Disclaimer: Astronema and the other canon villain used here belong to Saban. Jenga and the other stuff you don't recognize belongs to me.
Author's Note: A cameo here and there. Sauve, one of the cameos, is pronounced So-vay. Few in-jokes, general mayhem, typical stuff. This fic is the Summer fic of the Quadruplet fics. "Hope Springs Eternal," "Long, Hard Summer," and "Fall From Grace," (not Innocence as I said in the last disclaimer,) can be read in any order. All three are taking place at the same time but are all using different plotlines. However, all three should be read BEFORE "Dead of Winter," which is ALSO taking place at the same time but goes on to wind up all four storylines. The idea to do the fics like this was inspired by Stephen King's "Different Seasons." It's good reading, and it isn't all horror. Lastly, I took some MAJOR liberties in describing Sila Ree Tar. You'll probably realize that I'm not a Physics or Astronomy major.

Long, Hard Summer
by Jeremy Ray Logsdon

"Success and failure are equally disastrous." - Tennessee Williams

The flaming blue and purple comet streaked downward through the violet skies of Sila Ree Tar. It looked as though collision was imminent, but before the comet slammed into the sandy lakeshore, it changed form. It split into two simple teleportation signals, one a column of blue fire and the other a purple glimmer, producing Jenga and Astronema respectively.

"Boy, that was a long teleport," Jenga complained. As she rolled her neck around, Astronema bolted for the edge of the lake, dropped to her knees, and voided her last meal into the water. "You okay, hon?"

"I will be," Astronema answered, only to be interrupted by another heave.

"Violet sky," Jenga mused. She inhaled deeply, taking note of the content of the atmosphere. "Oxygen, nitrogen... Suitable. The molecules of the atmosphere must be spaced further apart than the air molecules of Earth... The two suns, of course. Their combined gravity even affects the appearance of the sky. Unbelievable."

She looked back at Astronema, still kneeling by the lake. "Good night, woman, just zap it away!"

"Tryin'," Astronema grunted. Jenga shook her head and turned away again.

"This planet is absolutely amazing," Jenga murmured, more to herself than her sick companion. "I mean... Look at that! Two entire suns! And we've arrived at the perfect time. Sila Ree Tar is captured near the middle of the Figure Eight orbit. There really isn't a concept of morning or afternoon, anymore, because the sun never sets. Every few sleep cycles, which is how they measure time here, there are brief period of darkness when the alignment of some of the moons forms a virtual barricade against the light from both suns. And to think that all of this arises completely from chance. A celestial ballet where a single mistake would result in complete global catastrophe. I don't know about you, but it boggles my mind."

By then, Astronema had finished throwing up. After a series of dry heaves that left her weak and shaky, she managed to stand, slowly walking over to Jenga. A quick glamour spell had wiped away her illness, and she was able to stand tall and proud. "Whew," she sighed. "That was rough."

"Because of the bright colors of the moon, sky, and the suns, the people of this planet take great stock in colors," Jenga said. "See, that moon there is bright green, and her companion satellite is pink. Pink! Can you imagine that?! Oh, for the love of evil, this place makes me feel like a fledgling sorcerer again.

"Unfortunately, their intense love of colors has also extended into ever facet of the Sila Ree Tar way of life. After every period of darkness, they change their hair, using a radically different color. Both men and women."

"They change their hair?" Astronema asked. "How?"

"The water supply of this planet is loaded with an element, Yuriquel, that enables anything with an electrical nervous system the ability to perform reality-altering algorithms. It looks like minor magic spells. It will affect us as well. Can you imagine what would have happened if Earth had Yuriquel? It would have been a Godsend for early Earthlings."

"Or their downfall," Astronema suggested. She clapped her hand together and said, "So... Pandemonium?"

"That's it right there," Jenga said, pointing. Astronema turned and saw a gargantuan crystal castle jutting out of the side of a nearby mountain. The castle reflected the light from every celestial body in the sky.

"Why do they call it Pandemonium?"

Smiling smugly, Jenga said, "You'll see."

"I sure do hope you have quick reflexes," Jenga said softly.

"Jenga, this is ridiculous," Astronema griped. "Isn't there a front door to this place?"

After Jenga lifted herself up to the next branch, she answered, "Trust me on this one."

"Can't we just zap ourselves to the roof?"

"Magic and the Quest Watcher do not mix," Jenga answered simply. Kneeling on a sturdy branch, she extended her hand down to Astronema. "Take my hand."

"We had better not have to climb trees the whole way to the Great Pyramid," Astronema grunted. With a hard lurch and a tug from Jenga, she made it to the next limb.

"See, I was right," Jenga whispered. She pointed straight down at the seemingly normal walk leading up to the Crystal Castle. It could only be seen from their vantage point from above, but the area around the walk had been turned into a literal graveyard. Mangled skeletons, all completely stripped of flesh, lay in disarray all around the walkway. "Such a simple trap... I wonder how many people actually make it inside the Castle."

"Boobytraps?" Astronema asked.

Suddenly, Jenga thrust her hand out at Astronema's chest, knocking her flat on her back. Astronema screamed, clutching at the branch to keep from falling. Jenga rolled atop Astronema's body as a trio of flaming arrows shot through the air where Astronema had just been.

"Yep," Jenga answered. "That thing about fast reflexes? I wasn't joking, not in the least." She crawled off of Astronema's body and balanced herself in a kneeling position on the branch. "And it's not just here at the Crystal Castle, the entire Qu-" Before she could finish her thought, the branch snapped in the middle, sending Jenga falling through the air. Her hands lashed out frantically, seeking for a branch.

"Jenga!" Astronema cried, instinctively reaching down to her.

Painfully, Jenga landed flat on her back in the middle of the walk leading up to the Castle. She slowly sat up, looking around her cautiously.

"Are you okay?!" Astronema shouted down.

Without saying a word, Jenga placed a finger to her lips. Cautiously, moving as silently as she could manage, she stood up. She looked around her and saw nothing malicious. However, before she could tell Astronema that she was okay, the grass to the right side of the walk rustled.

As she turned to face it, the grass to the left rustled harder and longer. Suddenly, the weeds parted and a gargantuan beast leapt out. Her eyes widened as she backed up several steps. It had the body of a cat, and the face of a hideous dog. Its skin was completely hairless, and the color was a sickening shade of pale, pale yellow. Each paw was graced with a curved talon, and its distended mouth was filled with razor-sharp canines. Two glowing amber eyes were set deep in its face.

Before Jenga could react, another beast leapt out of the weeds to her right. This one was identical to the first. Jenga slowly turned in a circle on the wide, maroon-bricked path. "I can handle two of you things," she said defiantly.

Instantly, two more of the cat-dog beasts jumped up from the ground and onto the path, forming a circle around her. "This is harder..." Suddenly, the beast to her left leapt at her. Jenga somersaulted forward, neatly rolling beneath its dangerous claws.

A pair of claws bit into the walk just mere inches from her face. Spinning on her shoulders, she lashed out with her powerful legs, wrapping them around another of the creature's front legs. With a hard yank, it fell on its hindquarters and toppled over.

Lightning flash, Jenga was crawling up the creature's body. As she reached its front paw, she grabbed it at the joint and gave a hard yank. The creature howled in pain, but Jenga wasn't finished. She wrapped her hand around the curved edge of a talon and pulled hard, freeing it. The creature, howling in pain, tried to scamper away. However, as Jenga hopped off of its body, she spin-kicked its neck, putting it out of its misery.

"All right, who's next?" Jenga asked.

Paying no heed to the death of one of its companions, another beast leapt at her. Jenga cartwheeled backwards before the creature got close to her. Immediately upon righting herself, she lashed out with the talon in her hands, slitting its neck.

She found herself standing between two of the snarling creatures. As one leapt at her, she ran at it and sailed in the air over it. It promptly landed on its companion, tearing out its throat before realizing that it wasn't Jenga.

"All right, Thing," Jenga said strongly. She held herself ready to attack, the talon lose in her hand. "As I see it, there are two ways about this. One, you're a stupid creature, and you'll be dead soon. Or two, you are an intelligent creature trained by the Quest Watcher, and you realize that I've killed three of your companions, and you'll run away. What'll it be?"

It growled low in its throat for a second longer before leaping into the weeds beside the path, rapidly disappearing. "Smart move."

"Is it safe to come down?" Astronema asked.

"Wait just a second," Jenga said as she began to cautiously walk toward the front door. Sensing no other traps, she called up, "Yeah, jump on down. We're goin' in."

"So this is Pandemonium?" Astronema asked as they carefully walked into the Crystal Castle. What they saw had surprised them both.

