Wish I could say all will be revealed soon, but taking a lesson from last time, I will simply say that I hope people enjoy this ride and where it goes. Almost to the end of the time hopping though. I think it safe to say people have quite a few questions about the end of last chapter...wink.
Reviews welcome.
I do not own or profit from He-Man and his cast of characters,Mattel holds all those rights and they need to hire better writers in my opinion...;)
996AH Sands of Time
The sands swirl like silent death even now. Both moons are obscured this night so even the normal moonlight can reveal nothing. Nights like this are good for only two activities in the desert, smuggling and hunting. Tonight both were occurring.
The rock island was a well known spot for caravans crossing the desert, it was also popular with the more unsavory of travelers. Tonight it was slavers. They held no fear as they lit their watch fires brightly, the official seal of the skull riding on their banners. They had a good haul this season.
Caligars, Speleans, and all manner of fighter filled their ranks. Over a decade ago, the campaign from the fallen realm of Eternos had swept over half the world. Even as species had seceded from the Republic and its farce of fairness, none had been prepared for a living monster out of legend to come calling.
Skeletor was a child's story to frighten the unwary to behave or be taken in the night. In those final days he had seemed a pale imitation to the Senators and their unrivaled ambitions. Stories had spread that he had been resurrected by dark magics and quietly taken over as puppet master, others said one of the Senators had done it to get an advantage and been the first to fall. None knew the truth, it mattered little.
The slaves were all humans or rebels. They had no safe place anymore, no fortress that could not be taken from within, or from without. Skeletor's magic was thought impossible for so long that none of the technology created in the last 700 years could combat it. He blew over them and had begun to search out any with the gift.
The first results of that search had produced the reborn Evil Warriors, some simply gifted individuals, others the results of experiments even the slavers did not wish to consider. What was more devastating to the countries was the discovery that many relics in museums and holds across Eternia were wells of power if one knew how to use them, and Skeletor seemed to know them all.
The rumors spoke that he was still searching for something, but none knew what or there would be a reward for it. Just as the slavers knew to search their catches for anyone matching the description of a young girl, blonde hair, blue eyes, and pale or tan skin. She was not accused of any crime anyone knew of, but the fact he hunted her was enough.
All the slavers cared about was if found, she was to be treated gently and carefully. Their camp was small for this trip by necessity, far too many hazards in the desert presented escape opportunities, only 100 slaves for now, but more to come other ways. These ones were the most dangerous.
In iron cages to energized bars, most were human but a few Avions and Adrenans were part of it. Caught in a raid on one of the many mining operations Skeletor had started up. In this desert they could easily escape but have no where to hide a blaster could not hit them. More than that, each was strapped with a device tied to a human, they would have to flee knowing the person left behind would die very badly and slowly in the desert.
The slavers patted themselves on their backs for their ingenuity, but kept watch just the same. All knew that odds were a slave was to be sold to the Empire was never seen again, even if they were not sold to Skeletor, there was always the arenas. Say what you would about the Overlord of Evil, but he knew how to keep the masses distracted.
Almost a thousand years of peace and now the common folk found blood sport the most entertaining thing in the world. What rebel groups had formed at the beginning had long since been ground to dust and now only the kingdoms of Avion, Adrenos, and the occasional rebel bands remained. The last being only a few handfuls scattered around and too far apart to become threats.
All could see the writing on the wall, Skeletor would wait until he had the most advantage and strike hard on first Avion, and then the Adrenans. The superiority of the air was nothing compared to the brutality of the Evil Warriors.
The slavers watched the dark horizon with the fires behind them, letting their eyes pierce as much as they could into the night. Aside from their obvious guards, they had their own scouts out in the dark, making sure nothing got close save a snake or two, and even then they may kill it on sight.
Against any armed force trained in traditional combat the slavers were more than a match and they knew it, but they never considered one person a true threat, nor did they ever consider a teenage girl even remotely a possibility as a threat ever.
Anna felt the sands drift on her cloak in the dark. She kept from looking at the camp so as not to lose both her night vision and her notice of the scouts. Her blue eyes sparked with mirth at the ease she used to glide by them. Looking for massive or quick movements, the scouts missed the odd dune the rolled with the wind past them.
