Suni Nalu Pendragon had already broken two curses and had many adventures. But her adventures were not over yet by any means. She was the Queen of Camelot, on the Planet Rahala. Because of her great skill in magic, she could do many things. She could transport herself to any kingdom, world, or galaxy. She could even travel back in time. She couldn't go into the future because it does not exist until someone has lived it, but she could go to any other time.

Suni had heard much about Earth, and the strange creatures called humans that had once lived on her soil. The humans had destroyed Earth and everything on it, including themselves; years before Suni had been born. In fact, Suni Nalu probably had the very last bit of human blood left in the universe. Her Genta, (great great great great grandfather) Dominic Silvers, was the human husband of Kathra Nighthawk Pendragon, the once Queen of Camelot and the hero of the War of Rahala. Suni had always marveled at the ways of humans and she liked to travel back in time to when the humans still lived on Earth.

The only drawback to time travel was that you could only visit one time and place once. If you met yourself coming back, you would be thrown into a space-time vortex. These vortexes were not very nice things to be caught in. They were kind of like galactic whirlwinds, jumping from time to time. One moment you might be in a primordial sludge on one world, the next in a futuristic city on another world billions of light years away. And the only way to get out of them was to end up in the time and place you were before you fell into the vortex. With all of the uncountable worlds, dimensions, and times, you can imagine how often that happened.

So although Suni traveled and experienced every thing and every time on Earth, from the seat of poverty to the lap of luxury, she could only do each thing in each time once. As she traveled, she tried to bring a little bit of happiness wherever she went, whether it was as small as giving a hungry child a loaf of bread, or as large as helping to end the first Earth War. She was overjoyed at the imagination and creativity of the humans, but horrified at the destruction and hatred that went along with it.

One day, Suni Nalu decided to go to the moments before Earth was rendered void of all life, before it had been eaten away by nuclear winter. The second she entered, she wanted to leave. Bodies littered the streets and people were panicking. Stores were being looted, fires broke out all over, and preachers stood on street corners screaming about the Apocalypse and then falling on their knees themselves. Only one person seemed untouched by it all. She was just a girl, really, about 15 or 16. She stood on the sidewalk as calmly as if she was waiting for a bus. She turned and looked at Suni Nalu. As their eyes locked, Suni got the feeling that she had seen the girl before. There was something otherworldly in her eyes.

Suddenly a huge chunk of wood flew down and hit the girl in the back of the head. She fell, disappearing into the crowd. Suni ran towards her, fighting against the wave of people that poured down the streets. When she reached the girl she was unconscious and no amount of shaking could wake her. Suni knew she only had a few minutes before the first nuclear bomb fell and the third Earth war started. So she did the only thing she could, she brought the girl back with her to Rahala.

After laying her down in one of the spare rooms in the huge castle, Suni Nalu called in Dymitri Myconi, her soon-to-be husband, and Shadra Obscuri, who had arrived in Camelot just 1 year ago. He had come after his parents had been killed when they went back in time to Earth to try to stop the third Earth War from starting. Suni had known his parents and when she found out they had been killed she asked Shadra if he would like to live in the castle with her. He was 17 and had lived on Earth for twelve years. Because of this he had a classic "why bother," attitude. Shadra was very withdrawn and rarely trusted anyone. The few friends he had called him "Devil" and it fitted him well, at least on the outside. Inside he was as gentle as a butterfly, but he rarely showed it. Most people just left him alone and he was happy that way.

Dymitri walked into the room, followed by Shadra. They were startled when they saw the human girl. Suni told them the story and finished, "I can't get her to wake up."

There was nothing to do but wait. They made her as comfortable as possible and put a servant inside the room to calm her if she woke up.

Finally, after four hours she woke up. Shadra had taken an interest in her and came by often to see if she had woken up yet. He would sit next to her and try to figure out who she was. On an impulse he reached out and gently touched her cheek. Suddenly she opened her eyes. They stared at each other for a minute.

"Hi," Shadra finally whispered.

