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

of nerve," she spat, her eyes narrowing, "You dared to launch an attack behind my back, and even bring in one of Zedd's spies to help? Not only did you disrespect me by circumventing my authority, but you also dared to insult me further by embarrassing me before the Rangers?"

Goldar scowled, but offered no verbal apology.

Rita's eyes flared. "It's time you learned just how powerful I am,
Monkey-Boy," she growled, "Maybe then you'll learn your place

."

Goldar stared in astonishment as Rita reached for her long scepter. Rita rarely used the magical device; only when casting a powerful spell.

He gulped audibly.

"The Green Ranger may have maimed you," she declared, pointing her staff at the helpless Titan, "but I will finish the job!"

Goldar howled in pure agony as white lightning leapt from the staff. It surrounded him in an electrical cocoon, channeling through his body.
Scorpina couldn't look; she turned her begging gaze to Rita, silently pleading for mercy.

But Rita's eyes were entirely focused at the task at hand, and all she could hear was the cries of pain that tore from Goldar's lungs.

After several minutes of blinding magic and mind-numbing screams, the job was done.

Goldar collapsed into a boneless heap on the cold floor of the throne room, pulling in breaths sharply.

Lying on the floor beside him, bathed in a pool of brown blood, were two blue wings.

Scorpina gasped, crawling toward Goldar and gently touching his face. But before she could inhale to speak, Rita's scepter appeared between them.

Scorpina turned her terrified gaze to the Queen.

"How dare you interfere with my invasion?" she growled, her eyes crackling with power, "BE GONE!!"

Scorpina screamed in fear as the power from Rita's scepter leapt into her own body, charging her with painful magic that stung every single inch of flesh and bone.

Then, she vanished, a column of smoke erupting from the singed ground where the beautiful spy once sat.

Goldar stared numbly at charred rock. "S...Scorpina...??"

Rita smirked, lifting Goldar's chin with her scepter. He cringed as he was forced to gaze into her hate-filled copper eyes. "Now... whom

do you serve?"

Goldar swallowed hard, his entire body trembling. "...y...you... my Queen."

She smiled. "That's more like it."

She then removed her scepter, letting Goldar's chin crash back to the ground. Rita took a deep breath, a smile of joy erupting on her face as she casually strode out of her throne room.

Just outside, loyal Finster awaited her. She smiled at him, and he bowed in response.

"What happened to Scorpina?" Finster asked carefully.

"Relax," Rita sighed, waving her hand, "I'm not stupid enough to kill one of Zedd's spies. I just banished her to the Ipnid system. If Zedd needs her, he can find her there easily enough."

"And Goldar?" he continued.

She smiled maliciously. "He'll be fine in a day or two. Now he knows not to cross Rita Repulsa. The next time he pulls a stunt like that, he'll die."

Finster nodded, slowing down to let Rita walk in front of him. Together, they descended flights of stairs, and moved through a winding, narrow hallway. Finally, they arrived in a darkened chamber, lit only with a single torch hanging from a wall.

The opposite wall was barred, and within the small cubicle lay a prisoner.

"You cut off Goldar's wings," Finster noted, a shiver passing through him as he saw the hungry smile that pulled Rita's lips. He then glanced at the unconscious boy in the cell.

"So?" Rita challenged with a shrug, "It's not like I need him any longer. Now, I've got a new Knight... and he won't fail me."

Finster frowned. "The Green Ranger? Is that... wise?"

Rita scowled at him, causing the diminutive Monster-Baker to cringe visibly.

She then smiled again, her gaze turning back to Erol. She grasped the bars of the cell, her hands trembling with excitement. "Trust me, Finster... things couldn't have worked out more perfectly!"

Part Four

Chapter One

Rita hummed as she painstakingly pulled a brush through long waves of silver hair. She stroked a lock fondly, repeating the motion throughout the length of the hair until it was perfectly smooth.
With a toss of her head, Rita let the freshly brushed handful tumble behind her back. Then she separated another lock of hair, and the process began anew.

