AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm back! Got everything sorted out (check the title) and ready to roll! Enjoy!

~W~

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

"Sortings"

Early the next day, Peacekeeper walked with Queen Adora through the corridors of the Palace. Everything was already beginning to be repaired and Eternos was starting to look repaired. Adora took a deep breath as she entered into Adam's office.

"Adam? How are you?"

He looked up from his desk. "Alive. Yourself?"

She nodded, then sighed. "A little shaken up. How are repairs going?"

"Well. Right, now, though, I'm looking over a plan to counter-attack Master Chaos' so-called Dark Tower. It's on the southern coast of the Dark Hemisphere."

"Who's going?"

"Everyone I can gather."

"Peacekeeper is willing."

"Good. We could use her help."

"What about the children?"

Adam looked at his twin sister. "What do you mean?"

"Even I've heard the news. My nieces and nephews were given powers not so dissimilar from our own."

Adam paused and scratched his chin. "I suppose they'll be going as well."

"Is that wise?"

He sighed. "I'm not sure, really. But think of all the good we did when we gained our powers and father never would have forbade us from using them."

"That's because he never knew."

"And if he had, I doubt that he would have forbidden us from using them."

Adora paused and then sighed deeply. It was time to change the subject. She noticed a few other papers sitting on his desk besides battle plans. "What is this?" she wondered aloud, moving a flow-chart into her view.

"I've just been trying to make connections. Before Lynn's revelation, I was trying to figure the connection between what was being orchestrated."

Adora studied it. Epoch and the Trolls of Darksmoke being attacked and overthrown in a coup fueled by Chaos. The death of Randor, Stephan, and Johanna - all members of the Royal Family. The death of Stratos and the attempted assassination of Buzz-Off. The death of . . . King Seahawk?

"Adam, why is my husband listed here?"

He looked up at her. "I don't know. I guess it just came to me."

"What do you mean? Seahawk's been dead for seven years, Adam. Master Chaos had nothing to do with it."

"I felt the need to consider him as an earlier target. He was part of the Royal Family."

"Not through blood, Adam. He died in that storm. Don't you remember?"

"Uh . . . yes, but I just felt that - "

"Adam," Adora practically begged. "Don't bring his memory into this. You may have suspected his involvement, but you know that it's not true. Please."

He nodded, suddenly feeling very guilty. "I'm sorry, Adora. You're right. I shouldn't have even bothered to think it."

"Thank you."

Just then, there was a light tap on the door. "Come in," Adam bellowed. The door opened and in walked Teelana.

"King Adam, Queen Adora," she addressed. "I must speak to you and the others immediately."

Adam stood up at her request. "Regarding what?"

"I may have lost most of my powers in the destruction of Grayskull, but some still remain with me. I now know the full extent of Master Chaos' plans and it is nothing less than universal annihilation."

***

Sounds of wood-cutting and stone moving filled Talon's ears as he landed onto on the remains of the courtyard. Avions were heading south, now, to help out in the repair of Eternos. Part of him smiled at this. It was, this, Eternos depending on the aide of Avion.

"Talon!" yelped Man-At-Arms, rushing over. "King Adam wants to see immediately."

Talon nodded and he followed the warrior formerly known as Machinesmith towards what remained of the Meeting Hall.

Duncan, the former Man-At-Arms, sat in there as well. Along with him, there was also former Sorceress of Grayskull Teelana. Mer-Man, King Felinus, Buzz-Off, and Stinger had joined this group. Of course, so had King Adam, Queen Teela, Queen Adora, and their children. Rounding out the group was Lynn, the alleged mother of Master Choas.

Man-At-Arms and Talon sat down with them.

"Thank you for coming, Talon," Adam said. "I suppose we should just get down to the point of the matter. Teelana?"

"Thank you, Adam. As you many of you know, I was once the Sorceress of Grayskull. Fulfilling that role meant that I would gain incredible powers and insights. When Grayskull was destroyed twenty-five years ago, I lost most of those powers and insights. But to this day, some still remain within me"

Teelana paused, observing everyone that sat before her. "Thousands of years ago, before the age of the Kings of Eternos, or the guidance of the Elders. Before the Zodak, and King Hiss, and He-Ro. Even before the reign of the Energy Beast, there existed the most powerful beings that we know of - the Ancients.