"Hi," said the girl, "Where am I and who are you. For that matter, who am I."

Shadra told her all that had happened but he could tell she didn't believe it. However, the one thing he could not tell her was who she was.

"Don't you remember anything?" he asked.

"Not about who I am. I know what the square root of 16 is and how to get from L.A. to Chicago, but I don't remember anything about my family or what I've done in my life. I do know that I'm 15 years old, but other than that it's all a blank."

She sat up and rubbed the lump on her head. "And I don't remember how I got this, but it sure hurts!"

"You don't believe you're on a totally different planet, in a land of magic, and in a kingdom called Camelot, do you?"

"Of course not," she laughed, "It's too weird. And anyway, you can't prove it!"

"Oh really? Well I can prove it, and I will. Do you think you can walk?" Shadra was getting a little annoyed at her. He didn't like people laughing at him.

In reply the girl stood up and walked out the door. "All right, show me!" she challenged.

Shadra led her to the highest balcony in the castle. As they passed people in the huge halls, she noticed that there was something strange about all of them but she couldn't figure out what. Their clothes were made out of beautiful cloth that came in more colors than the rainbow, but there was something more.

When they reached the balcony, she nearly fainted. Shadra caught her and helped her to stand.

The reason she nearly fainted was not surprising. People, (if you could call them that) of all shapes and sizes were going about their business down in the city below. They had wings, or fur, or scales, two legs or four, some even more than that. None of them looked human. A shadow crossed over the castle and the girl looked up to see a large blue dragon pass overhead. A huge forest stretched away from the gleaming white walls surrounding Camelot. Numerous birds, flowers, and fruits nestled among the trees. Unicorns, dwarves, centaurs, and other creatures could be glimpsed through the multicolored foliage. In the opposite direction, a blue-green sea disappeared into the sky. Mermaids played tag with dolphins and seals of many colors danced on the rocks while a naiad looked on. Large butterflies fluttered around the castle, and a giant stomped away in the distance.

"Now do you believe me?" Shadra asked.

"It's glorious! It's real! I'm sorry I didn't believe you."

"That's all right. Now let's go meet the Queen of this land."

Now you mustn't think that Suni Nalu was an old stuffy queen, like the ones of England. Her mother had gone to try to help on Tena, a planet much like Earth during the Middle Ages, and had left the throne to Suni. So she was still young. She was only twenty-two, and still as joyous and playful as a pixie. When the human girl met her, she was very surprised at her welcoming nature. She had thought all queens were haughty and stern. After Suni had introduced herself and Dymitri, they turned to the problem of what to do next. The first thing to do was to give her a name.

"Do you have a name you would like to be called?" Suni asked.

"I'd rather have you pick one for me," the girl answered.

"Angel." Shadra blurted.

At this, everyone turned to look at him. This made him very nervous.

"If you like it, I mean. You.... you don't have to..."

"I do like it. Thank you. It's beautiful!" Angel said.

"It's just that you... you kind of ... look like one. I mean..." Shadra mumbled.

"Oh shut up!" Angel laughed, "I like it, okay! Don't explain!"

"Congratulations!" Dymitri smiled, "You've made "Devil" nervous."

"Devil?" Angel asked, "Is that what they call you?"

Shadra turned bright red. "Yeah," he agreed.

"Why."

"Because I'm not like the others here. Most Rahalans are very open and carefree. I'm not, so they call me a devil. I don't mind."

"It's an interesting name," Angel said.

"Thank you. I think." Devil grinned.

The four of them talked about Rahala and Suni Nalu told Angel about the feeling that she had seen her before. Angel suggested that maybe they had met in a past life.

"Maybe, but I don't think so. There is a strong air of magic about you. Because of this, I think we had better tell you the truth. We do not really look like this."

Suni spoke a word and immediately she, Dymitri, and Shadra were transformed into their true forms.

