BLOOD OF DRONICUS

by

Aidan Cross

03/24/04

Atop a steep, rocky hill, surrounded by a dense green jungle of exotic trees, the tall, gaunt towers of a dark and ancient castle were clustered together, standing high and daunting, forming a sinister dark silhouette against a fierce sky of swirling black clouds. CRASH! The thunder roared in the heavens above, and a flash of bolt lightning illuminated the ancient edifice, for a split second making its solid gray walls, decorated with hundreds of terrifying gargoyles, visible to the naked eye before a torrent of heavy rain burst out from the clouds and poured down over the foreboding castle.

CRASH! Another bolt of lightning flashed down, this time illuminating three terrifying figures emerging from the trees and ascending the hill. The figure at the rear was covered from head to toe in thick, reddish-brown fur, and his huge, muscular frame was hunched with exhaustion as he followed the other two up the hill, his huge clawed feet leaving colossal footprints on the ground. The figure in the middle was less repulsive- in fact, the exact opposite- but equally intimidating in appearance, if not more so. It was the figure of a tall and extremely beautiful woman, her long black cape blowing in the wind behind her, giving her an air of domineering authority. Over her torso she wore a dark purple bodysuit decorated with gleaming exotic jewellery, and her head was covered by a tightly fitted black helmet topped with blue and purple prongs. Her large, dark and piercing eyes, surrounded by striking black mascara, peered out from above her high cheekbones, casting a seductive but evil glare towards the towers of the castle. The figure in the lead was by far the most terrifying of the three- it was the figure of a man dressed in a long, thick black robe, carrying a staff topped with the skull of a ram in his bony blue hand. His torso was covered entirely in shining black armor, a metal plate bearing the symbol of crossed bones placed over his chest plate. But the most terrifying thing about this man was that his face, which peered out from beneath the shadow of his hood, was completely fleshless- it was nothing more than a monstrous yellowed skull, the glow of red, sunken eyes beaming out furiously from the eye sockets. And the eyes were beaming towards nothing other than the huge castle itself, upon which they glared with a demented fixation.

The three figures finally reached the top of the hill, and the arms of the leader spread out in triumph. A maniacal, deafening laugh could then be heard to emit from his opening jaw, blending in against the roar of the thunder and the crashing of the rain.

“At last!” he cried out, his tones ringing with insanity. “Castle Dronicus stands before me- and soon I, Skeletor, will possess the glorious power which lies within!”

“WE will possess the power, Skeletor,” spoke the female figure, in a smooth, seductive voice, “that is, if you abide by your promise.”

“Yes, you will absorb a share of the power too…” said Skeletor, “I will remain your master… but you, Evil-Lyn, will rule beside me as the blood of Dronicus flows in our veins!”

“And what about me?” spoke the furry figure, in a deep, bestial voice, “Don’t I deserve a share of the power, as a reward for my services?”

“You are nothing but a mere servant, Beast Man!” growled Skeletor, shifting the glare of his red eyes towards the man of the wild. “You will be paid, as ever… but the power of this castle belongs to ME!” He raised his arms once again and looked up at the incredible, gothic structure that towered above them.

“If the legend be true…” said Evil-Lyn ponderously.

“The legend IS true- I have no doubt about it!” shouted Skeletor, “But let us waste no time- now we are here, we must veer towards our goal!” He raised his staff, and fired a blast from the eyes of the ram skull, towards the enormous, wooden doors of the castle.

Several blasts emitted from the staff, one after the other, each one hitting the doors in the center. Eventually, the force of the blasts caused the doors to creak open slowly, for the first time in thousands of years.

“Forward, my minions!” commanded Skeletor, and the evil trio moved briskly forward, into the blackness that lay beyond the ancient doors.

Once inside the castle, they could see little other than blackness. It was difficult to make out any details, for their only source of light was the light of the twin moons seeping in through the windows and the open doorway.

“I just see black…” growled Beast Man lowly, “How we gonna find our way?”

“No problem for me,” said Evil-Lyn, and she held out her hand in front of her. A sphere of light formed in mid-air, and slowly solidified into her crystal ball, which instantly began to glow with a radiant light. The light from the crystal ball immediately illuminated the chamber, and the evil trio could see the wide range of tall, arched doorways around its edges, thousands of gruesome gargoyles peering out from the walls.

“Where to now?” said Beast Man.

“According to the legend, the room we seek is located behind a secret doorway within the throne room,” replied Skeletor, “So my guess is we try that door!” he pointed his bony finger towards the largest, highest doorway within the chamber. They moved towards the doorway, and Skeletor fired a single bolt from the eyes of his staff, which hit the huge wooden doors heavily in the center, and a loud creaking noise filled the chamber as the ancient doors inched open.

The light from Evil-Lyn’s crystal ball revealed a huge, long room beyond the doors, at the end of which stood a colossal throne, at the foot of which lay a huge mound of skulls and bones, a puddle of blood which had been dry for centuries staining the ground beneath them.

The roar of the thunder filled the room from outside, and a bat flapped through the air above the trio’s heads. “Here we are…” said Skeletor, “the throne room of Castle Dronicus. Our target lies close by…”

“I seem to sense a magical aura from the far end of the room,” said Evil-Lyn, “close to the throne!”

“As do I.” replied Skeletor, “So in that direction we shall head.” The skull-faced warlord led his evil minions across to the throne, and Skeletor’s sunken eyes lit up bright red when he noticed an inscription on one section of the wall, around which was what looked like the outline of a sealed doorway.

“At last!” he cried out, “The blood of Dronicus lies beyond that sealed doorway!”

“What does the inscription say?” asked Evil-Lyn, unable to exactly decipher the inscription, which was written in the language of ancient Eternia.

Skeletor fixed his eyes upon the inscription, and began to read.

“Doesn’t sound so cursed to me…” said Evil-Lyn schemingly.

“Blessed would be a more apt description,” replied Skeletor. “Once the blood of Dronicus flows in my veins I will have the power to enslave all of Eternia… and rule this world myself!”

“With me at your side.” added Evil-Lyn. “Weren’t they sexist, those ancient Eternians? They forgot to mention that she who drinks the blood of Dronicus will become equally powerful as he.”

“I don’t get it,” slurred Beast Man, “Who is this Dronicus anyway?”

“That is no concern of yours, furball!” said Skeletor. “Only of ours!” Then he turned to face the door, held out his left hand, and began to recite a magic spell.

“Let the secret door unseal… the blood of Dronicus to us reveal!”

A powerful, bright stream of magic drifted from the palm of his hand towards the sealed door, and within a moment, the door began to unseal, and slowly swung backwards… revealing a small room, lit alight by burning torch lamps on both of its sides, magical torch lamps that had been burning for centuries. At the foot of the room was a large, golden altar… and over the altar, running through a kind of fountain that trickled into a small pool in the ground beneath it, was an endless flow of sparkling crimson blood… the blood of Dronicus.

Evil-Lyn’s eyes lit up with awe and excitement. “It’s beautiful…” she said, “we must persist with our plan at once!”

“Indeed we shall,” said Skeletor, and he and Evil-Lyn stepped forth. Beast Man followed them, but Skeletor abruptly spun round and held out his hand to urge Beast Man back. “I’ve told you already… this part of the plan is no business of yours,” he said, and shot a small beam of yellow magical power towards the door, which swung closed again, concealing Beast Man from view. Skeletor and Evil-Lyn were alone with the blood of Dronicus.

Evil-Lyn held out her crystal ball, and it slowly vanished in a flash of light. It was no longer needed for a light source.

“Are you ready?” asked Skeletor, gazing into Evil-Lyn’s large, dark eyes.

“I most definitely am,” replied Evil-Lyn, gazing back into the sunken eyes hidden deep within the shadows of his bone cavities. Ever since he had taught her the powers of black magic she had felt a strong bond with Skeletor, as her powers had increased she felt that they were destined to share the ultimate power together. At this moment, they were about to move several steps closer to gaining that power.

“Then let us do it,” replied Skeletor. They turned to face the fountain of blood that ran before them, and moved closer to it, slowly but eagerly. Skeletor’s eyes blazed with excitement as they neared the blood. The power of Dronicus was right within his grasp. He placed his staff against the wall, then he turned his fleshless head once more, and gazed back into the beautiful eyes of Evil-Lyn, the red glow from his own eyes reflected in her pupils. He gently placed his bony hands on her firm, delicate shoulders. Then he let their bodies fall smoothly sideways, towards the fountain, and they bathed their heads in the pool of crimson blood below the altar, as the blood trickled down from above.

The blood ran down onto Skeletor’s skull, and he lightly parted his teeth and let the exquisite crimson liquid drift down into his mouth, suffusing his taste buds. Next to him, Evil-Lyn, her eyes closed, opened her mouth wide and gently lapped up the blood as it trickled into the pool. Skeletor reached his hands to his neck and slowly lifted his hood from his skull, then withdrew his arms from the sleeves of his cape, removing it from his body and thrusting it gently aside. Then he let his long, blue naked arms swish lightly through the pool of blood, as the fall of blood from above trickled onto his skull. Thousands of tiny red strings of blood drifted over the skull, some of them into the depths of his eye sockets while others slid over his teeth and down into his mouth, where he swallowed them, his body writhing in subtle ecstasy as he felt the power coursing through his physique.

He surrendered his whole torso to the pool of blood, and slowly writhed within it, lying on his side, gazing ahead at Evil-Lyn as he swallowed more and more blood. The beautiful sorceress of the night was doing the same, curling and bending her torso as gallons of blood drifted over her tongue into her mouth. Her eyes, blood blending with her mascara, slowly opened and gazed into the eyes of Skeletor, now blazing red with ecstasy. As she gazed deep into his eyes, Skeletor suddenly felt a rush of libidinal excitement surge through his body. It was not often that Skeletor stopped to feel any kind of affection for others, but at this moment his mind was possessed by a sense of supreme gratitude and valuation for everything Evil-Lyn had done to aid him in the time they had worked together. Thinking of the great bond between them, he stared deep into her stunning, exquisite dark green eyes, seeing somewhere deep within them the amazing peacefulness and compassion which lay deep within her striking, feisty exterior. He beamed a sentiment of immense admiration towards her, and she seemed to sense it as her lips, as crimson as the blood in which she was bathing, slowly formed into a gorgeous, wide smile, ribbons of blood trickling over her dazzling white teeth.

