Streaks of Purple Saga Volume One - Heather Ray (phonics reader .txt) 📗

now."

Erol frowned, glancing at the moon suspiciously. "I don't know... we never actually figured out where Rita moved her palace. Zordon thinks there is some kind of force field preventing scanning."

Kreia nodded. "That's logical. But, truth be told... I hate that she's up there. The sky is so beautiful at night... it's terrible to think that the moon could house such an evil."

Erol sighed, stretching out beside Kreia and running his fingers through her straw-gold hair. "Then don't think about it. We don't have to spend every moment of our lives thinking about Rita, or Zordon, or the Rangers. We made a promise-"

Kreia smiled wistfully. "I remember... when we're at this oasis, we leave everything

behind. Here, it's just you and me."

She reached up, catching Erol's hand as it passed through her hair and squeezing it fondly. "Thank you for sharing this place with me, Erol. It really is wondrous."

Now...

He sat up, hovering over Kreia so he could gaze into her bottomless black eyes. "Kreia... you know that I'd share anything with you." He paused, grinning meekly. "Even the rest of my life."

Kreia smiled, blushing slightly at the comment. At first, it didn't mean anything special. Erol always took the opportunity to reaffirm his affection for her.

But this time... the look in his eyes was different. Those brilliant, dazzling slivers of emerald were more than just affectionate. They were... pleading

.

And his hand so tightly grasped hers. Not uncomfortably, but securely.

He was asking her a question.

"Erol...?" she breathed, her heart pounding.

"Will you be my wife?"

She was right; he was asking her a question.

She quickly rose to sit up, the tears sliding down her cheeks as she did. Both her hands sought his, clinging so desperately to her love... to this moment

... that her knuckles blanched with the effort.

"Gods, Erol," she sighed, "I never thought-"

"Kreia? Are you out here?"

Both youths jumped in surprise at the voice, almost fierce in its tone. Kreia blinked, the moment lost forever.

"That's Regita," she realized, dropping Erol's hands. She gazed at him sadly. "I forgot about our training session this evening. He must be upset-"

Erol released the breath he had been holding. "You always seem to have magic sessions, Kreia," he commented, his voice hollow, "Can't you skip one

evening?"

Kreia's shoulders slumped as she rose to her feet, brushing the grass from her clothing. She turned, watching as her aged uncle appeared from behind some trees, pushing the branches from his way with his crooked walking staff.

"Kreia, do you realize how late it is?" he scolded.

She nodded, jogging toward him. "I'm sorry, Uncle. I'm ready now."
Regita cast one final, almost suspicious glance at Erol, before putting a guiding hand on her back.

"Let's be off, then."

Erol watched them go, his fist grasping a handful of grass and tearing it from the ground.

Chapter Four

The winds bit her flushed cheeks and stung her chapped lips. A tremor of cold seized her body, biting through the insulated uniform.

“You can do better than that,” Regita muttered, impatience in his voice.
His arms remained folded, his robes swirling in the winds that he generated. He sighed as Kreia yielded to the gale, allowing her body to be pushed back a few inches.

After a few more minutes of disappointment, Regita shook his head, and blinked. In response, the powerful hurricane wind he had magically
generated vanished like darkness at daybreak.

Kreia couldn’t stop herself from falling to her knees, panting heavily from the assault.

“You should have been able to dispel that win in your sleep, Kreia.”

Kreia sighed, rubbing her cheeks to counteract the cold. “I…I can’t concentrate, Uncle.”

Regita watched as Kreia clumsily rose to her feet. “Having a boy all but declare his eternal love for you must be…unnerving.”

Regita ignored her incredulous gaze as he took a seat on a bench lining the training room. “Erol is a nice boy,” he remarked absently, suddenly taking an interest in his crooked walking staff. “He is an excellent thinker, a diplomat, and an above-average fighter. His skills with the Dragonzord are also quite impressive. And, I suppose, you might consider him…attractive.”

Kreia’s jaw dropped as her gaze continued to bore into Regita unabatedly. She couldn’t believe she was having this conversation!

Then, his gaze rose, and met Kreia’s. The Purple Ranger couldn’t help but shudder at the ice in her predecessor’s eyes.

“But you cannot marry him.”

Kreia remained silent, frowning in confusion at his last comment. It took several moments to sink in, and slowly, her incredulity ignited into fury. “Excuse me?” she demanded.

