Country of Pesok

Sharazad looked at Amaretto and then smiled and said, "The Crown Chase. I should have realized that as servants of the Sky Father, you would not be interested in the mortal realm below. Forgive me for my presumption."

Katherine smiled as benevolently as she could and Amaretto tried to stifle a giggle. "It is alright. We have been admonished only recently for not paying attention. Surely though, you did not need our help to do this Crown Chase do you?"

Sharazad smiled only briefly and then frowned. "The Crown Chase is not necessarily needful of any help or of any divine intervention. I simply cannot participate if I do not have a coordinator to help me with the run."

Amaretto raised an eyebrow. "The run?"

Sharazad pursed her lips tightly and then said, "The Crown Chase, where we choose the new ruler. It is tradition that the crown is hidden within the tallest building in the City of Pesok and from there, we run to capture the crown. Whoever reaches the crown first is able to become the new ruler for the next five years. The previous ruler can run as well, but it is generally frowned upon."

Amaretto tried to cover the shock that had come over her at this revealing. "You mean it is not passed from generation to generation by blood?"

Sharazad laughed and then said, "No. We choose not to do that, for what if a ruler's child or progeny or heir apparent is cruel. The Crown Chase allows only those who are crafty and wise to be able to get to the Crown."

Katherine nodded her head and then said, "I see what you are referring to, but I also take it to mean that this is not just some run from start to finish. There must be traps and other such things?"

Sharazad nodded her head in enthusiasm. "Indeed there are. Last year there was a rope bridge that was only a three pieces of rope and half way through it would shake violently due to the wind. Many people did not make it across." Sharazad paused for a moment and looked downwards, and then looked back at the two 'Bright Ones' in front of her. "Surely you can help me this year. After all, no one says that it is forbidden for you to help."

Amaretto looked at her Aunt and Aunt Katherine shrugged her shoulders. "Any sign of Tempus yet?"

Amaretto shook her head. She was a little worried.

Grain... Country of Pesok

Amaretto crossed her arms across her chest and frowned at her aunt. "No. I don't think so. No hiding behind curtains and not paying attention to the people behind them. I want to know who it is that is helping us this time."

A strange voice answered her and spoke in a rather throaty voice, "And so you shall."

Amaretto turned to the sound of the voice and saw a tall woman standing there. Her skin was bronzed form many a day in the sun and was all but a golden color that sparkled in the sun. Her hair was a black tangled and curly wave that had been tied only slightly at the base of her spine to show how much there actually was in a strange and elaborate braiding technique. She too was wearing a shortened blouse in a a color almost like a plum, with pants to match as well. A shawl had been wrapped around her waist and then tied off to the end of her hands where large bangles clinked together in golden obscurity. Large rings of gold dangled from her ears and from them, several small red gemstones and in between it all, a single black onyx stone.

The woman's eyes were intense however and were a deep shade of indigo. This shade was hardly common from where Amaretto came from and as she stared at the woman's eyes, she also noticed that there were flecks of red in them as well. The woman smiled and then said, "Illustrious omens that you fell out of the sky when you did. I assume that you are here to answer my prayers? I know that I prayed to the Sky, but to have you here so soon makes me very happy."

Amaretto stared at the woman and tried to hide the confusion on her face. Her aunt however, did nothing of the sort, she raised her chin high and then said. "Even if we deign to answer your questions, we have still not been told as to what we have been summoned for." Katherine looked over at Amaretto and winked and then looked back imperiously at the woman in front of them.

The woman seemed taken aback and then said, "Forgive me Bright Ones. I did not mean to offend. Blessings of the Bright upon thee and allow me to introduce myself as Sharazad. I have called up into the heavens and Skies for help in my bid this week."

Amaretto broke in a that moment. "Your bid?" The questioning tone in her voice was made to sound imperious too, almost like her aunt's, and Katherine smiled just slightly.

Sharazad smiled and then said, "I am hoping that you are here to help me in becoming the next queen of Pesok."