Neither had known what to expect, but they thought it would be some type of building. Instead, they found themselves in a large, open cavern. The walls were lit with a vague, blue light, and stalagmites and stalactites were everywhere. However, the gargantuan room, which didn't even seem to have an end, was obviously man-made and lived in. Various areas of the cave were designated as living areas. There were even framed pictures on stalagmites.

"Have you ever read Paradise Lost?" Jenga asked.

"Uhm, I think I got the Cliff Notes," Astronema answered. "Why?"

"No reason," Jenga muttered. In a louder voice, she said, "We're here to see the Quest Watcher."

"Naturally," a calm voice spoke behind them. Jenga and Astronema both whirled around. A very short humanoid was standing behind them. The man was no more than four feet tall, and he was very rotund. He was dressed in a pair of red bib overalls, a grey shirt beneath it. He wore a rumpled, cloth hat on his head. Black hair stuck out erratically around it, and a long, thick, black braid extended down to his knees. "Not many folk be comin' 'round here for victuals."

"Victuals?" Astronema asked, mostly of herself.

"So, you pretty ladies know the rules?" the Quest Watcher asked as he strummed his fingers together.

"Not really," Jenga said. She extended one arm and pointed a threatening finger at the Quest Watcher. "But I should warn you, I can tell when someone lies to me."

"I have no intentions of lying to such beauties," he said. He immediately hobbled away, walking with a gait that was almost ridiculous to watch. He leaned far to the right, and then to the left, and in that manner, he shuffled away. Jenga and Astronema were close behind him. "For starters, you can't be usin' your magic on this here journey."

"We understand that," Jenga told him.

The Quest Watcher made it to a chest that was as tall as he was. He pulled a red footstool out from behind it and climbed atop it. The chest opened with a creak, and he rummaged in it for a few moments. When he turned around, he held in his hands two jewels, one blue and one purple. Both were shaped like teardrops and were cut exquisitely.

"Your colors?"

"Good call," Astronema said.

"I've had plenty of practice," he said with a faint smile. He closed his hands over both jewels, and when he opened them, they were attached to a black cord. "You'll get your powers back after you've made it to the Pyramid. Oh, and the matter of payment."

"Here," Jenga announced, tossing him the Blue Fire Crystal. The Quest Watcher then handed them their jewels.

"And if we don't make it?" Astronema asked. The glance Jenga shot at her did not go unnoticed by anyone.

"Understand, you probably won't make it," the Quest Watcher said. "Few do. Heck, you ladies are the first people I've had here since... well, I don't know how long it's been!"

"Four hundred thousand UAE years," Jenga told him.

"Well, even when I was having people show up everyday, hardly anybody made it. Let's see... I've had, oh, around eight million beings try for the Great Pyramid. And four have made it."

"Four million?" Astronema asked.

"Four individuals," the Quest Watcher corrected. "Are you sure you want to do this? The ground-"

In a hurried voice, Jenga said, "The ground is littered with the bones of those who have tried for it and failed. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know."

"Where have I heard that before?" Astronema mused.

"Young lady," the Quest Watcher said to Jenga, "if you live long enough to come back here, then you can have my head on a silver platter."

"I have no need for that," Jenga told him. "Beside, I could take it now if I wanted. But... I do rather like the idea of a wager."

"I am a gambling man," the Quest Watcher said. "What do you have that could interest me?"

"Ioaeu Sjknth," Jenga answered boldly. Astronema gasped, flashing her a horrified glance. "And you?"

"Name it, and I've got it."

"Helena, Master Carver of Eltare," Jenga said.

"I know of her work."

"In the last few years of her life, she developed a type of Power Crystals which she presented to the Bookala Empire. The Crystal draws energy from the atmosphere around it, and nothing can destroy it or the craft it protects. I want one."

"What color?" the Quest Watcher smirked.

"Drink it," the Quest Watcher ordered. He handed Jenga and Astronema two silver goblets, filled with a clear liquid with no smell.

"What is it?" Astronema asked, bringing it up to her lips.

"Water," he answered simply. "You need Yuriquel in your system."

"The hair thing," Jenga said before swallowing the goblet's contents. The liquid had no more than hit her stomach before a look of intense concentration crossed her face. In a move that truly looked magical, her long, curly red locks of hair shortened, straightened, and turned a vibrant green. Her straight sheen of emerald hair brushed her shoulders, dramatically altering her appearance. "Very nice," she smiled, fingering her new hair.

"How did you do it?" Astronema asked.

"It's like beginning magic," Jenga answered. "Just think about what you want your new 'do to look like, and voila!"

Quickly, Astronema's curly mane of purple hair transformed into a silver hairstyle that reached to the bottom of her cheek. "Different," she decided, dusting her hand across her new look.

"Once every period of darkness," the Quest Watcher reminded them. "Feel free to stop by the Victims' Room and claim some supplies. Here is your map, ladies."

"Victims' Room?" Astronema wondered, arching an eyebrow.

"Don't ask unless you really want an answer," Jenga warned.

"Do I look okay?" Astronema asked, standing up awkwardly in her hiking boots.

"This is why I refuse to have a trademark leather and metal outfit like you and Divatox," Jenga said quickly. "You're all comfy and sinister looking when you have magic, but the second you turn into a mortal, you become a great big wimp who can't figure out how to wear blue jeans." True to tradition, she was wearing denim shorts and a t-shirt. Strapped to her back was a camping pack, complete with a tent roll and plenty of supplies.

Astronema fidgeted with her "safari" outfit. "Does tan clash with my silver hair?" she asked.

After rolling her eyes, Jenga pushed a backpack into her arms. "We're in the middle of nowhere, and I don't care what you look like. Let's go."

"But-"

With a forced wave of her hand, Jenga took advantage of the Yuriquel in her system and managed to turn Astronema's khaki outfit a pleasing shade of blue. "Happy now?"

"Ecstatic."

Jenga and Astronema quickly made their way to the top of the mountain that was home to Crystal Castle. As soon as the two girls reached the pinnacle of the hill, they were greeted with a sight that took Jenga's breath and made Astronema's feet already begin to ache.

"Look," Jenga said, pointing to a blue speck standing outside Pandemonium. "Ninjor came after us."

"What... what...?" Astronema panted, trying to form a complete sentence.

"Quest Watcher won't let him follow us," Jenga assured her.

"And what is that?" Astronema puffed, pointing out before her.

Jenga pulled the map from her backpack and held it in her palm. The map was shaped like a compact disk, and a holographic display of the journey to the Great Pyramid hovered above it. There was a tiny red dot centered on Pandemonium, representing their climb up the mountain. Upon completion of the quest, there would be a red line stretching from one edge of the map to the other. She touched her fingertip to the map, and the image shifted, magnifying the view.

"Valley of Light," Jenga answered. "Sure is long, huh? Let me see if I can pull up a distance scale..."

"It just... it looks like that damn thing goes to infinity!" Astronema protested. "All right, I wanna go home."

"Eighteen hundred miles," Jenga answered. "We should be able to walk that in six weeks."

"Then we'll be there?" Astronema asked hopefully.

"Nope. Then we'll have another thirty miles through this city here... Urban areas here must be big... Another two hundred miles through what looks like a forest, and then a fifty-seven mile lake. Then we're at the Pyramid."

"We're never going to get home," Astronema sighed.

"I'm seriously starting to reconsider inviting you along on this trip," Jenga groaned. She put the map back in her backpack and started down the trail that led off of the mountain.

"Yeah, that makes two of us."

"Breather?" Astronema requested.

Jenga was already hopping across the stream at the base of the mountain. The sparkling water was filled with smoothed, sparkling gems. Those which stuck out of the water were her stepping stones.

"Already?" Jenga asked. Looking back at her younger sister, who looked seriously wiped already, she quickly changed her tone and said, "Yeah, but let's go ahead and get across the stream."

Astronema dropped her backpack to the ground and knelt before it. After pulling out her canteen, she dipped it into the stream, letting it fill with water. (I am not cut out for this,) she protested to herself. Holding her canteen securely, she picked up her backpack again and set out to cross the stream.

However, before she could take a single step, a pair of leathery hands clamped around her throat, keeping her from making a single sound.

Jenga dropped her pack to the ground and stretched the taut muscles in her back. While she still had plenty of energy, she was also more than willing to sit down and rest for a bit. "Astronema, we-" She stopped when she realized she was alone. She spun in a slow circle, looking all about. "Astronema? Where are you?"

Instinct took over, and she was already trying to call on her now nonexistent magical powers to sense her sister. Of course, she received no magical insight. Instead, she relied on her honed survival skills, mortal or demon.

"Remember me?" Darkonda growled in a low voice. Her eyes wide, Astronema had no choice but to stare the evil creature directly in his face. "Thought I was dead, didn't you?"

As he had her neck pressed firmly in the crook of his bulky right arm and a grotesque hand wrapped across her mouth, she could do nothing more than answer with a nod.

