by C E Johnson
You’re wise beyond your years, Ammolite’s voice was filled with pride.
You’re a strong leader, Xena’s words were brimming with respect.
I’m just a young girl, she thought to her bondsmates. I don’t want to be responsible for death.
“Good people will die, but you and Ammolite are probably our best chance at helping to lead a battle to keep Acacia the wonderful place that it has been in my lifetime and save countless lives.” Her father continued to stare straight ahead as he spoke. “If Samil takes control of our world, life will change. I don’t know what deals he’s made, but I think if he wins the ultimate battle, he will unleash horrible forces upon Acacia and Earth, forces even beyond his comprehension. He probably thinks he’s in control, but he may not be the mastermind of this war.”
C H A P T E R 1 5
Maaca
Maaca walked quietly through the woods, studying the labor of her half-deads. A light breeze drifted lazily about her and she smelled a dampness in the air suggesting an impending rain. Maaca’s hair fell over one of her eyes. She was the most powerful half-dead Samil had ever created. She was a vampire, and she lived in the Dothan Forest in southern Acacia in a section named Gath where her coven had started a small city amongst the massive trees.
“The wind shouldn’t deprive me of seeing your face.” Ullr pushed Maaca’s hair behind her ear to reexpose a crystal-clear, dazzling blue eye. Ullr was her shade body-guard, a twin to Wuldur.
“Hush, Ullr.” Maaca shooed his hand away. “You’re being inappropriate.” But I’m starting to like his touch, she thought to herself. As her senses were returning, she was enjoying the closeness of both of her shade captains; they had both saved her life time and again.
“They’re working hard for you … we all are.” Ullr pointed to a clan of trolls who were finishing the framework of a wall. He walked at her side with a new-found bounce in his step. “Can you even tell the sex of your laborers?” He put a hand on her arm as he nodded at a goblin in the distance.
“You’re in a good mood today,” Maaca laughed. Her laboring minions were of both sexes, and at times it was difficult even for her to tell which half-deads were males versus females, but he was right, they were all working with an admirable intensity. They were currently constructing her palace and they sang ancient songs as they worked.
“Do you like what you see?” Ullr twirled in a circle, studying her kingdom.
“I’m impressed.” Maaca stopped in her tracks to watch a group of ogres plodding toward her. They were dark-skinned, half-dead warriors ten feet tall with long braided hair and muscles that bulged so large they nearly ripped the animal hide clothing they were wearing. The ogres bowed to her before moving to grasp logs that were lashed together. They strained as they dragged the materials toward a majestic tree.
“That’s for the framework of your palace,” Ullr told her.
“They’re strong.” Maaca stared at the toiling ogres. Their wide-spaced eyes had irises of different shades, but each had yellow highlights scattered through the variable backgrounds. The males had dark black and brown beards, glistening with a dark, waxy oily mixture.
“They’re strong, but they aren’t the most intelligent creatures.” Ullr’s silver eyes were twinkling. “The gnomes are the smartest builders, they’re the foremen of our group.” Ullr gestured toward pale-skinned, short, stocky creatures with wispy golden hair and irreverent golden eyes that darted mischievously as they spoke. Several leered at her with sharp, crooked, white teeth. “They’re making sure your tree-city is structurally sound.”
“And they’re making the tunnels, right?” Maaca glanced at a shaft leading into the ground, black as a moonless night.
“They’re the dirt movers.” Ullr’s smile fell away as he glanced into the pit. “They’re making earthen bulwarks around the periphery of the kingdom for a tough defense, and they’re constructing tunnels and dark caverns beneath the ground to house your dark-loving troops.”
Maaca knew he meant her vampires and goblins. “The goblins never seem to sleep.” She watched squads of goblins flow to and fro from the gnome-tunnels like ants.
“They do all the menial tasks.” Ullr saluted a company of goblins that jogged by in perfect step. “Although they grumble, they’re up for any task, necessary cogs in the machinery.”
“And what are you and your twin brother up to?” Maaca asked coyly. The breeze caught in her hair, silver tresses falling unbound on her shoulders. “What are you doing for me?”
