Chapter 12

Alan held Hopix close. His feelings for her had grown substantially in the past few weeks. Looking down, he groaned. She was still in her Fairixie clothes, which really left nothing to the imagination. The fact that her breasts were half exposed wasn’t helping either. Plus, her skirt was so short it showed off more than just a little of her perfectly smooth legs, almost calling him to caress them. Tearing his eyes away, his manhood rose to the occasion, causing his pants to tent again. He had to turn and adjust before she noticed. He was just glad they were going to be married soon, but he knew he had to find the Queen’s husband before he and Hopix could be united as a couple.

Looking closer at her face, he couldn’t find a single flaw. Her skin was smooth, and her voice always made him feel as if he could do anything.

“Hopix, I have to call the council. There is a mission I feel I have to do. I feel I owe the Queen and your people so much that I have to do it,” Alan told her a few moments later, having to tear his gaze away from her face.

“I understand, Alan. I will do all I can to help you as I always do,” Hopix said with a wide smile on her face. “What mission is it?”

“I want to go after the Queen’s husband,” he told her. Her mouth hung open; going after the Queen’s husband? But no one had seen or heard from him in over three thousand years!

“Alan, there is no guarantee that he is even alive. We’ve always been told that he was a mage not unlike you,” Hopix told him.

“I know, Hopix, but I have felt the pain that the Queen has, a deep and empty pain that lingers and festers in the dark, growing stronger the longer it is there. I too have this pain, but thanks to you and your people, I am slowly defeating it. One day I hope that I can completely defeat it, but for now, I am far better than I was,” Alan told her with a wide smile on his face. Yes, his love for her was definitely starting to overcome the pain left by his wife.

“I think I understand, Alan. Still, I will help you all I can. I am your partner as long as you wish,” Hopix told him.

Alan’s face suddenly lit up. “I wish for you to always be my partner, Hopix, in missions or cases and in life. Unite with me, Hopix, as my mate. I feel so complete with you by my side; I never want to be separated from you again.”

Hopix’s mouth hung open. Alan wanted to unite with her in a union? Suddenly, Hopix’s heart began to beat faster. A warm feeling spread all over her body as she started to blush. Alan found it so adorable. “You ... I ... but ... but...” Suddenly quiet but with the biggest smile he’d ever seen on her face, Alan gently grasped her face again and kissed her as deeply as he could, pouring all of himself into the kiss. He felt Hopix almost collapse against him, then groan as the passion began to overtake her. Breaking the kiss, they both were in a daze, only capable of staring at each other.

As always, someone was there to muck things up, as they both heard someone clearing their throat behind them. “Really, Alan, you should think more on things before you open your mouth, making promises that your body may not be able to keep.” Alan and Hopix both recognized the voice of the Fairixie council member.

“Nealiex!” Hopix squealed, grasping the other in a fierce hug. “It has been too long since you were home, my dear friend!”

Nealiex’s wide smile was indeed infectious as Alan also began to smile at the scene. “Why are you here, Nealiex? Is the council trying to think up new ways to further torture me?” Alan growled, though only half-heartedly.

“I was told that Hopix had finally given her heart and soul to someone,” the Fairixie said, pointing a slender finger at Alan. “You had better take great care of my friend. Don’t break her heart, or you might have the wrath of me coming down upon you!” Laughing, she skipped away with Hopix, laughing even harder at the look of concern and confusion on Alan’s face.

“He is absolutely adorable, Hopix!” he heard Nealiex tell Hopix. “No, I am not here to torture you. If anything, I am here to help you. I must warn you, though, as the council leader warned, the dark council will stop at nothing to end you and all the work you have done. You have already shifted the balance towards being even again. They have promised that they will take you down. I’d expect more rogue agents trying to get back in with the dark council.”

“So you’re telling me that the rules are about to change?” Sighing, Alan nodded. “Yup, that’s about how I figured it would be, as always.” Throwing his hands up in defeat, he said, “Nothing is ever easy, it seems now.”

Alan watched as the two friends embraced and sat talking about everything that had happened lately.

Sitting down, Alan realized that he’d been away from Earth almost constantly now for at least a week. I’m going to get lazy, he thought, being off-planet so much with these powers. Putting his hands in his pocket, he leaned back against the wall he’d been sitting on. His eyes were almost closed when his fingers brushed over the face of the cube.

