Traitor

It was Day 16 of Wyr in the Year of Magick. On the planet Okila, in the village of Gardner, it was a calm day, giving no hint of what was soon to happen. The first warning was a panicked voice coming from the street.

The Raggh were the most terrifying beings ever dreamed. They had four heavily muscled arms and long razor-sharp blades for fingernails. They were about ten feet tall, with powerful legs that could jump over the highest wall, or kick it into pieces if they chose not to jump. They ran faster than a cheetah and were more agile than monkeys. They had two tails with poisonous barbs at the end. They could scream at just the right pitch to make your eardrums burst. They wielded all sorts of different weapons, including a rocket launcher, a spinning blade thrower, and an electrifying rod with more power than a whole thunderstorm. They had large mouths full of jagged teeth, and jaws capable of biting through steel. But all of that was child's play compared to what they could do without even touching someone. The Raggh could kill with a thought. A simple motion and your ribs would break and rip your insides apart. A guttural sound and your skin would tear away from your body like so much wrapping paper. A simple click of their teeth and your heart would just stop. The people of this village didn't have a chance.

The Raggh swarmed upon Gardner, attacking anything that moved. The screams of the people as they died were almost worse than the battle cries of the Raggh. Cattle, horses, rats, Okilians, women, children, all were killed with the same intensity. The Raggh had no mercy in them at all.

The rest of the Raggh soon moved on to the next town. The Raggh sentries searched through the wreckage of the houses, looting anything of worth and making sure all who had lived there were now dead. They brought all the bodies they found to Catiarn, the Leader of the Raggh, and laid them in a pile off to the side. Catiarn was the Raggh who had led the attack on the town, and the one who had killed the messenger.

After almost all of the bodies had been collected, one of the Raggh brought the body of a woman straight to Catiarn instead of dropping it with the others. Bowing low it made the sign for permission to speak. Catiarn motioned it to proceed.

"My Leader. This woman has a life force in her, although she is dead. I cannot reach the life force with my mind. I present the problem to you who is wiser."

Catiarn's eyes closed and the Raggh who had brought the woman forward waited tensely, expecting to be obliterated. Instead, the stomach of the woman split open and a living fetus rose from her womb. The umbilical cord snapped and Catiarn reached out and wrapped a large taloned hand around the female child's small body, bringing her closer to inspect. The baby did not cry when she saw the face of the Raggh. Instead, she merely blinked her large black eyes at the new world she had been brought into.

"You shall be richly rewarded for this gift. Now go!"

Catiarn took the child into one of the ships that stood nearby. Turning at the top of the ramp, Catiarn looked out over the destroyed town, the Raggh, and the bodies. The Raggh below waited impatiently.

"You may feed," the Leader said.

At this, the Raggh all pounced upon the pile of corpses, ripping them up and gobbling them down while they were still warm.

When the other three Leaders of the children of the Ecthroi saw the baby, they were very angry. The cloth hid her wings and the Leaders could not tell she was covered in fur from where they stood. They thought it was merely an Okilian baby.

"Why have you not killed this one?" snarled the Leader of the Darrh, the second race of the children of the Ecthroi, "It is not an Ecthroi!"

"You will be punished severely if the High Leaders find out you have not destroyed it," continued the Leader of the Gatth.

Catiarn looked each of the Leaders in the eye, using mind control to silence their voices so they couldn't speak.

"Listen to me now. I am the Leader of the Raggh! I hold power over you. Do not dictate my actions to me. To you this child looks human does she not?"

The three leaders nodded.

Catiarn laughed and removed the cloth from the child's body. Her wings had dried out by now and she had enough strength to raise them a little bit. Her fur had also dried and was now iridescent. The Leaders all looked stunned.

"A Rahalan! One of our worst enemies! Destroy it now!" hissed the Darrh Leader.

The rest made sounds of agreement.

"Look closer. Look at the symbol over her heart."

"A dragon with a crescent moon? But what does that mean?" the Fraggh and Darrh leaders asked.

The Leaders were overcome at the idea. If they raised the child as their own, she would eventually take the throne of Camelot, setting Rahala, and then the entire multiverse, at their feet. Rahala was the eldest of the sister planets who were the homes of all the dreams and hopes of all creatures. All wonderful dreams first appeared on this planet. If the Ecthroi controlled it, they could snuff out all life with a wave of the hand. They could almost smell victory.

"I will name her Kitara, and raise her myself." Catiarn announced.

"She should be raised by all of us," argued the Gatth leader.

"What do you know about raising a child?" demanded Catiarn.

"More than you! Don't forget, you are merely a female."

Catiarn snarled and her eyes glazed over for a second. The thin black shadow that was the Gatth leader shook and was pierced by a ray of light. The light spread and swallowed him. The only thing that remained was his echoing shriek, and soon that also died away.

"Any more wish to challenge this "mere female"?" Catiarn looked at each of the remaining leaders in turn. Each one looked away from her gaze.

"Then it is settled." Catiarn turned and walked off.

