As white lightning streaked across the blackened skies above it, the dark and foreboding castle in which Kumraa took residence stood in silence, the black clouds gathering around it as though trying to gather it in their arms. Rain pelted the black stone walls, and the winds howled all around it. Then, the silence was shattered by a ferocious and rage-filled scream, nearly shaking the castle to its foundations.
Inside the immense and dark throne room, the tall soldiers who were but a moment ago standing at full attention quickly dodged out of the way of a large chair that sailed towards them. The chair smashed heavily into the wall behind them, breaking into nearly a thousand pieces. But before the soldiers had time to together their wits and stand again, another piece of furniture....this time a table, came flying through the air, followed by another loud roar. The table slammed through a window and into the night air, and the glass to the window shattered loudly and fell into sharp pieces on the floor.
"WHERE IS HE?! Where is that fool Zain!" screamed out Kumraa, fury making his eyes blaze red under his black hood. He stood up to his full height of 7 feet, and his fists were clenched in balls with rage. His body shook with his barely contained anger. "Where did he go? It's been days! I want him HERE, NOOOW! Someone had better give me some answers!" His dark voice boomed across the large room, and even throughout the immense castle.
It was then that the leaders of the small band of soldiers...the others were too afraid to face their lord and master, stood to his full height and stepped forward, his body slightly trembling and his eyes hoping that he would come through this alive. "Please...your Lordship....we have no idea what could have happened to General Zain!" the young-looking man stammered, "He was engaged in the Yatsuno Atar with Djoser, and the prince bested him, so I thought it best if we would just leave, since he would be killed anyway, and regroup to make a stronger force to defeat him and those strangers, and..."
Kumraa never let the man finish as he raised his bony hand and glared at the hapless soldier as he gasped in terror. "You thought wrong..." With that, the evil lord clenched his hand, and in the next second, the soldier was engulfed in loud burst of flames. The other men looked on in helplessness as the man screamed in agony, his skin burning away from blackened bones. Moments later, there was nothing left but a pile of ashes, and they blew away quickly in the heavy winds coming in from the broken window.
Kumraa smirked and turned his head to the other soldiers. "Anyone else have any excuses?" The men looked at each other in fear for a moment, and then shaking their heads, fell to one knee in front of the demon with their fists on their chests. At that sight, Kumraa exhaled heavily and sat back down on his throne. "Good. Now, Zain is alive somewhere out there, I can feel him. I want him found and brought back here to face his punishment for failing me again. He has disappointed me too many times, and it is now time for him to meet his fate. I cannot allow any more failures." He looked each of the soldiers in the eye, his bony fist clenching once again. "Who among you has the strength, the cunning, the power to do as your master bids, and rid me of that failure Zain and my other enemies? Who will be worthy enough to be by my side when I have succeeded in taking my rightful place?"
Once again the dark soldiers looked at one another, and this time, one of them, feeling brave, stood up and was about to step forward to announce his determination to do all that Kumraa said...when suddenly, an invisible force stopped him in his tracks. He was lifted a few inches off the ground, hovered for a second as the others looked on in shock, then flung back across the room and slammed against the wall. The soldier slide down the wall and slumped unconscious when he reached the floor.
Lightening streaked across the sky again, and with it, the sound of a high pitched, feminine laughter. "My Lord Kumraa, why don't you let me have the honor of doing all that. I think I'm more than qualified." said a very seductive and alluring voice. Everyone looked around curiously at the source of the voice, until a dark, sultry figure stepped foreword through the open double doors of the throne room.
At first it was hidden in the shadows, but when it stepped into the faint moonlight in front of Kumraa, the men in the room all gasped and took in a deep breath. Before them was a vision of beauty...yet in a way they had never seen before. Before them was a woman with the figure of an hour glass, wearing a nearly skin-tight, red dress that only served to accent her curvy figure and full bust line. There was a split down the sides, showing off her thighs, and red, elbow length gloves finished off the stylish outfit. She wore black, high-heeled shoes, and they made a soft, clicking sound as she walked seductively across the room. Her hair was a blood red, much redder than any shade of red the other men had seen. It was parted in the middle and was very long and straight, reaching right to the middle of her calves. Her eyes were the color of deep emerald, and seemed to bore into the very hearts and souls of every man in the room as she looked at them. But the most peculiar thing about her wasn't her great beauty or her shape...it was in fact that her skin was a semi-dark shade of green, and on her forehead, two golden-colored horns stuck out, giving away her evil demonic heritage. She stood before Kumraa, her hand on her hip and a seductive smirk on her red lips.
At the sight of her, Kumraa chuckled deep in his throat, his eyes softening just slightly. "Ahhhh, Sabanti...it's been such a long time, hasn't it? It is good to see one of my most trusted followers. To what do I owe this pleasure?"
The demoness giggled softly as she ran a hand through her thick hair. "Oh, believe me, pleasure has always been mine, to give and take," she said suggestively, eyeing a couple of the men, "But that's beside the point. I have just come back from watching a city destroy itself...courtesy of me, of course, and I heard that General Zain has disappeared. I thought it would be my chance to finally show you what I can do, and take my place beside you when you are victorious..." She bowed low, spreading her arms, "If My Lord would have me."