Amaretto looked at Sharazad who had a twinkle in her eye. Almost like a robot, she allowed her head to spin slowly and face her aunt and she could feel the twitch in the left corner of her left eye. "Aunt Katherine," she said in as sickeningly sweet a voice as she could manage, "Whatever does she mean?"

After she had said it, she watched her aunt's face very closely. She felt almost outraged when she was graced with her aunt's surprise that was all over her face. Katherine looked appalled and then said, "I have no idea what you are referring to. I really must say that I had no idea of where we would be going less, mush less what the Sky Father would require of us. So you think I could have chosen this path for us?"

Amaretto was shocked and surprised at what her aunt had said. Not once had she ever had she heard her aunt talk like this. However, she had never before been in a place that seemed to have more sand than the beach. This was ridiculous. She frowned and then went over the facts in her head. It was only a few moments before she realized that her aunt knew where they were and was trying to play the part. She smacked herself internally and vowed to trust her aunt a little more.

Grain... Country of Pesok...

Amaretto let herself be led from the rooftop, down a flight of stone steps that deposited them all into a long hallway. The hallway was stone as well, but many archways had been cut into the call, showing Amaretto that she was at least four stories up. She looked out the massive stone arches and looked out to a sprawling city below her. A metropolis unlike any she had ever seen before. hundreds of thousands of buildings were everywhere. Adobe white walls glistened in the hot and sweltering sun. Domes of gold and other materials blazed like beacons and the sounds of people could be heard everywhere. It was a sprawling city and just at the edge of the city, Amaretto could see large white walls. Beyond the walls, she saw nothing but sand.

Sand stretched from beyond the walls all the way to the line of the horizon. She stopped and could not help but stare. She looked to her aunt and Katherine slowly nodded. "I do think there are other places here, but not for a very far off ways. This country only has the once city and the next closest city is weeks away, if not months through the sands."

Amaretto turned back around to look once again over the sprawling city and shook her head. "It looks like something out of the Arabian Nights," she whispered softly.

Katherine nodded. "It very well could be. However, I still think you will thank me for the bath you are about to receive."

Amaretto perked up at that. "I think I would like that, if only to stop sweating for a moment." She smiled and Katherine smiled back as she grabbed her hand and continued to lead her down the hallway. Up ahead of them , Isarra had stopped and looked back at them without any expression on her face. A coolness that Amaretto would expect from a monk was what she was seeing. Amaretto thought for a moment and then realized that Isarra was probably a servant, and the question came to her of whose she could be, but before she could ask, Katherine whisked her into the room that Isarra was standing outside of at the moment. As soon as she did, she almost gasped in amazement.

The whole room was circular all the way around and had been made out of large slabs of marble of three different kinds. Black, white, and green , the whole of the room was pillared and centered around a small pool which was at least waist high on Amaretto. The large pool had to be almost six feet in diameter and above it, a large canopy had been erected over the top of the bath. Steam rolled off the top of the bath and Amaretto looked at it with eyes that seemed to almost crave the water.

At that moment she saw several women dressed as skimpily as possible and then she felt hands all over herself and then the dress that she had been wearing was slowly taken off, button for button till all she had left on was her skin. The heat was bearable by that time, but there was nothing to be said for the sweat that immediately began to bead on her skin. Amaretto soon found herself being led to the pool and immersed with gentle care. The half nude women who were around her began massaging and needing her skin with in their powerful hands and soon, Amaretto felt like she was in heaven. They gently washed her hair and caressed her skin with soft oils. It was almost a good half hour before she was even let go out of the tub.


While she was being washed, her aunt chattered idly about this and that, the need for a colorful wardrobe, the fifteen uses of a hairbrush in self defense, and also the ingenious uses of beautification products in the modern woman. Even through out all of that nattering however, Amaretto did catch her aunt Katherine talking about odd things like the joys of proper running shoes, the uses of peroxide as a chemical accelerate... it made Amaretto think that her aunt was more than a little crazy.

