A Love That Destroyed Time Read online

  A Love That Destroyed Time

  Copyright 2012 Melanie Ray

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  CONTENTS:

  Part One: In The Beginning

  Part Two: Regaining Sanity

  Part Three: The Burning Chronicle

  Part Four: Hidden Nursery Rhmes

  Part Five: In The Ending

  PART ONE

  IN THE BEGINNING

  CHAPTER 1

  MAKING PHEROMONES WORK FOR YOU

  Yed moved his legs slightly apart, readying himself for battle. He ignored the stains the grass left on him like food coloring in different shades of blue. Behind him, the sound of a waterfall was heard as its colorful water poured into the river below. Once a beautiful clear color, now a liquid rainbow from toxic substances.

  His eyes narrowed on his sparring partner, a recruit named Walren who wanted to become a Protector. He was training him as a favor to an old friend, but honestly didn’t believe in him. The man was too rough around the sides, and even though he had been groomed to have a fighting spirit, he was not gentle enough for the job. A Protector’s work was a fine balance between rough and chivalry. Protecting women required a touch of class and an emotional connection of friendship and understanding. A confidante one second, and a brute the next.

  The man had too much brute in him, and he proved it as he attacked first. He wrapped Yed’s arm behind his back so fast, he almost broke it. Yed wielded his tail like a weapon as he wrapped it around Walren’s arm and pulled himself loose. Still holding onto the recruit with his tail, Yed maneuvered behind him. His voice rougher than he should have been he asked, “Remember that your opponents will be innocent idiots. You don’t break their limb as a warning.” After almost having his arm ripped off, being gentle was out of the question. He’d rather be brushing up on his reading book Making Pheromones Work For You than working with someone who would not make the cut.

  He dusted off the blue grass stains from his pants. It was imported for decoration, but so was the garden they were fighting in. He'd rather be outside the castle walls instead of the inner garden sanctum. Their native grass, Plumblu would be ideal. Plumblu was a symphony of green, purple and blues that never stained. A natural occurring grass that added to the beauty of the planet Pagnia. Pagnia when seen from outer space was supposed to resemble a huge colorful marble. From the water, grass, and even the mountains filled with their sacred illustrious green mineral. Inhibitor.

  One would expect a beautiful planet would be a peaceful place to live. At one time in their history, it had been. His race didn’t have a shred of fighting spirit unless they were groomed from a younger age. Like learning a language, without violence in their lives from an early age, a regular male would never strike another. They were thought so badly of, the other planets called them warno. A word that switched from language to language but kept its meaning the same. No war, no backbone, no reason to fight. The warnos however were proud of that fact, and used that word of hatred for their own use. They were peaceful by nature, and could always be trusted. However, nature allowed them one flaw.

  Female warnos had powerful pheromones that could turn a geek into a fighting warrior. When pheromones raised to this level, they needed help. This was the original purpose of Protectors. Not to fight for their country or their planet, but to simply protect females. It was a trait often misunderstood by other aliens, but there was no shortcoming of things to laugh at. They even had huge furry tails which used to be naturally ringed with colors. Yes, when it came to respect, Yed’s race was at the bottom.

  Yed didn’t let a little thing like his race’s reputation change his ways though. A born fighter, he was an A class Protector. So why the hell did he have to mess around with this pathetic upstart? Instead of getting physical, he would try a more intellectual approach. “Our tails grow back, but our arms don’t. Now, guy shows up with flowers for your client. What do you do?”

  Yed watched Walren scratch his novice head. The recruit wore an unofficial green vest and pants, trying to look the part of a real Protector. That would be the closest he would get if Yed had any say in it. “Grab his arm?”Walren guessed. No, punch him out?”

  “What?” Yed gawked at the recruit. Was he serious? “Why so subtle?” He asked with thick sarcasm, “why not drag the guy out in the middle of the yard and beat the crap out of him?” He pinched the bridge of his nose as he heard the recruit’s ingenious reply.

