Winds of War

by Dennis Morrow

  Oh, my head, Jesse thought. What happened? She slowly opened her eyes. Everything was out of focus. Drake! Drake came into the room. We attacked him. She began to struggle. I’m tied up. Jesse could see the dusty outline of Caroline tied to a chair next to her. She also saw the faded shadow of her knapsack lying on the floor where she had been standing. She kept searching until she eventually saw the small, faded shadow of the Dagger of Valdar on the floor in the corner of the room. She glanced over at Caroline and saw her gun lying on the floor next to her.

  Drake put his fingers under her chin and lifted it up. “You made a big mistake coming here. I’ll use you and your friend to get the rest of the Alliance.” He looked into her eyes. “If you think my mother is the only source of power on Gandoral, you’ll be sadly mistaken. I have greater power than the queen, and I will rule in her place someday.”

  “Doesn’t she have to die before you can rule in her place?” Jesse asked. “She’s killed everyone who has threatened her authority. Why are you still alive? What’s her plan for you?”

  Drake ignored the questions and turned to four Humongers. “Take them to the dungeons. Be sure they’re securely locked away and place extra guards at their cell.”

  I should have practiced this a little more, Jesse thought. I should be able to use one of Matt’s powers . . . She concentrated and moved the dagger and the gun into the knapsack. The Humongers stood her and Caroline up, with one Humonger on each side holding them by their arms, their hands tied behind their backs. As they bumped into each other, Jesse made them reappear.

  Just as they were escorted out of the room, Jesse moved the knapsack into her hands.

  Chapter 48

  Between the Eyes

  “If the Alliance is here, something has gone wrong with the battle for the West Coast,” General Tyd said. “We must assume the worst.”

  Drake shook his head slowly.

  “I think the general is right,” Kondyk, the high priest said. “Torron must be in trouble.”

  “All reports for the past week have been extremely positive,” Drake said. “Maybe because of the success there, the Alliance has decided to come to Gandoral. Maybe they’re trying to do something here that could help the efforts against the queen back on Earth. That’s also a possibility, right?”

  The general was hesitant to be at odds with Drake, knowing his volatile personality. “Anything is possible, Your Highness, but the best path at this point is to assume the worst. By doing that, you may be putting a plan together that’s a little overkill, but you can always pull back much easier than trying to beef up later.”

  “Okay, General Tyd, put all our forces in place to capture or kill the Alliance,” Drake said as he looked down on the parade ground. “All of my army is already assembling. Give the orders to prepare for war.”

  “This is a good decision, Your Majesty,” Kondyk said. “The queen will be surprised when she returns. You will have either captured or killed the Alliance, something she’s been trying to do for hundreds of years.”

  ~~~

  “They should have been back by now,” Jeremy said. “Slatel, have you heard anything?”

  “No, but I’ll send some scouts to see what’s going on,” Slatel said. “They’ll find her.” He sank into the ground.

  Steve flew in. “All the armies are on the move, heading toward Torron’s castle.”

  “I’m worried about Jesse and Caroline,” Jeremy said. “They should have been back by now. Slatel went to see what he could learn.”

  “Marble-head will find them,” Steve said.

  “Marble-head?” Slatel said as he came up out of the ground. “Really?”

  “That was quick,” Jeremy said.

  “What did you find out?” Matt asked.

  “Our spies in the castle were already on their way to find me,” Slatel said. “That’s why I got back so fast. Jesse and Caroline were captured by Drake, Torron’s son. They’re in the dungeons below the castle. They seem to be okay, only imprisoned.”

  Six trucks rolled up from the Broward Region. Schmidt and his men got out of the trucks.

  “We’ll be ready to join your attack in a few hours,” Schmidt said. “We’re currently arming the remaining Oar-7s and distributing weapons to all able-bodied men and women.”

  “These men and women that are being armed, are they trained as soldiers?” JJ asked.

  “No, they’re civilians,” Schmidt said. “Most have never held a gun before.”

  “Trish, Scotty, Rocky, and Jack, come with me,” JJ said. “We can’t train an army in an afternoon, but we might be able to teach them not to close their eyes when they pull the trigger. Take us to your civilian army. When we return, we’ll deploy the civi army to the rear. They’ll be backup for us. It would be suicide to put them out front. As you plan, keep that in mind.”

  The five war-hardened veterans left with Schmidt.

