Zero-Point

by T J Trapp

  She felt the release of pressure and slid into his arms.

  “Alec. You feel wonderful. You smell almost as bad as me, but you feel wonderful.”

  “Let’s get you out of your chains.” Alec focused and carefully removed a small piece metal in the manacles. He carefully repeated the process several times until the chains were off.

  “Come on – we need to get out of here,” he said, standing and looking back towards the door. Now accustomed to the dim light, looking around the stone walls he could see that there was another doorway on the far wall. He figured it was just a matter of time before someone discovered that he had freed their prize.

  “I can’t walk,” she said simply, looking up at him.

  Alec looked down at her blood-caked feet. “Oh, my sweet,” he groaned. “What did they do to you?”

  “My feet – they are crushed. Mother had her clutchman pound my feet with a maul.”

  Alec bent over to inspect her feet. “That’s really bad. Your feet are a real mess.” He touched her mangled foot.

  “I think most of the bones are broken.”

  “What else did they do to you?!”

  “First they tortured me. Through the neckband. Then they left me chained to the floor. And crushed my feet. I couldn’t move, so I had to wallow here like a pig in my own blood and filth.”

  “Let’s fix your feet,” said Alec. He sat on the stone floor next to her, took her hand, focused, and started flowing dark energy into her. “Help me,” he whispered in her ear. “I have your ring. I found it on the ground, back where you were ambushed.” While he was touching her, she could use her ring hidden in his neckband to feel the rightness, and she helped him direct the energy. She could sense something else hidden in his neckband: a small red pebble that seemed in her mind to glow faintly in the dark room. “You found Leon’s stone and brought it,” she gasped.

  “I did, but how did you know? My neckband is fake – I hid our rings and the little red stone inside the band.”

  “Somehow I can sense it – I think I can use it to help us heal.”

  Gradually Erin sensed, using both the ring and the bright mental glow from the little stone. The ache ebbed from her feet; the bones and nerves began to knit, and her strength began to return. Alec held her for a long time, pushing dark energy into her body, healing the broken bones, the lash-marks on her back, the bruises and cuts from her days in drone training, the knot on her head from her battle with the elves before she was captured, the sores from fighting the dragon. Slowly the light grew brighter, and then the first light of the morning sun spilled through the slit window.

  ✽✽✽

  With the morning came a new peril. With only a few thuds to warn them, the far door to the room was thrown open, flooding the room with light. After the night darkness of the cell, the sunlight was blinding.

  A tall elf mother, dressed in bright flowing colors, walked through the door. Following closely behind her were two of her clutchmen. Both the elf clutchmen were armed. The light glinted off their elf rings, diffusing amulets, and spears.

  The mother did not notice that Erin was free from her chains, and in a different place. She looked at Erin and laughed.

  “You are still alive. I could sense that you had endured through the night!” She continued to approach Erin, chuckling. “This morning I go to watch the training of the dragon now that it has the selected cross-breed’s brain. It is too bad that I did not get the chance to see if you would break properly for the dragon. You are an interesting one.”

  Erin looked up at the mother and glared. “I would never have broken.”

  “Stubborn to the last! Maybe I should keep you as an experiment to find your limits.”

  Then the mother, musing more to herself than to Erin, muttered, “Unfortunately, I don’t have time. I need to watch the dragon training. It should be my task. They assigned an idiot to do it and she is likely to screw up.”

  She shook her head and spoke again to Erin. “You have given me an opportunity to start my day with a little enjoyment before I have to watch that inept imbecile try to manage our reptile and its fancy new brain.

  “Since you have saved me the pleasure of experiencing your death, I am going to savor the experience of watching my clutchman kill you. Please resist to the last! The more agony you suffer in the process, the more fun it will be!” She threw back her head and cackled.

  Then she noticed the filthy, stinking drone holding Erin. “You came too soon, you sewer rat!” Alec dropped to his knees and started crawling towards the mother, his head bowed like a good drone, awaiting her command.