Suni was half Sidhe and half unicorn. She had a human shape with long red hair that reached to her knees. She was covered with iridescent white fur and had wings like a butterfly. Since she was the Queen of Camelot, she wore magnificent robes of a rich purple with gold and silver stars embroidered on it. She also wore a simple crown of a gold band with three crescent moons on it.

Angel could only stare. Then she turned to Dymitri.

Dymitri was part dryad and part fire daedra. He had a tall wispy shape with brown skin and eyes like hot coals. He had flames for hair, but it did not seem to burn him. He did not have feet, but glided over the floor, as if he was part of it.

Shadra was half prism cat and half gargoyle with a touch of shadow wight. He was heavily muscled like a body builder, and covered in glossy black fur. He had black hair and large wings like a bat. He could change shape and did so while Angel watched. First, he became a black cat, then a beautiful blue unicorn, and then a multicolored fox. The only things he couldn't change were his eyes. They were totally black, with bits of green and gold speckles in them.

After Angel had made sure they were still the same, they told her the story of how Rahala came to be and why they all looked like they had been put in a cosmic blender. Angel remembered that she had noticed something strange about all of the "humans" she had seen in the castle. Now she knew they had all been disguised by magic.

"I tried to put a shield on your eyes so that you would see us and the others inside the castle as humans, instead of transforming all of them, but I couldn't. You have a powerful shield around you that I cannot penetrate. I don't think you are human. You are too full of and aware of magic to be completely human. You said you couldn't remember anything about who you were." Suni said.

"And only Rahalans and Tamrielans can detect the magic of a Rahalan." Dymitri pointed out.

"Could I try to take the shielding spell off tomorrow? I think you might even look like us." Suni asked, "But all that can wait until morning. Hera?" The last part was directed toward a moving shape out in the hallway.

"Yes, Queen Suni?" A white horse with a bright pink mane and tail, and light green wings walked into the room.

"Please show Angel to her room." Suni said.

"Certainly. Follow me, Angel," Hera said.

They walked down the hallway together. As they passed tapestries and other rooms and hallways Hera told her a little bit about the history of the castle and what some of the rooms were. They stopped for a moment to visit the prince and princess. Their names were Antan, who was 16 and Pela who was 12. In Rahala, the royal line passes to the eldest daughter, not the eldest son. Females were very much revered on Rahala for their ability to create life.

Angel was led to a beautiful bedroom at the top of a tower. There was a large canopied bed, a thick rug and even a fire in the fireplace. Angel crawled under the warm covers and immediately fell asleep.

Some hours later, Angel woke up. She went to the window and looked out. Below she could hear a deep humming which she now knew was the heart of the magic in Rahala. Rahala and Tamriel had once been the first two living things in the universe. Even after they had been turned into planets, they were still alive. The humming was in essence, the heartbeat of Rahala, and it was quite comforting. Above millions of stars twinkled in the purple-black sky and Angel could see Tamriel just above the horizon. It looked a lot like Rahala would from a distance, except for the great black gash that ran across its face. Three half moons hung from the sky. One was silver, one blue, and one purple. Nine golden stars hung in a circle directly above the castle. These were the Guardians, who protected Rahala and Tamriel and kept the Ecthroi away.

The Guardians had been created from the nine great heroes of both worlds. The heroes were Kull Mesini, the first one to fight against the Ecthroi, Dewina Mage, the first and greatest mage and the one who set the rules for all other magic-users, Draconis, the first dragon, Ananda, the first unicorn, and the daughter of the moon, Luntari, Suni Danu, who killed the leaders of the Ecthroi and made the sun rise again, (Her name in Rahalan means "Sun's Dawn.") Arthur Pendragon, the Earth hero who established Camelot, Rhia Terran, the dryad who saved the Tree of Life from being killed by the Ecthroi, Kathra Nighthawk Pendragon-Silvers, hero of the War of Rahala, and Catiarn, the Ecthroi who chose to sacrifice herself to save Tamriel & Rahala, and the Final Guardian. When she died, the circle was complete and the Guardians took their place in the skies. Now the Ecthroi do not dare attack and the sister planets live in peace.