When she reached the age of fourteen, she asked permission to go on her Taok, an ordeal where a Raggh was disguised and placed on a savage planet with very little to survive by. They would be given a challenge, usually something that would help the Ecthroi in their war, like killing a high noble, or finding some information about the planet's movements in this war. They were under strict orders not to kill anyone unless they could get away with it. Otherwise, there would be an investigation and the Raggh would be in danger of being sought out and discovered. Their transformation methods were primitive and they could be discovered if someone knew what to look for. Taok meant "passage" and if the Taok was completed, the Raggh would then be considered an adult and be inducted into the ranks of the Ecthroi.

Within days Kitara was on the militant planet Tena, ready to start her Taok. Since she was not a Raggh, she did not have to be transformed in any way. She merely shaved off the fur on her face and arms and wore a black cloak over her wings. Her skin looked a bit grayer than normal but otherwise she made a very convincing humanoid. Her quest was to find Dymitri Myconi, the son of the Leader of the Geaa, and bring him to the Ecthroi. She was told nothing other than he was on Tena, not even his age, or what he looked like.

"Don't kill anyone unless you can get away with it." Catiarn's voice floated back to her, reminding her of one of the main rules of a Taok.

Kitara knew that the death of the king's advisor would be "explosive" in this society. The elite police forces would stop at nothing to catch the lord's killer. She ran into an alleyway, continuing through the poorer section of the city. Every military suit she saw sent her heart jumping into her throat. These officers were skilled in torture and there were few laws to stop them from trying out new techniques on commoners. Kitara had no desire to be one of their test subjects.

After a few minutes, she found herself in a marketplace. She started into a tavern for a drink. Just as she opened the door a tall heavily muscled young warrior walked out and promptly crashed into her. Falling down for the second time that day did not make her very happy. She looked up, expecting to see the man laughing and walking off. Instead, he reached down and helped her up.

"I'm so sorry," he apologized, "I didn't see you there. Are you alright?"

The young warrior followed her inside. "Let me buy you a drink to make up for it," he offered.

"All right, but I must be leaving soon. One drink, that's it."

A smile lit up his face and he led her to a table inside. Kitara looked closely at him. He had brown skin and black hair. He was probably only sixteen years old. His eyes were dark red and seemed to glow in the dim light. Signaling the bartender for two drinks he then turned to her and asked her name.

"I am..." Kitara started, then stopped. She wasn't sure if she wanted this man to know her real name. Deciding it couldn't hurt, she continued.

"I am Kitara. And you are?"

"Jespala Myconi. Geaa warrior."

Kitara was stunned. Her Taok was to bring back Dymitri Myconi, a son of a Geaa warrior. Jespala was not old enough to have children. Perhaps he was Dymitri's brother, or maybe even his son.

"So you are one of the Geaa? Aren't you supposed to be off fighting the Ecthroi somewhere?

"No, I am on my Taok. I'm not actually a Geaa warrior yet. I'd tell you about it but it's oathbound and all that. You understand don't you?"

"Sure, sure. I know what that's like." Kitara smiled at him. She knew exactly what he meant.

The two of them started talking about life on Tena, and before she knew it, Kitara was on her sixth drink, and starting to feel a little sick. Since it was late, she had nowhere to stay, and it was too late to find somewhere safe, she agreed to spend the night at Jespala's place.

"But no funny stuff!" she said.

"Of course not!" Jespala said, "What kind of person do you think I am?"

"I don't know you! What kind of person are you?"

"One you can trust."

"Then I guess I'll take your word."

Once at his place, Jespala set up a bedroll on the floor for her. Kitara sat down and pulled the blanket over her.

"Sweet dreams," he said.

"Sweet dreams? What are those?" Kitara asked.

"You've never heard the phrase 'Sweet dreams?'"

"No"

"Where have you been? It's a very common goodnight saying," Jespala said.

"No one ever said anything to me before I went to sleep," Kitara explained, "I like it though. Sweet dreams."

Soon both Jespala and Kitara were fast asleep.

Despite Jespala's wish, Kitara's dreams were anything but sweet. They were filled with visions of being tortured and breaking her oath to the Ecthroi. The Ecthroi may not have been anywhere near loving, but they knew their own and they were the only family she had. Kitara had never known any other way of life. Peace was a foreign word to her, and she liked fighting the war she was in because there was nothing else to long for.

Jespala's dreams were tormented too, but not with torture, with this young girl he had met. He had never seen someone more beautiful, but Kitara seemed to radiate the energies of the Ecthroi. He knew they also went on a Taok when they were old enough, but he knew what to look for that would suggest a transformation. Nothing had been changed in this girl's energy shield; she had not been transformed into anything.

The next morning Jespala woke up first and looked over at Kitara. She still wore her cloak, but it had fallen to one side and he could see her wings. He could also see a bit of her iridescent fur around them. Her recognized her as a Rahalan, but he could still sense the Ecthroi energies in her. That was impossible! Rahalans would never betray their kind and go to the Ecthroi unless their dream had been shattered and they chose to be transformed into an Ecthros. He was also a Rahalan, although he was disguised a little bit. Kitara was too young to have chosen to be a traitor. She had also never heard the saying "Sweet dreams," something all Rahalans knew. That sentence was almost like Rahala's motto, since all who lived on that planet were dreams and quite sweet ones at that.