"And you know how to find Zain then? You can get him to come back here with you?" Kumraa asked, his eyes widening.
Sabanti straightened and laughed, throwing her head back. "Of course, My Lord Kumraa! After all, besides being one of the most famed warriors here,Zain is still just another man...a man I can easily handle. Once I have him in my sight and under my power, he'll be as weak as a baby. He'll be destroyed, and after that, you'll have the power to defeat Djoser and his weakling group of humans. Just leave it all to me." She winked at him, and bowed bounce more.
"Hmmmmm, that does sound like a good plan. Of course, I would much rather I destroy him myself." When he saw the disappointed and pouty look on her face, he chuckled softly. "But if he does pose any threat to you, then by all means, destroy him. And if you can, destroy Djoser and the others!"
"Hmph! Consider them already gone, your Lordship!" snarled Sabanti. At that, the demoness once again threw back her head and laughed evilly, already coming up with a plan to get to Zain as well as Djoser. It would be almost TOO easy! No man had ever been able to resist her, and she was confident she would have them within her sights in a day at least. She almost felt a bit sorry for them. She had caused many men to betray their families, cities...whole countries, just for her, ever since the time of Kumraa's rule before he was sealed away. But she was also sealed away when the Ones Who Are Blessed sacrificed their lives to seal him and some of his other followers away. When he broke free, she was released too, and she was more than happy to start her work again. Zain would be just another job, and after him, Djoser would be destroyed next. Then she would take her place beside Kumraa. Perhaps someday she would even dispose of Kumraa himself if she became powerful enough.That more than anything else filled Sabanti's greedy heart with joy. Soon, SHE would be queen of this world, and there was nothing anyone could do about it!
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In a desolate forest, far away from the castle or anyone else for that matter, the broken, trembling body of General Zain lay huddled beneath a thick tree as it bent and wavered in the high winds. Heavy rains pelted him on every side, but he didn't feel the rain or the high winds. Instead, he was trembling because of the vivid and troubling dream that was flashing through his sleeping mind. Images of a time when he actually felt happiness....love, and security. Quick flashes of a young boy sped through his mind. The boy was laughing, and he seemed to be playing chase with another younger boy, who didn't look so different from the older boy he first saw.
He then saw another quick image of the first boy, now much older, hugging a weeping older woman, whom he felt must have been his mother. The young man was riding away, and for some reason, Zain wanted to scream and shout for the young man not to ride away, not to leave the family he had. The next moment, all was dark, and he was filled with pain...pain unlike any he had ever felt before. He struggled against it, tried to overpower it, but it was too much!
"NOOO!!" Zain's eyes snapped opened, and he sat up in a panic, pain filling his heart. He looked wildly around himself, forgetting for a moment where he was and even who he was. Breathing hard and wiping the rain from his face, Zain painfully got to his feet, and started to walk away slowly, determination in his heart to finish what he started. There was no way he would be able to go back to his master, Lord Kumraa after his humiliating defeat at the hands of Djoser, but he would be damned if he was going to allow Djoser and those strangers he brought with him destroy everything he's worked so hard to accomplish! He would find Djoser again, challenge him again, and this time, defeat him! Maybe then, he would be allowed back into the good graces of Kumraa, and his master would forgive him. Yes...that's it. When he defeated Djoser, he would be forgiven. With that, Zain pushed on, ignoring that once more, the shoulder where Djoser pierced him started to bleed again. Yet the images of the strange dream haunted him. What did they mean? Shaking his head, he cleared them out of his mind and walked on, lightning flashing overhead.
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Through out the night, the storm raged on. Then as morning came, the clouds began to dissipate and a bright and cheerful sun rose over the mountainous horizon. About half an hour later, the small caravan of people began to stir and begin their morning routines. Soon, the air was filled with the sounds of talking, horses neighing, and fires crackling as breakfast was being made.
Hun Li cheerfully parted the tent curtain of where Jeneta and the other girls slept, and chuckled softly as she saw they were still asleep. She took a deep breath, and yelled "GOOD MORNING!", startling them out of their slumber.
"OOUCH!" yelled out Ling and Angeni, as they butted heads together in their surprise.
The others couldn't help but laugh as the two girls scowled, rubbing their heads. It was not a surprise to know that out of everyone, Ling and Angeni were definitely not morning people.
"Oh shut up!" grumbled Ling, but smiled slightly when she saw Hun Li chuckling too.
"Sorry!" smiled Hun Li, "I just thought that since the men were away, maybe you girls would enjoy a bath with the rest of us before breakfast. I'm sure you'd appreciate it. There's a small lake and a waterfall not too far from here..."
"A bath? FINALLY!" shouted Angeni with joy. "I was getting sick of smelling like....well, I was just sick of smelling!" The bump on the head quickly forgotten, she gave a whoop of happiness and rushed out of the tent, nearly forgetting to put on her shoes. The other girls looked at each other, then smiled and rolled their eyes, knowing how Angeni always liked to look her best.