Angel tore herself away from the window and turned toward her bed. Suddenly, she heard a noise coming from below. She quietly tiptoed down the staircase.

When she reached the bottom, she saw a dark shadow disappear into another room. She followed it as it went down another corridor and went into what appeared to be a library. The shadow walked to the window and looked out. The light from the silver moon, Luntari, streamed in, illuminating the figure. It was Shadra. Angel didn't know if she should say anything, so she just stood there watching him.

A moment later, he turned and saw her standing there.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

I heard something and followed you," Angel said, deciding to be honest, then added, "I couldn't sleep."

"Me neither. I often come down here in the night, it's so peaceful."

Angel stood beside him and looked out the window. "It's a beautiful land. I really wish it was my home."

"If you want, it can be. Earth is destroyed, anyone you knew dead."

"I don't know anyone, I lost my memory."

"Oh yeah," Shadra said, "I forgot."

Angel smiled, "So did I!"

They laughed and Shadra stepped away from the window. He stretched out his wings and looked at her.

"What do you think of us? To most humans I would be repulsive, a freak. Is that how you view me?"

Angel looked him in the eye and said, "I think you and all the rest of them are the most beautiful, wonderful, and magical beings I have ever seen. Why would I call you a freak?"

Shadra folded his wings and sat down on a couch that faced the window. "Some people would. You trust too much. For all you know we could be making this all up. We might really be some sort of evil race that wants to rule the universe."

"So what if I do trust too much. You don't trust at all. Maybe that's just as bad," Angel argued.

"Maybe it is. But I have reason to. The name "Devil" fits better than anyone knows. Because of me, my parents were killed!" Shadra snarled.

"What do you mean? You said they were killed trying to stop the third Earth war."

"That's just what I told everyone. No one knows what really happened."

"What did happen?" Angel asked.

"I can't trust you with the story."

"Then you can't trust anyone. What have I done to make you so wary of me?"

"If I tell you will you shut up about 'trust'?" he snapped.

"Maybe. Will you stop attacking me for no reason?"

"I'm sorry," said Devil, suddenly quiet. He sounded as if he would give anything to be forgiven.

"That's all right. Now will you tell me what happened?" Angel walked over and sat down on the couch but not very close to him.

Reluctantly he told her the story.

Shadra had lived on Earth with his parents for most of his life. He met this girl when he was fifteen, and had fallen in love with her. She won his trust and tricked him into showing her what he really was. He didn't know that she had a boyfriend who was in a gang, and in order for her to join she had to kill someone. Shadra told her that if they died they would turn back into their real shapes. She saw this as a perfect opportunity. If she killed them, she wouldn't be caught, because any cop who saw them would see that they were monsters and wouldn't investigate how they had died. So a few weeks later she and the leader of the gang broke into Shadra's house and killed his parents in their sleep. Shadra woke up and killed both her and the gang's leader. He returned to Rahala, and resolved never to trust anyone again.

When he finished, they both were silent for a minute.

"I'm sorry," Angel said quietly.

"Yeah, well, I can't change it. My mother could travel in time, but I can't and even if I could, I would meet myself coming back and....."

"And get thrown into one of those nasty space-time vortexes."

Shadra grinned, "Yeah."

The ice between them was finally broken and they talked about Rahalan life until they were exhausted. Angel moved closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Do you mind?" she asked.

"No. Are you going to fall asleep there?"

"Perhaps," she smiled.

Once she drifted off to sleep, Shadra looked at her, smiled, and put his arm around her. Soon, he would bring her back to her room. Not yet, but soon, in a few minutes.

When the blue moon, Entanu, shone in the window, Shadra was also fast asleep.

In the morning, Dymitri came down and saw them there. He stood in the doorway and laughed a little bit. Shadra woke up and looked at him.

Dymitri smiled, "Now I've seen everything. An Angel in the arms of a Devil."

Devil looked at Angel, still fast asleep. "Yeah, well, this Devil is going to love her more than anyone, angel or not, ever could."