A few minutes later, Kitara woke up. She looked at Jespala, who was still trying to figure out how in the multiverse she could be a Rahalan and have the energy on an Ecthroi. He blushed a little when he saw she had woken up.

"How did you sleep?"

"Not too good," Kitara answered, "I had the worst dreams."

"What were they about?"

"I can't really remember, but I hope I never have them again."

"Well, now you are awake and none of your nightmares can catch you." Jespala said.

Kitara laughed. "What do you mean? Life if full of more pain and death than any dreams."

Jespala seemed confused. He had always been taught that life was a gift and death was simply a necessary thing. Life was not full of death unless you thought it was. He knew that there were many sad things in life, but there were also many good things too. Kitara had been taught the opposite thing. Death was only good when it happened to other people, and she had never seen any of the beautiful and good things Jespala took for granted.

Jespala started to tell her about some of the good things in life, about butterflies, and gardens, and sweet foods, about hugs and oceans, about songs and thunderstorms. As Kitara listened her mind was picturing all of the things he described.

"You're lying. There can't be such things. Flying is impossible without a ship, and why would someone give someone else a hug? What is the purpose of it?"

"You don't believe me? You could fly if you wanted. And the purpose of a hug is to show someone you like them."

"I can fly? How then, if you're so smart? What would I use?"

"What do you think those things on your back are for? Decoration?"

Kitara gasped. Her cloak had fallen off by this time. Her disguise had been seen through. She picked it up and covered her wings again. Collecting her things, she stood up.

"I have to go."

"Wait!" Jespala called, "Do you want me to show you some of these things?"

"You know where to find them?"

"Of course! Do you want me to show you?"

"Will you?" Kitara asked

"Yes, just wait for me to get ready."

Jespala got dressed and walked over to the door where she was still waiting. He took her hand and before he knew it, he was laying on his back on the street. Kitara had taken his touching her as a sign of attack and flipped him.

"Hey! What did you do that for?"

"You attacked me!"

"What? No I didn't."

"Then why did you grab my hand?"

"I thought... Oh never mind. I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to hurt you."

"All right. Show me all these wonderful things you talk of, but don't touch me!"

Jespala sighed and wondered what she would have done if he had showed her what a kiss was when she asked. She probably would have killed him.

They went down to the marketplace and Jespala stopped at the metalsmith to get his sword sharpened. Kitara was admiring a little dagger with a dragon on the hilt. When Jespala offered to purchase it for her, she glared at him.

"I can take care of myself," she said.

Jespala just shrugged and went back to pick up his sword. They walked out of the metalsmith's and continued on their way.

After they had gone a few blocks Kitara fell a step behind and suddenly put Jespala in a headlock with a dagger to his throat. Jespala sputtered and after a second, she turned him loose. She was holding the dagger she had stolen from the metalsmith. Waving it in front of him, she laughed.

"I told you I could take care of myself."

"I guess you can," he mumbled. He was not happy at being continually beaten by this young woman.

"Where are we going anyway? I don't see any of the things you described."

"Most of them are found outside this place," he explained.

"Well then how are you going to show me them?"

"My Taok involves the mystery of the Raven Knights. They have an outpost around this city somewhere. Do you want to accompany me in finding them? Then I will be able to show you the ocean and butterflies, and the other things I talked about."

"Ok, but I don't know how long I can travel with you. I have my own business to attend to."

"That's fine," Jespala said, "I am supposed to do this alone anyway, but you may at least help me find them."

They purchased two horses and supplies for their journey. Kitara still wasn't sure where to look for Dymitri Myconi, but she thought that Jespala might know. She would have to befriend him if he was to tell her. The son of a Geaa Leader would certainly be guarded if the word got out someone was searching for him.

Before they left, Kitara made some dye and dyed her hair jet black in case her description had been given to the police. If she got very angry, the dye would probably be obliterated since her hair started to glow like a fire when she was enraged. But for now, it would do.

Jespala and Kitara headed west from Meguro, toward the ocean. After a few hours, they entered a large forest. Jespala was showing her all the different kinds of plants and animals that lived there. Kitara was amazed at all of the things she was shown. All her life she had lived in the ships of the Ecthroi. A few times she had been to on the desert planets the Ecthroi ruled, but she had never even seen a tree before. Nature was a strange thing for her.

Jespala took great pleasure in showing her all these things. Kitara's amazement at the tiniest thing made him realize he should enjoy them more too. He had taken them for granted his whole life and he couldn't imagine a life without them around. Kitara had never seen any of these things before and the curiosity she showed was amazing. She thought the only things that were alive had blood inside them. Plants were an alien concept to her, but she liked it. The things Jespala told her about helping others and kindness and mercy were more things that it was hard to understand.

The two of them were so immersed in the discussion about plants and other things that neither of them heard the five soldiers until an arrow whizzed by Jespala's ear. Instantly he whirled around and Kitara did the same. Drawing her sword Kitara quickly brought down the man with the bow and turned to the others. Dodging a blow from another soldier she whirled around and slashed the sword arm of one of the others. Jespala had already killed one of the soldiers and now attacked the one who had struck at Kitara. That one ducked and took off into the woods with Jespala following. Kitara put the fourth one out of action and she turned to the last. He had stayed back when the others had attacked and was obviously the leader. He was an excellent swordsman and Kitara was having a hard time keeping ahead of him. Suddenly, with a twist of his sword he knocked Kitara's out of her hand and into a bush. He put the tip of his sword to her neck and hesitated a moment before running her through. That hesitation gave Kitara just the time she needed. Summoning her energy, she used her mind to snap the soldier's neck. He made a strangled noise and fell to the ground next to her.

