A Half New World; Part 1

Stepping out of the meteor mimicked, one-man space shuttle, I felt the neck hair raising, familiar twinge type feeling that I had been to this world before.  I shuffled my feet, trying to move away from the oppressive heat being cast off from the shuttle only to discover that no light graced this eerie land.  Muttering, I rummaged through the various objects hanging from my belt until I found an emergency flashlight.  “Crunch.”  The sand gave way as some “thing” took a step, a disturbance in the landscape tickled my instincts that were screaming for me to pull out a weapon or start running.  Yet, I stood there… waiting and knowing that whatever happened was going to hurt, not unlike the realization that a toddler has when he sticks his hand into a flame after being forbidden to do so.  Clicking sounds, growing more worried by the minute, penetrated the silence from the right but as I slowly turned, I found myself face to face with cold, soulless eyes that reflected only my own terror.  As if the warmth had been sucked away into space, I felt the cold, alien loneliness overtake me.  The reasonable portion of my brain was thrashing about, being dissolved in despair and agony.  The clicking sound grew, but it came from behind this demonic presence, abandoning all reason, I dove under the hooded white eyes , only to be amazingly surprised that it had no legs.  Tucking my knees to my chest, I flew down the incline and right into one of those huge freaking trees that were only real in lumberjack legends.  I scrambled up and began to run, but having dropped my flashlight in the wake of terror, I couldn't’t see very well.  Needless to say I came out of the wooded area with a few more bruises than when I entered.  The clearing was vast, with a terraced tower climbing into the antiqued silver sky.  “How odd…”, I muttered under my frosty breath, rubbing my hands up and down my arms to chase away the night chill.  You will join us in the End, Gabriela Whotana…the aged voice rang crystal clear in my mind, leaving behind icicles of doubt and dread.  “My name is not Gabriela Whatchyamacallit! It’s Emiliana you mind-reading soulless FREAK!”,  I retorted out loud.  A hoarse chuckle rode away as a warm gust of wind escaped the tower.  And it was then that I met my first hospitable alien on the planet we thought dead.1

Now, I must pause for a moment to relay some of my history to you.  I am from the Celestrial Explorers Committee, which was founded by the forefathers of the Milky Way in the year of 4648 N.E. (New Era).  I am not an amateur Explorer, nor am I the best.  I am simply the one who has never been allowed to journey to any planet that even suggested it might contain life.  I had been “found” in the engine of one of the space shuttles in the earlier journeys to the planet Augustine when I was a toddler.  Since then I have been raised by the Committee in hopes that somehow I would be more able to distinguish life on other planets or have some weird natural ability like flying or freezing things like so many of the other adopted aliens.  Anyway, on with my amusing adventure to the planet Lena.2

The forest seemed to have held its breath when it was made, leaving a small clearing like a drop of sunshine in a storm.  The creature, and I do say creature for it had an apelike appearance but reeked of feral wilderness, stood out against the lighted clearing due to the 18 moons and its milky complexion and scarlet red gills that graced its neck.  The creature was crouched on the top of the terraced tower, its lanky, muscular arms dangling idly; its “hands” (for I was not sure what to call such appendages) folded under at the wrist resting palm up in a relaxed fist position.  Nay, I could not say it was animal, for its nocturnal eyes shone brightly with intelligence.  The clicking began and spun into a trilling sound that sailed through scales and octaves that were so high as to be almost unheard of by human ears. But I could hear it.  As soon as the “singing” (for it was the only word in the English language that could convey the beauty of the sound the creature emitted) began, the creature began to sway gracefully, and the trilling melted into a language that seemed vaguely familiar, but allowed me not to grasp its orgin.  3