"Love?" Dymitri asked. "I do believe that someone has finally melted the ice over your heart. Good for her. Does she love you?"

A look of dejection came over his face. "I don't know."

"Then when she wakes up, ask her. That's how I found out Suni loved me." Dymitri turned and left the room.

Angel had woken up when Shadra had, but had kept her eyes closed. She was very happy when she heard what Shadra had said, she was starting to love him too. When Dymitri had left, she pretended to wake up.

Shadra turned red when she looked at him. He seemed about to ask her something, but Angel stopped him.

"I heard what you said to Dymitri. And I think I do." Angel smiled and went back up to her room, leaving Shadra sitting there completely stunned and very embarrassed.

When Angel got to her room she couldn't find her own clothes. Then she noticed a wardrobe in a corner of the room. There was a note on the door of it.

This is a magic wardrobe.

Ask it for whatever you want to wear

and it will appear inside the wardrobe

If you don't know what you want

Ask it to choose something for you

- Crystal P.

P.s. Forgive me for not being there

Angel pondered over who Crystal P. was and why she should forgive her because she wasn't there. Then she decided she would worry about it later. Right now, she was going to test this magic wardrobe.

She asked the wardrobe to choose something for her, and opened the door. Inside were two racks full of clothes and shoes to match. Angel chose something that looked as of it came out of the Arabian Nights. It had green silk pants and a matching blouse. The material was light and very soft, but it was tougher than it looked. Since Angel had blond hair and green eyes, it looked very good on her, and fit perfectly. After putting on moccasin-like shoes, she went downstairs to try to find Shadra, Dymitri, and Suni Nalu.

She quickly got lost in the huge castle, but soon Hera found her and brought her to a small banquet hall. There, Suni introduced her to Racubekdo, noted humorist and sometime joker, Lin and Linten, twin banshees, and Fanta, Dymitri's older sister. These were just a few of the many people who lived in the castle. Later she might meet Tessa, a very shy dragon that often visited the castle, or even Mysuphli, the phoenix.

After Angel was done eating, she was taken to meet Lionella, the cook. Lionella had a lion's head and a woman's body. There was something about her that made you want to give her a hug. She was always smiling and ready to make friends with everyone.

After meeting a few more people in the castle, Suni told Shadra to take Angel to the rest of the lands around the city of Camelot. Since Shadra could fly and carry her easily, they would make better time than if she walked. After they got back, later in the day, Suni would try to take the shielding spell off.

Shadra led Angel outside and asked where she would like to go first.

"Just give me the generic tour," she laughed.

"All right. Hang on!"

Shadra picked her up in his arms and took off. They circled once around the castle and then he headed out toward the sea.

"This is the Sea of Changes," Shadra explained, "If you drink its water and say 'Change', your knowledge of things will change. Sometimes this is a bad thing, but not usually. Only the creatures that were born in it are immune, so unless you are really a mermaid, I wouldn't advise drinking too much of it."

"Have you ever drank some of its water?" Angel asked.

"Yes, and I was able to see why that human girl killed my parents. I am not sorry that I killed her, but if any of the Rahalans knew that I would probably be banished. They have no reason to kill anyone anymore, and try to stop those who do. This is not Earth, but some things never change, no matter what species you are."

They landed on a small island. Shadra gave a long crooning call that was as wild as a thunderstorm, yet as gentle as a butterfly's touch. Angel felt as if something was awakening inside her. Without really thinking about it, she gave a shorter answering call. She recognized Shadra's invitation as saying "I am a friend, I invite all who hear this call to me."

When Shadra heard her answer him in the language of the wind and sea, he was startled. He kept thinking that she was human, and he knew that no human could understand the speech of the wind, much less speak it.

"Where did you learn that?" he asked.

Angel was almost as startled as he was. "I just knew what you were saying, and something in me told me to answer back. I guess I'm not human after all."

"What's more, you have to be Rahalan," he declared, "No other planet speaks this language."