He shifted her position in his arms so that he could hold her securely and keep her mouth covered with one hand. Extending his left hand, he produced a brown blade that was neither a sword nor a scimitar but a weapon possessing qualities of each. "If you say a single word, I will kill you," he warned. "Do you understand me?"

The fear in her eyes had his senses on fire. He had never felt so powerful in his entire, damned existence.

He slowly pulled his hand away from her mouth. The sword in his left hand was held ready, in case she was foolish enough to try screaming for help. Astronema's lower lip trembled as she asked in a quiet voice, "What do you want?"

"Your sister killed me, and you watched. I want her to die slowly, and if you'll bring her to me, then I'll reward you with a swift death."

"I'm not about to help you find my sister," Astronema growled through forced teeth.

He reacted with lightning speed, pushing her to the ground and pressing the side of her face against a glittering stone sticking out of the ground. Darkonda raised his sword high in the air, preparing to sever her head at the neck.

But suddenly, silver streaked past Darkonda. He grunted deep in his chest as searing pain shot through him. Looking down, he saw a hunting dagger sticking out of his chest, buried to the hilt.

"Hi-yah!" Jenga yelled as she jumped up before him. With a quick high kick, she pushed the dagger completely into his body. Before he could do anything more, she pulled a machete from her backpack and swung it at him.

Astronema gave a subdued scream as Darkonda's decapitated body fell forward, landing on her. Her subdued scream quickly became a series of shrieks. But before she could even try to get up, his body turned to dust above her.

"I thought you had killed him," Astronema groaned suddenly. Jenga extended a hand down and pulled her up. "Who was he? Dark... Nissan, or something?"

"Darkonda," Jenga answered flatly. "And I had killed him. I gave him a heart attack, and I burned him alive."

"If he wasn't really dead, then..."

"Well, he's dead now," Jenga decided. She knelt beside the body-sized collection of dust and retrieved her dagger from within it. "We'll stop at the next town we come across and find out what the deal with him is. There's probably a perfectly rational explanation."

"Maybe he's part of the Quest," Astronema theorized. "You know, an evil little sidetrack?"

"I don't think the Quest is supposed to be supernatural, but maybe..." She quickly reproduced the map and held it out before her. "The next town is about fifteen Earth miles from here. Maybe we can even work out some kind of bartering program and stay in an inn or something."

A period of darkness descended over their part of the planet a short time later. The sky, now a drastically darker shade of purple, was spotted with numerous stars and four of the moons, one white, one blue, one green, and the fourth pink. As soon as the sunlight disappeared, both changed their hair. Astronema now sported waist-length, raven-black, curly hair, while Jenga opted for straight, shoulder-length hair once again that was colored in alternating streaks of pink and purple.

When the light was gone, they realized why the valley was called the Valley of Light. There was a common type of tree with peach-like fruits. The fruits, ranging in colors from one end of the spectrum to the other, gave off a bright glow. Astronema had eaten one, and her lips, cheeks, and throat had glowed a peaceful green, the same color as her fruit, for a good fifteen minutes afterwards. Fortunately, by the time they were approaching the small town tucked into the side of hill, the glow had worn off.

"The town of Sekitou," Jenga mused. "Population twenty-two hundred."

"Since it isn't a space port, we aren't likely to find much information," Astronema said cautiously.

"We'll find out more than you think," Jenga said. There was a man-made cave cut into the side of the valley. Structures, most seemingly made of wood and of a simple design, were both inside the cave and out. A few Sila Ree Tarians looked up as Jenga and Astronema approached.

"I think we're going to stick out," Astronema muttered.

Three children who had been playing together looked up as Jenga and Astronema walked past. All three had skin the color of mint green. Their eyes were perfectly round. Each hand possessed a human thumb and six smaller, fingers, giving each hand a total of seven appendages. What made them look so unusual, however, were the twin pupils in each iris. It looked like a sideways number eight. The actual iris, on all three children, were normal Earth shades.

"Sila Ree Tar is used to aliens," Jenga said. "They're only staring at us because they're children."

"Where should we go?" Astronema asked. "For information. Do they have bars here?"

"Like on Earth?" Jenga asked rhetorically. "Not likely. Earth is one of the few planets where people negatively alter the chemistry of their body for enjoyment. Most planets go for the other extreme : extreme pleasure and hyper awareness. It just makes more sense that way."

"Like Earthlings and caffeine?"

"Sort of. But regardless, there should be some type of eatery where we can pick up some gossip."

Suddenly, a man with lavender skin and long, red hair approached the duo. "Tka chee?"

"Yee tchi, kwoo doe," Jenga answered.

"What the-?" Astronema muttered, more to herself than anyone. She listened to the two converse in the foreign language, trying to pick up a word but gaining nothing.

The man left Jenga with a final "Heak, tyoo."

"What was that?" Jenga asked.

"Local language," Jenga answered. "Even without magic, I'm fluent in about anything anyone speaks. He recognized us as Earthlings; he's an intergalactic traveler. And he recommended a place here in town."

"Did you ask him about Darkonda?" Astronema asked.

"He flashes the symbol for independence," Jenga answered. She held her hand at chest level with three fingers extended parallel and the others folded back. "I need someone with either an affiliation with UDAB or UAE."

"UDAB?"

"United Department of the Allied Benevolence. That's this." Jenga lightly brushed two fingertips down her jaw. "And of course you know the UAE's." She made a gesture that could easily have been mistaken for someone scratching their elbow.

"How do you know the symbols for the Independence and the good guys?" Astronema asked in disbelief.

"I have my sources," Jenga answered. "But he did tell me that there is a restaurant-type establishment here in town where we can find out any piece of open news in the tri-galactic region." As the two began to walk into Sekitou cave, Jenga said in a much lower voice, "It's very hush-hush, but deep in this city is a teleportation pad owned by the Independence."

"And how did you find this out?"

"He told me," Jenga said with a nod of her head. "I lied and flashed him the Independence signal." At Astronema's look of disbelief, Jenga continued, "What he doesn't know won't hurt him. Besides, it's not like we're going to use it or anything."

"I suppose," Astronema mused.

"There," Jenga realized, grabbing Astronema by the arm. "Sauve Latu Eatery."

"Just when did you learn to read this language?" The sign above the long, squat building Jenga was pointing to was covered in a type that was crescent shaped slashes.

"You gotta do something to keep yourself occupied for eight hundred millennia," Jenga answered.

As Jenga and Astronema stepped into the establishment, the few beings present all stopped what they were doing and looked up. Four men, their skin tone all pastel but each one different, were playing some type of game in the back corner of the room. A young mated couple were sitting at a table together, the father holding a tiny pale grey infant in his arms. The room could have fit in on Earth, although there were some drastic differences. While the basic lay-out was the same, the floor was dirt and torches burning with violet fire hung on the walls, providing the only light. A purple candle also sat in the center of each table, and some type of lamp system hung above the four men playing their game of skill.

Astronema smiled warmly and gave a little wave to the four men in the corner. A maroon man returned the wave awkwardly, obviously unfamiliar with the gesture but still recognizing it as a greeting.

There was a man behind the counter-like apparatus along one wall. His skin was a vibrant shade of yellow, and he sported a blue buzzcut. "Earth?" he asked in English.

"We speak English," Jenga answered, smiling. She brushed her purple and pink hair back over her shoulders.

"And you are also Eltarean," he decided. "Yes? No? I would guess... at least one eighth."

"Some Eltarian, yes. Jennifer. My name, that is."

"Sauve Latu," the man answered. He calmly trailed two fingertips down his jaw. Jenga returned the gesture, and Sauve Latu smiled warmly. "How can I help you, Jennifer?"

"I need information," Jenga said.

"Facilities in the back," he said, pointing his seven-digit hand toward the back of the dimly lit building.

"No, information about a villain," Jenga said quickly.

"Intergalactic stalker, eh?"

"All right, let's cut the small talk," Astronema snapped. "We need information and you need to give it to us. Now what do you want? Money? Sexual favor?"

Sauve Latu glanced at Jenga, who did nothing more than sigh. "Thanks, but I'm honestly not interested," he said.

"Oh, so you're a specist?" Astronema asked, her voice dripping with cynicism. "Just because I've got genes from Earth and Eltare you're too good for me? Well I'll have you now that your figure-eight pupils are just freakin' weird!"

"I am not a specist," Sauve Latu insisted. "I just don't feel that species which can't produce offspring should mix."

"It's probably for the best," Astronema said smugly. "After all, everyone says that once you go Earther, you look no further. I'd really hate to spoil you for all other women."

With a muted growl, Jenga grabbed Astronema by the neck and pulled her in close. Whispering into her ear, she said, "Sila Ree Tarians aren't sexually compatible with us. Now stop it before you embarrass yourself."

