by Scott Baron
She cast a spell skyward, a canopy of crackling power blocking the sunlight from above. It was all for show, of course. She wanted to play with her meal before eating them.
“It’s funny, really. I am so far beyond your ability to engage, it is almost tragic. The overpowered versus the weaklings. And soon I will cast the spell I’ve been working on since I arrived here. I shall break free of this pathetic little rock and drag you all back to my world where you’ll live the rest of your miserable existences in agony as I––“
“Sorry to interrupt, but are you going to be finished with that whole evil villain thing soon? You already monologued yesterday, and to be honest, it’s getting kind of old,” Charlie said, then flashed her his brightest smile.
“You’ve seen my power, and yet still you mock me. Brave. Or foolish.”
“Oh, come on, Malalia. We all know you don’t have the power to make that spell work. You said so yourself, you drained all of your resources chasing us here. If you could have cast it, you would have done so already.”
A cruel smile spread across Malalia’s face. “Oh, but who said I would need my power alone? Once I take your Ootaki’s hair, I will have more than enough for my spell. And then, you weaklings will be entirely at my mercy.”
“Is that right?” Bawb said, dropping his long overcloak.
It took a moment for Malalia to register what she was looking at. A long, tightly-woven golden braid wrapped around his body, in addition to the weapons on both arms and strapped to his waist.
“But where did you––?”
Hunze stepped from behind him, her hands lifting her hair high, revealing a close-shorn scalp all the way around, only the hair on top unshorn. She was now sporting an Ootaki undercut. It had been hidden by her new hairstyle, and Malalia had failed to notice. That meant all that hair. That massively powerful first cut hair was now the Wampeh’s.
“I’m going to enjoy taking that from your cold body,” Malalia hissed, casting a killing spell at the assassin.
Bawb easily batted it aside.
“You’ll drain that hair before I’m done,” she said.
“I think not,” he replied, a scary confidence in his voice. “And you won’t be taking this from me.”
“Oh? Is that so?”
Hunze smiled at Bawb, then looked at the evil queen. “Yes, it is so.”
Suddenly the reality set in. “It was freely given,” Malalia realized. The hair was now so much more powerful than she had ever imagined. If only she could get her hands––“
“And it was given out of love,” the golden-haired girl added, gently kissing Bawb on the cheek.
The implications were ground-shaking, and Malalia actually felt fear for the first time in ages. Ootaki were slaves. Their first cut was by far the most powerful, and they could, on rare occasion, be coerced to freely give their locks, which also increased their potency. But slaves didn’t do so out of love. It was unheard of. But if legend was correct, and she truly had done so, the power was off the charts, and more importantly, the locks were bound to the loved one they were given to for life. It was the Ootaki equivalent of giving your heart.
The jolt of fear flooding her body sent Malalia into survival mode, casting her transit spell despite being underpowered, and suddenly very outmatched.
“Now!” Charlie yelled, both he and Bawb reacting on instinct, countering her spell and piggybacking it, channeling the power the Wampeh now possessed with the transit spell Ara had been teaching Charlie.
The magic mixed, the conflicting spells and power sources clashing in a sparking ball of energy.
“I can feel it!” Bawb called out. “We’re connecting to my galaxy!”
Charlie felt something as well. The folds of time were lining up, just as Ara had hoped they would. In a moment, he’d be dialed in, taking them back to the time they left. But Malalia had one last trick up her sleeve. Literally.
It was an Ootaki hair grenade. The last she possessed, made strong by the system’s sun and saved for a last resort. That moment had apparently arrived, and she threw the magical device, detonating it into the mix of spells throwing them into chaos.
The recoil snapped out violently.
Malalia screamed, then was abruptly cut off as she was physically ripped from the battlefield and flung through an unstable wormhole to parts unknown. Whether it led back to her galaxy, or somewhere else far away, they had no way of knowing. Even if they did, that quickly became the least of their concerns.
