The Night of The Necros: The Rise of The Queen

How many times has the world gone through its changes? Desolate landscape becomes beautiful green overflowing with rivers and flora and fauna in abundance. Things progress and people move across the planet's surface. They bring change. With that change comes good and bad things. Pollution, destruction, and chaos. However, it is in the midst of that chaos that we see all of the good that people can be capable of. When someone is down and hurting special people with kind souls are able to pick up the people around them. Long ago before the world was nearly destroyed a group of people known as the Council viewed people as a plague. They sought to destroy anyone who did not contribute to society in a way that they deemed acceptable. When the Council learned about an approaching catastrophic event they did nothing to help the people. Instead they rounded up the people that they considered the best and the brightest and left everyone to die in what would become known as the Great Calamity. Today would be the first day that Arabella would meet with the Elders. She had a feeling that she would be cast out of the village as an outcast. As a Vosat she was considered useless with nothing of merit to offer. She sighed as she paced the floors nervously. She had been born to an almost extinct race of people known as the Vosat. One day a goddess came to a peaceful group of people. They became known as the Vosat. She decided that these people were kind and virtuous enough to be charged with the preservation and protection of the world's knowledge. The Great Tsigili gifted them with the power to heal and protect. As long as the Vosat remained virtuous and didn't abuse their power then she would not abandon them. The Goddess had seen the good that people were capable of. She wanted to nurture them. She wanted to help them grow and she did. She worked beside the Vosat to help them maintain that which should be left behind by all. Arabella sighed. She gnawed on her bottom lip. Her lips were full and a pale pink. Her cheek bones were high and rosy. Her bright green eyes darted around the waiting room as she tried to keep her mind off of her current situation. She was petite with long legs for her height. Now was not the time to get lost in academic thought. She knew this yet her brain often strayed in that direction because it was better than facing the memories of her past. She scrunched up her nose as she mulled over why she was being called before the Elders. She continued to pace the floor waiting for them to call her into the great meeting room. Once a month each village would send elders to represent them during the meeting. Each village would send four elders out of twelve. There were a total of twelve villages that the Vosat lived in. To help preserve their villages it had been deemed important that they keep the number of Vosat in a single village to minimum of two hundred. After the Council's last attack against the Vosat, in which they lost over fifty clansmen, their outposts became villages to keep the Council from being able to locate them again. "This month's major issues are such as follows: We have people fleeing their villages looking for a safe haven." The Elder Yang said. "From what we have seen here Hiroki Village seems to be filled with the most refugees. Why?" The elders looked around waiting for someone to speak up. No one wanted to answer his questions. He had been a stickler for letting the humans handle their own problems. Opposing him might cause problems for Hiroki Village. "Why?" Came a voice. "Because we have been entrusted with the task of preserving human knowledge and information regarding the events that are happening around the world." Came an annoyed voice. Everyone looked in surprise towards the Grand Elder's seat. Even Elder Yang was surprised to see her in attendance. The Grand Elder never involved herself in such matters unless it was important. Everyone stood and bowed to her. "Grand Elder," Elder Yang began. "Oh shut up, Elder Yang she said rolling her eyes. "Do you want to know why we have a large number of refugees here or not?" She demanded. He nodded his head. "Then everyone sit down and shut up. I have things to discuss with you. Everything else can wait." She said waiting for them to take their seats. When they were seated she continued. "Everyone, I know that seeing a large number of refugees when you came to the village came as a shock. However, the request was not one that I can refuse." "Why?" Elder Yang interrupted. "Who could hold such power over you that you would grant such a foolish request?" He demanded. The Grand Elder's eyes narrowed. "Listen here, boy, I will not be talked down to like this." The Grand Elder hissed. Everyone stared at Elder Yang in shock. "The person that you so rudely referenced is your princess and future queen. Which, I should remind you, is why we are all gathered here." "Impossible!" Elder Yang shouted. "The Princess