Hyru

Day 26

Zena had made good time all through Day 25.  She used 
every shortcut she knew to get to Prison number 1 as
fast as possible and had bought a tame delant to ride.
Zena didn't want to waste a second for fear of the 
same thing that had happened to the Shadow would happen
to her clan.  It was nearing noon when she reached the 
large building known to everybody as Prison number 1.
Being the first prison ever built in Monic it was both 
a strange and menacing site all at the same time.  The 
building stood as a testament to what the Kinshou Army
and its people stood for, order.  Order to Monic was 
something nobody wanted to see except maybe the Kin Shi
Tal but even they didn't like what the Kinshou people 
were doing.  
	As Zena approached she noticed two guards 
posted at the front door that had black suits of armor
on and they also had swords at their sides that glowed 
with a strange blue light.  Zena, never having seen 
a Kinshou knight, now understood what everybody was 
talking about when they described the Kinshou Army.  
Zena gathered up some courage and walked towards the 
entrance, almost expecting a battle, but strangely 
enough the guards looked startled and quickly kneeled
to the ground.  She was puzzled but didn't question
their actions and instead continued walking forward.
The knights remained on the ground and one of them 
spoke, "Oh supreme and powerful Empress.  You honor us 
with your presence!  But why do you travel alone?  OH! 
I am sorry I questioned you.  Please do with me as 
you wish..."  Zena regarded this display as her chance 
to get inside so she decided to play the role he 
had placed upon her.  "Don't worry about the question.  
I am here on important business," she said in a leaders 
voice (after all she is a leader).  The knight glanced
up, "Thank you Beloved.  You are probably here to 
see how things are progressing.  Signus is up at the 
main office.  I will order someone to escort you there."
Zena nodded and said, "Very good soldier."  Zena then
raised her hand and the knights rose finally and one of
them called inside for an escort immediately.  This 
knight was surprised as well at seeing Zena but complied
swiftly and showed her to the main office where Signus
was looking out a window.  The knight leading her, walked
ahead of Zena and when she reached the office door he
opened it for her and announced her in a loud voice.
"The majestic and great Empress, the Beloved is here 
to speak with you General."  Signus turned around in a 
flash, jumped a little at the site of Zena, and then
flew to the ground with great speed to get down on two 
knees at her feet.  Signus looked up and motioned for 
the guard to leave and he did so closing the door behind 
himself.  "Glorious Empress.  You give us great joy at 
your visit.  You are truly a magnificent ruler.  What will 
you have of your most humble servant?"  Signus said in 
a voice all too weak.  Zena motioned for him to rise. 
"I am sorry to tell you this but it is not in my nature
to lie.  But I did need to gain entrance and talk with 
you," Zena said.  "What do you mean Beloved?"  Signus 
asked.  "I am not the Beloved of which you speak.  I am 
Zena leader of the Twin Moons clan," Zena said after 
taking a deep breath.  "What?  That isn't possible.  You
look just like her.  You even sound like her....except 
you are dressed with less clothes than her,"  Signus 
remarked.  "Well I don't know how or why I look like 
her.  All I know is that the only other person that 
looks like me is my twin sister, Zana," Zena.  "By the
creator!  I know who you are!  You are one of the lost 
sisters of the Beloved.  She recalled having two 
sisters.  Yes, born to one mother as triplets.
She has been looking for you forever!  There can be no
mistake!  You have features no other woman in the world 
has except the Beloved.  Please let me take you home!"
Zena was overcome with emotions and thoughts at Signus's
story.  Could it be true?  If so then she had another 
sister and Anihc wasn't even her homeland.  Zena shook
her head.  No it didn't matter if she wasn't originally
from Anihc.  She grew up here, made a life here, even
became leader of the great Twin Moons clan.  She truly
was home and right now her home and her people needed her.
"Well be that as it may I cannot leave.  This has become
my home and you are destroying it!  I have come to 
either make peace or to kill you," Zena said forcefully.
"I see.  You may well be the sister of the Beloved but 
I cannot stop the attack.  I have orders from the 
Beloved," Signus said.  "I understand that but are you
so blind you don't even see the real enemy?  You may 
be powerful and confident about yourself but you don't 
even know of the true power on Anihc."  "True power?  
