As Bethea and Dolan sped from the raging fires within the dense forest. They caught a glimpse of the Titan moving rapidly away from the corrupt world they were still in. Dolan wiped a tear away from his 130
left cheek as they watched the Titan speed off into a far distance.
“I wish I was in that jet with them because I don’t know whether I’m going to make it back to them or not. How do I get through to the kingdom of dark oppressors without being caught?” Dolan asked Bethea. Bethea laughed in response and a twinkle flew from her left eye at Dolan.
“Relax. I will get my friend Alistair to bring you a guard’s uniform as a disguise. You just need to keep moving fast and you will soon be with family and friends on the Titan. Let’s go,” Bethea insisted as the fires spread even faster.
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“I don’t have any family. My only family are Karlos’s family and they are actually just friends of mine. I love Karlos like a younger brother I never had and I would do anything to help him and his friends.
Where do I hide until I get an appropriate form of disguise?” Dolan asked Bethea again.
“We will soon reach a secret passageway. You must take my jacket and use it as a disguise until I get a proper guard’s uniform for you. If you get caught, just say you are Alistair’s long lost brother. That is the only way you can protect yourself within the kingdom of dark oppressors,” Bethea assured Dolan.
Dolan nodded his head and accepted Bethea’s dark 132
oppressor jacket gear. It was such a big jacket that Dolan wondered how a small person like Bethea could have worn such a jacket. Bethea noticed the expression on Dolan’s face and laughed out heartily.
“Look at that expression on your face! How can a lady so petite be wearing such a massive jacket?
Well, to cut a long story short – the jacket is not mine.
It is actually Alistair’s jacket. The secret friend I mentioned earlier and my devoted servant,” Bethea said, still chuckling away in amusement.
It wasn’t long when they had reached the secret passageway. Dolan remained at the passageway trembling uncontrollably whilst holding on to 133
In the meantime, Bethea quickly headed straight for the kingdom of dark oppressors. She had to get a guard’s uniform for Dolan. It was not difficult to find Alistair. He was already waiting for her like the faithful servant that he once was to her.
Without any delay he quickly found a guard’s uniform that might fit Bethea’s new companion’s size and they both instantly rushed to the secret passageway to get Dolan to change into the attire as quickly as possible.
Alistair informed Bethea that the spaceship named the Magdalene was already being boarded 134
with several guards and invalids. If they wanted to make it in time to join them before the spaceship took off, they would also have to dress up as escort guards.
Within seconds Alistair and Bethea had changed into guards uniforms and were moving as fast as they could to get to the spaceship before the boarding of its passengers was over. From the angle Alistair, Dolan and Bethea were running at – it looked as if they were not just invalids and escort guards that were boarding the ship but dark oppressors of high stature. Whatever that was taking place, they knew they would have to get to the bottom of it as soon as possible. Alistair and Bethea caught a glimpse of a 135
woman that resembled Brutus’s new wife Sadinya, boarding the spaceship. It was now or never, the three of them had to get into that spaceship without being suspected of treachery.
After a few seconds Alistair, Bethea and Dolan had quickly managed to board the Magdalene without any complications. They did not look any different from the other guards that had boarded the spaceship.
They were quickly directed to where the invalids were – they would have to watch over them.
Dolan instantly recognized Prometheus. He was chained in a cage like an animal with a few other so-called invalids. He smiled at Prometheus who 136
unexpectedly smiled back, baring all his teeth. Bethea and Alistair looked at each other in surprise.
Prometheus suddenly winked at Dolan who was standing by Alistair and Bethea’s side. Bethea suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable.
“You know him?” Bethea whispered out loudly in disgust at Dolan. Dolan shook his head sadly at Bethea’s reaction.
“Of course I know him. He is Karlos’s friend.
That’s just Prometheus,” Dolan replied cheekily.
“Ugh. I didn’t recognize him for a second. There are so many invalids that look like him in here,”
Bethea said apologetically.
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“Well now you know which one of them he is,”
Dolan told Bethea quietly. The Magdalene had just lifted off and was moving at full speed to get to outer space.
“Alistair, may I ask you something? How tall are guards usually supposed to be?” Dolan asked out of curiosity. He still had on Alistair’s huge jacket that he had not bothered to remove after putting on his guard uniform.
“Most dark oppressors are naturally very tall.
I’m not sure if it’s a type of chemical that is put in their food but most guards are usually over seven foot tall. Take me for example, I am only somewhere in 138
between six foot and seven foot. Don’t worry, we always have a few guards that are way below six foot. You are not way below, you seem like a pretty big guy. So what is the plan?” Alistair questioned Dolan suddenly feeling slightly drowsy.
“It will take a few hours to get to outer space but guessing the speed of this ship, it should not take more than two hours to get there. I say we get at least half an hour rest before we get there. Perhaps call some other guards to watch the invalids while we find a cubicle in this ship to take a short nap. I feel tired already anyway. I will use a little alarm device I have on my watch to wake us up,” Dolan insisted.
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Alistair nodded his head in agreement and called for some other prison guards to keep watch over the invalids. Within a few seconds they had found a cubicle within the ship.
Bethea quickly buckled up in a seat that she took by Alistair’s left side. To her right side sat Dolan.
Bethea lay her head on Alistair as she drifted off into a deep sleep. As she slept her head found its way onto Dolan’s shoulder. Dolan pushed Bethea’s head away which caused her to wake up in a panic.
“Relax! Relax. Your head just found its way to the wrong place,” Dolan said coyly but firmly. Bethea looked at Dolan with watery eyes.
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“No, I don’t believe it did. Listen to me. I think I should go with you on your escape plan with Prometheus. I don’t think it will be safe for the two of you to leave together,” Bethea suggested.
Alistair was silent and his eyes looked rather weary from lack of sleep. He cleared his throat before attempting to respond to Bethea’s worried remark.
“Those mini jets are usually only built for one person to get into. You will be lucky to even find a two-seater mini jet inside this ship. I will go and check what exactly we have onboard, so we can commence the escape plan. We will soon be in outer space,” Alistair suggested. Dolan and Bethea nodded 141
their heads in agreement to what Alistair said and watched quietly as he left the small cubicle they were relaxing in.
The moment Alistair had left the cubicle, Bethea grabbed hold of Dolan’s shoulder. She had to warn him as to the rescue plan he had come up with.
“I think Alistair should go with Prometheus. You and I can escape on a different jet. I have a feeling you will not make it on your own with Prometheus. I don’t really know you because I haven’t had much time to get to know the real you. So far I have learnt from the short while that I spent with you that you are a smart and honest person. I think I love you for who 142
you are already and I wish you all the best in your journey to freedom,” Bethea uttered out almost in tears. They were now in outer space and she knew that she might never see Dolan again. She quickly gave Dolan a hug goodbye. Just at that moment Alistair came back with the lucky news. He had found a two-seater mini jet – it was now or never. He quickly handed the cage keys to Dolan to release Prometheus from the cage he was in. Alistair instructed Dolan to meet him at a room called third base on the ship.
