The Terran Ranger Saga Volume 6 - Heather Ray (read novels website TXT) 📗

In an intense display of cloudy gold light, Goldar materialized within the throne room.

When the light faded, the warrior was stunned at the sight before him.

The room had changed entirely. The rough stone walls and floor were replaced by black marble tiles, giving the chamber a more polished, regal feel. A strip of thick black carpeting stretched from the entrance of the chamber to the throne, which now sat atop a trapezoidal platform of about four feet in height, each layer a one-foot thick slab of marble slightly smaller than the previous, to create ascending steps. Atop the platform, on either side of the golden throne, was a golden torch stand, with a pulsing black flame blazing ominously atop each. And finally, in the corner of the throne room just beside the large balcony rested a huge globe of Earth, hovering about two feet off the ground, and spinning slowly on an angled axis, just like the planet itself. Goldar stepped closer, and realized with awe that it was in fact a miniature display of Earth, complete with liquid rivers and oceans that coursed along the surface.

It was like nothing he had ever seen before.

He growled under his breath.

"Welcome back, Goldar," said a slightly familiar voice. Goldar spun around in reaction, and his jaw dropped yet again. A tall knight, dressed in reflectant black armor, had just entered the altered throne room. A crimson flash lit his empty eyeholes, and he rested his long black ax on the ground, placing both his hands at the top of the hilt. The creature flashed a crafty smile.

"Rito?" Goldar whispered in bewilderment.

The skeleton nodded. "The new and improved Rito Revolto."

Rito laughed deeply, lifting his ax and swinging it onto his shoulder. He then approached Goldar with a slow, easy stride. "Like the new décor?"

"What in the name of Evil happened here?!" Goldar demanded.

"Lord Umbriel happened."

At that moment, a swirling stream of black smoke appeared above the soft velvet pillow on the new golden throne. Goldar's attention was fixed on the cloud of arcane energy, as it twisted and molded into the tall, intimidating form of Umbriel.

At the arrival of the creature, Goldar felt the temperature of the room drop by at least twenty degrees. Even the hardened canine warrior shivered.

The aura of the being's cold power was intense.

Still, Goldar wasn't prone to cowering. In fact, he had grown quite comfortable in his newly-acquired role of leader.

"How dare you take over my palace?!" Goldar barked furiously, brandishing his golden sword.

Umbriel's empty gaze was cold and blank, almost as if he were in another world. His hands were again hidden beneath the flowing folds of his black robes, and his head was straight and defiant.

"Answer me!" Goldar roared.

Although it was impossible to tell, Umbriel's gaze shifted slightly, fixating on Rito. Rito felt the attention, and discerned the unspoken order.

More swiftly than even Goldar could react, Rito swung his mighty battle ax around, smashing it into Goldar's heavy sword and fiercely disarming the stunned warrior. He followed up the swing with a massive kick to Goldar's chest, causing the canine to fall on his back. Rito placed an armored foot on Goldar's stomach, and rested the sharp ebony ax tip at the base of Goldar's chin.

"Traitor," Goldar growled under his breath.

"I don't recall ever being loyal to you," Rito remarked, malice in his tone. "In fact, considering I am Rita's brother, I should be the heir to her and Zedd's throne."

Rito's frown melted into a sinister grin. Goldar quickly realized he preferred the frown. "I was too dense to see your assumption of my power before," Rito whispered, "but now my eyes have been opened."

To punctuate the statement, the eerie light in the core of Rito's eyes flashed brighter. Goldar unconsciously shivered again.

"I shall be brief," Umbriel stated, his deep voice quiet yet penetrating, "I have no need of you, Goldar. Also, I have no reason to trust you. I have watched you, and I have discerned that you have abandoned every master you have ever served. You betrayed Rita when Zedd arrived, you betrayed Zedd when Ivan Ooze arrived, and the instant Zedd and Rita vanished, you left them for dead and took the throne."

Umbriel's eyes narrowed. "It is in my best interests to simply eliminate you now."

Umbriel nodded his head slightly, and Rito raised the battle ax high.

"Wait!" Goldar shrieked.

Rito stopped, feeling the approval of his Master.

"I...I have fought the Power Rangers for years," Goldar said, panting heavily, "I'm indispensable to anyone intending to conquer Earth!"

Umbriel's flat expression deepened into a slight frown. "Firstly," he hissed, "I have no interest in this mud-ball. My only concern is the M'Kraan Crystal. And as for the Rangers...I have Rito to inform me of everything I would need to know regarding them. And I can be assured of his loyalty to me."