What power?  We have crushed the Shadow and the Kin Shi 
Tal.  My sources say we will soon crush the Sword's 
Edge as they are the next most powerful clan.  Obviously
you overestimate your people of Anihc and underestimate
us," Signus said.  "You fool!  Your overconfidence is 
going to kill us and then yourselves!  By destroying 
us you will be handing Monic over to him on a silver 
platter!  Joining with us against him is the only way to 
win.  Otherwise my coming here was just a waste of 
time."  "You speak with conviction but they are only 
words.  How can one man be this powerful against a whole
army?  What clan is he apart of?  The Shadow, Kin Shi Tal,
your clan, Spyre, or the Den of Souls?  By our estimates
nobody in these clans can defeat us.  Maybe reduce our
numbers some but they won't even come close to being
a true obstacle.  What is this man's name?"  Signus
asked.  Zena spoke in a low tone, "Hyru.  A man with no
clan but much power.  Not only does he have the Scroll
of Sangora and the Stone of Goth but my spies tell me
he intends to get the Omni Gem as well.  Hyru has put a 
plan in motion that he thinks will make him the god of 
all Monic.  It is possible with the Stone of Goth."
"Hmm... Hyru.  As I recall we only found out that he 
was a man banished from the Shadow and just recently 
emerged as a rogue outlaw.  According to our sources 
and some of your people he has not even done much.  
The threat he poses is nothing more than the threat of 
a small flame against a mighty wave of water.  And the 
items of which you speak can't truly be that great.  
Our elemental Feric Armor and enchanted Swords of Mire
are more than enough for any problem.  You HAVE heard 
of how easily we kill anything in our way?"  "As I said
before your overconfidence will kill you.  No matter
how powerful you think you are, Hyru is 100 times more
powerful.  The Stone of Goth grants him Omniscience and
the Scroll of Sangora teaches a fighting art which 
nobody can rival, giving him the power of 100 men.  And
the Omni Gem which Hyru plans to soon possess will 
bestow him with Omnipotence, the power of a god!  You 
would do well to listen to me," Zena said at last.
"You may be right but what proof do you bring me?" 
Signus said.  "I have no proof except words and the 
bodies of dead comrades that risked their lives to bring
me this information.  I suggest that you simply stop 
your conquest of Ahinc, join with my clan, and together
we storm Hyru's base.  You have nothing to lose and 
everything to gain.  You said it yourself nobody here 
on Anihc is going to be a real obstacle.  Nothing would
change if you simply postpone your war.  Right?"  Signus 
rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a minute and paced 
back and fourth.  After which he stopped in front of 
her and said, "Very well.  I will call the troops to 
regroup near Hyru's base and join with your clan.  But 
only on one condition."  "Name it," Zena said.  "You 
and your sister return home with me and live with your 
other sister the Beloved in your true homeland of 
Kinshou.  You will also get your clan to join with us 
in finishing the take over of Anihc.  What do you say?"
Zena realized it was what she and Zana wanted although
a bit different and it meant hurting Anihc.  But
the threat of Hyru was to horrific to be ignored and the 
wishes of one person was outweighed by the needs of the
people of Monic.  "I agree to those terms and being the 
leader of the Twin Moons I speak on my clan's behalf 
and my sister's, when I say they will also agree," Zena
said.  "Very good then.  It is done."  Signus called to 
a messenger to send new orders to Legion 1 of the 
Kinshou Army.  The messenger took the orders in the 
form of a note and tied it to a strange bird's leg 
which took off like a shot speeding towards the Kinshou
Army.  Zena watched the bird fly off and thought, "I 
just hope we aren't too late to stop Hyru..."
	Signus turned to Zena, "I suggest you also relay orders 
to your clan so that they get to Hyru's base more 
swiftly.  Please use one of our birds of Inog.  They fly
extremely fast and have a great sense of smell.  If you 
give them a note and a sent, they will fly to wherever 
the sent is the strongest, ignoring where they just came 
from.  Do you have such a thing?"  Zena thought for a moment
then wrote out some words on a note, put it on the bird, and 
let it smell her sword.  She knew the Twin Moons used a 
certain kind of metal to make their weapons only found in 
the area around their base.  The bird responded to the odor 
and took off in a flash.  Signus said, "I suggest that we 
journey immediately to our destination so that we can meet
our troops."  "I agree.  I will ride my delant.  How shall
you travel?"  Zena asked.  "I will march with my men from this
base.  You will find we need no animals to ride.  My people 
are proportionally stronger and have higher endurance than
your people," Signus said.  "Why is that?"  Zena inquired.  
"I am not sure of the exact reason but it has to do with the
area we live in.  Let us be off," Signus said leaving the room.
Zena followed Signus out of the building.  She decided not to 
wait for him and jumped on her delant then rode ahead to 
Hyru's base.  Signus was organizing a small band of troops to 
go with him.  The rest of his men stayed behind to watch the 
prison.  The 10 men and Signus marched out to the 
Northeast, in the direction that would take them to Hyru's
base.