The Soul Cages

Gagging and clawing for air, she awoke.

Motionless and seemingly unaffected by the chilly air, the knight, as Sarah decided to call him, squatted not far from where she had slept.

She noticed that the somber world of Solis had vanished and in its place was a world that was bitter cold. Colder than Solis.

Goosebumps blanketed her arms and legs. She glanced around her new environment and noticed that in place of Solis's moons was one full moon tinted the shade of purple. The sky, too, held tones of purple in varying degrees, and the vegetation presented a mixture of colors from lush, bold greens to gloomy grays scattered amongst the white, snow covered ground.

She heard loud chirps and looked above as large winged birds flew over them.

"Those are Wrangler birds." The dark man gestured to where the birds once where. In the distance, she could hear other birds squawk amongst the chirping of the wrangler birds.

No, this was not Solis, but where had the Allerton Circle taken her?

"You can stand now," The knight suggested in the same commanding tone in which he had ordered her into the Allerton Circle. He watched her from his crouched spot and he did not remove his glasses.

"I need to get my bearing." She drew the terry cloth blanket tighter around her shoulders. "What is your name?"

"I am Marion," Marion smiled. "And this," with his arms opened wide. "...is Veloris."

"Veloris?" Her breath caught as a bubbling started in her stomach. Surely it couldn't be...but what if it was

Veloris?

Veloris was known throughout the secret circles of the galaxy as the Savior's Planet. It was the only planet from which Valek could not harvest souls due to Veloris's location and power. The route to Veloris was extremely dangerous; it involved travel through several rocky asteroid belts and past the Pixlis galaxy, which was also known as the Graveyard, the home of many pirates and thieves. If one got past those things, Veloris itself had a legendary navy and defense against any intruder.

"I am one of the Queen's Ministers." He turned and showed Sarah a tattoo on his left bicep. In a scripted "M" with a sword slashed through it, the tattoo labeled Marion as a Minister Knight of Souls.

She had heard of the Queen's Ministers of Souls. Everyone in the cages had heard the myths, legends and rumors that abound throughout about who they were, what side did they belong to and if they even existed. Valek could not be stopped some had declared, but still others believed and spread whispered tales about the battles the Ministers of Souls waged against Valek.

And won.

Marion moved closer to her and squatted down next to her; the leather stretched taut over his shapely, hardened thighs. She could smell a floral scent about him that reminded her of her childhood.

"Are you cold?" He asked as he reviewed her top and shorts. "Does the blanket not warm you?"

"Yes, a little," she stuttered and pulled the blanket closer. She felt awkward with his masked eyes on her.

"No, not much."

"Come, we will start towards the castle." Standing, he offered his hand; he lifted her to her feet and she fell in step behind him. His stride took three steps of hers to keep up.

They walked for a few miles; she could not stand the silence. He marched on without stopping or even talking. It would seem his mind was elsewhere.