Mine Imagination: Flight of the Hummingbirds
By: T. M. Ashley
Flower 7: Sovereign Unease
Overlooking the sprawling desert that extended endlessly toward the horizon, the majestic castle stood atop Olympus, the tallest peak on Thessaldonia. As the sun ascended, its golden rays cast a radiant glow upon the city below. At the castle's veranda, a tall woman emerged, draped in a flowing midnight blue cloak trimmed with shimmering gold. Two attendants held the edges of her cloak, preventing its sweep along the ground.
Her tawny hand, adorned with intricate tattoos, gently rested on the railing, the elegant curves of her fingers illuminated by light blue nails. A long, regal gown of matching blue cascaded down her form, accentuating her commanding presence. From her exposed midriff, a teardrop navel ring dangled, connected by a delicate chain that swayed upon her hips.
With a graceful motion, she raised her other hand skyward, a ritual performed each morning since her ascension to ruler of the planet. As if calling upon nature itself, she summoned a bolt of lightning that crackled and danced at the castle's peak, setting off the resonant toll of the morning bells. A serene smile graced her full lips as electric energy twirled around her tattooed fingertips, a testament to her power and authority.
“Good morning your majesty,” A woman said on her knee with her head bowed. She wore a white cloak with a black trim and a cat-like tail that curled behind her.
“Rise Sister Aggel,” the monarch said without turning around. Her voice is soft and melodious, “What do you have to report?”
Sister Aggel stood up but kept her eyes cast down, she didn’t dare gaze upon her queen. She absently pawed at her curls and purred softly, “He still lingers in the caverns below among the Bodoluu, your majesty.”
“And his sister?” the monarch asked simply.
“She remains unaware of his presence,” Sister Aggel stated simply.
“Good, maintain your eyes on the boy.”
Sister Aggel groaned absently and the monarch turned to the woman. Her glowing turquoise eyes fixed on the woman’s lithe form. She crouched down and inclined her head with a finger beneath her chin. Sister Aggel’s hair was dark gray and covered her face when the monarch lifted her face.
“Is there something you wish to say?” the monarch asked, brushing the girl's curls from her face, revealing her cat-like nose and whiskers.
She opened her bright green eyes and stared into the beautiful face of her monarch. She swooned and purred, “Your majesty, he is no longer a boy. That… man dwells beneath us now and has earned the respect of the Bodoluu. Should his desires become…” she looked away.
“Hold not your tongue Sister Aggel. You have served me well these many years. Speak what you feel,” the monarch instructed as she caressed her cheek.
Sister Aggel nuzzled her monarch’s hand relishing the touch, “The desires of a man are foreign to the citizens of our city. Should he find his way to the city…” she trailed off for a moment and sighed, “there would be unrest.”
The monarch looked down at the woman and tilted her head curiously, “Are you attracted to him?”
“Goddess no, your majesty,” Sister Aggel stated adamantly but failed to hide the blush that warmed her cheeks.
The monarch couldn’t help but laugh and said, “See to it that, nothing comes of his…” she took a deep breath, pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. She stood up and said, “Needs. Can I entrust you with this mission?”
"Yes, Your Majesty," Sister Aggel began with a composed tone, her feline eyes briefly betraying her emotions with dilated pupils and a heightened blush. Swiftly regaining her composure, she averted her gaze, thoughts flickering to the other sisters she served with. "May I humbly request that Sisters Delia, Sephima, and Toll be permitted to join me in this task you have granted? I seek to avoid any discord among us, should they learn of my separate service."
“Do what needs to be done to keep my son out of the city,” the monarch said sternly and turned to look over the city below. “No man has set foot in Olympus since my father died thirty years ago. I will not allow the whims of a boy’s raging hormones to desecrate these sacred grounds. As a Sister of Olympus, I expect you to do your duty and keep him at bay.”
“As you declare, your majesty,” Sister Aggel said on her knee with her head bowed.