If Skeletor had had lips, he would have smiled back. His eyes beamed brighter, and he lightly lifted his left arm, and held it high above Evil-Lyn’s face. She turned her head slightly to her right, and parted her teeth as Skeletor let a stream of blood drift down his arm, and drip from his elbow into Evil-Lyn’s mouth. Then he let his hand drop onto her shoulder, and lightly caressed her arm as they bathed deeper and deeper within the ever-flowing lake of blood around them. The blood continued to fall from above, and they let more and more of the crimson fluid drift into their mouths, a sense of great power and delight flowing throughout their entire bodies as they absorbed the ecstasy… the pleasure… and the power… of the Blood of Dronicus.

Prince Adam woke up with a tremendous ache pulsing through his head. He opened up his right eye, then immediately shut it tight as a ray of bright sunlight penetrated his cornea, intensifying the ache. His head felt heavy and immobile. The ground below him felt flat and hard. Where the heck was he? Of course, he could easily have opened his eyes to see where he was, but his head was hurting so much that he just couldn’t bear to expose his eyes to that light again. All he could tell was that wherever he was, he wanted to be somewhere a million times more comfortable at this precise moment. He ransacked his brain to try to recollect his last conscious memory to determine exactly where he was. At first he couldn’t seem to think clearly, his thoughts all seemed to be in a jangle. For a second he thought perhaps he’d been beaten up by Skeletor’s crew and they’d put him under some mind spell that stopped him from thinking clearly and maybe he was in their dungeons right now… but then it occurred to him, bright light in or around Snake Mountain? Not a chance. And the pain in his head was in no way the pain of a battle blow. It was a much worse pain that he’d felt a million times before. A hangover pain.

Where in Grayskull’s name could he have been where he could have drunk so much and ended up sleeping somewhere as uncomfortable as this? As the thought of drink filled his mind, a few recollections finally started to creep into his conscious memory. He’d been downing the wine like crazy the night before while surrounded by beautiful women. Of course, he’d been at the party he’d been invited to by Lord Marlach, one of Eternos’ respected noblemen, and had ended up getting it on with Lord Marlach’s daughter, Lady Malina. Oh yes, and they’d ended up sleeping together… on the floor of the main hall in Marlach’s tower, using the tablecloth as a quilt. So that’s where he was now. Which meant that unless she’d made an early morning departure (or if it was late afternoon by now, which may be more likely) she’d probably still be with him now…..

“M-Malina?” he just about managed to mumble, in his hungover state.

“Adam, you’ve finally woken up!” came the lively response of Malina’s voice. “I’ve been sitting here for ages… well, ten minutes actually, but it feels like longer! Let’s get up and play some games, shall we?”

“No, not up for that,” Adam muttered back, “I was just making sure you were still here.”

“Why don’t you just open your eyes, honey?”

“’Cos that blasted light’ll blind me… and speak just a little quieter… my head’s hurting…”

“Oh, your head’s hurting, huh?” Malina responded playfully. “I’m not surprised, with the amount of wine you drank last night! Must have been at least ten glasses…”

“Oh, please, don’t remind me… I can only just about remember…”

Malina laughed aloud. “You were out of your mind last night, Adam! You’ll so laugh when I tell you some of the things you said!”

Adam rolled his eyes beneath his eyelids. What had he gone and said now? He was going to have to stop drinking so much on these nights out. “Go on, just tell me, what did I say?”

“You were going on about how smelly Teela’s underwear is when she leaves it out to dry!”

“Huh? That… doesn’t make sense…”

“Of course it doesn’t, but that’s why it’s so downright funny! You said it smelled as bad as one of Cringer’s turds!”

“Oh, damn… Teela didn’t hear, did she? Teela would kill me if she knew I said that…”

“Don’t worry, Teela wasn’t here when you said that!” laughed Malina. “She was out in the courtyard, getting it on with Prince Darlus…”

“Oh yeah of course.” Adam replied flatly, wishing Malina hadn’t reminded him of that. It had annoyed him quite a lot to see Teela getting off with Prince Darlus of Tralmar, and he couldn’t help but feel jealous even though he’d got off with another girl himself. Mainly because he personally didn’t like Darlus much, he found him a bit boastful and obnoxious… not to mention unattractive.

Still laughing, Malina continued, “Oh yes, but that’s still not the funniest thing you said last night, Adam. There was this bit when…” she erupted into a huge burst of laughter.

“Go on, just get on with it…” said Adam.

“Oh, by the Gods, it was so funny!” laughed Malina. “You got up on the table, right- then you held the cake knife up pretending it was a sword and said ‘By the Power of Grayskull, I am He-Man, master of the universe!’”

“WHAT?!” cried Adam, finally opening his eyes wide as he leaped up in shock. He hoped to the Elders, Please tell me I haven’t…

Malina laughed even louder as Adam leaped up, “See, I told you it was that funny!” she said, “Then you started going on about how good a scrap Skeletor is and how you once smashed him in with a tree trunk or something…”

“Oh, blast! Did I say anything else?!” Adam asked, in a panic.

“No, nothing I can clearly remember, you went on a bit but you stopped making sense eventually… that was just before we got into bed- or rather, under the tablecloth!"

Adam breathed a sigh of relief, then he asked, “Did you take any of it seriously?”

Malina threw her head back and emitted her loudest laugh yet. “Are you still drunk or something? Did I take it seriously?!” she laughed so loud that Adam felt the pain in his head getting even worse. “Of course not, you were out of your mind! Wow, you are a nutter, Adam. You really crack me up!”

Adam felt relieved, but still panic-stricken. Malina clearly found this whole situation hilarious, but she didn’t realise just how serious it was. Adam knew he was going to have to be ultra-careful about how much he drank from now on. This was the fourth time in the last few weeks that he’d nearly blurted out his secret identity when drunk. He could not risk it again… he could all too easily slip that one step too far, and if he did, he’d be in real trouble. Not only would everyone know, not only would the knowledge probably reach Skeletor, but he’d probably be stripped of all his powers by The Sorceress. He just could not risk that. He knew that Man-At-Arms and The Sorceress would be really pissed at him right now if they knew how many times he’d been coming close to giving away his secret. He couldn’t stand to think of just how badly he was risking it… Malina said he’d held up a knife and spoken his oath, what if he’d held up his sword?! He’d actually have transformed into He-Man, while drunk, and then he’d have been in real trouble! He just could not risk it again. No alcohol at parties from now on. It was just too dangerous.

“What’s up, Adam?” asked Malina, noticing his silence, and his worried expression. “You’re not laughing… how can you not find it funny?”

“I’m alright…” replied Adam, “I’m… I just don’t feel too well, that’s all, after all the drink. I’m not touching that stuff again, not for a while.”

“Oh, you should do,” giggled Malina, “You are just so funny!”

“I know, I know I am,” replied Adam quietly. He stopped to catch his breath. His heart was pounding after the shock of realising what he’d almost done. He looked up, to take a proper glance at Malina and the rest of the room. Malina was sitting cross-legged facing him, still naked, with the tablecloth all wrapped around her. There were empty drink bottles, table napkins, and party poppers scattered all round the hall.

“Your dad’s not gonna be too pleased, when he sees the mess everyone made of his hall,” said Adam.

“Oh, he won’t mind,” answered Malina, “I told him to expect this.” Then she inched herself closer to him. “Come on Adam, give us a smile. Don’t look so glum on such a lovely morning… and after such a wonderful night.”

Adam left his concerned thoughts and looked straight ahead at Malina. She was indeed very beautiful. She had gorgeously cute blue eyes, long, fairly curly brown hair, and a sweet, innocent smile. And true enough, she had given him a brilliant night last night. He was glad he'd got to know her. He finally lifted the corners of his mouth, and smiled at her.

“That’s better,” she said, stroking his naked shoulder. “I like you, Adam. You’re one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met.” She inched her face closer to his, and gave him a huge kiss on the lips. He stroked her under her arm, affectionately.

“We’d better start cleaning up,” he said, getting to his feet from under the tablecloth. “I’ve probably stained your dad’s tablecloth… I’m gonna have to clean it up.”

“Oh, don’t worry, Adam!” smiled Malina. “He doesn’t mind things like this!”

“Yeah, but someone’s gotta clean up, haven’t they?” said Adam, “And since we made most of the mess, we’re gonna look pretty bad if we don’t clean it up.”

“Oh, go on then, we can clear it up… together!” she said playfully, picking up a table napkin and throwing it softly at Adam.

“Alright then, let’s see you clean this up!” laughed Adam, his spirits lifting, and he picked up a heap of sweet wrappers and threw them over Malina.

“Oh, you… you watch it!” she giggled, throwing a few of them back at Adam. “I’ll get you…”

“Oh, by the Elders!” came a sudden shout from the other side of the hall, and Adam and Malina spun round to see a rather shocked and embarrassed-looking servant at the end of the hall, taken aback by the unexpected sight of them naked.

“Oh, no, er, sorry…” said Adam, “We… er… we’ll clean up…”

“It’s alright, I didn’t realise anyone was still in here,” said the servant, “I’ll leave you to it!” He went out.

Malina burst into a huge, playful giggle. “Oh, wow, Adam, that was so funny!”

Adam looked back at her, and smiled. “I guess it was,” he said, “but really, we’ve gotta get dressed and sort this place out. We can’t mess about here all day!”

“Well, it would be great fun if we did…” sniggered Malina, “but as you say, your Highness, let’s clean up!”