The bath continued on however, without so mush as a bent fingernail. After the women were done bathing her, they sprayed her with perfumed oils that Amaretto swore smelled like jasmine and lilacs. She was a little surprised that they would have such flowers, but she realized that it would have had to come from trading with someone. That meant there had to be someone else in the world. That was not something that needed to be discussed at the moment as Amaretto was soon dressed in a costume much akin to her aunts, only hers were in deep yellows that made her a little giddy. They also made her eyes swim a little. She was also draped with a head covering that was made out of cream colored silk that was see through and had it draped in place like a veil and two long combs to trap it and keep it in place.

Her aunt beamed and then smiled once more at her and pointed to her new costume. "It looks stunning on you."

Amaretto blushed just a little and then nodded to the surroundings. "Pesok? Don't you mean "Kingdom of perpetual beach? Have they ever even heard of the ocean here?"

"Oh come now Amaretto, we know we are in the right place. We just have to somehow make contact with Tempus."

"That may be so, but who the are these people? They are treating us as if we are royalty?" At the mention of this, Amaretto's voice went from panicked to incredulous.

Katherine smiled. "We did fall from the sky you know," she said wryly.

"Through no fault of our own that was!" At that Amaretto expressed a gasp. "Listen to me! I sound like one of the people from New Machina!" The last came out a hiss.

Katherine chuckled. "Perhaps Johanna had more of an effect on you than you thought?"

Amaretto glared at her aunt for a moment. "I still think this whole idea was a set up."

"Perhaps it was, but I am determined that at some point, you will enjoy yourself. As for the treating us like royalty, that is impossible, because we fell from the sky, we are simply good omens. Now, if you would kindly tell me what happened to the ring, perhaps we can get Tempus."

Amaretto sighed. "We can't get to Tempus. All i get is static."

Katherine frowned and then shook her head. "That is not good at all. Who knows what will happen next without the proper knowledge..." she trailed off for a moment and continued to look perplexed.

"You still didn't answer my question," Amaretto said.

Katherine answered rather distractedly. "What question was that?"

"How was all of this possible? This doesn't belong to you, so who does it belong to."

Katherine smiled again and this time, her smile seemed a little off. "Oh you shall see."

Grain... Country of Pesok (in which Amaretto comes to terms with Harem Pants... )

The whirling lights continued on as if nothing else had been. It was as if nothing else had ever been there. The lights swirled, and the songs where all that was supposed to be there. She was not sure what it was that her name was at that moment, but it was very important to her. The world that was when there was another sounds. A point in the center was a blackness, and the blackness slowly began to get larger an then, it took over everything...

...Amaretto fell through the sky and the first thing that she saw was sand. Then she felt the ground hit her with a forceful thunk. Amaretto looked up and then saw that the sky was filled with a large sun of boiling hot mass. The sun baked the area all around and the heat felt stifling. Amaretto rolled over onto her back and then sat up. She coughed and then looked up. Blinking her eyes, she saw her aunt standing there in front of her with another woman. Katherine had her hair flying behind her in a rather brusque wind. Her aunt took a moment to brush her hair away from her face and smiled at her.

"Well then. I think that we are all here aren't we?" Katherine looked at the next woman and then nodded. The other woman smiled and simply nodded.

Amaretto looked at her aunt and then said, "Wait, where are your clothes?"

Katherine was dressed in a rather bilious blouse made of blue silk. That was when she noticed the pants. There was a pair of pants that her aunt was wearing that was a little like a pair of parachutes. They too were blue and the moment she looked at them she realized that her aunt looked a little ridiculous and out of a really bad Disney cartoon. That was when it hit her.

"Oh my god. Those are harem pants. Why are you wearing harem pants?"

There was a moment while Katherine looked at her and then said, "At least call them by their original name. They are to be called sharovary." Katherine's voice was a little annoyed, but she didn't look at it.

Amaretto raised an eyebrow and then looked at herself. "Wait a minute, you might have the awesome clothes, but why am I still in these?" Amaretto motioned to her own clothing and then motioned to her aunt's. Katherine looked at her own fairly breezy outfit and then seemed to remember that Amaretto was still in her dress from the Second Great British Empire.