They followed Hun Li, and soon, they arrived at a picturesque scene of a beautiful, medium sized mountain lake where some of the women were already bathing, a few just finishing up. "Wow, it's so...beautiful here!" whispered Heather, looking around. "Like...like life is being sung and celebrated here." She smiled along with the other girls as they also looked around, awed at the scene filling their hearts. A small waterfall was off to the right, giving the source of the lake, and surrounding the lake were bushes of flowers, native only the mountains and blooming only in this season. At the sight of the other women nude and still in the water, they turned and looked at Hun Li with slight embarrassment.
"Oh come on girls, don't be shy!" invited Hun Li, beckoning them to follow her as she walked toward the lake. "Besides, we don't have much time before the men come back and we have to get moving again!" With a wink, she began taking off her clothes, and when she was naked, she slipped into the crisp, clean water of the lake.
Despite the slight chill in the air, the water was surprisingly lukewarm. Once the girls took of their clothes after some encouragement and were naked in the water, they relaxed, bathed, and played with the other young children accompanying the women. They all laughed as Ling emerged from underwater and showed just how far she can spit water from her mouth, like a fountain. Shouts of laughter and joy filled the air, making Jeneta and the other girls...especially Prya, forget their shyness of being nude and just have fun. After a short and playful game of water tag between the older women and younger girls and children, Hun Li signaled for them that it was time to get ready to go, and after sun bathing to dry off for about half an hour, they all dressed and hurried back to the camp, just as the older men were coming back from hunting for the day's food. Everyone pitched in to cook a delicious meal that increased the mood in the large traveling group, making everyone just about forget their troubles.
There was barely any time for more relaxation and playtime after breakfast before they had to mount up and leave. Jeneta sighed as she rode on her horse beside Djoser as everyone headed for the grand country of Xianishia.
"Are you alright?" he asked, looking at her curiously.
"Oh, I'm fine, thanks. I was just a bit concerned about...you, actually." Jeneta said, smiling slightly. Djoser looked at her for a moment, then smiled softly back. His smiled faded a second later, then he nodded and rode ahead. He still looked down and depressed to Jeneta, and she had wanted to talk to him more about what had happened during his fight with Zain. What did he mean when he said no one besides him and someone else knowing that move he did? Why did Zain affect him so? But it didn't look like Djoser was in the mood to talk anyhow, so she didn't press him about it. But it still hurt her that he hadn't spoken about it for the past couple of days. She was beginning to hope that he would see her in a way that he would tell her anything. she hoped perhaps he had even begun to develop feelings for her as she was suspecting she felt for him. But she shook her head. No, there was no way he would feel that way about her. She was just a kid to him! But looking at him from the side, Jeneta knew that deep in her heart, she wished that he WOULD see her than more than just a child.
Soon after a quick stop in the afternoon for lunch, the day gave away to evening again, signaling it was time to stop once more for the night. "Just as well, everyone's so tired. By tomorrow morning, we should be in Xanishia." said Hun Li, unpacking her horse with her brother. "You'll finally get to see our home. Our city of Weino is poor, but very beautiful"
Soon the tents were set up and fires built, and everyone began to settle down for the night. Overhead, the stars were bright and clear. Deciding to sleep outside in the beautiful night with some others, the girls huddled around a large fire together, hoping to catch some sleep before the big day of entering the city tomorrow. One by one they soon fell asleep, but just as Jeneta's eyes were about to close, she looked over at Prya and saw she was still awake.
Curiously, she got up, gathered her blanket, and walked to where the East Indian girl lay. "Mind if I lay here with you?" Jeneta asked.
Smiling softly, Prya shook her head, and Jeneta laid down beside her. "Are you alright? Is something bothering you?" she asked.
"Oh, no, I'm alright, really! It's just that..." Prya sighed softly and looked up at the stars. "It's just that...sometimes I'm just so worried that, well....we might not make it...that we won't get to find all the medallions, and we won't make it home. What about our families?..what if...if.." Tears started to mist in her eyes as she thought the worst.
"Prya, don't think that!" said Jeneta firmly. "We are going to make it back home some day, okay? We'll be fine. We just have to believe, like you believed in Heather and me when we got our medallions. Right?"
Prya took a moment to ponder those words, then smiled up at Jeneta. "Yeah, you're right Jeneta. I guess I can believe it, now that I hear it from you. Thanks, I really needed to hear that."
"It's no problem. We'll be fine, I promise you." Jeneta smiled back and gently stroked back Pyra's dark hair from her forehead. "If we stick together, we can do anything." With that, she gently kissed Pyra's forehead.
Prya smiled back once more and blushed, letting her eyes tell Jeneta how much she appreciated her coming to talk to her. Not many people took the time to talk to her, especially her parents. She laid on her head on Jeneta's shoulder as they lay on their backs, looking at the stars, and together, they soon fell asleep, hope in their hearts for the things to come and that they'll be home soon.
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