Kudisha Departure Episode 1 Journey to Rehnor series by J. Naomi Ay Page A

current king’s father. This young man was
rash, and had no respect for the way things had always been even if
those things might be considered less than perfect. Life had been
good though. Not great, but good most definitely, and certainly
better than life after nuclear decimation.
    Fortunately, at least for a while, Sorran’s
hand was stayed by the current crop of politicians who possessed
backbones. The bombs subsequently unleashed upon Hahr killed many,
but not all, and thus, the wars continued just as they always had
done.
    In the meantime, Hahr retaliated with their
own bombs, for they felt likewise about Karupatani, and were ruled
by an equally young and enigmatic king named Markiis Kalila. He
also had a nuclear arsenal as vast and as deadly, with the same
desire to blow Karupatani to Hell, and back, or just to Hell.
Markiis Kalila’s princely hand, was also stayed by his
late-father’s advisors. Thus, like Hahr, Karupatani was spared
becoming a sheet of glass, if only temporarily.
    However, Markiis Kalila was bold, and he, too,
thought himself far superior to anyone else, so with his own pen
and phone, he matched Sorran’s barrage, as well as upped the ante.
Using one of the largest devices in his possession, a body buster
of an amazing amount of force, Kalila had it dropped upon the Royal
Palace of Karupatani.
    At the exact moment when King Markiis Kalila’s
kiss plummeted heavily from the sky, King Sorran de Kudisha
happened to be entertaining his mistress, as well as her friend,
and two other young women in a hot tub on the Palace’s back deck.
Sorran’s mother, the dowager queen, and his three princess sisters
were in the dining room eating quail in a sauce Béarnaise with a
side of sautéed mushrooms, and new potatoes.
    Prince Revak, the next in line, was not in
residence at that moment, having just this day, completed officer’s
training school for the Royal Guard. He was celebrating his new
commission at a café in the city of Tirkoop, joined by a few girls,
who were tussling over who might sit next upon his lap. Revak was
enjoying this minor commotion, for all the girls were beautiful and
well endowed, and ultimately, he would end up with everyone before
the night was through.
    Before Revak could sip the foam from the top
of his espresso cup, and before the brunette was knocked from her
perch on his left knee, he was interrupted by the ringing of his
cellphone. Having been informed of the fate of the king, his elder
brother, something Revak had only dreamt about for most of his
life, and with only a tiny measure of regret for the night he would
now be missing, the new king immediately departed for the Royal
Palace in Kudisha. As the Royal Limo had been parked inside the
palace garage, and like the residence, was now reduced to a pile of
smoldering ash, King Revak was forced to travel to his throne by
city bus.
    A temporary palace was established at the
family’s summer residence near a lake, a small cottage with only
nineteen bedrooms, and forty baths. It was large enough for just
Revak, and his retinue of lords and ladies, with only a single room
to spare for his youngest and sole remaining sibling.
    “Summon my brother immediately,” King Revak
commanded, from the throne which had been his father’s favorite
deck chair. “I need the baby, Karukan, here to help me
out.”
    The next day, while standing on a soccer field
in the midst of a driving rain, and wishing he was inside doing
something else, Karukan was confronted with the most horrific news.
This was immediately after the ball was lobbed in his direction by
a passer. The boy had intended for the prince to receive it, and
follow through with the effort of driving it to the goal. Karukan
had been standing cold and bored, for soccer was merely a sport he
was required to play in order to fulfill the physical education
credit demanded by the school.
    Dispassionately, he gazed at the bouncing ball
as it trundled almost exactly to his feet.