Ullr grinned an impish smile. “Your shades and vampires are your artists. We spend all our down-time away from battles involved in the fine details of the tree-city.”
“My awesome architects.” Maaca rolled her eyes in a dramatic fashion. She chuckled as she teased her warrior gently.
“We are the idea generators,” Ullr boasted. “We give our ideas to the gnomes, and swiftly the shells of homes, halls, and castle-like palaces are taking shape.” He gestured to foundations perched within the branches of trees with trunks thicker than five of her ogres put together.
“Everyone is so industrious.” Maaca marveled at her kingdom, studying the forming structures with awe. A maricoxi worked near to her at an anvil. The creature was ape-like, with massive brawny arms. He sang softly in a deep voice with his hammer keeping a constant rhythm as he flattened metal amidst an enormous collection of sparks. Other workers called to her, proudly demonstrating their carvings decorating the stout walls. They displayed their hidden alcoves with lacy benches secreted amongst the trees. Maaca felt almost like a young girl full of wonder at all the workers were creating.
“It’s coming together.” Wuldur swung down from a pale gray limb to land at her side. Ullr hugged his twin brother. Wuldur gave her a small inclination of his bald head. He was her other shade captain, also formed by her creator, Samil. They were fashioned from the spirits of ancient Viking warriors from Earth. Maaca trusted the two shades with her life. Wuldur was shirtless and the light glistened on his silver-tinted, muscle-clad form. Shades were almost as athletic as vampires. He pulled the silverstone she had given him out of a pocket, and bounced it in his hand. “Watch out!” he roared without warning, pushing Maaca out of the way of a board that fell from above. She deftly dodged a hammer and nails that followed the wood.
“Thank you, Wuldur.” She pushed her dancing silver hair out of her face.
“Careful!” Ullr scolded a pair of goblins who were hitting each other in reparations for their mistake.
Wuldur glanced at her appreciatively. “You’re graceful, my queen.”
Maaca ignored his hungry eyes. She tied her silver locks behind her head with a brown leather cord. “I once was very graceful, and I’m finally regaining my old form.” Thousands of years ago, she had been a self-made queen among the Javan, a great warrior, renown for her skill at battling with two swords in her conflicts, but she had died in a massive battle during her attempt to unify the continent.
“Your strength is growing.” Wuldur continued to watch her movements with admiration. “Samil told me he became captivated by the strength and intelligence inherent in your original wraith-spirit during his trips to the purgatory world of Ater, but I’m impressed by your physical gifts.”
Maaca laughed, amazed at the emotions that continued to return to her: happiness, drive, desire. Samil had brought her back to Acacia as a Mavet raa, a zombie-type creature, through a process called the ukcabala, and she would never be able to thank him enough. She first assimilated Laban, a five-hundred-year-old arch-mage, and ever since that time, she had continued to accelerate the incorporation rate of the new spirits she killed. Laban had hoped to dominate Maaca’s spirit and retain primary consciousness in the newly formed half-dead, but Maaca’s spirit, bolstered by Samil’s own essence, was stronger. She became the primary host, with the ability to use Laban’s knowledge and memories for her own advantage.
“I’ve begun to dream again.” Wuldur threw his silverstone high
into the air, catching it with ease as it returned to Acacia. “Sometimes I wake and think I’m one of my victims.” His honesty was intense, his face smooth, boyish and sincere. “I can feel their pain.”
“So do I.” Maaca ran her fingertips lightly over Wuldur’s cheek, like a mother giving a child comfort, knowing exactly what he was going through. Since her first kill, she had taken lives many times, sucking the magus from dying magicians and non-magician Madai. Each death gave her more power and energy with greater assimilation based off the strength and proximity of her victims. “But with each spirit I incorporate, I long for more.”
With the sheer number of kills she was amassing, Maaca was attaining advantages over other creatures on Acacia and developing a type of mental enlightenment. She added the intelligence from scores of memory fragments from her victims gaining knowledge and new skills. Each death also gave her physical improvements because with each demise, she gained a small portion of the strength and dexterity from her quarry. Many of her victims were adept at certain fighting techniques, and Maaca reviewed their attributes, selecting abilities to incorporate as her own. Still, some portions of their inner selves were incorporated within her whether she desired the change or not.