It wasn’t long when Dolan had managed to set Prometheus free without any hindrances. He quickly 143
rushed to the unit known as third base on the ship with Prometheus. Alistair had managed to distract all the other guards from noticing any irregularities onboard. Finally at third base they found the mini space jets they needed to get onto to escape.
There was just one more thing – they had to send a signal to the space jet known as the Titan that they were on their way with Prometheus. Dolan looked at Alistair nervously.
“Where is Bethea? Isn’t she going to escape with you?” Dolan asked.
“Maybe. Don’t worry about her. The symbols on this notebook are the code to opening the exit. There 144
is no sign of the Titan yet. All the best anyway. I have to leave before you open that exit. It is best to use this remote control. You don’t want to be blown away into outer space. Good luck and don’t forget to get into that mini jet before opening the exit,” Alistair cautioned Dolan before quickly rushing out of the room labeled as third base.
Dolan and Prometheus quickly got into the mini two-seater space jet and made sure they were ready to zoom out of the Magdalene. In three seconds Dolan had instructed Prometheus to open the exit for them to fly out of the Magdalene. It didn’t take long for them to speed away from the Magdalene and as they 145
did so an emergency alarm sounded through the Magdalene. The exit surprisingly closed on its own right after Dolan and Prometheus had sped off out of the rather advanced spaceship. A beeping signal suddenly reached Dolan’s watch – it was a sign that the Titan was somewhere nearby. However, he still could not spot the rather large space jet.
*
*
*
The Titan was an extremely fast jet. Karlos’s father blew out a whistle in relief.
“This is an incredible jet. I have never flown 146
anything like this. It shouldn’t take long to get to planet Nine X. I wish Dolan was here to help us a bit more. We can’t wait for long in outer space for him.
After a few minutes, I’m afraid we are going to have to leave without him and your friend Prometheus.
Bethea can take care of herself. I hope you understand that I am worried about all our safety here,” Karlos’s father informed them worriedly.
Karlos and Marlo nodded their heads in agreement but deep down they both felt a bitter ache in their hearts. There was no actual victory for them without their friend Prometheus. Dolan was also a dear friend to Karlos and it would be even more of a 147
sore victory without Dolan for Karlos.
Marlo’s eyes suddenly became fixated on a small object that he had just spotted from a distance. He grabbed a pair of outer space binoculars to see what exactly the small object was. Marlo had never seen a spaceship so huge in his life – it looked so small from a distance. He quickly read the name labeled on the ship – it read out the Magdalene. The Magdalene looked more like a warship than a ship carrying invalids.
“Whoa! We need to switch on our defense shields. The Magdalene is coming straight for us!”
Marlo yelled out. Karlos quickly grabbed the 148
binoculars from Marlo as his father and Marlo switched on shield barriers around the jet.
“I think I see something else approaching us.
There is a signal coming from a small jet. I can see them now. It’s Dolan with Prometheus!” Karlos exclaimed.
“We need to turn around. The Magdalene is heading straight for us and it looks as if the dark oppressors inside that ship are about to start firing at us. We are after all outlaws to the dark oppressors,”
Karlos’s father cautioned them sadly.
Karlos suddenly felt very disheartened and so did Marlo. The mini jet that Dolan and Prometheus were 149
in was drawing closer to the Titan.
“No Father. We have to wait for them. Dolan is a good man and Prometheus is a friend. We can’t leave without them,” Karlos pleaded while trembling with excitement all of a sudden.
“No Karlos. Dolan is a smart man. He can follow us to planet Nine X in that mini jet. I’m sure he should be able to manage fine,” Karlos’s father said sternly again. He was just about to pull the jet away towards a different direction when the Magdalene opened fire at the small jet heading for the Titan.
Karlos and Marlo looked on in horror as the small jet was suddenly set ablaze.
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“No! This isn’t happening. I’m going out there to save them. Let's grab an outer space gear to get to them!” Marlo practically yelled out.
In split seconds Karlos and Marlo had put on their protective outer space flying suits. A back exit from the Titan was opened and the two young men flew with all their might to save the people they cared for so dearly.
Karlos flew at full speed towards the burning jet and managed to pull Prometheus out of the burning jet. Prometheus had his outer space breathing mask on and so did Dolan. Marlo flew at full speed towards Dolan to try to pull him out of the burning jet but it 151
was impossible. Dolan appeared to be glued onto his seat. Dolan smiled at Marlo and gave him a thumbs up sign as the blazing fire drew even closer to him.
“No!” Marlo cried out as the small jet exploded into flames with Dolan in it. Marlo felt himself almost blown away as the burning jet plummeted into deep outer space. He had no other choice but to rush back to the Titan before his flying space suit was no longer a flying suit. Marlo’s suit arm had already caught fire. It didn’t take long for him to quickly reach the Titan.
Once back inside the Titan, Karlos quickly grabbed a fire extinguisher to extinguish the flames 152
on Marlo’s suit. He then found a few bandages, a stabilizer and some antiseptics to treat Marlo’s injured arm. They had to get to planet Nine X and escape their dark enemies.
Karlos looked on in silence at Marlo. He knew that Marlo wanted to speak of what had just happened. Karlos decided he was not going to allow Marlo to even dare to speak as to the loss of a great friend that had been more of a father than his own father could ever be.
“Don’t speak. Don’t even try to speak of what just happened. Dolan was more of a father to me than even my own father,” Karlos said hoarsely. He 153
clenched his fist vengefully and then released the clenched fist in the open air breathing out a sigh of relief.
Marlo shook his head sorrowfully. He hated the dark oppressors – they were nothing but pure evil. He wanted to explode the Magdalene heading straight for them. Karlos attended to Prometheus next, who seemed quite stable. He made sure to cut off all of Prometheus’s dreadfully long black hair including his long beard and moustache. Just at that moment the Magdalene opened more fire, this time towards the Titan. The defense shield barriers around the Titan fought to repel the fire flying at it.
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Prometheus and Marlo quickly joined the other passengers and hurriedly buckled up to their chosen seats.
Karlos rushed to join his father in operating the movement of the jet and increasing the shield barriers against their unyielding enemies that did not want to cease fire. More attacks came from the Magdalene.
This time the firing flew right past the shield barriers around the Titan and landed on the very back of the jet. It smashed through the shield barriers at the very back of the jet. An emergency alarm sounded all over the jet. A signal sparked implying an emergency landing had to take place.
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“We cannot turn back to planet Earth. They will capture us and execute us all. The only thing we can do is to land at the nearest planet. I think planet Nine X isn’t too far. If we keep praying we might make it,”
Karlos’s father suggested.
Just at that moment another attack was launched on the Titan. This time causing the back of the jet to set ablaze. All the passengers onboard the Titan had to quickly put on their emergency landing gear and breathing masks. The emergency alarm sounded even louder than ever before.
