Title: Mythology

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Thanks to everyone who left suggestions about how to handle the investigation on Earth, it was great appreciated. I have an idea now of what I am going to do, and I took bits and pieces of ideas from everyone, so thank you again. This chapter doesn't have any of Earth in it, it deals with Khivar and Tess instead. The next chapter will bring Earth in again. And Maiz, who appears in the second half of this chapter, will not be important after this part, so don't bother trying to remember her later on.

Okay, just a reminder of who the major players still alive are:

Tess of course

Alex-Tess's son, named after Alex Whitman

Nicolas and Khivar-same people they were on the show

Arya-the regional ruler from the province of Tel'ai, which is the capital province on Antar. She was recently deposed by Khivar and is now the leader of the Resistance

Khai-main general, used to be the leader of the Resistance, now the Protector of the Granolith, Rath's younger brother

Shalimar-a member of the Resistance, helped Tess escape, now in hiding from Khivar

Ceyla-A General of the Resistance under Arya

Places of importance:

Tel'ai-capital province of Antar, has Dimaras Rock, where Zan met Ava. The Triaji Desert, the Cortai Jungle, the Landra River, and the Fel Mountains are all located in this province as well.

Antar-the capital city of Antar has the same name as the planet.

Mt. Sinai-a mountain in Tel'ai, it's name means (in Antarian) 'mountain of fate'

this is the stuff of legends...

Chapter Seven: The Fire Burns

Day 7

Arya choked as the smoke filled the air. She wiped the tears out of her burning eyes and peered through the thick haze. In front of her, the fields had burst into flame, a fire that burnt faster and hotter than any other.

Weapon-fire.

The royal army was using the fire as a shield, letting it advance on the Resistance, and then attacking once the Resistance had been forced to seek safety from the flames behind rocks and boulders. Soldiers were dying left and right, it was now almost impossible to retreat without tripping over the bodies of fallen friends and comrades.

They needed a plan, and they needed one fast.

Arya shook her head. This was not her element. She was a regional ruler, not a commander of armies. This was a job for Khai, or Rath, or Zan. Someone who knew how to fight, how to lead soldiers into battle, how to rush headlong into certain death, and do it with dignity and courage.

But Zan and Rath were long since dead, and Khai was somewhere far away, hiding amongst the stars or asteroids of a different galaxy.

Arya sighed and pushed backward through the fray of soldiers. She found a rock, large and towering, that cast a deep shadow over the field, and his behind it. Drawing a breath of smoky air, she closed her eyes and sent her spirit out into the void.

It was dangerous to create a mental link in the heat of battle. It left her body vulnerable and helpless, and she could only pray that no enemy would see her before she awoke.

But she was not a leader of armies, and she needed to speak to someone who was.

Arya.

My Lady.

When you did not contact me for two days, I feared the worst.

Arya smiled at the comment. It was a grim smile, and she answered with a grim tone. Don't count your blessings yet, my Lady. We are in trouble.

What sort of trouble?

Arya could hear the worry and fear in the Queen's question, and knew it was valid. The Queen's plan rested on her being able to reach the Resistance before it was crushed. Her crazy dash across a burning wasteland would mean nothing if they could not hold out until she got there.

And if they were destroyed…

All was lost.

We can't hold, my Lady. Khivar's army is too strong, and they have killed too many of us. But if we retreat, the planet will lose faith in us, and the Resistance will not have the courage to continue.

Arya, is Khivar's entire army out there?

Yes.

And you are by the Landra River?

Yes.

There was a silence, and Arya got the impression that the Queen was thinking, trying to come up with a plan. Finally, an reply came, hesitant and unsure, but filled with determination.

If you were to retreat, would be able to get around Mt. Sinai? So that you were in between it and the Fel Mountains?

Yes, but retreating is not a good idea, my Lady. Arya did not like the plan, but she could sense that there was something else in it, some idea that the Queen had that might save them all. Why do you suggest it?

If you can pull back, you will lead the army right towards Mt. Sinai. You can circle around the back and attack with guerilla warfare while they are crossing the rocks.

Guerilla warfare doesn't work on an entire army.

It did it Vietnam.

What? Arya frowned, not recognizing the reference.