Leila felt something hot flare against her skin. A green glow was bursting from her chest.
“My Magus stone. But what is it––?”
She was cut off as they were caught up in a mix of tumultuous power as the unstable cascade of spells ramped up its decay, swirling together with her new addition to the mix. Then the entire ball of energy flipped and folded on itself, snatching up the group in a flash.
When the smoke and dust settled, they were nowhere to be found.
Chapter Sixty-Two
“This is still Earth,” Bawb said, sniffing the air. “I recognize this smell.” He wrapped his arms around Hunze protectively as he scanned for danger.
Charlie also looked at the land around them. Indeed, it certainly looked like Earth, though the smell of farming and cook-fires was nowhere in the breeze. It was funny, but he’d become so accustomed to it since becoming king, its absence now stood out more than its presence.
“Didn’t it work?” Leila asked.
“I-I’m not sure.”
“What did you do, Charlie? The farmhouse, the fields? They’re all gone.”
She was right, he realized. This wooded area had just been a farm only a minute ago, but now there was no trace of it. Nor was there sign of the carnage that took place, or the fate that had befallen all of those men.
Baloo didn’t seem concerned. His attention was caught by something in the treeline, sending him off in a streak.
“Baloo!” Leila called out.
“Don’t’ worry. He’ll be back,” Charlie said, somehow knowing what he was after.
“Yes, a rabbit,” Leila replied.
“I didn’t say anything about a rabbit.”
“But you––“ she paused, cocking her head. “Huh.”
Charlie pulled her close. “What am I thinking now?”
She planted a warm kiss on his lips.
“Mind reader,” he said, smiling.
Baloo returned to them a minute later, small flecks of blood on his muzzle.
“Well, at least we don’t have to worry about one belly going hungry,” Charlie joked. “Come on. I need to see something.”
The five of them followed Charlie through the tall grass and into the woods, Rika following at the rear, though as calm as she had become, the bindings seemed hardly necessary. The road was gone without a trace. Likewise, all of the trails they had come to know so well. In fact, all of the man-made landmarks were no more. It wasn’t until they crested a hill a while later that Charlie’s theory was proven.
“Is that––?” Hunze gasped.
“Yeah. That’s our castle,” he replied, staring at the ruins. “Come on,” he said, the others following as the shock wore off.
“But what happened to it?” the Ootaki asked as they drew near. “The tower is toppled. And look! There are trees growing out of its walls!”
“Yeah, I know. It looks like it’s been abandoned for quite some time, wouldn’t you say?”
“Do you mean––?”
“Seems that way,” Charlie said as they approached the familiar stone of the castle’s base. “We didn’t make it back to your galaxy, but it seems we did succeed it slingshotting forward in time.”
“I must admit, this has become an interesting situation,” Bawb said. “If we can recreate Malalia’s spell, perhaps we can now jump back to our own galaxy, now that the difficult part has been accomplished.”
“Well, all of it is difficult, to be fair,” Charlie noted. “It’s just the tim
e part was far harder and required a ton more power. If not for the strain caused by our arrival still existing in the air, we probably wouldn’t have been able to use the rubber band effect to throw us forward through time.”
“So you’re saying we couldn’t do it again if we wanted.”
“That pretty much sums it up. But as for Malalia’s spell, well, without Ara’s expertise, it might take us a long time to make that one work. And we jumped without our space suits. They were stashed away in the––“
“What is it?” Leila asked, her eyes scanning for danger.
“I wonder,” was all he said as he took off through a crumbled gap in the castle wall.
“Charlie, where are you going?” she called after him. “We’d better follow. No telling what might be in there.”
“Agreed,” Bawb said, drawing his sword, slaaps and konuses at the ready.
The former king of the realm made quick time through the familiar ruins of the castle. Walls had crashed to the ground, and not everything was aligned as it had once been, remodels and additions being made over the thousands of years since they had inhabited it. But the basic layout was the same.
