© Cara Violet 2017
ISBN: 978-0-9953667-0-1
www.caraviolet.com
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.
Cover by Mitchell Nolte
THE WORLDS OF THE UNIVERSE
FELRIN GALAXY
Felrin System
Felrin – Species: Felrin
Sheroon – Species: Extinct
Rawl – DESTROYED
Roame System
Waterak – Species: Unknown
Rivalex – Species: Gorgon, Giliou, Necromancer
Fewdeter – Species: Jugwugbugy
Dowaric System
Janjuc – Species: Sprite
Valendean – Species: Kinsmen
Vengard – Species: Mandalayn
Flaygoren System
Deposi – Species: Seaq
Rodoli – Species: Cigard
Feldara System
Elzara – Species: Archa
Felderin – Species: Giliou
Delrinmino – Species: Chormeda
Hyravane System
Hilan – Species: Harpy
Whidal – Species: Aquamorph
Tinwala – DESTROYED
Abergot – DESTROYED
Croone System
Croone – Species: Daem-Raal
Havan System
Deloit – Species: Crucibal
Sari – Species: Sarinese
Namea – Species: Necromancer
WHIRLEED GALAXY
Star Systems – Unknown
HOLOM GALAXY
Absentee System
No planets
MILKY WAY GALAXY
Solar System
Venus – species: N/A
Earth – species: Preform human
Mars – species: N/A
Jupiter – species: Sewan
Saturn – species: N/A
Uranus – species: N/A
Neptune – species: N/A
The Kaianan Trilogy
Kaianan
Queen Kaianan
Darayan (Companion Novel: Kaianan 2.5)
Kaianan: Anarch
The Prequal Novella
The Battle of Middle Forsda
QUEEN KAIANAN
Prologue
Chapter One: A Return Visit
Chapter Two: A Reintroduction
Chapter Three: The Quarter Summit
Chapter Four: The Execution
Chapter Five: The Moral Compass
Chapter Six: Running for Your Life
Chapter Seven: Unanswered Answers
Chapter Eight: Escaping Earth
Chapter Nine: Felrin in all its Congress
Chapter Ten: A Sprite’s Fury
Chapter Eleven: Getting Caught Up
Chapter Twelve: In Two Places
Chapter Thirteen: The Conductor of Felrin
Chapter Fourteen: Duty of a King
Chapter Fifteen: The Man Named Dersji Brikin
Chapter Sixteen: Back in Time
Chapter Seventeen: An Uninvited Guest
Chapter Eighteen: A Poisonous Matrimony
Chapter Nineteen: Locked up and Jaded
Chapter Twenty: Burial of a King
Chapter Twenty-One: A Liege Epilogue
Chapter Twenty-Two: Refusing to Comply
Chapter Twenty-Three: An Unexpected and Unwanted Rescue
Chapter Twenty-Four: A Connection, Somewhat
Chapter Twenty-Five: The Rivalex Conductor
Chapter Twenty-Six: Back on Croone
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Selfish or Selfless?
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Saving Chituma
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Breaking and Entering
Chapter Thirty: The Choice
Chapter Thirty-One: Help at Hand
Chapter Thirty-Two: Accepting Death
Chapter Thirty-Three: Black Smoke, Missing Mirrors
Chapter Thirty-Four: When Two Becomes One
Chapter Thirty-Five: Explosion
Chapter Thirty-Six: The Conductor of Croone
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Aura Versus Aura
Chapter Thirty-Eight: Removal from Office
Chapter Thirty-Nine: Mass Exodus
Chapter Forty: A Score to Settle
Chapter Forty-One: Foggy Edges
Chapter Forty-Two: Gathering Thoughts
Chapter Forty-Three: The Defeated King
Chapter Forty-Four: The Unusual Alliance
Chapter Forty-Five: The Chimaera
Chapter Forty-Six: Through the Vector, He Goes
Chapter Forty-Seven: Unkept Promises
EPILOGUE
QUEEN KAIANAN
Prologue
A particularly small Daem-Raal ran trying to catch up to the rest of his companions already gathered in the capital city. Always lagging behind he was, always the runt, always the slowest. This thought made him speed up. Faster, he willed himself, and bursts of red dust erupted under his small feet as his pace increased. He noticed the city had just shed its overnight mist and, excitedly, he felt the sun prickle on his maroon skin. He twisted his stick arms and legs round, to stop and watch the first sun draw bright light at dawn. To him, this was the prettiest sight in all of Croone.
“Cuki, not again. Hurry up!” He heard his leader, Humkar shout in the distance.
The tiny Daem-Raal felt his chest tighten. He hated letting the others down; it was another excuse for them to tease him, which he didn’t need. He got back on track and passed through the red soil roadways while the small mesh homes flashed by beside him. His face lit up when he finally laid his eyes on the Bu-Ky Temple in its renewed, glorious gold architecture, and heard the sounds of his comrades off its walls:
“Ga moon ra, Ga moon ra …”
The chanting grew louder as hundreds of toddler-like Daem-Raal came out the massive front entrance toward him. They battered multiple feet one after the other in train formation.