The database program on the operating screen within the Titan was set to land at planet Nine X but 156
due to a sudden change of circumstance, the screen read out a different planet that the Titan was heading straight for. It was a planet that Karlos and his father had never ever heard of. The system screen had pinpointed a planet by the name of planet Mycene.
Karlos and his father had no control over their space jet anymore. It was clear that they were about to plummet into a world they knew nothing about.
Karlos and his father quickly put on their emergency landing suits and breathing masks. It was getting harder to breathe. They held hands and prayed fervently that no matter what, they would all survive the outcome. There would be a light at the end of the 157
tunnel. There would be a way out somehow, someway.
Both father and son continued to pray throughout, even when they were suddenly bombarded by a blot of pitch blackness. Then all of a sudden, before they could carry on with their prayers the Titan had landed on its own with a mighty thud in a world unknown.
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Marlo awoke with a throbbing pain on the left side of his head. So many passenger seats had fallen on him.
It was hard to see ahead. When he turned his head to look behind, what met his eyes was a dreadful surprise. There was a stream of sunlight shining through a broken window within the space jet.
To make matters more bizarre to Marlo, there 160
seemed to be no other passengers onboard the Titan besides his close friend Kristan. There was no sign of Prometheus or anyone else. Kristan seemed unconscious with many passenger seats covering his body.
There was a putrid scent inside the Titan with an odd smell of burnt fuel. It smelt more like old fuel from an old engine from a vehicle and not from the Titan at all. Some abnormal looking reddish fluid was smeared all over the floor.
Marlo used all the strength he had to pull himself away from the many seats that had fallen on him. He then yanked off all the seats that had fallen on Kristan 161
as quickly as he could. There didn’t seem to be anyone inside the space jet besides Kristan’s unconscious body.
Marlo wanted to be sure there was no one else besides himself and Kristan. He quickly headed towards the front deck of the space jet and reached the level in which Karlos and his father had been operating and moving the jet at. There was no sign of Karlos’s father or Karlos. Marlo felt reluctant to return to the main body of the jet but strangely enough he suddenly felt inclined to pull some fallen seats that he saw right before him. The moment he did so a feeling of relief suddenly overcame him.
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Karlos’s body was lying right underneath the seats, clearly unconscious. Marlo knew what he had to do to awaken his two closest friends. First he had to find an emergency medical kit – he also had to get any vital breathing masks for the planet they had just arrived at. It was crucial he inspected the area in which they had crash landed at and found out the reason why no other survivors could be found.
Marlo clenched his fist in anger. He quickly put on an ideal defense kit and a breathing mask. He had to get out of the Titan and find out what was out there and what kind of planet, planet Mycene was.
There were so many broken and fallen passenger 163
seats all around the Titan, the seats seemed to have been blocking what seemed like an open exit. Marlo quickly threw all the seats away from what he thought might be the exit. What met Marlo’s eyes next was a massive shock. The exit was not really an actual exit but the end remains of the Titan. It was clear that almost half of the space jet had been blown away leaving an open space as an exit.
The next shock to meet Marlo’s eyes was the ray of light suddenly streaming through into the Titan and the sight of what appeared to be a sandy beach.
Marlo slowly walked out of the broken Titan. He needed to view the new world they had reached 164
without any sign of families and friends. To make the situation even more agitating, there was no sign of Prometheus.
Marlo moved about slowly, to view the massive island looking world they had crash landed at. It was incredibly horrific. It resembled the planet Earth that they had just escaped from but somehow there was something sinister about the place. It might have resembled planet Earth but there was some ambience about the place that made it clear it was a different planet. The trees were over thirty feet high and the sun seemed to appear in more of a centre position from a certain distance.
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There were various types of blue birds chirping away and squirrels of various colors running about.
Marlo suddenly felt so much at home. It suddenly occurred to him that there should not be a problem for him to breathe without the breathing mask. There were so many small mammals running about as if the air was well balanced and easy to breathe in. Marlo’s heart began to beat rapidly as he excitedly took off his breathing mask. He suddenly felt a breath of pure fresh air rush through his lungs. He had never inhaled air so unbelievably fresh that smelt so clean and refreshing.
Marlo leapt up in the air with such great joy and 166
rushed towards some waters not too far from the sandy looking island. He flung himself into the waters and washed his injuries in the crystal clear waters and the more he did so, the more he felt as if his injuries were quickly healing.
“Whoa yeah!” Marlo yelled out. He suddenly felt completely enthralled and uplifted by the beautiful place the Titan had crashed landed on. There was a sudden tap on his left shoulder which made him jump up in disbelief for a second. He turned around to see Karlos with a devastated look on his face. It was clear Karlos was no longer unconscious.
“Where are my family and why didn’t you try 167
waking us up before washing yourself in these unusual waters?” Karlos asked, appearing to be quite frustrated. Kristan was standing right behind Karlos and was clearly no longer unconscious but fully awake.
“You are not going to like this…I think everyone else might have been blown away during the crash landing. Didn’t you realize that only half of the jet had landed safely on this beautiful island. We should be grateful that we are still alive,” Marlo said with a lack of clarity in his voice. Karlos looked coldly at the friend that he had cared about for so many years.
“What is wrong with you? Have you suddenly 168
become desensitized and insensate? My family are missing here and you are telling me that they were blown away before the jet landed. How can this be possible? If they were blown away with the other passengers then they should have been blown away with the seats they were fastened to. Don’t you think this is all very odd? Answer me!” Karlos yelled out irately towards Marlo.
Marlo decided to ignore his suddenly bad tempered friend which landed him a sudden sharp blow on the left cheek. This got Marlo’s high spirits fuming – before he could stop himself, he clenched his fist and threw a heavy punch at his friend Karlos’s 169
head. The fight was on. The two young men had reached the sandy grounds and were punching and kicking at each other furiously.
The only person that could stop them from fighting was Kristan. He was happily sat on the sandy beaches laughing.
“Look at you two. It is like watching children or untamed animals. Come on now, are you men or school boys?” Kristan yelled out, chuckling away.
Karlos heard what Kristan said and quickly shoved Marlo away from him. He threw a pile of sand at Kristan in annoyance, which Kristan quickly ducked away from.
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“What kind of friend are you? I am going to search for my family because I’m sure they are somewhere on this island,” Karlos yelled out.
Within a few seconds Karlos had disappeared into a dense forest within the island. Marlo watched in fear as Karlos dashed away into a forest he knew nothing of.
“Prometheus is missing too you know. All you care about is your family. You should think of your friends too. Moron!” Marlo yelled out after Karlos.
Unfortunately Karlos had already disappeared from Marlo and Kristan’s sight. Kristan shook his head in disappointment.
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“Are you thinking what I am thinking? He is our friend no matter what. We can’t just sit back and allow him to wander about in a place he knows nothing about,” Kristan said wisely. Marlo nodded his head in agreement. He hated Karlos’s irrational behavior at times. Perhaps it was Karlos’s fear of never seeing his family again that made him behave this way.