was lost long ago!" "She was not!" The Grand Elder said. "Just in hiding as was advised long ago." "I demand to see this impostor! I refuse to believe that such a person has been here all this time." He demanded. "Silence!" The Grand Elder shouted. Everyone jumped in surprise at the woman's commanding voice. "Elder Yang, you will sit down and be quiet!" She said glaring at him. "I have been caring for the princess all of these years. I can assure you that she is alive and well. You will see her in a moment. For now we have very important things to discuss." The elders of Hiroki Village nodded their heads in agreement. "It seems that the Princess's birthday is coming up. Those who are privy to her identity know that we have been preparing for this day for years. Now, this brings me to the problem at hand. I have been spoken to by the Great Tsigili. She came to me and directed me on how to proceed with the princess. We also have information on the person that they call the Master and his plans." She said. Everyone listened intently to every word she had said. "After the Princess's birthday the Master plans to wake the demon that has been asleep atop Noquisi Mountain. He plans to destroy what is left of the human race." She said sadly. "Then what do we do?" One of the Elders asked. "There is only one thing that we can do." She said. The Grand Elder took a deep breath. "We must send the Princess to the Great Tsaligu. There Tsigili-" "I am sorry but what is this foolishness that you speak of?" Elder Yang demanded. "What you are speaking of is nothing but a story we tell our children to get them to behave! It's just a folk story." Everyone gasped. "Elder Yang, how did you even become an elder in your village?" The Grand Elder asked. "It was natural that I became an Elder. I was next in line and-" "You need to visit our restricted section." The Grand Elder said shaking her head. "I think that your position among the elders should be suspended until you go over every book in the restricted section." She said with a sigh. "You lack the knowledge and qualities it takes to be an elder. Please remove him from the room and send him to the library with instructions that he is to stay there until he learns the Vosat history in the restricted section." Everyone watched on in shock as Elder Yang was escorted from the room. "Grand Elder, should we even allow the Princess to leave?" One of the elders from Hiroki village asked. "What would happen if we sent her to the tree?" Another Elder asked. "Tsigili will unseal her powers." She said. "What do you mean unseal her powers?" An elder demanded. "When the princess was but a child before our village was destroyed, she had been blessed with powers beyond belief. We had to have them sealed for her protection." "Her powers have been sealed?" An elder asked astonished. "Then you mean?" "Yes the Vosat without any power is our princess." "But why were her powers sealed to begin with?" One of the Elders asked. "Because the person that the Council calls the Master was able to find her." She said. She understood their confusion. They had been told for many years that she had been lost when the village was attacked along with her mother. Now they were being told that she had been alive all along. "I do not think it wise that we send her out of the village." An elder said. A few elders nodded their heads. "I agree." "Well, I don't." Said one elder. "What will we do if this Master of the Council is able to wake the Demon? We cannot hope to defend against something like that. We couldn't when the queen was alive. The Princess will be our only hope." They said. "But will she be able to make it out in the wilds on her own?" Another elder said voicing her concern. "She will be fine." A young man said coming to stand before them. His brown eyes shown with confidence in the Princess's abilities. He had a strong jaw and an aquiline nose. He stood tall and muscular. His movements were confident and graceful as he came to stand before them. One wavy lock fell over his his high forehead. "The Princess is capable and strong. She may not have power now but she will. Until then I will act as her power." "Genova, I am glad that you could join us." The Grand Elder said. "Grand Elder," He said bowing. "I have told you not to do that. You are the only other person that knows that she is the princess. You must not bow to anyone else." "Grand Elder, I have also told you that if I was the only one that doesn't bow to you then someone would find that suspicious." He said. The old woman laughed. "This is Genova Notifli. He is a knight to the Princess and has been with her since they were children. Genova is the only other person aside from myself and the Elders here in Hiroki Village that knows of the Princess's identity. Now aside from any discussions regarding the management of the villages is there anything else that we need to address?" "No, Grand Elder. I believe that we are ready to vote." Said an elder. "Good. Then all