“Ah! Wait for Cuki,” Cuki called, waving his arms about. He was panting now, trying to get in line, ducking out of the way of the front ranks of Daem-Raal and tried to insert himself into the midsection in haste —
Thud!
Pain surged through his toe and suddenly he was flying through the air. His upper body flopped under him, and he somersaulted and pummelled straight down into the Daem-Raal line like a cannon ball—bundling over a dozen of his peers—coming to a stop right at their feet.
Humkar rolled his eyes and let out a groan. “Curse that boy … step in line, Cuki!” He yelled from his throne.
Cuki fixed himself up and nodded vigorously, his oversized ears slapping him in the face.
“Insolent swine.” He was pushed out of the way.
“Damned fool.” Another said.
They breathed heavily at him through their hooked noses. Deep blood orange eyes narrowed in spite, and he cowered from their stares as they stepped over him and marched on. So much for today starting off well, it was turning out to be like every other. They were always mean, always pushing him around. Well, he’ll show them: he did have a friend. Someone who was nice enough to speak to him and even care for him.
“To the Rook Mountain we ascend,” he heard Humkar boom, hoisting his staff in the air.
They made their way outside the city, and deep inside the rear of the line, one by one, the Daem-Raal had divided, guiding a levitating, crystal coffin-like case, in between them. Cuki built up his courage and got to the rear, pushing his comrades aside, edging closer to the case. It was crafted out of thin, pliant glass and was almost transparent. He lifted his small body u
p to get a good look in. Staring back at him through the glare of the case was copious shaggy brown hair, a white robe and bloodied chestplate, and flawlessly spotless white boots, all against a still, dormant body … Dersji Brikin of the Felrin suddenly opened his searing brown eyes to the sky and pounding suns rising above him…
Chapter One: A Return Visit
Kaianan felt the thud of the ground underneath her. Her body shuddered. She spat grass out of her mouth and rolled over. Icy chill prickled over the skin on her face, even though there was a hot sun beaming down on her. Blowing out air and inhaling, she tried to work out what planet Boku Jove had sent her to.
Then her hearing came into focus. There was screaming and shouting; absurdly loud.
Kaianan moved her head a few inches and her jaw dropped.
Hundreds of preforms, dressed in reds and blues were spread out around her in a ginormous stadium. The three-tiered concrete construction was perhaps filled with about sixty thousand people, and she was smack bang, laying in the centre of it. She checked her body; her tunic, slacks and boots were only grassy but her chestplate had a small crack through it. Her bones and skin were otherwise intact.
Kaianan couldn’t believe the amount of people staring at her. She used her fingers and brushed the grass out of her hair, realising she was on a huge oval pitch.
A whistle sounded loudly in her ears and a face was standing above her.
“Are you okay?” the young blonde man with big blue eyes and dressed in little garb, said. She’d completely forgotten how common the Vernacular was, it was the preform language that was inherited by the Gorgon and basically the universe spoke it as a majority. His words bounced around her mind in confusion.
“Fask of a Harpy. Am I okay?!” Kaianan snapped, lifting herself up. “Who are you, preform? Where am I?” As soon as her vision darted sideways, a form of recognition swept through her.
“I’m Patrick,” he replied. “You’re in the middle of the MCG.”
Kaianan did not acknowledge him, she was still trying to put the pieces together. It couldn’t be.
“The Melbourne Cricket Ground?” He repeated, as if she hadn’t heard him the first time.
“Patrick? Are you a human? Is this ….”
“Leave it, mate,” another teammate shouted to him.
Then others came running onto the ground. What were they doing? The roaring voices coming in from three hundred and sixty degrees around her were drowning out Kaianan’s thoughts.
“If you are okay, you need to depart to the exits immediately; you are holding up play,” a man in a bright coloured t-shirt advised behind her.
As more men in blue jackets and black slacks drew nearer, Kaianan clenched her jaw and fists. They were coming straight for her. She began running. The thought ran away with her: was she back on Earth? No way.
“Kate,” she heard as she ran, and turned her head round in curiosity. Jumping over the barrier from the crowd was the human boy who she had befriended the last time she was on Earth… Reddy? His small body in a bright red winter coat struggled to make the landing onto the grass. “Kate?” He got close to her while she ran toward the exit ramp. “Is that you …?” the red-headed boy waved, “it’s me, Reign … I mean Reddy.”
Her eyes bulged. This was Earth. She swore under breath and continued hurrying toward the exit, away from him. When she reached the boundary and the concrete ramp, the crowd were booing in her direction. What was that about?
“You there, miss,” a security guard called and additional human authorities, who had been on the grass oval, were now coming down the ramp in her pursuit.
“Kate! Wait!” Reddy yelled, somewhere behind them all. Was he insane …? She remembered she had had this conversation with her mind before … yes, yes, he was insane. She ran down the arena interior which was a huge concrete jungle, turned left and, after a few seconds’ jog, stopped. She decided to try ‘porting. Nothing happened. She cursed under her breath. What next?