Jespala had killed the one who ran away and had returned just in time to see Kitara's sword fly away. He then saw the soldier's neck turn and snap without anyone touching it. He ran to Kitara's side.

"Are you all right? What did you do?"

"I snapped his neck," she said matter-of-factly.

"I know that, but how? You never touched him."

"I can kill with a thought. Can't you?"

"No! Only the very skilled in magick can do that!"

"Well, where I came from, everyone had that ability."

Jespala opened his mouth to protest, then stopped. The Raggh were the only race where all of its members had such telepathic powers. But Kitara was Rahalan, and the Raggh would never raise one of their worst enemies in their society. She certainly was a puzzle, and an increasingly dangerous one.

Kitara was not interested in the plants and animals anymore. She had seen the look on Jespala's face when he had found she had telepathic powers. She didn't really know why he was so worried, the Geaa had strong psychic barriers to protect themselves from just such things. She thought that maybe he had guessed she had been raised as a Raggh; now she would have to be very careful.

They rode on through the forest, neither saying a word. Kitara knew she would have to work fast if she was to ask Jespala if he knew where Dymitri would be. That night they camped by a stream. Kitara sat upon some rocks and watched the fish swim by in the water. Jespala wanted to ask her about her past, but when he asked where she had come from, she had walked away.

The next morning, they were awakened by a woman's screams. She ran past them yelling about a huge dragon attacking the town. Jespala grabbed her and tried to calm her down. All the woman could do was gibber about the dragon and point toward a small town over the ridge.

Gathering up their things Kitara and Jespala started in the direction that the woman had pointed. Kitara had never seen a dragon before and she was curious to see what one looked like. Jespala knew a few dragons and wasn't sure why this one would have attacked a town. Most dragons either kept to themselves, or lived in harmony with the towns and villages.

Coming over the ridge, they saw nothing out of the ordinary. A small pile of wheat had been burned, but nothing else. No one was in the streets. Jespala knocked on one of the doors to a cottage.

The door opened a crack and a small dwarflike man peered out.

"Oh! Good! You're the dragonslayers! It went that way!" The man pointed up a mountain and then ducked back into the house.

"We're not dragonslayers," Jespala protested, but the door had already closed. He sighed and turned to Kitara.

"Do you want to go try to find this horrible dragon who can burn a whole pile of wheat?"

"Sure," Kitara answered, "I've got some fish he can cook!"

They both laughed and rode up the path to the mountain. There was a small trail leading up and they turned their horses up it.

About halfway up the trail they heard a loud roar and a tiny little dark purple dragon came whizzing around a boulder. It landed on Kitara's shoulder and buried itself in her hair.

A second later a large, angry, black mother dragon also came around the boulder. She stopped when she saw them there.

"What do you want?" she demanded.

Kitara and Jespala froze. Then Kitara spoke up.

"We heard a dragon attacked the town below today and we are looking for him. We aren't dragonslayers, I've just never seen a dragon before."

The mother dragon looked at Jespala. "You're one of the Geaa aren't you?"

Jespala nodded.

"And who are you?" she asked Kitara.

Kitara spread out her wings, and showed the dragon a bit of her fur. The dragon nodded.

"You are Rahalan hmm?" The dragon looked at Kitara's hair. A small purple-black tail seemed to be coming out of her ear.

"Then I think that is the dragon you're looking for."

The baby dragon peeked out from its hiding place.

"I was only having fun! I never hurt anyone," it protested.

The dragon's mother sighed. "That doesn't matter. Now they are going to send some knights to find us. Since you seem to like this female so much you can stay with her until I find a new home for us."

The baby dragon looked at Kitara. "Can I stay with you? Please?"

Kitara looked at the dragon's gleaming scales. She had never seen anything more beautiful.

"Of course," she said.

Jespala smiled. "We'll keep him safe," he promised.

The baby dragon snuggled back into Kitara's hair. The three of them started back down the mountain and continued west. Jespala was a little stunned at picking up a baby dragon. He wasn't sure how to take care of one and he hoped this one could hunt for itself.

As they rode along the edge of the mountains they found a perfect place to stop and make camp. The sun was just going down when they stopped. The little dragon was a big help in hunting. He was faster than most the rabbits and other creatures around and caught a nice plump one for each of them. His name was Quen, and he was quite lively. He asked questions about everything, and was very curious.

When the sun finally went down, Kitara and Jespala sat next to each other staring into the fire. Kitara couldn't understand what she was feeling toward this young man. She had never wanted to be with anyone as she wanted to be with him. Love was something she had never heard of. But she did know that she would try as hard as she could to keep him from being hurt. She had never longed for a touch from anyone before; hugs were unheard of among the Ecthroi. Kitara pretended to be falling asleep and put her head on his shoulder. This was a new experience, to be so close to someone who wasn't attacking her.