Of course, the sorceress could just as easily arrange her hair magically. In fact, that was the only way to create the tight cone-like twists that usually held her hair, keeping the long waves out of her way during the long day. But she found the practice of brushing her hair a relaxing luxury.

She’d been enjoying such simple pleasures much more often since her final victory of the Power Rangers.

True, she hadn’t actually killed

them yet; but that outcome was absolute…it was only a matter of time.

Goldar didn’t know it, but he had dealt a fierce blow to the Power Rangers when four months ago, he and Scorpina attacked the Earth together. While both warriors returned to the palace battered and bloodied, they had unwittingly given Rita the greatest gift of all: the Green Ranger.

When Rita had finally emerged from her study, resolved to find some individual powerful enough to use the Sword of Darkness, Finster had immediately informed her of Goldar’s plan to usurp her throne by defeating the Rangers himself. She was furious, but she managed to contain her wrath long enough to appreciate what was happening on Earth.
Somehow, the Green Ranger had changed. While previously he countered Rita’s minions out of righteous indignation, on that occasion blind hatred and fury fueled his muscles.

The result was extraordinary. The Green Ranger was more powerful than ever…easily powerful enough to defeat any other single Ranger in combat. His anger allowed him to utilize the Power in a new and different way. His focus was impeccable as he plotted his revenge, and his cruelty knew no bounds. He wasn’t far from killing his own teammate, and if left unchecked, he surely would’ve killed both Goldar and Scorpina without a second thought.

What had happened to the Green Ranger to cause this change? While Rita didn’t quite understand, she saw a golden opportunity in the emerald hero.

He was a match for the Ranger team. With a little help from her magic, he would be undefeatable.

He was intelligent, savage, malicious, and impossibly strong. And the Sword of Darkness would only harness his fury and amplify it.

The Green Ranger, armed with the Sword of Darkness, would be the most powerful warrior in the galaxy.

It was simply delicious…using the Green Ranger to defeat his own dear allies! Surely, the other six Rangers would hesitate to engage their friend, making them all the more susceptible to his power. The Evil the Sword of Darkness contained would drown out all the love and devotion he once had for Earth, and make him the ultimate warrior.
She finally had the perfect specimen.

Rita was fortunate enough to manage to teleport the injured Green Ranger to her palace, along with Scorpina and Goldar. After making sure he was securely bound in the cellar, Rita had dealt admirably with the two rebellious warriors.

Goldar had lost his wings, but he was still a powerful warrior. And over the months of relative peace, he had made an admirable recovery. He regained proper balance, and while he was slightly slower than before, he still managed to hone battle techniques no longer relying upon the added agility his wings had given him.

And now, finally,

Rita had broken his rebellious spirit. He was as obedient as a puppy, cowering whenever she threw a temper tantrum. True, he still hated her…especially since he learned Scorpina had been banished…but he would never disobey her again.

That was all she needed. She had a soldier she could trust. And soon, preparations would be complete for her new warrior…a warrior without peer.

A gentle, almost hesitant knock roused the queen from her musings. She smirked, laying the brush on her vanity and turning around.

“Come in, Goldar,” she called. The towering warrior obliged, slowly opening the door and bowing the moment his eyes fell upon his manic queen.

“We have received word from Finster,” he reported.

Rita clapped her hands gleefully. “Wonderful! Has he found everything?”

Goldar nodded, carefully keeping his head bowed. “He has just procured a sliver of malacite ore at an auction on Onyx, and completed negotiations with an Inquiran trader for a dozen blood rubies of Aphagnia. He is on his way back now.”

Rita’s smile widened. “He should be back within a week! I believe it is time to begin preparing my Knight for his destiny.”

Goldar scowled, but the angle of his head hid the deep-set frown.

“Have you fed him yet today?”

“No, my Queen.”

“I’ll take him his meal, then.”

Chapter Two

Baboo sighed, stretching his feathered limbs as he leaned against the cold wall behind him. He frowned as he turned his gaze toward his charge.

As usual, the human boy lay in a corner of the dank cell, with his face to the wall. It was impossible to tell whether he was asleep or awake, especially given the darkness of