“Attention please! Attention! Everyone, please remain calm and report to the
shelters located by the Palace. Bring your whole family and only treasured possessions
and/or food. Do not hesitate. There will be an inspection at the doors and all
unnecessary items will be confiscated.” A Kyyoro guard announced over a loud
speaker.
Everyone was shocked at what they heard. Never had Kyyoro citizens been ordered
to evacuate their homes or entered the shelters. Even when they were in the
war, they hadn’t ordered anyone to leave their homes, only to enter their basements.
They all hurriedly packed bags full of important things and headed for the shelters.
Several guards had been designated inspectors to make sure nothing space consuming
or unnecessary was brought into the virtually invincible shelters attached to
the Palace.
Among them, Anger_Fire waited in line. He was in a pouting mood. He had solved
the puzzle all by himself and the queen didn’t know. Now, he was being rushed
out of his home.
“Next!” The guard hollered.
Anger_Fire shuffled forward, his large bag bouncing against his back. The guard
opened it and used his paw to dig to the bottom. Finally he stood up straight.
“Proceed.”
Inside the shelter, Anger_Fire found himself disappointed. The walls were
plain steel, row upon row of old cots occupied room fairly spaced, and a few
families had already chosen their cots and laid their trunks or bags at the
foot of the makeshift beds.
Anger_Fire found a cot in the far corner of the room away from everyone else.
He started to unpack blankets, which he lay at the end of his bed for extra
comfort during the night. He then sat down on the musty bed and cursed under
his breath.
Karyji turned angrily to Kvlar. “Look, Kvlar! Nearly a dozen of our men have
been struck down! Go to the Kingdom and demand that the King come fight. He’s
the only one with the strength!”
“Then he’ll punish me!” Kvlar turned his white head away and shut his eyes
obstinately.
“Better you than me, fool!” Karyji slapped his assistant. “Now go to the Kingdom
and get him!”
“It’s your fault for training our army wrong,” Kvlar muttered.
Karyji was enraged. He grabbed the Korbat by the throat. “Now listen, numbskull!
You go back and get the King, or get in there and fight!”
Kvlar scowled. “That is the stupidest idea I have ever heard! The King will
only think we’re weak and undependable. Either way – stay and lose or go and
try to persuade the King – we’re goners. So just pull the army together and
win!”
Karyji grimaced. “All right.”
The Kyrii gathered together any soldiers he could take away from battle.
“Now, while everyone is fighting, go to the Palace of Kyyoro and bring weapons.”
He instructed. “Take hostages, make threats, I don’t care. Get Kyyoro to surrender.”
The troops nodded and set out for the Palace unnoticed. Then, Karyji looked
back at Episcal, who was ordering his army around, successfully and slowly emerging
victorious. He heaved an evil sounding sigh.
“Oh, Episcal, Episcal,” he shook his head. “You should know better. I’ll always
be better than you. You can’t win. I’ll destroy you myself, Episcal. You can’t
win.”
Then, licking his lips cruelly he muttered, “You can’t.”
Tarquinta had just finished hollowing the tree when she heard the cries of
pain coming from not far away. She kicked at branches, cursing. All that work
for nothing.
She grabbed her bag and went to investigate.
The great Queen Kyyoro dizzily shook her head and sat up. The hustle and bustle
around her perplexed her, and she tried to get someone’s attention.
Inscorrade was not far away. He rushed to Kyyoro’s side. “Oh, Miss!”
“Governor, why is everyone moving so quickly?” she asked, dazed.
“Miss!” The Kyyoro guard cried. “A young Shoyru came with the answer to your
puzzle while you were unavailable.”
“Oh, yes, now why was I unavailable again?” The queen rested her head back
on her pillow then jumped up. “Anger_Fire! What did he tell you?”
“Miss, the answer is a leap year. The twenty-ninth day of the second month.”
“Oh, of course!” Kyyoro stopped abruptly. “But…”
“Ma’am, this February will have twenty-nine days…” the guard said nervously.
“Yes, but – why have they attacked us now?” The queen sat down again.
Everyone exchange glances and looked dim. “Well, er…um, see the thing is…”
No matter how much they tried, they couldn’t give an answer to the friendly,
melancholy queen.
“Miss…” Inscorrade stammered. “We don’t know…”
“Neither do I.” Shaking her head, the queen walked to the pile of her belongings
that had been dumped out of the safe. She searched through it slowly. She made
a small heap of things and put them on the large table. Then, she studied each
one carefully.
“It must be this they want.” She finally held up a bronze crest. On it was
a strange marking, definitely of a different language. Its silver chain sparkled
gently in the light as it slowly slipped onto the table, the queen lowering
it. Then she rested her head in her gold paws.
“Ma’am…” Inscorrade’s eyes were big. “You… you stole it from them?”
“Stolen? Of course not, Governor.” Kyyoro raised her head. “We got it for
being allies, well, not exactly. When we attacked the enemy, they fled and we
found on the ground a pendant with two chains attached. When I picked it up,
it broke in two, and Herongedy eagerly snatched one up. It controls some sort
of magic…”
“What kind of magic, Your Highness?” Bessinia, who had returned, asked, her
eyes bulging excitedly.
“I truly don’t know,” the queen sighed. “But only the two of them control it
– and I bet King Herongedy knows what kind of magic.”
“Well, we can’t give them the pendant.” Bessinia shook her head.
Queen Kyyoro looked wide-eyed at Bessinia. No Maid Kau spoke up or said anything
negative. Not one. But Bessinia seemed firm on her answer.
“Bess–”
“Well, think of Herongedy for one second with extra powers – one second, I
dare you,” Bessinia reasoned. “Doesn’t that sound pleasant?”
“Bessinia…” Queen Kyyoro looked at Bessinia with a perplexed face. “You’re
right. But what are we going to do?”
Everyone shook their heads.
“Queen!” Someone was pounding at the door, screaming loudly. Sobs interrupted
the hollers momentarily, but then they continued. “Queen!”
Kyyoro opened the door, shocked. She screamed. Furuka, Bessinia’s fellow Maid
Kau stood with a cart, adorned in blankets and a fluffy white pillow at the
head, in front of her.
“It’s the Corporal! He’s badly injured. He’s barely conscious. I need help
getting him to the emergency room.”
Sure enough, Episcal, injured in his war soaked battle gear, lay in the bed.
“Episcal!” The queen cried. She ran to him, her heart dropping. “Episcal!”
To be continued... | 