Jespala was a little wary of her still, since the last time he had touched her, she had attacked him. Carefully he put his arm around her shoulders. She didn't move or pull away, so he guessed she was asleep.

After a while he picked her up and placed her in her bedroll, pulling the blanket over her.

When Kitara woke up the next morning, she couldn't find Jespala. All of his things were gone and even Quen had disappeared.

"The rotten, no-good, two-faced, traitorous, idiotic Geaa! I can't believe him! I trusted him and he takes off during the night. Quen too! I never even found out if he knew where Dymitri was. If I ever see him again, I'll, I'll…" Her hair was blazing red now.

Gathering up her things, she took off, damning Jespala to a thousand horrible deaths. She had thought he at least liked her enough not to take off in the middle of the night. As for Quen, she didn't know what dragons were like, but she didn't think that taking off for no reason was one of their traits. After a while she finally looked around her. She had been so angry she hadn't noticed which direction she had taken. Now all she could see was fog.

She continued riding forward, not caring what she found. At this point, she was so angry anything that got in her way would be obliterated. Soon she saw a bit of color a little to the left of her path. Turning toward it, she could hear sounds of people. As she drew closer, the sounds became louder. She had thought it was just the normal everyday sounds of a village. Now she could hear groans and screams. Soon the fog lifted and a grey stone castle came into view. Kitara saw about a hundred people on the courtyard in chains. There were about ten knights in black armor standing around torturing the people. One took his sword and sliced an old man's arm off. Another took a torch and started to burn the stump that was left. The old man screamed in agony. A little girl hung upside down from chains. She had been severely beaten and probably worse. A young boy, perhaps seven years old, threw a rock at one of the knights. The knight turned and cut the boy's hands off.

Kitara stopped about one hundred yards from the castle. She was still angry and it looked like these were some good people to kill. She shrieked loud enough to make them uncomfortable, but not enough to break their eardrums. They all winced and looked up toward the source of the noise. One strode forward. He also wore black armor but it had a raven on it outlined in silver. He did not wear a helmet and his black hair and sharp beard stood out against his pale skin. He was obviously the leader of these knights.

When he stepped forward, Kitara remembered what Jespala's Taok had been, to find the Raven Knights.

These men in black armor must be them.

She had no time to ponder on this thought; five of the knights were riding out to meet her. Kitara had calmed down a bit, but she still wanted to make someone pay for Jespala's leaving her. She decided to see if she could trick these knights.

"Hail Raven Knights. I am Ryena, Priestess of the Order of the Raven. I wish to speak with your leader."

"Then come with us, Priestess," one said, "You do not shudder at our practices of submission, do you?"

In response, Kitara rode forward toward the peasants. She had seen worse, so looking at what the Raven Knights had done was not hard for her. But the old man who had his arms chopped off, then burned, looked at her with such a plea in his eyes it struck a hidden chord of mercy in her. He would soon die, but she could stop his heart to put him out of his misery. When he died, there was a smile on his face, as if to thank her. Kitara turned back to the Raven Knights.

They led Kitara into the courtyard and to the man with the silver etched armor. He looked at her and Kitara felt a chill run down her back. She had felt the man try to pry inside her mind. These Raven Knights were more powerful than she thought.

"What is your business here?" he asked.

"I am looking for my slave who escaped last night. He is tall, had brown skin and hair and red eyes. Have you seen him?"

One of the knights stared to say something but was silenced with a blow from the leader.

"No, we have not seen anyone go by here in a long time. The fog keeps most people from reaching this place. But please, stay a while."

"No, I really must be going," Kitara said.

"I insist," the leader said, grinning an evil grin, "You must stay. We will take care of your horse for you.

The knights surrounded her and took her off her horse. It was led away and she was left standing before the Raven Knight. She wasn't sure what to do now. The leader called himself "Marren" and she could not reach his mind with hers.

"Come with me, Ryena," he said.

He led Kitara to his own room in the castle.

"You must stay here. I will be right back."

Kitara was not very happy at being forced to stay and she knew they would not let her just walk out. She sighed and tried to think of a way to get herself out of this mess. Hearing footsteps in the hallway, she hid behind the door with her dagger ready.

The door opened and Marren stepped into the room. Kitara grabbed him and pushed the dagger into his neck enough to draw a little bit of blood.

"Where is the man you saw today. I know you have seen him."

Marren spat up a bit of blood. "He's… in… the… dungeon."

Kitara was surprised that he answered so easily. Deciding she might get an answer, Kitara asked, "What is the secret of the Raven Knights?"

Marren was silent.

"Tell me!" Kitara ordered.

"We get… our power… from… the Ecthroi."

"That's the big secret?" Kitara turned him around to face her keeping the blade in his neck. Looking him in the eye, she laughed and buried the dagger up to the hilt in his neck. The leader of the Raven Knights slowly died.

Taking the leader's sword, Kitara used it to cut off his head. Picking it up by the hair, she walked back to the courtyard. Holding Marren's head out in front of her, she called for the attention of the other knights.

"I am Kitara, child of Catiarn, the Leader of the Raggh Ecthroi. Hear me now. I have killed your leader, and now I hold control over you. Any who wish to challenge me will have their own hands rip them apart. Any who do not bow to me will have their bones shatter themselves. Do any take this challenge?"