However, they didn't have time to discuss it any further. Three mermaids and a seal had also heard Shadra's invitation and answered it. Shadra introduced the mermaids as N-te, S-te, and W-te. They were all sisters and lived in the underwater kingdom of Wenliheuna. N-te had green hair and a green tail, S-te had red hair and tail, and W-te had yellow hair and a yellow tail. They finished each other's sentences and each had a laugh like bubbling water. The seal's name was Aanaa, and he came from Fel, a kingdom on the farthest side of the Sea of Changes. He was migrating and had stopped in Camelot for a few days.

After talking with them for a while they all left to go back to their homes. Angel watched them and saw W-te give one last wave before she disappeared beneath the sea.

Then Angel and Shadra flew into the mountains, where they visited Ceron Ki, a golden dragon. He lived in the Crystal Caves, which had walls covered with crystals, and floors of polished stones. He was the King of the Dragons and looked it. He was very kind and he gave them a meal and invited them to come again.

Next they flew to the forest where they met Selina Dequre, a unicorn, and a favorite of Queen Suni. Her coat shimmered like the silver moon, and she had a horn the same purple as the moon Entanu. The unicorns were the children of the moon and it showed in their coloring and grace. The three moons were Luntari, Entanu, and Protari and their names meant Past, Present, and Future. Selina gave Angel a bracelet with purple, silver and blue stones in it, and told her that if she ever needed a bit of comfort the three moons would give her some. They were a lot like the Norns of Norse mythology, they watched over all, and determined which path a life would take. The unicorns had the ability to predict the future and Selina did so for both Angel and Shadra.

"Angel, I see in your future a great change, a physical change. You are not what you seem, that is for sure. And Shadra, you are going to receive one of your wishes very soon." Selina smiled at him.

Shadra didn't say anything, but looked quite pleased. They said goodbye to Selina and continued through the forest.

As they went by a large waterfall Shadra said "I have something to show you," and started towards the waterfall.

They walked to a small ledge near the water. Suddenly he disappeared into the waterfall. Angel hesitated until a hand reached back and led her through.

Behind the waterfall was a large cave. It had natural hollows perfect for sleeping in and a row of stalagmites prevented the water from flooding the cave. It was a perfect place to spend a night.

"Like it?" Shadra asked.

"Love it! It would be a perfect place to stay for a night."

"I know, I've spent many nights in here." Shadra agreed.

Angel went over to the edge of the cave and watched the water falling past. It caught the light from the sun and sparkled like diamonds. She caught some in her hand and tasted it. To her surprise it tasted like mint. She looked questioningly at Shadra.

"All the freshwater here tastes like something else. This is sometimes known as Mint Falls. Near the castle we have a Strawberry Lake with Lemon River flowing out of it. If you mix two kinds of water together it becomes plain water. We even have a Chocolate Pond. It's just another interesting part of this planet."

"I can't believe half of the stuff I'm seeing, hearing, and tasting. Earth is not high on the magic scale."

"Well you'd better get used to it. You're going to be here for a while." Devil laughed.

"I suppose I am. But I don't mind. I like everything about this planet."

"Even me, with all my cynicism and distrust?" he grinned.

Angel pretended to think about it for a while. Then she leaned over and kissed him on the lips.

"Especially you!" she laughed as he tried to hide his surprise.

Angel dived through the waterfall into the deep lake below. She swam to the beach and ran into the woods. Devil followed her and caught her as she darted behind a tree. This time, he kissed her. Then they sat down beneath the tree.

"You seen to trust me," Angel said, "Maybe some of my complete trust is rubbing off on you."

"Maybe," he said, "What did you mean this morning when you said you had heard what I told Dymitri?"

"I heard what you said about you loving me more than any angel ever could. And that Dymitri told you to ask me something. I can't remember what it was though." said Angel, who remembered very well what Shadra was supposed to ask her. She just wanted Shadra to say it.

"Do you love me?"

"I'm starting to. I don't know you all that well, but I think you are someone I could love." she answered, "How can you be so sure you love me? You don't know me at all."

