CAST OF HEROES

Chapter Twenty-Eight

It had been ten years since Finder returned to Earth 13. The red sun shone above, beaming with warm light as Finder wiped the sweat off her forehead. She stood still in her dark cloak and hood, taking a sip of water from her small black plastic bottle as the cold water flowed down her throat. Her legs cramp as she moved forward. The royal fortress wasn't far from her reach. The limestone ground built by past slaves was a dead give away. The land she grew up from was built upon stone castles and black steel fortresses of modern technology. From her homeworld, the Cadorian race of humans were subdivided in class. 

The top Cadorians had the privilege of being born of noble blood. As for the second level of Cadorians, they consist of workers and warriors. The third class of Cadorians were poor, sick, and disabled. Finder's dark hood draped over her head from the ultraviolet light as she continued to keep her sight from the sun. Blue roses bloomed beneath her feet as a sign that spring had arrived. The screeching sound of bat vultures soared in the air when Finder eyes wandered and noticed a loud shrill. She looked up in the air. One of the bat vultures spotted her. 

A bat vulture with red feathers and bat-like wings swooped down and approached Finder. The creature stood seven feet tall and made a loud shrill scream at her. It approached her with its mouth open. Its black talons were sharp, ready to tear her flesh apart. The bat-like creature smelled her and tilted its head as it became less aggressive. Finder hand moved in circles, patting the creature's head with care and affection. "Talak, it has been a while have they been feeding you, boy?"

Talak looked at Finder with red eyes with his long purple tongue sticking out. "I missed you boy." Finder rubbed under Talak's chin as his neck leaned forward. Talek made a slight shrill to tell his brothers to come down. Two more bat vultures had made a solid land. One that had black feathers was named Malafen and the other with brown feathers Dasa. The two of them rubbed their heads against Finder's body. Dasa licked her face with a black tongue. "It's so good to see you too." She smiled and patted Dasa's head with her right hand and scratched under Malafen's chin. Malafen lifted his head at Finder with shiny black eyes.

Finder got on Talak's back and whispered in his ear. "Take me home." Talak started to run, spreading his wings and making a loud shrill to alert his brothers Malafen and Dasa to follow. 

A cool breeze blew in Finder's direction as she marveled the view of the sky. She thought about the city Esceral where she grew up in. The local town merchants still sold food and clothing. Even the tall Cathedral from the south brought back fond memories, memories of her days where she spent most of the time pickpocketing money from the rich and giving it to the poor even though she was raised in a high society. She felt that people of a lower class should be given equal rights that are equal to the second and third Cadorian class.

Talak's brothers flew side by side, flapping their wings. The castle wasn't far. Finder's eyes dotted below the city of Esceral. The place swarmed with local residents. Farmers, merchants, royal guards, in silver uniforms, walked the streets. The crime was high in the slums of the city. When criminals commit heinous crimes beyond redemption, they get a fair hearing. But if a criminal was found guilty, their heads were to be chopped off with a sword in front of the crowd. 

Finder smirked when she thought about the times she used to escape from the castle to live among the poor for several weeks and how she had stolen purple apples and fled from the royal guards without getting caught. Or the time she bested five of the best royal guards in a sparring match dressed as a male royal guard in training. She learned how to fight and think on her feet from one of the top commanders of the royal guard and personal bodyguard to King Avarnus. His name was Haru San. He taught her everything she needed to know. Most of all, how to survive.

Finder arrived at her home as she sighed her as her hand touched her metal wrist band. She closed her eyes when she thought about what she had done to Hard Drive. Tears poured out from her face with each step she took mirrored her guilt. Finder wiped the tears from her face. To the people of her planet, she was Anora, princess, and daughter of King Avarnus III. It was customary, in Finder's world, that when her mother died she would have to be appointed to be the new queen of her Earth. In time, Finder would marry a prince through an arranged marriage based on her father's selection. How she rolled her eyes and dreaded the role of becoming queen and seeing her father King Avarnus, but she missed her mother Lara. King Avarnus was a fair king who ruled half of North America. The other corners of the world were ruled by Finder's two uncles, Augustus and Kavas.