  ~~~

  Jesse stood up, and the ropes tying her hands together simply fell to the floor. She went to Caroline and untied her hands.

  “Your hands were tied behind your back,” Caroline said. “How did you get untied?”

  “Well, it’s simple,” Jesse said with a smile. “I can walk through walls. If I can walk through walls, getting my hands loose was just ‘walking through the rope,’ so to speak.”

  “Why did you let them lock us up?”

  “I wanted to give Drake a false sense of security.” Jesse stuck her head through the dungeon door, then pulled back in. “If he really believes he’s more powerful than his mother, he’s going to be very surprised today.”

  “Why today?” Caroline asked.

  “There are four guards out there,” Jesse said. “We’ll take them by surprise. This all ends by midnight tonight. I want to try something.” She motioned for Caroline to join her at the wall opposite the door. Reaching into her knapsack, she pulled out Caroline’s gun and handed it to her. “Press the barrel of the gun against the stone wall.”

  Caroline scrunched her eyebrows but followed directions and pressed the barrel of the gun against the stone.

  “Okay,” Jesse said. “I can take you with me when I disappear. I wonder if I can take you with me when I walk through walls.”

  Caroline raised her eyebrows, a doubtful look on her face. “No, I’ll stay here, thanks.”

  Jesse held out her hand. “Take my hand and press the gun against the wall again.”

  Caroline followed directions and pressed the gun against the wall, but this time the barrel of the gun slipped right into the wall.

  “Okay, we’ll go through the door together,” Jesse said. “I’ll have the dagger, and you’ll have the gun. If they surrender, we’ll throw them into the dungeon. If they resist, we’ll kill them. One thing—when you go through the door or any wall, you’ll experience some dizziness. It passes pretty fast. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.”

  Jesse took Caroline’s hand and they went to the door.

  Just before they went through, Jesse said, “Don’t let go. If you do, you’ll get stuck inside the door.”

  They rushed through the door, surprising the four Humongers. The Humongers started to charge, but Caroline was quick and killed two of them. They placed the other two in the dungeon.

  Slatel poked his head up through the floor behind Caroline, startling her.

  She turned and let go two rounds right between the eyes. “Oh, I’m so sorry!”

  “Luckily, you can’t kill a rock,” Slatel said. “I need to be a little subtler. Your reflexes are much faster than Steve’s.”

  “Let Matt know we’re on our way back,” Jesse said. “We should be there in an hour or so.”

  “Will do.” Slatel slipped back into the ground.