“You cannot marry him,” he repeated.

Silence fell again, as Kreia’s rage bubbled within her. “How…how dare

you?” she suddenly shrieked, her fists clenching. “What, were you spying

on us by the creek? Listening to our conversation?”

“Yes,” he answered simply.

“And I have absolutely no privacy?”

Regita shook his head. “Absolutely none.”

Kreia trembled in fury, angered both by the horrid control Regita seemed to have over her, fueled by the nonchalance in which he dictated her life to her.

“I don’t need your permission!” she shouted, unconsciously allowing her power to build. The wind picked up, blowing her hair in a mad dance that mirrored the storm in her heart and mind. “I love

Erol! It’s my decision to marry him…and I will

! You may have taken our families away, and our lives…but you can’t take him from me! He’s all I have left!”

Regita calmly raised his hand, his skin sparking with purple energy.

Kreia watched furiously as Regita easily calmed her magical storm, nullifying her powers with but a thought.

“Kreia, I’m sorry, he confessed, “I know this must hurt you dearly, but you must trust me. You can’t marry Erol. I know you love him, and know he loves you. You are the entire reason why he joined the Power Rangers…so he would not lose you. And I am sorry for letting him join the team with that determination in his heart.

Kreia was so far beyond angry she could hardly see. “But you admitted Erol was an excellent Green Ranger!” she spat.

“His skills are not in question. His skill are tremendous. But his motivation

is a cause for concern. His motivation is selfish…and so is your motivation right now. You are being selfish by insisting on continuing your relationship with him.”

Kreia fought the urge to slap her uncle then and there. “And what’s wrong with a little bit of selfishness? I’m sacrificing everything

to be a Ranger!”

“And you must continue to do so. If you do marry Erol, you will be distracted. Your love for him is a distraction. You confessed that you couldn’t concentrate during our training session. The kind of love that you’re feeling is dangerous. It transcends reason, and blinds common sense. It can get you killed.”

Regita watched the tears of rage spill down her cheek. He sighed as he wiped them away with his other hand.

“You know I’m right. Now is not the time to pursue your own joy. That is why so few people in this world can be Power Rangers. We are at a critical time in human history. Rita is on the run, and we have the chance to defeat her, and finally free our world. But to beat her, we must have no distractions. And you, more than any other Ranger, must fully dedicate yourself to your training.”

Kreia closed her eyes, tears pouring freely as despair weakened her knees. She slowly slid to the ground, staring at the black tiles blankly. “Why…me?” she sobbed.

“Because you must be my successor,” he revealed, staring down at the broken girl before him. “You are the key to defeating Rita. I must train you in all my abilities. You aren’t only a Power Ranger, but a mage. With much practice and training, you will be able to tap into the magical weave of the universe, and greatly increase the power you can call upon. Eventually, you may be strong enough to challenge Rita yourself.”

Kreia stared up at him uncomprehendingly. “But…I can’t compare to her magic…”

“No, but you have the Power as well. The total magical power you can summon will be astounding. With discipline, you can even transcend my

abilities.”

He was silent for a moment, his own eyes clouded with serious thought.

After much deliberation, he decided to tell his niece the truth.
“Kreia…I’m dying.”

Kreia quieted, and stared up at him in stupefaction.

He nodded solemnly. “The magic I have practiced has extended my life far beyond the normal span of a human being. But I can feel

the deterioration. I cannot imagine living for more than a few months at best. That gives me precious little time to train you in all that I know. So, I will need your full cooperation. The fate of the entire world lies upon your shoulders.”

He reached his hand down to her. “I know you love him deeply. I can only imagine what such love feels like. But for all you love him, can you tell me now that he is more precious to you than the entire world? Than the human family? Than the galaxy? Because that is what is at stake.”

Kreia felt her entire spirit surrender to a deep dark sadness. She stared unblinkingly at Regita’s offered hand for a solid minute, the physical pain making it difficult to even breathe.

Finally, she weakly took his hand.

Regita smiled. “Thank you, my dear.”

Kreia was silent as she slowly rose to her feet. The tears continued sliding down her face, and she didn’t even bother to wipe them away.

Chapter Five

She side-stepped the powerful staff as it tore at her from above, quickly whirling her own matching rod at her opponent. Her short strawberry-blonde hair swirled around her cheek at the sharp motion.

He ducked the swing, and blocked the