  “Isn’t that overzealous?”

  The serene sound of the waterfall was interrupted with Yed hitting his forehead in frustration. This couldn’t be a future Protector. How did the man even get this far, if he couldn’t answer such a simple question right?

  After unbuttoning his vest, Yed scratched his turquoise shaded hair and wondered what to say. The new rules required Yed to use positive reinforcement. He reached into his pants and jiggled some keys. Something positive. “Guys are scared shitless of Protectors, so you’ll make more friends if you quit.”

  “Yed.” The voice of his old friend, Tug, was soft but serious.

  Yed turned his head and saw his comrade. He wore the usual green vest with pressed white shirt uniform. Yed never wore his uniform unless he was on serious business. Especially today with all the grass stains he had already endured. “Tug, this isn’t going to work,” he reasoned with him. “You’ve dragged him out to the castle, away from his Academy, I’ve tested him three days but he’s...” Yed smiled brightly as he tapped on Walren’s head. “Hollow.”

  “Every recruit who wants to make it, will make it. King’s orders.” Tug crossed his arms. “You’re one of the best, you can do this.”

  Yed rubbed the back of his ear and looked at Walren. In the past, this recruit never would have made it one day, let alone this far. Things had changed though, with the purpose and importance of Protectors becoming more important to the king. Yed looped his arm around the trainee before parting some wise words. “You know, I like you, so I’m going to let you know something. If you decide to give up, you’ll have it made.” He gestured around with his other arm, showing him the finer things in life. “Find a great girl, show her you can fight, and you can go have kids and a family.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wrapped piece of candy. “I’ll even throw this in to sweeten the deal.” He looked back at Tug as he heard his name in a scolded tone. “Okay, okay.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out another piece of candy. “Two pieces.” He was a smart ass, not greedy.

  Yed heard Tug’s griping as he concentrated on getting some of the stain off his pants. It would be better for the kingdom if he didn’t cut the recruit slack. His attention changed direction as he watched King Sheward pass by. King Sheward had disguised himself in a flowery bright shirt like a regular citizen, answering back to an alien. He was paranoid, with good reason, but did not want to stay locked up all day. Understandable, but not safe. Since Yed was considered an A Class, and times were becoming more intense with their enemies, he was actually a Protector of the king. Why was he out there with an alien, unguarded?

  Yed watched as Tug’s hand appeared in his face.

  "Don't you dare," Tug said. "Another Protector will watch, the recruit needs help."

  Gee, King Sheward or a wannabe? Yed looked back at the recruit. He would nip this in the bud fast with a few simple words. "I'll introduce you to Darella Tyopic if you give up."

  "You will?" The recruit flung off his jacket with excitement sparkling in his eyes like a little boy. "You know one of the hottest females a
round? Personally? I-I have-"

  "Recruit," Tug shouted, "stop it. Protectors do not associate romantically with women."

  "Romantically?" The recruit blinked, "Would I have a shot with her?"

  Yed rubbed his nose, the recruit was nowhere near her style of men. Darella was only one of several women he protected in the past, and she had class. He had none. Still, one never knew. Yed patted Tug’s back. “Tell you what, you work out whether this kid would rather meet a famous female or continue. I have to make sure the king doesn’t get himself killed.”

  Yed heard Tug call back for him once, but knew he was in the clear as he stepped off the stained grass onto an orange cement path. If Walren couldn't give up feminine wiles, he had no chance of making it. With that deal in front, Yed would have that amateur out soon.

  Walking behind King Sheward and the alien, Yed feigned disinterest as he eavesdropped. Unlike females, he couldn’t take charge when he did something wrong. The fact that King Sheward had reached out toward the specific alien ‘human’ made the actions more suspicious. Those humans wouldn’t offer any assistance with his race’s problem; all humans could do was trade.

