by Tracey West
She launched into a run.
“There you are, Adora!” Catra said, and the laser cannons began to spin …
Whoooosh! A wave of water surged out of the castle, knocking down Horde soldiers in its path and slamming into the robot’s legs. The base of the bot crashed to the ground, and water splashed up all around it.
“Sorry, the Horde isn’t welcome in Salineas,” Mermista said, and slammed the huge robot with another water blast.
The water receded, revealing the battered robot base with Catra and Scorpia still inside—and the cannon wheel still glowing and spinning. Catra grinned as a barrage of laser blasts exploded from the bot.
Mermista dodged out of the way, and She-Ra jumped on top of the bot. She pried open the cockpit and tossed out Scorpia, who tumbled to the ground. Mermista pointed to her feet, and a geyser sprung up underneath Scorpia, lifting her high into the air.
“Hey! Get me down from here!” Scorpia wailed.
She-Ra pointed her sword at Catra.
“Enough, Catra!” she demanded.
Catra jumped to her feet. “It won’t be enough until all of Etheria belongs to the Horde. Salineas will be ours!”
She lunged at She-Ra, pushing her and sending them both falling to the ground. Catra swiped at She-Ra with her sharp claws, and She-Ra rolled out of the way. Then she felt a jolt as Catra’s stun-baton jabbed her in the leg. An attack like that might have flattened Adora, but She-Ra shook it off. She jumped to her feet and raised her sword over her head.
For a split second, she hesitated. She didn’t want to fight Catra. Even after everything that had happened, she still held out hope that her friend would see the light. That hope had once been a burning flame, and now it was just a tiny spark. But it was still there.
Don’t hold back, she told herself. Catra is your enemy. She wants to destroy you.
“Aaaaaaaaah!” With a mighty cry, she brought the sword down. Catra leapt out of the way with feline agility. Suddenly, she was behind She-Ra, kicking the backs of her knees. She-Ra buckled, but she didn’t fall. She spun around and delivered a round kick to Catra’s ankles, bringing her to her knees.
She-Ra pointed the sword at Catra’s chest.
“Retreat, Catra!” she said. “Get out of here, and don’t come back!”
Catra’s eyes gleamed, and she grinned. “You’re talking like someone who has the upper hand, Adora. But you don’t. Look around.”
Keeping her sword on Catra, She-Ra gazed around. Bow was surrounded by a circle of Horde soldiers. Scorpia had jumped off the geyser and had Sea Hawk in her claws. Mermista and Glimmer were nowhere in sight. Fear tightened She-Ra’s throat. What had happened to her friends?
“This time, you’re outnumbered!” Catra said, and behind her, a new wave of Horde soldiers marched up from the shore.
“Drop the sword, Adora,” Catra continued. “You’ve lost!”
“Don’t do it, Adora!”
Mermista ran down the walkway, followed by Calypsa, who had a hand over her mouth. Behind her, Glimmer pointed a trident at the sorceress’s back.
“Mermista, what are you doing?” She-Ra asked.
“Just trust me and cover your ears,” she said. Then she pointed to Calypsa, the green ring glittering on her finger. “Hit it.”
Calypsa began to sing. Bow, Sea Hawk, Mermista, Glimmer, and She-Ra covered their ears. Catra frowned in confusion, but her eyes widened as the powerful song floated across the island.
“March, march, march away.
Back to your ship—
You will obey …”
Catra stood and straightened up. Scorpia dropped Sea Hawk. Then Catra, Scorpia, and every member of the Horde turned and marched back to their ship, leaving their battered robots behind.
She-Ra lowered her hands, and she, Sea Hawk, and Bow joined Mermista, Glimmer, and Calypsa at the castle entrance.
“Nice plan,” She-Ra said.
“Thanks,” Mermista said. “Once Glimmer ran out of sparkles, I had her keep an eye on Calypsa while I joined the battle. Once I saw how outnumbered we were, I figured I could use the power of the amulet to make Calypsa sing away the Horde for us.”
“Awesome!” Bow said.
“It was certainly not awesome,” Calypsa replied. “I would never willingly assist the princesses! Not after what they did to my people!”
She-Ra faced the sorceress. “Calypsa, we need to talk,” she said. She transformed into Adora. “I think we have something in common.”
“Um, while you guys have your heart-to-heart, I need to go close the Sea Gate,” Mermista said. “That song’s gonna wear off soon, and I want to make sure the Horde doesn’t come back.”
Mermista left, and Calypsa turned her back on Adora.
“I have nothing to say to you,” Calypsa said coldly.
“You don’t have to say anything,” Adora said. “Just listen. I wasn’t always a princess. I grew up in the Horde, where I was taught that princesses were evil. That princesses were trying to destroy Etheria.”
“You were taught the truth,” Calypsa said.
“No, that was a lie,” Adora said. “I only learned that when I met Glimmer and Bow. The Horde is the real evil. They have been attacking innocent villages all around Etheria for years. And they attacked Corala.”
Calypsa frowned. “That can’t be. I was just a little girl, but I remember the flag of Bright Moon flying on the attacking robots.”
Adora motioned to the sparking robots behind her. “Robots like these. Horde robots. The Horde used the symbol of Bright Moon to get close to your kingdom, and then attacked. When I was a little girl, we learned that the Horde had taken Corala in a great battle. We just weren’t told how.”