“May you walk with the Goddess,” the monarch said dismissively.
“Forever forward, your majesty,” Sister Aggel said as she vanished.
The monarch drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, “I need to get rid of him.”
“Your Majesty," Anella, one of the two small women holding the tail of her cloak, spoke respectfully. Both women, near-identical with their light blue skin, rotund figures, and matching hairstyles, served as the monarch's most trusted advisors. Although their names were rarely spoken, they were ever-present in the monarch's court, considered ornamental by many.
"It might be prudent to permit the boy entry into the city," Anella suggested.
"Alternatively, your majesty," Drizstasia added, "You could make an example of him before your daughters and the esteemed Sisters of Olympus."
“She would see him and know,” the monarch sighed heavily. “She can never see him.”
“Your majesty could use the ferocity of her namesake and reduce him to ash,” Anella stated.
“She would never know, your majesty,” Drizstasia said.
The queen swept across the room, her attendants in tow, and gracefully opened the door. Before her, two Sisters of Olympus were on bended knee, heads bowed in respect. The queen, her eyebrow arched in inquiry, addressed them in her commanding tone, "What brings you here, Sisters?"
The smaller of the two sisters jumped up and pulled off the hood of her beige cloak with a pink trim revealing the freshly shaved side of her head only made more evident by the reddish brown braid that coiled around her neck. “What do you think ma? I finally committed to it.”
The monarch drew in another deep breath and sighed, “This is completely inappropriate. Sister Doro, care to explain?”
The other sister with an emerald green cloak with a black trim stood up but didn’t look up at the monarch. “I have no excuses, your majesty. Sister Gilda overcame me and I only managed to arrive here after she knocked on your door.”
The beautiful girl with the same sun kissed tawny complexion as the monarch had a dash of freckles that speckled her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. She had her mother’s lips and her turquoise eyes were reflected back at her. She smiled and unlike the monarch her canines were slightly longer. “Why can’t I come see my mom?”
“You are a Sister of Olympus, I am more than your mother,” the monarch stated, “If you wish to be in my presence then do so as the other sisters and visit me in my throne room.” She slammed the door in Sister Gilda’s face and turned back to find herself staring at her reflection. She smoothed out the front of her dress and walked back to her veranda.
“Your majesty, the girl wishes to be loved by you,” her advisor said.
“The girl will learn to be a proper sister. You need not coddle her, your majesty,” the other stated.
They glared at one another for a few minutes as if having a silent argument. When the monarch spoke her voice was full of sorrow, “Love is not what she desires, not will she ever be a proper sister. She is rebellious, much like her aunt. She wants adventure, the life of a warrior princess is not what Gilda desires.”
Before either of her attendants could speak, clouds began to materialize overhead seemingly out of nowhere. The dark clouds swirled into a halo that hovered above the peak of Olympus accompanied by the sudden presence of an immense aura that created a subtle shock wave that made goosebumps rise all over her body.
The monarch whirled around and smiled when she found the gold trims, seven of her most elite Sisters of Olympus on a knee with their heads bowed.
“We await your command, Queen Zeus,” Sister Akik’ibe said, wearing a crimson cloak with a gold trim.
Queen Zeus clasped her hands behind her back and said, “Eliminate all invaders.”
“As you wish,” Sister Akik’ibe said.
“May you walk with the Goddes,” Queen Zeus said dismissively.
“Forever forward, your majesty,” the nine Sisters of Olympus said in unison before vanishing as Sister Aggel had.
***
Outside of Queen Zeus’ bedroom chambers, Sister Gilda was caught off guard by her mother’s abrupt dismissal and whirled on Doro.
“Can you believe her?”
“I can,” Doro sighed, “I told you this would happen.”
“Urgh, she’s so condescending.”
“She’s the Queen,” Doro said simply.