Maaca was a gorgeous creature to begin with, but her beauty was enhanced with each magus-infusion. She had a tall athletic frame with pale white skin without a blemish, wrinkles, moles, or suggestions of age. She looked like a perfect pale elf with silver white hair cascading down her back in rich silky waves of luster. Her victims often mistook her for an angel of death.
“Your crown needs to be straightened.” Wuldur lifted his hands to touch her head.
Maaca closed her eyes and smelled his closeness, amazed that even this sensation was returning to her with such force. There was a musky scent of power and desire about him. She wore a white gold crown-like circlet with a marquise cut blackstone in the center. The exquisite blackstone had been selected by Samil, her maker. She smiled as she recalled the moment her creator had first looked upon her newly created vampire-form. He had leaned in to her and placed a small kiss upon her lips. Maaca leaned forward and let her lips brush over Wuldur’s. There was electricity as they made contact.
Ullr, her second lieutenant, began to speak and Maaca shook away her reverie, focusing on the task at hand. “More teams of elves are beginning to move through the Dothan Forest.”
“Why are they here?” Maaca thought she knew the answer, but she wanted to hear Ullr’s thoughts.
“Likely afraid of your growing power. The elves have become unusually rash recently.” Ullr spoke bluntly. “I believe they’re on a campaign to attempt to cleanse the woods of half-deads.”
“Shadoe’s doing, I’m sure.” Maaca had learned much of the great elf magician, Shadoe, who ruled the elf-side of the woods.
“Your doing,” Wuldur said quietly as he surveyed the forest. “Usually half-deads flee from the elves, but not you.” He glanced at her with pride reflected in his eyes.
“We all know elves are such incredible fighters.” Ullr rolled his eyes dramatically. Maaca’s growing strength had made her feel emboldened lately, and she had fought and killed several lone elf scouts with the help of her teams of warriors.
“I only attack when we have overwhelming odds.” Maaca gestured to a goblin near her home tree. “Our teams of half-dead warriors are becoming more skilled with each challenge.” She signaled for the goblin to retrieve her swords, Doom and Death.
“They will eventually find our coven,” Ullr warned.
“Perhaps.” Maaca licked her lips, letting her tongue gently glide over the tips of her extra-long, pointed, canine teeth. She was dreaming of the delectable taste of elf-magus. She knew Samil would be extremely proud of what she was transforming into, her evolution; at least she thought he would be proud.
“What are your directives?” Ullr asked.
“For now, we will stop our construction and go into hiding whenever the elves come near.” She gave Wuldur a flirtatious wink. “Unless there are one or two elves on their own.” She thought of the myriad of hollows and gullies scattered around her city, perfect areas where she could ambush inquisitive scouts.
“As you wish.” Ullr and Wuldur inclined their heads, but she could see the fire burning behind their eyes and the fierce expressions on their face. She knew they wanted to challenge the bulk of Shadoe’s elven army.
The goblin brought her weapons to her. “Soon we will fight a great battle,” Maaca spoke in a strong voice while drawing out one of the swords. She studied the steel, folded hundreds of times to form a wonderful weapon. “But small steps at first. When I think we’re ready, we will start our offensive by challenging one of their hunting parties.”
C H A P T E R 1 6
The Cave
Emily was enjoying her evening hike on the carpeted blanket of leaves beneath her boots. She felt bolstered by the presence of her bondsmates, friends, and father. Her senses were beautifully heightened, and they extended like gossamer tendrils from her body, soaking in the adjacent world. The woods were getting thinner and she could better make out the individual taller trees.
“This is like hiking through Muir Woods,” Elizabeth pointed at the dark shadow of an enormous ironwood, “but these trees are even bigger than the biggest redwoods I’ve ever seen.” The land became rockier as the group started to go over the ridge, and the trees continued to become sparser.
