A Royal Engagement (Enchanted Galaxy Series Book 1) Read online

  “You need to stop seeing everything in black and white. There are shades of gray to consider here. What you’ll be having is an arranged marriage. If you made the choice, I’d say stay with him. It’d be the right thing to do. But you aren’t bound to stay with him for as long as you both live.”

  Somehow that reasoning didn’t feel right. Maybe it was how things were on Raz, but it wasn’t how she was raised. She grew up believing the marital vows meant for better or worse, through sickness and in health, in good times and bad, for as long as both people lived. It was how her parents did it, and while their marriage hadn’t been perfect, they’d stayed together until the car accident took their lives.

  “I can’t,” she told William. “Even if Raz is that way, I can’t. There are some things that are more important than feelings, and one of them is the decision to commit yourself to the person you marry.”

  A cave rose up and surrounded them so they were trapped inside of it. Alarmed, she jumped up from the bench. Blue flames shot up around her, and she stumbled until her back hit the cave’s wall.

  “Who else cares for you but me?” William asked, oblivious to the fire rising higher around them.

  “What?” she asked, trying to make sense of everything that was happening while focusing on what he was telling her.

  “I loved you back then. You can reclaim what we lost. Hathor only wants to marry you because you’ll be the queen. It won’t be a marriage based on love. Is that something you really want?”

  The flames flicked at her, and she jerked back. She ventured another glance at the flames and saw images from her past. Images of all the times she didn’t take a chance because she was afraid, the most notable time being when she decided to stay in Florida instead of going to college in Ohio.

  “You always wanted to know what could have been,” William called out over the flames. “Now you can find out.”

  The cave shook, and she fell to the ground, the fire lapping over her, the heat burning her skin. She struggled to get up, but then another rumble brought her back to her knees. A loud crack came from above, and she looked up in time to see a stalactite coming directly at her. Shielding her face with her arms, she screamed.

  Gasping, she bolted up, her heart racing and breathing rapid.

  “Are you okay?” a concerned voice asked her.

  It took her a moment to realize where she was and that Hathor had been the one to ask the question. He held fruit, and the lion stood beside him.

  “Uh…yeah,” she slowly replied then took a deep breath to calm her nerves. “I had a nightmare that I was back in that cave with the blue fire.”

  He set the food down and knelt in front of her, touching her arm in a reassuring manner. “You have nothing to worry about. It was just a dream.”

  “Yeah, I know.” She released another shaky breath and stood up. “Before I eat, I need to take care of more urgent matters.” She glanced around at the peaceful surroundings. “You don’t think a Paler’s going to show up anytime soon, do you?”

  “I don’t know,” he admitted as he straightened up. “I can go with you to make sure you’re safe. You can take care of things behind a tree, and I’ll keep my back turned. Or,” he glanced at the lion, “you can take him along, and he can roar if you need help.”

  Her gaze went from him to the lion that looked up at her and, if she understood right, nodded. Considering her nightmare, she decided not to risk going off by herself. “I’ll go with the lion.” She turned to go down a path that provided the most privacy but then glanced back at Hathor. “Are there toilets on Raz?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good.” She’d hate to think she’d be going in an outhouse or behind a tree for the rest of her life. “I’ll be back soon.”

  Nature was calling, and if she didn’t take care of it, she was about to embarrass herself. She hurried down the path, the lion at her heels. When she found a good place to go, she told the lion to wait. She refused to even go in front of him. After she was done, she returned to the camping area Hathor had set up the day before, noting that he had all their food ready.

  “There’s nothing more attractive than a man who cooks the meal,” she joked. “Or in this case, gathers the food.”

  His lips curled up in a smile. “As your husband, it will be my duty to bring you breakfast in bed.”

  “Really?”

  “Yep.”

  “Wow, I guess it pays to be the queen. She gets spoiled.”

  “As she deserves to be. She is the one who keeps the planet going. Without her, everything on our world dies.”

  “Being responsible for the fate of an entire world. No pressure there,” she commented and sat across from him.

  “That’s why I’ve been trained my entire life to do everything I can to protect you. If anyone tries to harm you, they must first go through me. And if you marry William after you have our daughter,” he paused and glanced away from her, “then I’ll train him.”

  She recalled her dream and knew there was no way she could marry William once she exchanged vows with Hathor. Even if it was desire to be king that prodded Hathor’s eagerness to marry her, she couldn’t disregard all the values she’d grown up with on Earth. Once she said her vows, that was it. She wouldn’t go back on them.

  Deciding not to dwell on how significant her choice was, she ate her breakfast. When they were done, he took his book out and, with a puff of purple smoke, enlarged it.

  “You’ll put in another request to get to Raz?” she asked.

  He chuckled. “It’s not a request. It’s a spell. And yes, I’m going to put it in.” Turning to the lion, he petted his mane. “You’ve been a great companion.”

  The lion whimpered and rubbed his head against Hathor’s hand.

  “I don’t think he wants to stay here if we’re leaving. He wants to be with us,” Ann noted, surprised the lion developed such an attachment to them in such a short period of time.

  “He’s just saying good-bye,” Hathor replied.