"Oh goodness, I forgot., You must be baking to death in all of that. Here, hold on just a moment, let me have Isarra get you something to wear." Katherine clapped her hands and the other woman mad a deep bow and then hurried off. Katherine moved the short distance between her and her god-daughter and then smiled at Amaretto.

"Sorry about that. I forgot for a moment how hot the country we are in is. we are in Pesok. I believe it means sand. Even still, it's almost midday. I hope you don't bake to death."

"It is rather hot," Amaretto agreed to glumly. "Where are we?"

Katherine shrugged. "From what I have been able to gather we are in the county of Sand. Here they call it Pesok, but it still is nothing more than just desert it seems. On the other hand, I have still not been able to make contact with Tempus. It seems as if he has been cut off."

Amaretto looked at her finger and noticed that the pearl ring was still there. "Do you think that it could work?" She lifted it up to the sky and then watched it as it sparkled in the sun. She brought it back down to her lips and then said, "Tempus can you hear me?"

All that she heard in her mind was a faint sort of static that seemed to encompass all she said. She looked to her aunt and then shook her head. "I can't seem to reach him. It's like it's just static there, nothing else."

Katherine pursed her lips and then nodded her head. "I thought as much. I wasn't sure, but I figured that the magick that Johanna released a the end might have affected the bonds between the rings and everything else. I still have to admit though, there are a few things I would like to question him about. For example, I want to know what the next coordinate is supposed to look like."

Amaretto grimaced. She could feel the heat now. It was slowly creeping into her skin and filling the whole of her body. She could feel the beads of sweat on her brow. The sun was high in the sky and it was almost unbearable. Almost before she could op[en her mouth to complain about it though, Isarra came back. She bowed in her green and black silks before the both of them before she spoke.

"I have made the arrangements necessary for you."

Katherine smiled and then said, "Thank you Isarra." She looked at Amaretto and then said, "Well, let's get you ready then shall we?"

Amaretto simply stared at her aunt before allowing herself to be dragged off the roof she was on.

Grain... Great Kingdome of New Machina...

Amaretto looked at the others who were there with her and then shook her head. "Everyone deserves a happy ending Tempus."



Amaretto reached forwards for the Stone of Communication. Katherine looked as if she was about to say something and then the world seemed to flash. Red hues filled the room and Amaretto felt a stirring at her breast. Looking down she noticed that the Hourglass around her neck seemed to glow with an unearthly light and then hum as it slowly began to spin. Amaretto could have sworn that she had never before seen this happen. At the top of the hourglass, a small red light appeared and in the back of her mind, Amaretto could have sworn that she heard a woman's voice in the back of her head. She strained to hear what the voice had said, but there was nothing that she could hear at first. The light from the top of her hourglass grew steadily brighter.

Katherine covered her eyes and cursed and even her curse was suddenly cut off by a large wail that came from all around them. Tempus looked around with wild eyes.

"The null zone! It's collapsing!"

Amaretto whirled to look at Tempus. "What do you mean it's..."

Amaretto was cut off however when the whole area suddenly lurched back to life. The wail was from Mother Chime. She was actually screaming. There was a screech from Johanna as she threw another spell at Mother Chime. The world seemed to take on an unnaturally red hue at that moment. Alice turned for a second and then threw one of her guns up in the air. Amaretto didn't seem to understand why but her eyes were drawn to the gun as it arced up in the air.

Johanna spun around and threw her hand up in the air and an arc of lightning seemed to leap from her fingertips. The gun exploded in midair and Mother Chime was forced to turn her eyes away. Amaretto turned her own eyes away from the shock and then there was a jerking from her own arm and she felt something cool beneath her hand. It felt rather large and the thing under her hand felt like stone. Her eyes fluttered open rather quickly and that was when she realized that she was next to the Queen and the object in her hand was indeed the Stone of Communication.

The Stone flashed out and the whole world twisted. The hourglass flashed with red light as well and there was a humming sound as the world continued to twist. Mother Chime screamed, and there was a large sucking sound as it seemed as if all the sound in the room was sucked out. Amaretto tried to say something but she felt the words ripped out of her mouth. There was almost a moment where she thought that her breath was being pulled straight from her throat.