"I'm gonna go play with those men over there," Astronema decided, flashing them another wave. "Those are men, right?"

"Just go," Jenga groaned, pushing her off.

"You need information?" Sauve Latu asked.

"We were just stalked by a being that I believe is named Darkonda," Jenga said. "Now we killed him, but we had heard tale that Jenga Xett had already defeated Darkonda."

"Darkonda has nine lives," Sauve Latu answered.

"Nine lives?" Jenga asked in a low voice.

"No one knows how he got the nine lives, but he's been bragging that he'll kill Jenga slowly for stealing Ioaeu Sjknth from him."

"Is that so?" Jenga asked in an even lower voice.

"You look strangely familiar to me," Sauve Latu suddenly decided.

"I have one of those faces," she answered quickly, dismissing the subject. (Seven more lives...) "Is there a place around here where two Earth girls like ourselves can get a meal and a room for the night?"

"He's got seven more lives, maximum," Astronema said, mulling that over. "Maybe he's already used some up."

"Possibly," Jenga agreed. "But we shouldn't count on it." She scowled as she said, "This could really slow us down. Because of him, we didn't get nearly as far today as I would've liked."

Astronema reclined on her bed-like apparatus. "So what do we do about it?"

"I guess we'll just have to kill him off as fast as we can," Jenga sighed.

"Figures," Astronema complained. "I have a hard time killing people."

"I've noticed!" Jenga cried. "What is up with that?!"

"I think it's because I've been having a lot of dreams lately," Astronema said. She rolled over on her back to look up at the ceiling. "About Mom and Dad. Us, when we were little mortal girls. It hasn't been as long for me as for you. I only turned evil about two hundred thousand years ago."

"I can still remember our childhood," Jenga said softly. "A little bit."

"Do you remember Mom dying our hair?" Astronema asked with a smile. "She would bleach your blue streaks and turn them as red as the rest of your hair..."

"And she made your hair shoulder-length and blonde," Jenga said, a smile gracing her own features as well.

"Do you remember my birth name?" Astronema asked.

"It was Veronica."

"No, I mean my whole Earth name. Middle, and last, too."

"I don't remember our last name," Jenga said. "I don't think. Crandall?"

"That doesn't sound right," Astronema decided. "But my middle name..."

"Well, let's think about this for a second," Jenga said. "Veronica... Rone?"

"Karone!" Astronema remembered suddenly. "That's it! Veronica Karone!" Sighing happily, she added, "Thanks. That's been driving me bonkers... Do you remember yours?"

"Jennifer Gayle," Jenga answered. "That's how I came up with Jenga."

"Do you ever, you know..."

"Do I ever what?"

"Regret... it? All of it, I mean?"

"Oh, never," Jenga insisted. "If we hadn't become evil, we'd've been dead eons ago, forgotten by history. As it is, we'll go down in history."

The two women rested in their small inn room silently for a few moments longer. Astronema finally broke the silence again. "Do you get the feeling that something big, I mean real big, is about to happen?"

For several long moments, Jenga didn't answer. And then, "Yep."

Some time later, the two women had left Sekitou far behind. They knew it was just a matter of time before Darkonda found them again. Jenga had tried her best to learn the specifics of his extra lives, but she had found nothing more than the basics.

"I just want to know where his new body comes from," she said as the two marched through a flat, woody section of the valley. "Does he just reappear where he had died, or is there a certain place he returns to after every death? I don't like this 'not-knowing.' I couldn't be a mortal again for anything. It's so blamed uncertain!"

"You've been powerful for too long. It's gotten you spoiled," Astronema teased.

"Yeah, I-" Jenga suddenly paused. "Did you hear that?"

"Darkonda?" Astronema whispered.

"Maybe. I heard something..." Before she could ponder further, a deep, animalistic growl floated out of the woods.

"I heard that!" Astronema cried.

"Not Darkonda," Jenga said with certainty. "It's an animal."

"It sounds hungry."

"Then we'll avoid it," Jenga decided. She placed her backpack on the ground beside Astronema and then reached up to grab a low branch.

"What are you doing? You're leaving me down here alone?"

"I'm just climbing the tree to see where the lair is at," Jenga told her. She began to hurriedly scale the tree. "You'll be fine. I just want to make sure we avoid it."

Without waiting for further gripes from Astronema, she began to scurry up the tree. It was one of the glowing fruit trees, and as she reached the semi-darkness of the center, the fruits were able to show their true glow. Finally, she had climbed high enough to spot the animal's lair.

In front of a cave, there was an area where the vegetation had been cleared out. Bones of various animals lay scattered along the perimeter. (I wonder what kind of animal it is,) she mused to herself.

She peered off the end of her branch, and saw Astronema far below her. Just as she was about to wave down to her, she saw the brown and red Darkonda sneaking up behind her. "Astronema! He's behind you!" Jenga screamed down. She began to promptly climb down the tree. Branches and leaves slapped at her skin, and the callused bark dug gouges into her hands as she continued at her breakneck pace.

Astronema whirled around, her long, black hair sailing out behind her. "Darkonda?" she asked in a small voice.

Suddenly, a deep man-made growl floated up to her. She turned to her right just as he ran at her with his Sword held at neck level. With a scream, Astronema ducked below his blade. He promptly changed the blade's course, and swept it at her knees. She gave a shout and leapt above his Sword, which missed her limbs by a hair's width. The blade traveled through the tree's trunk, completely severing the tree.

Shouting, Jenga leapt off of the falling tree, landing behind Darkonda. She launched into his back with a flying high kick, knocking him away from Astronema. "C'mon, big boy," Jenga taunted. He was promptly running after her.

Jenga dodged through the trees, looking for something to her advantage. Darkonda was very close behind her, close enough for her to hear him breathing. She suddenly caught sight of a green vine above her head. She leapt off of the ground and grabbed the vine, throwing her weight to the left. In a move that looked magical, she swung to the side, letting Darkonda pass him. As she completed the circle, she kicked out with her legs, striking him in the back. His feet flew off of the ground, and he landed face first in a cleared out semi-circle.

Jenga dropped from the vine and began to slowly back up. "Jenga," Darkonda growled as he began to climb to his feet. Suddenly, a much larger growl came from behind him. In what was literally the blink of an eye, a giant, grey and brown striped feline leapt out of its cave, landing atop Darkonda. The villain let out a scream of pain as he became the animal's newest meal.

"Good God," Jenga gasped, placing a hand over her mouth. A warm body suddenly collided with her, causing her to turn around with a scream.

"It's me, it's me!" Astronema cried. In her hands was Jenga's backpack. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Jenga answered, casting a final glance at the carnage before her. "Come on, let's get out of here."

"It's getting dark again," Astronema said. With an unnecessary flick of her hand, she turned her hair straight, made it grow to her waist, and become a light shade of pink. Jenga did likewise, transforming her hair into a heavy mass of curly blue.

"This one will last a long time," Jenga observed. "See all the moons on the east side of the sky. It won't be light again until they've all broken alignment. Sixteen or eighteen hours, at least."

"At least we've got all those fruits to light the way," Astronema said.

"Are you getting hungry?" Jenga asked.

"Famished."

Jenga handed Astronema her backpack after removing her machete from it. "Go find a clearing and start a fire," Jenga ordered. "I'm going to go gather some fruits."

"What's the machete for?"

"Just in case I come across some meat," Jenga answered. "I am dying for a burger."

"I don't think they have cows here, but good luck anyway."

"I can surely find something that tastes like chicken."

After searching for a few minutes and finding no animal life of any kind, Jenga opted for fruits. "When we get home, I am never eating fruit again," she decided as she hacked off a good-sized branch from a tree with pear-like fruits on it.

With the branch severed from the tree, she gave a sharp tug to pull it free. However, as the green leaves moved out from in front of her eyes, she found herself face to face with Darkonda. His Sword was suddenly swinging directly at her. She screamed and put the branch loaded with fruits up before her. She pushed up with the branch and flipped to the side, narrowly missing his weapon.

Jenga yanked her machete out of the ground and jumped a few steps back. "What do you want from me?!" she yelled at him angrily.

"Your position in the UAE!" he shouted back, swinging his Sword again. Jenga blocked him with her machete, sending a brief rain of sparks over both of them. He drew his weapon back and swung it at her again. She lashed out and up with her machete, knocking his Sword from his hands. Her own machete clattered uselessly to the side as well.

Darkonda rushed at Jenga, wrapping his hands around her neck. Jenga gave a chortled grunt as he picked her up off the ground. Her toes barely scraped against the ground. She placed her own hands on his, trying to tug them off. "Not so powerful without your magic, are you?" he asked in a dark, angry voice. His hands began to tighten, instantly cutting off her airway.

