EARTH NEVER-MORE

“You all knew and revered her as ‘Kah-Mandea Two-Blades’. But my lady… your Queen, will forever be remembered in my heart with the name she was known by in our home-world. My sweet, beloved Amanda.”

King Kar-P’Tah paced out the words slowly and deliberately, as his piercing hazel-eyes fought back the well-spring of tears that threatened to overwhelm them. The vast torches that lined the promenade like gargantuan stone sentinels cast an orange hue not only upon the kings’ aged and careworn features, but also the vast mass of creatures massed around him in the night.

A heart-breaking silence followed Kar-P’Tah as he cast his gaze - nestled under furrowed brows - upon the unmoving body that lay prostate before him in an opaque, intricately crafted casket to his immediate front. Her lifeless body was slender - wrapped in the black K’Darr-leather battle-suit that was her uniform. Her arms were crossed upon her chest - both bearing the twin quartz-like blades that she was famous for wielding with deadly skill. Queen Kah-Mandea appeared serene in her stillness - her eyes closed forever in a resignation that still failed to weaken her beautifully granite features and expression. Even death could not rob her of those.

King Kar-P’Tah gently lay a bandaged hand upon the clear cover of his queens’ final resting place before resuming in the strange, alien accent that his subjects had come to love.

“You know of our history before settling here in your lands of Adar-Omega. That many, many years ago, my wife and I appeared in your northern K’Dath mountain ranges - plucked unwittingly from our land of Earth. Lost. Wandering. Beings who had never lain eyes upon the majestic and wingless K’Darr, who appear to swim as they fly mightily in your skies beneath the twin suns of J’Tarr and Kuraan. Two humans - for that is what we are called in our homeland - who could not be understood, nor could understand the alien tongues of Adar-Omega.”

The mass of creatures that crowded around the king nodded with their shapely oval, green-scaled heads in silent agreement. Their tall, lithe reptilian bodies stood rigid in repose.

“You have heard of the legends as my wife and I quickly discovered our latent magic, only made apparent here on your world. How the first assailants Amanda and I encountered suffered greatly at our hands, as we dispatched them with our powers that we barely understood. Amanda - who wielded the power of a voice that was as deadly as the blades that she would adopt. And your king - who mastered the power of shadows and used them to fatal effect.”

King Kar-P’Tah looked heavenward as he regarded the strange constellations and moons that dotted the Adar-Omega evening sky.

“My wife and I journeyed long and unceasing through these lands. You hold dear the bitter lament of the peoples of Gar-Tubor - those secretive and untrusting devils that people the seas of Kobo-Kadogg. How they tried to recruit us in their efforts to overthrow you and all of the peoples of Adar-Omega with their vile schemes. And how - in our imprisonment in their now-destroyed citadel of Barrokk - Amanda and I joined with those imprisoned peoples from this world and overwhelmed the amphibian beasts of Gar-Tubor, laying waste to their cursed city in our fury.”

A multitude of reserved cheers made themselves known at this statement, and all of the reptilian figures that swarmed the vicinity beat a clenched fist upon their armoured chests. The king cast a steely gaze out at his reptilian subjects - feeling his human heart swell despite the almost unbearable pain that clutched at it with chilled, remorseless claws.

“You all will recall how my wife and I were then taken in as kith and kin by your people. How you patiently educated us in your ways and your language. How we learned of your history - a history of bitter oppression at the hands of not only the felled devils of Gar-Tubor, but also the fiendish giants from the scorched plains of Tyr-Fallon. How we fought side-by-side in unrelenting battles against the evil, black-hearted bastards!”. More cheers - this time almost deafening in volume - erupted from the multitude as the throng released their exultant energy into the heavens. King Kar-P’Tah nodded slightly in assent before continuing.

“You know of the unfortunate scheming from the emperor of Tyr-Fallon. Of his lust and jealousy that consumed him regarding your Queen Kah-Mandea - in the days before you all crowned both her and I as your regents. How Tyr-Fallon’s covetous and evil nature caused him to wage a deadly war against these lands of Adar-Omega. A war that cost many of your noble peoples’ precious lives. A war that - despite the overwhelming odds and incredible strength of those foul giants to the east - we survived and emerged not only as victors, but free peoples who finally controlled our land, our lives and our very destinies!”. The cries of victory from the reptilian warriors raised even louder as they again beat upon their collective breasts in unison. King Kar-P’Tah struck mightily in the air with his right arm - his fist almost splitting the very sky with its’ ferocity. He then lowered his arm - his voice doing likewise.

“And you know of the battle that we had just valiantly fought, only a day ago. Our final battle with the assembled armies of Adar-Omega against our worlds’ deadliest foe. The undead warlord, Jadeth-Kurr.”. The very mention of the warlords’ name cast a deathly pall upon the congregation - the final toll of their ultimate victory weighing heavily upon their souls. However, the king continued unabated with his speech.

