Chapter 10
The events of Suisei didn't reach the kingdom of Kinsei, at least not before the gardener had begun his duties in the sunrisen garden. Unbeknownst to him, Kind Ishtar and Queen Ovda had raised the shield around the castle. If he had wanted to get in, he wouldn't have been able to.
The gardener was loyally tending to the many-colored blooms when a shadow was cast over him. From the shape and time of the day, the gardener expected to see Queen Ovda inspecting the gardens when he turned around. However, he realized far too late that it wasn't. He disintegrated were he was kneeled, nothing remaining of him save for his trowel. Lishana smiled in glee.
"It's been far too long since I used my powers," she said to Kurzai as he stepped behind her.
"We are here for the royals," Kurzai gently reminded her. Lishana shrugged.
"Well, I lured one out for you," she said. She pointed to the nearby stairs that lead from the gardens to the main castle courtyard. Standing at the top was a beautiful princess with a long mane of golden hair. She was pale-faced and still as stone as she stared with cold blue eyes at Lishana and Kurzai. Lishana immediately began to approach the stairs, saying, "Come here little princess."
The princess didn't move. Lishana went to step on the stairs, but was thrown away from them by a blinding light. Lishana cursed and disappeared. She reappeared above the stairs, being thrown away by the same light. "I can't get in," she said irritably.
"They obviously got a warning from Suisei," Kurzai said as he tapped his sword where the shield was. "We won't be getting through it."
"Well then, let's find a way around it like we did with Maia's barrier," said Lishana as she stood and brushed herself off. She looked back up to the stairs where the princess still stood in shock. Then, her shock melted away at the sound of her name,
"Venus!" called her mother from an unseen place. "Venus! Where are you?"
All at once Venus' began to shake in fear. "Mother!" she called. "I'm at the gardens! Mr. Perot is dead!"
"Get inside the barrier!" came the queen's voice.
"I am!" Venus shouted as she backed away from the stairs. As she backed away, the unmistakable image of beauty appeared around the corner of the gardens. Queen Ovda appeared in the gardens with her floor-length golden hair in a messy mass behind her, and her yellow-orange gown in wrinkles. She was seemingly defenseless and far outside of the barrier.
"The radiant Queen Ovda," Kurzai in amusement. "You are not exactly the sight I expected." It took a moment, but Ovda realized her situation. In an instant she clapped her hands together.
"Kinsei Power, Make-Up!" she called out. She was surrounded in many golden ribbons which then almost instantly exploded. The messy queen was now wearing her orange, blue, and yellow senshi uniform. Her long tresses of gold were now in three manageable braids that brushed the ground. "If you are here to kill my husband or daughter, you have made a terrible mistake" she said. "I am no warrior or fighter; I am a wife and a mother and I shall never allow you to harm them."
"That is quite all right," Kurzai said. "I've come with the idea of killing only one, and it would be the easiest one to get to. Senshi or not, your life is over." Having said that, Kurzai lunged at the senshi-queen.
Ovda crossed her arms over her stomach, resting her hands on her hips. She tilted her head to the sky above and shouted, "Golden Illumine!" Her three braids fanned out as beams of light surrounded her and then shot at Kurzai. All but three wrapped around him and suspended him above the ground. The last three positioned themselves at his throat. Ovda turned to Lishana and said, "Surrender yourselves and I shall not harm him."
Lishana clenched her fists. Then, fate joined her side as Princess Binasu ran around the corner, responding to the sound of her mother's voice. Lishana disappeared, reappearing behind Binasu. Then they disappeared, reappearing where Lishana had first stood. Lishana's left hand was firmly holding Binasu's hair behind her back while her right hand was firmly holding the princess' jaw. "Let him go or I shall disintegrate your daughter at I did the gardener," Lishana said. "That one over there has witnessed my strength." Ovda glanced to Venus, who was joined by her blind sister, Yoake.
"Mama, don't let her hurt Binasu!" Venus cried. "I don't want to her died like Mr. Perot!"
"Mama, where is Binasu?" Yoake cried. Ovda turned to look at her oldest daughter. Binasu was pale with fear. The queen had never seen her daughter in such fear, yet here she was. Binasu was nearly a woman and received many proposals a day from suitors from many kingdoms outside of Sol. She was so much a woman, yet at this moment her eyes glowed with the fear of a small child. Ovda was torn apart. One of hand, she could rid the system of one of two assassins that had plagued the system. However, it would be at the price of her oldest daughter. On the other hand, she could save her daughter, but release this untrustworthy pair. The queen closed her eyes, and then sighed in utter defeat. The bands of light disappeared, allowing Kurzai to drop a short distance to his feet. Lishana smiled and gripped the princess' jaw tighter. Venus cried out, and Lishana would have finished the princess anyway. However, Kurzai interrupted.
"Let her go," he said. "A deal is a deal." Lishana growled and squeezed the princess' jaw tightly before whipping her away. Binasu stumbled a bit before regaining her footing and almost flying up the stairs. She nearly tackled her younger sisters and she wrapped her arms protectively around them.
Ovda sighed upon seeing her daughters were all safely behind the shield. Then she gasped shortly as she felt a warm sensation go through her stomach. She looked up and saw Kurzai's cold, mismatched eyes staring down into the queen's fading blue eyes. Ovda closed her eyes as Kurzai ripped the sword from her belly. Her transformation fell apart and she was left in her golden gown as it slowly grew red. The three princesses called out for their mother. Ovda's last words were scratchy at best as she yelled at them to stay behind the barrier. Then her golden world went black.
The princesses felt their own worlds go black as they watched the life leave their mother. Then Kurzai and Lishana disappeared. Venus tried to run out to her mother then, but Binasu held the crying girl back. The youngest fought with her sisters and her tears as they, too, cried their share. Binasu and Venus had no voice left in them, but Yoake had plenty as she screamed for her father.