  The human was similar in appearance to Yed except he had no tail and was rather tall, about five, maybe six feet. A staggering giant to a warnos typical two to four feet. The alien's translation was off, but the Pagnian language wasn’t easy to learn. By the sound of it, the human had been studying for years.

  “I’m sorry,” the human began to say to the king. “I is ambassador, but forces joined with alien are not what we do. Our population do not even believe in alien, and we isolation from others had always work well for us. I admit, your planet Pagnia beautiful and similar to we planet, but it is not our interest to join with serious treaty. Thank you for the leaving gifts for, another type of your tea roses can be accepted good nice on Earth."

  As he craned his neck looking up, his brown eyes resilient, King Sheward muttered, “Regular trade then, no strings attached?”

  “Oh yes, Earth has found good nice reason in your vegetable and plant swap. Our weather are not perfect, and your planet are fertile. Our animal are thriving at a much successful rate, so we had not stop trading you. I’m sorry, if we could, we would help more.”

  Ha, Yed thought. If humans had power to help, they’d be teaming with the enemy. If Yed’s race were warlike, or more distant from their animal heritage, then they’d be treated with respect. They were intelligent, cunning, and naturally great fighters. It was the fact that they never joined in galactic wars that earned them their less than prestigious spot in the universe. That honor belonged with the bloodthirsty and merciless waryes. Rumors how it happened would vary, but waryes evolved from warno. They were not even considered the same race. Their battle wins and reputation for dropping in on any side during a battle won them many priviledges over the warnos.

  "Perhaps more trade?" King Sheward pushed the human further. "You have enjoyed our species of feline and canine? We have a domesticated animal. It is black with a few white stripes, similar to a tiger or leopard. However, its nature is trusting, and it makes a great pet."

  The human shook his head. "Too much population. Mercy killing. No more."

  "Well, how about governing strategies?" King Sheward tried. "Have you tried monarchy? Many planets have seemed to-"

  "Us has differences," the human interrupted. "Umm the...what's the word...king? Does work not as well."

  "I see." The King sighed and placed his hands behind his back. "Our vehicle energy?”

  Vehicle energy? Yed's attention focused upon King Sheward. They hadn't shared that trade secret with any planet. It was their last desperate measure. Things must have been worse than he thought if the king were offering this to such an uninformative alien.

  "Our vehicles work by battery," King Sheward said to the human. "For every minute spent at an energy station, our equivalent of your fossil fuel station, you gain three hours of driving. Price wise, your species will pay twenty cents of your doll...dollar? Yes, dollar. It is eighty percent cheaper."

  The human's eyes rose and he licked his lips like he won a prize. "I discuss with mine planet."

  "For safety only, we will reveal that secret," King Sheward insisted to the human. "Your location is 54145, correct?"

  "One species. Human. Your tails..." The human seemed torn with indecision. "I discuss."

  Yed watched as the two nodded to each other and parted ways. He then noticed the king throw a glance his way. "Protector Yeducavich, come see me within the hour. We have matters to discuss."

  When Yed entered the throne room, he noticed King Sheward looking outside the castle from his open balcony. His undercover guise gone, the king was in his royal purple robe wearing his golden crown ornate in amethysts, citrines and garnets. He clutched his round golden scepter in his hand like he needed it for walking and not for show. Sensing this was not a casual visit, Yed had already put his official uniform on before coming in to see him. Once King Sheward detected Yed's presence, he loosened his grip. “Protector Yeducavich Smilliat.” His hands folded together on top of the scepter.

  Yed lowered himself on one leg with his left hand touching the ground. He bowed his head toward King Sheward showing his loyalty and readiness to listen.

  The King stared at Yed, but with a quirk of his eyebrow, said the words Yed had feared would come out one day. “Protector Yeducavich Smiliat, I know your secret.”

  Yed lost his senses and got up off his knee. He cursed himself for overreacting with such an action. Perhaps it was something else? “Majesty.”

  "I have classified information on your family history." King Sheward leaned his scepter against the wall. "I know the truth about your tail.”