We’re close, Xena whispered. She had returned from her scouting mission and was pushing her fur against Emily while trotting on the loose gravel.
Just over the ridge. Ammolite sent Emily a picture of her location from above. The multicolored dragon was flying silently through the dark night, always active in the back of her mind, advising and teaching her like a second consciousness.
“Let’s get to the cave.” Emily broke into a jog. The light from her staff and hand was more than enough to see well. The whole group followed at a heightened pace, fast enough to eat up the leagues, but not so fast that they couldn’t talk.
“Will we ever get tired?” Luke asked Emily. He was at her side again. He wasn’t even panting.
“Not for quite a while, and we’re almost to the cave.” Emily felt strong. The path angled steadily up. A warm wind blew out of nowhere, stirring the shadowy leaves.
“My mind has never been clearer.” Isabelle was beginning to breathe more rapidly, but she sounded in bliss. She darted just ahead of Emily, challenging her.
“Your minds are working at the highest level at which they’ve ever functioned.” Dr. D’s voice took on the tone of a teacher. “Right now, we’re some of the smartest thinkers on this planet, aside from that enormous beast flying above us, able to learn and understand things faster and in greater depth than ever before. You will be making the smartest decisions you’ve ever made, analyzing countless options, but you’ll still make mistakes.”
“We should probably plan out the rest of our lives and write it down before we return to our stupid lives on Earth.” Anna laughed at the concept with a teasing smile flashing on her face.
“I think I’ve decided upon my college and my career, and I’d like to take the SAT right now.” Elizabeth giggled. She was close to Emily, breathing quickly without a hint of a wheeze.
“Are the dragons really the smartest animals on Acacia?” Luke glanced above at Ammolite’s form, silhouetted against a half moon.
“They’re the best conduit to the magic in the center of this world.” Emily answered as she stared up at Ammolite’s graceful, gliding form. “They will always be the ultimate creatures here.”
We may be wise, but we should never deceive ourselves into thinking we are the wisest or we will become fools in our vanity, Ammolite spoke thoughtfully.
“I’ve been experimenting with my hearing,” Anna’s voice shone with excitement. “If I focus, I can hear birds deep in the forest.”
Emily was surprised at Anna’s growing skill. “You must be learning to adjust
your senses. The spell I used lets your brain tune your heightening.”
“How far away is this cave we’re headed for?” Elizabeth’s blonde hair was slick with sweat. “I’m actually getting tired.”
“Just over this rise.” Dr. D pointed ahead. “I have a variety of storerooms set up in Angkor, and this is my favorite. Kings love a good hideout. I think you’ll all like it.” Dax peaked out of a large pocket to verify his location before disappearing again into Dr. D’s cloak.
After they crested the next hill, the land flattened, and Emily slowed to a walk, allowing herself a small satisfied smile at her success in guiding her friends to this wonderful cave. They’re going to love this. She approached a large boulder, and her mind shifted into the world of magic. She relaxed before pulling her power, relishing in the magus pulsating throughout her body, while goose bumps rose on her skin. The boulder steadily lifted from its location, and she gently set it next to the entrance.
You’ve come a long way from your early days. Xena beamed at her. I remember our last time here.
Emily thought back to the first time she had come to the cave and how she had crazily shot the boulder around when she was first learning to use magic.
“I can’t believe the things you can do.” Luke walked over to the boulder and tried to push the rock without success even with his newfound strength.
Emily felt herself blush and she let her staff mage-light dim so the others couldn’t see her color. She opened the doors and walked into the cave entrance, replacing the boulder at the door after they were inside.
“Too cool,” Isabelle said in a hushed voice as she stared at the mage-light that burst into activity along the walls of the passageway at their approach. “Do we get any magical powers here by any chance? Because if we do, I don’t think I’m ever going to leave this place.”
“Unfortunately, I don’t think so,” Dr. D answered gently. He guided the group into the first hallway. “I was curious, but I don’t see an aura with any of you, so I don’t think you’ll display magical talents.” He gave each of the friends a long look. “Usually the potential will show by your age.”