She knew time was her enemy, in the light of the moons or the sun this would never work, but the Elders were on her side tonight. If the Faceless One discovered her missing it would be Blazes to pay when she got back, but right now she had just one goal. The slavers weakness was reliance on their technology to keep the slaves in line.
Shock collars and explosive rigs were all that kept the slaves from over powering their captors, a dead or crippled slave was no good to anyone and while the deterrents were excellent ones, they suffered a severe weakness, a central computer.
The plan was simple and naive, but that was what made it brilliant to Anna, the slavers had only one guard between her and her goal. The monitor would beep for the guard if it needed attention, otherwise he kept an eye out for the slaves to try anything. Tonight that was a foolish mistake, the fire blinded the guard to any threat from without.
Creeping slowly, not letting her excitement get the best of her, she slithered across the sands near the edge of the firelight. She had eyes only for the guards, if they saw her now she was captured and worse than dead, but if she reached the controls, she would be just one of many.
Her breath caught as the guard began to turn his scaly head towards her, a Caligar might be blinded by fire for a tiny moment, but could see far better in the dark than anyone else. Just as he must see her a hawk cried out above. Instinct to look up saved Anna as she made it to her goal and held still, not even daring to breathe. She thanked the Elders for the small kindness and waited for the hulking shadow to turn back to his charges.
As soon as she was safe to move it was a simple matter, slavers never thought to encode their computers while on night watch, at least not so far. She hit the master release switch and disengaged the explosive toggles. She saw the Avion forms twitch their hands but quickly resume a dejected look, the Adrenans only nodded once to show they noticed the change in their chest plates.
None of the humans would know the shock collars were turned off yet, but in a few seconds...
Chaos exploded as first one, and then dozens of humans collars fell off! The slavers first instinct was to hit their remotes, the seconds lost in confusion was all the slaves needed to rush their captors. It was a small dust storm suddenly as the two forces clashed. The flyers quickly took out their counterparts in the slavers and then helped the humans with quickly dispersing the ground troops.
Anna waited patiently and slipped back into the night. As much as she wished to be there to guide them to safety, she had done all she could for now. Her heady rush blinded her to the danger far too late. A Caligar rose up out of the night and raised a blade at her. She froze as it came down and then really did freeze as the warrior was set in a block of ice.
Without any further need for incentive she ran for it. She was well passed the eyes of the now cheering slaves when the lithe form of Frosta emerged from the sands. If looks could kill, Frosta's would have done quite well. She seemed very pale compared to normal, which meant she was livid with her charge this time.
Both looked up as a shadow glided overhead, only Stratos would know where they were now and he pointed off to the east once and headed that way quietly, far from what was becoming a celebration. Head hanging low, Anna followed Frosta onto her ice track and was whisked along it to wherever the Master had indicated.
It was another stone hollow, far smaller and far too remote from the main routes to be of use to any but their small party. Anna sat with her hands in her lap as Frosta washed her up. The sand had gotten everywhere until was almost a part of her. She saw the pale eyes of the woman in front of her full of rage and concern, both warring in them. The former lord of Avion simply exuded disappointment in her, she almost wished he would shout.
"Of all the foolish, incompetent, and suicidal things I could think you would pull, this was not even on my list!" Frosta's terse voice cut far deeper than any blade could. Anna fought the tears, but her pride kept showing her the freed slaves. They might be caught again, but for now they were free. She saw Frosta back away and appraise her job and found it wanting.
Her blonde hair still felt full of sand, the clothes were chosen for the course nature and ability to blend into the dunes, not for show. Her hands were gloved as her boots were mired in sand as well. It had been torturous to get through both guard lines so slowly, but it had worked.
"What has the Faceless One been teaching you all these years? Have you forgotten Skeletor is looking for you?!" Anna whipped her head up to see crystal tears fall from Frosta's face. Her heart broke at what she had not thought of. Her capture would be terrible, but more so for those that had sacrificed so much to save her. The tears would not stop now, even her pride could not fight them.