Kaianan glanced up to concrete ramps that lead to the higher levels of the stadium. She moaned and with a strong wind blowing through the gates, she hastily trekked upward. This was a good way to go, right? Commotion and footsteps followed below her and she decided to hurry up. Finally reaching the top floor and emerging into another corridor of flamboyant humans, Kaianan located a few doors nearby; she headed for them and tried to lever open the closest on her right—locked.
“Kaia,” she heard a stranger cry and the next thing she knew, the door in front of her was kicked in and she was pulled into the small room by two grasping hands. She arched her elbow backward and jabbed her assailant in the ribcage. She heard him (by her estimations of groan) fall against an empty desk and small machine, with the latter going flying.
“Kaianan. Please don’t,” he said, trying to regain his balance.
“Who are you?”
He stood up and wiped his camouflage jacket down. “It’s me, Jax.”
She lunged at him and gripped him around the collar. Brown eyes under short, beach blonde tresses looked back at her. She had met Jax through Julius the last time she was here. He worked for the Underworld, or was it the Ministry of Earth?
“Did you plan this?” she said hastily, “how did you know I was Vectoring into Earth?”
“I don’t know…” he scratched his head, “… Rashid told me to expect anything …”
“Like what?”
“… well, since you were last here, he had been fearful of invasion. Our world and their media have been speculating the worst since the Flinders Street attack. The Underworld are even more unsettled. I’m surprised we haven’t had a civil war yet.”
Kaianan sniffed and released him. “Civil war? I thought the Ministry of Earth could keep the Underworld under control … and I didn’t think Rashid would ever cave and give them a Vector out …” he said nothing to this, “How did you find me anyway? I only just got here.”
Kaianan scanned the corridors and the windows that were actually exterior floor to ceiling walls which gave her a view of the entire city. She skimmed her eyes over the city which she had come to know and after seeing no movement inside or out, she exhaled with relief and turned back to Jax who still hadn’t answered her, “You actually work for the Ministry of Earth, yes? Are there more of you?”
Jax stared at the windy flags and trees Kaianan had been analysing. “There would be many more; I’d been assigned to monitor this game—by the Underworld, not the Ministry—and, by the way … you were broadcast on prime time free-to-air TV.” He added, worryingly, “There are half a dozen other Morphs monitoring entry to Earth: we believe Earth is being invaded very soon, Kaianan. The pressure is mounting on Rashid. Varrid and Ulysus have stated they want him dead. They blame him for our current planet’s position after we helped you.”
“Who is going to invade, Jax?”
“We reason it may be the …” Jax’s words trailed off as the crash of— “Bullets! They’ve got guns,” Jax cried, but not before the rounds had scattered through the room, with several plunging into his back—splattering out his collarbone. He fell forward.
Kaianan grimaced and pulled his falling figure behind the desk; irritated by her premature assumption they had some time before anyone found them and wanted to slap herself for her stupidity.
“Leave me,” he was barely audible, “the Ministry will protect me. It’s you they want.”
Kaianan looked down at his injured body, and agreed with him, struggling to avoid the guilt eating away at her for putting him in this position. Quickly she removed his jacket and put pressure on the wounds that bloodied his grey t-shirt. Several more shots came their way. She crouched lower and replaced her hand on his chest with his own. She glanced at the window, at the trees swaying in the distance and for the third time, oncoming fire scattered across the wall next to her.
It fell silent.
“Stay safe,” she whispered to Jax, although she was sure he was unconscious, and she rolled to a safer spot
behind a bigger desk. There was no time to assess the situation further, so when she spotted a door to another room, she made a dash for it and clasping the door handle found out it was locked.
“Damn Seevaar!” she exclaimed. “Is nothing going my way today?”
More bullets hurtled through the external glass windows, and – crash! – they were shattered outwards. Shouting began to rise and at that moment, Kaianan abandoned the door while black-masked figures raced in, firing. Time slowed. Kaianan took a few giant leaps and closed her eyes as her last leap sent her through the fragmented windows and into the open air—hundreds of metres above the ground.
Her stomach churned as she tumbled through the atmosphere alongside broken glass. Pain shot through her as small pieces cut her skin. Death was approaching in the form of hard-surfaced concrete –
… then everything stopped and she felt her hands go cold.
Shooting her eyelids wide, she realised she had, by some means, landed on her hands and feet in a crouch.
“Well, that worked out well.” She mumbled and without a second look back, she sprinted off, past the arena, toward an open plain of land.
“Get your records! Footy records!” The boy in the red jacket shouted from the small burgundy stand, shielding his eyes from the sun and holding up a magazine with AFL’s Elite written across it. There were also various stands outside the stadium selling merchandise and food. She could smell the sweet aroma of pastry and sugar. It wasn’t the time for a snack though, much to her disappointment. Examining her perimeter, Kaianan noticed darker dressed, black-masked individuals running across a huge concrete bridge pursuing her, “Who the holom are they, now?”
Who cares, focus and get moving. The voice jumbled around in her brain and she rolled her eyes. Focus? That’s what she was trying to do, although, being sent back to Earth in the middle of a horde of preforms, being hunted and shot at, and falling from the sky twice during, all in less than a few minutes, did not help her in the slightest.