When Max first found out he was king, he did a lot of research on different wars. I was trying to be…supportive…so I helped him with some of it. Guerilla warfare works if you do it well enough.

Maybe in human battles, but the skins have powers beyond that of a human, my Lady. They will find us and crush us.

Maybe. There was agreement in Tess' voice, a sense that she might not be able to stop the inevitable. But she continued with more hope. But maybe you can hold out long enough. Just a few more days, Arya. That's all I need. A retreat will by you that time, and by engaging in ambushes, the Resistance will keep courage.

Or it will kill us all. If we retreat, we risk going on the defensive, and without a strong offensive, how can we survive?

Do you have a better idea? Tess' pointed question was filled with frustration. What else will help us now?

A miracle?

We make our own miracles, Arya.

Arya sighed and nodded to herself. The Queen had a point, what choice did they have? They would die if they stood their ground and fought. There were too many skins and too little time. Switching subjects, she asked a different question.

Have you thought about how you are going to reach the other Royals? If you need the Four Square to defeat Khivar?

I have an idea, but it is not much more than that.

Arya contemplated remark. I wish you were here, my Lady. I wish Khai was here.

Maybe he will be soon.

We don't even know where he is. Or if he is alive. Arya prayed he was, she liked him well enough. And he was the Protector of the Granolith, if he was dead, it meant the powerful royal heirloom had fallen into the wrong hands.

I have no doubt that he is alive. And no doubt that he will come. The words were thought with such conviction that Arya could not help but believe the Queen.

Although it made her wonder.

You are putting a lot of faith in a man you have not spoken to since you fled Antar. Arya's statement was a question, and a suspicious one at that. What did the Queen know that she did not want to tell?

There was a pause, then an answer. No, I am putting my faith in a man who's loyalty t the good of the planet has never wavered once in these past several decades. Khai will come when we need him the most.

Arya hesitated, then gave her reply. Just like you did. And she fancied she felt the Queen smile at the comment.

But the Queen's next words were sharp and filled with worry. Arya, you need to wake up.

What? Why?

I don't know. I just…I just know…you need to break the connection. Now!

Arya forced a snap in the link and opened her eyes in time to see a long, thin sword swinging towards her head. She rolled out of the way and released a quick blast of energy, knocking the attacking skin away from her. She stood and grabbed the fallen sword, dispatching the solider with one clean sweep of the blade.

She had only a moment to wonder how the Queen had known she was in danger before she was swept back into the fray.

The only indication Maiz gave that something was wrong was the fluttering of her eyelids. She had lifted her sword to strike a skin, and she hesitated, just for a brief moment, before finishing the blow. No one noticed the pause, or the darkness in her eyes.

No one noticed that she was different.

And inside her body, Khivar silently congratulated himself on his success so far. Maiz was the daughter of a noble in Zan's court, and she was well known among the royal house of Zan for her patriotism and loyalty to the one-time king. Khivar had known she would be on the field, and since he had met her several times before, she seemed like a good person to posses.

"Retreat!"

Khivar-Maiz turned and looked back at the soldiers. They were scrambling over the dead bodies away from the flames. Someone had ordered a retreat.

"Come on!" a soldier called, reaching out to grab Khivar-Maiz's arm. "They've ordered a retreat!"

"Who?" Khivar-Maiz asked as he allowed himself to be pulled away from the battle.

"The leaders," the other soldier replied, rolling his eyes as though it was obvious.

Khivar-Maiz waited for the man to elaborate, but he didn't. "I didn't hear it," he said at last, hoping to draw answers out of the man. Some clue, something to go on. It occurred to him then that he had no idea who was leading the Resistance.

"The soldiers have been screaming it, how did you not hear?" the other soldier asked derisively.

"I didn't here it from the general," Khivar-Maiz pressed. "How do we know the soldiers aren't just afraid of the fire?" It was the wrong thing to say, and the other soldier stopped and spun around, his face white with fury.

"Are you calling us cowards?"

"No!" Khivar-Maiz quickly backtracked. "But I didn't hear the order."

"Of course not," the soldier replied contemptuously. "You know the leader never lets herself be seen. Whoever she is, she doesn't want Khivar to know she is here." They had reached a set of stone rocks, and were quickly scrambling up over them. The dunes sloped down to their right, and the soldiers were pouring over them as they disappeared into the distance.

