Arrival Kora felt the power course through her veins pumping and tingling until it built to a level far greater than she needed She gloried in the surge of power an act of defiance against her father and the rest of the High Council Empress Amurru’s wheezing voice distracted Kora and the magic exploded from her chest transforming her glamorous globe so that it would appear to the outside world as just an ordinary rock The inside of course stayed the same an extravagant mix of Genesia’s finest creations designed for an empress shrunk down along with her by the magic of the globe She turned to Amurru delighted with the disapproval in his eyes Your father would not condone camouflage He shuffled towards her his bad leg dragging on the ground like a forgotten shoelace You must be found 8
The air in her globe still sizzled with the heat of her excessive power She stared down at him I do not care what you my father or the Council think If I am to be banished to Earth then I shall do as I please Amurru flexed his long amber wings An empress puts her own interests aside and does what is best for her people I can do nothing from here she spat What is best for my people is for me to be there fighting with them No He adjusted the wide black belt on his silver suit It was the right decision for everybody to send you here I will find a way to defeat Vennum she hissed Even from here No Empress The danger is too great If Vennum should find you I am not afraid Well you should be Empress Amurru shook his round head You should be She looked away from him in disgust I will not be harnessed Kora stormed around her globe the loud jingle of her jewellery filling the space when she felt rather than saw Amurru’s mood lighten She slid her eyes in his direction but did not turn her head His fox-like ears twitched and she knew he had heard something Armourowls had 9
notoriously exceptional hearing and Amurru’s ability had not diminished with age The temptation to peek was too strong Kora lit up the screens that revealed the world outside her globe A 360-degree panoramic view of this place they called Earth or more specifically Panda Rock Western Australia Her first look at what was supposed to be her home for who knew how long Years Decades The view directly in front of her was hot hard and unwelcoming Flat grey rocks lay sprawled in the summer sun They stretched across the land until they reached patches of green scrub It was hard for her to imagine where the pandas lived This land is barren she said smugly I cannot see any humans We have landed in a national park for the safety of everybody But I assure you Empress there are many people in the small town nearby I do not think any human will find me here We shall see murmured Amurru His ears twitched and swivelled until they were both straining forwards his attention completely focused on a tiny patch of shade at the edge of the clearing The first stirrings of fear snaked through her A human had emerged and was striding towards them His heavy 10
footsteps disturbed a lizard basking in the midday sun and she watched in fascination as it darted under a rock to hide All that human will see is a rock She forced confidence into her voice He will not be interested in that She held her breath as he neared Her first sighting of a human boy She waited for him to simply walk past but he did not Was it possible he had seen them land Amurru smiled revealing a row of large yellowed teeth Curious creatures humans She watched horrified as the human stopped right next to her globe and stared intently down at it from underneath a mop of long shaggy dark blond hair He was not what she had expected Humans were weaker than genies they had no power and she had expected to see that reflected in their build But this human was tall and strong with lean muscles that had rippled as he swaggered towards them She supposed their lack of power meant they needed stronger bodies His colouring was different to hers as well Where her skin was a smooth olive brown his was brown with an underlying fairness like it was meant to be paler but life had changed it She was jolted out of her musings as her globe was thrust up into the air only to be tossed straight back down again She immediately used her magic to ensure that they 11