“Okay let’s go get him. There are a few tracking equipment and weapons inside the Titan. We can also carry a few breathing masks just in case. I’m not sure what exactly is in that forest but let’s go! What are friends for?” Marlo shouted out in a fiery tone.
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Within seconds Kristan and Marlo had gotten dressed up in secure clothing that they found within the Titan. They had grabbed various weapons and tracking devices to find their friend and any other creature that might be hiding within the unknown forests within the island of planet Mycene. On their hunt for their friend through the strange forest, Kristan thought it helpful to yell out Karlos’s name.
“Karlos! Karlos, it's not safe out here. Karlos, we are your friends!” Kristan yelled out despairingly.
Marlo suddenly assumed he had heard a harsh sound of someone or something whimpering in pain.
“Hush! I thought I heard something. Let’s switch 173
on the tracking device. It should be able to detect if there is anything or anyone nearby,” Marlo suggested.
Kristan quickly switched on the tracking device which begun to beep at that very instance. Each time they turned towards the wrong direction which had no person or creature to track, the device would stop beeping. After a few minutes they stumbled upon a bush of hedges and a large tree branch which Karlos was holding onto. Half of his body appeared to have been swallowed into the dense bush of hedges. Marlo and Kristan laughed at the sight of their friend caught in some kind of trap. Kristan shook his head mostly 174
“This is what happens when you forget about your friends. You end up stuck in a bush that you can not get out of. Let’s pull him out of there. At the count of three. One, two,” Kristan quickly counted and at the count of three he had managed to pull Karlos out of the sapping bush with the help of Marlo.
“What in the name is that thing?” Kristan wondered, feeling slightly perplexed as to how Karlos had gotten himself stuck in a wild bush of hedges.
“It’s like quicksand. I thought I heard the sound 175
of a horn blowing so I thought I would hide behind those bushes and the next thing I knew I was being sucked into it. I had no other choice but to grab hold of that tree branch over there. Thanks you two…, I don’t know how I would have gotten out of this if you hadn’t gotten to me in time,” Karlos said gratefully. Just at that moment, all three friends felt the earth beneath their feet suddenly trembling. They looked about for what it could possibly be and suddenly spotted some squirrels running towards them from a distance. After a while the squirrels did not appear to be so small anymore but had suddenly enlarged to almost five foot high and they were 176
heading straight for them with bloodthirsty fangs.
Marlo looked at Karlos and Kristan and shook his head sadly.
“We had better run for it. This really is a different planet,” Marlo practically yelled out. Within less than a second, the three friends were running to their own safety. Kristan threw some devices to Marlo, in which Marlo handed one to Karlos. They were the gifts that Dolan had given them before they had embarked on their journey to a different world.
All three friends tapped on their devices twice which automatically turned into whips. With a lash of their whips they managed to climb onto the few high 177
trees at the island. It wasn’t long when the squirrel stampede was over and all three friends were able to descend back to the ground. Cold sweat trickled down Kristan’s forehead and he looked at his friends with fearful eyes.
“What next? This place isn’t that safe after all.
We need to find a way to fix the Titan and get out of here. If only Dolan was with us – he would know what to do,” Kristan sadly declared.
“Forget about Dolan. I don’t want to hear it. I should have aimed to save him instead of Prometheus. Prometheus is the one that has caused our downfall. We would have been safe on planet 178
Earth if he hadn’t gone protesting like the buffoon he really is,” Karlos replied sullenly.
“Let’s head back to the Titan. We need to decide where and how we are going to sleep this evening. If you still feel your family are somewhere on this island we will use the tracking device tomorrow morning to try to find them,” Marlo quickly suggested. Karlos nodded his head in agreement.
They were about to head right out of the forest when Marlo’s foot bumped against a solid object on his right hand side. He yelled out in pain for a second and then burst out into laughter.
“No way! I just found the other half of the Titan.
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Take a look at this, it was hidden behind those massive leaves over there. I can’t believe my eyes,”
Marlo said, still in disbelief. Karlos and Kristan moved closer to take a look at what Marlo had described as the other half of the Titan. It looked more like a small portion of the Titan, not precisely half but it was still a good sign. Kristan and Karlos insisted they shifted that particular portion towards the main body of the space jet.
After a few hours, the three friends had managed to put the Titan back together. It seemed pretty late as they watched the sinking sun disappear completely.
Marlo suggested they made a fire not too far 180
from the Titan. It was getting pretty cold and dark on the island.
Luckily for the three friends there was some food already stored on the Titan that they gladly devoured.
Marlo took a deep breath in and looked keenly into the cheerful fire that they had made outside the Titan.
“I wish Cathy was here,” Marlo suddenly said in a sulky tone. Karlos looked at his friend sternly.
“Just let go. Let the dead rest. Stop trying to talk about someone that no longer exists. We need to move on with our lives. I lost Dolan. He was a good friend and like a father to me. Why can’t you let go,”
Karlos insisted.
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“She mentioned something that I still cannot place my finger on. Something to do with people being shipped to another planet. I asked the reason why and she mentioned something of a contest,”
Marlo said in an intriguing but rather daunting manner.
“Why would anyone want to hold a contest in a completely different planet from their own. It just doesn’t sound rational in any way. Look, I am tired and I need to get some rest. The Titan is clearly not in such a useless state as I thought it was. It's just the engine that is down but that can be fixed in due time.
I’m tired. Tomorrow morning we shall go in search 182
for any survivors that might be in hiding,” Karlos said while half yawning. He quickly made his way back to the Titan. Marlo put out the fire and headed for the Titan with Kristan.
The moment they had gotten into the space jet
– Marlo switched on an electromagnetic force shield around the spacecraft they were in, to stop any creature from drawing near the Titan. Marlo also switched on a human detector to detect any humans that might draw near for the detector to sound an alarm. Karlos shook his head in amusement.
“You are such a genius aren’t you? You have forgotten to put your personal defense suit on,”
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Karlos said sarcastically. Marlo looked at his friend quietly as he wrapped himself up with a blanket. It didn’t take long before he had fallen into a long deep sleep.
It wasn’t till late afternoon the next day when the three friends decided to go on a hunt for their missing guests, friends and relations. They clearly had a good night’s rest and ate a good breakfast from the stack of food stored within the Titan. Karlos looked on contentedly at his caring and dedicated good friends.
“I love the Titan. Irrespective of our dreadful crash landing, surprisingly all our belongings are well intact. A lot of food and drink are still safe in the 184
storage we placed them in. I can’t wait to find my family and learn the wonders of this planet. I have a good feeling about this place,” Karlos uttered out cheerfully. However, he somehow exuded a hint of sadness in his manner of speaking. Marlo quickly patted Karlos on the back considerately and assuredly.
“I also have a good feeling about this place and I know we will learn to survive on this planet without any other people persecuting us. As long as we are the only people here with our family and friends, no harm shall come to us. If there is ever a problem, we can always divert to another planet. Think about it.
