Mine! All mine! It's all mine! ::cough:: Uh, well, actually, only my original characters are mine.
::blush::
Chapter Six
A sun-bleached stone castle rose out of the rolling desert sands like a towering precipice. Around the tallest parapet, two stately figures strolled, trains carried behind them by two servants. The shorter one with hair the color of earth and snapping gold eyes wore a lacy white dress that fell in soft folds around her waist. Her companion, an auburn-haired beauty, was clothed in spring green silk. In the harsh sunlight of the desert, the ice cream colors of their gowns were in stark contrast to the tan stone.
"There have been rumors of forces massing in the Capital, Queen Jula."
"Oh, Tamarah, we are not in court, call me Xylia."
The Queen of Cartooth smiled wryly at her old friend, "There have been no dispatches as far out as this; you are closer to the City, surely you have heard something?"
"I have had no news," she shook her head, "I am aware that Princess Civis believes everything outside the City to be worthless, and things will be hard during her rule, but she is not yet Queen. Adelanta still reigns, so why this massing of army without the approval of the Confederation and where is it coming from?"
"I do not know. Things are changing and not for the better I'm afraid."
~~~~~~
Civis lay napping in her private chambers when urgent knocking sounded on her door. She rose, fixing her voluminous skirts.
"Come in," she said nonchalantly, seating herself at her vanity.
A tall gray haired man came in a bowed low to the princess, his black suit in disarray, "Princess I-"
"Ah, Minister Hierophant, how nice to see you," her smile faded when she saw his face. "Is there a problem?"
"Yes. That is to say, um, Her Highness... Her Highness..."
"Her Highness what?" she snapped impatiently.
"Queen Mau is dead."
Civis fell backward in a faint, her scream dying on her lips. She was caught by the Minister and lay limply in his arms as the silver brush she had been using clattered to the floor.
~~~~~~
"Borealis? Lis, say something!" Reshlor pleaded to the limp body in his lap. "She's out cold," he murmured to himself.
"And so is the torch," the bird observed.
It was true. The group had been sitting in total darkness for several moments and had not realized it.
"Leave it," the captain sighed, "We'll light it again when she awakes."
The minutes ticked by and the two sat next to each other, the only clue that they were not alone the breathing of the others.
A voice cut the darkness.
"It's so dark... Where am I?"
Reshlor's head started up, "Lis! You're awake!"
"Lor? Why is it so dark? Where are we?"
"Our torch went out; let me light it again," He grabbed the stout branch and again put the violet powder on the grass and it burst into flame. He looked into her face, pale and smudged with dirt. He tried to rub some away with his hand and she smiled at hisefforts. "Don't you remember? We went on a walk; we're in the Forbidden Before."
Borealis' eyes glazed over, "The Temple of the Arrival... We must get back to the palace!"
Her eyes returned to normal and she stood up quickly looking sadly at Reshlor as he rose and came next to her. He looked fixedly at the woman and then turned away, walking towards the exit. Borealis clasped his arm and made as if to say something but he put a finger to her lips.
"You can't tell me. I know. Don't worry; tell me when you can. We need to get back," he turned to leave again, his long silver blonde hair sliding over his shoulder.
"Wait," Borealis pulled him back to her, "I want to do something before we change back."
He looked into her eyes and laughed inwardly at their nervous look. She wanted to kiss him as humans do. With a smile, he drew her in close and she melted into him, the torch again forgotten on the ground.
"Um-erm!" Callara cleared his throat, "It's about to go out again."
The couple broke apart and headed back through the labyrinthine passageways to the sunlight.
~~~~~~
"I wonder what our mom's are up to?" Hippolyta thought aloud, moving her pyramid across on the round board. "Your move Jasmine."
Her mousy haired friend smiled shyly but her yellow eyes narrowed. She made her move, putting her sun disk onto the space where the blonde's pyramid was.
"I have captured you goddess. I See."
The Jula princess sweat-dropped, "Geez, Jasmine. This is the fifth time!"
The Cartoothian princess just grinned evilly, "What'd you want me to do? Let you win? Never in a million years." She stuck out her tongue, "You're such a sore loser."
The two were engaged in a heated battle of facial contortions when their mothers rushed into the room. Screaming in surprise, the young women were astonished at the two queens' ashen faces.
Hippolyta was the first to find her voice, "Mother, what is it?" She rose and walked toward her worriedly, "Is something the matter? Is Borealis okay?"
