Royal Hearts (4 page)

“The Razians and Olympians will help you,”
Ann said. “Hathor and I will go to Olympia and speak on your
behalf.”

Paff nodded. “Omin’s strength is strategy,
but it’s to our benefit to have a good defense. Thank you, Queen
Ann.”

“At least we have an initial plan of action,”
Zak said. “I think it would be good if the queen saw the room where
the clone was in. It might help her understand the situation better
so she can explain it to the Olympians.”

“Good idea,” Paff agreed, rising to his
feet.

The others followed him to the secret
room.

***

Omin-2 in a Spaceship

Galaxy: Mythical

As Omin-2 guided the spaceship through the
galaxies, he contemplated his newfound life and the abilities he
possessed. To be sure, he was more sophisticated and better suited
for his role than his donor. Plus, he retained all the knowledge of
Omin: how he assumed his leadership on Pale and the destruction he
caused to many in pursuit of his personal gain. But more than that,
he was made to be superior.

He took time to study all he could about
Earth. Humans seemed to be simple creatures. Certainly, they
weren’t as complicated as more advanced life forms, such as Palers.
He would assume the physical appearance of a human so he would
blend in with them, and he would gather them all together to do his
bidding. They were like sheep looking for a shepherd to guide
them.

He shook aside his distaste for such
mindlessness. Their weaknesses were going to be needed if he was to
succeed in his ultimate goal. He would rule Pale, and he wouldn’t
let his domain fall from his fingers like Omin had. Omin was too
easy on his enemies.

Not Omin-2. No mercy. No debate. Just
absolute obedience. It was the only way things would work.

***

Alpha Head I

Planet: Pale

Ann stared in dread at the small room where
Omin’s clone had hidden. The room was dark and sparse. Jaz’s
flashlight lit up enough for her to see where the clone had slept,
waiting for the time when he would wake up. The chamber he’d been
preserved in was open, leaving behind the only trace he’d once been
there.

“Are there any other clones on Pale?” Ann
asked, turning her gaze to Paff.

Paff shook his head. “We did a thorough sweep
of the planet. This was the only one.”

She frowned and inspected the chamber. One
clone. If he had the ability to make one, why didn’t he make more?
A thousand clones posed a much better threat than one.

Ann picked up the plans
Omin-2 had left behind.
Kill Queen Ann.
Kill all rebellious Palers. Subject the Laxes. Set up rule.
Was it possible Omin-2 took some kind of cruel joy
out of threatening them?

“You can see why I had to call you,” Paff
said, turning to her.

She nodded. Unfortunately, she was, once
again, Omin’s target. But she wasn’t the only one. From the list,
Paff, Jaz, and Zak were next.

“If there was one thing Omin knew how to do,
it was hold a grudge,” Jaz muttered.

“I better go to Olympia and ask the gods
there to help us,” Ann replied.

“I’ll go with you,” Hathor said.

“Of course. I’m sure Aphrodite will be glad
to see you,” she wryly commented.

Of all the gods and goddesses on Olympia, she
liked Aphrodite the least. That goddess couldn’t resist flirting
with any man, even if he was already married. Thankfully, she
didn’t have to worry about Hathor. He was faithful to her and
always would be.

“We will be here when you return to tell us
whether or not they will help,” Paff said. “Thank you, Queen
Ann.”

“It’s my pleasure to help you. I just wish it
wasn’t under grim circumstances,” she replied. “Pale has come so
far in gaining peace between Palers and Laxes. I’d hate to see Omin
destroy that.”

She shook hands with Paff and stood next to
Hathor, who took the Book of Spells from his pocket.

“Are you ready?” Hathor asked, his voice
solemn as the book grew larger.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Usually, she’d joke with him since he was
always so serious about everything, but this particular moment was
too grim. She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, hoping her
racing heart would calm down, at least a tiny bit. She really hated
this part of the job.

Hathor flipped to the page they would need to
go to Olympia. Then he held hand her hand and spoke the words that
would take them there. A purple mist rose up around them, and they
disappeared.