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This planet was not our original destination or intention to arrive at,” Marlo suddenly said with a slight look of doubt displayed on his face. Karlos looked at Marlo sternly with a slight irritability slowly overcoming him.
“Do you smell that? The air, the pure fresh air.
That is the smell of freedom. I can breathe pure clean air. This is freedom Marlo, this is freedom.” Karlos yelled out viciously in response to Marlo’s doubtful comment. Kristan laughed out quietly as he staggered carelessly behind his two close friends.
“Yep, this sure is freedom. Marlo, come on. You need to loosen up a bit and try and chill. Just embrace 186
the idea that we have reached the freedom we have been longing for ever so long!” Kristan said aggressively but cautiously. Marlo shook his head defiantly and took a deep breath in with a very worried look on his face.
“I embrace the word freedom but I am not embracing this planet until I find out why the dark oppressors fired at us without any hesitation which caused our jet to crash land on this planet. Something isn’t quite right here? I can feel it in my bones,”
Marlo practically cried out.
At that very instance all three friends found themselves suddenly encircled with ropes. The ropes 187
were extremely strong. Before Marlo, Kristan and Karlos could fight their way from the many ropes that had suddenly bombarded them, they were fastened and tightly tied together by the terribly strong ropes.
Their bodies were being dragged really fast towards a massive cage. Within seconds the three friends had fallen unconscious. The ropes that had bounded them were so tight it could almost squeeze the life out of any living being.
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A loud noise of clashing cymbals and heavy drumming were the first sounds to greet the ears of Marlo, Karlos and Kristan the moment they awoke from their sudden ordeal. They were no longer in a cage.
To the surprise of the three friends they found themselves in emperor’s robes. Their eyes were saluted with a flock of unusual looking women dressed as warriors. To the further surprise and 190
annoyance of the three friends, they suddenly realized that they had been tied to large diamond thrones.
The warrior women seemed to be performing some sort of ritual. They were all very energetic in their actions and all their eyes glowed a vibrant gold along with their long golden blond hairs. It was such a shocking sight to behold. Kristan seemed slightly amused by the sight that met his eyes.
“We are in paradise! We are definitely in paradise. I have never seen such beautiful women with eyes like sparkling gold and hair as shimmering and bright as the sun,” Kristan said impressively with admiration. Marlo shook his head in disagreement 191
“Are you stupid? They are going to kill us! We need to get out of here. This is a nightmare,” Marlo practically yelled out while trying to pull his wrists away from the ropes that had been used to bind him to a throne.
At that very moment the clashing cymbals and the drumming came to a sudden halt. A rather slender looking woman quickly rushed towards Marlo and smiled coolly at him.
“Don’t be afraid. My name is Kora. They think you are all very special. Our leader is afraid you might try to escape before she can get the help she 192
needs to get the formula complete for an antidote. We saw you all getting out of that jet earlier this afternoon. We waited for you to draw closer to the forests before attempting to capture you,” Kora whispered delicately into Marlo’s right ear. She quickly did a twirl and the clashing cymbals and drumming commenced again. Loud cheers sounded from the many warrior women there. Kora then saluted her fellow warrior women by crossing her arms across her chest.
“My Queen, the prisoners have agreed to help in completing the formula to the antidote. You shall all soon have your eyes restored back to their original 193
color,” Kora yelled out as the clashing cymbals and drumming continued to play with great rhythm.
Marlo, Kristan and Karlos looked at each other in confusion.
“Damn! I can’t believe what I am hearing,”
Marlo muttered out quietly towards his two close friends. Kristan and Karlos suddenly shook their heads in disbelief. A look of dismay suddenly overcame Kristan’s face.
“This island isn’t paradise after all. These women must be suffering from some kind of eye disease – a golden eye disease. You win Marlo. This is a nightmare!” Kristan suddenly remarked. Karlos 194
chuckled quietly in response to what Kristan said.
Marlo gave Kristan a stern look.
“Shut-up! I think we have some eye ointments back in the jet. The ointments are made out of a herbal home remedy. Something must have caused their eyes to change into that glowing gold color. We need to try and help them and if we can’t then we are going to have to make a run for it,” Marlo whispered out loudly towards Kristan and Karlos. Without any hesitation Kristan and Karlos nodded their heads in agreement.
The warrior women were still in tune with their euphoric sounds that they were happily playing. It 195
appeared to be daytime but it seemed as if it was drawing closer to dusk.
Marlo, Karlos and Kristan looked on in fear as the Queen of the warrior women suddenly approached them.
“You will all be made into fine kings, if you succeed in finding the last ingredient for the antidote.
The antidote is required to restore the eyes back to their original color. My people shall bow down to you for eternity. I insisted for you three to be placed on these thrones immediately as I feel and know that you will succeed in helping me complete my formula for the antidote,” the warrior Queen assured the three 196
Marlo, Kristan and Karlos gazed reluctantly in disbelief at the warrior Queen. It would be quite bizarre to complete a formula they knew nothing about and suddenly turn into kings overnight. Marlo decided to take a deep breath in before attempting to respond to the warrior Queen’s promise.
“That sounds very grand to me. This place already looks like paradise, what more could we ask for but to be made into fine kings. Tell us what we need to do for this dream to materialize. How can my friends and I assist you to complete the formula for the antidote you desperately need?” Marlo questioned 197
in spite and disgust. The warrior Queen glared at Marlo doubtfully.
“Are you trying to be sarcastic? Your sarcasm will not get you anywhere! This is not a desperate situation. It is an essentiality which you shall greatly be rewarded for, if you are able to succeed in finding the dagger fruit. Now as a warning, do not ever dare to speak to me in such a despicable manner. As long as you are here you shall address me in a courteous manner. I shall not tolerate any brusque behavior.
You understand?” the warrior Queen bellowed vengefully. Kristan, Karlos and Marlo nodded their heads quietly.
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“How do we find the dagger fruit, my Queen?”
Marlo asked in the most polite manner he knew might be acceptable. This caused his two close friends seated by him to burst into fits of laughter which seemed randomly and clearly inappropriate and dreadfully rude. Karlos noticed the look on the warrior Queen’s face faintly changing and he quickly gave Kristan a sharp look.
“Sorry, my Queen. We are just not used to speaking in such a courteous manner my Queen,”
Kristan said trying his best to stop himself from laughing.
Marlo grinned dubiously at his two close friends 199
and winked coolly at the warrior Queen. She was clearly not impressed with their behavior. Marlo realized this and thought of a way to try to explain to the warrior Queen as to the sort of people he and his friends really were.
“Don’t take this personally but we are just common men. We are not used to being tied up by women. You don’t even know who we are. If we told you we came from another planet, would you believe us? If we told you that we might have a family stranded somewhere on this island, would you believe us? If we told you we got to this place because we were running away from persecution, 200
would you believe us? I don’t want to sound rude but before we help you sort out your assumed flaw, I need to let you know who my friends and I really are.
