Kohn bugged Leete for a while longer. The latter refused to say anything to Kohn after he had asked him to teach him magic.

Later on the sun had fully set and the cold desert night had every Earthling shaking in a huddled mass.

The African soldiers were used to the rapid changes in temperature. They had brought out a series of metal cans and lit fires for them to warm up their hands and to make sure frost didn’t form on their guns, causing the internal metal parts to stick. They needed the guns to work in case they had to enforce the draft and conscriptions of the world’s governments.

A few times people suffering from the cold would try to get closer to the fires, but they had been ordered to stay where they were and their guards would push them back at gunpoint.

Kohn was doing some calisthenics to stay warm. He recommended it to the people around him but other than the volunteers and a few others, most of them were too tired, cold and hungry to exercise. Some were just too disheartened by the draft to summon the effort.

Eventually a few soldiers from the ship came running out. They effortlessly endured the cold while handing out little hard-leather wristbands. Other than a series of blackened etchings, nothing special stood out about them.

Kohn put it on simply so that he didn’t have to hold onto it.

After everyone had been given a wristband, the soldiers roared at them all and gestured to get on the ship. Slowly the throng of people shuffled, shivering and tired, onto the alien craft.

The big bay doors that acted as a ramp, and as a wind breaker, closed behind them. Kohn guessed that it once again became the solid pointed front end of the ship that he had seen on the TV.

After a few heart beats passed the closed entrance behind them made a ‘biring’ noise. The metallic surface became transparent, but instead of the baked dirt that they had previously been sitting on they could see the Sol solar system. It looked like you could reach out and touch the images that were just beyond some glass.

The planets looked motionless, but the sun was very much an active thing. The glare had been removed and the liquid fire like streams and tendrils could be seen all over its surface. If it wasn’t on fire it would have reminded Kohn of a mass of undulating worms during a rainy day.

All around the rest of space images started to pop up before disappearing nearly as fast as they appeared. He caught a glimpse of a satellite in one of the images with a series of symbols next to it before it disappeared.

Above them, on a raised dais roughly 80 feet up, the Prince appeared with Leete and the unknown archer. A loud tone drowned out all whispered conversations before a few robed individuals in front of them released some kind of energy that filled the bay.

“I am Prince StoneTooth.”

As clear as day they could all understand him. However, it wasn’t as if he was speaking all of their languages, it was if they gained the ability to understand HIM.

“You have been given a brace imbued with a spell that allows you to understand and speak in any language that has been added to the spell.” Mixed feelings crossed the gathered people at the mention of spells and magic. “This has been done to speed up your integration into the Kingdom and to hasten the start of your training. Otherwise such expensive items would never have been just given to you.”

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Kohn looked down at the hard leather wristband that the Prince had called a ‘brace’. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like simple hardened leather. Maybe the magic spells made it expensive?

“Earth has become a vassal planet of the kingdom. Currently it is held by me. All of you assembled before me have been gathered as the first of your world to join the Kingdom in our fight against the Jzanna. In return, the Kingdom will protect your planet and introduce it to the rest of the Kingdom.”

The Prince stared at them in a moment of silence to allow them to think about what he had just said. They would be trained to fight an enemy. One that not only threatened their space faring kingdom, but also might one day arrive at Earth, just like the Prince and his ships did.

Not everyone was thrilled that they would have to fight, but more than enough of them remembered loved ones left behind. Backs stiffened with a purpose and the weight of their responsibility.

“One day, many months from now, you will have been trained and fully become a member of the Kingdom. I only pray that you are able to help in our efforts,” Prince StoneTooth glared menacingly at some of those who were crying and afraid “and not become a hindrance or an aide to the Jzanna.”

For Kohn it didn’t matter if he had to fight. He couldn’t see himself dying, maybe he was just slightly arrogant? For him, he only cared about what interested him and as of this moment it was magic. He couldn’t help but shift from foot to foot, the excitement building in him.

“Before then, look behind you and bid your home planet goodbye. You will not return for a long time unless the Jzanna break through.”

The image of the Sol solar system behind them disappeared, the walls becoming completely transparent.

Outside the African soldiers had moved back by several hundred feet, their barrels knocked over and a few of them rolling away leaving trails of fire. Strong winds picked up dust and sand, whipping at them from the direction of the ship.

Unbeknownst to them the Prince had gestured to someone they couldn’t see and the ship began to lift off from the ground, soaring into the sky and out into space. Within less than a minute the ship left the Earth’s atmosphere and rejoined with the rest of her sister ships.

Half of the Prince’s ships would remain behind to guard Earth, but also to begin sharing technology with them and acquire levies and contributions for the Kingdom.

The entire time Kohn watched with rapt interest. He had never been into space, but it was just as beautiful as the poems and movies made it out to be. The Earth really looked like a jewel as it shrunk into the distance.

***

As the Earthlings stared outside the hull screen, Leete quietly spoke with Prince StoneTooth.

“Your Highness, was it necessary to give them all the Brace of Words?” Normally a loyal servant of the Prince’s would never have questioned an order, but Leete had first started off as his teacher and had long since gotten in the habit of questioning the Prince when they were alone.

“There was no other choice.”

“Your Highness?”

“This little adventure of ours was only to get us out of the way. Finding their planet was nothing other than the grace of a Mana Drop.” The Prince gazed upon his new subjects with a small amount of worry and hope. “If they cannot show a certain level of skill they will be rejected by the Kingdom and be forced to fend for themselves. Without Dark Vessels they would be forced to fight the Jzanna on their planet and that would lead to their annihilation.”

“The Brace of Words requires a large amount of mana to recharge and activate. It will slow our return and tire out the members of The Winged Order.”

“Then cut our speed in half. It will also give the Earthlings more time to train and become worthy Champions.” The Prince grunted from a stray hopeful thought. “If even one of them joins The Winged Order it will have been worth it.”

“But your Highness! You are risking much to protect these Earthlings. You even absorbed their planets World Heart!”

He made it look like a simple thing, but the Prince was still considerably weak from the ritual.

Prince StoneTooth let his full gaze capture Leete’s eyes. “I do not want to see another planet fall to the Jzanna.” His determination and strong will made Leete gulp.

Turning around the Prince headed for his resting chambers. “Train them well High Order Mage Leete. Train them well, but train them fast.”