Cloud Riders(144)

Ella stood unmoving, watching Woody with undeniable love and pride. Woody dismounted and bent down in front of her on one knee. ‘Honey, I have loved you from the first moment and I will never love another as I do you. Will you marry me, beautiful and be my wife, even if I do have to run off on you all the time like this?’

Tears rolled down Ella’s face, never loving anyone the way she did the man who knelt before her. While they were apart, Ella had missed him terribly and knew for sure he was the one she wanted. Her heart was already his. She bent down eye-to-eye and kissed his lips. ‘Yes, my love. I would want nothing more than to marry you and be your wife. As for you running off and looking like the biggest hunk in the universe? Not so happy I don’t get to enjoy it like the tarts up there but I’m sure I’ll get over it while going on a shopping spree with your money while you’re gone.’ Showing no emotion, making him laugh.

‘What about kids? Can I keep you barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen? If I’m away, I want to know no man will look at you. A fat belly should do the trick,’ he chuckled.

‘Kids are fine, sweetie but the men are still going to think I’m the hottest thing on two legs because I am,’ she stirred him.

‘That’s it! For a wedding gift I’m coming back with a chastity belt and locking you up until I get back.’

‘Jealous bastard,’ she slapped him playfully.

‘Get fat before I get back or I’m not marring you. I’ll find a way to keep them rich sods away from my sexy woman yet,’ the fun-loving kidder said jokingly as he give her a big smooch before getting back on his horse. He looked down at Sonia, now holding Ella’s hand. ‘Go help your friend get fat or I’ll never talk to you again.’

Both women laughed uncontrollably, as the team rode off. Woody was a funny bastard and Cassie was glad he felt it important to have them there to witnesses the proposal. She couldn’t have been happier with both women.

The clouds were different today. The colours were soft and swirled together like soft ice cream. It was relaxing and there was something different about it as they slipped out and into the fourth dimension, landing on the Cirrus cloud which looked wispy and feathery. While they were in it, the cloud felt soft against Cassie’s skin, almost as if tiny feathers were running gently along her arms and face.

The colours were white and silver with touches of gold. It was very pretty to be in but whipped you with incredible speed high into the portal of the next dimension where they came out into the solar system. The colourful planets and stars in the clear atmosphere sparkled and glittered as if she was in fairyland—if that even existed. Yet, this is real so who knows?

From the height they were at, she could now make out Pyxis the mariner’s compass. They landed on Velorum, the controlling star that was ruled by Captain Rogers.

The captain came out to greet Kayden. He was an elderly man with a very long grey beard. He was wearing a typical captain’s hat and lived in an old battle ship that was wedged in some sand and on an angle. The ship was quite a few meters from the shoreline, obvious that he had been ship wrecked for many years. He seemed a bright old chap, even though his face was badly lined with wrinkles from years of harsh weather on the seas, although his eyes seemed young, alert and friendly.

He had a couple of men with him who must have been under his command because he growled orders at them before he flicked his hand as if he was swatting a fly, dismissing his men and dragging smoke from the pipe that hung from his mouth. The men quickly disappeared back into the ship bringing out something and passing it to the captain. Turning it to show Kayden, Cassie could see it was a compass and she realised he was showing Kayden new coordinates and pointed above him to Argo Navis, the ship constellation. He seemed concerned about the damage to the sail if the attacking star reached them.





A Knight’s Struggle


Kayden hadn’t allowed the team to dismount. Time was of the essence and after talking to Captain Rogers, he wasn’t sure if they could prevent the damage that the pending Supernova was now predicted to do, in its condition and current path it was on. This news wasn’t what Kayden wanted to hear. Mounting Zoltan, he directed him to follow the new coordinates he had just been given.

He relayed his team the bad news by telepathy in case someone was listening in on their conversation. He knew most of them had the technology to do so and didn’t want a bunch of rulers going off half-cocked, thinking they might have lost control of the situation.

Captain Rogers has had a report that a Comet has just passed by the deployed Supernova travelling around 30 000 miles an hour. The heat projecting from the Comet would have to be well over 3000 degrees Celsius. It’s not only knocked our Supernova off course, but the massive heat injection has sped up the death star’s expiry time, he relayed to the team. Kayden looked around and could hear it in the distance before it was even in sight. Something’s not right, guys. It sounds all wrong. It sounds unpredictable, so brace yourselves. Expect the unexpected. If it blows before we reach it, slip into clean up mode and get whatever Cassie misses. We can’t let any of the iron shards reach the constellations. He glanced over at Cassie and she looked as cool as a cucumber, already powering up. It sounds ready to explode, Cassie so be careful and once you’ve tossed the thing to the coordinates I’ve given you, get the hell out of here and wait back over near the Pyxis constellation for us, okay?