After they had finally dressed and cleared up the hall as best as they could, Adam and Malina ventured out onto the balcony, which looked over onto a marvellous view of the many towers of Eternos City, glistening in the morning sunlight. Lord Marlach was sitting at the table with a small group of guests who had stayed over from the party, mostly other important officials of Eternia.

“Ah, Malina, glad to see you up so early after the party,” said Lord Marlach. “And you too, Prince Adam. I trust you younger folk had a good time after us old-timers retired to bed?”

“We sure did, father!” giggled Malina. “Adam and I had a particularly good time. Didn’t we, Adam?” She looked at Adam, smiling flirtatiously.

Adam felt his face turn red with embarrassment. “Um, yes,” he said, then quickly changed the subject, “We made a bit of a mess of the hall, I’m afraid.” Then, just so Marlach didn’t misinterpret that comment, he quickly added, “With the food, and the party poppers and all that. We’ve done our best to clear that up, though.”

“Don’t worry about the hall, Your Majesty,” said Marlach, “The servants have no qualms about clearing it up, but it’s good of you to minimize their work anyway. If you’d like some breakfast, Teela and Prince Darlus are having theirs down below.”

“Oh yes, come on Adam, let’s join them,” said Malina. “We can fill them in on everything they missed last night!”

Marlach called to a servant standing close by. “Prepare breakfast for Prince Adam and Malina, would you?” he said. Then he turned to Adam. “It’ll be ready before long. They’re on the lower balcony on the next floor down.”

“Thank you, my Lord,” said Adam. He and Malina left the balcony and went down the stairs to the next floor. As they made their way down, Malina giggled, “I can’t wait to tell Teela about the stuff you did last night. She’ll be in hysterics!”

“No Malina, please don’t.” said Adam, seriously. “I don’t want Teela to know about any of it. She’d go mad at me if she knew.”

“What is there to be mad about?” asked Malina, confused, “She’ll find it hilarious, just like me.”

“No, she won’t.” said Adam. “Teela’s very sensible with her drinking habits, and she reckons I go completely overboard. Admit it, it’s hardly respectable for the heir to the throne to be getting wildly drunk all the time. Teela thinks I’m far more irresponsible than I really am, and if you tell her about the way I was last night, it’ll only enhance that view of me.”

“But I’ve gotta tell her about the He-Man bit, haven’t I?”

“No.” Adam said, stopping dead and turning to face Malina. “Look Malina… I don’t mean to spoil your fun or anything, but… Teela wouldn’t be impressed by that at all.” He could not risk letting Teela hear about that. Even if it didn’t make her suspect his secret identity, she wouldn’t be pleased at the thought of Adam poking fun at He-Man; she’d attribute it to jealousy and spite.

“Oh, come on Adam, stop being so paranoid,” said Malina, laying her hand on his shoulder, “She wouldn’t treat it so seriously, you should relax and stop taking everything so seriously yourself. Lighten up, don’t be so stressed about everything.”

“I don’t mean to seem too stressed, just trust me, I know she wouldn’t be pleased,” said Adam. “I’ve known Teela all my life, I know what kind of reactions she has. Please Malina. Don’t tell her. I’m being serious here.”

Malina was silent for a few seconds. “Well, as you wish. I won’t tell her. But anyway, let’s get over and have breakfast with them, there’s still loads of gossip I’ve gotta tell them!”

They went through to the balcony, where Teela and Prince Darlus sat having breakfast at the table, engaged in conversation.

“Good morning Teela,” said Adam, as he and Malina sat down to join them.

“Oh, hello Adam,” said Teela. “I’m surprised you’re up this early. Did you two enjoy yourselves last night?”

“You bet we did!” laughed Malina. Adam stared closely at Teela’s eyes hoping to detect a hint of jealousy towards Malina. He was hoping Teela would throw her a spiteful glance or something, but she didn’t even turn to look at her. She was too busy gazing straight ahead of her at Darlus, who was gazing right back at her. He hadn’t even acknowledged Adam or Malina yet.

There was a few seconds silence, then Adam broke it by saying “And you two? You had a good night too, I guess?”

“Yes, we certainly did,” said Teela, “We had a good debate about the trade system between Darlus’ kingdom and the province of Bracilia.”

Malina backed away from Teela slightly, looked at Adam, then threw a weird glance back at Teela and said, half-audibly, “Er… okay.” Then she looked back at Adam and mouthed “Real party talk, huh?”

“We definitely had an outstanding debate,” said Darlus, finally turning to look at Adam. “As you may possibly know, if your knowledge of Eternia is as wide as I would expect from a Prince of your status, my kingdom has been producing pure, salt-free water of the finest quality for the past few decades. We have made a tremendous amount of money from the export of this water, particularly in the region of Dalshia and the island of Anwat Gar, where demand is consistently high, and have more recently established a successful trade system with the province of Bracilia, where our water has been traded for extra-strong wood from the pinewood trees that grow in the area. It is my opinion that if our water continues to increase the average life expectancy in Bracilia, their work rate will increase and thus boost their annual income, thus reducing their need to trade with us and instead exchange a tremendous supply of gold for our most wonderful water, thus increasing our own income which we will be able to invest in…”

Adam looked away from Darlus and threw a glance at Malina, whose eyes were wide open with astonishment. She threw a strange glance at Darlus, who continued to babble on without even pausing for breath. Adam was not even trying to listen to a word Darlus was saying, he just kept nodding his head in mock interest, while wondering what on Eternia Teela saw in this arrogant egotist. He was not even particularly good-looking; his eyes were small and smug, his black hair oiled down far too heavily, while his nose was enormous and cast a pointed shadow over his seemingly unshuttable mouth. Adam threw a quick glance at Teela, and saw that she had her eyes firmly fixed on Darlus as if he was the most exquisite sight in the world, and her lips were curved upwards with admiration. Was she really impressed by this jerk? He was blatantly boasting about his kingdom’s prosperity as if it was all his own accomplishment, and his tones were mocking, ringing with convictions of superiority. This guy could do with a visit to Equamore, thought Adam.

Finally Adam was given an excuse to interrupt Darlus when a servant came onto the balcony and laid breakfast on the table for Adam and Malina. “Thank you,” said Adam, interrupting Darlus’ endless flow of babble. Before Darlus could continue, Adam looked down at the food, and remarked, “Bread and wheat crisp, looks fantastic. It would seem the cooks here have splendid talent.” He knew the remark wasn’t particularly interesting, but he had to bring up some other topic in the hope that Darlus wouldn’t continue.

He looked up at Malina, and she responded with “Oh yes, my father employs some of the best cooks in Eternos.” Then she rapidly changed the subject back to the party. “Anyway, Adam and I had a good laugh last night. Adam’s great fun, isn’t he?” She looked at Teela.

“Yes, he can be,” said Teela. Before Adam could get his hopes up for a proper compliment, she said, “But anyway, Darlus, what was that you were saying about…”

Adam had to interrupt before Teela could set Darlus off again. “Ow!” he cried, and clamped his hand over his right eye.

“Adam, are you alright?” said Malina, looking worried.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” said Adam, “I’m just kind of wishing I’d eaten indoors, the sunlight’s making my headache worse…”

“Not hung over again, are you?” said Teela.

“No… er, well, yes,” said Adam. “But I didn’t have all that much to drink, I…”

Malina erupted into an exuberant giggle.

“You got drunk and made a fool of yourself again, didn’t you?” said Teela. “Really, Adam. I’d have thought you’d have more sense after your last few outbursts.”

“Oh… but Teela, I…”

Darlus shook his head. “Such vices I would sooner expect from the peasant classes.”

“Give him a break, you two!” shouted Malina. “What’s wrong with a little alcoholic binge every now and then? He knows not to do it too often. And anyway, he’s really funny when he’s drunk. You should see him.”

“I have seen him drunk, many times,” said Teela. “And he’s only funny at his own expense. Not respectable behavior from a Prince…”

“Stop being so boring!” said Malina. “It’s not like he’s some alcoholic lout or something. And besides, Lord Sharmos was talking to us at one point last night, and he thought Adam was funny, he said he was a good lad. He knows his responsibilities, you shouldn’t look at everything so seriously.”

Adam smiled at Malina. Her playful nature and boisterousness could be a little irritating at times, but she was clearly a sensible girl at heart and it was nice to have someone defend him for a change. Even though he knew he had gone rather overboard with the drink.

“Well Lord Sharmos is one of the densest excuses for a Lord throughout Eternia,” said Darlus pompously, “He’ll give the greatest valuables to the most useless peasant on the planet just for the sake of helping the poor. He has no logic of worthiness. I’d have thought a lovely young lady like you would know better than to trust him.” Adam noticed Malina thrust backwards in her chair all of a sudden with a look of disgust, and peering slightly under the table below him he saw that Darlus had reached his hand under the table in an attempt to stroke her knee. What a creep, Adam thought, eyeing Darlus with resentment.

Finally plucking up the courage to oppose Darlus, Adam said, “Excuse me, but I know Lord Sharmos quite well, and he is worthy of the highest respect. My father would agree with me there. He uses all his energy to help the poor, because he understands them. He may have given money to drug addicts and criminals in the past, but that’s because he’s capable of looking beyond their vices and realising they’re driven that way by poverty and oppression, not by natural psychological evil. He’s helped them to become better people.”

“Oh, come on Your Highness, a criminal is a criminal, you of all people should know that. But then, I guess I shouldn’t expect too much from one who overdoses on alcohol so often…”

“That’s enough!” interrupted Malina, angrily. “Don’t you dare insult Adam like that. How can any Eternian be so arrogant and shallow in this day and age? Judging by what you’ve been saying this morning, you’d be better off among Skeletor’s crew. And what was that you said before about ‘the peasant classes’? There’s been no class system on Eternia since King Tamask’s government, just a few hundred years after the Snake Army. He saw that class was just a creation of hierarchical regime, so he abolished it. How can you refer to class this many centuries on?”