“She’s my mother,” Gilda growled.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
“You are a Sister of Olympus,” Doro replied, “You are expected to train, work, and earn. Just as all of the Sisters of Olympus before you. Queen Zeus gave you life, in return you should give yours to her.” With that Doro turned away from Gilda and walked down the hallway away from the monarch's quarters.
A chill ran up Gilda’s spine and she turned back to her mother’s room. She absently reached for the doorknob when Doro seized her hand. Gilda’s turquoise eyes met Doro’s emerald gaze and she pouted, “Why are you like this?”
Doro turned Gilda away from the door and pulled her along, “Like what?”
“So dedicated to Zeus,” Gilda whined.
“Queen Zeus,” she emphasized the first word and continued, “took me in and helped mold me into the warrior I am.”
“Yeah, she also handed me over to you the day I was born,” Gilda said, “She’s never promoted you. She yells at you on behalf of me all the time. She doesn’t even allow us to go on missions. Don’t you want to get out of this castle? Even getting her to allow us to go to the city is nigh-impossible.”
“She granted you permission last year,” Doro stated simply.
Gilda stepped in front of Doro impeding her progress and narrowed her eyes, “Are you really okay with this?”
“We’ve been over this a million and now thirty-three times Gilda,” Doro said calmly, “I have loved caring for you and being your personal guard since the moment your mother awarded me the opportunity to do so. You are the joy of my life and now it is my duty to mold you into a warrior capable and worthy of your mother’s throne. I will see that this becomes so.” She placed her hands on Gilda’s shoulders and smiled, “There will be a day when you understand why Queen Zeus is the way she is and why she is so protective.”
“I highly doubt that,” Gilda said, looking away from Doro.
Doro turned Gilda and pushed her forward, “You’ve already delayed your training for the day. We must begin, besides you have Olympic Crystal training with Sister Sarini this afternoon.”
Gilda perked up a bit, “I guess that’s always a good time.”
“Then we must get through our morning session,” Doro said, guiding Gilda into the training courtyard. It was empty, as per usual and Gilda groaned, as per usual. However, on this particular day there was something in the air that made the arduous training seem to go by in a blur.
Sister Gilda plopped down on a bench to catch her breath, Sister Doro joined her moments later and said, “You out paced me in the last lap. Very good…” she suddenly jabbed at Gilda with her index finger. Gilda reflexively blocked all but the last strike to her forehead. “You pushed yourself to the point of exertion and left yourself vulnerable.”
Gilda swatted her finger away and said, “I’m fine. There’s no one to fight anyway.”
“Not today,” Doro agreed, “but you must never forget. Anything is possible in-”
“Tucy,” Gilda finished Doro’s favorite phrase and groaned, “You act like I’m not completely aware of that. Seriously though, when was the last time anyone dared come to Thessaldonia. Zeus declared our sovereignty before I was born.”
“Queen Zeus,” she emphasized the first word again, “did in fact declare our planet independent of the Universal Tribunal Union and the Muses. We are sovereign, which means we’re alone when a great threat befalls us. We, the Sisters of Olympus, are the only hope we have against anything that comes from the stars. That’s why we train so hard. That is why you must be ready.”
“Ready for what?” Gilda groaned.
Someone entered the training area just as Doro was getting ready to speak.
A beautiful woman taller than all of the Sisters of Olympus strode across the courtyard toward them and cleared her throat. Gilda narrowed her eyes as she approached and said, “Where’s Sarini?”
The woman peeled back her purple cloak with a silver trim and glared down at Gilda with contempt in her dark brown eyes. “Sister Sarini,” she began emphasizing the first word, “Is currently on mission for the great Queen Zeus. I was given the duty to train you today.”
Gilda leaned back on the bench and crossed her arms in front of her chest, “I don’t feel like it, Nozu.” Gilda left out the honorific and smirked at her clear displeasure.
"Sister Nozu," Doro acknowledged with a nod, "I shall leave you both in privacy." She glanced at Gilda, who seemed somewhat reluctant to let her leave.
