Chapter Four — Part 3

The man looked ancient, but happy. “I’m Level Ringbreaker, new Governor of the Forever Children. I’m afraid I’ve been killed already, and this is the last contact I can make with the living before I merge with the life force in Transcendence.” He put a hand to my cheek, sending chilly little ghost tingles all through my body.

“So they sent you two. Good, good. Smart, young, and cunning. Just who I asked for, too. My predecessor sent one of my precious Forever Children to a world where a sentient species had just evolved a conscience. That was fifty years ago. Somehow, and I don’t know how because it’s never happened before, they killed my precious child. A new leader, who calls himself the Changeling Lord, is preparing to conquer Earth. The Scandivat Nation is a powerful force to reckon with, when it’s at war. You two, with the help of Tiffany, must stop them.”

The ghost left us. “What about your parents,” I said.

Fluff smiled coyly. “They’re of no consequence. My mother was a prostitute, my father a customer. I grew up an orphan. I’ve this mission, and my sword. The truth must be routed out.”

“Do you remember ever having met a Forever Child?” I asked.

“Neither of us has ever met one. They tend to be reclusive.”

I recalled only a little about the Forever Children, the souls of worlds, the caretakers of life, the travelers who could go from one sun to the next by merely thinking about it. I knew I could do it, but I felt blocked. My mind felt stuck in place when before I had only known freedom.

“I can’t transcend,” I realized suddenly. “My wings are gone.”

“Not forever, when it’s time you’ll get them back. Don’t worry, we’ll find a way. In the meantime, we’ve got to find more information on this Changeling Lord.”

“Do you think the Changeling Lord could have killed the Forever Child?” I said.

“I don’t know, never heard of it. The Forever Children are supposed to be nature spirits–killing one would be next to impossible. I wonder where we go now?”

“Mother will know.”

“Yes.” It was Tester’s voice, and her body came after it. “You’re in physical form now, daughter, but it’s good you remember.” She put her hand on my head. Her soft fingers felt good. “I tricked you, didn’t I, yet you feel no deception.”

“I’m human now, and more. Fluff and I are still as ignorant as we were before. Tiffany was supposed to be the hero of this story, so why am I her daughter?”

“Insurance. Her only hope is in finding a data crystal. This one is special though. It has entire human lifetimes stored on it. With that knowledge, she’ll become the new Governor and immortal servant of the Forever Children. Your job is as it always was, to protect Tiffany and see to it that she fulfills her life’s work.”

“Is this one of your tests?” Fluff asked.

“This is real world stuff, with real world consequences. Earth will be destroyed, and so will Friol and countless other worlds, should you fail. Humans are very influential in this part of the galaxy. Without their influence, entire races might go to war that would otherwise have remained peaceful.”

I wondered absently about my human form. “I don’t have wings.”

“You have to walk before you can fly. And you will fly again, daughter. I have to leave you on your own now, and I can’t promise that I’ll be able to come back. You have your memory back, after all, so stop complaining.”

“Yes mother.”

“Stop being submissive, dear. No time for that now. An armada is on its way, will be here very soon. Get off planet any way you can.” Tester vanished, and I knew I wouldn’t be hearing from her any time soon.

Fluff turned pale, looking like he was about to feint. “We can’t stop an invasion, can we?”

“No way. I think we’re too far from Tiffany to get her off planet.” I looked at the sky, my angel sight finding the invasion force. The numbers were unimaginable. “Wow, I got some of my powers back. That armada’s moving slow, and far off, a week away at most. It’s got some dark haze around it, making it hard to see. If we stick around here, we’ll be killed for sure.”

“Not if we get a ship.” Fluff looked sly, like he was planning something.

It took us a week to formulate a plan. With Fluff’s cunning and my fear induced adrenaline rush, we managed to break into the police impound yard and were looking for something to suit our needs. The enemy had already begun their attack while we searched for suitable transportation. I don’t know how, but I could feel people dying.

“What about Tiffany and Kotian?” Mother and Father, I thought inwardly.

“We really need to worry about ourselves.” Fluff caught a policeman off guard, knocked him in the skull with the butt of his sword.

With a practiced efficiency that made me nervous, Fluff tied the cop up and set him against a parts barrel. When I realized just how proficient he was, I began to appreciate his skill, and him, in a stronger, more caring light. The man seemed familiar, but my absent mind kept me unfocused. Fluff looked up from the policeman to me, saw the admiration in my eyes, and looked away. My heart felt as if it had just been run over.

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