“Ah, my darling, you should know better again. Us members of the ruling classes need to distinguish between the biology, and the psyche, of the rich and the poor. A class system is the only way we can do that. It was one of the only things the Snake Army got right…”

Adam shot to his feet. He’d had enough. He wasn’t sticking around to listen to the totalitarian ramblings of this creep. Withholding his fury, he said, in tones as polite as he could manage, “Please excuse me, I’ve got to be going.”

“But Adam, you’ve hardly touched your breakfast!” said Teela, looking at Adam’s plate, which was almost full.

“I know, but my appetite’s not too big this morning.” Then he looked directly at Teela. “Teela… if I can just have a quick word, please?”

“Sure,” said Teela, and got to her feet.

“Do you want me to come?” asked Malina.

“No, you just finish your breakfast for now,” said Adam, “I won’t be long.”

Adam led Teela away from the balcony and into the corridor. Halfway down the corridor, he stopped and said to Teela, “Okay then, what in Grayskull’s name do you see in that dufus?”

“Are you referring to Darlus, per chance?” asked Teela, folding her arms.

“You bet I am. Aren’t you listening to him? All he’s doing is preaching loads of totalitarian ideology that totally conflicts with the policies of Eternia. My father would be appalled to hear the stuff he’s saying. It’s the complete opposite of Eternia’s system of equality. How can you respect such a jerk?”

“Adam, come on,” said Teela, “you’ve got to admit, you have been going over the top with the alcohol for some time.”

“I’m not talking about the drink!” said Adam, “Okay, I admit, I have been going a bit too far, but I’m gonna be careful from now on, no more alcohol on nights out. But that’s not the concern… the concern is, how can you take all that fascist nonsense seriously?"

“Adam…” began Teela, “Darlus is a very intelligent man. We had a wonderful conversation last night, while you were fooling around with all the drink… and all the women. Okay, I agree, his beliefs are a bit totalitarian at times, but you shouldn’t hold that against him. He’s very good-hearted and does a lot for his kingdom. He puts a lot more work into state affairs than you do…”

“But how can you say he’s doing any good, when he’s so discriminative against the poor? And saying the Snake Army were right, come on!”

“Listen…” said Teela, “You said something before about looking beyond people’s faults to see their true nature. And that’s the approach I’ve been taking with Darlus. Darlus is quite insecure at heart. He was abused as a child, pretty badly, and it’s scarred him for life. That’s one of the reasons why he tends to speak down to people, to keep his status intact, and to stop himself looking vulnerable. If you’d learned anything from our visit to Equamore a few weeks back, you’d be able to look past his apparent ‘arrogance’ to see his true self. Which is wonderful, I might add.”

Adam’s thoughts were tossed into a jumble. He was quite taken aback by what Teela had just said. He was unsure whether or not to feel guilty about his attitude towards Darlus, now he knew the real reason for Darlus’ arrogance… and he was also confused by her reference to Equamore. He had just been about to bring up Equamore himself… a few weeks earlier he and Teela had visited the isolated and peaceful kingdom, where stress and conflict were virtually non-existent and the people possessed no desires of greed or corruption, believing in peace and equality between all living beings. Since then they had both tried to remember the ways of the Equamorians as often as possible, and Teela’s approach to Adam had generally softened, while she had ranted at him less often. So Adam was perplexed that Teela could even think of getting involved with a man as seemingly arrogant and status-obsessed as Darlus, whose beliefs were the total opposite of those of the Equamorians.

“I was just gonna mention Equamore myself…” said Adam, “I don’t get why you’d sleep with a man as corrupt as Darlus, when his beliefs totally contrast with the Equamorians! He’s no different from the way those people were when they got possessed by the jewel of corruption!”

“Excuse me Adam, but he is nothing like those possessed people. Darlus is intelligent- and kind. Like I said, give him a chance like the Equamorians would. If you got to know him properly you’d find he’s a wonderful man.”

“You don’t get it, that guy wouldn’t stand a chance in Equamore! I’m not saying he’s evil or anything, I’m just saying there’s no excuse for being so arrogant, no matter how troubled he is at heart. The Equamorians might be able to look beyond his arrogance, but they’d never let him keep that attitude. You should do what the Equamorians would, and talk to him about his faults so he can shed all his corruption!”

“Alright-“ said Teela, “if you really want people to overcome their faults, then why on Eternia don’t you give Lady Malina a good talking to!”

“What do you mean?”

“You complain about me and Darlus, well I don’t get what the heck you see in that loudmouth Malina. She’s just some immature little troublemaker who goes round spreading stupid rumors and gossip about other people. She’s nothing more than a spoilt little slut, who doesn’t know how to mind her own business. She’ll do no good for you!”

“Oh, come on Teela, she’s not half as bad as she might seem… she’s very exuberant, sure, but she’s also intelligent… and she knows not to go too far. She just loves having a good time and sometimes gets a bit over-excited.”

“See? You think she’s that wonderful, now you see how I feel about Darlus. Before you go complaining about other people’s faults, go and sort out hers- and your own.”

She turned and walked back off towards the balcony. Adam was left dumbstruck. Teela sure seemed to have won that argument, and Adam was totally confused as to which of them was in the right. However over the top Malina's behavior could be, surely she wasn't half as bad as Darlus and his arrogance? And Adam simply could not comprehend how someone like Teela, whom he’d always known to be extremely just and fair, could see any redeeming qualities in someone as despicable as Darlus. But obviously she saw something, and whatever good qualities she saw far exceeded his bad side for her… so maybe it was all Adam’s problem. Maybe he wasn’t trying hard enough to look past people’s bad sides… or maybe he was just overly jealous about Teela being onto something with another man. And he was, admittedly, extremely jealous that she could be with someone as arrogant as Darlus rather than him. Whatever the case was, Adam couldn’t be bothered thinking about it now. He had enough weights on his mind as it was, with the forced concealment of his secret identity from Teela, and the constant battles against Skeletor. He had to do his best to follow the Equamorians’ ways and try not to let feelings of stress get him down… but it sure was hard. He felt as though he was battling stress almost as much as he was battling Skeletor, if not more.

He followed Teela back to the balcony, and as he approached it he heard the sound of raised voices, locked in some kind of argument. What was going on now? He passed through the doorway onto the balcony, and saw Malina and Darlus, both standing, engaged in a blazing row.

“That’s complete nonsense!” Malina was shouting, “Forcing the peasants to pay tax would be to murder them! You need to update yourself to this century…”

“I’m afraid it’s you who should do that, my dear, there’s some policies in the Eternia of today that have been used too long- it’s time for change…”

“They’ve been used so long because they’re totally just, you ignorant bastard!”

“Oh, reverting to name-calling now are we? Maybe you need to learn some manners, little girl…”

“Calm down, you two!” shouted Teela. “We’re all capable of sorting problems out without getting at each other’s throats, aren’t we?”

“Oh, I do apologise, Teela my love,” said Darlus, “I tried to calm her down but she just didn’t have the maturity…”

“That’s it, you are really asking for me to slit your worthless throat now…” interrupted Malina, an intense scowl on her face as her glance shot down for a second towards the knife on her breakfast plate.

“Cool it!” shouted Teela, bringing her hand down firmly on Malina’s shoulder. “Let’s not make threats at one another, we’re supposed to be above that.”

“He doesn’t even know how to have a proper debate, I’ve been trying to reason with him but he just blurts out a load of hierarchic nonsense…”

“Oh, yes?” sneered Darlus, “And who was it who made the very ladylike move of calling me names and threatening me?”

“That’s enough, both of you!” snapped Teela. “There’s no need to waste time shouting at each other at times like this. And it had been such a lovely morning until now, as well.” She turned towards Darlus, and laid her hand gently on his shoulder. “Come on Darlus, I think we’d be better off finding somewhere to ourselves.” They began to walk off, leaving Adam and Malina alone.

After a few seconds silence, Adam said, “Well, that’s a lovely start to the morning, isn’t it?” His tones rang with sarcasm.

“I hope you’re not blaming me,” said Malina, “I was trying to have an intelligent discussion and he just talks down to me as if I’m some difficult child!”

“Don’t worry, I’m not blaming you,” said Adam, “I can easily imagine what he was like. I just really don’t have time for stuff like this.” He touched his hand to his eye again. “Ow, and all that’s made my headache worse too.”

“I don’t have time for this shit either,” said Malina, “especially not after a great night like last night. People like him make me sick. I don’t get why-“

They were suddenly interrupted by a shout from the corridor. “Adam!” came the sound of Teela’s voice, and Teela ran out from the corridor back onto the balcony. A few seconds later, Darlus followed behind her, his movements slow, his face suddenly pale and distressed.

“What now, Teela?” asked Adam, expecting another rant. “Can this wait ‘til later, I really don’t have time now…”

“No Adam, this is serious.”

“If it’s about the argument, can’t we just forget it…”

“It’s nothing to do with the argument!” said Teela sternly. “You’ve got to understand- we’ve just received some very disturbing news from the island of Tralmar.”

“Darlus’ home?” said Adam.

“Exactly,” said Teela. “Last night, Darlus’ father, King Aldreck, was murdered brutally by three assailants in his throne room.”

“By the Elders!” cried Adam, his heart suddenly pounding in shock, his mind abruptly racked with guilt over his rant about Darlus. “Did anyone see who the killers were?”

“The description given was of a hooded man, a tall attractive woman and a hairy creature.”

“No prizes for guessing who they were. Sounds like the work of Skeletor again…”

“Precisely, but that’s not the most distressing thing. The killers scrawled a message on the floor in blood- and by the look of it, it wasn’t Aldreck’s blood- it was some abnormal kind of blood that wouldn’t dry, and couldn’t be washed away.”

“By Eternia…” said Adam, his eyes opening wide, “and what did the message say?”

“The message called for Prince Darlus to challenge his father’s killers.”