"It was under the leadership of the Ancients that we Eternians were able to move from being the barbarians that we once were to people we are now. Known to very few, though, is exactly what the Ancients created during their reign. Nor what truly happened to them."

"Created?" asked Amelia. "What do you mean?"

"At some point during their lifetimes, the Ancients created twenty-five stones. Each stone reflected a different element of Eternia. These stones were laid out into sets. There is the elemental set, consisting of the Gardeners Stone, the Wind Stone, the Water Stone, and the Fire Stone.

"There is also the concept set, which is the Strength Stone, the Thought Stone, the Heart Stone, and the Population Stone. Next is the peoples set, which includes the Animal Stone, the Stone of Men, the Anthro Stone, and the Ancients Stone. Finally, the forces set, that of there is the Phoenix Stone, the Science Stone, the Sorcery Stone, and the Unity Stone."

Adam looked curiously at the others, then back over at Teelana. "A few of these have been used. The Gardener's Stone and the Phoenix Stone. Both were placed into Grayskull Tower."

"Indeed. But there are many others out there somewhere on Eternia. Lost for thousands of years. There are even rumors of one or two being placed on Etheria," Teelana explained. "It is Master Chaos' goal to seek out these stones and use them to spread his evil across the universe."

"You said there were twenty-five stones, but you only named twenty-four," Talon snapped suddenly.

"The final stone is unknown even to me. Only that it exists is all that I know."

"Does Master Chaos have any of these stones yet?" asked Mer-Man.

"Yes," Teelana replied. "Loxx, who possessed the Strength Stone, gave it to Master Chaos. It was shortly after you, Adam, went to see Loxx. I did not even know that he had it until it was too late."

"And when did you discover this all?" Lynn questioned.

"Only last night, in a dream."

Adam sighed and looked down. "We must find these Stones before Master Chaos does."

"But how?" wondered Man-At-Arms, glancing at Duncan.

"There was one other that may know," Teelana replied. "Only I knew the location of the Phoenix Stone and the Strength Stone. But Count Marzo . . . he somehow uncovered the location of the Gardener's Stone. We never knew how."

"But Count Marzo is imprisoned in a fetal state. He's barely begun gestating," Adam brought up. "I don't even know who the mother is."

"The power of Grayskull will seek out the Count," Teelana said. "It is there we must go next. We must seek out the location of the Stones."

"Agreed," Adam stated, standing up. "Alright. Our attack on Dark Tower has been canceled for now. We need to concentrate on repairs and - "

Suddenly, the doors were thrown open. A young member of the Bear-people came staggering in, bruised and bloodied and obviously exhausted.

"Help us . . ." he moaned, collapsing onto the ground. Teela dashed over and caught him before he completely fell. "Razor Tongue led an attack from Darksmoke . . . the Bear-People were caught unaware . . . he's conquered our land . . . and we've been enslaved . . ."

"Calm yourself," Teela soothed.

"MEDIC!" yelled Adam.

"One more thing . . ."

"Rest," Teela answered.

"King Adam . . ." attempted the Bear. "My name is Marcus . . . my king ordered me to give this . . . before the palace was taken . . ."

Marcus reached out and handed Adam a crumbled piece of paper. As medics and doctors rushed, Adora and the others stepped over to Adam.

"What is it?" they asked as he looked over it.

"It's the proposed treaty. They've accepted it."

"Adam," Duncan said straightly, "Eternos can not muster an attack right now. This is a distraction. He's trying to throw us into chaos. That's why he's named himself that."

"Duncan is right," Lynn agreed. "We must stay the course."

"Man-At-Arms?"

The young advisor nodded. "I have to agree. We don't have the manpower to fight off Dark Tower, repair Eternos, hunt down the Stones, and liberate the Bear-People."

Adam nodded sadly. "Then what we need . . . is an inside job."