planet: Earth

  The next day, Ann was watching TV with her mom before she was due to go to Lisa’s house. Her dad was reading one of his financial magazines, like usual, at the kitchen table.

  “I hope I get to go to my junior prom,” Ann said as a commercial came on.

  Her mom muted the TV. “If things work out with this guy you’re going to meet today, then you just might. What’s his name again?”

  “William something. I don’t remember his last name.”

  “How many weeks is it until your prom?”

  “Four. I guess even if I do start dating him, it would be too soon to expect him to go to the prom with me.”

  “Nonsense. Four weeks is plenty of time. Don’t worry. It’ll all come out in the wash.”

  Ann grinned in amusement. Her mother always said that.

  Her mother turned the volume up on the TV.

  “This special report has been brought to you by your local news station,” a voice said on the TV as a “Special Report” bulletin crossed the screen at the bottom.

  Ann groaned and went to her bedroom. Why was it whenever a show got really good, it was usually interrupted by a special report? She plopped on her bed, took out her diary, and wrote in it until it was time to go to Lisa’s house.

  As she got ready to go out the door, her mom and dad told her what was on the special report. It was about an unknown man who suddenly came on the world scene to negotiate a peace treaty in the Middle East.

  “It’s like he came out of nowhere,” her dad said. “No one even knew his name until this morning.”

  “I will be amazed if this actually works,” her mom replied. “People have been trying to figure out a way to ensure peace in the Middle East for a long time.”

  “Only time will tell if Alexander Napoli’s treaty is a success.”

  Ann didn’t know much about the Middle East conflict, nor was she interested. She just wanted to focus on being a teenager. She had the rest of her life to worry about world events.

  “I guess my Current Events teacher will be talking about this on Monday,” she said. “Okay. I’ve got to get going. Bye, you two. I love you.”

  “Be home at eleven, and we love you, too,” her mom called out as Ann shut the front door.

  Now that Ann was on her way to Lisa’s house, the butterflies in her stomach suddenly came out to play. She shouldn’t be so nervous about meeting William. She figured that if it didn’t work out, then she would be where she was now, without a boyfriend. But who knew? William could be her next boyfriend. She’d never know if she didn’t meet him.

  She hopped in her mom’s car and started up the engine. As she backed out of the driveway, she noted that the news station on the radio was talking about this amazing Alexander Napoli. She immediately changed the station so that her favorite music was blasting from the radio.

  ***

  Six years in the past

  Hathor’s new dorm room

  Wright State University

  Dayton, Ohio

  Planet: Earth

  Hathor appeared in his dorm room. He didn’t feel different than before. He breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe being an Earthling wasn’t so bad after all.

  He took a moment to examine his new surroundings. There was a bed, a table, a closet, and a bathroom. He saw Earth clothes hanging in the closet. On the table, he saw a driver’s license, college student I.D. and some money in a wallet that he would need. He glanced in the mirror and saw that he was wearing a white t-shirt with the college logo on it, blue jeans, and white sneakers. It felt odd to not be wearing the clothes
he was used to, but it wasn’t a bad feeling. It was just different.

  It looked as if the Great Magician had thought of everything. Now all he had to do was study his surroundings and find out where Ann lived. He wondered what he should say to her. She didn’t know him, so he had to act like it was the first time they were meeting each other. He thought back to everything she had told him about her time on Earth.

  He knew she lived in Xenia but often went to Beavercreek and Dayton to visit her friends. She went to a private school in Dayton.

  What day was it here? He searched his room but didn’t find any clues. He remembered that she had school from Mondays through Fridays from 8:15 am to 2:50 pm. Her school would probably be the best place to approach her since it was the most likely place where she wouldn’t question his walking up to her and talking to her.

  He grabbed the dorm key and left the building, mentally noting where his temporary lodging was so he would be able to find his way back. The campus seemed empty. He only saw three other students walking on the sidewalks. They seemed to be heading to a large building toward the center of the campus, so he followed them.

  As he scanned the sparse parking lots and vacant buildings, he understood how Ann must have felt when she stepped on Raz for the first time. Everything was so foreign. He didn’t know anything about it, and he had no idea what to expect. It must have been a difficult transition for her.

  Since the students entered a large building, he went to it, too. Perhaps this was where Earthlings liked to congregate. At any rate, it was the best lead he had at the moment.

  As soon as he entered the building, he noticed a tray full of the college’s newspapers in it. He took one. With a quick glance to make sure no one saw him, he pulled out the Book of Spells and found the spell that would enable him to read the language. The date on the top right corner read Friday, April 1. The word ‘Friday’ meant nothing to him, but he vaguely remembered Ann referring to one of the months, and he was sure it was April.

  That was the time of year she liked best because winter was finally over, and the days were warmer and longer. Though, if he recalled right, this wasn’t true everywhere on Earth this time of year. He should have paid more attention when she talked about her planet. If he’d thought there was anything interesting about it, he would have. But there was no magic or interesting creatures. Just a bunch of humans and animals that could be found on a good number of other planets.

  Who would have ever thought he’d one day have to come here? The whole point of taking her from Earth was so she didn’t have to be here anymore.

  After putting the book back in his pocket, he went further into the building, noting the people he’d followed in were eating at a couple of tables scattered throughout the place. At the other side of the room were people waiting to serve a variety of food. Well, at least he knew where to get food.

  He continued through the room, went down a long hall, until he came to an even larger room where more chairs and tables were scattered about. But this wasn’t where people ate. Here, they were either talking or reading.

  He found a vacant table and flipped through the paper, hoping to find something useful. His trip through the campus hadn’t proven useful. He could only hope this would. Trying to find Ann by using the Book of Spells was useless because it was only set to find the current queen.