Chapter Four

Cincinnati, Ohio

Planet: Earth

William smiled as he nearly completed his
search for the Omega Files. It wouldn’t be long before he was back
in the past. Six years, to be exact. He would be eighteen again.
More importantly, he would be meeting Ann for the first time, and
this time, they wouldn’t break up.

Access into the Omega Files
granted,
the words on the computer screen
read.
Put your hand on the
transmitter.

He obeyed the message on the screen and put
his hand on the transmitter. Not once did it occur to him to
question the source of his good fortune. He just figured it was due
to him after all the heartache he had endured over the years. It
was his turn to finally get a break.

Scanning…

He didn’t feel anything odd from the
transmitter. It just felt like small metal chips pressing into the
palm of his hand.

Scanning…

He wondered how long this would take. He
glanced at the clock. It was one in the afternoon. He hadn’t slept
all night. How could he when he was too excited? There would be
plenty of time to sleep once he was eighteen again.

Scanning complete. Detach Omin’s receiver
from your device. Place the cover on it. Then press the blue
button.

He quickly did as instructed and waited, his
heart racing in anticipation.

At first, nothing happened. He waited another
minute and frowned. Was this a joke? Did he do this all for
nothing? Was something toying with him? Maybe Carol had planted
this thing as a prank and was laughing her butt off.

Just as he was about to put the thing down,
the room began to spin around him. The spinning increased, and he
found himself getting sleepy. He tried to stay awake, but he
couldn’t keep his eyes open. Finally, he gave into the strong urge
and fell asleep.

***

On the way to Olympia

Galaxy: Enchanted

Hathor and Ann sped through the galaxy,
heading for Olympia when Hathor felt a sudden panic take over
him.

Ann gripped his hand. “Hathor, what’s going
on?”

“I don’t know.”

He fought to take out the Book of Spells so
he could fix the problem, but the stars began spinning around him.
He blinked, hoping to steady his senses, but things only got
worse.

“Can you get us back to Raz?” he asked.

She answered, but her voice was slowing down
so he couldn’t make out what she was saying.

“What?” he asked.

A burst of wind blew around them, slithered
past him, then wound around her. Ann’s eyes grew wide, and she made
an effort to communicate with him again. But her lips moved too
slowly and he couldn’t make out anything she was trying to tell
him. Worse, her fingers began slipping from his.

He grasped for her, but his hand went right
through her. He made another attempt to reach her. But it was no
good. And she was beginning to fade in front of him.

“I’ll use the Book of Spells to get to you,”
he called out.

In the next instant, she vanished. He reached
into his pocket to pull out the Book of Spells, but the stars
blurred around him to the point where he couldn’t focus anymore.
The only thing he was aware of was that he hit something hard
before he went unconscious.

***

Six years in the past

Ann’s Bedroom

Xenia, Ohio

Planet: Earth

Ann woke up from her sleep to the buzzing of
her alarm clock. Groaning, she forced her eyes open and saw it was
6:15 am. She quickly pressed the snooze button and shut her
eyes.

What day was it? She scanned her mind for the
answer and remembered it was Friday. Thank goodness. She loved
weekends. She’d get to hang out with her friends.

But for now, she had to get ready for school.
It was April, so it wouldn’t be long before summer vacation would
come. The reminder was sobering. If it was up to her, she would be
a junior in high school forever. She knew her family wasn’t going
to move to Florida before then. It would be some time during her
senior year. She was about to lose her friends, and she didn’t make
new ones easily.

She rolled over in her bed. Why couldn’t she
be older? Then she could have some say over what happened in her
life. She wouldn’t have to move just because her dad’s job got
transferred.

She sat up in bed, determined not to think of
the future. She could dread the move later. She’d rather enjoy
hanging out with her friends now.

She turned off her alarm clock before it
could buzz again and got ready for school.

During breakfast, she asked her mom, “Can I
drive the car tonight? Stacey and I would like to check out that
movie about a comet heading to Earth. You know Stacey. She’s crazy
about those disaster flicks.”