Charlie moved from the dark of the debris-choked corridor out into the courtyard, now lush and overgrown. He didn’t stop to take in the sights, though, rather heading straight across it toward the west wing. Where he’d lay his head to sleep a couple of millennia ago.
Come on. Be there.
The western wing of the castle had seen a bit more abuse than the rest, likely when the castle had been sacked at one point or another. It made sense, the royal chambers would be a choice target for conquering forces. But it wasn’t the chambers he was heading for.
“Help me move this,” he said when Bawb and the others caught up.
“Use your konus, Charlie.”
“Not here. I don’t want to risk it setting anything off.”
Bawb looked around the chaotic debris and realized where they were standing.
“You don’t think it’s still there, do you?”
“Why not? We hit it very, very well, after all.”
The Wampeh did not hesitate, quickly putting his muscle into the effort, helping Charlie shift the tumbled stone aside, leaving a small gap into the long-abandoned section of the castle.
“Come on, baby. Please still be there,” Charlie said as he slid through the opening.
A small crash rang out from inside.
“Charlie, are you okay?” Leila called after him.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just tripped over some junk. It’s a mess in here.”
“What are you looking for?”
“Hang on a minute,” he replied.
She could hear more junk being shifted around as he made his way toward whatever his objective was
“Bingo!” his voice rang out through the hole.
A lot of rustling ensued, followed by a pair of bags being pushed out of the opening.
“I recognize these,” Leila said. “But these should be rotted away by now.”
“Nope,” Charlie said, poking his head through the gap and climbing back out. “When Bob and I tucked this stuff away, we not only layered shimmers on the hiding place, but also put several wards and protections on the gear itself, just in case some unforeseen disaster befell us.”
“Like a psychotic, magical, queen bitch from another galaxy?”
“Well, we were thinking more along the lines of a fire, or flood. But yeah, that too,” he replied. “Come on, let’s get back outside. It’s dark, it’s damp, and it’s kinda depressing in here.”
They clambered out of the debris back into the sunlight flooding the courtyard through the few trees that had managed to take root there.
“Moment of truth,” Charlie said as he set down the packs and opened them. “Oh, yes. Come to Papa,” he said, beaming as he pulled out several heavy slaaps and a konus.
Bawb tested one out. “Fully charged after all this time. Most excellent.”
“And there are more in the bag,” Charlie noted. “But let’s see just how lucky we are.”
He unfastened the flap of the other bag and gently pulled out small bottle and pair of large jugs.”
“You saved wine?” Hunze asked, confused.
“No, Hunze. Those are the Balamar waters,” Bawb clarified.
Charlie took the small bottle and opened it, taking a little sip. A surge of well-being and healthy energy flushed his body. “Yep. Still potent. Hey, Bob. Are Ootaki sensitive to this stuff?”
“They should not be harmed by it,” he replied. “Why?”
“She got a little banged up in the commotion. I know you can’t touch this stuff, but do you mind if I––?”
“Please,” the protective Wampeh said.
“Cool. Hunze, I’m going to pour a tiny bit onto that scrape on your neck. It should heal you up nicely, okay?”
“Of course.” The golden-haired woman had been through more than enough to trust her friends by now.
Charlie poured a few drops onto the scrape. They all watched the water absorb into her skin, the injury already beginning to heal and fade.
“That was quick. I guess her kind is really sensitive to it,” he said, moving to recap the bottle.
A few drops of water landed on her hair, and the entirety of her locks suddenly seemed to almost glow in the nourishing rays of the sun’s light.
“Whoa. Wasn’t expecting that,” Charlie said. “You feel okay?”
“Yes. I feel fine. Why?”
“Your hair. It kinda went a little crazy on us there. Got super bright.”
“A particularly powerful energy can do that sometimes. I’ve seen it when the vislas would channel their magic into the other slaves.”
“Huh. Cool.” He turned to Rika, who was standing beside Leila, still bound tight.