Jenga's eyes flared open angrily. She then realized something to her benefit. Darkonda's hands were in the wrong position. All he could do was squeeze. And if he released so much as one hand, she could weasel out of him. She reached out with her arms and placed her hands on his neck, one perpendicular to the other. Before he even realized what she was doing, she twisted her hands sharply. His neck broke with a horrifying crack, and a sharp bone jutted out, distending his skin. His grip relaxed, and he fell to the ground, releasing Jenga in the process.

She sucked in a deep breath, wincing at the pain in her throat. He had crushed her vocal chords. Speech would be an impossibility for some time. Holding one hand across her throat, she picked up the branch of fruits and began to look for Astronema.

"Jenga!" Astronema cried, hurrying up to her. "What happened to you?" She pulled Jenga's hand away from her throat, revealing a young red and purple bruise.

Jenga pantomimed pen and paper, which Astronema quickly found in her backpack. She handed Astronema the branch, and then sat down on a stump to write. After a quick 'Build a fire' note, she began to write at length.

By the time Astronema had a roaring fire going, Jenga's note was finished.

'Darkonda attacked me just now. Strangled me, but I broke his neck. Vocal chords badly bruised, but nothing broken. I can still breathe. Swallowing hard, though. Let's stop for sleep, and in the morning I should feel well enough to continue.'

"Jenga, you can't talk," Astronema said. "If your vocal chords are bruised, then you're going to have a hard time breathing. You need to rest."

'Are you sure? It might take an Earth week to get healed.'

"Jenga, I don't mind taking a week off at all," Astronema promised. "We're in a good location, here. No man-eating animals, plenty of fruit, a good creek... Do you think you can eat anything?"

'Water, please.'

"Got it," Astronema said, patting her older sister on the arm. "I'll get the tents and cots set up, too, so you can rest."

Five hundred miles later
It had taken Jenga about five Earth days to get well enough to continue traveling. As soon as she was well, they set out. During their hiatus, they had been expecting to see Darkonda. However, he had never shown up. They couldn't help but hope that his nine lives had been completed.

They had gone through numerous periods of darkness and hairstyles. At the moment, Jenga wore a long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail and Astronema had a short red bob. "It makes you look really pale," Jenga commented.

"Yeah, I hadn't planned on that," Astronema agreed. "I thought if you looked good in red..." Jenga promptly stopped, bringing Astronema up short. "What's wrong?"

"That," Jenga complained, pointing out before them. A wide river cut the valley in half. It was far too deep to cross on foot, and it was too wide to risk swimming.

"What now?"

"Well," Jenga said slowly, weighing the options, "we can either walk along the river until we find a place that's shallow enough to cross, or we can climb up the side of the valley and bypass it that way. We know that the latter will work, and it shouldn't take more than a few hours. But the other way..."

Astronema turned to look down the length of the river. The valley had widened considerably at that point, and the end couldn't be seen. "I guess we're going climbing," Astronema sighed. She turned and looked up the valley wall. "That's a long way up..."

"We gotta get past it some way," Jenga murmured.

"Let's go."

They had reached the top of the valley in a little over three Earth hours. As a result, they were both very out of breath when they reached the summit.

"What say we camp here for the night?" Jenga asked. "Or afternoon. Whatever."

"Sleep good," Astronema agreed with a smile. "I'm hungry, too."

"I'll help when I get back," Jenga told her as she started to walk off. "Nature calls."

Astronema turned to look over the cliff. "Long way down," she muttered under her breath.

In a gesture that almost could have gone unnoticed, a scaly hand took her by the forearm. Astronema gasped as she turned to stare Darkonda directly in the face.

"You aren't as tough with Jenga to protect you," he said, grinning a hideous smile.

Quickly, Astronema did the only thing she could think of. With her right hand, she pushed him in the dead center of his chest.

Darkonda immediately gave a start and began to lean backwards. Astronema wrenched her left arm free and hopped back. "Uhh," Darkonda groaned, his arms immediately windmilling. Astronema, grinning, reached out and plucked his Sword from his right hand. He gave a final grunt before he spilled backwards and plummeted off the side of the cliff, screaming as he fell.

"Huh," Astronema snorted, peering over the edge. "This feels like cheating."

"Where'd you get the Sword?" Jenga asked as she returned.

Astronema cast one final glance over the cliff. Darkonda was already long gone. "I don't think you'd believe me if I told you," she muttered.

Several hundred more miles after that
"What do you think happened here?" Astronema asked, looking over the barren section of the valley. The greenery had suddenly just died away, leaving nothing but dusty ground and the wooden skeletal remains of trees.

"That animal that's moving up the mountain," Jenga said, pointing. The animal in question was the size of your typical beast of burden. However, rather than mammalian, it was reptilian. It sported six legs and a trunk reminiscent of an elephant. They came in three distinct colors : beige, dull green, and grey. "I think it's called a... pandigo."

"They did all of this?" Astronema asked.

"There are probably millions in this herd," Jenga answered. "They just strip a forest bare in no time. Stupid animals... prone to stampedes, too."

Several hundred feet above them on the cliff wall, Darkonda strode toward the pandigo herd. The animals were contentedly grazing, oblivious to the villain walking among them. "Stampede, eh?" Darkonda asked.

"Wait a minute," Jenga said suddenly, holding her hand up to halt Astronema. "Did you-"

"Hear that?" Astronema asked. "Thunder?"

"The sky is violet," Jenga murmured. "What would it look like for a storm?"

"It wouldn't still be violet, I don't think..."

Frowning, Jenga turned around, looking for the source of the low, constant rumbling. As soon as she saw it, the expression literally fell off of her face. "Stampede," she muttered. "Stampede! Go!"

With a scream, Astronema turned and ran, her long, metallic gold hair streaming out behind her. "This way," Jenga ordered, pulling her to the right. Some of the faster Pandigo were already running past them, sending out choking clouds of dust.

Jenga bolted up the side of the valley walls, running up a tall, rocky outcropping. The two had no more than reached the pinnacle when the full force of the herd began to sweep past them. The sound was absolutely deafening.

"How long do you think it will take them to go past?!" Astronema cried.

"Dunno!" Jenga answered back. As it was far too loud to even attempt a conversation, she turned her back to Astronema, trying to see where the herd started.

Astronema placed her hands over her ears, trying to tune out the horrendous noise. Suddenly, she felt two powerful hands slam into her back. Screaming, she called out, "Jenga!" However, her voice was lost in the thunderous roar. With arms and legs flailing, she sailed off of the outcropping.

"See how you like getting shoved off a cliff," Darkonda scowled.

Jenga turned to say something to Astronema, only to see Darkonda standing in her place. Fear and anger suddenly welled up inside her, and Jenga felt her knees buckle. A deep, heart-breaking "NOOO!" tore from her throat. Then, the sadness over her sister's death was replaced with pure, burning hatred, and she screamed, "You SON OF A BITCH!" She literally hurled herself at Darkonda, hitting him with such force that the breath was knocked out of both of them. Darkonda, unable to scream, flew off of the outcropping and disappeared in the herd of stampeding animals.

It had taken the animals several Earth hours to stream past her. Even now, as Jenga climbed down to the ground below, there were still a few meandering past. The running had finally stopped.

"Astronema!" she cried, cupping her hands around her mouth to make the sound travel further. She listened intently, hearing absolutely nothing in reply except her own echo. The pandigo around her now were completely unresponsive, paying no heed to the brown-haired stranger in their midst.

Jenga ran her hands through her close-cropped hair in frustration. She had seen plenty of people dear to her die. She had even killed many of them. The previous January, she had been just a few heartbeat's away from murdering her son and husband. But Astronema... This death bothered her more than any in her past. Astronema wasn't just related by the powers of evil; Astronema was her flesh and blood, her sister.

She stopped by a patch of odd colored dust that had been scattered by the feet of the pandigoes. A red and brown Sword lay nearby, half-buried in dirt, telling her that was all that remained of Darkonda. "I hope you rot in hell," she muttered to herself as she picked up his Sword. She stared at it for a few moments before placing it in a strap of her backpack.

Jenga didn't really expect to find Astronema's corpse. Millions of the creatures had just stampeded through the Valley, and Astronema had fell into the mass early. There was probably nothing left of her anyway.

A painful sensation suddenly struck Jenga's eyes. She blinked rapidly, feeling liquid roll down her cheeks. Her first instinct was that she was bleeding, and she swiped at her face. However, her fingertips were merely covered with a thin sheen of clear liquid. She pulled her fingers up to her nose and sniffed gently, smelling salt. She suddenly laughed out loud, a short, choked laugh. "I haven't cried since I was a little girl," she muttered to herself.

She turned around in a slow circle, looking around the barren section of what should have been the beautiful Valley of Light. Instead, she was standing in a desert. "Rest well, Astronema," she said softly. "Rest well..."