those in favor say, 'Aye'." She said. Those who were in favor of the Princess leaving the village raised their hands and spoke. "Aye." They said. "Those opposed?" "Nay." They said. "Then we have a majority vote of thirty eight to nine." She said with a chuckle. "I would like to call her in before we discuss anymore business." Everyone nodded their assent as Genova stepped back. Arabella jumped in surprise when the door opened. An older man was being escorted out of the meeting. She looked at him with a questioning look on her face. He scowled at her and let the guards march him away. The doors closed again leaving Arabella to sit there and wait. "I don't understand what they need me for. I am just a powerless Vosat." She said to herself with a sigh. As time drug on she began to count the tiles on the ceiling in boredom. After counting about thirty small tiles the doors opened again. Arabella jumped in surprise when someone approached her. Her eyes landed on Genova. "The Grand Elder has called you into the meeting." He said with a gentle smile. "I don't know what this is about." She whispered. Arabella stood and smoothed her hands along her pants. "I don't think I did anything wrong." "It will be okay." He said shutting the door behind them. Arabella looked up in surprise at forty-six people that sat imposingly in front of her. She swallowed nervously. She had never been before the Elders before. A few of the elders eyed her with appraisal as they whispered among themselves. "She is so tiny. Maybe she shouldn't be allowed to leave." One of the Elders whispered. "Yes but what will happen if she doesn't. It's just too great a chance to take." Said another. "Arabella, please step forward." The Grand Elder said. Arabella jumped. She was surprised to see that the Grand Elder was there. Her mind began to race as she went over everything that she had done. Nothing came to mind. She took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Yes, Grand Elder." She said softly. "Arabella, You are being tasked with an important mission." She said. Arabella's eyes widened in surprise. "Me?" She asked. The elders nodded. "But-" "No buts." The Grand Elder said. "You are to travel to the Great Tsaligu. While you are traveling you will mark any villages that you see and report any council movements. Genova will go with you to help you in your travels." She said. Arabella looked at everyone and sighed. "Yes, Grand Elder. I will do my best to complete the task that you have given this lowly and powerless Vosat." She said softly. Arabella bowed her head and stepped back. "Arabella, we have been over this. You should never think of yourself as less than. You are a very special person and this mission will help you see it. Just because you don't have any power now doesn't mean that you will not gain something useful." She said kindly. "Yes, Grand Elder." She said. "You will leave out at first light tomorrow morning. You may be dismissed." The Grand Elder said. "Thank you, Elders and Grand Elder." She said. "Genova, you will go with her. There are things that you will both need. My assistant will have a list waiting for you when you leave." She said. "Yes, Grand Elder." He said bowing. Genova left the meeting room and found Arabella sitting outside. As usual she was lost in thought. She was staring up at the sky. Her clear green eyes shimmered as the sky was reflected back. "What's wrong?" He asked sitting down next to her. Arabella continued to stare at the sky. "I just don't get it. Why would she send my on a mission outside the village?" She wondered. "I don't know." He said shrugging. It pained him to lie to her but he knew that the Grand Elder had noticed a change in her. "Here's what I do know. I do know that we have a lot to do before we head out. The Grand Elder said that her assistant would be giving us each a list of things we need to get before we leave. So that being the case lets go get that list and get ready." He said nudging her. Arabella smiled at him and stood up. She wasn't sure how this mission would go but she did know one thing. She was finally going to see the world. That was something that she could look forward to. "Hey, Genova," She said as she gathered supplies for the journey. "What do you think the world will be like when we leave?" She asked. "I can't say." He said looking up at the sky. Beautiful blue reflected in his deep brown eyes. "Something tells me that nothing will be like we expect." He said. The Vosat Villages were strategically placed in places that were long abandoned by ancient civilizations. Due to the world's many hardships the Vosat villages were like little havens that were free from the Council's corruption. "Part of me hopes that it will be beautiful but another part of me feels like I will be sad and disappointed." Arabella said as she looked through the stalls. "How have the refugees been?" She asked. "Good. Everyone is settling in fine. Though I know that you already know this. You were spotted by some