“Look, you have all the big guns,” Steve began. “You have the air force, navy, army, and marines. You also have the coast guard and local law enforcement. You have all kinds of resources and manpower. What you don’t understand is that you don’t have magic, spells, potions, and curses. Torron, your enemy, has all of these and more. Take a look at the blue domes over the enemy camps as an example. Are they created by technology or are they some kind of magic? If technology, break the code and you’re in. But what if they’re made by magic? How do you break the spell or curse, or whatever the source of the domes? How do you bring them down?”
“Well, we have to do something and fast.” Small was insistent. “At the Oakland airport, the dome was first just big enough to encompass the airport. It extended a little into the bay and encompassed some of the neighborhoods just east of the airport. But as the alien army flowed into the dome, it began to grow. Only a day and a half later, it extended all the way to the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Luckily, the surrounding neighborhoods were evacuated. But the problem is, we have no solution. We cannot penetrate the domes.”
Matt took a deep breath and exhaled. “Look, it’s our experience that Torron won’t attack until her entire army is here and organized. As you know, so far, the only confrontations have been defensive on their part. Their goal is not to annihilate the human race, but rather it’s to take control of the human race.”
“Okay then, what strategy would you suggest?” Small asked.
“First, stay back from the dome a safe distance,” Jeremy said. “Second, get your soldiers and equipment ready for battle. It’ll be several days before her army will start their main attack. You should have time to prepare properly.”
“That’s it?” Small said. “Sit and wait?”
“Yes, prepare for the worst and hope for the best,” Jesse said. “The Alliance has to prepare also. We’ll be trying to determine the best approach. Remember one thing. This is the most important. You’ll be highly distracted by the huge alien army in front of you, but this all ends and goes away if we can defeat the evil queen of the Underworld, Torron.”
“How is that accomplished?” Small asked.
“We don’t know . . . yet,” Matt said.
A huge commotion erupted outside the command tent, followed by a few gunshots and explosions. The Alliance and the general ran out to see what was happening.
Chapter 10
The Test
Bullets and rocket-propelled grenades bounced off two dragons on their final dive toward the camp. Before the Alliance could react to the oncoming attack, the dragons spewed forth thick, fire-laden saliva. Many of the soldiers running for cover were hit by the sticky goo.
Matt put two arrows into White Lightning and launched them into the air at the two dragons as they flew away. The arrows moved in the air, side to side and up and down, as they tracked their targets. The two dragons were hit, and they began spewing saliva in all directions as they fell into the lake.
Jesse immediately went to the wounded and began healing them.
“Bring all the wounded here!” Jeremy yelled.
The soldiers, confused, started moving the wounded to the field hospital that was partially set up.
“Jesse, come to the field hospital!” Steve yelled as he picked up another soldier.
Jesse parked herself at the entrance to the hospital and went to work healing the wounded.
Two more dragons began a dive at the camp. Matt again shot two arrows at the same time and guided them to their targets. Both dragons fell into the center of the camp, spewing fiery saliva in all directions.
A soldier ran up to the general, struggling to catch his breath. “There are a dozen or more aliens coming out of the dome and heading in our direction.”
Gunfire could be heard in the distance.
“Steve, go find out what’s happening,” Matt said. “We’ll follow on the ground.”
Steve looked at the general, winked, lifted off the ground, and then shot up into the air and was gone.
“I’ll stay here and help the wounded,” Jesse insisted.
“Okay, we’ll be right back,” Jeremy said as he and Matt started running toward the sounds of gunfire.
Jesse looked at the doctor standing in the doorway. “As they bring them in, peel off the burning saliva and pass them to me.”
The first soldier came to the hospital with saliva all over his right forearm. They laid him on a gurney. The doctor looked doubtfully at Jesse, who nodded. He tore the smoking saliva off the man’s arm with a pair of tongs, and the skin underneath came off with it. The soldier moaned in pain and passed out.