"Sorry Goldie," Rito smirked, preparing to lower the ax yet again.

"However..." Umbriel decided, "I am sure I can find some use for you. At least for the time being. I don't want the Terran Rangers to know of my arrival yet. There is more information I need to collect."

"Such as?" Rito asked, "I can do it as well as Goldar ever could!"

One side-angle glance from Umbriel promptly silenced the skeleton.

"Return to Earth," he commanded, "and get me what I desire." His eyes narrowed. "Information."

"I can't believe we're doing this," Micah grumbled, wiping the beads of sweat that dripped from his hairline. He paused, lowering his aching body onto a rock that sat on the parched land. He squinted as he stared up at the brilliant blue sky, with the merciless sun glowing fiercely at its apex.

"We can't stop," Rebecca called, keeping her eye on the hovering bird while she approached Micah. "If we lose the bird, we'll never find David."

Micah rolled his eyes. "Do you really think that bird is leading us anywhere?" he muttered, running his hands through his sweat-soaked hair. "We've been climbing this stupid cliff for fifteen minutes, and there's been no sign of human life up here. Ten to one that falcon is just flying to his nest or something."

Rebecca sighed, tossing her hands on her hips. "Okay, I don't need to be an empath to see you were shaken by what the shaman said to us."

Micah shrugged noncommittally. "He can keep spurting his prophecies," Micah groaned, "I'm not gonna let him bother me."

Rebecca nodded, turning back towards the falcon. "Whatever you say, Mike." Her eyes narrowed, and she placed her hand over her eyes to protect her vision from the glare of the midday sun. Her expression quickly brightened. "Hey Mike! The bird's descending!"

She then broke into a run in the direction the bird was flying.

"Hey!" Micah called, pulling his weary body off the boulder. "Wait for me!"

Micah hastily caught up with his companion, and together the teens raced down a dusty hill in hot pursuit of the falcon. The falcon released a shrill cry before landing on a tree branch. An excited grin crossed Rebecca's lips as her gaze panned the immediate area, and she grabbed Micah's arm urgently.

"Mike, I think we found what we've been looking for."

Squatting on the dusty earth just below the tree was a young man with flowing chocolate hair. He paused his activity of searching through a backpack to gaze at the screeching bird above his head. He kept watching as the bird fixed him with a meaningful stare.

The young man's confused stare was broken when he heard footsteps nearby. He rose to his feet, brushing the dust from his jeans and T-shirt, and watched as two young teenagers quickly approached him.

"Wow," he said when they were within earshot, "what are you kids doing up here? These cliffs can be pretty dangerous, and from the look of it, this kind of hiking isn't what you're used to."

Micah answered only with heavy panting. David's smile widened as he pulled a leather canteen from his bag. He reached out to Micah, offering the canteen.

"Thanks, David," Micah gasped, accepting the water and taking a long sip. David's eyes widened in surprise at the young boy's comment.

"I'm sorry," David said, staring a bit closer at Micah's face, "do I know you?"

Micah grimaced slightly at his own indiscretion, and turned to Rebecca. The latter chewed on her lower lip slightly, and turned her gaze to David.

"No, you don't know us," she replied. "Well, at least not yet. We came to the reservation to find you, and the tribal shaman told us to follow the falcon."

David frowned thoughtfully, gazing up at the perched bird once again. "If my dad guided you to me, then it must be pretty important."

Micah's jaw hung open in shock. "The shaman is your father?"

"Well, my adoptive father," David explained, putting his backpack on again, "I never knew my real parents. I was orphaned, when I was really young. Actually, that's the reason why I'm up here."

"Are you on a vision quest?" Micah inquired.

David nodded, drawing his hand beneath his shirt collar. He slowly pulled out a leather chord, with a half of a stone arrowhead hanging like a pendant. "All my life, I've had this arrowhead. My father always told me it would lead me to my destiny, but that's all the information I've ever been able to get about it. I've been on a few vision quests, but I've never been enlightened about it...or my real family. Last night, my father told me that my destiny's path would appear to me before the next sunset." He grinned at the two children. "I guess that's what you two are here for."

Rebecca shook her head in disbelief, and wiped the sweat from her face slowly. *This is amazing, Mike,*

she transmitted telepathically. *Is it possible that we were destined to come into this reality and unite the arrowhead? It seems like this shaman has been waiting for us for years.*

He certainly knows about my dad,

Micah responded, so he could have brought