Atticus And The Orb Of Time

by M K Drake

  “The others Geoffrey, they will need more guidance, it may be time for the chosen one to meet me. The true face of Wysardian Manor has been hidden for too long. He will complete them, and eventually lead them. But what I have sensed for him in the future will make things difficult for him, for all of us. Even now, he is dreaming, he crosses over without knowledge of doing so, mistaking everything for a dream, he does not realise the danger.”

  “Do not worry Elric, we will train him, the Gooyeh Partaab; with this, we may have hope. I know not of how you obtained the first, my friend, I suspect it is how you obtained your latest injuries − you shouldn’t keep going off on your own. You should trust us more. We are here to help, as well you know.”

  “No, you and the others that know you are here to protect the school, it is all important. My duties also lie here it is true, but I must complete these tasks. Until they are trained, I am the last… the last!”

  The spider spots water seeping from the eye of the silver-haired creature now standing at the window, one of its eight eyes follows the spot of water fall and splash at the base of the window. The large creature sighs, turns away and follows a path back to the chair to sit, “Our numbers grow Geoffrey, but numbers may not be enough, this is why he is so important. The Gooyeh Partaab will prove to the doubters that the prophecy exists, and in turn give us all hope that we will save not just this realm, but all of them. If we fail, the fate of all that is good will be showered in darkness. It cannot happen. Evil cannot win!”

  “We will need the scriptures, do you still have them? Were you able to decipher them?” asks the standing creature.

  “Unfortunately not, they have been locked by their creator. Only the chosen one is able to open them. But fear not, they are perfectly safe, hidden by the chosen one’s protector,” replies the seated creature.

  “I hope tomorrow’s revelations will not be too much for him. Once the powers within him are awakened, there will be no turning back − providing you are right, of course. When he touches the Gooyeh Partaab, the power could be too much for him. If you are wrong… he could die if the link is not broken in time.”

  “Perhaps. That is why I chose you, Geoffrey,” says the silver-haired creature, “You are one of my most trustworthy members. I have faith that you will be able to keep him safe while on school grounds; stay close to him, at all times.”

  “What of the reports of beasts to the north? We will need to dispatch a team to deal with them; if the boy needs convincing, maybe he should join them?” says the standing creature.

  “Could be dangerous, we know not of the beasts we are dealing with here, their numbers, or where they came from. But, the others need to go; they have had enough training, and should be ready. We’ll send Benjamin Morgan with them, too, he is learned enough, and will protect them. It may be dangerous to take the chosen one, his powers will only just be awakened, he will know not of control − and, if the prophecies are correct, the consequences could mean disaster for us all.”

  “What you say is true, but we must remember that time is short here. In the demon realm, he will have almost infinite time to prepare with the runes that he stole; his powers will grow at a much faster rate than we can. It may be beneficial for the chosen one to go… if you are right of course. To accelerate his own learning's.”

  “The runes of zamaan are limited in power − not as powerful as the stone he seeks, far from it − but your points are noted… and I agree, which is why that matter is already in hand. I will send word to Atticus’ protector to stay close to him. Let’s hope his body is ready, I would have preferred to wait a little longer, but as you say Geoffrey, time is short. How have the others progressed?”

  “The girls have been fine, progressing nicely. Olof is ahead of the other men, the others are still a little physical in the implementation of their skills.”

  “Indeed,” The seated creature pauses for a moment, and turns towards the window, “Do you sense that we are being watched?” the air in the room turns cold.

  The standing creature rushes towards the spider’s window, it tries to creep further into the shadows, sensing a threat…. then nothing, the standing creature looks upon it and merely chuckles, “Your senses are too finely tuned, my friend, it’s just a little spider, probably wants to come in from the cold.”

  “No, there is something else.”

  The standing creature peers out of the window, trying to catch a glimpse of something, “I see nothing Elric, nothing evil could trespass on these grounds without our knowledge, we have seen to that already, and surely they would not be foolish enough to open a portal so close?”