Can I start my Queen?” Marlo said sternly with a slight aggressiveness in his tone of speaking. The warrior Queen looked at Marlo with a sparkle in her left eye.
“Go ahead. Tell me who you really are? Maybe I might let you all go free without having to help me out,” the warrior Queen replied sadly. Marlo and his friends looked at each other anxiously, suddenly feeling quite nervous. Marlo nodded his head as a signal towards Karlos to speak first.
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“My name is Karlos. I have a family stranded somewhere on this island and I just lost one of the best friends I ever had before reaching this place of hopeful paradise. For years I have suffered with my friends and family. We were living in a planet called Earth where a dark oppression rules and has taken complete control. We never had this much freedom.
We have lived our lives in fear for so long,” Karlos said sadly but fearlessly. He then nodded his head towards Kristan to speak.
“My name is Kristan. I have also spent many years in fear and hiding from dark oppression. We arrived here by accident but for some strange reason 202
not a sense of fear reached my veins the second we arrived here. I breathed in the cool air and believed I had finally reached a place I can really call home. I believe it is possible there could be some freedom here,” Kristan said icily but with a hint of hope in his tone of speaking. He quietly nodded his head towards Marlo to finally speak. Marlo took a deep breath in.
“I’m Marlo. I have also suffered for many years in fear and hiding from a dark oppression. You don’t know what it feels like to live in fear and hiding. It is a cowardly thing to do and most people believe in facing their fears and fighting for what they believe.
That is exactly what one of our closest friends 203
Prometheus embarked to do. I don’t know where Prometheus is now or my family but I do believe they might still be alive somewhere on this island. If they are all already dead, I wouldn’t feel a thing. I know one thing, I have nothing to lose. I already lost the only woman I ever loved in the world. My girlfriend Cathy was killed because…” Marlo cried out but stopped his explanation for a second to take a deep breath in.
The warrior Queen suddenly moved closer to Marlo and clutched hold of his right hand and looked deeply into his eyes.
“You don’t have to finish your story. You are 204
free!” The warrior Queen said sadly. She was clearly deeply moved by their brief personal life stories. She suddenly whistled and many warrior women rushed to the thrones and at the warrior Queen’s signal, the many warrior women untied Marlo and his two close friends. The warrior Queen smiled at the three friends that had told her of their suffering.
“Find them rooms fit enough for Kings to stay in. Your life stories have made you Kings already. No one should have to suffer from persecution. If you want to leave, go ahead and leave but my offer to turn you into Kings shall remain for eternity and as long as I live,” the warrior Queen said vengefully and 205
Marlo, Karlos and Kristan rose from the thrones they had been tied to and smiled in response to what the warrior Queen had said. Kristan and Karlos seemed slightly perplexed and looked at Marlo for an answer to their next move.
“We accept your offer. We shall allow you to turn us into kings that we truly deserve to be. You are right in every way, no one should have to suffer from persecution. In return we shall find the dagger fruit you requested for previously but first we must rest.
We are quite tired and we haven’t eaten since we left our jet,” Marlo informed the warrior Queen. The 206
warrior Queen looked sharply at her warrior women.
“Take these men to the hidden castle and make sure that they are treated like kings and well fed,” the warrior Queen instructed. She then turned her head towards Marlo and his friends and smiled ecstatically at them.
“When you are ready to aid in finding the dagger fruit, tell one of my warrior women and I shall send a few of them to escort you three on the journey to finding the fruit. You are no longer our prisoners,”
the warrior Queen told Marlo and his friends.
Without any further delay, she quickly made her way to her own palace. It was clear that the warrior Queen 207
would not be staying at the hidden castle with the three friends.
It wasn’t long when Marlo and his friends had reached the hidden castle. They were greatly received at the hidden castle. They were given robes to wear and addressed pleasantly. The castle itself was a wonder to view. It was made of pure crystals, marbles and stones. The inside of the castle glittered with vibrant light and the many servants had ensured the castle floors had been well polished. This made the floors appear as a practically translucent and shiny surface.
It was practically dusk by now and Marlo and his 208
friends had been invited to dine with a few of the warrior women to watch some light entertainment at the castle. Sounds of drumming and clashing cymbals could be heard again. This time they were no longer prisoners but kings to their own glory.
The three friends sat on their presented thrones that were not far from a massive table of food. This was within what appeared to be the ballroom but seemed more like a large dining room due to the huge feast that had been spread out before them. One of the warrior women standing by Marlo’s throne by the name of Kora moved towards the entertainers in the room.
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“Tonight we shall feast with our new kings. We shall dance and celebrate the gateway to finding the dagger fruit,” Kora yelled out hopefully with a gleam in her right eye. Loud cheers from the other warrior women, servants and entertainers sounded the room.
Marlo, Kristan and Karlos couldn’t help but join in the cheering. They picked up their offered goblets and filled them with drinks on display. Marlo looked at his two closest friends.
“You do know we might have friends and family stranded somewhere that we need to find,” Marlo quickly muttered out as a reminder to Karlos and Kristan.
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“Relax. Let’s feast with them and get some rest.
When we have enough energy we shall go in search for not only the dagger fruit but our friends and family,” Karlos replied cheerfully. Marlo suddenly felt disappointed. He had hoped they could try to escape by midnight from the domineering warrior women.
“What made you suddenly change your tone? I assumed you were desperate to find your family?”
Marlo responded sternly. Karlos shook his head sadly.
“Marlo, I am tired. I haven’t had much rest and I don’t think I have ever had this much fun in my life.
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We have been made into Kings. This is like a dream,”
Karlos replied solemnly. Marlo patted his good friend on his back.
“We shall feast with them but tomorrow we will find our loved ones and their precious dagger fruit,”
Marlo insisted. Kristan suddenly shook his head in annoyance.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to go on any hunt tomorrow. My legs are aching terribly. We need at least one day’s rest. We don’t even know whether we are the only survivors from the crash or not? Please, let’s not move with such speed to reach a dead end.
We need to plan our actions carefully before 212
attempting any further movements. We are lucky enough as it is to be kings amongst these kind warrior women,” Kristan suggested cautiously. Karlos and Marlo looked at Kristan impressively and decisively nodded their heads in agreement.
After a while Karlos’s eyes drifted towards the dancers. He marveled at their dynamic acrobatic performances. There was so much food at the table, it was hard for the new kings to engulf the plenty that had been placed before them.
The warrior woman by the name of Kora moved to stand by Marlo’s throne to converse with him.
“Tell me. Who are you really?” Kora suddenly 213
asked curiously. Marlo chuckled a bit in response and reluctantly turned his head towards Kora.
“I am a King due to my own sad life story. I am nothing more and nothing less,” Marlo replied faintly to Kora. Kora laughed in amusement at his response.
“You sure are a King. You remind me of someone from my past that always looked out for me but then one day they took him away,” Kora suddenly said sadly.
Marlo stopped eating after hearing the unexpected information. He suddenly glanced at Kora in a rather worried manner.