  Yed did not speak or move himself, but his tail frizzled up like a terrified feline; its hairs arched up. He didn’t shift his body weight or his head, merely glanced around the area with his eyes. He knew no one was allowed into the King’s throne room without authority, but paranoia set in. If King Sheward was safe there, he shouldn’t worry. He tried to convince himself of that, but sharing secrets never felt safe. His voice came back softer and less confident than he had aimed for. “My tail is different.”

  “It’s colored,” King Sheward said as he grabbed his own black furry tail. “I’m betting it’s ringed Judging by your hair, turquoise. I’m right, aren’t I?” King Sheward nudged him. “You have pure lineage!”

  Yed glanced around again, instinctively going on alert again. That was not a statement he wanted shouted.

  “Don’t worry,” the King said, beaming at Yed as if he was a prize. “Your secret is safe, but I have a mission for you.”

  Yed’s tail stopped frizzing as he heard that. He relaxed his position. “What is it you need of me, sire?”

  The King’s mouth quirked up, but something was amiss. A suspicious type of grin, hiding something beneath the royal facade. He pulled Yed over and they began to walk. “It’s easy, Protector. Come over-“

  King Sheward stopped mid-conversation as his son Regwallis ran into the room and tripped him on accident.

  “Sorry!” Regwallis apologized. Prince Regwallis turned toward his father, his chubby face now red. His burgundy hat and royal puffy clothing were gone, replaced with a pair of overalls and a tattered shirt. Yed knew these things would not please King Sheward, let alone being tripped. In his Protector circle of friends, he was often called the royal tripper.

  King Sheward dusted himself off, then his attention focused on Prince Regwallis. “I am in the middle of something important, find somewhere else to play.”

  Regwallis waved his tail around as he pointed toward the left where building blocks were scattered around the floor. “Mommy said I could play with blocks.”

  “I am busy,” King Sheward said with a stern look toward his son. “Go play elsewhere, son.”

  “Mommy said I could play here.” Prince Regwallis cracked a devilish quirk toward his father as he looked between Yed and him. �
�You don’t want to make Mommy mad, do you?”

  Yed did not show his emotions, but partly wanted to laugh. Prince Regwallis took after Queen Trivelle more than King Sheward. A rebellious nature, this natural tendency to challenge becoming more steady each day. Prince Regwallis would be an excellent king one day, as long as he grew out of his spoiled nature. As it stood, he was still a small child, simply learning how to spell.

  King Sheward rubbed his neck, the ploy about Queen Trivelle working. “Go to the corner and play then, Regwallis.” He looked at Yed again. “Follow me.”

  Yed strolled over towards the left to the throne. Right beside the throne was the golden book of lineage. Thought to be used only for census, it lay with its pages closed to the world. As he examined the sheer size of it, King Sheward spoke.

  “Our lineage has been recorded since the first king crowned. Our race is fading away, but there are others like you.” The King opened the book, to the middle where a bronze bookmark had been placed. Yed scanned over pages with his mind, catching various amounts of mixed race beside names. “There are others who are pure lineage, but they are low in numbers.” The King placed his finger below a name at the middle of a page. Yed couldn’t believe what he saw: Another who had no waryes blood within their family line.

  “Your mission is to talk to this one.” The King pointed to the name beside the percentage. “Saga. Last of her lineage as well.” He broke his serious face and hit Yed on the back. “How would you like a one year vacation, all expenses paid, yeah? Talk to her and make her agree to one thing.”

  Yed nodded. A vacation was rare, and this must be important enough to offer such a thing. “Sire, what is it you need her to agree too?”

  Before King Sheward could speak, a large feminine voice bellowed his name. Yed saw a flinch from King Sheward and knew the shrill voice belonged to none other than Queen Trivelle. The queen marched in so fast that her silver crown almost toppled over. “Sheward, I’m not dealing with that alien,” she announced as her hand moved to hold her crown in place.