  Please the mother. Please the mother.

  “Go over in the corner and wait. You can gut her and haul off her dead body after she really is dead.” The mother sniffed. “You are quite the stinking pig.”

  Time to play along. Be prepared for an opportunity. We can’t take on a mother and two well-armed clutchmen like this.

  Alec crawled towards the corner. The mother turned and looked at Alec with disgust: sewer service drones were not supposed to be in her chambers, even if this was her dungeon and not her residence.

  As soon as the mother turned, Erin took a chance. From her crouched position she rolled across the uneven floor and hit the woman behind her knees. The mother collapsed on top of Erin with a loud scream. The startled clutchmen turned to look at the mother.

  Alec seized the opportunity afforded by the distraction. Focus! He pushed dark energy at the clutchmen, but the energy rebounded on him and he collapsed with a flash of intense pain. They must be wearing amulets.

  Ignoring the sewer drone, the two clutchmen grabbed Erin’s arms and pulled her away from the mother. The mother stood up, fuming, and used her gossamer robe to try to wipe the filth from her legs. “Unacceptable! Unacceptable! The stench! I have been touched by an animal! Where are my drones – I will need new clothes!”

  The two clutchmen held Erin from both sides; she could not effectively free herself or fight. Erin snarled and struggled against her captors but was too weak to pull out of their grip.

  Must do something, thought Alec. Focus! A bright flash. The room was intensely lit for an instant, temporarily blinding both clutchmen. Alec lunged at the two figures and shoved one into the other; both released their hold on Erin and collapsed in a heap on top of each other. Alec grabbed the spear from one and used the blunt end to crack the clutchman’s head; the man fell to the floor, bleeding from his mortal wound. The second clutchman rolled over and reached to pull out his sword but Alec stabbed the spear into his side before he could unsheathe his weapon.

  Erin, also blinded by the bright flash, couldn’t see but sensed the rightness of her actions. She grabbed the loose chains that had fastened her to the floor and swung as hard as she could. The chains hit the mother solidly across her back, knocking the breath from her lungs. The mother fell, then felt a person leap on her. Bad idea, thought Alec, but it was too late. Erin was already on top of the elf mother, hitting as hard as she could. Her fists were touching the mother before she realized that she was not wearing her ring. Without my ring, she can control me!

  “Animal,” the woman hissed. “You thought you could best me.” The mother smiled a steely smile and started to control the impertinent drone that was touching her.

  Erin tensed; the desire to please the mother and do whatever the mother demanded started to overwhelm her. Then a vision of a little red stone came into her mind. She focused her mind on the red stone and the desire to please the mother vanished.

  Why aren’t I under the mother’s complete control? She is touching me. I should be feeling her demands. The mother twisted the energy lines flowing between her and Erin. The lines began to slowly and reluctantly twist. Erin could feel her mind starting to spin. In desperation Erin slid her hand along the mother’s arm; she tried to reach the mother’s hand and grab her ring, but her hand tangled in the mother’s sleeve. It is all over: she is going to control me. The elf’s lines s
lid around Erin and she could sense the mother twisting the lines. With her other hand, Erin felt the woman’s torso and strained to reach her throat. Now. Her fingers tightened around the mother’s throat; the woman started to gag and the color drained from her face. Not enough strength left in my fingers to kill her, but enough to slow her. The mother fought against Erin’s grip and lost her control of the spinning lines. The lines quit twisting and Erin’s mental spinning started to fade.

  Erin pushed her hand against the mother’s arm and felt the sheer fabric of the long sleeve tear. This time she could reach the mother’s hand, and touched the ring. Now she could twist the lines and the lines started spinning around the mother.

  “Stop fighting,” Erin commanded, and felt all resistance leave the mother – the woman lay under her, totally compliant. Erin wanted to strangle the mother but her hands didn’t have the strength to continue. There might be another alternative. Keeping her knee wedged in the woman’s abdomen, Erin pulled the elf ring from the mother’s finger and slipped it onto hers.