“They? What do you mean by that?” Marlo said 214
quietly towards Kora. Kora shook her head fearfully.
“Shush, I can’t speak here. Meet me at midnight at the courtyards. I will explain everything to you then. For now, take my hand and come and dance with me. Please?” Kora asked gently but fearfully. It was clear that she was unsure as to whether Marlo would reject her offer to dance with her or not. Marlo took a deep breath in, he was a bit unsure as to dancing with the unusual looking warrior woman.
“Alright. I will dance with you but only briefly,”
Marlo decided and gently grabbed hold of Kora’s hand.
In seconds the pair were dancing not too far from 215
the entertainers. No one really noticed them. There was too much entertainment going on for them to be noticed.
Marlo moved closer to Kora’s ear as they danced. He had to find out about the man that had been taken from Kora and who or what exactly had taken him away. The last thing Marlo wanted to hear was that there was another dark oppression within the new planet they had crash landed at.
“How did he look like? Why did they take him?”
Marlo whispered persistently into Kora’s ear. Kora’s head swayed about gracefully and reached Marlo’s left ear to reply.
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“He had the exact same hair cut and brilliant piercing eyes as yours. He is so much like you in appearance and very dear to my heart. His name is Dario. I hope to find him one day and restore our island back to how it was – to before they came…,”
Kora whispered back nervously.
Marlo shook his head fearfully and decided he had to return to his throne to enjoy the entertainment going on. Dancing with Kora and hearing such disappointing news about the island made him suddenly feel quite disheartened.
Within seconds Marlo had returned to his throne to join his two closest friends. It wasn’t long when he 217
was laughing and cheering at the excellent performances taking place.
One of the entertainers danced her way delicately towards Marlo after juggling big pebbles with her feet. She shook her long golden hair all over Marlo’s face and threw herself on the table where little of the feast was still on display.
It was clear most of the food and drinks had been consumed by Kristan, Karlos and the warrior women.
The dancer then shook her hips on the table gracefully. She then grabbed a few empty bottles on the table and began to juggle them slowly in rhythm to the playing of the clashing cymbals. She did this 218
without getting up from the table and remained firmly relaxed on her back on the table.
After a few seconds the dancer stopped juggling the bottles and placed them back on the table. She then suddenly but quickly grabbed a knife on the table and sliced a piece of cake still on display on the table. Before Marlo could refuse, she had stuffed the slice of cake into Marlo’s mouth. There was an uproar of laughter in the banquet room. Marlo’s mouth was all smeared with a huge chunk of cake.
The dancer threw herself away from the table and bowed down to Marlo.
“Sorry my king. This is just to involve you in the 219
light entertainment. I hope you don’t mind. It will not happen again,” the dancer said apologetically.
More laughter sounded the banqueting hall as the dancer delicately danced around Marlo again, shaking her long golden hair all over Marlo’s stuffed face. Within seconds the dancer had danced her way away from Marlo’s throne, once again juggling big pebbles with her feet.
More laughter sounded the banqueting hall as the dancer continued to juggle big pebbles with her feet to join the other entertainers and dancers.
Marlo got up from his throne to applaud the dancers and their humorous entertainment. Kristan 220
and Karlos contentedly joined in the applause.
“Oh boy. I have never laughed so much in my life!” Kristan told his two close friends sadly. Karlos and Marlo agreed with Kristan. It was getting quite late and they made it clear to the warrior women that they needed to rest.
It didn’t take long for them to be escorted to their massive royal chambers awaiting them. Marlo reminded his friends to bolt their doors once inside.
Irrespective of being warmly received they had to be cautious and be sure that they could really trust the warrior women.
Marlo was so relieved when he finally got the 221
chance to relax on the comfy bed he found within his elegant royal chamber. He needed to get a few hours of sleep before awakening again at midnight to meet Kora at the courtyards. He was so exhausted but glad that he could feel a sense of freedom he had never felt before. It wasn’t long when Marlo had fallen into a deep sleep. Whether he would be able to awake in time to meet Kora was not a necessity for an exhausted young man who had no idea as to his future or what was ahead.
It wasn’t till a few minutes past midnight when Marlo suddenly awoke from a bad dream he had. His whole body was drenched with cold sweat. Marlo lay 222
on his bed for a few minutes trying to recollect all the events that had occurred to bring him to his sudden kingship.
It took a few seconds for him to realize he had forgotten about the plan to meet Kora at the courtyards. The moment Marlo had remembered this, he quickly jumped off his bed and put on some fresh clothes. The clothes appeared clean but there was something a bit ancient about them.
Marlo wondered how the warrior women had gotten the perfect size clothing for them to wear.
There were no men at the castle besides himself and his two closest friends. Marlo hoped Kora would still 223
be waiting for him at the courtyard so he could find out other factors about the island in which they were in.
It was crucial he did not make a sound while leaving his royal chamber room. The last thing he wanted was to awaken any of the other warrior women. Marlo wished he had told his friends about his plan to meet Kora at the courtyard but he thought it would be wrong to cause any alarm to them.
Kristan and Karlos deserved to feel and be treated like kings. They had all been through enough already.
It didn’t take long for Marlo to make his way to the courtyards outside the secured castle. Luckily for 224
him Kora was still waiting at the courtyards for him.
She was pacing up and down with a deep frown on her face.
Marlo cleared his throat quietly, the second he reached the courtyards. There was a wind blowing fervently around him. Just looking at Kora caused a blot of sadness to suddenly overcome Marlo. Kora’s long golden hair reminded him of his girlfriend that he had lost not too long ago.
Kora suddenly stopped pacing up and down and froze to gaze into Marlo’s watery eyes. It was clear she had sensed his presence and could now see the broken young man standing before her. Kora took a 225
“What is it? Why do you look so sad?” Kora asked immediately. The wind blowing fervently around Marlo had by now reached Kora. They were both encircled by a light night breeze. Marlo shook his head sadly.
“Your hair just reminds me of someone that I lost a while back. Don’t bother paying too much attention to me. Just tell me what you wanted to tell me about this island,” Marlo insisted.
Kora nodded her head in agreement respectively.
She motioned to Marlo to take a seat on one of the seats at the courtyard. Kora then took a deep breath 226
in. Some sadness had also overcome her.
“Some few years ago, this island was once a mighty empire. We had both kings and queens ruling the entire island. Then one day some unusual disappearances began to occur. At first we were unsure as to how people had managed to disappear on such a beautiful island. So one day a group of the only women remaining, including myself, decided to go on a search for the people that had disappeared.
Most of the people that had disappeared were men.
We thought it odd that all our men had suddenly disappeared and all the women that did not possess golden hair had also disappeared,” Kora began to 227
explain but stopped for a second to catch her breath.
Marlo shook his head in disbelief and motioned to Kora to finish her story and explanation of the island.
“So we went on a hunt for the missing people and heard a horn blowing from a far distance at night.