She had resumed struggling against the restraints since they reached the castle, something about seeing the place had set her off. There was still some fight in her eyes, but the bruise on her head from just the other day was gone. Healed. Charlie took one of the large jugs and walked over to her.
“Her mind was damaged, Charlie. There’s no fixing that.”
“Yeah, but she’s human. And we can do something the rest of you can’t.”
He pulled the gag from her mouth, then uncorked the jug and held it to her lips.
“Go on, I know you’re thirsty.”
She looked at him with an angry stare, then greedily gulped down the water, the furrows on her brow relaxing with every mouthful. When she was sated, Charlie finally recorked the jug and placed it with the rest of their gear, watching his damaged friend as the waters did their work.
“Even if you can heal the flesh, the memories that were taken from her will likely not return. They heal physical ill, but that may be beyond even their capabilities,” Bawb said softly.
“I know, Bob. But I have to try. I mean, she’ll never be the same. I get that. And who knows what memories are still in there, all scrambled up from the Tslavars and Malalia’s mind fuck. But she’s my friend. And if anything might help her, I have to try.”
“Just so long as you aren’t setting yourself up for disappointment, my friend.”
“Thanks, man. I know, and I appreciate the concern.”
Charlie stowed the recovered gear with the rest of their supplies, first taking one more swig of the Balamar waters before tucking them away. They ignited something inside of him. Something more than just that healthy feeling. A familiar, visceral buzz tickling his senses all the way to his blood.
“You there?” he silently asked. He sensed a faint something, but there was no reply.
“Come on. Something tells me civilization is this way,” he said, then headed out, following his senses across the land nature had reclaimed.
Chapter Sixty-Three
The trek was had not been nearly as arduous as any of them had worried. In fact, the land was bursting with life, fecund and healthy, and Bawb had no trouble catc
hing ample game. On top of that, Leila’s time with the locals––albeit a few thousand years prior––had familiarized her not only with the regional crops, but also the wild vegetables and berries that sprung up across the land.
Fresh water was ample, the region having shifted to a somewhat ranier clime since they had last set foot on the lands. The resulting waters available to them were fresh and clear. Better yet, they appeared to have had the benefit of being in a non-industrial region. The skies had no odor of industry, and there wasn’t a trace of pollution in the soil.
Baloo was having a wonderful time as well, having actually worn himself out chasing deer through the woods. He had only been playing. Mostly, anyway. By the end of the day, as night started to fall, he finally took one down, filling his belly before drinking himself to satiation from a small stream.
“Now there’s a happy boy,” Charlie said as the enormous canine padded into their camp and lay down beside their magical fire.
Baloo happily accepted the loving scratches of his friends, even allowing the newcomer to pet him. Charlie and Leila shared a look when he did.
Rika’s initial arrival had been met with growls and bared teeth. Baloo was an excellent judge of character and intentions, and at that time, hers had been most foul. But now, a change had taken place. Whether it was distance from Malalia’s influence, or the healing waters finally repairing the damage done to her, Rika had turned a corner, and Baloo, it seemed, knew it.
The scratches and petting finally ceases, and rather than curling up for a nap, he first leaned over and licked her face. The gentleness of the gesture brought unexpected tears to her eyes, though she didn’t quite know why. Rika sat there quietly crying as she stared at the dancing flame.
It was nice, being able to cast a fire spell after so many months having to burn smoking wood to fit in with the locals. The safe, clean flame could be left burning all night long, courtesy of Bawb’s wand. And the tiny drop of power used in casting would recharge in the first moments of sunlight.
He could have just pulled power from any of their devices, but only the wand would recharge on its own. The others would require some effort, and he hadn’t yet learned how––or if he even could––use the locks Hunze had gifted him for that purpose. As for starting a fire, he dared not pull from their power. A single hair could have incinerated the entire valley, for all he knew. The power within them was beyond any he had ever experienced, a gift of the heart from the unusual Ootaki. The only woman he had ever cared about.