The future lies in 4

Sweet Gabriela’s eyes5

Her words doth don6

Nethia’s Shield,7

Her light reflects8

The Zoid.9

Oh answer kindly 10

Great winds blowing11

O’en the palace door.12

Mighty trees that sway so graceful13

Shelter Her e’er more…14

The song brought tears to my eyes, but I could only claim that it was as if the singer had been able to fill my head with images of a warrior of light, cloaked in darkness battling away the evil.  As the images were still fading from my head, I looked up to see that the creature was standing in front of me with one arm held towards me as if beckoning me to follow.  The creature turned to me once more, and only then did I notice that it was garbed in a loose silver knee-length tunic that was tied around its middle with a royal purple cord.  Against all training and reason, I grasped the creatures hand and urged him to lead us on.  He seemed startled at having won my confidence so easily and hurried me forward to the doorless tower.  Then, what seemed ridiculous at first, he placed my hand  on the wall just at shoulder height and simply said “Gabriela”.  Now I must confess that I hadn’t believed that this creature belonged to a “civilized” society that I was used to.  In fact I imagined that it probably dwelt in the forest with maybe a few other members of its species.  15

Anyway, as I later learned his name, Ayrlin’d led me deep underground ‘till I thought we’d have to continue the journey crawling because the tunnel narrowed so.  But just as I was about to ask, the dirt floor gave way to a springy yellow substance (much like the grass on Mars) and my jaw dropped about ten feet when I saw the underground palace.  It was huge, clinging to the roof of the underground and hanging upside down and enshrouded in beautiful hanging gardens.  Hundreds of creatures much like Ayrlin’d milled about, tending to the gardens, visiting, or vending.  The palace was bigger than the main space station of any community I’d ever seen… probably taller than the mythical Eiffel tower and more exotic than the fantastic pyramids.  The palace beckoned me, the darker than ebony marble sang my name and it felt like home.  Ayrlin’d apologized profusely that I had to undergo an audience with the Wise One and elders, for he had obviously sensed my unease with the familiarity that this place produced.  He bowed several times as he handed me over to a group of what I assumed to be the female version of his species, tall with arms as long as their legs, close to translucent skin, feathers traveling along the spine, and scaly fins at the wrists along with gills at the neck.  The hum of their voices rose and fell gently like the waves of an ocean, reminding me that I hadn’t slept in a few weeks.  “Where is the Wise One, I need to get this over with and be on my way.” I demanded impatiently while attempting to hide the fact that I was comfortable in their environment.  “We must prepare you for your challenge.  May Gabriella guide us”, one of the particularly taller females spoke with a voice that was like unheard of beauty and grace.  The chatter halted abruptly and the women put on their game faces as they took in my appearance.  Sure, I was at least a full foot shorter than most of them, still a teenager, but I shared some common characteristics that had never been explained to me before.  For example, my eyes were silver with black flecks, and I had enough muscles in my back for wings but had somehow never developed the wings which I indistinctly knew should be there covered in a black identical to the marble of the palace.  The one who had spoken directly to me gently grabbed my arm and pulled me along as we walked up an invisible sidewalk through the gates of the beckoning palace.  “What are you called?” she asked in a voice as gentle as her hand.  “I was given the name Emiliana of The Stars; I’m not sure if that was what fate intended me to be called.” I responded, surprised at my easy openness in a complete stranger in an even stranger world.  16

The women dressed me and gave me the history of their world that they knew of ; I shall try my best to relate all of it back to you.  Please forgive my misspellings of any names.  For as long as anyone has remembered, the tale of Gabriella of The Stars has rang through our minds.  In the beginning we dwelt in the forests and the mountains, as well as the deserts and oceans.  But there came a great period of chaos when education and language as well as love and hope were lost.  We sought protection, but were unaware of what from.  We delved underground, and that is where we still dwell today.  The age of chaos was the result of an invasion, of what we do not know but have only been able to name the results.  The creatures born of this invasion were cold, soulless beings that fed on the souls of our race.  We are the Watchers, and we deemed them the Zhoid.  And so our watching began, for the one named Gabriella who would save our race and planet from the Zhoid, as told to us by the prophets in the beginning.  The magical skills of the Watchers grew, but we denied our skills the basic need for sunlight by staying underground in a palace of black marble that was able to protect our souls with enchantments.  One of the most infamous Watchers, was the sorceress Nithea.  She had a healers hand, and a mind as sharp as a dagger.  She was the first of our kind to ever infiltrate herself into the Zhoid colonies.  From her time there, she knew that the chosen one (Gabriella) would need all the help she could muster.  And so Nithea created a cloak, with a different spell for every thread.  The red threads were coated with healing powers, the purple for stealth, the silver for wisdom, and the brown for invisibility.  She deemed this cloak fit only for the Chosen One to wear, and so she laid an enchantment on it before she died, that all who tried to don it would be electrified until it was removed unless they were Gabriella or the one she chose who could don it.  Since then, we have passed generations and decades, waiting and watching for our savior who would come to us from the stars.  17