Without Astronema, Jenga did make better time. She made it to the end of the Valley of Light in just another five days. However, she would have much preferred to have her sister by her side than make her own self-imposed deadline. For the rest of her journey, she saw pandigoes here and there. However, she never saw so much as a single thread from Astronema's clothing. Astronema had been completely eradicated in the stampede.

At the foot of a beautiful waterfall, Jenga used her map to find out where she was. Much to her delight, the major metropolis of Naomi Tee Judd was very close by. It filled her with pride to see the red line plotting her journey on the map extending nearly the full length of the Valley of Light. She was much more than halfway to the Great Pyramid.

Just as she was taking camp back up, darkness descended over the area. Fruits grew all over the area, including crawling vines that climbed up rocks on both sides of the waterfall. As the fruits began to give off their soft glow, the lights were reflected in the water. "I'm gonna have to come back and take a picture of this sometime," Jenga decided, allowing herself a brief smile. Now she understood why it had been called Rainbow Falls on her map. The water danced with every color imaginable. The pool of water it fed into kept the colors shifting over every thing present.

Jenga ran her hands through her hair, shaking it free as it grew considerably longer and took on every hue of the spectrum in concentric circles. Red hair rested at the middle of her back, followed by orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple which topped her head. A pandigo suddenly shuffled up beside her and bent down to lap at the water.

A male voice suddenly spoke up behind her. "Herd came through a few days ago."

With a shout, Jenga spun around, seeing a Sila Ree Tarian standing behind her. "Sorry miss. Thought you knew I was here." The man had lavender skin and short-cropped blue hair. He was wearing a traditional tracker's outfit, and he spoke a native tongue.

"Yes, I was right behind the herd," she answered. "My sister was killed in the stampede."

"Did you find her body?"

"Did you see the size of that herd? She was ground into dust."

"My companion took a woman back to Naomi Tee Judd," the tracker told her. "She had beige skin like you."

"Did she have gold hair?" Jenga asked hopefully.

"I believe so."

"That was her! Where was she taken?!"

"Hospital. She was unconscious and badly beaten. She only survived because her backpack was caught on the neck of a pandigo. Her legs were crushed beyond recognition, and she is in a period of deep sleep. The medical officials were unsure what to do with her, so they stabilized her until they could make contact with her planet and ask what type of medical help to give her."

"But she's alive?"

"Technically, yes."

"Where is the hospital?"

"Center of the city," he answered. "But the sleep cycle just began. You'll have to walk the entire way."

"That's fine," Jenga said happily. "Thank you for your help!" She picked up her backpack and set off for Naomi Tee Judd as fast as her legs would carry her.

Jenga stared at the gargantuan, transparent crystal that floated silently in the center of the room. Astronema lay trapped within, unconscious. "She's okay in there?" Jenga asked.

"She is stabilized, yes," the "nurse" told her. "We aren't familiar with her species. We did not know what to do. What species are you?"

"Earthling," Jenga answered, touching the crystal gently. "Some Eltarean."

"We aren't medically familiar with either of those species," the pink-skinned woman said. "Can you take her to Earth?"

"No. We're on the Quest."

"Brave women. This is the only injury she came away with?"

"This happened in a pandigo stampede," Jenga answered.

The woman looked around for a bit, and then made a quick gesture, placing a card in Jenga's palm. "Read fast, memorize it, it self-destructs soon," she said before turning to leave.

Confused, Jenga glanced down into her palm. "Magic For Sale. Affiliated with UAE and UDAB. We work in independent circle as well. Need assistance on your intergalactic journey? We can help." What was apparently a business card went on to give an address. Then, the card burst into harmless flames, completely disintegrating in her hand and leaving no ashes.

Jenga was waiting on the steps of a small, toadstool-like house just outside the limits of Naomi Tee Judd. She didn't really know what was going to happen, but she had an idea. As such, she wanted to preserve her identity. She knew that for members of other species, all Earthlings looked alike. But she feared that a magic-maker would recognize her vibrant green eyes. As such, she had taken great pains to hide her eyes behind a pair of sunglasses. They were currently brown, a color she had accomplished with a very simple glamour spell that even a mortal, with the proper training, could perform. She was just changing the way light reflected off of her irises; even so, it was a hard, draining spell, and she had had no problem falling fast asleep on the footsteps of the bizarre "Smurf-house." She was suddenly awakened when a pink-skinned man with flowing black hair opened the door to see Jenga. "You are here earlier than I expected," he said. "Come in."

"I met a woman who-"

"My wife," he said, gesturing to the woman from the hospital seated at a table apparatus.

"My name is Jennifer," Jenga introduced, making the UAE gesture.

"Ausper," he said, repeating the gesture. "And this is my wife Racine. How can I help you, Jennifer?"

"My sister is in very bad shape in a hospital here in the city," Jenga started. "I need to buy enough external magic to heal her so that we can finish our quest."

"How much magic?"

"I'm not sure," Jenga admitted. "Your wife is familiar with my sister's condition. She-"

"Sixteen hundred points," the nurse answered.

"That's a lot," Jenga sighed. "Do you have it?"

"I have it," Ausper told her. "What can you offer me in return?"

Jenga looked down at the floor in frustration. "I don't know," she said finally. "What items do you need? Maybe I can get them..."

"You've obviously never purchased magic points," Ausper said with certainty. "This means you are either a-"

"I'm a sorceress!" Jenga shouted. "I don't have magic because I'm on the quest! Of course I've never purchased magic points! Now tell me what I can give you for the magic points and I'll get it!"

"Organic material from an evil sorcerer?" Ausper tried. "Depending on the sorcerer it is from, the more it will be worth. If you are from Earth circles, I don't hardly see how you could have much. Unless you are a member of the Dynasty of the Apocalypse."

"I'm not," Jenga lied, "but my father is owed a favor by Jenga Xett."

"How did that come about?" Ausper asked.

"He sent Darkonda to Earth with Ioaeu Sjknth. Without his interference, she likely never would have gained the powerful hilt. She's promised to repay him for it. My father was killed recently, but I can call on the favor." (Make sure you remember that, Jenga. You don't want to get tripped up...)

"That's an impressive story," Ausper decided. "How much can you offer us?"

"Two feet of her hair and a vial of her mortal blood," Jenga offered.

His wife, apparently named Racine, gasped and jumped up with a start, disturbing the table. "For that, we'll give you anything in the shop you desire," Ausper answered quickly. "Of course... we would have to have that delivered by Jenga Xett herself."

"Of course," Jenga returned coldly. "I'll send her here at once."

Jenga ran her fingers through her standard red and blue, curly hair. She was absolutely astounded at how much more powerful she felt, just by returning to the hair she had worn for the vast majority of her life. She was glad Ausper's shop was located outside of the city. Sila Ree Tar wasn't a planet under attack, or even a planet that needed Rangers, but she would surely have been recognized. They were still under the protection of the UDAB.

She reached out to knock on the door, only to have it suddenly swing open. "Oh evil, it's really you," Ausper sighed.

Jenga smiled warmly, hoping that Earthlings really were obscure enough in the sight and sound of Sila Ree Tarians that he wouldn't notice her similarity to Jennifer. "I'm here to pay my favor to Jennifer," Jenga said.

"Please, come in."

Walking into the house, she saw Racine sitting at the table with a pair of golden scissors and apparatus to draw blood. "Two feet of hair, one vial," Jenga said with authority. She bent her head forward and gathered her hair into a ponytail, holding it tautly in one fist. She picked up a rubber band from the table and bound it close to the top to keep it together after it was cut. And then, unable to keep the scowl off of her face at having to cut her hair, she walked over to Racine.

Racine picked up the scissors nervously. She started to cut it, but then she jerked back quickly. She hesitated, holding the scissors in mid-air. "Do it!" Jenga yelled in English. Racine shouted and jumped back, unsure of what she had said. "Do it," she repeated in their language, trying to sound more calm.

"You won't-"

Scowling even harder, Jenga took the scissors, bunched her hair up more tightly, and cut it just above the rubber band. "There," Jenga said, placing her hair on the table. "See, I didn't snap and drive this pair of scissors through your forehead. Yet, anyhow. Give me the vial."

Racine nervously pushed the vial, needle, and a length of clear tubing over to Jenga. Jenga pushed her shirt sleeve up higher, retrieved a band of elastic from the table, and tied it around her bicep. As soon as she found a vein, she plunged the needle into it. Instantly, the red liquid flowed through the plastic tube. She stabbed it into the top of the vial and watched in silence as it slowly filled.

"I thought your blood was black," Ausper said softly.