Behind them, she heard a chime, and as she turned, she saw something that she was not expecting. A Whirl of color as the world twisted and Amaretto saw what she was hoping would not come. A blur of light and sound appeared as a whirling vortex of parallax sprang to life.

Katherine turned to Amaretto and yelled out over the sound of the whirling vortex. "Amaretto we have to get out of here!"

"What about the others?"

Alice turned around, "We will soon have what we are coming for!" There was a faint smile that played across her lips. "Amaretto, oddly enough, you have given us courage to fight against something that we were not sure that we could. You will come back someday Amaretto, and you will see that we are better for it!"

Johanna turned and smiled as well as she continued to chant and Alice said, "I think Johanna would agree. Her emotions are coming back. Please Amaretto, go and bee free for it. We will not fault you at all. Some people will never get to experience what you are doing. And for heaven's sakes; don't let anything get you down! You have an indomitable spirit. Let it grow!"

Katherine looked at the whirling vortex and then looked back at Amaretto in alarm. "Amaretto!"

Amaretto looked back and then saw that her aunt was being engulfed by the whirling lights and sounds. Somewhere, Amaretto thought that she could hear singing and the music seemed even brighter for it. Amaretto reached out and tried to grab for her aunt's hand. The whiteness of the vortex spun with intense light that was slowly engulfing her aunt. "Aunt Katherine!"

Amaretto tried once more to grasp her aunt's hand and then realized that the whiteness was covering her forearm.

"No! I'm not done yet! I have to help!" She reached out and tried to run towards Alice and Johanna. Her feet however where hopelessly tangled in the white frost and light that was pouring through the air like molasses. Amaretto struggled with herself against the supposed invader and capture. Alice simply just smiled.

"Don't struggle Amaretto." Amaretto reached out again and then realized that she still clutched the stone in her hands. The light was almost completely covering her again and she bit her lip and then threw the stone with all the force that she could at Johanna. Johanna's hand flew out and caught the stone as it hurtled itself through the air. Mother Chime screamed as the Queen quietly sobbed to herself.

"Give me the stone you miserable heretic! Science will win!"

Johanna's eyes glowed a bright blue and flashed with a brilliance of white and Amaretto saw hundreds of thousands of colors pour from her sockets. Johanna looked up and the light streamed forth from her eyes and her mouth opened and soon, it was pouring out of her like a giant cloak of brilliance. Mother chime raised her hands and arms upwards to cover her face and from the brilliance of the lights stepped several forms. They were cloaked in white robes and held long swords that poured the same radiance and brilliance as well as a preternatural blue fire.

Alice looked on in awe and in a low whisper said, "Angels of Mercy and Light..."

Johanna's eyes still glowed with the strange light, but as she looked down once more at Mother Chime, Amaretto could see nothing of mercy in them, but knew the look that remained, filled with the strange light, was what she would soon call justice. Amaretto however was also afraid that one would call it vengeance. The angels raised their flaming blue swords and then rushed straight towards Mother Chime. There was a shriek and a crunch of metal against metal as the four flaming swords pierced Mother Chime's body in four cardinal directions.

Amaretto watched with satisfaction as Mother Chime slumped over unmoving. The white light had slowly been moving up and trying to encompass all of Amaretto at just after she saw Mother Chime slump over, the light covered her eyes and Amaretto felt the sensation of falling without falling.

The world was filled with the sensation of collapsing through the air and rising as the same time. Amaretto felt pulled and compressed and the air was filled with lights and sensations that played over her skin in a cacophony of sounds. Amaretto could taste the voices as they sang their ethereal song as she continued to rise through the sounds and light. Falling as she was, she wasn't sure if the world around her was moving or she was moving at the incredibly fast pace that she was.

"Aunt Katherine? Where are you?" Amaretto's voice fragmented ito a thousand shards and flew away in every which direction that she was not, and at the same time, filled the air and ceased to exist. Amaretto was getting rather dizzy and then, the whole world exploded into thousands of shimmering colors and blackness engulfed everything.