Xylia drew her grown daughter to her, "As far as I know, right now she is, but all of us are soon to be in danger."
Jasmine too went to her mother, "What does she mean?"
"The Queen of Mau is dead."
~~~~~~
Civis allowed herself to be supported as she walked through the halls, a sneer marring her features.
"Your Highness, the coroner has been called?"
"What?!" she whirled on the official, fire in her hard, gray eyes. "How dare you invite that-that gravedigger into the palace!
"But, the Queen, she must be examined?"
"No. She will be buried untouched. I will not have my mother's memory profaned, nor her spirit disturbed!" She ran from Hierophant, crying loud tears.
~~~~~~
Once out of the tunnels, Reshlor extinguished the torch and the two humans changed into their feline forms. Ready to travel, the group left the Forbidden Before and weaved through the foliage towards home. The sun was setting in fiery red, unusual for their blue star. It unsettled Borealis and she left Callara at one of his many nests with a
sense of foreboding. Darkness fell quickly as if to confirm her fears that something was amiss. It was so deep, their lamp-like eyes could hardly penetrate it.
The tigress shivered.
"Lis, is everything all right?" the big Siberian nuzzled her shoulder.
"Yes... No. This darkness is unnatural, the sun should still be up for another hour. Something has happened; it is as if the very planet were steeped in fear. We must get back to the palace! Quickly! This way!"
She leapt into the gloom, closely followed by Reshlor and the pair sprinted through the velvet blackness, narrowly missing trees and roots. At last, they reached the palace walls.
"We'd better go the back way. We may be in trouble if we try the front gate; something's not right..." she looked about uncertainly and then shrugged the feeling off. She gave herself a run up and vaulted over the high wall landing softly on the other side. "You coming?"
"Uh, yeah," Reshlor answered. He had been watching her graceful jump and picturing him falling in an undignified heap on the other side. He followed, clearing the wall, and landed on his feet although not quite so handily. "You'd better get going; I'm supposed to be on patrol tonight anyway."
"Oh, I don't think you'll be needed tonight Captain Salvas," a voice called mockingly from the shadows that the dim perimeter lights did not penetrate. "In fact, I don't think anyone would notice if you just disappeared..."
::blush::
Chapter Six
A sun-bleached stone castle rose out of the rolling desert sands like a towering precipice. Around the tallest parapet, two stately figures strolled, trains carried behind them by two servants. The shorter one with hair the color of earth and snapping gold eyes wore a lacy white dress that fell in soft folds around her waist. Her companion, an auburn-haired beauty, was clothed in spring green silk. In the harsh sunlight of the desert, the ice cream colors of their gowns were in stark contrast to the tan stone.
"There have been rumors of forces massing in the Capital, Queen Jula."
"Oh, Tamarah, we are not in court, call me Xylia."
The Queen of Cartooth smiled wryly at her old friend, "There have been no dispatches as far out as this; you are closer to the City, surely you have heard something?"
"I have had no news," she shook her head, "I am aware that Princess Civis believes everything outside the City to be worthless, and things will be hard during her rule, but she is not yet Queen. Adelanta still reigns, so why this massing of army without the approval of the Confederation and where is it coming from?"
"I do not know. Things are changing and not for the better I'm afraid."
~~~~~~
Civis lay napping in her private chambers when urgent knocking sounded on her door. She rose, fixing her voluminous skirts.
"Come in," she said nonchalantly, seating herself at her vanity.
A tall gray haired man came in a bowed low to the princess, his black suit in disarray, "Princess I-"
"Ah, Minister Hierophant, how nice to see you," her smile faded when she saw his face. "Is there a problem?"
"Yes. That is to say, um, Her Highness... Her Highness..."
"Her Highness what?" she snapped impatiently.
"Queen Mau is dead."
Civis fell backward in a faint, her scream dying on her lips. She was caught by the Minister and lay limply in his arms as the silver brush she had been using clattered to the floor.
~~~~~~
"Borealis? Lis, say something!" Reshlor pleaded to the limp body in his lap. "She's out cold," he murmured to himself.
"And so is the torch," the bird observed.
It was true. The group had been sitting in total darkness for several moments and had not realized it.
"Leave it," the captain sighed, "We'll light it again when she awakes."
The minutes ticked by and the two sat next to each other, the only clue that they were not alone the breathing of the others.