Confusion filled Calypsa’s eyes. “But … everything I have known …”
“Is a lie,” Adora finished for her. “That happened to me, too. But I couldn’t ignore the truth once I opened my eyes. We have no reason to lie to you, Calypsa.”
“How can I trust you?” Calypsa asked. “I do not know you.”
“I didn’t know Glimmer or Bow, either, when I first met them, but I could see the good in them,” Adora said. “I was their enemy, and they protected me. When I decided to trust them, I became a better person.”
She reached over and removed the amulet from around Calypsa’s neck. “You may not trust me, yet, but I’ll trust you.”
Calypsa’s eyes widened.
“Adora, are you sure?” Glimmer asked.
“No,” Adora said, and she smiled at Calypsa. “But I think Calypsa can go to Mystacor to live with other sorcerers, just like you suggested, Glimmer. What do you think, Calypsa?”
She didn’t answer right away. “I think that I would like to go to Mystacor. I have so many questions, and it sounds like I might be able to find some answers there.”
“Great!” Glimmer said. “Aunt Castaspella can keep an eye on you there.”
“Mystacor is a long way off,” Bow remarked.
Mermista returned. “Who’s going to Mystacor?” she asked. Then she raised her eyebrows. “And why isn’t Calypsa wearing the amulet?”
Adora quickly explained the plan.
“I was kind of hoping she would be locked up in prison for the rest of her life,” Mermista said. “But if you want to be all compassionate or whatever, go ahead. Sea Hawk can bring her to Mystacor.”
“Will you really send me away so soon, m’lady?” Sea Hawk asked.
“Something tells me you’ll be back,” Mermista replied.
Sea Hawk sighed. “Fine,” he said, and then he brightened and put an arm around Calypsa. “Let us embark on our journey, then! I have so many shanties I can teach you. We can duet!”
“We don’t have to do that,” Calypsa said. “Quiet can be nice sometimes.”
“Nonsense!” Sea Hawk cried. “Here, we’ll start with one of my favorites.
“There once was a baby shrimp in the sea,
Who sang doo doo doo and dee dee dee …”
Calypsa cast a pleading look at the others as Sea Hawk swept her away. Mermista grinned.
“That’s almost as good as prison for her, I guess,” she said.
Adora handed her the amulet. “Here, you should have this.”
Mermista took it, pulled the ring off her finger—and then promptly threw them both into the ocean. “Nobody should have those,” she said. “I haven’t thanked you guys yet. That whole situation was … bad.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Adora said. “We’ve all been vulnerable before. But now we have each other.”
“Now you’re just getting mushy,” Mermista said. “Why don’t you take one of my boats and get out of here?”
Adora grinned. “I love you, too, Mermista,” she said. She turned to Glimmer and Bow. “Let’s get home.”
Everyone said their goodbyes, and Adora, Bow, and Glimmer made their way to the Salineas docks.
“Are you feeling okay, Glimmer?” Adora asked.
“I’ll be fine,” Glimmer promised. “I’ve been through worse.”
Bow looked at Adora. “You know what you said back there? About becoming a better person? Well, I feel that way, too.”
“Me too,” Glimmer added. “I don’t know where we’d be now if we hadn’t met in the woods that day.”
“But we did!” Adora said. “And now we’re the Best Friend Squad!”
“Three cheers for the Best Friend Squad!” Bow cried.
“All right, now this is getting a little silly,” Glimmer said.
“Come on, you love it,” Adora teased as the Salineas docks came into sight. The blue sea sparkled, stretching out into the horizon.
There might be more monsters out there, she thought. Or more Horde ships.
She looked at her friends. But whatever happens, we’ll be okay.
Tracey West has written more than 300 books for children and young adults, including the following series: Pixie Tricks, Hiro’s Quest, and Dragon Masters. She has appeared on the New York Times bestseller list as the author of the Pokémon chapter book adaptations. Tracey currently lives with her family in New York State’s Catskill Mountains. She can be found on Twitter at @TraceyWestBooks.
She doesn’t need a hero. She is a hero.
On a planet called Etheria, two forces battle for control. The Horde, with its skillfully trained soldiers and advanced technology, has one goal: to conquer all of Etheria in the name of Hordak. The other force, the Rebellion, is made up of princesses and has been fighting to maintain harmony and freedom for all of Etheria’s people.
Hidden among them all is a hero to be. Her destiny was written by the First Ones a thousand years ago. Now she is about to rise again.
Her mission is to protect Etheria. But she can’t do it alone.
After the battle of Bright Moon, the Horde army has retreated. But Adora knows they’ll soon be back. Now the Princess Council is searching for a way to make the Rebellion stronger.
Then they discover a First Ones mural that shows an island full of animals with magical powers. Are these magical creatures real—and will they help the Rebellion?
Adora and her friends set out on a quest to investigate. But they aren’t the only ones on Etheria looking to strengthen their cause …
Underneath She-Ra, I’m still Adora, and I’m still getting used to life outside the Fright Zone. (Like, what’s a birthday party?!) So I’ve been taking notes on everything.
Read on for a preview!
Copyright © 2019 DreamWorks Animation LLC. All Rights Reserved. SHE-RA and associated trademarks and character copyrights are owned by and used under license from Mattel, Inc. Portions of text based on screenplays by Noelle Stevenson.
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
First printing 2019
e-ISBN 978-1-338-62594-3
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