The wounded soldiers were lined up on gurneys at the entrance to the hospital. Jesse put her arms around the first soldier. The doctor’s eyes became big saucers as he watched the skin grow back onto the soldier’s arm.
Within thirty seconds, the healing was complete and the soldier sat up. He looked at the blood and burned clothing. “What happened? I thought I was dead.”
The wounded soldiers continued to flow into the hospital.
~~~
Steve had flown to the battlefront. Hovering high above, he could see the entire enemy camp. The soldiers and equipment continued to pour out of the black cloud and into the camp. In the distance, behind the battlefront, he could see Matt and Jeremy running. He swooped down and began running with them.
“What did you see?” Matt asked as they ran.
“Torron has sent out fifteen or twenty Humongers,” Steve said. “They all have automatic weapons, and there’s a pale blue shield in front of each one. It looks like they can shoot their weapons through the shield from the back side, but no bullets get through from the front. The Humongers are carefully moving forward. They don’t seem to be in a hurry.”
Matt, Steve, and Jeremy were met by soldiers who had quickly retreated. They were about to set up new positions and wait for the Humongers to approach.
“I think they’re testing their weapons and this new shield,” Steve said. “They have thousands of soldiers. If they wanted to destroy the army only a mile or so away, they could easily get it done.”
Matt searched through his knapsack, then pulled out the Wand of Cetrekap. “Let’s go.”
A lieutenant stopped them. “You boys need to go back to the camp. It’s way too dangerous for you to be here.”
Jeremy smiled and waved his left hand. You can proceed, he projected.
“You can proceed,” the lieutenant repeated sternly.
Jeremy waved his hand again. Let them through.
The lieutenant turned to his men and barked, “Let them through.”
“Wow, just like in Star Wars,” Steve said as they headed toward the enemy.
“Yeah, except Star Wars was a movie,” Jeremy said. “This is real life.”
Steve grabbed one of the automatic weapons, and they crept through the thick underbrush of the forest until they could see the Humongers moving toward them.
Matt pointed the wand at the soldiers. “Remove the curse placed on the shields,” he said. A column of red smoke streamed from the tip of the wand, encircling the Humongers and their shields. When the smoke dissipated, the shields were still in place.
Steve took a shot at one of the shields. It bounced off.
Matt pointed the wand again. “Remove the spell placed on the shields,” he said. A column of green smoke streamed from the tip of the wand and encircled the Humongers and their shields. When the smoke dissipated, the shields were still in place.
Again, Steve took a shot at the shields. Again, the bullet bounced off.
“We’re in trouble,” Jeremy said. “If we can’t bring down the shields, we won’t be able to defeat Torron.”
“Look,” Steve said. “They’re retreating.”
The Humongers were heading back to their camp.
~~~
“The shields work perfectly,” Drake said as he entered the queen’s throne room. “Smalik has become a great wizard.”
“Yes, he has,” Torron said as she changed from her mother persona to her queen persona. “What about the other test?”
“You were right. The Alliance is in the area. The dragon killer brought down four dragons. They also tried to bring down the shields. They failed.”
“Good. Once the entire army is here and organized, we’ll set the trap for the Alliance and begin to take over the world. When will Smalik arrive with the Risen Bugs?”
“He’ll be here in three days, Your Highness.”
~~~
“A test? What do you mean?” Small asked.
“We believe Torron has developed some new tricks and needed to test them against us,” Matt said as he pointed to the Alliance. “At this point, we’re not sure how to lower the shields. If we don’t lower the shields, it will be almost impossible to defeat the queen.”
“We’ll be working on a solution to this problem and let you know as soon as we come up with something,” Jesse said.
“This is not acceptable!” the general exclaimed.
“Well, Rome wasn’t built in a day,” Steve said sarcastically.
“Yeah, well, I wasn’t in charge of that job either,” General Small said. “Find the answer!”