“You can borrow the car,” her mom replied as
she handed her the milk.

She poured it over her cereal. “Tomorrow Lisa
promised to introduce me to this guy who’s best friends with her
boyfriend. I’m not sure if I want to meet him though.”

Had her dad been there, Ann wouldn’t have
confided in her mom, but since her dad was at work, she felt
comfortable talking about this stuff. Plus, she didn’t think her
dad would be all that interested in girl talk.

“Why aren’t you sure if you should meet this
guy Lisa knows?” her mom asked, leaning forward in interest.

“What’s the point? I mean, we’ll be moving
later this year. Why get involved with anyone?”

“I see what you’re saying. Of course, it’s up
to you, but sometimes it’s fun to just go out and date. There’s
nothing wrong with having a good time.”

“Yeah, you’re right. So,” she added with a
hopeful smile, “speaking of good times, can I borrow the car
tomorrow, too?”

Her mom shot her a wry grin. “Go for it.”

“Thanks.” She finished her breakfast then
hugged her mom. “You’re the best!”

“Yeah well, don’t you forget it.”

Ann grabbed her book bag and ran out the
door. “I’m going to miss the bus if I don’t get out of here. Love
you.”

***

Six years in the past

Wilderness in Central Alaska

Planet: Earth

Hathor coughed as he woke up. With a groan,
he rubbed his forehead, wondering why he felt so horrible. He was
on his back, and things under him were poking him. Where was he? He
opened his eyes, wincing at the pain in his head. Trees towered
around him on all sides.

“Ann, are you okay?” he asked.

No one answered.

He sat up and saw snow and mud sprinkled on
the forest floor, and more than that, he was on a hill or mountain.
It was hard to tell which.

“Ann?” he called out, louder this time.

He remembered getting separated from her, but
surely, she would be somewhere nearby. After a moment to gather his
bearings, he rose to his feet and took a step forward. But he
underestimated how slippery the snow and mud were. He lost his
balance and fell down the hill. He rolled over tree roots and rocks
until his body slammed against a large tree. He groaned at the
sharp pain radiating in his side.

It took him several moments before he could
focus enough to call out Ann’s name again. But there was no answer,
and he had a nagging suspicion she wasn’t here. Gritting his teeth,
he pushed away from the tree and struggled to get into a sitting
position. He sat against the tree, clutching his side and focusing
on his breathing until the pain ebbed enough for him to
concentrate.

Swallowing, he examined his surroundings. He
didn’t recognize this place. It wasn’t Olympia. That’s where he and
Ann had been going. He took a slow breath. Maybe Ann already made
it there.

He gingerly moved his arm and took the Book
of Spells out of his pocket. He found the spell that would send him
to the queen of Raz and recited it.

A purple swirl surrounded him, and then he
felt his body being pulled away from the tree as he rushed through
the galaxies. The purple swirl formed around him again. Within
seconds, it dissipated, and he found himself in the throne room of
the Royal Palace. How did Ann get all the way back to Raz when they
had been going to Olympia?

“What have you been doing?” Athen, his
friend, asked as he hurried over to him. “You are in no condition
to be seeing your mother.”

“My mother?” Hathor asked. “My mother lives
in the Northern Country Side.”

Athen’s eyebrows rose. “No, she’s here. She’s
the queen.”

“Not anymore. Ann’s the queen now.”

“Who?”

“Ann Kerwin. The person who came here from
Earth to rule Raz. Really Athen, you are out of it today.” Mindful
of his wounds, he slowly headed for the door to find Ann.

“Are you hurt?” Athen called out from behind
him.

“Yes but-”

“You need medical attention right away.”

“No, I’m fine,” he said as he entered the
hallway. “I’m not dizzy or anything. I just need to find the queen.
She can heal me.”

“Hathor?” a familiar voice cried out. “Oh
Hathor, what happened to you?”

He turned toward his mother who was rushing
over to him. Why was she wearing Ann’s crown?