Excerpt:

“Well, well, well,” Quan commented, a smirk easily forming. “Where’s you partner?”

“Busy elsewhere,” Claudius said. “What are you doing here?”

“I didn’t think a shadow could go anywhere without its Master—or Mistress, in this case—though,” Quan avoided the question. Claudius didn’t hide his annoyance, though he might have tried if he had ever learned how. He tried leaving—he had no interest in fighting a leader of another planet. Quan blocked him. “Oh no—I’ve found you, no slipping off now.”

Claudius tried sidestepping; it didn’t work. “We have a treaty,” he said. “You can quibble all you like within your own planet. But I am from Fairnar. You cannot—“ He stopped there, though, to take a step backwards as she had advanced. Should he slip away? But using powers while she was around… would she claim somehow a breakage of their treaty? They couldn’t afford that—not yet. And besides… she would likely still be able to track him. Shadows could be tracked. And his other power—strength beyond that of a normal man—was offensive… not meant to help him get away.

“I can do a great many things,” Quan said. “And, while many of you think I am just a strong one…” Claudius took another step back, expecting her to rush at him with a knife, but he was wrong; suddenly he found several sharp sticks piercing him. “…I really am quite smart you know.” Claudius fell to the ground when another shot in him, surprisingly close to his heart. “…You… cannot,” he barely got out. “Treaty…”

“Like I care about that,” Quan said, stepping over to stand over him. “The lot of you are already planning to break it. Yes, we’ve heard… And I have my own way out of it now.” With that, Quan grabbed his pendant, wrapped the chain around her hand once. Claudius tried to attack her then, despite the pain, pushing up with his legs and then tackling her down to the ground. Quan kept a hold on his pendant and aimed an energy blast at his heart. His state might allow her to win at a contest of strength, but she wasn’t going to risk it. He was strength… but she was blessed with Power. The energy blast cleared through his body… and he was dead weight not long after.

Quan pushed him off of her, then pulled the pendant off his neck. What an opportunity had been presented her! Of course, she had to hurry before the pendant tried to go to someone else. She wasn’t sure how it would—fly away, or disappear out of her hands… but hurry she must. She ran back to her hideout, not too far from here. Underground… she hated the creatures within it, but she had no wish for any to find out what she was doing here. Strange rock that glowed lit her way… and… there. She was stopped by someone who looked exactly like her. Quan grinned, then looked to her hand. Yes, the pendant was still gripped in it. She put it around the girl’s neck before a word could be said. “Shadow and Strength,” she stated. The pendant glowed a dark black that mixed with a dark blue. “…One Quan is enough for this world,” Quan added. “You… are now Shadow Quan. And you shall reign in my rule, once those others are rid of me for a short time.” Quan definitely smirked then. “And when I return… It shall be as though I never left.”