~~~
“This is the right way to travel,” Steve said as the V-22 lifted off the ground. He sat in the copilot’s seat next to Captain Strong. “We’ve been walking great distances for almost six months. It’s a relief that this time we have real transportation.”
“That’s funny coming from you, fly-boy,” Jeremy said.
“What does he mean?” Strong asked Steve. “Are you a pilot?”
Steve smiled. “I can fly.”
“What are you qualified in?”
“What?”
“What aircraft are you qualified to fly?” Strong asked.
“Oh, no . . . I can actually fly. No plane.”
“I know,” Strong said. “I was pulling your leg. I saw you fly earlier. So you guys really are wizards?”
“I know it’s hard to believe, but yes, we are real wizards. Fortunately, we’re the good guys.”
“There! There . . . that’s my house,” Jesse said as she pointed out the window. “You can land in the backyard.”
~~~
It only took three hours to get our parents together, Jesse thought. It was a sad reunion without Brian. It broke my heart to see Steve have to tell his mother what happened. I wonder if he’ll fully recover.
Jesse, Steve, Matt, and Jeremy were all on their way to Jade Lake. The sound of the V-22 engines droned in the background.
Now that I’m back home, I don’t want to continue fighting. I miss my mom and dad. I miss my friends too. Dad says we’ve done a good job on our treks. To me that’s questionable, considering we lost Brian. We got a lot done, but I’m afraid we’re not as ready as we should be to take on Torron.
“You okay?” Matt asked Jesse.
“No, I’m not,” she answered. “I’m tired, I’m scared, and I have no idea what to do next.”
Steve chimed in. “I agree. We should let the military take Torron and her army out. They have all the big guns. What do they need us for?”
“First, we have to finish this so we can go back and save your father,” Matt said. “No other goal is more important than that. Second, there’s the issue of the shields. Third, fighting Torron and her army is the responsibility of the Alliance. We must complete our mission.”
“Okay, what exactly is the mission of the Alliance that we need to complete?” Steve asked sarcastically.
“My understanding is, we were supposed to drive Torron back behind the Gates of Horgon,” Jeremy said.
Steve scrunched his eyebrows. “Gates of Horgon?”
Jesse gave a great sigh. “During our second trek, when we were in the Underworld, or on Gandoral, we saw the gates. They were south of Torron’s castle, just outside of the city. We were told by the first Alliance that the war with Torron only ends once she’s been pushed back behind the gates.”
“We need to work with the military to reduce the number of casualties,” Matt said. “At the same time, we need to figure out how to bring down the shields. Once they’re down, the military has a chance. We can then push Torron back to Gandoral and finish the job.”
“Personally, I don’t want to battle Torron for the next twenty years,” Steve said. “So whatever it takes to bring this to an end, we need to do it and do it quickly.”
Chapter 11
Jade
“I believe it’s time to send Smalik to Earth,” General Tyd said to the high priest.
“Have you sent for him?” Kondyk asked.
“Yes, he should be here any minute,” Tyd said. “Do you know how Smalik became such a great wizard? At one point he was Torron’s high priest. How did he make the leap?”
Smalik came out onto the queen’s balcony. “It was simple. I was talking to an old friend, Mr. Hill. He told me if I wanted to live a long life, I would have to demonstrate to the queen that I was irreplaceable. I would need to be more than a high priest. High priests can be replaced with new high priests. So I began studying Hill’s notes and all the books I could find on potions and magic. I began to learn magic, and the knowledge increased exponentially as time went on.”
“I would like to follow in your footsteps,” Kondyk said. “How can I get started?”
“You can’t,” Smalik said. “I’ve destroyed all the records and all the books. There is nothing left. I will be the last and greatest of all wizards.”
A striking white firebird winged its way onto the balcony. It had a black saddle with red trimmings on it. Smalik jumped onto the firebird and yelled, “Take me to Earth, White Eagle!”