Seven of the knights kneeled immediately. The other two started toward Kitara.

"I warned you!" she said, "Be prepared to die."

The first knight drew his sword and lunged toward Kitara. Suddenly it turned in his hand and he ran himself through. The other stared to scream and shake. White bone started to poke through his skin until his entire skeleton lay in a pile next to him. Kitara had made sure he was still alive when it happened so he looked down and saw his bones outside his body. His skin crumpled to the ground as he died.

Kitara looked down upon the seven kneeling knights. "Anyone else?" she asked.

All seven knights shook their heads.

"Good. Then let all of these peasants free. They suffer a worse life out there than in this place. Then get out of here."

All the remaining knights hurriedly set about unchaining the people. The people cheered and blew kisses to Kitara, but stayed a respectful distance away. Waving them all out, she turned to go down to the dungeons.

Jespala was standing behind her. He couldn't believe what he had heard. Kitara had been raised by the Raggh. She was an Ecthroi. She was so beautiful, but so evil. Her couldn't believe it, yet it all fit. He had almost been ready to fall in love with his worst enemy.

Kitara didn't know he had heard what she had said. She ran to him, forgetting how angry she had been before. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she hugged him, never wanting to let go. Jespala hugged her in return. He hadn't been about to fall in love with his worst enemy; he had already fallen in love with her.

Quen flew around them grumbling about not getting any attention. Kitara let go of Jespala and allowed Quen to land on her shoulder.

"What happened to you?"

"The Raven Knights must have heard I was trying to find their secret and captured me. Quen hid in my bags and followed me here. He used his tail to unlock the doors of the dungeon and let me out. I am very grateful to him."

Quen smiled. "I am good for some things."

"By the way, I know what the secret of the Raven Knights is. They are helped by the Ecthroi." Kitara said.

When Jespala heard that, he was reminded of what Kitara had said. She was an Ecthroi. He decided he would have to confront her, but Quen beat him to it.

"I heard what you told them!" he cried, "Are you really an Ecthroi?"

Kitara froze. Hanging her head, she nodded.

"But how can that be?" Jespala cried.

"I was born on Okila. Catiarn took me out of a woman that wasn't really my mother. They raised me as a Raggh. I am supposed to do some great thing for them, but I won't be told what that is until I pass my Taok. I don't know why everyone says I am Rahalan. Rahala is where the evil ones live. They have polluted the planet and gone against the way of the Ecthroi. If they win, we will all die."

"What!" Jespala yelped, "What are you talking about? Rahalans aren't evil! I am a Rahalan. That planet is the most beautiful in the galaxy. Rahala and Tamriel are the planets that make the dreams of the multiverse come true. If the Ecthroi controlled them, all the beautiful creatures would die and be lost forever. If they could, they would stamp out all life. There would be no more dragons. All the plants and animals you've seen would be gone. All the people on this and all the other planets would die. I would die."

Kitara was stunned. "That is what I have been told. I like the way the Ecthroi are, but that is because I never knew anything else. I like having such power over others, but not if the plants and animals will disappear in the process. Are you sure it would be worse if the Ecthroi controlled all?"

"Yes. You can't go back to them. You are Rahalan, you don't belong with them. Stay with me, I will take you to see Rahala. Please don't go back."

"I must, I am on my Taok now. If they don't hear from me, they will send out search parties. We could not get away."

"You are on your Taok? What is it? You can't finish it or you will never be able to get away from them."

Kitara paused. She wasn't sure what she wanted anymore.

"I can't tell you," she said.

"You have to."

"Only if you answer me a question first."

"Anything."

"Where can I find Dymitri Myconi?"

Jespala paused, then looked into her eyes. "Right here," he whispered.

"What do you mean? You said you were Jespala.

"That's my middle name. I use it so people don't figure out who I am. My father is the leader of the Geaa, so the Ecthroi may try to capture me to get to him."

"They tried," Kitara said, "They tried."

"What do you mean?" Dymitri asked

"That was my Taok. I was supposed to find you and bring you to them."

"Are you going to?"

Kitara shook her head. "I can't. They would kill you. I don't want you to die."

For the first time in her life, tears started rolling down her cheeks and made wet trails down her face. She did not know what they were and was afraid.

"What is happening to me? Am I dying?" she asked Dymitri.

He took her in his arms and shook his head.

"They are only tears. They come when you are very sad or very happy. It's a normal thing. Let them come."

Kitara sobbed as if her heart would burst. Quen darted around her, trying to help. He accidentally got his tail tangled in his wings and fell to the ground. He flopped about looking like a strange kind of fish. Kitara looked up when he fell and started to laugh. Quen was not hurt and started to put on a show. He staggered about and pretended he couldn't stand up. After a moment he stopped and crawled into Kitara's lap.

"Do you feel better?" he asked.

Kitara smiled and sniffled a little bit. "Yes. But I still don't know what I'm going to do. I don't want to go back to the Ecthroi, but they will try to catch me if I run. In fact, today Catiarn is coming here to check on my progress.

"Tell her you haven't found me yet." Dymitri suggested.

"She can read minds."

"Is there a way to block her?"