“This was a battle that united the free peoples of Adar-Omega. A battle that threatened every creature that existed in Adar-Omega. The final battle for your Queen Kah-Mandea - who led us to such a bitter-sweet victory. For, in the heat of this battle, your queen saved my life by sacrificing hers - absorbing a deadly blow from the cursed Jadeth-Kurr that was meant to kill your king.”. Sadness etched itself into every syllable as finally, tears slowly formed twin rivers that ran unheeded down his face - a mask of controlled grief.

His mind was filled with a montage of images and sounds. The looming hood and skeletal claws of the evil Jadeth-Kurr as he swung his foul, double-handed sword at King Kar-P’Tah’s neck - The electric scream from Kah-Mandea that blew a visceral hole through the warlord, but to no avail - The fluid motion of his wife as she hurled herself in front of the ebony blade, knocking Kar-P’Tah back as the sword cut into her side - The shadows that the king summoned in his grief, turning into thousands of unstoppable, bladed tendrils which tore at Jadeth-Kurr and his surrounding generals with such an unbridled fury that even the undead could not overcome the ethereal attack - The crumpled body of his wife, blood pouring from the lethal wound that the warlord had inflicted with deadly abandon.

“And so, we must bid farewell to our Queen. The one you have always called Kah-Mandea, and who will always be my Amanda. A woman who led by example. A woman who bore life’s misfortunes with a wry smile and the strength of a Kyr-Beast! A woman who devoted her life to the freedom of a people whom we never knew existed, back when we lived on another world. A woman who was my heart and my soul.”. Here, the king broke off - fearful that his emotions would overwhelm. For even in his ultimate moment of grief, King Kar-P’Tah knew that he must remain strong for his people - the reptilian people of Adar-Omega who had taken both him and his wife in as equals, and given them a sense of purpose, a sense of belonging and a new life that was uncharted distances from their land of origin. He swallowed his heartache, looked once more at the lifeless form of his wife and spoke again - the cries in the crowd subsiding for their king.

“We bid farewell to Kah-Mandea Two-Blades of Adar-Omega. Amanda of Earth. My wife. My heart. My life. A leader of our people and the bane of the unjust. A mistress of mayhem, but shield-maiden of goodness and righteousness. May our lives be forever in her debt.”. The cheers from the reptilian peoples of Adar-Omega rent the air with emotion. The king could not bring himself to tear his vision away from Amanda as she lay in silent repose - her fine, blonde hair arranged around her beautiful, angular features. Though there was a grim set to her expression, an underlying sweetness still seeped through - much as it had when she was alive. The king knew what must come next and took in a deep breath as he considered his next words.

“Now - with the defeat of our dread enemy, Jadeth-Kurr - my responsibilities as your war-time leader have been fulfilled. It is time for you all to elect a new king and queen. Your law states that a king must always have a queen with which to rule with. As I refuse to ever take another as my wife, I must abdicate.”. Many gasps and cries of shock arose from the crowd, but Kar-P’Tah continued regardless. “Peace has been achieved by the four kingdoms of Adar-Omega. The armies of Gar-Tubor, Tyr-Fallon, and the undead hordes of Jadeth-Kurr are now defeated and never-to-return. My time as your ruler has reached its end. I plan to journey back to the K’Dath mountains in the north and lay my Queen - Our Queen - to rest - in the place that brought us both from our home-world to this marvelous land. A land that, though rife with danger and treachery, opened up its true nature and led us to you - A people who became our family and showed us the best that this world of Adar-Omega had to offer. And for that, I will always remain grateful. But I must leave you all and lay my wife to rest. I must have time to bear my own sadness, and rest from the rigors of too many battles with such a high toll paid.” And with that, King Kar-P’Tah closed his eyes and drew in the shadows from beneath him - turning them into wispy arms that held his wife’s casket and pushed it through the crowd, with the king slowly following in mute passage behind.

His reptilian subjects parted for their regent, as the casket and their king approached the hulking form of a resting Kyr-Beast - it’s K’Darr-leather harness strapped around it’s rocky hide. The king clenched his fists and grit his teeth in determination as he quietly bade the shadowy arms to raise the queens’ casket onto the massive creature’s back - the dark, ghost-like limbs quickly strapping it to the back of the Kyr-Beast.

Kar-P’Tah regarded his subjects one last time with a proud and silent stare before mounting his monstrous steed and launching his bandaged hands up in a final farewell.

“Live well, my brothers and sisters. I will carry your memory with me, wherever I may travel. Long live the free peoples of Adar-Omega!”.

And with the answering cheer from his subjects, King Kar-P’Tah urged his steed to leave the city of Bar-Dara, heading steadily north to the mountains far-off in the foggy distance.

* * *

For days, Kar-P’Tah traveled on the back of his rocky mount - passing through the northern lands of Adar-Omega that he had not seen since he and Amanda had arrived here, so many years ago. The lush lands of his former subjects gave way to rocky hills and fens - fissures spewing out gasses which coalesced around the ground.

The king had plenty of time to reflect on memories of him and Amanda fighting their way down from these foothills so many seasons ago - bewildered by their own new abilities as much as by the strange world they had found themselves in.