  His gaze went to the campus calendar. On Friday, there was something called a Spring Fever Dance in the Student Union. That was this building. He recalled reading it on the building on his way in. He didn’t see a dance on his way to the cafeteria, so he must be here after Friday. On Saturday, there was a movie scheduled to be played in the Student Union at 7 pm. He stood up and walked back through the Student Union until he came to a bulletin board filled with various ads and program notices. The same movie was mentioned on the board that was mentioned in the paper.

  He glanced around the chairs and tables around him. There were two other students in the place. He walked over to the one who was writing something on a piece of paper, his book open to a page with facts about the solar system containing Earth.

  Hathor briefly caught the number of planets that had been discovered in what Earthlings referred to as the Solar System. He’d forgotten they didn’t know about the three that were cloaked. He was amazed at how little they actually knew about magic.

  “Did you want something?” the young man asked, his curly black hair falling into his eyes. He quickly pushed his bangs aside and adjusted his glasses. The rest of his hair was short. Only his bangs got in his way.

  Taking his eyes off the strange hairstyle, Hathor nodded. “Yes. I was wondering where movies are played in this building.”

  “Over there, behind the large doors,” he replied. “It’s a total flop though. I saw it in the theater and fell asleep. So bring a pillow if you go.”

  “Then it hasn’t played yet?”

  His eyebrows rose. “Not until seven tonight. That’s when all movies play here on Saturdays.”

  Well, good. At least he knew the day. But if it was Saturday, then Ann wouldn’t be in school for two days.

  “You don’t get out much, do you?” the student asked.

  “What?” He forced himself to focus on the student.

  “It’s just that it’s towards the end of the school year and you didn’t know about the movies. They have fliers up everywhere announcing the movies here. It’s a total waste of paper but no one’s asking me.”

  “Yeah, well, this is my first quarter here,” he replied, recalling something he’d skimmed in the paper about graduation coming up for those in their final quarter.

  “My name is Kent.” He extended his hand.

  “Hathor.”

  After a moment of indecision, Hathor put his own hand out and waited to see what the student would do. As it turned out, Kent shook it.

  “Nice to meet you,” Kent said. “Want to sit down and take a break? I can always brief you on other things about this campus if you’d like.”

  As anxious as Hathor was to find Ann, he realized things might go faster if he had someone to help him navigate the area, so he sat down.

  “What’s your major?” Kent asked.

  His mind drew a blank. Major?

  “I’m going into Physics Education,” Kent offered.

  Hathor recalled how Ann would talk about how she studied Psychology in college. “Psychology,” he blurted out. “My major is Psychology.”

  “That’s a good one for this school. Are you thinking of any particular branch of Psychology?”

  His mind rushed through everything Ann ever told him about what she learned in her psychology classes. He recalled one instance where she confessed she thought he was crazy and needed psychiatric help when they first met.

  “Psychiatric help,” Hathor finally said.

  “Psychiatry?”

  “Yes, that’s it.” Hathor felt so dumb. He didn’t know anything about this stuff. He should have paid more attention when she talked about this world.

  Kent grinned. “You have a cool way of saying things.”

  Hathor returned the smile, uncertain if Kent suspected the truth or not. If he didn’t know about the cloaked planets, he’d panic if he knew he was talking to what Earthlings called aliens. Now that, he did remember from what Ann had told him.

  “You want a tour of the campus?” Kent offered. “I’m stumped on a question and could use a break from the homework.”

  “What question?” If it was something about the solar system, Hathor was sure he could help him with it.

  “It’s about the material in the rings on Saturn and why they are important.”

  “I know the answer to that.” Now they were discussing things that he had been trained in. He quickly answered the question for him.

  Kent’s eyes widened. “Wow. You sure you want to go into Psychology?”

  Hathor beamed from the compliment. “I haven’t dedicated myself to anything yet.”

  “Great. Le
t me write down the answer, and then we can take that tour. Thanks to you, I’m now finished with my homework.”

  After he was done, they walked around the campus, and Hathor paid close attention to where everything was and what things were called. He learned that classes took place from Monday through Friday, just like Ann’s high school, though there were a couple of Saturday courses.

  “What do you do on Saturdays?” Hathor asked.

  “A lot of things. But mostly, I hang out with friends.”

  Hathor got the image of people hanging on a line but knew that couldn’t be what Kent was talking about. “What do you mean by ‘hang out’?”

  Kent glanced at him and laughed. “If I didn’t know better, I’d swear that you came from another planet. You have this look about you. It’s like you’ve never been here before. Yeah, hang out. You know, see a movie, go out to eat, just sit around and talk. Of course, it’s better when you can get a date. Girls make the best company.”

  “They do.”

  “Usually the high school senior girls are happy to date college guys. They think we’re more sophisticated than high school boys.”

  Seeing an opportunity, Hathor inquired about Ann’s high school.

  “Are you thinking of going to College Day there?”

  “College Day?”

  “It’s right in your paper.”

  Hathor opened the folded paper in his hand and flipped through it.

  “Whoa. Not so fast. It’s the last page you were on,” Kent said.

  He turned back the page. “The college is looking for volunteers to go there on Monday from 1-2pm and talk to the students about this school.”

  “It’s part of their recruitment program.”

  “So all I have to do is show up?”

  “You need to sign up for it. I already did. Not many people are interested in going. The deadline for signing up was last Wednesday because we were briefed on what materials to bring and what to talk about. But since I’m the president of the Community Outreach Club, I can slip you in. We really could use more people there. Are you interested?”