"No. Wait. Maybe there is. I will try. But you must leave me. If she starts asking who you are, I won't be able to keep her out."

"That's fine. I will leave the castle and you can stay here. After she leaves, head west. I will meet you by the ocean."

"How will I know the ocean when I see it?"

"Believe me, you'll know. It is one of the most beautiful things you'll ever see."

"You must go now. She will be coming soon."

Dymitri looked at her and smiled. "Goodbye then. And good luck."

Kitara laughed. "Thank you. Now get out of here!"

Dymitri led his horse out from the stables, mounted it, and rode off. Kitara waved to him long after he had disappeared into the fog. Quen stayed behind, Kitara needed him to help fool Catiarn.

Not more than an hour later, an Ecthroi ship landed near the castle. Kitara boarded it and walked to Catiarn's quarters.

"Welcome Kitara. I am glad to see you have succeeded in capturing Dymitri. You have passed your Taok."

"What? No I haven't! I haven't even found Dymitri yet" Kitara protested.

"Then who is this?" Catiarn asked. She pushed a button on the wall, and a panel slid open. Dymitri stood inside a glass cage.

Kitara thought quickly. "That's Jespala. He is the twin brother of Dymitri Myconi. He was cast out from the Myconi family and they never speak of him. I befriended him to try to find out where Dymitri is."

Catiarn looked at her very closely. Kitara could feel her trying to break into her mind. She reached out to Quen with her thoughts. The dragon's telepathic powers merged with her own to form a barrier against the Raggh leader.

"You are blocking me," Catiarn said, "What are you hiding?"

Kitara shook her head. "Nothing, Catiarn. I simply do not like to have my thoughts pried into."

Catiarn looked away from Kitara, at Dymitri. "What have you learned on this Taok?" she asked, trying to trick Kitara into losing her concentration.

It worked. Kitara started to think of all that Dymitri had shown her, what he had told her of Rahala and the Ecthroi. Catiarn knew the entire story as if Kitara had spoken.

"You lie, Kitara. You have betrayed us. You are a traitor. That boy is Dymitri and you want to stay with him. You will suffer for this. I raised you as a Raggh, but I guess a Rahalan cannot change."

"No!" Kitara screamed. The glass cage cracked from the intensity of her thought and Dymitri shattered it the rest of the way. Stepping into the room, he went straight to Kitara.

Catiarn snarled. "You could have been the leader of the Raggh after I was gone. Instead, you choose to…" Here she stopped and shuddered. "love a Geaa."

Catiarn started to reach toward Dymitri with her bladed hands, but Quen flew in from his hiding place and distracted her. Kitara threw herself over Dymitri, hoping Catiarn wouldn't hurt him. Flinging Quen into a corner of the room, Catiarn reached for Kitara. Suddenly she made a strange noise and stopped. Kitara raised her head and looked at Catiarn. The Raggh had turned away, hiding her face.

Catiarn had once been a dream of a man on Earth who had only wanted someone to love. There had been a chance for Catiarn to go to Earth to make his dream come true. But before she reached Earth, the man was killed and Catiarn was left floating in space. She could not return to Rahala, her choices were to drift forever as a bit of dust, or rebel and become an Ecthroi. Catiarn had chosen to become an Ecthroi, promising that if she had one chance, she would try to bring a bit of love into all of the hate the Ecthroi stood for. She thought she had done that for Kitara by not killing her. But now she realized she hadn't killed Kitara only because Kitara could do something for the Ecthroi, not because she was being nice. Now, she had one more chance.

Kitara stood up and went over to Catiarn. Catiarn tuned to her, as near to tears as a Raggh could be.

"I was once a Rahalan, like you. I had forgotten what that meant. Becoming a Raggh has changed me. Go. Take your lover and your dragon and leave. The other Ecthroi will be here soon. Do you remember that dragon and moon over your heart? It means you are the Queen of Camelot. You must go there and claim the throne. All the things I have taught you about the Great War, forget them. Let Dymitri show you what the truth is," she explained quietly.

Kitara smiled. "Thank you Catiarn. I will never forget this."

"Neither will we," growled three voices. It was the three high leaders of the Ecthroi, the original children of Yelru, the goddess of the Ecthroi. They controlled all of the Ecthroi's movements, and were even more powerful than the Raggh.

"Go!" Catiarn yelled. She threw herself at the Leaders, fighting for herself, for Kitara and Dymitri, and for Rahala. Against three powerful Ecthroi, she was barely holding her own. Kitara grabbed Quen and Dymitri and they ran through the ship's hallways until they reached the outside ramp. Kitara paused for a second at the top while Dymitri and Quen flew down the ramp. Kitara heard Catiarn scream, followed by silence. She had died for them.

Dymitri yelled to Kitara, waking her from her stupor. Rushing down the ramp, they quickly headed into the fog.

"Can you travel in space?" Dymitri asked.

Kitara nodded.

"Then do it, quickly, before the Ecthroi find us."

"Where can we go?"

"Rahala. Use the image in my mind to get there."

