Planet Psi

Satori’s long claw shaped nails rapped anxiously on the car door as they pulled up to Vitus's Mansion. Her husband Aldrich got out, opening the door for her. The estate’s lead butler greeted them. “My Lord and Lady, please follow me with an urgency. Our King Etticus is in the study with Vitus now.”

Satori nervously took Aldrichs’ hand. “Etticus never visits our world unless it's something big. I wonder what they need of me.”

“Worry not, we will know shortly.” Aldrich gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

As they entered the study a young black woman sat in a chair next to the God-King Etticus. Her hair in messy braids, her clothes dirty and tattered, the odor from her a mix of sweat and burnt flesh. They curled their lips up in disgust. “We do not have time to deal with your delicate senses. Satori is needed on her home planet. They have been having quite the problem for centuries. I need it fixed, NOW! Since their little God is throwing a temperature tantrum and all their Sanguinarius have killed each other off or killed themselves.”

Aldrich stood. “You are not sending her alone. Send me, she needs to stay with our son.”

“Oh Aldrich, my favorite child. No, You know this planet as well as the lines on your palms. You are staying on Alpha. Satori you are going to the second to last planet Psi.” He turns to the tattered woman. “Well I will lend you power, go little witch open your portals.”

Satori hugged Aldrich and kissed him. “I will be safe and quick. Watch Athan you know he is picky like you.” She chuckled anxiously. Turning and looking at the void now sitting in the room. Caressing his cheek she turned and followed the woman.

As soon as they passed through the stench, made her throw up the blood pack she had right before going to meet them. The woman turned to her, "Are the Lamia of old from Alpha really that sensitive?”

“Lamia? I am Sanguinarius unless that is what you call us on Psi. Sanguinarius is from an old language that means bloodthirsty savage. Also yes, ours is the oldest blood line in the galaxy so much stronger but also much more sensitive. Why?”

“Come with me it is not safe here. The new king of the Lamias will not be happy if he sees you here.” She pulled on Satori’s arm.

As they hurried she could tell this world had been dying for some time. The grass had been dead for so long it no longer even existed. Skeletons of animals lay partially sunk in the ground once covered by foliage that had now since decayed as well. Trees were just twisted trunks and branches that stuck up or lay flat. The sky is a dark orangish black from smoke and only the Gods know what else.

“Young witch, what is your name?”

“I am Kairii.” Knocking five times in an off beat pattern the door opened and she ripped Satori inside the door.

“Kai! We thought something had gotten you. Where have you been it has been almost a week.”

Satori looked around “A week? Time moves slower on your planet.”

The small group looked at Satori in her odd clothes and how clean she was. “Planet?”

Kairii spoke, “The tales they had used to speak of there being a collection of planets is true. She is from Planet Alpha the original that the greater Gods like to stay on. I even got to meet the God-King Etticus.” Extending her arm and pointing at Satori. “From what I gathered this woman Satori. She is of the oldest blood line of Lamia’s in our galaxy. She is the Queen of Lamias in her world.”

They all looked at Satori and backed up. “Trust me none of you look or smell appetizing. Actually the opposite I’d rather starve than feed on you. Also I feed off bags of blood, not live bodies. I don’t like when my meals still squirm about. So now please explain what the f*ck happened to your planet?”

"Zeek and Mika can. Will you join them on Patrol? Just so you can see the lay of the land?”

Satori groaned “Sure,” Ripping part of her black tee shirt off she grabbed a bottle of body spray from her purse she brought with her for no real reason and sprayed the cloth. They watched her oddly. “Well better than whatever funk y’all have going on.” She turned and looked at the two men and followed them.

As they walked, Satori scanned the buildings. They were falling apart it looked as if this town hadn’t been really used or maintained in a very long time. Stopping at a building and looking in the broken window. The room looked ransacked, old dried what looked like blood spatter on the floor, a thick layer of dust on everything, and cobwebs that had once belonged to now decaying spiders sat in the corners. She turned and trotted up to the boys.

Zeek a tan skinned guy with a selection of hand made weapons hanging from him, began to speak. “So the story goes that about fifty years ago. Someone had fallen in love with Mother, our planet's Goddess. They rendered her soul from her body and locked it in this gold and jewel encrusted heart shaped locket. So they could keep her forever. The Father grew angry and vengeful. So he began to slowly destroy the plant looking for her. To this day he never found the locket. So he has decided since he can not kill us directly that he would kill the planet until we all perish then he could find her and restart the world.”

Satori’s lips curled again the stench of burning corpses was so strong even her makeshift mask couldn’t hide it. They passed a smoldering pit of charcoaled bodies. She stopped, moving away and vomiting again until she began to shake. “Why?”