"Rahalans fall in love quickly. We have a kind of a sixth sense about these things." Devil explained.

"What does your sixth sense tell you?"

"That we'd better get back to Camelot before Suni gives up on removing that shielding spell."

Shadra picked her up and took off quickly. He seemed a little reserved toward her now. Angel wasn't sure what she had said that was so horrid, but she thought that maybe it had to do with the fact that he had been hurt by the girl he loved before.

Flying back to Camelot, they stopped in the marketplace. Many Rahalans were milling around, choosing what they wanted from the shelves and continuing on. Shadra explained that there was no use for money on Rahala. Some people grew food, some raised animals, some made tools, and some made clothes. Then they brought their extra goods to the market place and took what they needed.

"People here are very honest. We just take what food and items we need and leave the rest for others. And many people have a bit of magic power so they can provide for themselves quite well.

"I wish Earth was like that. Humans are so selfish and greedy that if we had magical powers we would use them to hurt and control others." Angel said.

"So you remember something?" Shadra asked.

"Yeah, but not about who I am. Just what humans are like. It's really a screwed-up world. I'm kinda glad it's gone, although I'll miss it. It's a beautiful planet, but no one seems to notice and so we tear down the natural parts to put up ugly metal and concrete buildings for ourselves."

"Here that will never happen. We are not humans so we don't act like them. We are the children of hopes and dreams, not hate and greed. But let's not dwell on that. Suni is probably waiting for us."

Once inside the castle Dymitri met them and led them to Suni's magical laboratory. It had five walls. One covered in magical talismans, one with spellbooks, one with herbs and potions and one with miscellaneous things like candles and gems. The last wall was completely covered with a huge magic mirror. In this mirror, Suni could see anything that was happening at any place in the universe.

Suni was waiting for them. She had gotten a marble square and put it on the table in the center of the room. Three unlit black candles and one lit white one stood in the middle of it.

Angel walked over and stood beside the table. Suni Nalu gave her a black robe to put over her clothes. Suni explained that the robe symbolized what was hiding her true identity, and when it was time she would take it off and what was hidden would be uncovered.

They stood facing each other in front of the table. Angel held one black candle and Suni another. The third stood in the middle of the marble square. They lit all three candles from the white one and Suni started to chant.

Angel could not understand what Suni was saying. She was speaking a language older than even Rahala, which was one of the first two living things. It was even older than the gods.

After a few minutes, Suni Nalu put down her candle. Then she took Angel's and set it down. Angel could feel energy moving around the room, moving through her body.

"Now concentrate on a large ball of light surrounding you. Let the power build up and when you think it's time, let it disappear, taking the shield and the memory blocks with it. Then take off the robe. You will remember everything, and your true form will be revealed."

Angel did as she was instructed. When the ball disappeared a cracking sound echoed through the room. A pulsing blue light enfolded Angel, hiding her from view. Then, it disappeared in a puff of smoke.

When the smoke cleared, Angel was no longer human. She was still wearing the green silk outfit, but her body was covered in silver fur and she had golden scales on her hands and feet. She had silver wings like a bat's and her hair went to her waist. It was part silver, part gold, and part black. Her face was human except for her gold cat-like eyes and a purple unicorn's horn on her forehead.

Angel looked down at herself with wonder. Then she looked at Suni and said. "I still don't know who I am, but I know I'm not human!"

Dymitri and Shadra came forward from where they had been watching.

"You do seem familiar." Dymitri mused.

"I know!" cried Suni, "Crystal Pendragon"

"Who?" Angel and Shadra asked.

"Crystal May Pendragon. She was the rightful queen of this planet, but she was put under a spell. Suni and I helped break it. She decided to stay with one of the gargoyles that also helped rescue her. She is part dragon, unicorn, human, and maybe a touch of silver sprite." Suni explained.

"You have a unicorn's horn and fur, dragon's scales, gargoyles wings, a human face and hair like a silver sprite. She could be your mother, but I didn't know she had a daughter. We just heard from her about a year ago." Dymitri said.