Our politics are quite simple, we have a Wise One who rules and we have the 5 Elders who guide the Wise One and the people into new times and the watching.  We trade this for that and give freely.  Our gardens produce all that we need and the rare feast includes a woodland animal that one of the brave warriors fetches from above at the risk of his soul.  The Zhoid, a constant threat, fear light and so live likewise as we do beneath frozen lakes in the mountains.  Our brothers and sisters who dwelt in the oceans are unaccounted for,but many believe that they too are watching.  May Gabriella guide us.18

After a few days of waiting and contemplating, I discovered that I had no patience and that my tolerance level was in the negative range.  So I decided to explore on my own while I had to wait for these supposed “Elders” to call on me for an audience.  My clothes had been ruined from landing and getting here so I had been provided garments similar to the ones the natives wore.  The morning after I had decided that I needed to explore, I discovered a bundle on my bed.  I carefully unfolded the purple bundle, and beheld the most beautiful material ever created.  I turned the garment about and discovered the inlaid symbols and jewels on the back, trailing down the spine as the feathers trailed these peoples.  The cloak was made for a shorter person, and changed colors as it moved in the light.  I donned it and scurried out of the castle, forgetting to worry about the guards.  I walked down the invisible sidewalks but this time they showed themselves to me as beautiful rainbows that arched through the air, connecting the palace to the city around it.  I traveled until the rainbows became less frequent and finally ended.  Then I continued my journey on foot, wandering the underground country side that was over-ridden with hanging gardens.  I had just begun to wonder if there were any animals when I heard a small wailing screech coming from up in the vines above.  I couldn't’t very well ignore the distress call, so I shimmied up a vine and into the canopy.  The cries came from a quickly located small winged animal.  She possessed leathery wings, small harmful fangs, and sharp talons on hands that were about as large as the palm of my hand.  I cooed and hummed a song to the wailing infant, and her shrieks died out as her wide silver and gold eyes turned to me shining with curiosity and familiarity.  She gently crawled towards me and I opened my arm. “Maybe this planet isn’t as different as I thought it would be”, I whispered, taking the short winged gargoyle into my arms.  I think I’ll call you Augere.  I began to make my way back to the palace, feeling the drive to defeat the Zhoid from harming these graceful people become overwhelmingly stronger.  Augere crawled under my cloak and clung to my back and was soon asleep on the return trip to the palace.  “Another day… Another time”, I chanted in my mind, forcing away the weird way that this landscape was familiar in a homely way and that these people were my people.  19

I slipped the antiqued Nethia’s Shield over myself and the small Augere as we neared the civilization of Yogonethire.  The twittering of wildlife faded like back ground music as it was replaced by the hum of beings moving about and the obsidian palace’s “nervous breathing”.  None of the tall beings took notice of me or Augere, who was purring in her sleep. So, I altered my gait to a graceful leaping in order to move through the intense city faster; the air thrummed with nervous waiting.  At the draw-walk, a transparent rainbow walk that could be dissolved or solidified for the royal family’s safety, I noticed an obsolete shadow pooling around my feet before I realized that not all eyes were invisible to my presence.  Looking up slowly, I saw first that the normally slippered feet of the Watchers were enshrouded in soft black leather boots that hit mid-thigh.  The Watcher chuckled, and my usually calm self dissolved. “What in the 7 hells are you laughing at?  I don’t recall vending tickets to the latest show, so stop looking at me as if I’m an alien!”  I screamed.  Some of the Watchers that surrounded the Prince closed ranks, afraid of what a half-breed, 5’1” teenage Explorer could do.  The Prince’s face, (for I did not know at the time that he was indeed the prince) was angular and filled with amusement. Who do you think you are?  I’m not for your amusement so back off or you’ll be missing a vital organ or two. Thoughts travel better in this atmosphere than in most other worlds, for the snotty being answered me:  And so we finally meet, although your temper does proceed you.  M’Lady, it does not become of you to think so loudly in front of nobility.  While I’m lecturing you anyway, please do not wander away from the Black Palace without an armed escort again.  Oh, and dinner will be served in the Yellow Ribbon Hall in precisely three quarter hours. G’day Lady Gabriela.  Then as suddenly as he had begun, the gentle voice was removed from my mind.  I nodded, face furiously red as I ran inside the palace, anything to get away from the damn aristocrat that thought he could boss me around.  Augere woke up, and began her soft mewling which I guessed meant that she was hungry.  Upon returning to my rooms, I saw that a gown of emerald green and royal blue had been laid upon my bed. “Oh… that arrogant son of a horned toad!”,  I muttered in an exasperated tone.  Augere flapped her small, weak wings as she tumbled out of my arms and onto the bed.  She picked up a pillow and chewed on it as her golden eyes gazed up at me.  “Little hungry are we?” 20