Kitara clasped Dymitri's hand and held Quen with the other. In Dymitri's mind, a view of two planets circling each other started to form. The second had a black gash running down the side, but the first was perfect. A purple moon passed by and the first planet stared to get closer and closer. A bit of white land next to an expanse of blue started to appear, getting larger and more real. There was a strong smell of salt in the air, and the sound of seagulls' cries. Kitara opened her eyes and found herself on a beach, facing toward the land.

Dymitri let go of her hand and covered her eyes.

"The ocean is right behind us. Turn around and when I take my hands away, you'll see it."

Doing as she was told, she looked out over the largest expanse of water she had ever seen. The sun sparkled over the water, and the wind played through her hair, stripping away any of the black dye that was left. The waves crashed over the sand, spraying a few drops over them. The ocean was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

Kitara then looked up at the bright face of the sun. It radiated warmth and love, as if it recognized her and was glad she was there.

"I can't believe it. I'm actually seeing this!"

"If you live here you could see this every day. Do you want to go swimming?"

"What's that?" she asked.

"Come on!" Dymitri said.

They ran into the waves, splashing, and playing in the warm water. Kitara had never been so happy. This was definitely worth saving from the Ecthroi. Quen even joined in, swimming through the water as easily as if he was flying through air.

Later they all collapsed on the beach, soaking wet, but very happy. Dymitri turned to Kitara.

"Catiarn said you were the Queen of Camelot. The castle is only a little ways from here. Let's go see if you can claim your crown."

Kitara agreed and they went up the path into the castle. They were met by the royal advisor.

"Who is she?" he asked.

In response, Kitara showed him the dragon and crescent moon over her heart. The advisor bowed immediately.

"You are the last of the Pendragons. Your mother, Catrina Pendragon, died on Okila fifteen years ago. No one suspected you were still alive. You have a half brother and sister. The King of Camelot is away fighting the Ecthroi, and may not return. Your stepmother died giving birth to your sister, so there is no Queen of Camelot right now. In their absence, you are the rightful ruler. What is your name?"

"I only have one the Ecthroi gave me. Kitara. I would rather have a Rahalan name though."

She turned to Dymitri, remembering the sun smiling at her when she had first arrived on Rahala. The sun did not need a symbol to recognize her.

"Is there a word that means 'the happiness of the sun' or 'the sun's laughter'?" she asked Dymitri.

"Yes. Suni Nalu, which means 'sun's joy'," he said.

"Then that will be my name," Kitara said, "Suni Nalu Kitara Pendragon."

"That is a beautiful name," said Dymitri.

"I'm hungry!" announced Quen.

"There will be an announcement to the land that Catrina's daughter had been found. Then we will work on a coronation date. We will try to reach your father also. Meanwhile, take your time, find a room in the castle you like, Dymitri knows the castle well, he may show you around," explained the advisor.

"And," he added to Quen, "the kitchen is that way."

Dymitri took Suni Nalu on a tour of the huge castle. By the time they were finished, the sun had set and they sat looking out over the ocean. Looking up Suni noticed an incomplete circle of eight golden stars directly above them.

"What are those?" she asked.

Dymitri looked where she was pointing. "Those are the Guardian stars. There are only eight so far. When the ninth hero of Rahala and Tamriel dies, the circle will be complete."

"What happens then?"

"Then the Guardians will be able to form a protective barrier to keep the Ecthroi away from these planets. Now they can attack when they choose, they only have to worry about the Geaa. But someday, no one on these two planets will ever have to worry about the Ecthroi. Then we can devote all our time to helping the other planets who suffer attack."

"I hope that happens soon. The Ecthroi are not too pleased that I got away from them. They will probably try to take me back."

Dymitri put his arms around her and kissed her. "They'll never get you away from me," he said.

Suni smiled and looked up at the stars. A moment later she looked back at Dymitri.

"Do you love me?"

"Yes," he whispered, "Do you love me?"

"I have no idea what love is, but I know I do."

Suddenly, they heard the sound of a trumpet. The ground rumbled and a golden light floated over the horizon. Two female voices spoke in unison.

"Hail Catiarn, last of the Guardians. She was the once Rahalan, who rebelled and became a Raggh. She saved the Queen of Camelot, vowed to bring some love into the hate that is the Ecthroi, and was the one who killed two of the Ecthroi leaders before dying herself. The circle is completed and the Ecthroi may not attack us any more. Kiana's children are forever safe."

It was the voices of Rahala and Tamriel. They did not speak except when a Guardian took its place in the sky. The golden spark of light raced over Rahala, then Tamriel, bathing everything in a golden glow. Then it raced up toward the circle, stopping in the center, then taking its place to complete it. The circle of stars started to spin until there was only a ring of golden light. When they slowed down, every creature on the two planets felt the strong magick that now covered them all. Deep inside Rahala, a humming started. It was barely noticeable, but if you listened very hard, you could tell it was there.

Suni Nalu and Dymitri stood at the window, holding each other and basking in the joy and peace that Rahala now radiated. Now the Ecthroi could never attack. The days of hate and fear on Rahala were over.

From his ship high above Rahala's atmosphere, the High Leader who had finally killed Catiarn watched as Rahala and Tamriel were bathed in golden light. He knew that now the Ecthroi could never attack Rahala and Tamriel. Picking up a heavy iron table, he threw it across the room, embedding it in the wall.

"TRAITOR!" he screeched.