“Then we’ve gotta summon He-Man and get him over to Snake Mountain now…”

“No, Adam… the message said more than just that. It asked for him to challenge them in their new base… in Castle Dronicus.”

Adam and Malina loaded the weaponry onto the Wind Raider as Man-At-Arms and Teela prepared it for the journey to Tralmar.

“Everything’s set and ready,” said Man-At-Arms, “You can get going to Tralmar as soon as He-Man arrives.”

“Do you know how long it’ll be until he’s here?” asked Teela.

“I’m pretty sure he’ll arrive before too long,” replied Man-At-Arms, throwing a quick glance at Adam. “I would join you myself, but I’ve got to give an important talk at the Science Institute.”

“Nothing will stop me from avenging my father’s death,” said Darlus determinedly, approaching them, “I will make Skeletor pay!”

“Just remember to be careful, Darlus,” said Adam, “we don’t know exactly what tricks Skeletor might have up his sleeve. If he really has acquired the blood of Dronicus, he could be more dangerous than ever before.”

“Who is Dronicus by the way?” asked Malina, “I remember the name, I just can’t recall anything else about him.”

“Dronicus was an evil tyrant who ruled Tralmar many centuries ago- and he ruled for centuries as well,” replied Adam. “He started off as the Prince of the island, when he saved the King’s daughter from a band of Reptile Men and was allowed to marry her as a reward. At first he was considered a hero, as he was a powerful warrior and magician whose role was to defend the island against invaders. But after he won a war against an army of Orcs from the Black Continent, he became tempted by corruption. He demanded that he should become ruler of Tralmar because of his strength, but when the King refused to hand over his crown, Dronicus challenged him to a fight… which Dronicus won. The King was lying dead on the floor in a pool of blood within moments… and when the frightened Princess tried desperately to soothe Dronicus, he killed her as well. Dronicus then used his magic to build his own castle, from which he ruled for thousands of years…”

“Until he was finally defeated by one of my ancestors,” interrupted Darlus, “who became the new King and brought my family into rule.”

“Then what’s the deal about this blood?” asked Malina. “And how did he manage to live for so long?”

“The two are closely connected,” said Adam, “Dronicus was literally bloodthirsty- throughout his reign of terror, he would drink the blood of all his victims. And since he put thousands of his people to death, his victims were many. He would spend hours bathing in the blood and feasting on it… particularly favoring the blood of young men and women, whom he considered strongest. And as his magic power increased, his blood became imbued with incredible power that made him almost invincible. It gave him superhuman strength and kept him young, and it was even said to have abilities of its own. As he drank more and more of his victims’ blood, his strength increased, and he remained young for the rest of his many thousands of years, until he was slain by Darlus’ ancestor.”

“Decapitated…” added Darlus, “over the altar in his castle.”

“And after his death, his blood seeped out all over the ground from the many wounds in his body… but it would not dry, and could not be cleaned up. His body was burned in the hope it would all be destroyed- but although his body crumbled to ash, his blood still remained intact. The nobles of the island knew that the blood could still be dangerous if any evil force got their hands on it… and it could have been dangerous anyway, since Dronicus’ magic was still within it. So the nobles worked on draining all the blood from his body, and when all the blood had been removed they placed it in a fountain above the altar, where it would run for eternity. Then they sealed the door of the chamber so no-one could get their hands on it… then they sealed the castle’s main gate, and no-one has entered since… until now, it seems.”

“Wow, then Skeletor’s gotta be stopped right away,” said Malina. “Any chance I could come along, give you guys a hand, maybe?”

Teela cast a strange look at Malina, looking a mixture of appalled and perplexed. “You?!” she said. “Er… no offence, Malina, but this is a job for warriors.”

“Are you saying I’m no warrior?” said Malina. “Well I’ve got news for you, I spend a lot of my spare time learning judo in the gym. Okay, I’ve never fought before, but I’m definitely not afraid to give Skeletor a good kicking. What can you say to that?”

“Just because you’ve trained doesn’t make you a warrior,” she replied. Then she added, in mocking tones, “Just for your safety, you’d better stay here with Adam and have some fun together.”

“Well I’d see no problem with her going along,” said Adam. He was quite surprised himself at Malina’s eagerness, but he knew she’d probably be safe as long as he was there to protect her, as He-Man. “You could do with all the help you can get, why not give her a chance?”

Teela shifted her glance towards Adam, and said, “I’m afraid I can’t take that suggestion seriously, coming from a drunkard.”

Adam shrugged his shoulders resignedly. He wasn’t even going to bother risking another argument. “Ah, well, have it your way,” he said, “I’d better be going anyway.”

“Yeah, I’ll come with you, Adam,” said Malina, “Where d’you wanna go?”

“Ahem,” coughed Man-At-Arms, looking at Malina, “It’s probably best you don’t stay with the Prince this afternoon, he has… important business. I need to have a talk with Adam myself before I go to the Science Institute. Teela, good luck with your task. He-Man should be along shortly.” He walked over towards Adam, and put his hand on his shoulder. The two of them started to walk away, Adam turning round briefly to say goodbye to Malina.

When they were a firm distance away, Man-At-Arms stopped and said to Adam, “I won’t keep you long, I know you’ve got to go along with them. I’m just a bit concerned about what Teela said about your… drinking?”

Adam hung his head slightly, a trifle embarrassed. “Yeah, well… let’s just say I’ve been going a bit overboard at parties lately. But I can keep control of myself, I know…”

“Look, son, I know you don’t mean to go so far, but you’ve got to remember your responsibilities… as the Prince, as well as He-Man. If it was just once, I wouldn’t be as worried, but I remember you drinking a lot the other week, at the Eternia Day celebrations. There’s nothing wrong with having some fun, but you can have fun without alcohol. What if Skeletor were to attack whilst you were partying?”

“I know, Duncan…” said Adam, “…I’m really sorry. I’m just as angry with myself as you and Teela are, I really should know better… and now Teela views me as some kind of wine-swilling lout. You promise you won’t tell my father, will you? He’d go ballistic at me…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll spare Randor the details for now,” said Man-At-Arms, “but just be careful from now on. And don’t worry about Teela… I’m sure she knows you’re not that bad, she just gets a little frustrated. But I’ll leave you now, I’ll let you get down to business.”

“Thanks, Duncan,” said Adam, and Man-At-Arms walked off. Adam sighed to himself, feeling a mixture of guilt, embarrassment and frustration with himself. He felt partly guilty about not telling Man-At-Arms how many times he’d come close to blowing his secret when drunk… he wasn’t sure if telling him would be a good idea or not. But he reminded himself, be like the Equamorians, don’t let it bother you. Although he found it incredibly hard not to let it bother him. He was so bad that Teela could respect a swine like Darlus more than him? He dismissed that unpleasant thought immediately, he’d had enough worry for one day- and it was still only early afternoon. He found a side alley between the buildings, made sure no-one was approaching, then he pulled out his sword and held it aloft. With the way he was feeling, he was partly tempted to use the sword to slash his wrists. But reminding himself of his role in Eternia, and how much he meant to Teela in his other form, he spoke his oath:

“BY THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL…
I HAVE THE POWER!”

For several seconds the alley was illuminated with immense light which emanated from the sword, and crackled down over his body, transforming him in a flash into the most powerful man in the universe… He-Man.

Hastily, he made his way out from the alley towards where the Wind Raider was parked, heading right to the aid of Teela, Tralmar… and all Eternia.

“Come on, He-Man, when you gonna get here…” Teela whispered to herself impatiently as she sat at the controls of the Wind Raider, leaning against the side in boredom.

“Do we necessarily need He-Man?” said Darlus cockily, “I could probably take care of that bastard Skeletor myself. My anger at my father’s death gives me enough power to take him on.”

“Calm down, Darlus…” said Teela, “Most people say I’m probably the strongest woman in Eternos, and even I wouldn’t take on Skeletor without He-Man, especially when he’s got the blood of Dronicus. Well, I would, if I was the only hope… but I wouldn’t stand much chance of winning.” She turned her head to look at Darlus, then thought of how severe the tragedy was for him today, and gently stroked his arm. She knew she’d have to try her best not to let her hot-headedness get in her way today. Darlus must be experiencing great pain at the loss of his father, and she couldn’t let him think she didn’t care. Okay, so he was a little arrogant some of the time… but he had charmed her greatly when he had approached her the night before, and she had been delighted to meet a Prince who was so dedicated to the welfare of his kingdom. His father may be gone, she thought, but Darlus will make a wonderful king in his place.

“You underestimate yourself my darling. I haven’t seen you fight yet, but I’ve heard many tales… and I know a strong woman when I see one. Which isn’t often.”

She knew there were many other strong women in Eternia, but she smiled at the compliment. He had been paying her compliments non-stop since last night, and it had been quite a relief for her after all the training and fighting she had to do day by day.

“I really admire how well you’re coping with this tragedy, Darlus…” she said, “I know how hard it must be to-“

“I’m coming!” an exuberant shout suddenly interrupted her, and she spun round to see the irritating sight of Lady Malina, skipping towards them like a mischievous child.

Lady Malina hopped right into the back seat of the Wind Raider, and said, “I just asked my father, and he said I can go along with you. He knows me well enough to know I won’t get hurt.”

“Are you sure?” said Teela sternly. It wouldn’t surprise her if this spoilt little bitch would make up such a story. “I think I’d have to talk to him before I can believe you.”

“I am happy for Malina to go along,” Lord Marlach said, suddenly approaching from the door of his tower. “She does spend a lot of time training, and I know that you and He-Man can protect her if she does run into any trouble.”

Malina threw a smug look at Teela. Teela had to fight hard to resist the urge to punch her. She looked up at Lord Marlach, and was tempted to question him, but she’d always found him to be very respectable and definitely not the type to make rash decisions. So she just said, “Okay then my Lord. She can come along, I’ll keep watch over her.”