Gilda reached out, gesturing for Doro to stay, but the towering figure of Sister Nozu intervened. She presented four crystal shards to Gilda, prompting her to choose. Gilda's gaze fixed on the red shard, and she promptly selected it.
"Please, Sister Doro," Gilda exclaimed as Doro made to leave, "fetch me a sweet bun." With that, Sister Doro departed on her errand.
Gilda turned toward Sister Nozu, ready to speak, but before a word escaped her lips, she was met with a forceful punch. Sister Nozu's fist was encased in a gleaming purple crystal gauntlet, and it sent Gilda hurtling across the courtyard. She collided with the obstacle course, a gasp escaping her lips as she tumbled onto the ground.
“Lesson one, never take your eyes off your opponent,” Sister Nozu said with a devious grin.
Gilda pushed off the ground and groaned, she squeezed the red crystal in her hand and it transformed into a dagger. She twirled it between her fingers and held it in a reversed grip. A warm liquid dripped down her lip and she wiped her mouth. When she saw her blood she growled and blitzed Sister Nozu, “You bitch!”
“Oh, a bit of your own blood makes you bark huh?” Sister Nozu asked as she evaded Gilda’s wild and uncoordinated slashes. She sidestepped and delivered a body shot that forced the air from her lungs. “Your emotions can’t get the better of you.”
Gilda’s eyes started to glow and a thick turquoise fog billowed from beneath her cloak and filled the courtyard. Sister Nozu looked side to side and then back to Gilda who faded into the fog and disappeared.
***
“Once we find Bazpo’s ship we can make our way to,” Mine turned to Trey and asked, “Where was it that you were heading, dear?” He noticed everyone’s upward gaze and found himself under an unfamiliar sky.
Ryder dropped the blueprints and rushed over to Mine and asked, “Um, sir, did you say Bazpo?”
“Yes dear,” Mine said quietly as he looked around. They were surrounded by dunes of sand and in every direction the sand seemed to go on forever. “Where are we?”
Trey's fingers fumbled over the watch's buttons, and a brilliant beam shot skyward, piercing the dawn with an urgent signal. Its luminescence waned, swallowed by the hazy morning. Mine, Gunther, and Molly craned their necks, their gazes following the fading light. Ryder, engrossed in his conversation with Violet, glanced up briefly.
A muted chime echoed from Trey's watch, and his eyes widened in alarm. He turned to Mine, his voice fraught with urgency, “I-I don't think we should be here!”
“Where are we, dear?” Trey was hesitant to say and Mine tilted his head and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Ryder's screen flickered with erratic symbols, an exclamation point blinking relentlessly as he staggered in panic. “Thessaldonia! What in the world?” His frantic gaze darted around the now unfamiliar surroundings. “Where's the door? It's gone!” His helmet flew off his head to scan the area.
Mine's expression turned pensive, his brow furrowing in realization. “Ah, that was an oversight. Apologies.”
Trey and Ryder exchanged wide-eyed looks, their concern mirroring each other's. “Are you serious?” Ryder exclaimed, his voice tinged with apprehension.
“We've gotta get out of here,” Trey insisted, urgency coloring every word. “My mom's going to freak out if she finds out.”
“It’s just another part of the adventure dear,” Mine assured them, he approached Molly who was still holding Gunther and hadn’t moved since they arrived. “Everything’s going to be okay. We never end up where we aren’t supposed to be.”
The small Voskia girl gazed up at Mine with a mix of disbelief and excitement. He couldn't help but smile at her reaction.
"Gunther, are you alright? I expected you to be more thrilled," Mine said.
"You heard the name of the planet, didn’t ya? Of course, I’m excited. To return her cloak would be the greatest gift we could give her," Gunther replied enthusiastically.