Khivar-Maiz blinked at the comment. Who was leading the Resistance? For one terrifying moment, he wondered if the Queen had reached them safely. Then he dismissed the idea as preposterous, how could she be on Antar? He had ever airspace watched. But if it was not her, then who was it?

A man appeared, and by the bars on the front of his uniform, Khivar-Maiz could tell he was a captain. He began issuing orders in a sharp bark, worry etched on his features.

"Fall back and flank the archers. We want to keep the skins occupied for as long as possible while the healers and wounded get back. it's a three day trek around the mountain, and we want to get to the other side all in one piece. Move!"

Khivar-Maiz frowned. So the Resistance was retreating around Mt. Sinai? Did they plan to engage at the foothills? It was a good plan, he realized with a start. If they could circle to the other side of the mountain, they could lay claim to the rocks and crevices in the labyrinth of foothills and use those to ambush the royal army without being caught or seen.

Unless the royal army could keep them occupied long enough to send a contingent around to the foothills and lay claim to them first…

Khivar-Maiz made a mental note to himself to order that course of action as soon as he was done with the task at hand.

The other soldier drew his sword again and turned to face the attacking skins. He conjured energy and ran it up and down the length of his blade, ready to fight. Khivar-Maiz watched for a moment, then drew his own sword as well.

"How does your father let you fight?" the other soldier asked as he eyed the approaching enemy. "I have a son your age, and it kills me every time he does something for the Resistance."

"What does she do?" Khivar-Maiz asked as he looked down the length of his silver sword. It was light and the handle was made of bright red metal with tiny gold flowers. Definitely a woman's sword, he decided with a sneer.

"He's a pilot," the other soldier replied. He smiled proudly and, lowering his voice, whispered, "Rumor has it he was one of the men who transported some very important cargo out of Larek's planet." He gave Khivar-Maiz a conspiratorial smile and a wink.

"The Queen…?" Khviar-Maiz breathed. Could it actually be this simple? Could the information he need be right there in front of him?

"Bet you would have liked to see her," the solider said quietly. "I know I would have liked to meet the Queen. And I know every girl in the world wanted to be here on her wedding day…" He shook his head and sighed, giving Khivar-Maiz a smile.

"I wonder where she is now," Khivar-Maiz said, trying to keep his voice light and trustworthy.

"She'll be here soon," the other soldier said staunchly. "My son said he also transported the Queen's friend…Shalimar, I believe… and she is on this planet. If she is here, the Queen must be close as well, right? She must be coming to us." His faith in the Queen did not waver, because, like all the soldiers, he needed to believe that she was coming, that they would be saved soon.

He needed to believe in a miracle.

"Shalimar is here?" Khivar-Maiz breathed. "On Antar?" He reached out abruptly and placed his hand on the other soldier's forehead, creating a link and forcing the mental barriers aside. The answers he wanted flowed through his fingertips, and he felt a sudden surge of excitement. He could see it, the farm and the fields, the rising sun casting light over the corn and tomato crops, the wheat glistening in the morning dew.

He knew where Shalimar was.

Khivar-Maiz swung the sword once, and the other soldier barely had time to realize he had made a mistake before the blade connected with his skin, and his world faded to black.

"Shal? Are you alright?" Yon ran to his friend's side as she fell to her knees on the damp earth, clutching her head in pain.

After a moment, Shalimar stood and nodded slowly, running a hand through her dark hair. "I'm okay," she whispered. "I just… felt something bad."

"What do you mean?"

But Shalimar didn't answer. She turned and looked around her at the fields of crops, and found she could not shake the feeling that something had happened, something big.

And it scared her.

She shook her head and tried to reassure herself that everything was alright. Khivar could not have destroyed the Resistance yet, or they would have heard the news. And he could not have killed the Queen, because he had no idea where she was. Only a handful of people did, and they wouldn't talk to him.

Right?

Finding the Queen would be like finding a proverbial needle in a haystack.

But she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, and it scared her, terrified her, because…

Because fate had a funny way of screwing everything up.

Next Chapter: The Thunder Crashes

Due Date: Friday 2/24