  The lion shook his head and looked at Ann.

  “You want to be with us,” Ann softly acknowledged.

  The lion roared and nodded.

  “Looks like I was wrong,” Hathor admitted.

  “Can we take him with us?” she wondered. “Or would he not fit in on Raz?”

  “He’d be fine there. Raz has many creatures on it. I don’t see any harm in bringing him along.”

  “Since we’re going to be keeping him, we should give him a name.”

  “A name?”

  “Sure. All pets have names.” She studied him for a moment then said, “How about Leo?”

  He shrugged. “Don’t ask me. Ask him. He’s the one who has to live with it.”

  She petted his head. “What do you think? Would you like us to call you Leo?”

  He roared with delight and rubbed his head along Ann’s hand.

  “Alright,” Hathor said. “Leo it is.”

  Hathor turned back to the book and began to recite his spell when a blast of fierce wind blew it out of his hands. Before he could grab it, a swirl of purple smoke engulfed them, and they were floating through space. This time Ann took note of some of the planets as they whizzed passed them. They came in a multitude of colors, ranging from oranges and reds to purples and grays. Stars of various sizes zoomed by as well, but if she focused on them, she began to feel dizzy. So she directed her attention to the planets instead.

  As they were passing a green and blue planet, they came to an abrupt halt and landed softly in another forest. She groaned and rubbed her head. Next to her, the lion rose to his feet and put his head under her arm so he could help her up. When she finally succeeded in standing up, she glanced over at Hathor who was searching for something.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked him.

  “The book,” he said, lifting a group of leaves from a bush and peering under them. “I can’t find it.”

  She and the lion hurried to help him, but no matter where th
ey looked, they couldn’t find it. Finally, they came to the conclusion that the book wasn’t on this planet.

  “Are we on Raz?” she asked, thinking if they were at least on his home world, then they could take measures to find the book.

  “No. We’re on Olympia. The only good thing about this is that we’re in my solar system.”

  “Can we get to Raz without the book?”

  “We can, but we need to convince the Olympians to give us a ride there.” He scanned the area and pointed to a mountain not too far from them. “And that means we have to go all the way up there.”

  She grimaced. That was a long way up to the palace that rested near the top. “How far are we from Raz? Maybe it’d be quicker to walk there.”

  Smiling at her joke, he said, “We’re two planets over. It’s Olympia, Pale, and Raz.”

  “Let me guess. The Palers sent the wind blast that took the book out of your hands?”

  “Most likely.”

  “Well, I’ll give them one thing: they’re pretty smart. We’re stranded here.”

  “For now, but we won’t be for long.”

  Glancing at the lion that didn’t seem the least bit disturbed by being stuck on Olympia, she gave him a playful pat. “I guess if we’re going to get up that mountain, we should get started.” Not that it was her idea of a good time. She could think of many things she’d rather be doing, and that included sitting in class and listening to her teachers.

  “It won’t be so bad,” Hathor said as he led the way down one of the paths lined with trees. “At least the company’s nice.”

  She paused for a moment. He couldn’t mean her company. He had to mean the lion’s. Right?

  He stopped and waited for her and the lion to catch up to him and rubbed the lion’s mane.

  Yes, he meant the lion. How silly it was to think he meant her.

  “Ann, are you coming?”

  “Oh, yes.” She hurried to catch up to them.

  ***

  Alpha Head I

  Planet: Pale

  In her new office, Leader Seta studied the blueprint for the Great Prison. “Incredible,” she whispered.

  Omin had built a complex system into a chip the size of a pinkie nail. The little chip controlled everyone’s brain waves, exploited any weaknesses and—upon request—altered the neurons.

  She could make anyone become a weak coward with that chip. A smile spread across her face. Someone like Omin.

  She pressed the button to summon Jaz and leaned back in the chair.

  Jaz hurried into the room. “Yes, Leader Seta?”

  “As you know, former Leader Omin is in the Great Prison,” Seta began, folding her hands over her stomach. “You will order his injection. When twenty-four hours has passed, send the main guards, and I’ll give them further instructions.”

  “I will do as you say, Leader,” Jaz replied then left the office.

  Seta grinned. As soon as Omin was injected, she’d be able to turn him into the shadow of his former self. And once she did that… Her smile grew wider. A slave. She’d make him a slave. Then he could spend the rest of his life serving her for a change.

  Her telephone beeped.

  She hit the call button. “Leader Seta.”

  “Leader,” Jaz began, “the main guards want to know what you plan to do with Paff. Omin had a punishment in mind, but no one knows what it was.”

  “Leave Paff in prison but do not give him a punishment. He’s harmless.”

  “It will be done,” Jaz replied and clicked off her phone.

  Paff was a minor annoyance, nothing more. Besides, being in prison should be punishment enough.

  Seta turned her attention to the holographic display hovering over her desk. “Show me where Hathor and the next queen of Raz are,” she ordered.

  The graph created a three-dimensional image that took the shape of Forestaria.

  “Good,” she said, satisfied. The blast of wind had worked. It’d trapped them on the planet. “Show me where the Book of Spells is.”

  The image zoomed in on a hole in the ground. A hole that was well covered, she hoped. The important thing was that she got to the book before they did.

