****PARADISE SAGAS: BOOK 1: WARRIORS OF PARADISE****

Kevin gasped for breath as he dodged another one of Kendra’s arrows. He was having a hard time trying not to use his powers on them.

His head shot up. The voices told him Lexa found Daenna. And Lexa was walking into a trap.

He jumped again, just as an arrow scraped against his side. He cringed as he felt blood.

He was worried about Lexa.

~*~*~*~

"Oh, yes, Lari. I forgot. She’s sleeping." He snapped his fingers and a strange bed appeared behind him. A body was strapped to it by its wrists and ankles.

Black waves flowed over the body. Evil prevented Lexa from seeing the face. But Lexa knew. She shoved Evil out of the way.

"Daenna!" She bent over her friend.

~*~*~*~

So nice. So warm. So—she lost her train of thought. Then she remembered. She had been in the shower. So where was the water?

David had taken her. She wanted to frown, but she found she couldn’t move. David and that guy from—someone’s science.

Who’s science? Someone she could trust. Someone who she was supposed to remember. She couldn’t remember what they looked like. Or their voice. Oh, she wanted to hear that person’s voice.

She wanted to remember…

"Daenna!" The voice broke through her mind. She flung open her eyes, using so much strength.

That was she! The girl with silver hair and violet eyes. It was—"LEXA!" She managed to cry out.

~*~*~*~

Lexa felt herself be ripped away from Daenna as the other girl called out. She turned to glare at Evil.

"Now, now, Lari." He pulled his sword out again, "Let’s let her sleep. In fact, you look tired too."

Lexa began backing away. Evil snapped his fingers and another bed appeared behind her. She stumbled as she ran into it.

"Why don’t you sleep?" Evil’s voice turned to a lull. Lexa felt her eyes droop slightly.

~*~*~*~

She had found her leader and now her leader had been taken away from her again. Daenna struggled against the bonds that held her down.

The one on her left wrist snapped, then the right. She managed to undo the ones on her ankles.

But she was so TIRED. She needed to lie back down, for a second. Her leader’s presence in the back of her mind was fading. She couldn’t let that happen. But she was so tired. She forced herself upright again.

Her leader was sitting on another bed, while a man talked to her.

Daenna reached up and instantly, a staff appeared in her hand. She used it to stand up. Then she let its power overtake her.

~*~*~*~

Her eyes were beginning to close, as she relaxed. The bright light caught her entirely off guard. It seemed to have caught Evil, too. He flung his hands over his eyes, shielding away the light.

Lexa just stared.

Daenna’s body was surrounded in a red light, which faded away into white. She was floating, nearly 2 feet off the ground. In her hand, was a beautiful staff.

It had a dark blue pole, with golden bands near the bottom. The top had a golden hoop with 4 smaller hoops hanging from it, which clicked softly. The top of the hoop had a golden crescent moon carved into it. Lexa stared as Daenna’s eyes opened.

"You waste our time." A dull, echoing voice came from around Daenna, her lips didn’t move. "You can not stop the inevitable. Give into our light, or fall into your darkness." The voice had been directed at Evil. But now, it turned to Lexa.

"It is so nice to know that you haven’t changed."

"What?"

"I’m sorry you don’t recognize my voi8ce. That memory must still be locked away." The light seemed to shift slightly, "I am Anna. Faithful till the end of time."

"But I thought—"

"I am also Daenna."

Lexa noticed Evil, trying to slip away into the darkness.

"YOU!" Anna’s voice boomed, freezing Evil in place, "You, don’t move. We’re not done with you."

"But why?" Lexa asked.

"Because you are our leader." The voice paused, "and the Ultimate Guardian."

The light began to fade. Lexa took a step towards it.

"I must give Daenna the rest of my strength. Remember Lexa. I’m faithful till the end of time. And remember: You aren’t Lari anymore. You don’t have to share her fate. You are Alexa Burklin. The new leader. Lari is only there for help. You are Lexa." The light faded and Daenna’s body fell to the floor.

Lexa rushed forward to her friend’s side.

She heard Evil laugh.

"That’s it? That was her power? A voice? Ooooh, I’m scared, Lari. Oh, that’s right, you’re LEXA." Evil hissed as a bright light circled one of his wrists.

Lexa extended her left hand and it was also engulfed in light. When the light faded, one of the gold bracelets swirled around.

Lexa smiled blankly. Then she looked at Evil, who took a step backwards.

~*~*~*~

A second of Kendra’s arrows hit its mark. Kevin was now bleeding heavily from his right side.

He crouched on the high ledge. Catching his breath.

He had to find Lexa. Maybe when all 5 warrior were together, they’d remember. Sadly, he knew he was reaching for answers.

"Oh, come now, Ens." He heard Eravia—no, he shook his head, KENDRA’S—voice call up to him, "It’s much more fun on the winning side!"

Kevin gripped his glaive, the pain in his side was so terrible. But he wasn’t worried about himself. He was worried about Lexa.

~*~*~*~

Daenna gained consciousness in only a few seconds. She groaned and rubbed her forehead. Lexa helped her into a sitting position, then she stood to face Evil.

Evil took another step back.

"She was right." Lexa said, her voice deadly quiet, "You DO waste our time." She raised her sword.

"Lari?"

"Moonlight…"

"Lari?"

"Shadow…"

"Please, Lari. Think about what you are doing!" His voice grew panicked.

"CHASER!" The attack sprung out.

"LARI!!!"

As the bright light surrounded Evil, the bracelets on his arms glowed with dark light, before fading away. They didn’t go to Lexa.

When her power faded, Lexa stepped up to Evil’s body.

"The name," She whispered as Daenna rose up behind her, "is Lexa."

She closed her eyes and Evil was enveloped in light again.

~*~*~*~

Pure appeared again, behind David. On her arms were suddenly two bracelets. She looked at them, surprised, before her eyes flew up to Kevin. She glared.

"Enough play." She whispered, "Kill him. NOW!"

Kendra sprang into the air and pulled out an arrow. But both bow and arrow dropped from her hands as she grabbed her head and screamed.

"What’s going on?!" Pure yelled.

~*~*~*~

Lexa stepped out of a cave into sunlight, across from Kevin, which Daenna’s arm over her shoulder. Kevin was crouched, in pain.

She saw Kendra leap. She didn’t want to see her hurt Kevin. So, Lexa closed her eyes and sent out a burst of energy in Kendra’s direction.

She heard Kendra scream and Pure yell. But Lexa didn’t open her eyes. She didn’t want to.

"So, Lari. You killed my brother." Pure said, causing Lexa to look at her. Pure glared up at her and she returned the look, blankly.

"No, Pure." Lexa finally replied. "I did not kill him." Daenna pushed herself away from Lexa and the two looked back into the cave.

Another warrior stepped out of the shadows.