Suddenly, Alan gasped out, seeing a human man lying unconscious on a pallet that seemed to be sealed with something clear. Alan wasn’t sure what it was. Looking closely, he could see that the man was alive but extremely slow. What the hell? Jerking up from the vision, Alan could also see that the man was very close to dying! He had to go now, or it would be too late!

Nearby, Queen Glimmer gasped out. She’d seen what Alan had pulled up with the cube. Huge tears were streaming down her face. He was alive! Though it appeared not for much longer. At least she got to see him one last time. His mouth agape, Alan could feel the Queen watching him. “I have to go now, Glimmer, to have a chance,” Alan said to the cube. The Queen nodded as she watched Alan stand and walk to the council member and Hopix.

“I’m sorry to break this up, but we have to go now, Hopix! I just saw the Queen’s husband, and he is still alive. He won’t be much longer if I can’t reach him,” Alan told both of them, bowing low but trying to urge them to move faster. Hopix’s mouth was open in surprise as she stood, moving to Alan.

Nealiex also bowed to Alan, causing a few gasps from those passing by. “Please be careful. You are our best agent since the Queen’s husband.” Alan nodded, then took Hopix’s hand, nodding to Nealiex again before they both vanished. “I just hope that you can accomplish this, my dear friends,” Nealiex said to herself as she too vanished.

They appeared in what Alan could only describe as a mass of almost solid clouds. Shaking his head, he concentrated. Soon, everything appeared more familiar to him. They’d only taken a few steps when they were assailed by a vision.

“Hold, Triacarie! You are not welcome here. Leave while you still can!” Alan, who had his feelers out the whole time, began to laugh.

“You really expect me to be scared away by a mere student? Are you such a coward that you have to hide behind the skirts of a little female?” A roar sounded, followed by several fireballs. Sighing, Alan shook his head. Nothing original still. The fireballs bounced off his shields. “Wow,” Alan started, “that was really pathetic!” He laughed even harder, almost falling to the ground at how weak the blasts had been.

“Tell you what,” Alan stated to the vision, “just come here and let me destroy you so I am not wasting my time with a pitiful ... thing like you.” There was another roar, and then the being appeared. Ugh! All Alan knew was that it looked like a green slimy slug with arms and legs. Oh yeah, he forgot the bulging eyes on top.

“You dare to insult me? This is the dark council’s world. I think you will find it extremely difficult to win here,” the green creature said.

Alan started to laugh even harder. “Please, I destroyed ten of you asses on the sister Fairixie world. This shouldn’t be that difficult.”

The creature smiled. Alan thought it was a smile. It was too hard to tell. “Ah! You are the one that destroyed them. You might find it much more of a challenge here. We know what to expect!” The creature began to laugh again.

“I see you really don’t know who you are dealing with,” Alan told the creature, right before he reached out and started to rip and shred everything he felt that was magic in it. Screaming, the being tried to flash out, then lash out, suddenly finding it had no power.

“NO! Stay away from me! I’d rather give myself to the council than submit to you!” the creature yelled at Alan. Shaking his head, Alan backed off as the dark council arrived and started to rip all the life from the creature. Alan turned and started to walk away.

“Alan Glanto,” he heard and turned, eyeing the dark council. “You have freed a small, very small section of this world. Realize this, we have held this world a very long time. There are well over 100 mages here, all loyal to us, all ready to kill for us. This,” the leader indicated what was left of the slug being, “was one of the weakest.” Drawing closer to Alan, almost in Alan’s face, the dark leader continued. “They are ready for you here, 100, well 99 mages, plus they all have at least one apprentice. You are strong, yes, though I doubt you are that strong.”

Alan returned the favor, getting in the leader’s face. “I am a hell of a lot more than you think I am. I also know of your plan for the battle on Earth. Remember, you have lost 24 of your best agents that can travel to Earth. If you remember, I took 20 of them out at one time. You really want to see how many you can lose if I actually get upset?” The look of shock, then hatred on the leader’s face made Alan smile. “Good. I’m glad we understand each other.”

Turning again, Alan thought for a moment, then turned back. “Don’t think I have forgotten the rules either. I know I am alone, for now, but we’ll see, won’t we?” This last dig really pissed off the leader and several of the council members as they growled, and the dark council vanished.