  “I know,” the seated creature joins the standing creature at the window, “It must be further away, they are getting braver.” The spider senses another increase in tension, and furiously searches for a nook, a cranny, anything to squeeze its tiny body into to hide “There! On the hillside Geoffrey!”

  “I’m on my way!”

  In a flash the creature that was standing disappears, then another flash appears upon the distant hillside banks. At this point, the spider feels it better to run away, and it does so, scurrying down the walls as quickly as its eight legs can carry it.

  # # #

  Not so far away in the still slumbering town, a young boy wakes, wondering if what he just experienced was real, or just a dream. Rubbing his eyes, grateful to find only two, and not eight, he nonchalantly dismisses the strange dream as he returns to the comfort of his blanket.

  Chapter 2

  Dreams

  Geoffrey quietly walks in the shadows of the hillside, stepping on the crisp grass, cracking the most ridged of blades as his heavy feet edge towards this unseen enemy, trying to avoid making too much noise. “We know you are here, show yourself.” He senses the presence of something, as the chilled air tingles against his bare neck, invigorating his senses, acting as a catalyst, preparing him for a fight he can indeed feel coming. A bead of sweat begins to crystalise on his brow, as the heat of the chamber he was in moments ago ebbs away, giving in to the cold. He checks his neck, to ensure his enchanted medallion, the source of his powers, is on his person.

  “No!” A voice emanates from the darkness, rasping, hissing, and deeply toned, “I want to play this game my way… Majjai Geoffrey!”

  “Ha, so you know who I am, and you still hide?”

  “My master will reward me greatly for your scalp, your head on my claws will be a trophy to savour,” the beast’s voice slithers in the air, surrounding the space around Geoffrey, making it difficult to pinpoint its origin.

  Geoffrey knows he must not show fear, even when being faced with the unknown, his training has taught him this, “You speak with such confidence, yet lack the bravery to reveal yourself. Geoffrey Sprocking is nobody’s fool, but, it seems that you are.” Geoffrey hears a bush rustle behind him, and swings around, confident that the beast will soon betray its location, not long now, he thinks to himself, certain the time to strike will be soon.

  “You are wrong. I am merely biding my time. I sense your fear, I can smell it − it beautifies the air around you. Your blood will flow soon, followed by the old fool Elric, and then the chosen one. We are too powerful for you, and we are coming.”

  “You may be coming, but you have no idea what you are up against. Our army is complete, and its leader will soon be among them. It’s not too late for you to leave your master. I offer you this as salvation,” says Geoffrey, continuing to toy with his hidden foe.

  “Salvation you say? Ha! I’m saved. I offer you the same. Come, and join us to rot in the malevolence of your true master, or die… I’d prefer you die!”

  A low growl, deep enough to send vibrations through the ground begins to ring around the trees, the earth shakes violently as the movement becomes stronger.

  Geoffrey catches his balance as the ground moves away beneath him, steadies himself, and calmly folds his arms behind his back as he looks towards the ground, then closes his eyes. He mumbles som
ething under his breath, and from his feet strands of blue light appear, they follow the ground around him like ripples on a pond, hugging the grass, seeking the demon and touching all around Geoffrey, “Show yourself beast,” he says.

  “Never!” the beast growls harder and deeper; the ground beneath Geoffrey shakes with even more vigour, and the ripples of light are bounced into the air and disappear into the distance.

  The shaking unbalances Geoffrey once more, he falls backwards, but before hitting the ground, he extends his arms, mutters something else under his breath and catches himself mid-air, the blue light now emanating from his open hands. He floats back to a vertical position, the blue light again appearing under his feet, but this time surrounding them as a circular platform, vapours of light rising upwards levitating his body. He closes his hands into a fist, clenching them, squeezing more ripples of light from his entire body illuminating the immediate area.

  He sees it.

  The beast, almost three meters tall, is trying to hide behind a tree not too far away. It growls again, the ground shakes, but this time, Geoffrey is not connected to it.