  “Sleep,” she whispered towards the twisted lines, and immediately sensed the lines change. The body underneath her relaxed and fell still. Erin prodded the mother. The mother was in a deep sleep, oblivious to the world.

  The mother’s third clutchman had sensed his mother’s plight and ran into the room. “Mother Suva!” he yelled. He drew his sword and turned toward Alec. Alec saw the approaching elf and attempted to pull the spear from the dead elf lying near him on the floor. The spear did not come out. Alec backed towards the corner, naked and unarmed. The elf looked at him gleefully and stepped forward with his sword, his intent clear.

  Erin stood and staggered towards the elf, who was preoccupied with Alec’s impending demise and did not notice her. Erin grabbed the only weapon she could see – the chains that had bound her to the floor. She flicked a length of the chain behind her and then, like a cast fishing line, snapped it forward. The heavy chain caught the elf across the head and he staggered away, ricocheting against the stone wall and dropping his sword. Alec dove towards the weapon and reached the sword before the elf did. The elf stumbled onto his knees and pulled his knife from his belt.

  The elf has his knife, but I have his sword, thought Alec. Focus.

  Give me the sword, Erin thought to him, and he tossed the sword to Erin. She caught it easily, and even in her weakened state, in a single continuous motion planted the sword deeply in the elf’s gut.

  ✽✽✽

  As the clutchman fell, Erin dropped the sword and wobbled on her feet. She almost collapsed. Alec grabbed her and held her steady.

  “Let’s get out of here,” he said.

  Erin looked at him with a sad look. “You may have to carry me. Even with your infusion of dark energy, I don’t think I have the strength to walk.”

  Alec looked at Erin’s battered and beaten form. “You aren’t strong enough to escape this city and travel home to Theland. It could be a punishing trip. We need to find a way to give you a few days to recover some strength before we try to leave.”

  “Sadly, you are right, my Great Wizard,” Erin said, slumping to the stone floor. “I am weak – this fight took what little I had left. Besides, we cannot leave without freeing my riders.”

  “Your riders. Yes, but – do you think any of them are still alive?”

  Erin barely nodded. “And my people, from Pome,” she added, barely audible. She hardly had enough strength to think, much less talk.

  Alec sat on the floor next to her and just held her for a time, infusing her with a steady trickle of dark energy. “I have an idea.” He pointed toward the mother, still lying unconscious on the floor. “You are going to take her place for a few days.” He fingered his imitation slave neckband. “I have your ring,” he reminded her. “Are you strong enough to sense who is around us?”

  “I have the mother’s ring on my finger,” she said. “It should work.” Erin took a moment to sense the surroundings. “We are in the back area of a mother’s residence. This mother, I suppose. Mother Suva. There are drones in the building on the other side of the wall.”

  Alec looked at the three dead clutchmen. “Gotta do something with these guys,” he said. “Look – they are all wearing energy-diffuser amulets. That must have been the reason their energy lines came back around and slapped me.” He removed the amulets and rings from the three. Then he pulled the clothes off one of them and put them on. He focused, and the three were gone – the only sign of the clutchmen was a slight trace of dust, already wafting across the stone floor.

  “We should band her,” Alec said, jerking his thumb towards Mother Suva. “What happened to your neckband?”

  “It’s over there on the floor,” Erin answered. “I guess it got kicked to one side during our little scuffle.” Alec located the band and snapped it around the mother’s neck. Focus, and it was sealed.

  Erin used the little energy she could muster and approached the mother. “Wake up,” she said.

  The mother woke up, muttering, and started to try to resist.

  “Stop,” said, Erin. “You will not resist, you will not talk. Now undress; I need your clothes.”

  After a little pain from the neckband, the mother complied, and Erin put on the mother’s garb. Underneath, she was filthy, but the gaudy flowing robes said: ‘this is a mother.’ No drone or clutchman would ever think about questioning a mother. The only risk of detection would come from another mother.

