Page 41 of The Lost Empress

For a moment, Gen wanted to use Bellumferrum, thinking it would know how to defend her while not hurting the aliens. But she couldn’t risk it, possibly making the situation worse. Therefore, Gen decided to employ magic. Throwing her arm wide, she created a shimmering barrier of light that shielded her and Faraday from the creatures.

Emperor, his scales now pulsing with a deep, violet glow, unleashed a torrent of white-hot fire, driving the creatures back into the shadows. Thankfully, this did the trick to discourage the attack. Also, Gen was grateful that the creatures reacted fast, flying away from the fire and none of them seeming to get hurt.

As they fought their way closer to the meteor, Faraday leaped from Gen’s arms and scampered towards the fractured rock. His nimble paws deftly navigated the jagged surface, seeking out the most potent fragments. The heat was now unbearable, and the steam vents had become geysers of superheated vapor, threatening to engulf them at any moment.

Gen, her armor now glowing with the same intensity as the meteor, stood firm against the onslaught. Something in her made her freeze. Her mouth opened and words came out that she hadn’t planned—but she knew at her core that she needed to communicate, rather than fight.

“We’re not here to harm you!” she shouted above the roar of the steam and the buzzing of the creatures. “We seek these fragments to create love, to forge bonds between hearts that will last a lifetime! We don’t want to take more than we need. We simply need enough of the meteor to create diamonds to help lovers.”

Her words seemed to have no effect on the creatures, their attacks only intensifying in response. Faraday, his paws now laden with glittering fragments, scurried back towards Gen and Emperor. But before he could reach them, the ground beneath the meteor began to crack and splinter, revealing a chasm of molten rock and swirling energy.

Gen held her breath. Braced herself. Tried not to panic as her heart raced unlike ever before.

At that moment, a blinding light filled the crater, casting stark shadows against the trees. Gen, Faraday and Emperor shielded their eyes, squinting against the sudden brightness. As their vision cleared, they found themselves face to face with a group of tall, spindly creatures, their bodies a metallic gray and their eyes glowing with an otherworldly intelligence. The aliens had arrived…

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

A FRAGMENT OF HOPE, A PROMISE MADE

Santa Monica Mountains, California, United States

An expression of shock mixed with amazement covered Faraday’s face. The squirrel released the fragments from his paws, letting them sprinkle to the ground as he stood mostly paralyzed, staring at the strange beings. His mouth fell open and Gen worried he was about to pass out from excitement—his eyes wide like he couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

The glowing flying creatures, seemingly frozen in place by the arrival of these new entities, hung motionless in the air. The steam vents, too, had fallen silent, as if the very heart of the crater was holding its breath in anticipation. Everything was still, everyone’s attention commanded by the powerful presence of the extraterrestrial beings.

Gen, her arm still raised in defense, stood her ground, her eyes locked on the alien figures. Faraday clutched his paws close to his chest, looking both afraid and also fascinated by the sight before them. His little body vibrated with excitement and Gen feared his little heart would beat out of his chest if he didn’t calm down.

The alien creatures were unlike anything Gen had ever seen before. Their bodies were long and lean, covered in gray skin, and their heads were much larger than those of humans. Their large black eyes hung like oval disks on the surface of their faces. Their mouths and noses were understated, only two holes and a slit, as if given to them as an afterthought.

The stillness was broken when the alien in the center of the group of five took a step forward. Its movements were fluid and graceful as the alien began to approach the trio. Their intentions were unclear, their expressions unreadable. Gen, her heart pounding in her chest, prepared herself for whatever happened next.

The fate of their mission, and the future of love itself, now hung in the balance, as the ancient power of the meteor and the mysterious presence of the creatures collided in the heart of the crater. The light from the fires and magical arrival of the aliens faded, leaving everyone in a state of breathless anticipation. Were the aliens going to attack? Gen didn’t think she could fight them and win. She braced herself for whatever came next, knowing that she and Emperor were in it together.

“We have returned to Earth to take back what we lost,” the alien said in a strange voice that was neither masculine nor feminine, but rather neutral. The being also seemed to be androgynous, not appearing to be man or woman.

“Return?” Faraday chirped, seeming to shake off his shock.

The alien nodded. “Yes, we have been to your planet many times. This time was an unplanned visit when one of our pods went off course and crashed here.” The figure held out his strange long-fingered hand to the large broken rock.

“We must take it back now,” one of the other aliens said, an urgency in their voice.

The extraterrestrial in front nodded, appearing very much like the leader. He looked back at the others. “Yes, we will be departing on my command.”

“Before you go,” Faraday cut in, a nervousness in his voice. “We were hoping that we could have just a tiny sample of your resource…what is it that you call it?”

“In your language it would be called, Ever Grow,” the alien answered. “And we cannot share.”

Something wasn’t sitting right with Gen about all this. She stepped forward and frowned at the aliens. “Why did you lead us here with those communications? You knew about my dragon.” She indicated to Emperor beside her. “But then we were attacked and forced to cross danger and now you’re not willing to share after your pod hit our planet? That doesn’t seem right and is very confusing.”

Emperor nodded commandingly beside her. “Yes, has this all been a trick? Did you use us to find the meteor crash site?”

“We did need you to find it,” the alien replied. “We knew where it was, but not until a resident of Earth located it could we come through safely to the planet.”

“So you did use us?” Gen fired, angrily, not liking how things had turned. “You put our lives in danger and wasted our time.”

“We have a prophecy that said when one of our pods went missing that a woman on Earth, her dragon and scientist friend would help us to locate it,” the alien explained. “It has proven to be a true prophecy. We simply had to follow it because Ever Grow belongs to us and must be returned to our planetary orbit.”

“And wouldn’t it be a noble gesture to share some of your valuable resource with us?” Emperor questioned. “You put human lives in danger when that pod crashed on Earth. You destroyed part of the forest.”

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