She felt the looming form of Stratos tower on her right as he gently grasped her shoulder. She looked up and saw the unexpected fear there as well.
"I am glad you freed those people, more glad you were cautious, but you cannot risk yourself like that child, if we lose you, we lose all we hope for," a hawk cried overhead. Anna could swear it was the same one, and oddly both Frosta and Stratos looked up at it in unison. Both looked at each other and nodded as if confirming something.
"Anna, it's time you had some answers, the Faceless One awaits us," Stratos nodded to Frosta and took to the skies. He rarely traveled with them, always watching from above. Frosta again conjured the ice, just enough to glide over the desert but leave no trace to follow thanks to the heat of the sands. They barely traveled that way for a few hours before stopping well short of their destination. It was always this way when they collected her either form adventures or training. The latter was more official, but the former was more often.
Over the decade since she had been brought here Anna had learned many things, but not the one thing that burned in her heart. Why was her family killed? Why was she hunted to this day by a legendary villain? Why had she been saved of all her family? All three burned, but all could be summed up far more simply into just Why?
Walking swiftly, the two were joined by Stratos as the shadow of the Ram Temple reared out of the sands. It was always so quiet here compared to anywhere else in the desert, but the Faceless One must have been livid as Frosta and Stratos to find her gone...again.
The walk through the corridors brought them to the chamber of the Ram Stone itself. Every time her eyes were drawn to the emerald stone that could shatter any barrier if you knew the incantation. Long ago she had learned that Skeletor believed it destroyed and so he had no interest in finding this place. Still, she had felt tempted to try it out now and again, but she was only so foolish.
She saw the shadow of her teacher, surrogate mother, and currently enraged master of combat holding her staff stiffly in the middle of the room. Even without a face, her body emanated the rage she was feeling. Every line of her body, still so young even though Anna knew she was centuries old, told her she was in trouble this time.
"Did you enjoy your flirtation with danger child?" the cold voice and use of 'child' told Anna she was very lucky not to be blasted into the wall. Only a handful of times had that happened, and always in private, but she felt it was close now. The Faceless One had infinite patience in training, but when Anna applied those lessons in real life, she could be very unforgiving.
"Enough Lyn, the Sorceress says it is time," Stratos seemed amused for some reason. Anna saw the Faceless One go through a transformation of sorts. Rage seemed to vanish, and be replaced with...fear? No anxiety, or trepidation. She seemed to look to a window and wait for something but it never came.
"So soon, but then he must be close," is she still had them, Anna would have bet anything the Faceless One would be closing her eyes in concentration now. The orb on her staff began to glow and whatever she saw there made her nod.
"Very well, I have the item I will need to begin this, but you two will have to get her where she needs to go after, we dare not say it aloud. There is too much disturbance that Skeletor could use even as he focuses on finding his goal," she gathered her lavender and white slashed robes about her and went to the pillar holding the Ram Stone.
She knelt down and a murmur reached Anna's ears. She never had much knack for magic, but she knew it now when she saw it. The stone pillar glowed and then a section opened and fell back to reveal a compartment. Reaching in, the Faceless One pulled out a very worn and very old leather journal.
She spoke a few more words and the pillar restored itself. She then beckoned Anna to follow her through the far corridor. They walked passed the training rooms and their own quarters. They were going deeper into the temple than Anna had ever been. She felt the exhaustion of the night creeping in on her, and the sand was becoming more than annoying. She knew that was part of her punishment though, a reminder that if she was to be foolish she would be made to feel foolish for a period of time decided by the Faceless One.
They finally reached a door that disturbed Anna. It was marked with a skull far too similar to the brand of Skeletor for her liking, but as she looked harder she saw it was part of a structure. It was an image of a castle, very old and useless in this day and age, but surrounded by an abyss to make it formidable to ground forces.
The currents from such a place would make it hard on air forces as well. The Faceless One led her to a chamber door that was just below the mural, arcane markings all over it Anna did not understand.
"Beyond this door child you and I will discuss something you have to understand, I ask you to be patient as it will not be done in a night, but first you go alone with this journal, and you will read it," she held the book up to Anna in her pale hand as if it was the most precious treasure in the world. "I swear on my honor that all you read is true and accurate. You will learn things about me, Skeletor, Stratos, and Frosta you never believed possible even with all I have taught you."