  Jesse took Caroline by the hand, and they disappeared.

  ~~~

  Drake climbed onto his dragon and headed for the black cloud that had carried the queen to the lake. “What’s happening?” he yelled. “What’s happening?”

>   Out of the mouth of the cloud, black smoke was falling, wounding soldiers and damaged equipment. They were being removed as fast as they were hitting the ground.

  Drake grabbed the arm of a wounded Humonger. “What has happened?”

  The Humonger struggled to speak. “The queen is dying. She’s following us home. She’ll be here in an hour.”

  Drake was mortified. He stood motionless, trying to process the information.

  “Your Highness,” General Tyd said. “If she’s still alive, we must prepare for her arrival.”

  “Yes, yes. Have the doctors stand by in the queen’s residence,” Drake commanded. “Also, have all appropriate potions and elixirs brought there as well. For now, we’ll assume the wizard Smalik is with the queen. Between the doctors and Smalik, they should be able to help her.”

  Drake climbed back into the saddle, and the dragon leaped into the air, heading back to the castle.

  Chapter 49

  Acid Bath?

  Steve heard the bushes move behind him and slowly pulled the large sword from the scabbard on his back. He swung around as Jesse and Caroline reappeared. They both ducked just in time for the sword to trim the tops off the bush they were in.

  “A little jumpy, Steve?” Caroline asked.

  “Yeah, I am,” Steve said. “We could end this today if we don’t blow it.”

  “What’s the plan?” Jesse asked. “Have you and the four kings come up with anything?”

  “Yes,” Jeremy said. “As you know, the Imphogs and Rocpeans can’t be killed.”

  “Wait, what do you mean they can’t be killed?” Caroline asked.

  “Well, the Rocpeans are rocks, and you can’t kill a rock,” Matt explained. “The Imphogs, on the other hand, can be cut down in battle, but their dead body sinks into the ground and they come back out of the nearest living tree or bush. So even though killed, they come right back into the fight.”

  Jeremy continued explaining. “Since the Rocpeans and Imphogs can’t be killed, they’ll be out in front as we attack. They’re getting in position as we speak. They’re lining up in the forest north of the parade grounds.”

  “The Horkins and Nectorians will be behind them,” Matt said. “They’ll be followed by the Freedom Fighters from New Cambridge. I created shields and duplicated them enough times to outfit every soldier. The primary purpose of the shields is to protect the soldiers from the fiery saliva of firebirds and dragons.”

  A roaring cheer came from the parade grounds.

  “I’ll go see what’s happening,” Steve said, but before he could get off the ground, Jesse grabbed his arm and they both disappeared.

  Jesse reappeared and said, “No sense in taking any chances. Be careful.”

  The leaves kicked up as Steve flew into the sky.

  “Steve’s acting strange,” Jesse said to Jeremy.

  “Yeah, he apologized to me last night,” Jeremy said loud enough for Matt to hear. “He’s wants back in. He is truly wants to be a team player again. You know, the four Musketeers.”

  ~~~

  Steve watched from high above as a dragon pulled a large, tubular-shaped trailer out of the smoke and headed straight toward the castle a half mile away. The trailer was encapsulated by a pail blue shield.

  I’d like to attack Torron before she has a chance to recover, but her shield is in place, Steve thought. When we’re ready and we’re pushing you back . . . shield or no shield, you will be defeated. Right now, you and your army have no idea that we’re about to strike. Surprise. The Alliance is back.

  Steve reappeared holding Jesse’s hand. “The queen has arrived from Earth. I would have attacked her, but she was protected by the same pale blue shield she had on Earth.”

  A truck worked its way through the thick forest and stopped.

  “We’re here, but we’re short on weapons,” Jack said. “Matt, can you help us out?” Jack laid the Torron rifle and nine boxes of ammo next to it: three red, three yellow, and three blue. “We need an additional eight hundred, if you please.”

  Matt quickly made 1,024 duplicates. He looked up to see something coming down out of the sky through the treetops. It was Hagred and Margot.

  “Yes, we can fly,” Hagred said. “It’s really not that difficult.”

  “What are you doing here?” Jeremy asked.

  “That’s not much of a welcome,” Margot said.

  “How did you get here?” Jeremy asked.

  “The same way you did, I suspect,” Hagred said.

  “Why are you here,” Jesse asked. “To pick up the pieces after we get rid of Torron?”

  “We want to help you defeat Torron,” Hagred said. “Maybe if we help you, you might find it in your hearts to reward us.”

  “There are no rewards available here, only victory,” Jeremy said.

  “You can’t help us,” Matt said. “You have a lot of gall to come here at all after you betrayed us on Earth.”

