“Oh, I was not made for heaven. No, I don't want to go to heaven. Hell is much better. Think of all the interesting people you're going to meet down there!”

― Freddie Mercury

Sudan and her party met up with Nord and his party at the very entrance of the cave the intruders had ran into minutes before.

“Hail Nord, what have you heard?”

Sudan asked as she gripped Nord’s forearm, as he returned the greeting he said.

“One of the patrols discovered nine intruders, they were chased into this cave. Other than that, I’ve received no further reports.”

“Well, whoever these intruders are. This cave is a dead end. They’ll either be captured or in pieces. Either way, we have them.”

But when Sudan and Nord reached the end of the cave, they found some of the Harkuns in front beating at the solid wall with their weapons. As if they were trying to breakthrough.

“What is going on here? Where are the intruders?”

Sudan demanded, one of the Harkuns came forward and bowed. It was one of the younger Harkun youths, a strong lad standing at 10 and a half feet in height.

“First Warrior, the intruders are on the other side of this wall.”

Sudan did not understand what he was saying, thankfully Nord asked the question.

“What do you mean they’re on the other side of this wall? This is a dead-end, how is that even possible?”

The young Harkun shook his head, he too did not know how it was possible. But he tried to explain the situation to the best of his abilities.

“There were blue runes on the wall, and one of the intruders. A greater she-devil placed her hand on the wall and the wall disappeared. We tried to stop them, but then they went over the threshold. The wall reappeared, and no matter what we did. We can’t put a scratch on it.”

“This doesn’t make sense. Where did these intruders come from? How did they even get into the lower levels of the fortress?”

At this question, a young female Harkun stepped forward to Sudan and replied.

“First Warrior, I just received word. The intruders were first spotted by the Anuhles spiders in the underground caverns. They tried to stop them, but the intruders proved too formidable, especially that greater she-devil.”

“What is going on? The only way into the underground caverns of the Anuhles is from above through these tunnels. How did they get into the caverns in the first place?”

Nord demanded, he did not like unexpected surprises. When the safety of the fortress and the Harkuns were at stake, Nord would leave nothing to chance. Sudan felt the same.

“The spiders do not know, but they say that the intruders came out of a hidden chamber. One they did not know was there.”

The female Harkun said. Before Sudan or Nord could make any comments. The entire cave shook violently. Many Harkuns lost their balance and fell to their knees, there were screams and shouts of alarm.

“What in the name of the Lady is going on!?”

Nord bellowed.

“If I have to guess, I will say this has something to do with those intruders!”

On that, Sudan was correct. Just then, she received a telepathic call from one of her guards on the upper levels of the fortress.

“What is it!?”

Sudan demanded as her greeting.

“First Warrior, are you experiencing the same quake as we are!?”

The guard asked.

“Yes! If you can feel it all the way in the upper levels. Then the entire fortress is affected.”

Then suddenly, the shaking stopped. Sudan got back to her feet slowly. The reason for this is what she was seeing all around her and the others. The walls, floor, and ceiling of the cave were illuminated by multicolored rainbows. Still, in contact with the guard, Sudan asked.

“Are you seeing the same thing I am?”

For a moment, there was no answer. Then the guard said.

“Yes.”

He sounded as if he could barely speak, he was in such awe at the sight. Again, everything changed. This time the rainbow colors disappeared, and the entire cave, the entire tunnel system came alive with blue-white light. For the first time in thousands of years, the fortress was illuminated once again.

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“I’ve never seen this before.”

One of the young Harkuns said.

“I have.”

Sudan muttered. She spun around on her feet and ran to the cave exit. Nord was right behind her; he had the same thought too.

“First Warrior, General, where are you going?”

One of the Harkuns asked bewildered.

“To the main level of the fortress!”

Sudan answered.

“B-but, what about the intruders!?”

Asked another Harkun.

“Don’t worry, the intruders are already heading to the main level!”

Nord stated. Hearing those words, all the Harkuns present in the cave followed behind their leaders. As soon as she was out of the confines of the cave, Sudan spread her leathery gold bat-like wings and launched herself into the air. It was a matter of moments for Sudan, Nord, and the Harkuns following them to fly over the city of tents and huts. Sudan landed in front of the doors leading to the main floor level of the fortress. The guards stationed at the doors did not hesitate when they saw the First Warrior and the General running towards them. They immediately opened the iron doors, allowing Sudan to run through without pausing.

Sudan ran up the stairs, leaping up the steps six at a time. She needed to get to the main level as soon as possible, her instincts were telling her that everything within the fortress was about to change. The iron doors leading to the main level of the fortress were already opened. Sudan was the first to reach the main floor, followed by Nord and then the other Harkuns. They all stopped in their tracks; the main floor was different from the last time they saw it. Before, the walls, ceiling, and floor was dull. Almost lifeless, a dark blue, almost black.

Now, the entire main floor was alive with bright blue and white light. Runes carved into the very structure of the fortress that was invisible before could now be seen. Before, the magical particles in the fortress were so few you could barely tell if any were around. Now, the fortress was overflowing with magical particles. The pillars on the main floor seem to shimmer and shine with their own light. The Harkuns who came up from the cavern took this all in, and the Harkuns who were already on the main floor. They could not believe what was going on. The younger Harkuns were confused but excited, the older ones knew what this meant, and they were filled with joy beyond reckoning.