Anna looked at the simple leather journal as if it was a snake. Books could be just as deadly a weapon as a sword or blaster. Even now books were educating the youth and those her age that Skeletor had bravely wrested control from a corrupt Senate and saved Eternia from chaos.
She picked up the journal and made to open it, but found it stuck closed. She looked up to find the Faceless One gesturing to the chamber door. Anna reached out without thought to it and yelped when her hand stuck to it. She could not pull it free but instead of helping her, the Faceless One just watched.
The door blazed emerald, then blue, and finally gold. It became warm under her hand and she suddenly felt all her soreness and exhaustion melt away as if it never was. The door clicked with a thud and swung inward to a simple room with a table and a chair with a warm fire in a hearth. None of this seemed odd to Anna and as she found herself alone she propped the journal open easily on the table.
At first the words were impossible to read, then as if of their own accord, they began to take shape in her mind and she realized they were being translated for her! The words themselves on the first page made the hairs on her neck stand on end.
I am Adam, Prince of Eternia and Defender of the secrets of Castle Grayskull. This is Cringer, my 'fearless' friend. Fabulous secret powers were revealed to me the day I held aloft my magic sword and said, "By the Power of Grayskull!" "I have the Power!" Cringer became the mighty Battle Cat, and I became...He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe. Only three others share this secret. Our friends the Sorceress, Man-at-Arms, and Orko. Together we defend Castle Grayskull from the evil forces of Skeletor.
As Anna read she never doubted the author's word. It all felt so true, most was done as if after much thought, but the later chapters revealed an amazing story that should have been beyond belief. The jolts of recognition at those closest to her did not stop her consuming of the journal.
Far too soon she reached the end and felt tears in her eyes. She knew who this Prince Adam had to be, why her family had been hunted to near extinction by Skeletor. He may not remember what happened to him entirely, but he remembered enough to find the descendants of his enemies and inflict cruel revenge on them. What is worse is if he does remember, then why had he not gone after Grayskull again?
Anna felt a thousand questions form, but then something clicked from her night of risk and danger, the hawk crying out had been the Sorceress of Grayskull! Her own grandmother! Why had she been denied this last bit of family until now?! Rage coursed through her as she flung open the door, only to find instead of the Faceless One, a red and silver armored warrior.
She was very pretty with her mesh armor hiding little to the imagination. Her shoulders exposed outside of the red vest with knee high boots leaving the rest of her leg exposed to a belt with a loin cloth hanging forward. The ancient design of the Mystic Warrior Zodac, but this was a woman!
"You have many questions no doubt, but first and foremost Anna you have one last truth to face this night," reaching up with her red gloved hands, the Mystic Warrior removed her helm and revealed auburn hair framing a face Anna was very familiar with. So like her own save the feeling that the eyes belonged to someone far older.
"Who...who are you?" Anna whispered the question. She knew who had become the Mystic Warrior, but there was no mention of a change in the journal after the first surprise of it all. Smiling sadly the woman embraced her close and Anna felt tears fall on her hair.
"I am the new Mystic Warrior, I replaced the honorable Duncan and I am also your Great-great-grandmother," Anna felt shock go through her again as she did not doubt what she was told. She could just remember the story of the last time the Mystic Warrior had appeared, in the Council Chamber of all places, and he stopped the execution of her father's great-grandmother, but she was never seen again.
It had been just after that night of story that the nightmare began, and Anna had clung to that story with hope that good still existed in Eternia. The woman in her arms was shaking and Anna made her go back out to arms length.
It was all there in her eyes, the pain of being away, but there was strength in there too. A burning fire Anna recognized as well from the mirror. She quickly pulled her back to her and breathed in the only other living family member she knew of for sure. The Sorceress may be family, but only distantly, this was family from right here and now.
"I promised I would be stronger than this, but when I was told of that horrible night you were saved, of all the family we could not save, I thought I had cried out all I have in me," the Mystic Warrior wiped the tears from her eyes and picked up a silver staff with four red fingers on either end. It could only be the same staff Zodac had been known to favor.