  “Please go away,” Jesse said. “Watch us defeat the queen. Once she’s gone, we’ll consider talking to you. You’re the pickle in the middle. No one wants the two of you.”

  ~~~

  Torron was still clothed in her fighting armor.

  “Put her on the bed,” one of the doctors said.

  Drake watched as the doctors worked on his mother. He shook his head. Why couldn’t she have died on Earth? I can’t sit by and wait for her to die. She has created a never-ending life for herself. I was to rule either Gandoral or Earth, but now? She’s failed again. Zolog won’t let this failure pass without consequence. I fear that he’ll give Hagred and Margot Gandoral. My only hope is to capture and kill the Alliance. I have Jesse in the dungeons. I only need the other three.

  Torron’s skin was dried up and gray. She lay like a corpse, with her mouth gaping open and her lifeless, dull eyes staring at nothing.

  After looking her over carefully, one of the doctors said, “She’s alive, barely. I’ve created the life-nectar bath for her.”

  Four Humongers carried the tub into the room, filled with a turquoise liquid that was thick like honey. When they put the tub down, a little bit of the liquid sloshed out onto the floor. The acid-like substance bubbled up and ate a small hole in the stone.

  “Be more careful,” the doctor said to the Humongers. “Put her in the cage.”

  They brought a wire cage into the room, laid it down on the floor next to the tub, and lifted Torron from the bed and placed her in the cage. They fastened the top of the cage over her so that she was completely encapsulated in wire, then hoisted the cage up above the tub and lowered it into the thick liquid. As she was lowered, bubbles rose up and the clothing she was wearing began to dissolve.

  Once she was completely under the liquid, the doctor turned an hourglass over. “She must stay submerged for exactly one hour.”

  Everyone except Drake, Smalik, and one doctor left the room.

  “Do you think she’ll survive?” Drake asked the doctor.

  “She’s tough, but I’m afraid she may be too far gone to be able to recover,” the doctor answered.

  Smalik was looking down into the turquoise liquid. The cage and the

  liquid created an eerie-looking distortion of Torron’s body.

  ~~~

  “Are we ready?” Matt asked JJ.

  “Almost, but are you sure you want to start a battle this close to sundown?” JJ asked. “It’ll be dark in three or four hours.”

  “We end this now, before the queen has a chance to regain her power,” Jeremy said.

  “Is everyone in place?” Jeremy asked.

  “Nearly,” JJ said. “There are about three hundred and fifty Rocpeans on the front line. Behind them are a little over eight thousand Imphogs. Sixty-five hundred Nectorians will fly in above the Rocpeans and Imphogs. About forty-seven hundred Horkins will follow them. In the rear are five thousand Freedom Fighters from New Cambridge. The volunteers are still forming in the rear, but should be in place soon. By my calculation, we’re abo
ut twenty-five thousand strong. They’re all highly motivated and are ready to attack.”

  “The parade ground is open and flat by definition,” Jack said. “We’d be crazy to step out to face the Torron army. We should draw them into the woods on the north edge and flank them on the east and west.”

  JJ thought for a minute and then agreed. “We’ll split the Freedom Fighters into two groups: half to the west in the trees there and half in the trees to the east. The Rocpeans and Imphogs will begin firing from the tree line on the north edge of the parade ground in thirty minutes. No one on either side should fire on the Torron army until they reach the tree line. Then pour everything into the battle.”

  “We have thirty minutes,” Jeremy said to the Alliance. “Let’s look at the map and scroll.”

  Jesse motioned for them to get to a more private place, and they went behind a truck nearby. She opened the map, and Jeremy got the scroll out.

  The scroll read as follows:

  You must be careful to execute the final battle in a way that not only pushes the queen behind the Gates of Horgon, but all of her evil followers must also be pushed back behind the gates. The good creatures of Gandoral must demonstrate their sacrifice for freedom and liberty before Torron can be defeated. Their heroism must be enshrined in the memories, the stories, the myths, and the legends of this planet. Once that’s accomplished, use the wands of power to super-energize the Shield of Innocence. Once energized, use the shield to push all the evil back behind the gates. Use the Symbols to lock the gates and the Bracelet of Witstal to seal the locked gate.

  “How do you interpret that?” Jesse asked.

  “It sounds like we have to have a physical battle before the shield will work,” Jeremy said.

  “So the good creatures of Gandoral have to shed their own blood before the shield will work?” Jesse asked. “Does that make sense?”

  “I don’t see how it can be avoided at this point,” Steve said. “We’ve set the table for war. Casualties are a product of war.”