Mika scoffed “So our piece of shit new Lamia king doesn’t go trying to make new cronies. Also we had a plague outbreak not long ago so we wanna get ride of all the bodies.”

“How have y’all survived this long?”

“Wit, strength and other means we are not proud of.”

“What?! Eating each other?” they two were silent. “Well, welcome to the world of Sanguinarius. We do not cook or season our meals.”

The two gagged, Zeek asked “Sanguinarius?”

“Word derives from an old language, pretty much means bloodthirsty savage. It is what ‘Lamians’ of our world are called.”

A man stopped them and he leaned against an old building. “Well never seen such a pretty and clean young thing wandering this desolate world.”

Satori went silent and pulled the two boys behind her. “And you are Sir...?”

“Ahh, my manners are slipping happens when you are a person of power for so long. I am Versal. The new Lamia King and to whom do I own the pleasure?”

“Satori Heilmittel of Planet Alpha. You said a King? Must be self proclaimed. Not much of a kingdom and not many people to rule over.”

He grew agitated at her remark. He took long fast strides toward her. The two men backed up, Satori didn’t even blink. He grabbed her neck “Learn your place. In this world I am the ruler.”

Her eyes gave off a teal glow “Kneel dog.”

Versal dropped so hard they could here his knees pop. “What did you do to me?” He groaned.

“All of our kind are replicas of me and my husband's blood. Him and I are the true King and Queen no matter the planet. You will not touch me.”

“How are you the true originals?” His words seethed from his lips.

"Our Goddess Aurelia gifted my husband to our God Vitus. A present, something she created that was everlasting and powerful to aide him in protecting our planet. Etticus liked it so much he decided to replicate our line and put them on every planet to aide in it’s protection. Why you call yourselves Lamians is beyond me you are not half snake people just clones of us. Now answer me this. Do you know who has the locket?”

“No”

She leaned in and hummed close to him. “I sense a lie. You have hours to come to me with an answer before I take my sweet time putting on a show for these poor villagers as I slowly torment and kill you. Now go boy.”

Once he felt his body released, he backed up quickly, then turned and ran. She is powerful, a power he had never seen before. He is gonna need to take her out carefully.

After finishing patrol Satori sat guard while they rested. Since she didn’t need it. Some hours later everyone woke and began to snack on stale and old foods.

They all sat close to Satori with their makeshift bowls. “What is Alpha like?” a young girl asked.

As they ate she began to describe the lush green and bountiful world including its trials the elder line battles with. Satori stopped when there was a thud and a body hit the ground in front of her. "The man is still alive but badly injured." Satori kneeled in front of him and put a hand to his chest, a light glow emanating. She looked over her shoulder “He will heal, now take him inside.”

Versal was agitated when he said “I brought you a meal and you heal it.”

Grabbing a bag from her purse. Holding it up, “Why eat yours when I have much richer and healthier blood right here.” Opening it like a Capri Sun she finished it quickly. At the rich aroma of the hearty blood his stomach growled.

She stood pulling her jewelry off. Her body steamed and she grew to roughly eight feet tall, darker skin and hair, long black claws for hands and deep black and red eyes. Everyone cowered from her. Everything in Versal's body told him to run.

But he took his shots injuring her but not winning. She smirked as she grabbed hold of him after an intense battle trading blows. Fishing through his pockets she found the locket. “Well, well, well.” She then beheaded him through his body in the fire pit. Returning to the villagers, bloodied but fine. “What do we do with it?” Holding up the locket.

They all cheered. Kairii screamed with joy “Follow us quickly!”

The villagers lead her down a path it took about two hours of walking. Satori taking up the rear to stand guard over them and the locket the witch held. They stopped at an oddly woman-shaped tree, red water showered from it.

They all prayed as the witch said a small chant then walked up opening the locket and placing it in the hole. She ran away and pushed the others back. The tree that was dripping red water broke open and a woman uncurled. Stretching “Finally, I am released!” She looked over them.

A man appeared. “My Beloved!” The two embraced. He looked at them and bowed, then kneeled to Satori. “Thank you, Child from Alpha you have saved my sanity and my love. I will return you to your world so we can began to repair the damage I have done to mine.”

“Just make sure they get fresh food and water soon. They are in need of it and baths. But yes, please let me go home. I am tired of your desolate lands and I miss my family.”

“Yes, our Lady.” With the flick of a wrist the God and Goddess opened the void Satori took one last look at the waste land and waved goodbye before walking through. She was ecstatic to have returned to her home planet.