“Thank you,” said Marlach, then he kissed his daughter, wished her luck and then returned to the tower. Teela sighed to herself. Now she was going to have to put up with this interfering loudmouth all day. She’d already started one argument with Darlus this morning, what else was she going to get up to? And why did she want to come along anyway? Just to cause trouble? Even if she was a decent fighter, Teela didn’t see any need for her to come to Tralmar with them. Just He-Man and herself should be enough to deal with Skeletor… at least she hoped.

The three people in the Wind Raider sat for a few moments in awkward silence. Teela would have talked to Darlus, but she felt uneasy with Malina right behind her, whose presence prevented her from saying anything personal. But thankfully the silence didn’t last too long- it was broken by the sound of a comfortingly familiar voice saying, “Ready to go, Teela?”

Teela looked around, and saw the muscular and friendly figure of He-Man standing beside the Wind Raider. Just the mere sight of him put a smile on her face. He appeared so tall, powerful and dignified that he seemed just… out of this world. His presence lifted her spirits immediately and all her tension vanished.

“Yes, I am,” she said, smiling. “And… great to see you here.”

“No problem,” replied He-Man, climbing into the back seat beside Malina. “Sorry I’m a bit late, I got slightly held up.”

“Not to worry,” she smiled, “Let’s get going!” She flicked the controls on the Wind Raider, and the vehicle quickly blasted off into the air.

As they cruised across the blue skies above the Fertile Plains, He-Man touched Darlus on the shoulder and said, “I guess I’d better introduce myself. I’m He-Man.” He held out his hand in a handshake gesture.

“Yes, I think I guessed that,” said Darlus, “not often you see someone with your muscle structure.” He turned his head back round, not bothering to shake He-Man’s hand. He-Man lowered his hand, looking slightly embarrassed.

“You’re… Prince Darlus, I guess?” He-Man asked, in polite tones but sounding slightly nervous.

“I am indeed he,” Darlus replied, not looking round.

“I’m… really sorry to hear about your father,” said He-Man.

“No need to be, you’ll find I’m coping rather well,” replied Darlus, “and I’ll have his death avenged soon, anyway.”

“Okay, well… pleasure to meet you anyway.”

“I know it is,” replied Darlus, still not looking round. Teela looked at Darlus curiously. Darlus was being rather disturbingly obnoxious towards He-Man. He-Man was being his usual friendly, charming self… but Darlus’ attitude in response was extremely unpleasant. Not an appropriate way at all to greet someone as just and good-hearted as He-Man. She found it rather unsettling to see Darlus speaking down to He-Man like this, and her mind harked back to what Prince Adam had said about Darlus before. Perhaps Adam had had a point after all. Having not spent a moment without Darlus since they’d met the night before, Teela had gathered that he could seem rather pompous at times, but she had attributed that to his insecurity, which he had confessed to her in a moment of intimacy. Adam’s rant about him had seemed to her to be simply spurred by jealousy. But there was certainly no excuse for him to be speaking to He-Man like this. Maybe she had been a bit too harsh with Adam. She hadn’t found his behavior too respectable the night before, with all the drinking and flirting, not to mention ending up sleeping with a slut like Malina. But maybe his view of Darlus was not completely unjustified… she started to feel slightly guilty about having had a go at him. She had to remember to be calmer in future and talk to him properly when they had a dispute… she really didn’t want him to feel she hated him. She’d be sure to apologise to him whenever she got back to the palace. And if Darlus kept up this attitude, she’d have a word with him when they were next alone together. Darlus’ significance to her seemed to have suddenly dropped since the appearance of He-Man. Darlus may be a wonderful person… but he was no He-Man. No way. She wondered if maybe Darlus had been rude to He-Man because he somehow sensed her affection for him. In truth, she did much prefer He-Man to Darlus… but with good cause.

He-Man sat silently in the back of the Wind Raider, gazing over the side at the landscape below, as they passed over thick, green forests. He was somewhat taken aback, and rather frustrated, by Darlus’ attitude towards him. He had hoped that Darlus would be more pleasant towards him in the form of He-Man, and that he might be able to see his good side and understand exactly what Teela saw in him. But Darlus had been anything but pleasant. If anything he had only been even more despicably rude. Surely this couldn’t be right? How on Eternia could Teela feel any respect for someone this obnoxious? It sickened him to think that Teela could respect someone like this more than himself. It was bad enough to think that Teela could respect Darlus more than Adam… and if it turned out she respected Darlus more than He-Man, that would be even more disturbing. He knew he’d have to talk to Teela about her relationship with Darlus later. Maybe in the form of He-Man, she’d take him more seriously.

Suddenly it struck him that he hadn’t introduced himself to Malina yet. It sounded ridiculous, the thought of ‘introducing himself’ to her, when he’d spent the last night with her, but then, the rules of Grayskull insisted he should present himself to others as two different people, so he had no choice but to abide by them. He turned to Malina, and held out his hand to shake hers.

“Hi Malina, sorry about…”

She shook his hand and smiled at him. “Hi, great to meet you, He-Man.”

“Um, yeah, I’m, er, sorry I didn’t speak to you before… I was lost in thought, there’s a lot on my mind right now.”

“That’s alright,” she said, “How did you know who I am?”

“You’re famous enough round Eternia,” he said.

She smiled and blushed slightly, seeming flattered. “Thank you,” she said. He-Man was immediately struck with guilt about having flattered her by saying something that wasn’t exactly true. Okay, she was reasonably well-known around these parts of Eternia, but that wasn’t how he knew her, he knew her because he slept with her last night in the form of Adam… why did Grayskull have to impose so much stress on him by making him tell lies all the time?

There was about half a moment of awkward silence between them, then she looked at him and quietly whispered, “Don’t you worry about… him…” she shifted her eyes for a split second in Darlus’ direction, “the guy’s a megalomaniac. He’s like that to everyone. Don’t worry.”

He-Man smiled subtly in acknowledgement, relieved that Darlus’ arrogance was not simply in his own eyes. The man sure was arrogant… so why did Teela like him? He found Malina’s presence pretty comforting and reassuring. He was glad she was coming with them on this trip. Which brought him to ask, “So, you’re coming along to give us some extra help, I guess?”

“Yeah, I thought you could do with a hand,” Malina replied, “I’ve done quite a bit of warrior training, so it’ll be a good chance to put what I’ve learned into practice.”

“Your help will be much appreciated,” said He-Man. “Anyway, how have you been lately?”

“I’ve been doing good,” she replied, “had a great party last night…”

He-Man spent the rest of the journey talking casually with Malina, taking care not to make any slips that might give away his secret. She seemed to have a different approach to him as He-Man than she did when he was Adam… she came across as less giggly and playful, more serious and responsible… it was strange how his change of form seemed to bring out an altogether different side to her. But it also made him respect her more… she seemed quite an intelligent and headstrong girl, she was just more relaxed than Teela usually was. Which made her quite a relief for him to talk to, given how stressful his days usually were. He stayed calm and relaxed through the rest of the journey, knowing that a bit of breathing space was what he needed most right now… especially considering what he may have to face upon arrival at Tralmar.

A huge, thick black cloud hung over Tralmar as the Wind Raider landed in a forest clearing on the small island. He-Man, Teela, Malina and Darlus were instantly overcome with a sinister feeling of bleakness. It was as if some evil magic was working its way over the whole island.

A faint rumble of thunder sounded overhead. “Looks like rain…” Teela said, a tiny drop of rain falling from the sky onto her hand.

“It looks like we could be facing much more than simple rain today…” said He-Man grimly, “I don’t like this. Quickly, let’s move on towards the palace.”

They headed through the forest path towards the towers of the Palace of Tralmar. It was pretty small for a palace, simply composed of three thin towers tightly huddled together, built from rather inelegant, light gray limestone. The guards seemed extremely bleak as they moved aside to allow He-Man and the others inside, remaining silent without saying a word. Maybe it shouldn’t be so surprising, He-Man thought, they’re probably feeling bleak after the death of their King.

Darlus took the lead after they stepped inside. “Follow me,” he said, and He-Man, Teela and Malina followed him through to the throne room.

In the throne room, the atmosphere was as bleak as it was outside. The room was completely silent, even though it was filled with people- a crowd of distressed-looking citizens of the island, all huddled together dressed in light gray rags, looking very like the three towers which composed the building’s exterior. He-Man was used to being treated like a celebrity in most places he visited, with a rapturous reception, but here was the total opposite. The people merely turned and eyed him curiously, their faces expressionless.

The Chancellor stepped out from the crowd towards the quartet, and bent down on one knee in front of Darlus. “Welcome back… our new King,” he said.

“Thank you,” said Darlus, “It is an honor for me to finally become King of this island. But it is tragic that I had to be crowned under these circumstances.”

“The body of King Aldreck is concealed in the chamber,” said a nervous-looking maidservant, “we had to hide him… we were afraid that someone may come and drink his blood…”

“The murderers scrawled the message for you over there…” the Chancellor continued, rising upward and pointing his finger towards the corner of the room, near the empty throne. “They used the blood of Dronicus… we could not clean it up, it would not dry. So we poured it into a large jug… it is being concealed with your father’s body.”

“I am aware of the message, and the challenge it proposed for me,” said Darlus, “and I will have the murderers slain by the end of the day… I promise you.”

“But you can’t go in there… not alone…” said a frightened-looking old woman.

“Shut up!” Darlus shouted, spinning around and slapping the frail woman in the face. She keeled back, hand to her face in pain.

“Darlus!” exclaimed He-Man, shocked, and went over to the woman, placing his hand on her shoulder, half-shielding her from Darlus with his muscular body.

Darlus simply glared at the woman, and angrily said, “What do you think I brought He-Man here for? He’s here in case I need any help slaying the killers. Not that I will need him, for once I have raised my blade towards them, they stand no chance.”

“We all knew this day would come eventually…” said a small, old man nearby, “as long as that castle there still stands… this island is under threat…”

“It poses no threat!” snapped Darlus, “fools like you may have lived in fear of Castle Dronicus for years, but it’s been nothing but a decrepit, useless old ruin these past few centuries. And the villain here is not Dronicus, but some skull-faced cretin who’s been beaten plenty of times before.”

