A chorus of snorts and grunts and scornful noises greeted this and some of them spat on the ground.
‘Andromeda is our rightful sovereign!’ declared one of the one eyed people. ‘And now she is leader of the Nimrovian Popular Front, People’s Resistance Against the Occupation! All hail Andromeda!’
They all stood to attention and saluted, which on some of them looked a bit strange.
‘Whew! Thank heavens for that! ’ said Skye. ‘I totally agree with you. My parents were amongst her closest advisors, but I think they’re being held captive in Amrylla.’
‘Are you going to take us to your leader or not?’ enquired Venus somewhat testily. ‘I’m beginning to feel a bit peckish. I haven’t eaten since 7pm last night, earth time.’
The Mastodonian leader eyed her sceptically.
‘Let us proceed!’ commanded Pluto. And they set off into the gloaming, following the band of rebels along the gulley. Venus trudged along between Pluto and Skye, wishing more than ever for a nice hot water bottle and her comfy bed. Her feet were hurting terribly on the rough stones.
The path wound interminably, through more valleys and gulches. The rebels lit flaming torches to guide their way. Dark trees rustled overhead and strange scuttling noises could be heard in the undergrowth. The eerie silence was occasionally pierced by the cries of mountain creatures echoing around the cliff faces. Up in the sky, a huge moon was rising swiftly over the jagged peaks. It was about three times bigger than the one on earth and gazed down at them, a pale glimmering green. It had three rings round it, with dense purple centres.
‘That’s Isis,’ said Skye, ‘the first moon to appear in the night sky. We call it our Mother Moon. There’ll be another one along in a minute.’
‘Oh good. I can’t wait,’ said Venus.
She didn’t have to. The next one appeared shortly afterwards, popping over the crags with alarming speed. It was much smaller, pitted with grey indentations. ‘Sisyphus,’ said Skye grimly. ‘It’s an old penal colony. Uninhabited. No-one is sent there any more, since the Time of Peace.’
‘Oh good,’ said Venus, trying to keep the weary sarcasm out of her voice. ‘That’s nice to know.’
The next moon floated serenely into the night sky like a ship of gold. It was nearly as large as Isis and bathed the valley with a glowing light, almost like daylight. ‘Ah! My favourite moon!’ sighed Skye. ‘Karma. As soon as she rises, people calm down. Fretful babies go to sleep and the animals quieten. Listen!’
Venus listened. A peaceful silence had settled upon the mountains. She stared up at the night sky, at the unfamiliar constellations, and the three moons that now hung over them. ‘You know, those moons came along really fast, ‘she observed. ‘It takes much longer for our moon to rise.’
‘Ah yes, ‘said Pluto, ‘something you need to know Serenity. Time moves faster here.
Our year lasts only thirteen days.’
‘So I need to re-set my watch then?’ It was a weak joke, but it made her feel better. At least if time moved faster here, she could get out of this place faster. The path was climbing steeply now, twisting between knotted bushes of coarse vegetation. More summits came into view, rolling towards the horizon like an endless sea. The path narrowed and they passed through a narrow channel between the rocks until at last they emerged into a high grassy valley, several miles wide, encircled with mountains and bathed in moonlight. The whole basin was dotted with campfires, numerous tents and makeshift dwellings. A wide river meandered across the valley floor, shimmering in the moonlight, and horned cattle grazed along its banks.
A wooden house with an apex roof stood on a small hill in the centre of the valley, a blue flag flapping gently at the mast. A white ‘V’ shape intersected the flag, with three moons placed in between. The band of rebels made its way towards the house. More strange people rose from their campfires and crowded forward, staring curiously at Venus as the group passed through. Venus really wished that she had at least put on a dressing gown and slippers before she went down into the garden. The people trailed after them in a procession, whispering curiously.
As they mounted the slope to the wooden house, a small wiry figure emerged and stood in the moonlight. As they drew closer, Venus saw it was a little old lady, of the same race as Skye. Her greenish skin was deeply lined and a shock of white hair stood upright on her head. She was wearing a purple jumpsuit, a green cloak and a pair of purple leather boots. The boots struck a chord in her memory…… and Venus caught her breath with sudden recognition. It was the old lady she’d seen at the park! The one who’d disappeared in a shimmery haze. At her feet was a small dragon-like creature, exactly like the terrier which had skittered around the old woman’s feet, except this was no dog. It was a cross between a lizard and an ant eater, with tiny vestigial wings, a rugged hide, perky ears and a pointed snout. As Venus drew closer, the creature bounded towards her like a delighted puppy and licked her hand as though she was its long lost owner returning from her travels.
‘Calm down Gilgo,’ said the old woman quietly. The dragon-dog ceased its yelping and fell silent immediately, trotting back to sit at its mistress’s feet. A third eye opened in her forehead as Venus approached and she held out her arms. ‘Heavens be blessed! You have arrived safely! Welcome home Serenity’ she said, bowing. ‘You may remember me from our brief encounter on earth. I visited you via astral projection. I am Queen Andromeda, Supreme Ruler of the Western Sector of the Northern Continent of Nimrovia, now in exile. You are under my care during your stay on our planet.’
Andromeda turned and swept her gaze out over the camp. The motley assortment of odd looking people had gathered around the foot of the hill, and there were several hundred of them. The old woman held up her wrist and pressed something on a metal armband. A light zapped out of it and shone onto Venus’s face.
‘Behold!’ cried Andromeda, pointing at the old chicken pox scar on her cheek. ‘She bears the mark of Sunev!’
Her cheeks burned with embarrassment, but what occurred next was probably the most cringe making thing that had ever happened to Venus. A lot of blurry lights began zinging back and forth between her and Andromeda’s wristband then Venus found herself surrounded by a shimmering halo of coloured light. The crowd gasped.
‘Behold her Holy Aura!’ cried Andromeda. ‘The Soul Scanner never lies. Our Divine Being is now re-incarnated as a young woman. Bow in worship and acknowledge the Serenity herself!’
Everyone fell to their knees. It took Venus a few stunned moments to realise that they were worshipping her.
In her pyjamas.
And they weren’t even her best ones.
CHAPTER SEVEN - The Nimrovian Popular Front
Start from the beginning