"Yes, but she could travel in time, remember," Suni Nalu pointed out, "But why would she send you to earth to be killed when the humans destroyed themselves?"

"There was a note from someone named Crystal on the wardrobe this morning. " Angel said. She gave the note to Suni.

"It must be from her. But what does the part at the end mean? 'Forgive me for not being there.'"

"Maybe she...." Shadra stopped. He was staring at the large mirror behind Angel.

Suni Nalu, Dymitri, and Angel turned to see what he was looking at. Deep inside the mirror a wispy shape was emerging. It was tall and had a human shape. She had silver and gold hair and golden scales on her hands. She had a unicorn horn on her head and gold cat's eyes just like Angel. Her body was covered with white fur and she wore a wreath of flowers in her hair. But she floated instead of walking and you could see through her.

"What happened to you?" Dymitri asked, "Rahalans don't turn into ghosts. At least I've never heard of it.

"Have you ever heard of a double space-time vortex?" She had a soft light voice with a gentle lilt in it.

"No."

"Well, apparently when a vortex crashes into another one, it rips your physical body away and leaves this." She gestured to herself.

"I asked Lionella to write it for me. I am glad Suni Nalu was able to take that shielding spell off. I lost all of my magic power when I ended up in that vortex. I was trying to get you away from Earth when nuclear war struck. I lost hold of you and spun into a different time, one I had already visited. But you already knew that."

"No I didn't I lost my memory, I can't remember anything. I don't even know my name." Angel said.

"Well, your full name is Alexali Nlentina Pendragon. You were born on Day 15 of Innia in the Year of the Dryads."

"Who is my father. Where is he now?"

"Your father was Tanin Bheta Glen-Pendragon. I do not know where he is now. After I tried to get you out I went to find him. I told him not to worry and to get on with his life. It took a while, but now he has let me go. There are sometimes when that is best. Your father often called you 'Angel'"

"That's what Shadra picked for my name!" cried Angel, astonished.

"Good, then you can keep calling her that." Crystal directed this toward Shadra, who had been silent the whole time. He was thinking about what Crystal had said about letting go.

"Why did you bring me to Earth?" Angel asked, "Especially when we could have lived here on Rahala. I can't see why anyone would want to leave this place."

"We Pendragons have sort of a legacy that started with Arthur Pendragon. He lived on Earth and died there and now all of his descendants have a sort of a fascination with Earth. We often go there to try to keep it from being destroyed. But no one has found out how to do that just yet."

Crystal continued, "All I have left to do is ask you to forgive me for leaving you there. I am sorry I can't see you grow up."

"I am also sorry you can't be with me. And I do forgive you. You couldn't really help it."

"Thank you. Goodbye everyone. Goodbye Alexali."

Slowly she began to dematerialize. When she was gone Dymitri and Suni Nalu left the room, leaving Shadra and Angel alone.

Shadra looked at Angel and reached over to smooth her hair down. "I thought about what Crystal said about letting go. And I realize that I have to let go of the hatred and distrust I have because of what happened on Earth. I love you, and I do trust you. I'm sorry for blowing you off earlier."

Angel's face lit up "I forgive you. And maybe if you would actually talk to me I will love you. Now, let's go enjoy the rest of our lives!"

She stretched out her new wings and said, "Now will you teach me how to use these?"

"Sure." Shadra took her hand and led her upstairs, to go live the rest of their lives.

Suni Nalu Kitara Pendragon, Queen of the Royal City of Camelot, on the planet Rahala, the World of Dreams, was soon married to Dymitri Jespala Myconi, now King of the Royal City of Camelot. Alexali Nlentina Pendragon and Shadra Obscuri were eventually married, although Angel never got her memory back. Instead she created some new ones on Rahala.

So as the curtain drops on a king that looks like a flaming tree, a queen who could travel in time, a shape-shifting devil, and an angel with amnesia, remember, the light at the end of the tunnel has to come from someplace. "Nlentina Rahala!" Sweet Dreams!