of the village guards." He said sneaking a peek at her. "What do you mean?" She asked feigning innocence. "You know exactly what I mean." He said. "You sneaked into the Grand Elder's kitchen and gave them leftovers from the meals." He said. Arabella blushed crimson. "I don't know what you are talking about." She said turning away from his prying eyes. "Fine. Maybe it was some other good will bandit that has escaped the guards' watchful eye until now." He said sarcastically. "What does that mean?" She asked. "Arabella, you are the only Vosat that would go out of their way to make sure that the refugees were comfortable and had plenty of food. There are Vosat who do not care for their presence." Genova said. "Why is that?" Arabella asked. "Because not everyone sees their innocence. Many people are worried that they might report our location to the Council. No one see through people like you can. If they could they wouldn't be so worried. Your request angered a lot of people. Even other village elders complained about it during the meeting." He said keeping her pace. "I see..." She said. Hazy visions like a dense fog filled her mind. Her hands began to shake. Instinctively she reached for the handle of one of her katanas. "I didn't realize that people were so afraid." She mumbled. "It's okay. I know that you only mean well, as does the Grand Elder." He said. He could see her hands trembling. He knew that she was steeling herself against the fear welling up within her heart. "None of us would hold anything against you. You sympathized with them because you witnessed first hand how cruel the Council can be." He said. His eyes involuntarily went to the scar on the side of her neck as it dipped into her shirt. His eyes filled with sadness. Her life had indeed been difficult. If only the people around them knew who she was and how she had lived her life. They walked back to the Grand Elder's estate in silence. When they made it back to Arabella's room she looked up at him with sadness in her eyes. "I know that asking them to be let in was asking a lot. Maybe-" "Do not finish that sentence." Genova said. "You would not be you if you had not asked." He said. "What do you mean?" She asked c*****g her head to the side. "I mean that you are a kind person. Even after everything that you went through, you refused to break. Somehow you got stronger. It was like you were preparing for the day that you would make the Council answer for every crime that they had committed." He said admirably. "I don't know anyone that would not crumble after facing such horrible circumstances." He said. He remembered seeing her after the Council had attacked their village. A fire burned deep within her. He could see the rage building. "Thank you, Genova, for staying with me all these years." She said gently. "I will always be with you." He said. "Make sure that you are ready to go in a few hours. Just because we leave out at first light doesn't mean that we can't spar." "I thought that you weren't going to spar with me any more." She said with surprise. "Well, it would seem that I am the only one crazy enough to spar with you." He chuckled. "What's that supposed to mean?" Arabella asked. "Nothing. See you in a bit." He said. Arabella nodded and stepped inside her room. She looked around and set her things down with a sigh. Her room was sparsely decorated. Her bed, a desk, and a single bookshelf were all that occupied the room. The only decoration were three pictures. One was of her and her mother. The second one was of her and her brother. The last one was of her with a group of people that she couldn't remember, except for Genova. She couldn't remember who the others were but everyone seemed really close. She looked around at the books that littered her desk and overflowed from her shelf. Arabella sighed as she began to pick them up. She needed to pack but she didn't feel like doing it at the moment. Instead she wanted to clean up before she packed. She knew it would help her reorder her thoughts. When she was done everything was neatly in its place. She took out her purchases and laid them out on her bed. She had grabbed only necessities. She was used to living with only the things that she needed so packing was a simple thing for her to do. Arabella sighed and stretched when she was done. She took another look around the room. She was almost fully packed but it was time for her to get ready to meet with Genova. As she got ready she wondered what he had meant when he said that he was the only one crazy enough to spar with her. Arabella shrugged and strapped two leather belts around her hips. The belts sported scabbards on either side of her hips. She slipped her katanas into the scabbards and then slipped her quiver filled with arrows over her head as well as her bow. A/N: The original chapters are long so in order to stay with the original outline of the book they will be written in parts. I look forward to reading your comments and hearing your feedback.