  “Your party tricks won’t save you from harm, human!” threatens the hidden beast.

  “On the contrary, I have more than party tricks to show you,” replies Geoffrey.

  “As do I!” the beast roars and leaps from its hiding place. Disfigured from prior battles, one shoulder is lower than the other, claws longer than its forearms; its crooked back cracks as it lands, shaking the ground. Its dog like-face with a boil-covered hairless snout salivates, saliva seeping over the pockets of hair and bare skin on its chest, blending with the pus dripping from its scars.

  The beast slowly rocks its head back, then thrusts it forward, letting out a bellowing roar, emitting sound waves of such force and power that they toss the very earth and smaller trees around the beast towards Geoffrey.

  Geoffrey is prepared, his forearms crossed like a shield. The blue light encases him as the sound wave throws its might against it, pushing him back some distance with only a tree stump saving him from being thrown into the blackness of the night. Silence soon regains control of the hillside as the demon walks slowly over to its opponent.

  Geoffrey falls to the ground, he checks his back is still intact, thankful it was not worse as he curses himself for not preparing his defense in a more timely manner. The beast comes and stands over him, breathing heavily, drained from the attack.

  Geoffrey hears it try to growl once more to finish the job, but it is too tired. He grasps the opportunity and flips over, sweeping the beast to the ground and moving away to make space between them.

  “You truly are as strong as they say,” the beast says under its heavy breath as it stands, “But I can still kill you with my bare hands!"

  It snarls, and leaps into the air towards its prey.

  Geoffrey watches the beast as it arcs towards him and raises an arm. The beast stops mid-air, as if an invisible net of energy has caught it. It looks puzzlingly towards Geoffrey, flailing its arms in its efforts to escape this grasp on its body.

  “My turn,” says the Professor. With a wave of his hand, the beast is thrown back to the ground with an impact such that, after the debris clears, the beast can be seen coiled in a small crater.

  The beast tries to stand. Geoffrey is ready, a blue ball of electricity appears in his hand, and he throws it towards the beast.

  Engulfed, the beast screams in agony, its skin and flesh burning as the ball of energy consumes it. One last cry of agony rings into the night air, and then there is silence.

  A flash of light appears next to Geoffrey, “Is it done?” asks Elric.

  “Yes, a Screamer demon; they usually hunt in packs, so why just send one this time?” asks Geoffrey.

  “Must be a scout. With the beast not returning, I doubt others will come,” says Elric.

  “Do you think it heard anything?” says Geoffrey.

  “Heh, even if it did my friend, I think you have made sure it won’t be telling anyone,” Elric says as he checks the area for any would-be onlookers, “I cloaked the area, so no-one should have seen this. Quickly now, we must repair the damage,” Elric mutters a few words under his breath, and the surrounding foliage and trees instantly repair themselves; the Screamer’s body turns to ash, and is blown away on the wind, “We need to find the portal and close it before the school opens in the morning. Where was it hiding?”

  Geoffrey points towards the tree where the Screamer stood earlier.

  “You think the tree could be the portal?” he asks.

  “Only one way to find out I guess.” Elric taps the tree with his staff, and it glows a dim blue, “This is not the portal, hmm, let’s see if we can pick up our dead friend’s trail.” Elric slams the bottom of his staff into the ground, and this time a red glow emits from the hole that is left, slowly moving towards where the Screamer died. The red glow illuminates the Screamer’s paw prints. The two men follow the trail.

  “This may be a trap you know?” says Geoffrey.

  “Perhaps, but we need to discover how they are creating these doorways into our realm’. We destroyed their only means of doing so many years ago, and besides, if anything does go wrong…you are here to protect me,” says Elric with a wink to his friend.

  “As if you need any form of protection against a Screamer,” Geoffrey replies as he follows Elric across the hilltop.