  She called Jaz back into her office.

  Jaz hurried in. “Yes, Leader?”

  “How do you feel about being a secretary?”

  Jaz’s eyes grew wide. “I like it, Leader. Am I not doing an adequate job?”

  “You’re doing an excellent job,” she assured Jaz, noting the way Jaz’s hands trembled. And for good reason. Secretaries who didn’t do a good job were often thrown into the Great Prison. “I only asked because I want to make you the First Commander.”

  Jaz’s face relaxed. “Thank you, Leader Seta.”

  “You’re welcome. Our first duty together as a team will be to look for the Razians on Forestaria. Once we find them, we will eliminate them. Our survival as a species depends on it.”

  ***

  The Great Prison

  Planet: Pale

  A shrill noise rang through the air, making Paff jerk up into a sitting position.

  “Relax,” Cem said, placing his hand on his arm. “It will not affect us.”

  “What won’t affect us?” Paff asked.

  The room shifted, knocking him and Cem onto the floor. Around them, Palers and Laxes screamed and started to scratch themselves, their nails digging into their flesh and drawing blood.

  Wincing, Paff looked at Cem. “What’s going on?” he shouted over the shrieks.

  “It’s the punishment. We aren’t affected because we didn’t get an injection yet.”

  “I thought all the punishments were different.”

  “They are. Each one is receiving different signals from the Main Control Chip.”

  Paff dared a glance at the Palers and Laxes around them who wailed and moaned as if they were being ripped apart from the inside out. This was worse than what he imagined. He looked away again. He couldn’t watch this. Someone would have to be made of stone to watch this and not want to vomit.

  “Make it stop!”

  Paff turned around, surprised to see Halima.

  She grabbed onto Cem, her body jerking. Despite her wild movements, her eyes indicated she knew exactly what was going on around her. “I can’t hold on much longer, Cem. You need to help me.”

  “We’ll get out soon,” Cem assured her, clasping her hands. “Those who will break the prison walls are coming.”

  The shrill noise ceased and the room shifted back to its normal position. Everything went quiet and the screaming—finally and mercifully—ended.

  Halima snarled at Paff and tried to bite him, but he warded off her attack. With a roar, she ran back into crowd. Why did she insist on attacking him all the time? He shook his head. Maybe he’d never know.

  Chapter Eight

  A Forest

  Planet: Olympia

  Ann had no idea how long she, Hathor, and the lion had been walking through the forest, winding their way around the trees and stepping over the twigs in their path.

  “We’re almost at the base of the mountain,” Hathor assured her, waiting for her to catch up to him and the lion. “It won’t be long now.”

  “Yeah, but how far do we have to go up the mountain?” she asked.

  He paused and let out a sigh. “Do you want me to tell you the truth?”

  She frowned. Nothing good ever came from that kind of question.

  “We’ll have to stay on this planet tonight.” Before she could bemoan their fate, he added, “But there are small caves along the sides of the mountain we can take shelter in.”

  “Is there anything soft like mushroom pillows to sleep on?”

  “No. The ground will be hard, but I’ll build a fire to keep us warm. I’ll also have to find an animal and kill it or hope we come across a fruit bearing tree.”

  She glanced at the lion. “You really wanted to tag along for all this? It’s not as pleasant as your planet.”

  The
lion roared and nodded.

  She shook her head. “Okay, but it’s not as comfortable as your planet.”

  The lion brought his head to her hand and purred.

  She ran her hand over his mane. It was hard to believe she was actually petting a lion without getting her hand bitten off.

  “Some planets are nicer to visit than others,” Hathor told her then started walking again.

  Following him, she asked, “What about Raz? Is that a nice place to visit?”

  “It’s not as convenient as Forestaria, but yeah, it’s a good one. You don’t want to end up on Pale. The whole planet is a wasteland. There’s nothing but white sand. No food grows on the world so Palers have to bring in creatures from other planets in order to eat.”

  She shivered. “The Palers sound like disgusting aliens.”

  “Aliens?”

  “On Earth, anyone or anything that wasn’t originally on the planet is an alien.”

  “Then you see me as an alien?”

  After a moment, she nodded. “Yeah, I guess so. You look so human, it’s hard to think of you as an alien, but technically, that’s what you are.”

  “I don’t just look human. I am human,” he replied.

  “But you’re not a human from Earth. There’s the difference.”

  “I fail to see what the difference is,” he insisted as they pushed aside a couple tree branches. “A human is a human, no matter where he or she is from.”

  “I guess there’s not a difference if you are one hundred percent human, but you’re still an alien because you were born on a planet other than Earth.”

  “I don’t care much for the distinction.”

  Laughing, she asked, “Why not?”

  “It implies that we’re not compatible. I assure you that I am a suitable mate for you.”

  “I didn’t say you weren’t compatible. You’re being much too serious. Look,” she playfully tapped him on the arm, “I wasn’t born on Raz, and so I’m an alien on your world. It works both ways.”

  He relaxed. “I didn’t think of it that way.”

  “You need to stop being so serious all the time,” she kindly admonished. “Loosen up and have fun.”