“Sudan, can this be? After all these years?”

Nord asked in a quiet but hopeful tone. Sudan nodded slowly, hoping beyond hope that this was not an illusion.

“I think it is Nord, I think it is.”

Then, without warning. On the other side of the main floor, a door appeared where no one knew existed. The door opened and the first to come out of the blinding light on the other side was a red-skinned, 15-foot-tall greater she-devil. She wore golden armor with a left shoulder guard and her left arm was encased in gold armor all the way up to her wrist. Her right arm was bear with only a forearm brace, and she wore a red dress with slits at the sides. Sudan was able to see her golden boots with shin guards. Sudan’s eyes widen at the sight, while the greater she-devil was impressive to look at. Sudan could only stare at the Rod of Might the she-devil was carrying in her right hand. It was a sight to see, she knew exactly what this meant.

………………………………..

As Tabitha reached the main floor, the wall revealed a hidden door that opened at her approach. But Tabitha did not go through right away, she turned to the others and spoke.

“I can see Harkuns on the other side, a lot of them. Wait here, I’ll go first.”

Balca nodded saying.

“Good call, you can soak up a lot more damage than any of us. If they decide to shoot, you can buy the rest of us time.”

Tabitha gave Balca a funny look. Yes, she had thought about buying the others time if the Harkuns started attacking them. But the way Balca said it, she made it sound as if Tabitha was going to sacrifice herself. Tabitha shook her head at the crazy she-demon who gave her a smile. Without hesitation, Tabitha stepped through the open doorway. She was greeted with the sight of hundreds of Harkuns, all of them armed to the teeth with swords, axes, spears, maces, and other melee weaponry. Tabitha walked five meters away from the entrance. If a fight was going to happen, she did not want a stray shot going through the door and hitting one of her friends.

Tabitha stood before the Harkuns with the Rod of Might in hand. She could feel the hum of power from the rod through her skin, it was ready, willing, and able to do her bidding. The rod was her and she was the rod, they were of like mind. The rod had increased her powers beyond what she originally possessed. Tabitha knew this was only the beginning, she and the rod would grow more powerful over time. Already, her magic was increasing by the minute. Tabitha held up her rod at the ready and waited.

A female Harkun stepped forward, Tabitha looked and took a double take. The Harkun woman looked…familiar. The female Harkun had gold horns, wings, a tail, and her skin was tan. She was 12 feet tall with long blond hair, and emerald-green eyes. And her face was striking and familiar, a face Tabitha had seen before. Then it hit her, the blond hair, the face, and the emerald, green eyes. The Harkun woman looked almost like…Sandra. Even though Sandra had short blond hair, both she and the Harkun possessed the same shade of gold. Both of their green eyes were the same coloring too, but while Sandra had striking cheekbones. The female Harkun had angular features, but there was no doubt in Tabitha’s mind. Sandra and this Harkun woman are related somehow. An ancestor…maybe?

The Harkun woman stopped just twenty feet away from Tabitha, and Tabitha waited to see what she would do. The Harkun had a sword, but it was sheathed in its scabbard. Tabitha was patient, she would let the Harkun woman make the first move. When the Harkun made her move, it was a move Tabitha did not expect. The Harkun woman knelt on one knee before Tabitha with her head bowed. The other Harkuns behind her followed suit, they all knelt before Tabitha.

“Forgive us, Lady, we did not know it was you.”

The Harkun woman said as she lifted her head to stare at Tabitha with tears at the corners of her eyes.

“Long have we waited for your promised return, many of us had lost hope. But you are here now, we should have never doubted. Forgive us Lady, we are ready to serve you once again. We are yours.”

Oh crap, were the first words that came to Tabitha’s mind. She slowly lowered the rod and stood up straighter. She needed to tread carefully. Who do they think I am? Seeing no other way around it, Tabitha decided to bite the bullet and ask the question.

“Your words make me happy, but I have to ask. Who do you think I am?”

The beautiful Harkun woman did not hesitate to answer.

“You are Olana the Devil Queen, Mistress of the Crystal Pyramid, Mother of Harkuns, and Goddess of the Arcadians.”

She said all of that with seriousness and pride on her face. Tabitha looked at her for a long while, she was stunned into silence. Wait a minute, wait just one damn minute. Wasn’t Olana slain by a god or gods thousands of years ago? How could they think I am her? A couple of weeks ago I was a 17-year-old human girl back on earth. How could I be Olana the Devil Queen of the Crystal Pyramid? How could they mistake me for her? Tabitha took her eyes off the Harkun woman and studied the other Harkuns, she wanted to see their reactions. She expected to see looks of disbelief or at least doubts on the faces of the other Harkuns. What she saw shocked her, all the Harkuns had looks of joy, relief, expectations, and excitement.

Oh crap, they all believe that I am Olana. Every single one of them believes that I am their dead Devil Queen. Tabitha had one last thought. What the hell do I do now?