Of course, there was the inevitable sadness that they had both harboured for their lost loved-ones back on Earth. Parents - children - friends - they were so far away and never to be seen again. The separation became unbearable at times, and threatened to overwhelm them in the early years. But the constant threats, intrigues and battles of Adar-Omega stole them from their grief - making the pair both beholden and immersed in the problems and politics of this world.

Kah-Mandea became exalted in her lethal combination of whirling blades and voice of destruction. Kar-P’Tah also became revered with his deadly strength and sinister ability to control the very shadows into any form he wished. But since the battle against the warlord, Jadeth-Kurr, the king had felt his strength steadily waning. His last burst of shadowy doom he summoned against the undead hordes had cost him dearly. On seeing his wife lifeless on the battle-field, the king had unleashed a fury never before known in Adar-Omega. While it won the battle - and ultimately the age-old war - King Kar-P’Tah had used the last reserves of his energy in his violent gambit. Small vestiges remained - enough to pull at the surrounding shadows for a very brief amount of time. But the king could feel - not only his energy reserves - but his very life-force ebbing by the minute.

He looked ahead and noticed the rough, uneven track begin to narrow and wend it’s way further up the mountain - obscured by an impenetrable mist.

Kar-P’Tah strained to draw in the shadows once more to lower Queen Kah-Mandea’s casket - clutching the ornate oblong with their dark, semi-translucent arms once more. The king solemnly stumbled along the track, with his wife following in a lifeless procession.

They approached a flat plateau - strangely grassy amongst the bleak, rocky outcrops surrounding them. A perfectly flat cliff-face - oh, so similar to the one that the king and his wife had picnicked at back on Earth - stood silent witness to the returning king and queen. It bore no mark - time having eroded everything back to a featureless, flat edifice.

The shadow-arms lowered the queen’s opaque coffin to the grassy ground, before dissipating in the breeze - the last of King Kar-P’Tah’s uncanny energy utterly spent. The king was breathing heavily - sweat beading down his wrinkled features and collecting in his greying beard. He stumbled against the cliff-face and eased himself down next to the clear oblong cask, his bandaged hands patting the lid tenderly.

His memories cascaded in his mind’s-eye. The reptilian peoples to the south, who found their English names so difficult to pronounce. Amanda - who they roughly translated as Kah-Mandea. Peter - who they mangled into the title of Kar-P’Tah.

He cast his recollection back further - to their last day on Earth, picnicking at a rocky outcrop out in the Narraburra Hills, outside of the Australian outback town of Aromet. Amanda’s slender, yet muscular body lay in repose on a worn blanket as they shared a plate of smoked salmon, peppers, meats and cheeses. Peter tenderly brushing his hands down her arms as he drank in her beauty - storm clouds gathering overhead.

Even now, as his life ebbed away - Kar-P’Tah - or Peter as he was formerly known - remembered the sudden flash of energy that burst from the flat, rocky wall behind them back on Earth. How they both felt a surge of electric current and were enveloped by a blinding blue light that carried the smell of burnt ozone. And as their consciousness faded all those years ago, they both felt their very essence ripped from their physical bodies.

Peter sighed in resignation - his breaths getting shallower by the second. Still patting the lid of Amanda’s final resting place, he shed a final tear as he contemplated the random chance that had warped the destinies of both him and his beloved. And as consciousness faded from him, Peter noticed storm clouds gathering overhead - electric energy humming around the grassy plateau.

“What a life we led, my sweet Amanda…” and his last ever words escaped his cracked lips, riding on the last breath to escape his breast. As his life-force winked out, Peter thought he could hear a woman’s weeping echoing in his ears…

* * *

His eyes opened up - shrugging off the blue light that had immersed them for an immeasurable instant. A strange heaviness lay heaving upon his chest and he gingerly raised his head. On his torso was the body of a slender, blonde figure - weeping in familiar feminine tones.

“What - is -going - on?” He croaked - his throat raw and dry as he ventured to speak. The weeping woman looked up with large, honey-brown eyes that scanned him with a watery look of disbelief.

“Peter?” She ventured in a tone of disbelief. “You’re - you’re alive?”. Her familiar smile broke through her surprised features as she stared at him.

“Amanda?” He queried - looking around at the familiar glade. “Is that really you? How long have you been here?”. He gingerly sat up and hugged his wife - the years stripped-back to the moment that they had been transported to the alien lands of Adar-Omega.

“I only just woke up, baby.” She responded through tears, touching her husband’s face. “I thought you were dead!”

“Same here, Mandy.” He returned her gesture - marveling at the living visage of his queen, now returned to her former youth. He felt his own face and noticed the creases and wrinkles that had invaded his features over the years in Adar-Omega were gone. Even his beard was back to the close-cropped and manicured facial-hair he had wore decades previously. “Looks like we’re back home!”

“Home?”. Amanda looked around them in amazement. “Look - the food is still fresh!”. They laughed incredulously as they examined their surroundings, before touching the blank cliff-face behind them. Helping each other up, they hugged each other tightly - tears of joy streaming from their eyes.

“Where to now, my Queen?” Peter asked, tenderly holding his wife’s body in his arms. She smiled up at her husband, running her hands through his short-cropped hair.

“Back home to our children, my King.” She smiled in reply. “Back home…”