A voice cut the darkness.
"It's so dark... Where am I?"
Reshlor's head started up, "Lis! You're awake!"
"Lor? Why is it so dark? Where are we?"
"Our torch went out; let me light it again," He grabbed the stout branch and again put the violet powder on the grass and it burst into flame. He looked into her face, pale and smudged with dirt. He tried to rub some away with his hand and she smiled at hisefforts. "Don't you remember? We went on a walk; we're in the Forbidden Before."
Borealis' eyes glazed over, "The Temple of the Arrival... We must get back to the palace!"
Her eyes returned to normal and she stood up quickly looking sadly at Reshlor as he rose and came next to her. He looked fixedly at the woman and then turned away, walking towards the exit. Borealis clasped his arm and made as if to say something but he put a finger to her lips.
"You can't tell me. I know. Don't worry; tell me when you can. We need to get back," he turned to leave again, his long silver blonde hair sliding over his shoulder.
"Wait," Borealis pulled him back to her, "I want to do something before we change back."
He looked into her eyes and laughed inwardly at their nervous look. She wanted to kiss him as humans do. With a smile, he drew her in close and she melted into him, the torch again forgotten on the ground.
"Um-erm!" Callara cleared his throat, "It's about to go out again."
The couple broke apart and headed back through the labyrinthine passageways to the sunlight.
~~~~~~
"I wonder what our mom's are up to?" Hippolyta thought aloud, moving her pyramid across on the round board. "Your move Jasmine."
Her mousy haired friend smiled shyly but her yellow eyes narrowed. She made her move, putting her sun disk onto the space where the blonde's pyramid was.
"I have captured you goddess. I See."
The Jula princess sweat-dropped, "Geez, Jasmine. This is the fifth time!"
The Cartoothian princess just grinned evilly, "What'd you want me to do? Let you win? Never in a million years." She stuck out her tongue, "You're such a sore loser."
The two were engaged in a heated battle of facial contortions when their mothers rushed into the room. Screaming in surprise, the young women were astonished at the two queens' ashen faces.
Hippolyta was the first to find her voice, "Mother, what is it?" She rose and walked toward her worriedly, "Is something the matter? Is Borealis okay?"
Xylia drew her grown daughter to her, "As far as I know, right now she is, but all of us are soon to be in danger."
Jasmine too went to her mother, "What does she mean?"
"The Queen of Mau is dead."
~~~~~~
Civis allowed herself to be supported as she walked through the halls, a sneer marring her features.
"Your Highness, the coroner has been called?"
"What?!" she whirled on the official, fire in her hard, gray eyes. "How dare you invite that-that gravedigger into the palace!
"But, the Queen, she must be examined?"
"No. She will be buried untouched. I will not have my mother's memory profaned, nor her spirit disturbed!" She ran from Hierophant, crying loud tears.
~~~~~~
Once out of the tunnels, Reshlor extinguished the torch and the two humans changed into their feline forms. Ready to travel, the group left the Forbidden Before and weaved through the foliage towards home. The sun was setting in fiery red, unusual for their blue star. It unsettled Borealis and she left Callara at one of his many nests with a
sense of foreboding. Darkness fell quickly as if to confirm her fears that something was amiss. It was so deep, their lamp-like eyes could hardly penetrate it.
The tigress shivered.
"Lis, is everything all right?" the big Siberian nuzzled her shoulder.
"Yes... No. This darkness is unnatural, the sun should still be up for another hour. Something has happened; it is as if the very planet were steeped in fear. We must get back to the palace! Quickly! This way!"
She leapt into the gloom, closely followed by Reshlor and the pair sprinted through the velvet blackness, narrowly missing trees and roots. At last, they reached the palace walls.
"We'd better go the back way. We may be in trouble if we try the front gate; something's not right..." she looked about uncertainly and then shrugged the feeling off. She gave herself a run up and vaulted over the high wall landing softly on the other side. "You coming?"
"Uh, yeah," Reshlor answered. He had been watching her graceful jump and picturing him falling in an undignified heap on the other side. He followed, clearing the wall, and landed on his feet although not quite so handily. "You'd better get going; I'm supposed to be on patrol tonight anyway."
"Oh, I don't think you'll be needed tonight Captain Salvas," a voice called mockingly from the shadows that the dim perimeter lights did not penetrate. "In fact, I don't think anyone would notice if you just disappeared..."