"Absolutely," Mine agreed. "Want to take a look around?" He extended his hand toward Gunther, who wiggled out of Molly’s grasp and scampered up Mine’s arm. With a playful flourish, Gunther transformed into a spyglass. Mine peered through it, and with a quick flick, the spyglass transformed back into Gunther.
"So, where are we headed?" Mine inquired, his curiosity piqued.
Molly reached out for Gunther and he leapt into her arms and said, “We’re heading north.”
“Very good, let’s make haste. I don’t want to be caught out here after dark, dear.”
Meanwhile, Trey and Ryder huddled together, exchanging their knowledge of Thessaldonia in hushed tones. A sense of relief washed over Ryder as they shared insights and strategies for potential escape. He put his helmet back on and held it in place for a moment.
“I’m happy you get the idea of danger, kid,” Ryder said, patting the boy on his back. “We gotta get off this rock as soon as possible. We’re in big trouble if we get caught.”
“Of course I do, besides my mom flagged this planet on my watch that means I’m not supposed to be here. I don’t wanna get in trouble,” Trey said. “What should we do?”
“I’ve got a few ideas but nothing completed at the moment,” Ryder said, he opened his trench coat revealing rows of tiny glass bottles. “I’m sure I can mix and match a few of my stored blueprints and come up with something. It's just gonna take some time and a safe space to build.”
“Are you going to build my ship here?” Mine asked, suddenly breaking up their huddle, “Are you sure you’ll have enough time. It’s quite the ship, it took me a few decades to smooth out the finer details of it.”
Ryder’s screen swung around to face Mine and Violet’s voice said, “We’ll need at least a few months to complete your project. In the meantime, we need to figure out a way off this planet.”
"Why is that, dear? I’ve got some business to tend to in the north,” Mine stated calmly.
Trey furrowed his brows. “What do you mean?”
“I’ve got to deliver something to the monarch of the planet. Apparently, her castle is at the peak of the tallest mountain, dear,” Mine said with an air of casualness.
Trey’s tension eased a bit. “Oh, he knows the monarch.”
Mine turned to Ryder, diverting the conversation. “You wouldn’t happen to have a vehicle that could help us get across this terrain, would you?”
Ryder’s voice quivered with panic from behind his helmet. “Did you say you have business with the monarch?”
“I did,” Mine replied curtly. “How much would it cost to acquire a vehicle for this terrain? If you don’t have anything, just say so, dear.”
Ryder scoffed and showcased his inventory of glass bottles in his jacket. With a deft motion, he crushed one of them and threw it in front of him, conjuring a large dune buggy from its remains. “That’ll be twenty thousand nomi.”
“Perfect,” Mine said, already heading toward the vehicle. Molly followed suit and settled in the back seat. However, Trey and Ryder exchanged uncertain glances.
“Come on, don’t delay. You’ll be compensated once the commission is completed, dear,” Mine urged.
“I don’t want to be on this planet,” Ryder groaned as he reluctantly climbed into the back seat.
Trey climbed in the driver's seat and Mine stared down at the boy, “Are you seriously going to drive, dear?”
“Ryder’s gotta build,” Trey said as he pressed the button that brought the vehicle to life. “Where do I go again?”
“North,” Gunther said as he climbed onto Trey’s shoulder, “Just head for that mountain.” He started to spin and turned into a pair of goggles. Trey slipped them over his head and a digital path appeared in front of him.
“This is cool,” Trey said as he headed toward the mountain in the distance.
“Of course he is, he’s my creed after all. He can see all the things that I cannot and acts as my compass,” Mine said proudly, “Cool is an understatement for what my dear Gunther is.”
Trey’s goggles suddenly depicted pulsing hearts, causing him to veer off course. After they cleared up, he apologized and refocused on the provided path. Meanwhile, Ryder and Violet collaborated on assembling his blueprints to construct a ship suitable for escape. As Molly gazed out over their surroundings, a contented smile spread across her lips. Mine relaxed, propping his feet up and closing his eyes, his cane tucked within his crossed arms.