"This is my mortal blood," Jenga said firmly. The vial filled, and she quickly, though a bit clumsily, removed the needle from her vein. "I'm not giving you my demon blood." She stood up, running a hand across the back of her neck. Her hair just barely touched her shoulders now. "I'm also acting as courier. Give me the magic points you promised to Jennifer, and I'll be on my way."

"It's... strange, really," Ausper mused.

"How so?" Jenga scowled.

"You are in a Magic Shop, yet... nothing is reacting to you," Ausper said. "Nothing."

"Just what are you saying?"

"You're just a mortal," Ausper said.

Swallowing hard, Jenga said, "Give me the magic points, and I'll be going. You've got what you want."

"I'm not giving you a thing," Ausper told her. "Take your hair and blood and get out of my shop."

"Give me the magic points. NOW."

Ausper kept on smiling his self-satisfied smirk. "Or you'll do what, Jennifer?"

Jenga looked at the man with contempt. She didn't even attempt to fight him. He was larger than she was. Had he been a mortal, she would have tried. He wasn't a mortal, however. He was a powerful mage; he definitely had the upper hand. "I'll make you regret this," Jenga said with certainty. "Both of you." With that said, she left the shop wordlessly.

Jenga was staring intently at the purple crystal. Embedded within was Astronema, trapped in stasis. She felt the presence of someone in the room, and she looked up to see Racine standing by the door.

"Your magic points," Racine said nervously. "Enough to heal your sister."

"You know," Jenga said quietly, "there is only one fear that is nearly universal. Only one fear that everyone, by nature, shares."

"What's that?" Racine asked, her pink face considerably paler.

"Breaking teeth," Jenga told her, staring intently. "Amazingly simple, isn't it? Not death, not murder, not even pulling teeth. Some people fear those, but anyone who has teeth will cringe at the thought of their teeth breaking."

"Why are you telling me this?" Racine asked nervously.

"Fair warning," Jenga answered simply.

"I came to bring you these," Racine said quickly, tossing the magic points onto the crystal that housed Astronema. "There are plenty to heal your sister."

"Does your husband know you are here?" Jenga asked, calmly taking the magic points into her hands. She could feel the power pulsing through them.

"He isn't really my husband," Racine said. "He's my brother. He's into dark magic, and he's making me pose as his wife. I... I honestly don't want to be with him anymore, but..."

"Slavery spell?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"You were obviously able to steal these magic points," Jenga said. "Steal some of your own and just fry him."

"He's too powerful," Racine sighed, looking down.

"Quadrithian Crystals," Jenga told her. "Grind it to a fine powder and place it in his food. As soon as it enters his bloodstream, he'll pass out cold. While he's unconscious, kill him with any means necessary."

Racine smiled her thanks and started to leave the room. "Wait!" Jenga called. When the woman turned to look at her, Jenga warned, "If you don't kill him, make sure you aren't around when my Quest is finished."

As soon as Racine left, Jenga picked up the magic points. She shuffled through the cards before asking aloud, "How do these things work, anyhow?"

"It's a good thing you found me," Astronema said. "I'd hate to think I would be trapped on this planet for forever."

"You're lucky to be alive," Jenga told her. The two were walking out of Naomi Tee Judd with plenty of supplies. Jenga was once again wearing her hair with all of the colors of the spectrum, while Astronema traded the gold she had worn during her coma with an equally metallic silver.

"How much further is it?"

"Not much," Jenga said. "We should be back home in a week. Did you know it's mid-November?"

"You're kidding me?"

"Nope, tomorrow is the 13th."

"Did you know we would get there so fast?"

"I was already expecting to be home by now," Jenga admitted.

"Did it ever occur to you that what we're going after is something we don't even know?" Astronema asked. "I mean, we haven't a clue what we our reward will be!"

"We're assured of liking it," Jenga told her. "'It's the one thing that everyone wants.'"

"Have you seen Darkonda lately?"

"Not since the stampede. Maybe that was his final life."

"You killed him?" Astronema asked with a smile.

"Trampled to death," Jenga answered, returning the smile. "Let's see... That's seven deaths that we know of."

"He's a bad seed," Astronema remarked. "He's likely used up his other two deaths in a galactic port fight."

"Oh!" Jenga realized suddenly, stopping. She reached into her back and pulled out the maroon sword. "This is to replace the sword you took from Darkonda when you pushed him off the cliff that you lost in the stampede. That's the one I took from him when I found his body last time."

"Oh wow, thanks," Astronema grinned, hanging the Sword at her side. "I like having a weapon."

"As much as I hated that crappy little town, I did like having bathrooms," Jenga sighed. "I gotta take a break."

"Gladly," Astronema agreed. "I'll go fill up our canteens in that brook over there."

As Jenga rebuttoned her jeans, she began walking back to meet Astronema. "I will never forsake toilet paper for as long as I live," she muttered.

Suddenly, a rope was dropped from above her. It was already looped, and it quickly slipped beneath her chin. It painfully tightened, and she was suddenly yanked off of the ground, limbs flailing wildly.

"Not much longer for that, Jenga," Darkonda grinned. He held a thick rope in his hands, which was stretched across a branch high above them. He tied the rope to a low branch before continuing to pull it.

Pain radiated out through Jenga's throat, more externally than internally. She reached up with both hands and forced her fingers between her skin and the rope. Exerting as much strength as she could, she managed to open her airway enough to shout out a single, "ASTRONEMA!!!"

Astronema pulled her long hair into a ponytail and bound it with a band she plucked from her back pack. Then, hanging on to a sharp rock, she lowered herself enough to stick the neck of her canteen into the short waterfall.

After filling both of their canteens, she recapped them and shouldered her backpack. "Good evil, this thing gets heavier every day," she griped.

Suddenly, from far off, a shrieked "ASTRONEMA!" tore through the air.

"Jenga?" Astronema asked slowly. "Jenga!" Picking up her Sword, she ran through the forest.

Darkonda continued hauling on the rope, raising Jenga higher and higher into the air, coming ever closer to the branch that was going to break her neck, provided the noose didn't do it first. He stopped pulling on the rope when he heard footsteps behind him. Turning just in time, he put his own Sword up to deflect Astronema's running blow.

Jenga suddenly dropped, free-falling. As fast as she could manage, she pulled her head out of the noose, only to have the rope suddenly run out. The special-made noose tightened around her wrist, sending burning bolts of pain straight to her shoulder and leaving her dangling high above the ground.

Astronema and Darkonda parried with their identical Swords, each blow raining a shower of sparks onto the ground. Darkonda made a sudden thrust with his Sword which Astronema narrowly dodged. As his Sword bit the air beside her, Astronema lifted her own Sword into the air and swung it with all of the force she could muster.

The collision jarred her entire body, but she realized with a worn satisfaction that Darkonda's chest was spread open. She dropped her Sword and turned away as he fell forward, toppling over dead. "Hold on, Jenga!" Astronema shouted.

"Hurry!"

Astronema braced herself against the tree trunk and released the rope. She held on to it tightly and lowered Jenga to the ground, causing her to jerk every few feet. But finally, Jenga's feet touched the ground.

"Are you okay?" Astronema asked.

"I'm not going to die," Jenga groaned. She carefully pulled the noose off of her wrist, wincing as she did so. "My wrist is broken. Bad." She tried to move her shoulder and winced. "Dislocated. Hold me by the forearm."

"What are you going to do?" Astronema asked.

"Just hold tight," Jenga warned. Astronema did as she was told. Then, Jenga placed her good hand on Astronema's shoulder and lurched backwards. Her arm cracked with a sickening pop, and a pained look crossed her face. "That'll have to do," she groaned, gingerly touching her shoulder.

"What do we do about your wrist?"

"I'll brace it as best I can, and we'll keep on for the Pyramid," she answered. "We don't have time to stop. Besides, we're almost there."

"Does it hurt?"

"Fierce," Jenga answered. "But we can't take time to stop. Let's hurry up and get going."

Three Earth days later...
"This is the last leg," Jenga said with a smile. The two women had made it to the edge of a gold-colored lake.

"Why does it look gold?" Astronema asked, scrunching up her nose.

"Organism that lives in the water," the Quest Watcher said from behind them. Jenga and Astronema turned to see the short mysterious man standing behind them. "From Triforia. Nasty little hullabaloo with customs. Some Triforians came here and they must have had some of the little critters on their skin, apparently. Swam in this lake and it's been gold ever since. Fortunately, they didn't invade any of our fresh water lakes and rivers. They can only live in salt. It's isolated here."

"We've had a lovely time coming here," Jenga told him.

"Yes, I see you are injured," the Quest Watcher remarked. "But you are alive. I'm pleasantly surprised."

"So am I," Astronema said truthfully.

"Any reason you're here?" Jenga asked.

The Quest Watcher gestured at the lake. When Jenga and Astronema turned to look, a not-quite-large but bigger-than-small white yacht was floating at the end of a dock that had also not been there before. "Just making your way easier," he said. "Have a nice trip ladies."