That was when it dawned on us that it could be possible that there were other people on the island that might be night creatures, creatures that had taken many of our people away. We were on our way back to our kingdom when we thought we would taste a fruit that we later realized was a fruit called the Oldy fruit. The moment we tasted the Oldy fruit all our 228
eyes changed color. It was such a devastation for Vera, our leader and our Queen for now. We searched for months to find a cure or a recipe to restore our eyes back to the state in which they originally were, but it was hopeless. Finally Queen Vera came up with a formula that she thought might work but the formula she came up with required a fruit named the dagger fruit. There was a fear that the dagger fruit might be hidden within the lair of dangerous wolves.
We were about to get set and armed to find the lair when we discovered three young men,” Kora said with a sudden chuckle.
Hearing this extraordinary information cheered 229
Marlo up a bit but somehow the solemn expression on his face remained stable.
“How do you know they were really night creatures that took them away? What if the people that disappeared had intentionally decided to make a move to live their own separate lives,” Marlo stated cautiously but sadly. Kora shook her head in disagreement.
“I know that the man that cared for me dearly would never disappear without his belongings including the many other people that also disappeared. One day I will find Dario,” Kora said determinably and hopefully.
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Marlo responded to what Kora said by giving her an encouraging smile.
“I wish you all the best in finding Dario. I also wish I had a special someone besides friends and family to find,” Marlo said enthusiastically. He suddenly let out a loud yawn and Kora knew she had no other choice but to allow Marlo to leave the castle courtyard to get some sleep and some rest.
The next day, Marlo and his friends did not awake until late noon. By the time they had gotten cleaned up and eaten a late lunch they had been invited to the castle gardens to relax and discuss the plans in finding the dagger fruit.
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Karlos was quite impressed with the great reception they received at the castle gardens. Seats fit for kings were placed in the gardens for them to relax on. There were various fruits and delicacies spread out in dishes for them to try. So many beautiful warrior women were there to fan them and massage their aching feet. It was a terribly hot day and refreshments were also on display for Marlo and his friends to quench their thirst.
Marlo was still not fully awake and envisioned the gardens as a dream and not actual reality.
“This is too good to be true. I don’t think I’m fully awake yet,” Marlo told his two close friends.
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Karlos and Kristan nodded their heads in agreement.
Karlos was so ecstatic but deep down felt guilty as to not finding the strength to search for his family.
“This is truly paradise. I don’t think I ever want to leave,” Karlos said cheerfully with a tear rolling down his right eye. Kristan suddenly burst out into fits of laughter.
“Stop! You are tickling my feet. Be gentle, please,” Kristan cried out. The servant massaging Kristan’s feet stopped for a second to apologize.
“My name is Risti. I’m sorry if I am not massaging your feet right. Allow me to add a healing balm to soothe your aching feet, before your 233
escapade and hunt for the dragon fruit tomorrow,”
Risti, the servant offered. Kristan laughed and agreed for Risti to add a healing balm to his feet. This got Karlos and Marlo’s ears perked up.
“Hey Risti, why don’t you get all of us some healing balm,” Marlo suddenly insisted. The servant nodded her head quietly.
“Rachellia, please go and get the large healing balm inside the storage room in the castle for our handsome kings,” Risti quickly instructed another servant present in the room.
Just as Rachellia left the gardens, Kora entered the scenic garden. There were various flowers and 234
shrubs of various colors holding unusually euphoric and distinct scents.
Kora’s eyes spotted a flower that resembled a black rose. She strutted towards the flower and plucked it gently from its stem and turned around and looked deeply into Marlo’s eyes as she walked towards him.
“I like you Marlo. I want you to take this flower and keep it with you at all times. I cannot come with you on the hunt for the dagger fruit but this flower will protect you from all harm. This flower holds a certain power when plucked from its stem. You will only know how to use the flower’s power when you 235
face the hour of truth,” Kora said in a loving and caring tone.
Marlo was shocked as to Kora’s sudden caring behavior. He wondered if Kora really knew a man that resembled him or was it all a fabrication.
“What do you mean by the hour of truth?” Marlo questioned as he grabbed hold of the supposedly unusual flower. Kora looked at Marlo sadly and smiled a forced but painful looking smile.
“You will know when the time comes. I have to leave now. Queen Vera has insisted that you three go on the hunt for the dagger fruit without any assistance. Directions to the lair in which we believe 236
the fruit might be hidden shall be left outside your chambers before you awake early tomorrow morning,” Kora quickly replied.
Kristan and Karlos laughed at Kora’s behavior.
Karlos intentionally picked up a fruit and threw it at the suppressed looking warrior woman.
“Hey, how come we don’t get a flower to protect us. Why is it just Marlo? What if we decide not to return. We need some assistance in finding this dagger fruit,” Karlos yelled out towards Kora.
Kora pretended not to have heard what Karlos had said and left the garden quickly but quietly.
Kristan shook his head in disappointment.
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“This is weird. I hope we know what we are doing by going on this hunt. We need to find our families and friends as well,” Karlos whined out, suddenly feeling quite irritated by the behavior of the warrior women. Kristan shook his head in agreement.
“It is clear that she really likes Marlo. That is just a flower. It will wither and die way before noon tomorrow. This paradise is turning into a nightmare.
We need to find our friends and families,” Kristan insisted. Marlo eyed the black flower closely and placed it gently under his clothing. He then smiled warmly at his two closest friends.
“Relax. We shall find their fruit and return with 238
it. Once their eyes have been restored back to their original colors we shall tell them that we are leaving to find our friends and family,” Marlo assured Kristan and Karlos. Karlos sighed heavily and looked at Marlo, sternly.
“We had better get some rest right now and early sleep. If we want to find our loved ones quickly then we will have to leave by dawn in search of the dagger fruit,” Karlos demanded. He was suddenly feeling rather frantic.
Marlo and Kristan nodded their heads in agreement. They both dashed off to their chambers to get the rest they needed and so did Karlos. It would 239
take a genius to find a whole bunch of missing people in one day. If their friends and families were still alive then where on the island were they and was it possible that they were still alive?
It was not till a few hours before the crack of dawn when the three friends awoke and got ready to go on their escapade. Instructions to get to the dagger fruit had already been left right outside Marlo’s royal chamber.
Marlo pulled the black flower from under his clothes and looked intensely into the soul of the flower. It would only be of great use at his hour of truth. He had remembered Kora’s words as she had 240
handed him the supposedly flower of power.
Karlos quickly moved towards Marlo and slapped him on his head. They had to move fast, especially if they wanted to find their missing relations and loved ones.
Marlo understood Karlos’s need to rush. He quickly motioned to his two close friends to be quiet as they began to make their way out of the castle.
After a few hours the three friends found themselves in the middle of nowhere – in a forest within an island unknown. The search for the dagger fruit was becoming quite tedious. Marlo looked through the map that Kora had left outside his royal 241
chamber. It was rather difficult to read. They had to get closer to the lair of wolves, where the dagger fruit grew.