“But he now has the power of Dronicus…” came another voice from somewhere in the crowd.

“What does that matter?!” said Darlus angrily, “Am I really going to have to rule over idiots like you lot? My ancestor defeated Dronicus himself… I have the blood of my ancestor in my veins, so I will defeat the killer with ease. Even if the killer was Dronicus himself, I would defeat him within seconds!” He pulled out his sword from a sheath on his back, and swished it through the air as if to strike at an imaginary foe. Then he turned to He-Man, Teela and Malina. “Let us move,” he said, “I will get the fight over with immediately.”

Before He-Man could stop Darlus to calm him down, Darlus began to march off briskly towards the exit. He-Man, Teela and Malina hurried after him, and followed him out from the castle, towards the dense, almost jungular area that surrounded the great hill of the island… atop which the spire of Castle Dronicus could already be seen against the deep gray sky. Black clouds swirled above, and the rumble of thunder sounded every few moments, seeming louder each time.

Darlus was moving steadily through the thick jungle, leading the quartet, cutting the plants aside with his blade. Not once did he look back at his comrades. He-Man moved swiftly behind him.

“Darlus, I have to warn you…” he said, “you mustn’t let yourself get too confident. Skeletor is a very powerful foe… although I may have beaten him many times, each time it becomes more difficult. He is no ordinary villain.”

“It is of no concern to me,” said Darlus, hacking his way through the jungle. “I will slay him in no time. Besides, I know a lot about you, He-Man. I know just how soft you like to be with your enemies. I know how many times you let them get away when it would be so much easier to just stab them to death.”

“Darlus…” He-Man said, “to kill any living creature is to abuse the power of Grayskull. I have let my opponents survive many times, because to take any life is morally wrong, even an evil one…”

“Yes, I’ve heard all about that rubbish you preach!” snapped Darlus, not looking back. “My father was foolish enough to agree with it. Here on Tralmar we do things the right way… now that I am King.”

He-Man was completely taken aback. Darlus seemed to be turning out to be even worse than he had thought. It looked as though under the rule of Darlus, Tralmar was going to turn into some kind of dictatorship, as if Skeletor were the ruler!

“Darlus…” said He-Man, “you must listen to me… you’re letting your anger over your father’s death get the better of you. You’ll only lead yourself into danger. You should take some time to calm down, and let me handle Skeletor.”

“Yes, you would say that, wouldn’t you?! You always have to take the position of hero yourself. I pity you, He-Man. Today it shall be I, the real hero, who saves the day!”

He-Man stopped in his tracks, in disbelief. It was no use him trying to calm Darlus down. He would just have to do his best to keep Darlus out of trouble once they were in the castle. As Darlus hacked on through the tall plants, He-Man looked back and let Teela and Malina catch up with him.

“I don’t believe this,” He-Man said, “have you two heard what Darlus was just saying to me?”

“No,” said Malina, “we were too far, but I can probably guess.”

“He’s going to run headfirst into danger,” said He-Man, “he’s determined he’s going to beat Skeletor all himself, and he’s spewing abuse at me because I spare villains’ lives!”

Malina opened her mouth in disbelief, then said, “I told you the guy was a psycho! He was prattling on with crap like that this morning, about how the Snake Army were right to excise hierarchy and all that. He-Man, you can not let this guy rule this island!”

“That’s what I’m worried about,” said He-Man, “I don’t like the atmosphere of this place. Not just because of the sense of evil and all that… this island seems unsettled and degraded. I didn’t like the way Darlus addressed the citizens at all.”

“Well, I’ve gotta admit I don’t know much about this island,” said Malina, “but I have to agree… I don’t reckon King Aldreck’s rule can have done them much good either. This place needs one serious reboot.”

As they moved on through the dense vegetation, Darlus still hacking on ahead of them, He-Man noticed that Teela had not commented on Darlus’ behavior at all. Surely she couldn’t still like him after all this? He felt the time was right to finally ask her, and said, “Teela… what do you think of Darlus now? I mean, with the way he’s acted since we arrived here.”

“I don’t know,” said Teela despondently, shaking her head slightly.

“Come on Teela, you can’t tell me you’re, um…” he fumbled through his mind for the right words, “impressed by him after all this? I mean… there seems to be some kind of vibe between you and Darlus…”

“Yes, we slept together last night,” she said abruptly, cutting He-Man off. “He seduced me at the party, I guess I was a bit drunk or something…”

Ha! She actually said she was DRUNK! He-Man really wished he was in the form of Adam right now, he’d have had a wonderful time gloating over that revelation.

“…but I like him…” she continued, “…I definitely don’t think he’s… um, the right man for me or anything…” her eyes shifted left towards He-Man for a split second. He wasn’t sure if she’d meant that glance as a suggestion or anything, but he couldn’t help but register it. “…but I kind of feel sorry for him… he’s pretty badly scarred, he got abused as a kid… I think that’s why he feels he has to excise superiority over everyone. But yes… he’s going way too far.”

Cutting away a tangle of vines with the Power Sword, He-Man nodded, then unseen to the two women, smiled to himself triumphantly. If only he was Adam right now… he’d be able to give Teela a good ‘Told you so’ look.

With Darlus still ahead of them, they began to emerge from the murky undergrowth, and the sky became visible to them once again. It seemed a million times darker than before. Facing them was a huge, steep hill, and atop the hill stood the dark, menacing, and grotesquely intimidating silhouette of Castle Dronicus.

Still not turning back to acknowledge his comrades, Darlus began to ascend the hill rapidly.

“Darlus is clearly very disturbed,” said He-Man, “and if we don’t help him, then this island won’t be much better off than it will if Skeletor wins…”

“Well, Darlus will be dead in no time, at this rate,” said Malina.

“It is my duty to prevent that,” said He-Man. “Let’s press on, my friends. I can feel the evil of Skeletor in the air right now.”

They continued to ascend the hill, and the foreboding castle seemed to appear more and more intimidating as they edged their way towards it. When they reached the top, they saw that the great wooden doors which led into the castle were wide open.

“Guess they’re expecting us,” said Malina upon seeing the open doors. Darlus kept on ahead of them, his speed accelerating as he passed through the doorway into the blackness beyond.

“He’s not safe, I’ve gotta take the lead,” said He-Man, and quickly ran over to Darlus, gently placing his hand on his shoulder to hold him back. “Wait,” he said.

Darlus glared into He-Man’s face with a look of total disgust. “What on Eternia do you think you’re doing?” he said, his face contorting into an intense scowl.

“We’ve gotta be careful,” replied He-Man, “we’ve no way of knowing what kind of traps Skeletor may have set for us.”

“I’m perfectly well-armed for any…”

“No, Darlus, you’re not,” said Malina, catching up with them. “We’ll all be a lot safer if He-Man takes the lead. He’s had the most experience with Skeletor… and needless to mention, he’s got the power of Grayskull.”

Darlus thrust his angry stare towards Malina, and scoffed, “And what do you know? You’re not even a warrior, you stand no chance of surviving in here…”

“Darlus, He-Man’s right,” interrupted Teela, “he’s only concerned about your safety. I know you’re angry at the death of your father, but you mustn’t let that get the better of you.” She looked at him sympathetically.

He-Man felt content to have finally heard Teela back up himself rather than Darlus. Darlus seemed to take Teela more seriously, for his scowl loosened slightly, he paused for a few seconds, then said, “All right. But once we find Skeletor, remember this is my fight.”

The four of them continued onward, with He-Man in the lead. At the end of the corridor, they came to one huge doorway, its great wooden doors parted slightly in the center, with a glimmer of light shining through from within.

“This must be the throne room,” said He-Man, “everyone be careful. We’re going in.” He drew the Power Sword, then gently pushed open the doors…

And the four of them instantaneously found themselves under attack from a vicious swarm of gigantic bats! Malina screamed in shock as one of the bats thrashed its wings right against her face, and scraped at her neck with its claws. He-Man frantically swished the Power Sword through the air, managing to hack off a few of the creatures’ wings. But this was no great feat as the creatures seemed to be everywhere, the sound of their intensely flapping wings echoing through the air as they clawed at their victims’ chests, chaotically biting at their necks, sending blood spurting through the air. Before the heroes realised it, the bats were gripping their shoulders in their claws and gliding through the throne room holding on to their preys like eagles. Then they violently thrust each of their victims to the ground. He-Man, Teela, Malina and Darlus each landed heavily on the hard stone floor.

“Back, my beauties, back!” came a loud, gruff voice, and the heroes looked up to see the hairy form of Beast Man standing before them, his arms raised aloft as he commanded the swarm of bats. The bats obediently scattered off into the four corners of the room’s ceiling, perching themselves aside the walls. Then Beast Man said, “Master- our captives,” and stepped aside to reveal a huge throne in the center of the wall, atop an enormous mound of skulls and bones, with a dried lake of blood visible around its edges. And in the throne sat the terrifying figure of Skeletor, his eyes blazing red with triumph, as Evil-Lyn sat casually on the arm of the throne, smiling with evil satisfaction.

“So, at last you’ve arrived!” said Skeletor, “I knew you’d accompany Darlus to the castle, He-Man… so I arranged a warm welcome for you!”

One of the large bats flew down from above towards He-Man’s chest, and He-Man stumbled back as the creature thrust its head towards a large cut on his neck, drinking his blood. Before He-Man could react, Beast Man held up his hand and said to the bat, “Back, I say! You can feed on his blood later, when he’s dead at our feet!”

As the bat quickly flapped back up to the ceiling, He-Man remarked, “I’ve fought worse brutes than those bats, Skeletor. Now let’s just get this over with.” He picked up the Sword of Power from the spot where it had fallen, and held it in front of him.