  Erin looked at the mother, now naked and banded, lying on the floor. This was the woman who had tortured her – who had caused her feet to be crushed and inflicted so much pain upon her. She felt a deep anger well up within herself, but refused to act on it. Revenge will only waste precious time and energy.

  “Put the manacles on her,” she said to Alec. Alec snapped the broken manacles on the mother and fused them. “Kneel there,” Erin commanded, pointing to the heavy metal rings on the floor where she had so recently been restrained. The mother knew what that order meant; she resisted briefly, but then went to the area and got down on her knees in the proper position. Alec focused and sealed the chains to the anchors in the floor.

  Erin walked over to the mother. The kneeling woman glared at Erin. “That is not correct,” said Erin. “I expect you to respond as a good drone should respond.” The mother spat. “A good drone does not spit at its master,” Erin said, “and does not glare at those in a superior position. Punish yourself.” The mother’s face roiled in pain until Erin tired of watching her; then Erin gave the command to stop and the woman knelt at Erin’s feet.

  “Who will be expecting you today?”

  By now the mother had experienced all the pain that she wanted to endure, so she answered, “No one.”

  “So, no other mother is expected to come to the residence any time soon, and if you do not show up for the dragon training, the others will not find that unusual.”

  The mother nodded. “My task was to prepare the drones. Another mother, Mother Om, whom you met, supervised the drones doing the surgery and a third mother is assigned to do the retraining of the dragon. I was planning to observe, but they will not find it odd if I am not there.”

  Erin directed the mother, “Stay in this room and be quiet. Do not talk or try to communicate with anyone except me. Do not do anything to try to escape.”

  13 - Imposters

  Alec removed his fake slave collar, placed his ring back on his finger where it belonged, and gave Erin her ring. He easily assumed the role as Erin’s clutchman and ordered the household drones to help them clean up and bring them a meal. The courtyard near the room where Erin had been held captive was quite pleasant. Erin relished the comfort of the cushions and her first good food in days.

  “Are you feeling better, my sweet?” Alec asked.

  “Yes, Great Wizard – I mean ‘Dear Clutchman’ – I am. It is surprising how much better I feel after just a little food and drink.” Erin ran her fingers over the stubble on her shorn head and sig
hed. “But, Great Wizard, can we do something about my lack of hair?”

  Alec focused. He flowed dark energy into Erin. “Not good, but at least presentable. You now have a few inches of hair. You no longer look like a newly captured drone.”

  Erin smiled.

  “And pain? Is your pain gone?” he asked.

  “Now that you have repaired my feet, my pain is gone. When they crushed my feet, I was in excruciating pain made worse by the elf neckband. But then – last night – in the middle of the night, before you came, just when I thought I could not stand it any longer, a vision of the little red stone consumed my mind and the band no longer caused any pain.”

  Alec fingered the little red rock he had retrieved from his fake slave band. “Do you mean this?”

  Erin took the rock and examined it. “It doesn’t look like it has any kind of special powers. It just looks like a little red river pebble. Like any other river pebble.”

  “I think the power is not in the stone, but in the gift,” replied Alec.

  “A talisman, from my little Leon.” Erin gently fingered the little pebble. “I have never heard of anything like this. And … and I must admit, today I feel … different. I don’t know exactly how, but – different.” She turned the little red stone over and over in her palm. “I can sense that this is a precious gift,” she said softly.

  ✽✽✽

  Erin, in her flowing robes, stood before the kneeling naked elf mother.

  “Speak to me.” She could sense that the elf mother was going to resist, so she gave the woman a little dose of pain from the metal neckband. “What is your name?”

  “I am Mother Suva,” the chained woman said haughtily.

  “Suva, tell me what happened. When we were in combat, you tried to twist the lines, but you failed. Why couldn’t you control me?”

  “You are an animal. You are a cross-breed,” the woman said, snarling. “I do not speak to such as you.”