The firebird lifted off, carrying Smalik into the cloud and heading for the lake dome where Torron was.
~~~
The V-22 Osprey flew at 316 miles per hour, skimming across the treetops of the forests to the north of Mount Rainier. The V-22 slowed to a stop, hovering over a small stretch of beach on the northwest end of Jade Lake. Once on the ground, everyone exited the aircraft and carried supplies to the cabin about a half mile away on the north side of the lake.
“Wow, I wasn’t expecting this,” Jesse said as the cabin came into view. “This isn’t a cabin. This is a mansion in the woods.”
A few minutes later, they were all in the main room looking out over the lake in the foreground and at a spectacular view of Mount Rainier in the distance.
“It has eight bedrooms and ten bathrooms,” Strong said. “There is satellite communication, with solar and wind power with a gas generator as backup. There’s enough food for several months, so you should be safe here for a while.”
After everyone settled in, the three fathers talked with the Alliance at the kitchen table.
“I know you were counting on us to help,” Ed said. “Unfortunately, the rules are clear. The new Alliance must stand on its own. You know this version of Torron better than anyone else. You have to figure out the solution to the problems without our help.”
“We’ll be safe here,” Marcus said. “Don’t be distracted by worrying about us. Concentrate on the objective. Let your feelings and intuition influence what you do. You’ve learned a lot. Your subconscious is working overtime to solve the problems. Listen to your heart. It will lead you to success.”
“You have the first Alliance to help you,” John said. “Trust in them.”
“Oh, that’s just great, the first Alliance.” Steve scratched his head. “They’re little or no help. Their standing excuse is, we’ve changed the magic of the Safe Haven and therefore they don’t know what will happen next. They’re useless.”
Ten minutes later, the V-22 lifted off and the Alpha-6 team was on their way to Travis Air Force Base.
~~~
Strong flew the V-22 close enough to see the dome at the lake. General Small and his men were getting ready to battle the Torron army. The old base camp (OBC) and the new base camp (NBC) cou
ld be seen along the southern shoreline of the lake to the west. The military was flowing into an area south and west of the NBC. The black cloud was streaming out of the sky from the northeast, crossing the lake and landing on the southeast shoreline about a mile and a half east of the OBC.
Jesse was wearing headphones and sitting in the copilot’s seat. “How long will it take to get to Travis?” she asked Captain Strong.
“The V-22 has a top speed of about three hundred fifty miles per hour,” Strong answered. “It’ll take about two hours, give or take a little.”
“Why aren’t you wearing your uniform?” Jesse asked.
Out of nowhere, three dragons started to attack the V-22.
“Hang on!” Strong yelled into the intercom, as she maneuvered the plane first to the left and then to the right. She dodged the oncoming dragons with skill and began flying as though they were in a dogfight with enemy aircraft.
One of the dragons came dangerously close and spewed burning saliva at the V-22. Some of the saliva stuck to the right wing next to the engine and to the tail.
Strong flew in and out between the dragons until she had a good shot at one and fired a missile at it. The missile hit its target, but the dragon emerged from the smoke unharmed.
“Did you see that?” Strong asked. “I hit it, but it didn’t go down.”
“They don’t go down easily,” Matt said. “Let down the ramp in the back.”
“What? Why?” Strong asked.
“Matt can take them down,” Jesse said. “Let the ramp down.”
“Steve, hang on to my belt,” Matt said as he walked out onto the ramp as far as he dared.
He shot three arrows in rapid succession and guided them as they went past the three dragons, which were gaining on the V-22. The arrows then turned around and were planted into the back of the neck of each of the dragons. All three went down, spewing fiery saliva into the air and starting fires in the forest below.
“We’re still on fire,” Strong said. “We’ll have to crash-land into the lake over there.” She pointed to a lake not far away.
“No, no,” Jeremy said. “Can you fly this thing in real bad weather?”
Winds of War Page 7
