Rising Shards

“You’re all surrounded,” Ovie said. “I shouldn’t have to say this, but don’t try anything.”

I wasn’t sure what I could try even if I was going to. Ovie, 09, and a giant army of Sharai hadn’t brought us much farther than Chumblerosa. Ovie seemed to have burnt out the last of the energy in the Sharai Daggers, as she cursed at them not pointing the way like they were when my father gave them to her. The retention sprites of the soldiers grunted as they guided her ahead, apparently knowing how to fix Ovie’s problem. We were all tied up with binding that looked like glowing floss that hindered our powers.

The plus side, if there was one, was that we were all together. Kalei’s group was ahead of us. I couldn't really see her in the big crowd mostly of brutes, but it was the closest I’d gotten to her during this whole mess.

“How…can we…” Chumbler said sleepily, blinking one eye at a time slowly. Chumbler's group for some reason was close to me, all of them out of it as they recovered from the hypnosis Rain and that giant lady put her group through. “Try anything…when there isn’t anything…to try?”

“That’s so…” Kitty said, also sleepy. “That’s so…so interesting, Chumblie-poo.”

“Alright, that’s going to be really annoying,” Ovie said. “How long is that hypnosis going to take to wear off?”

No one responded.

Ovie pointed her bloodsaber. “Diast. Answer.”

“You said not to try anything,” Diast said. “And I think talking is trying something.”

“Talking is talking, it’s not trying, you don’t have to try to talk.” Ovie said. “09, why’d you even bring the hypnotized idiots? What good will they do us here?”

“You said to bring everyone!” 09 said.

“Whatever,” Ovie said.

A group of vehicles approached, much different than the giant sawblade speeder that looked like it was made out of a scrapyard's leftovers. About twenty sleek, angular black cars with thick armor arrived, looking very similar to the ones in the book Stella found about the Sharai Daggers. They were most likely the ‘battery’ vehicles that would charge up the daggers. We were pretty forcefully shoved into them in groups of four. I felt like we’d all gotten arrested as we quickly sped off. I was with Dr. Diast, Marmalade, and Oka. The Sharai drivers growled at us at any noise we made, so planning anything until we got further was out of the question.

It wasn’t a long drive to our next destination. At least we were allowed to see where we were going, as the cars all had windows, albeit smaller than ones on say a normal family car. We approached a big castle, similar to the one that we saw on a void trip once or twice before. It was so similar that it had me wondering as we passed through wide gates if it had been plucked from wherever it was last in Vita Coa and plopped here.

The cars didn’t stop once we were inside, continuing to drive us through the wide halls. The tiled floor was black and white like a chess board. The walls were adorned with cloth banners. The Sharai driving our car rolled down the front windows to cheer a bit as faint orchestral music played up ahead.

I felt a bit foggy as we traced the music down the halls. I must have made a barfy face to Oka, because she gave me a very sympathetic smile back. I wished I could hold her hands right then, but her smile was a very good substitute.

We entered a vast room that felt like we’d just driven into a monster truck rally with the adornments of a castle around it. It was far away, but even from a distance and my limited view in the car I could see a lavish throne on one end, flanked by more of the retention sprite soldiers. The ceiling had intricate statues carved into them, as well as what I thought was a chandelier but upon closer look was a fountain whose water somehow looped back upwards without touching the ground. Similarly, behind the throne was a statue of a terrifying looking beast, with massive fangs and spines and all sorts of monstrous traits that made me shiver, as it looked familiar. It looked like what I could see of myself when I had almost fully transformed into the Beast Tendency.

“Subjects of the princess,” a bizarrely ‘car commercial on the radio narrator’ sounding voice came through on speakers that reached all the way to us. “Please put your hands together for the princess’ most loyal subject, the Corinani!”

A woman scrambled across the carpet in the throne area ahead, frantically tooting out notes on a horned instrument. She passed the soldiers, stopping for a second to blast an out of tune note at a full band playing the music we heard echoing earlier. Her image was broadcasted on an obscenely large screen across one of the walls. She wore a black suit and tie with a magenta shirt, and glasses that were one bent piece of glass, a visor that looked very high tech.

“That’s Miss Corinani—whatever,” she said, putting down her horn.  "Woooo! Who's all happy to be here? Thank you all for attending another wonderful, magical day under our great princess!” the Corinani had some kind of headset on, as her voice could be heard clearly on the speakers. “We are truly blessed to have her, the one who united the dying worlds! Truly the light of Wildfire Hearts! I’m really proud I’ve been assigned to watch over her, but since she’s the princess, she really watches over me. Heh. And all of us! Let’s get some kneeling in for the princess, huh?”

I realized with a numb, defeated feeling that I knew the song the band was playing. It was from a movie soundtrack. And the fabric of the banners weren’t just some deep blue thing. They were all denim.

I finally noticed someone seated upon the throne, an unfortunately very familiar person.

The Corinani, the band members, and all of the Sharai soldiers knelt before their princess. A princess who slouched, not looking at all pleased at the crowd groveling before her as she ate…something, I couldn’t tell from this far away. But I could recognize her anywhere.

“How long until they arrive?” The so-called princess, of course, had some kind of headset on too. Her voice rumbled through the ground, and I could feel it in my legs, which were already wobbly as it sunk in whose castle this was.

The princess threw the remains of whatever she was eating on the ground and seemed to turn towards our direction. She looked the same as ever, same outfit, same expression, same posture.

“What have the Sharai soldiers picked up now?” Jeans asked. “And tell me it’s something more interesting than last time.”