“This is impossible, why must I pay heed to a nobody?  I have to meet with the Elders, or a Wise One would be nice.  Not that I’m not glad that I can see all aspects of attitude on this planet but it really is tiring.” I ranted while poor little Augere gnawed on a chunk of cheese with little feline-ish fangs.  “You don’t judge the way I behave, do you Augere?” I asked “Of course not Lady Gabriela.  I have no right to do so, for You and I are predestined to fight the Zhoid together.  And I’m still hungry” the short-winged gargoyle answered telepathically.  “Angel’s Fire!” I cursed, unable to contain the startled gestures and movements. Why in the freak are all of the creatures on this planet able to read my mind?  That is so not fair, just wait ‘till I report the status of these beings to Z’Olifer (my commander and guardian in the Celestial Explorers Committee).  He was going to FREAK!  Never mind that, Augere could speak telepathically. Memo to self:  Don’t think nasty things about others, they can hear you.  I finished dressing, choosing not the elegant gown, but a more “masculine” attire for the supper.  Angel’s Fire, I even braided my hair, how’s that for being nifty.  Sneering at my horrible attitude, I lept down the stairs, and only slowed to a stop a few feet from the door of the Yellow Ribbon Room so that I did not appear in a hurry.  I had been at the palace for a full two weeks and still had not had the audience with the authoritative figure as I had requested after being attacked by the Zhoid.  Monkey’s balls!  I really didn’t want to be wasting my time.21

Unlike the aristocratic assembly on dlindralia, my “home” planet, this male on Yogonethire stood up and introduced himself formally, but he had a real smile and showed his true feelings on his face as opposed to the human game of lying and other craptacular human made frivolities.  “I am Prince XirendrIe, Heir to all of Yogonethire, Watchers and Zhoid alike.” He spoke softly, but the pride only showed when he mentioned both races on the planet.  “I guess I’ll just have to call you DrIe.  I dislike long names, and as you seem to already seem to know, I was once called Emelia in hopes of being found.  On your planet, I have been deemed Gabriela Whotana by the Zhoid and Watchers alike.” I replied, trying my best not to let my thoughts be too loud, but that led to me having to change topics in my head… which was difficult while trying to find a steady track on which to follow through tonight.  The room was airy, the walls a light peach, the floor a honey colored wood (probably native in the above world), but it got it’s name for the ceiling having been laced with yellow ribbons… like a weaving with every hue of yellow imaginable present in the web.  I seated myself directly across from the prince and proceeded to embarrass myself on behalf of my mission.  “WHO gave you the floggin right to prolong my stay, confuse my past, AND place me in mortal danger without even giving me a simple AUDIENCE as previously requested you little son of a horned toad’s monkey?”, I demanded.22

Once again I must pause in my story, for repeating such things is difficult without allowing later judgment to slip into my story.  This Prince was also in the songs that sang of Lady Gabriela, and so was a gargoyle named Augere.  In fact, the only thing not mentioned in the songs was if the Lady won the battle or met her doom to join the Zhoid.  Here’s an excerpt, but you didn’t get this from me (*cough* I “accidentally” stole it from the Book of The Lady):23