With that, he disappeared without a single teleportation effect. "Can we trust him?" Astronema asked.

"Definitely," Jenga said, walking down the dock. "He isn't allowed to trick us." She paused beside the yacht. "Come on, Astronema! We can be there in just a few hours!"

Despite the Quest Watcher's aversion to magic, that seemed to be by what their yacht was governed. As soon as Jenga and Astronema had stepped onto the deck, it had promptly taken off, smoothly sailing for the horizon. Within three hours, they were close enough to see the Pyramid in all of its splendor.

"It's beautiful," Astronema sighed.

"Isn't it?" The pyramid was shiny and blue, reflecting the light from the twin suns.

"I'm gonna go grab a quick bite below-decks," Astronema said. "You want me to bring you anything?"

"No thanks," Jenga answered. "I'm gonna wait 'til we get home."

Astronema hurried to the galley and descended the small, narrow stairs that led into the living quarters below. "I'd go nuts if I had to live on a ship all the time," Astronema remarked to the empty room.

A flicker of moment in the corner of her eye made her turn quickly, but she saw nothing. "Too jumpy," she muttered to herself.

Opening the pantry, she rummaged through for something quick to eat. "I will be so glad to get home and take a nice, long nap in my nice, warm bed," Astronema said aloud.

"Good luck getting there," Darkonda muttered from behind her.

Astronema turned around and screamed as he lunged for her. She threw herself at the ground hard and rolled out of the way. "JEN-GAH!" she screeched, jumping to her feet and bolting for the stairwell. Darkonda ran after her, throwing his Sword aside to leap for her. He grabbed her foot as she stepped onto the stairwell, falling full on her stomach.

She turned over on her back, even though he kept a tight grip on her left ankle. Pulling her toes up, she slammed her heel into his nose. He gave a cry of pain and let go of her ankle. Breathing heavily, she scrambled up the stairs backwards until she was able to turn around.

"Come on!" Jenga ordered, reaching down with her good hand to pull her the rest of the way out of the stairwell. As soon as Astronema stumbled out onto the deck, she slammed the galley doors shut and slid the Sword Astronema had been carrying between the handles.

"Do something!" Astronema pleaded.

Frowning, Jenga flashed her a look. "I did something," Jenga remarked, pointing at the door stuck shut. "And now I'm out of ideas."

"How much longer 'til the island?" Astronema asked.

"It's about another mile," Jenga answered. "We... we'll sink the ship with him on it and swim the rest of the way to the Pyramid."

Suddenly, the door shook violently as Darkonda slammed into it. "How?" Astronema asked in frustration. "How do we sink a ship?"

"I can get to the engine room," Jenga said. "I can go jimmy something to blow. You go ahead and start swimming."

"Jenga, I-"

"Do it, Astronema!" Jenga shouted. She was already striding toward the back of the yacht. She lifted the hatch that covered the vertical passage to the small engine room. Stepping out onto the ladder, she hooked her bad arm around the side and held tightly to the railing with her left hand.

The engine room was dark, lit only by a small bulb overhead. "Coal powered," Jenga mused. "Unbelievable." As quickly as she could with one hand, she turned the furnace up full-blast, shut down the engines, and closed the damper.

"That'll make her blow," she decided. She hurried back to the ladder and started to climb.

"Get out of there!"

For a moment, Jenga was sure that Darkonda was standing above the hatch, waiting for her to come up. Then, she saw that it was Astronema. "I told you to leave!" Jenga shouted. Astronema reached down to her, and she took her by the hand to help climb up.

"I don't always listen to you," Astronema told her.

"We have to hurry," Jenga sighed as she stepped up onto the deck. "Come on." She ran to the front of the yacht and climbed onto the railing. "Make sure you swim fast." After saying that, she jumped off of the ship into the golden waters below. Astronema was close behind.

They hadn't made it more than a hundred yards when the ship exploded. Flames belched out of one side of the craft, which promptly leaned into the water. "Do you think he might survive that?" Astronema asked as the yacht quickly sank beneath the waves.

"Let's hope not."

The Pyramid
"Are we there yet?" Astronema groaned with a chuckle as she stood up on the beach.

"Finally," Jenga answered. "I wonder how we get in?"

She had no more than asked when a horseshoe-shaped opening appeared at the base of the Pyramid. "So we just walk in?" Astronema asked.

"Just stay close behind me," Jenga told her. Still dripping wet, she pushed stray strands of hair out of her face as she walked to the Pyramid. She stared at the opening for a few moments before stepping inside.

"Can you see anything?" Astronema asked as she stepped in behind her.

"Not a thing." Jenga answered. The two were standing in the darkest place either could have imagined. The opening behind them irised shut, leaving them trapped inside.

"This isn't like a giant Venus Fly Trap, is it?" Astronema asked nervously.

"I don't think so," Jenga remarked. She put her hands out before her. "We're in a hallway. Grab on to the back of my shirt." She kept her arms extended to feel the walls on each side of her as she began to slowly shuffle forward.

After about ten feet, the corridor turned to the left. As soon as Jenga turned the corner, the entire area lit up.

"Wow," Astronema remarked, peering over her corner.

The room they were standing was pyramidal in structure. The floor was sand, and jewels lined the walls. Suddenly, white fire burst out of the center of the room and the ghostly spectre of a large man rose into view. His sky was as white as ivory, and his hair was jet black and long. He was dressed in flowing yellow robes that gently flapped as though in a soft breeze.

"Welcome," the man said. "I am the Quest you seek. Congratulations on arriving at the Pyramid."

"Thank you," Jenga said solemnly.

"It takes a great person to journey for something that they know nothing of," he told them. "You have succeeded in your Quest, and this great gift is yours."

"What is it?" Astronema asked.

"I am the Keeper of Knowledge," he said. "You are each granted one question. Whatever the question, I will give you a truthful answer. Astronema, I will overlook your initial question. But please phrase your question carefully. Would you like time to think of a question to ask me? Do not give me a scenario for your question. Just assume that I know all background information."

"I know what I want to ask," Astronema said.

"Me too," Jenga said with a nod.

"Astronema?" the man acknowledged.

"Who are the people in my locket?" Astronema asked.

"They are your mother and father, plus yourself and your sister," he answered. "Jenga?"

"What is my bond with Justin Cranston?" she asked. She felt a nervous ball form in her stomach. She hadn't any idea what the Pyramid would bring her, but the realization that the one question that had been nagging her for months was about to be answered had her unbelievably nervous.

"Justin Cranston," the Keeper of Knowledge started, "is your father."

As soon as he gave the answer, the Pyramid and the Keeper of Knowledge disappeared. Jenga and Astronema were standing in the center of a sandbar in the middle of the lake. "Justin is our dad?" Jenga asked woodenly.

"How is that possible?" Astronema asked.

"It- it must be time travel," Jenga said. "It has to be. There's no other way. But... my dad?"

Suddenly, their magical powers were returned full-force. Jenga's right arm automatically healed itself, and when she lifted it up for inspection, she had a Bookalan Power Crystal resting in her palm. She tucked it into a pocket dimension.

"You still aren't dead," a worn-out voice growled.

As Jenga turned her head, a smirk was already on her face and her multicolored hair changed back to her standard red and blue. "Darkonda!" she greeted warmly, calling on Ioaeu Sjknth as she did so. "You just made this trip... heavenly."

Before he could retort, however, the sky above them began to change colors. The rich violet faded away to be replaced by a vibrant gold. The wind picked up, and Astronema scooted over to Jenga's side.

"What's happening?" Astronema asked.

Jenga's eyes opened wide, and she thrust an arm out to Astronema, pulling her close. She pushed Ioaeu Sjknth to the sky, and it began to glow a soft white. Instantly, a transparent force field formed around them.

She had no more than safely encased them before the first wave of gold light streaked down through the atmosphere. A heavier, more powerful wave of light followed, which passed through every thing and person around, save for Jenga and Astronema in their protective 'bubble,' before continuing its trek through the universe.

Astronema buried her face against Jenga's shoulder, trying not to look. Jenga, however, stared at Darkonda with horrified fascination. As the first beam of light struck him, he froze solid. The next heavier beam turned him to sand, and by the time it had all swept past them, he, and his Sword, had been reduced to a pile of dust no higher than her knee.

Jenga lowered Ioaeu Sjknth, breaking the force field around them. "What happened?" Astronema asked, pulling away from her slightly.

"I'm not sure," Jenga answered, walking over to Darkonda's final, ninth-life remains. "Let's get back to the Lunar Palace."

The two women promptly turned back into the blue and purple comet they had arrived in and streaked into the skies of Sila Ree Tar, leaving the planet in the same way they had arrived.

End