  They venture over the crest, towards the tree line of Echo Forest, an old, protected piece of woodland, usually teeming with life. The forest has much history, many stories to tell, but this night it is strangely silent. Geoffrey senses this, and quickens the pace with the feeling that all is not well this night, “You think the portal originates from within the forest?” he asks his mentor.

  “We’ll find out when we get there. But we must be careful, Screamers are much more dangerous in packs,” says Elric as the pair trek towards the forest.

  “Should we call the others before we venture further? The forest is neutral territory, the trees ally with no one,” asks Geoffrey.

  “No, I think we should be quite safe, I may be old, but I think I can handle a few Screamers.”

  “One more thing, since when did Screamers learn to speak our tongue?” asks Geoffrey.

  “The Runes of Zaman must have slowed time by a massive degree, long enough for them to evolve to this level of intelligence. We can speculate later, right now, finding that portal is vital,” answers Elric.

  They begin to venture into the forest together using the glowing red trail ahead of them as their guide; Elric has alreay ensure the light fades as they walk past each footprint to allow no evidence to remain. The foliage thickens forcing Elric to use his staff to chop a path through it as the trail becomes more difficult to follow, “It appears that the Screamer took a rather athletic route,” he says, pointing to the marks high up on the tree trunks.

  “Looks like they have evolved to be more agile than before,” comments Geoffrey.

  “The runes can only be used in a singular area at a time,” replies Elric, “It is probably a good sign that the Screamers have gained these skills; he hasn’t had the Runes long enough to influence his entire demonic realm. It seems our friend has become smarter, Geoffrey. He started with his foot soldiers, he will probably move to his larger demons soon. We need to find this portal!”

  “I do wish you would stop calling him ‘our friend,’ he deserves no such accolade, he is pure evil, and the sooner we find a way to defeat him, the better,” scoffs Geoffrey.

  “Defeating him isn’t our job; remember, it’s their task now, our time has passed. Our job is to merely protect them while they learn, to pass on our knowledge and skills. The Partaabs’ we have at our disposal will help with this, and the one you will use in your meeting will be the key to unlocking the power within the chosen one. The other Gooyeh Partaabs have another purpose, I am sure of it.”

  The two adventurers soon come to a circular clearing deep within Echo Fo
rest. Geoffrey spots something in the centre.

  “Over there Elric, in the clearing, there is the portal!”

  Geoffrey and Elric approach the edge of the clearing carefully, taking refuge within the foliage. In the centre is a red glowing ring standing tall enough to allow a large animal through. Elric taps his staff into the ground once more, and the Screamer’s trail dissipates.

  “We’ll wait here, observe the ring. I want to know what they are up to. See − it looks like someone is about to come through,” Elric taps his staff into the ground again, transforming both himself and Geoffrey into giant oak trees.

  “I wish you’d warn me before you do that,” Geoffrey hisses as leaves and branches sprout from his ears, he can feel his skin hardening and his entire body become stiff and rigid, as well as grow in immense size. Once the transformation is complete, he twitches a few branches to ensure he at least has some control of his limbs remaining.

  Elric prods Geoffrey with one of his own branches, prompting him to be still as the ring of light glows brighter indicating some form of new activity. The centre of it changes from a bright red to a light grey, darkening as it reaches the red outer ring. Suddenly a cloaked figure appears in the centre of the ring. Its hood is large, and the being’s entire body is covered in a dark, heavy robe. It checks itself by looking around and ensuring the terrain is clear before turning towards the portal. The being raises an arm and fires a small beam of light through the glowing ring, acting as a signal to beckon forth several Screamers; one by one they exit the portal until the eighth squeezes out.

  “My Lord,” calls out another Screamer, running toward the hooded figure from the forest, “It is done my Lord,” the beast walks towards the new arrival, carrying a mud covered sack, which it hands to the hooded figure, “Here are the items our master requested.”

  “You have done well,” the hooded figure acknowledges the lone Screamer’s achievement with some glee, fidgeting with excitement, “And what of your brother, did he return?” he asks, once his eagerness to get the discovered items back to his master wanes slightly.