And when light kisses night,24

The moonbeams cease to be weary25

Then the Three shall fight26

And the fate of the world shall tarry27

In the hands of a girl28

A demon’s wings unfurled29

Prince’s strength slated30

This is the night that all are ill-fated.31

If the Lady doth don’s32

Nethia’s Shield33

And Augere the34

Pearled Web35

And DrIe36

The Sword of Vonatri37

Then the three will rise38

And take the storm with fury39

Then bury the race 40

In the Obsidian Palace41

For a time will come42

Whence all who still dwell will remember43

The THREE.44

Back to the story.  XirendrIe and I talked late into the night about my homeland and my memories.  It wasn’t until the moon fled before the sun until I realized that we had been speaking mind to mind.  “Monkey’s balls!” I cursed, feeling inadequate in the face of a more advanced species.  DrIe laughed aloud at my stubbornness.  “Why can’t you accept who you are?  You are the Lady Gabriela.”  Everything he said was spoken in a tone so gentle that he could befriend the meanest child with no difficulty.  He stepped out of the room, but I lingered just a bit longer.  The first thing that I noticed was that the ribbons still acted as if they were being woven, constantly moving, but I was unable to see anything behind them.  Well shoot, I climbed up onto the table and grabbed a neon yellow ribbon with hot pink stars on it.  As soon as I touched the ribbon, the webbing of ribbon sucked me into a whole new world.  About that time I blanked out, but I heard a whisper in my mind, I’ll be waiting here ‘till you get back Gabriela, and I’ll be in your mind if you need me.  Freaking Halos! Was my mind ever to myself?  Before I even had time to answer myself, I realized that the world that I had fallen into was cold.  Like palace-under-a-freaking-frozen-lake-in-the-mountains cold.  I cursed, but my words shattered the air and cracked the walls, too much warmth that this icy place was not use to.  “Welcome Gabriela Whotana, you have s-sought for anssssswersss in every realm, but never thought to asssssk ussssss.” A voice hissed from ‘neath a blacker than night cloak that was draped over cold, soulless eyes of the Zhoid. 45

Well wasn’t this fun?  I had fallen from a happy, warm room into the pits of hell frozen over.  Freaking halos!  “Where do I come from?  If I am this Gabriela chick then why isn’t my origin written in the songs that everyone speaks of?”  I asked wearily, not knowing if I was going to make it out of this palace with a soul or sanity.  That answer is written in the waters.  Only the True Gabriela would be able to tolerate the waters and gain the information she needed.  You must complete this task, then I will return you to your world.  You have my fang of honor.(The Zhoid value the fang that sustains their life force by absorbing souls more than anything.)  46

And so I was submerged in the frozen lake outside the castle walls of ice, in the darkest corner of the lake.  Monkey Balls.  My mind told me that my body could not logically tolerate the temperature of the water for longer than 5 minutes without risk of hypothermia or something of the like and just as nasty.  But my instincts just told me to breathe.  I went with the latter and discovered that my brain worked a hell of a lot better when it was fed by oxygen; no matter how cold the oxygen molecules happened to be, it was still warmer than death.  My eyes felt thicker, and so I poked them with my hands… but I didn’t feel anything. Balls! I cursed, sending bubbles of air back into the water only so that they were frozen in time, never to reach the surface.  I looked at the waters, and defiantly (and a tad sarcastically) yelled, “Tell me your secrets, Where am I from?  What is my race? Yeah, let’s see you answer that one you frozen sack of muck.”  Of course, I just had to be sarcastic… but the water took me seriously.  Frozen words began to write themselves on the surface of the water in a hastily scrawled cursive, and the darkness of the deep rose up to blend with the light of the harsh sun. 47

You are the Lady Gabriela Whotana, the one predestined to save both races of Yogonethire.  You know what you are, but you refuse to join both halves so that you might live peacefully.  The first of two breeds, you are of Zhoid and of Watcher.  And, like your friends, you hold the fate of this world in your Watcher hands.  Use the eighteenth sense, to lighten your way or darken it to save Lena48

“Terrrrrr-ific, just Ter-freaking-ific” I muttered as I swam through the solid water ‘till I found the surface again.  It was tempting to bury myself in the dark quietness but it wasn’t time yet to be selfish.  I had a race to save gosh darned it!49