“Tsk, where are your manners, He-Man?” mocked Skeletor, “Trying to start fights with me without good cause? I did not challenge you, I challenged… Darlus.” He pointed his bony finger at Darlus.

“Yes, and I am more than ready to accept that challenge!” said Darlus, holding his sword in front of him and ascending the steps towards the throne. “You killed my father… and you think you can take away my kingdom like this? I’ll teach you to mess with Darlus!”

Evil-Lyn smirked and stifled a laugh at Darlus’ over-confidence. He-Man began to ascend the steps after him, shouting “Darlus, no!”

“You back out of this!” Darlus said, looking back at He-Man with a scowl. “Like Skeletor said, he challenged me, not you!” He quickened his pace and ascended further towards Skeletor, who simply sat back in the throne, the glow in his sunken eyes flickering with amusement.

“Darlus, don’t be stupid…” said He-Man, running up after him. Teela began to ascend the steps too, shouting, “Darlus, don’t do it! You don’t realise what you’re dealing with!”

Skeletor sighed, looked at Beast Man, and said, “Beast Man, keep those two occupied would you?” He pointed to He-Man and Teela.

“Right away, boss!” growled Beast Man, and called to the bats, “Get to work, my pets!” The huge bats immediately swooped down from all corners towards He-Man and Teela, some of them attacking Malina as well. As the bat that had tried to drink He-Man’s blood before careened into his chest, He-Man lost his footing and stumbled backwards down the steps, dropping his sword and flailing his arms about wildly as he fell down. As another bat struck at Teela, Beast Man himself gripped his hairy arms around her torso, scraping at her skin. The bat grew excited and flapped its wings more and more intensely as more blood was drawn from Teela’s body. As He-Man, Teela and Malina struggled against the great bats, Darlus reached the top of the throne, on which Skeletor still sat calmly, Evil-Lyn beside him. Raising his sword above his head, Darlus shouted, “Now, Skeletor… prepare to die!” He lowered his sword towards Skeletor’s chest…

And out of the blue, Skeletor suddenly exploded into a huge burst of magical power! The Overlord of Evil’s entire form rapidly emanated great beams of incredible power, from his eyes, his chest and his fingertips, all blasting right towards Darlus, throwing him violently into the air and across the room, landing heavily on the hard stone floor. Skeletor then vanished into thin air… and re-appeared in front of Darlus’ fallen body, which was covered in cuts and bruises, his eyes half-closed in a daze, barely conscious. Skeletor’s eyes glowed bright red, and his maniacal laugh echoed throughout the entire throne room.

“Never before has one so foolishly attempted to attack me, with such brazen naivety!” he laughed, “Now you suffer your deserved fate!” He gripped hold of Darlus’ neck and violently pulled him from the ground. Then he carried his body over to the other side of the room, stopping before the wall. He glared into Darlus’ bruised, half-closed eyes, and a look of fear spread over the beaten Prince’s face as the fiery red glow of Skeletor’s eyes beamed murderously into his own.

“What do you expect me to do?” mocked Skeletor, “Stab you? Decapitate you?”

Darlus’ eyes quivered in fear. Skeletor then flicked a small, stone lever built into the wall, and a small hole within the wall slid open. Skeletor held Darlus right in front of the hole, down which a narrow shaft slid into complete blackness. Skeletor then said, “Prince Darlus… prepare to face the depths of… the Suffocation Pit!” And with that, he violently thrust Darlus’ body down the shaft, and Darlus screamed in terror as he slid down towards the narrow pit within. A loud thud was heard as Darlus hit the bottom. Looking into the blackness of the hole, through which Darlus could no longer be seen, Skeletor called, “You didn’t think I’d be kind enough to grant you a quick death, did you… when Castle Dronicus has all the suitable facilities for a slow and very, very painful one!” Another deafening laugh emitted from the maniacal warlord’s fleshless jaw, and he flicked the stone lever back and slid the Suffocation Pit shut.

Meanwhile, Teela, He-Man and Malina were engaged in a rough struggle with Beast Man and his gigantic bats. Teela, stricken with horror over what Skeletor had just done to Darlus, was pinned heavily to the ground by Beast Man, who was digging his nails deep into her thighs as one of the bats perched on her breast, biting and clawing at her neck. Aside her, Malina was desperately trying to fend off two of the bats, which were flapping their wings heavily against her torso as they scraped at her neck. Summoning all her agility, she violently and abruptly thrust out both of her arms, shocking the bats as her fists punched both of them in the stomachs. With the bats off her back for a few seconds, she then took an immense leap into the air, flipping over in mid-air and landing feet first on top of Beast Man’s head as he attempted to bite into Teela’s legs. The man of the wild gave a cry of pain and let go of Teela, allowing her to jump to her feet, the bat still clinging to her breasts. Malina then sneaked up behind the bat, and seized it by the wings, yanking it away from Teela, then she quickly bashed her knee into its body, and dropped the creature to the ground, stunned.

“Guess that’s the first time you’ve been saved by someone who ‘isn’t a warrior’, huh?” mocked Malina, looking smugly at Teela.

“Why, you- never mind that!” scowled Teela, “Did you see what Skeletor just did to Darlus? We’ve gotta save him!”

“You won’t have the chance, my beauty,” said Skeletor, turning his attention to the remaining trio of warriors, with He-Man desperately defending himself against the bats with his sword. “Beast Man, have you the energy to command those bats to back down?”

Beast Man, who was slumped on the ground, dazed by the blow to the head he’d received from Malina, slowly rose to his feet and slurred, “Uh… back, my pets, back away!” The bats obediently turned their attention away from the heroes and flew back up to their high perches, some of them worn out and injured in their scuffle with the heroes.

He-Man, relieved at being free from the bats at last, gripped his sword tight and said, “Skeletor, once again you have proved that your evil knows no bounds. Now release Darlus. Whatever power you have acquired here, it is no match for the power of Grayskull… the power of justice.”

“Always one to jump to conclusions, aren’t you, He-Man?” taunted Skeletor. “Darlus is staying in there to suffocate… with him out of the way, I can gladly pronounce myself to be the true ruler of Tralmar. And soon I will be the ruler of all Eternia… once you have felt the power of Dronicus.”

“You evil tyrant!” said Teela, furiously. “Darlus did nothing to you… how can you be so cruel as to let him die like this!”

Skeletor merely laughed in response, then said, “That fool is already the most loathed man on Tralmar. You must have seen how fearful of him the natives are… he’s been manipulating his father for a whole decade, ruling this island through Aldreck in his pathetic manner.”

Teela and He-Man looked at one another in shock. Darlus was that bad? He’d been controlling his own father all these years, in order to excise his own regime?!

“And now the fool’s laughable over-confidence has gotten the better of him… and led him to his death,” continued Skeletor, “The locale will congratulate me when they hear of his slaying. But enough talk… it is time you witnessed my new improved powers. The powers bestowed upon me by the Blood of Dronicus.”

Evil-Lyn teleported herself to Skeletor’s side. She’d been sitting back on the arm of the throne watching all the action… now it was time for her to join in.

“Ready, Lyn?” said Skeletor.

“Ready,” smiled Evil-Lyn. He-Man and his friends quickly assumed their action stances, ready to fight.

Then both Skeletor and Evil-Lyn abruptly vanished into thin air, and He-Man, Teela and Malina were each blown off their feet by a sudden burst of incredible crackling energy from behind! They each landed heavily on the ground, several metres away, and had barely managed to collect themselves when they saw Skeletor and Evil-Lyn running rapidly towards them, both emitting beams of bright yellow energy from the palms of their hands! They attacked so fast that He-Man and Teela were unable to dodge the beams before they had hit them in the chests. Skeletor and Evil-Lyn then proceeded to propel He-Man and Teela backward with the beams, forcing them out through the great doors of the throne room and into the entrance hall. They forced them through a small door which led into a tiny room, empty but for several flaming lights which illuminated an array of gruesome gargoyles which decorated the walls. Then Skeletor and Evil-Lyn stopped, keeping He-Man and Teela suspended in mid-air at the end of their beams.

At that moment Malina burst into the room from behind, and exuberantly thrust a high kick at Skeletor, hitting him between the shoulder blades. “Let them go, you skull-faced creep!” she shouted.

Skeletor was staggered slightly by the kick, and lost his concentration, which weakened the beam and allowed He-Man to drop to the ground. Quickly he spun his head round towards Malina, then took a leap backwards so that He-Man and Malina were both clear in his sight. The kick he’d received from Malina would have no dire consequences… he had been about to drop He-Man anyway, and was ready to unleash the full terror he had been preparing for the heroes.

He motioned for Evil-Lyn to drop Teela. The witch raised her hand, projecting Teela higher above ground, then she dissipated the beam and Teela fell to the ground with a loud thud. Skeletor then took several steps back, and so did Evil-Lyn, so both of them were standing right against the walls on opposite sides of the room. Skeletor spread out his arms and said, “Brace yourselves, heroes of Eternia… for your fate lies a LONG WAY DOWN!”

Instantly, the floor gave way beneath them, and He-Man, Teela and Malina plunged down into the immense blackness below, from which the cries of fearsome, hungry beasts could be heard, ready to devour their prey. The ground sealed itself once again, leaving Skeletor and Evil-Lyn alone in the room.

“At last… they are out of our way!” exclaimed Evil-Lyn gleefully.

“The maze of traps in the dungeons beneath Castle Dronicus will finish those two women off in no time…” replied Skeletor, moving closer to her across the room, “and if they do not succeed in terminating He-Man, they will at least keep him occupied long enough for me to begin the next stage of my conquest!”

“Excellent…” smiled Evil-Lyn, “So, what do we do next?”

“The island of Tralmar is safe in my hands, with Darlus assassinated and He-Man out of the way. Now I make my presence as ruler known to the people… and we recruit slaves and warriors to aid my conquest of Eternia!”

Evil-Lyn smiled triumphantly. “Then let’s begin!”

Part 2
Mosquitor’s Fan Fiction