"Do you know what is in this journal?" Anna saw the warrior nod vigorously, but with a trace of reluctance. "What?"
"I know of the journal, but only the overall sense of it, it was meant for only one person and if you read it, then that person is most certainly you Anna," longing was in the eyes now, but one that was quickly dashed. She looked firmly into her granddaughter's eyes and motioned them back into the chamber.
"This room is a safe place from prying eyes and magic. After all I was told about Skeletor, and all I learned of him before and since, it is entirely possible he has ways to know when certain subjects come up, the Faceless One made this place long ago for a different reason, but it works for our needs now," Anna saw the oddity now of the room. Before she had entered it was just for one person, but now two chairs and a set of tea were there. The fire still blazed, but even the room seemed larger for them. The stone was wrong too, it was not the same stone as the temple.
"What is this place used for?" Anna never wondered much about magic anymore, but she chided herself for just accepting the convenience of a place like this. She expected an answer but instead there was the sound of wings like Stratos was in the room.
Whirling around Anna saw not only the Mystic Warrior but another woman now. Her eyes were like emeralds, a helm in the shape of a hawk's head covered her, a shapely bodice hugged her curves with ancient dress design for battle. Plates made up her skirt as well as cloth, and actual fully formed wings sprouted out of her back as she held a hawk staff in her right hand.
"She made it for me, a place of Grayskull not of Grayskull. Difficult magic, but it allows me to be myself far from the castle and still reach it if needed. Lyn and I have an odd relationship, but it has helped make the centuries less worrisome," the Sorceress of Grayskull was a center of serenity. That she was practically the whole of the journal shocked Anna.
Where was the mighty warrior Teela in this woman in front of her? Where was the fire spoken of so often? Yet there was an undeniable thing about her even Anna could not deny, every instinct trained in her by the Faceless One told her to not cross this woman.
"Before you go on a deserved tirade of questions Anna, you must know why you are being told all this now, at 14, rather than earlier or later," with a wave of her hands a swirling pool appeared overhead. If drew all three women's eyes to it.
It showed a massive force marching across sands like this desert, but there were occasional spurts of fire everywhere. The blackened cones easily marked the Sands of Fire from everywhere else on Eternia. Anna watched as at the head of that army was the source of every nightmare she ever had.
The cowled form of Skeletor on a dais pulled forward by slaves of almost every species she knew of save giant. Wings clipped from every flyer, humans bound in chains, and all the blank visors of the army around him spoke of the evil of that creature on his throne of bones. The massive skull was everywhere on the banners neatly on both sides of the march or the massive one plastered on the back of the monstrosity that could easily have been moved mechanically.
Anna watched as he signaled a halt and rose to his full height at a barren stretch of the sands. He motioned a well muscled man forward who seemed to have a ring around his head. The similairity to Triclops was disturbing, but this one seemed more of a tool than a tool maker. He was plugging in wires into his head and nodding in confirmation of something.
A golden glow smashed forward from the ram headed staff and hit something that scattered it. As she watched, Anna suddenly felt a pit fall in her stomach. She knew what he had found, what he had no doubt searched for this entire decade or more since his return. Knowing the power it held, the magic that could be unleashed was phenomenal compared to what he could do now.
Terror gripped her heart again as it had a decade ago when her parents died as the very air seemed to shimmer and then dissapate like a mirage. It revealed a vast broken landscape of volcanic activity. A molten river flowed through all of it, leading up into the mouth of a giant snake wrapped around a mountain.
The Overlord of Evil had found his old lair, Snake Mountain, and his army marched for to claim it.
"He has found his lair, and shortly will turn his energies to the one thing he cannot remember, but knows exists, the power of the Elders in Grayskull. You Anna," the Sorceress looked at her in almost pity and sympathy at what she said next, "have been chosen to be the new Champion of Grayskull."
The last thing Anna knew was her head was too light for her body and the world was closing in darkness all around her. As it all fell away, she again smelled the smoke and felt the heat of the fires as the high pitched cackling laughter echoed over the ramparts and alleys of a dying Eternos.