by Tristan Vick
The greenery of the palace grounds continued on for about another hundred meters where it came to an abrupt edge. A small perimeter forcefield kept the sand at bay, creating an epic landscape where the green sward and the golden sands of Thessalonica met. A perfectly clean line existing between them, neither spilling out onto the other. Everything was kept confined to its own particular region, a not so subtle metaphor for Jegra’s relationship with Dakroth.
Jegra walked the full stretch of lawn and then kicked off her low-stacked heels before stepping out onto the hot desert sands. Letting the sand burn her feet, she climbed to the top of a nearby sand dune, her rust-colored dress flapping elegantly in the warm desert breeze. To her, it felt like a hot summer day back on Earth, and for the first time since she arrived on Thessalonica, she felt as though it was her home.
Above her, hanging in the sky like a glorious, blue and green opal, was Dagon Prime. She looked up and smiled. Never in a million years would she have guessed she’d be the ruler of a whole planet, let alone an entire star system.
Even when she had accepted that unlikely role, she hadn’t remotely anticipated that the moment she found a quantum of solace she’d be pulled into yet another war. And with an alien race she knew nothing about. An alien race which seemed to have superior fire power and was just as zealous in their religious beliefs as were the Nyctans.
As a gust of hot air kicked up her flowing brown hair and fluttered her dress, Jegra smiled and made two fists. If only the Nephilim knew what they were in for, of whom they had picked a fight with, they would never have dared intrude on her empire. After all, she was Jegra the Magnificent, Imperatrix of the Galaxy.
Epilogue
It had been approximately three weeks since Raphine Agnar had taken up with the Empress Jegra Alakandra and the crew of the Skywend. She was the younger sister of Abethca, however, she hadn’t told anyone her true identity.
She had been given her own suite at Jegra’s Imperial Palace on Thessalonica and mostly kept to herself. She figured the less interaction she had with the others, the fewer chances there were she’d be found out. Everyone just assumed she was shy.
But it wasn’t her identity she feared discovering. It was the item, a thing of utmost value that she needed to keep secret at all costs.
Her sister, Te’Legra Onelle Agnar, one of the wealthiest people in the Commonwealth, owned seven moons and sixteen ore mining facilities, and had amassed a fortune rivaling that of all of Dagon Prime’s gross capital combined. And, as it so happened, Te’Legra had paid nearly two billion credits for the item currently in Raphine’s possession.
The item was so important, in fact, that her sister would entrust the safe delivery of the item to nobody but Raphine.
Originally, the plan was to have Abethca obtain the item, but, sadly, Abethca had mysteriously vanished from the Commonwealth. Raphine still didn’t have all the details, but she knew she had been with Jegra the week of her disappearance. And if Abethca was still alive, Raphine would find her. If not, Raphine vowed to track down those responsible for her death.
Of course, she hadn’t found the right time or way of broaching the subject with the empress, and so thought best to continue her investigation in private until she had more information.
Raphine brushed her short, purple hair back and strode confidently across the elaborate and finely embroidered Thessalonican carpet in her room. She stopped in front of a large writing desk which was mainly empty, all but for a singular item.
On the desk sat a claret box with gilded leaves and spiraling vines adorning it. The box itself was a perfect square, no bigger than a half a loaf of bread.
Cautiously, she glanced around the room to ensure nobody, no servants, no guards, or any prying eyes were present, and then cautiously unlatched the box. She slowly opened the lid and looked inside and smiled. Golden light streamed out and lit up her face.
“How are you doing little fella?” she asked, dabbing her pinky finger inside the box.
Tiny golden tentacles, seemingly made of light, reached out of the box and wrapped themselves around her hand, almost as if they were greeting her. She wasn’t the least bit scared. She knew the creature well enough to know he was harmless in this infant state.
“I brought you something to eat,” she said, pulling a fully-charged battery out of her back pocket.
Patient, she held out the battery and waited for the little squid arms to unwrap themselves from her fingers and slide themselves over the battery. The moment the creature had the packet of energy, it began to feed.
As it absorbed the energy, its tentacles pulsed with little beads of light. Once it had finished syphoning the last ounce of power from the battery, and there was no more juice to be had, the tentacles let go of the dead battery.
The battery dropped to the floor with a clunk, and Raphine promptly slid it under the desk with the edge of her foot. The battery rolled against a pile of similar packs, all of them drained of their energy.
Being as gentle with the creature as one would be with a newborn kitten, she tucked the baby space-squid’s tentacles back into the box. Naturally, he tried to reach out again but, again, she tucked him in so as not to pinch him when she shut the lid.
“That’s all for today, I’m afraid,” she said, shutting the top of the box and sealing in the glowing creature.
Raphine closed the latch and locked the box up tight, ensuring the little rascal wouldn’t escape. Satisfied he was secure, she turned and exited her room.
THE END
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The Chronicles of Jegra: Origins of the Gladiatrix
JEGRA WILL RETURN IN:
The Chronicles of Jegra: The Imperatrix of the Dagon Empire
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tristan Vick is a multi-genre author who specializes in sci-fi, fantasy, and horror and has dabbled in mystery and suspense as well. He graduated from Montana State University with degrees in English Literature and Asian Cultural Studies and speaks fluent Japanese. He lives with his wife and three children in Japan. When he's not commuting on the train or teaching English, he spends his time reading, writing, blogging, binge-watching his favorite television shows, and eating sara-udon. In addition to being traditionally published, Tristan Vick continues to self-publish under his own imprint, Regolith Publications. You can learn more about him and his works on his official author webpage at:
www.tristanvick.com
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ALSO BY TRISTAN VICK
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BITTEN 3: Kingdom of the Living Dead
The Scarecrow & Lady Kingston: Rough Justice
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Valandra: The Winds of Time (Book 1)
Valandra: The Dragon Blade (Book 2)
Valandra: The Goddess of War (Book 3)
Valandra: The Black Knight & The Golden Arm (Book 4)
Dark Forces of Nature (Volume 1)
Dark Forces of Nature (Volume 2)
COMING SOON
The Chronicles of JEGRA:
The Imperatrix of the Dagon Empire (Book 2)
The Knights of Caelum: Oath Breaker (Book 1)
The Skywend: The Last Peacekeeper (Book 1)
Little Red Gauntlet: A Steampunk Fairytale
BITTEN 4: Ancient of Dread Days
Visit Tristan Vick’s official author website at:
www.tristanvick.com
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