Call of the Sapphires

Chapter 1

"What are we going to do, mother?" The young Sapphire princess bounced uneasily. She hung her head and looked down on the glowing pink ring on her finger. "I've already shown him the Balcony of Dreams, but he evades me. He's still distraught, trying to connect with his comrades."

The young girl's mother gritted her teeth. "I don't understand, you should be getting through to him, Ghia'ta. It doesn't make any sense." Aga'po swiped through the air. The glowing orb expanded, showing her the balcony and her unsuspecting guest. The Daxamite had risen from the soft cushioned sofa. Still in a daze, he had started to pace, unsure in his step.

The queen closed her eyes and focused. The Sapphire energy around her glowed brightly. The orb expanded, showing short subtle flashes. The face of a woman. Tears in her eyes. Joy and pain. I love you. I should have said it before. The queen shivered, a light nausea threatening to rise in her stomach as the borrowed feelings overcame her. She steadied herself. This issue was too important to tread lightly.

"He's hanging on just by a thread. Imagine what we could do... I've never seen anybody more powerful. Not even when the Lanterns arrived." Aga'po looked to her daughter. "This could be the last push we need to get through." Her voice turned sharp. "We have to have him, Ghia'ta. Rejoin him at once and watch over him. If not through you, I shall summon his other part."

"Yes, mother."

Turning her attention back to the glowing pillar in front of her, Aga'po sent out the power of her ring. Small sparks of glowing pink surrounded the image of the Daxamite like glowflies. More pain, more joy. The smile of a beautiful woman with a playful bounce in her step and a crooked smile. The queen frowned. Why was she not getting through? All she had to do was to follow the threads of energy and relink them, connect them through time and space. Once more the seeing orb expanded, showing her the image of a seemingly peaceful planet all alone in space. And yet, as much as the queen focused her thoughts, she came up empty.

Had the Daxamite's love perished? Aga'po knew the taste of loss through death. That hadn't been it. What was the Daxamite hiding from her? The pink mist in front of her wavered and twirled, but refused to take form.

Aga'po gritted her teeth and pushed harder, trying to grasp the thin thread of love she sensed and follow it. Her irisless blue eyes twitched. There it was. The strain bent, to a different world, no, a different time. Her mouth curled into a smile. So this was the key to the mystery the Legionnaire had provided. It couldn't hide from her. It was upon her, her gift to wield love's fearsome power.

At last the mist obeyed, springing forth her messenger, a small, purple ring. It glowed and as it floated ever gently down into her outstretched hand. The queen's brow furrowed. Something like this had never been tried before. Earth was already in a completely different sector from their home world. The dangers of disassociation after such a long trip were very real. And a transport not only through space but also time? The side effects were unforeseeable.

And yet... she had no choice to but to risk it. If the transference took the life of this stranger from another time, it would weigh on her. But she could taste the power of her visitors and her responsibility towards the people of her sector could not be denied. Aga'po sent off a prayer to the three spheres.