by Scott Baron
“Copy that. Don’t have to tell me twice.”
The massive Ra’az ship shuddered slightly, the vibrations rattling the much smaller craft mounted atop its bulk.
“I think we’re going to have to disengage sooner than later, though. So hurry, okay?”
Charlie turned his attention to the magic building all around him. The sun’s energy, while deadly, was also fueling the magic keeping him safe. And the closer they got, the stronger both became.
If he was right, the same would happen to the Ootaki hair within the Asbrú’s walls. But by then, they’d either be successful, or dead. He was sincerely hoping for the former.
“Ara? Cutting it a little close here.”
“I think we’re ready, Charlie.”
“I’ll tell Bob.”
“No need,” Ara replied. “He is linked with us both through my spell. And with all of this power we are absorbing, I believe he is party to this conversation now, aren’t you, Geist?”
A new voice joined the silent conversation. “That is correct, Wise One,” Bawb replied, a hint of the awe flooding through him coloring his voice. “And I am honored and humbled by this act.”
“It’s merely a side-effect of the sun’s power ramping up our enjoined magic,” she replied. “It will fade as we distance ourselves from its rays once again.”
“This communication, yes. But you are sharing your power, and I am humbled by the act.”
Ara chuckled warmly. “A necessity of the situation at hand, Geist,” she said, turning her head to look at the man on her back. “But even were it not a dire need, know that you are one of the very few I would ever consider sharing it with. You’re a good man, Bawb. One I am glad to call friend.”
For just a moment, the three of them flew silently, feeling the bond of friendship and power flowing between them.
“Okay, guys. I think it’s time to do this before the shielding around the Asbrú starts to fail. If that Ootaki hair gets a blast of this much power, we’ll never be able to break that spell.”
“I agree. We are as ready as possible,” Ara said. “Tell Rika and Leila to break free and take up a position far off. Once she is clear, we shall begin.”
Charlie relayed the instructions over his comms.
“About freakin’ time,” Rika said. “Our shields are just about at their limit, here.”
“Cut free. We’ll circle back when it’s done,” Charlie replied.
“Already on it. I’m setting the engines to engage at maximum as soon as we release, so start casting now. We’ll be long gone and well clear by the time your spell hits.”
“Copy that.”
“And, Charlie, good luck.”
“Thanks.”
With that, the three casters began intermingling their power, drawing upon their internal stores as well as the additional boost of the magical devices worn by the human and Wampeh.
This was their one shot, so they poured all the power into it they could. Either it would work, overriding the global freeze spell, or it would fail spectacularly, likely killing them in the process, as well as the entire population of Earth.
Rika, true to her word, punched it and cut free, sending the Icarus flying straight for the sun at great speed. Her small ship shuddered with the force of her sharp bank away from the much larger craft, the full brunt of the sun’s energy buffeting the ship now that it was no longer protected by the mass of the freighter.
“Hang on, Leila,” she grunted as she struggled with the controls.
The ship bucked and rolled, tossed about as its engines strained to put as much distance between them and the sun as possible. Minus the restraining mass of the much larger ship, however, the nimble craft was able to increase speed nearly instantly. In just a few moments, they were free of the turbulence, well on their way clear of the impending casting.
“They’re clear,” Charlie sent. “Now or never.”
Ara and Bawb immediately responded, beginning the final stage of the massive casting, all three of them compounding their magic, resulting in a spell far more powerful than any of them could possibly cast individually. It wasn’t the same as powerful vislas casting for months, creating the original stasis spell, but it would have to suffice. With the sun’s help, it just might.
“Now!” Ara signaled, the trio setting their magic loose, directly targeting the magic being reinforced by the ship now rapidly catching up to them.
The spell flew true, making the stasis spell waver in its strength. But it was not enough to stop it. Not on its own. But the thousands of smaller spells set in place for precisely this reason began to cascade, each of them chipping away at the larger spell that had the populace under its power.
“It’s starting to fall!” Charlie exclaimed.
And indeed, it was. Like waves crashing on the shore, the onslaught of spells were wearing down the alien attack. And then, with a sudden release of power, the spell broke, like a rubber band stretched to its limit.
“It was a success!” Cal transmitted several seconds later, thanks to the signal delay so far from Earth. “The spell is broken. Everyone has been released.”
Silence.
“Charlie? Do you copy?”
“Sorry, Cal. A bit knackered from that,” he replied over comms.
“When did you pick up the UK slang?” Rika chimed in.
“Well, we did spend a lot of time there these past few weeks,” he replied with a chuckle. “Anyway, we’re okay. Just need a minute to catch our breath.”
“Do you need us to pick you up?” Ripley asked.
“No, we’re fine. Head back to LA. We’ll meet you down there.”
The pair of ships plotted a course for the now-freed planet, leaving the dragon, the Wampeh, and the human to drift in the sun’s restoring rays as they regained their energy.
Bawb was silent a long time. He knew his communication with Ara would soon return to normal, requiring speech rather than direct thought. But after what had just occurred, after the power the three of them had shared, with the Zomoki opening up her power to him, and the Wampeh sharing his Ootaki power right back––which should have been impossible with the power being tied to him and him alone––a connection of a new order had been formed.
It was indescribable. Visceral. The power the three had created while linked together would soon fade, but even so, the effect would remain. And the deadly assassin would from that day forward be––in some ways, at least––a changed man.
“You guys can feel it, right? The other spells are still in place,” Charlie said.
“Yes,” Ara replied. “Despite the lead shell, the portal spell is rapidly increasing in power as the ship nears the sun, and the fail-safe is still intact. There is no way to negate it without triggering the destruction of the planet.”
Charlie watched the huge freighter hurtling toward the sun. “Good thing we have a plan, then, isn’t it?”
Chapter Sixty
Ara flew a quick loop around the Ra’az freighter as it flew closer and closer to the sun. Having spent the energy she had been saving for their joint spell, she was now free to redirect her power to protecting herself and her friends from the heat of the sun.
Charlie had also cast his own spell to shield himself from the radiation that his friends were basking in. Unlike the others, he would quite simply fry, if not for the magical protection from the rays.
Ara, on the other hand, absorbed it with great pleasure, the energy replenishing what she had expended when they cast their joint spell. And Bawb was simultaneously collecting the energy, and also being protected from its damaging potential by his Ootaki hair wrappings, which, much like the Zomoki he rode, greedily soaked up the immense power of the sun.
Charlie sensed something beginning to change in the ebb and pull of magic around them. A shift that meant only one thing. Their moment of grace was passing.
The freighter, though managing to stay intact for such a demanding flight, had finally started to superhea
t despite the protective spells they’d placed on it prior to launch. Inside, however, the Asbrú would suffer no such damage.
It had been an inspired idea on Bawb’s part as he walked through the craft while it was being slowly covered with its lead covering. He had convened with Ara to confirm his theory, and sure enough, it seemed that once they had pinpointed the spell that linked to the stasis spell generated from the ship, they would be able to gently tap into the Ootaki hair woven throughout its structure.
Essentially, they could use their enemy’s weapon against them, in a sense. It would be subtle, like a parasite leeching nutrients from its host. But it would work.
The new spell he had devised was gently eased into place around the Asbrú. It would stay with the ship, bound to it, recharging and renewing with the sun’s rays as it protected the craft from any harm from the molten ball of plasma.
If it worked as planned, the Asbrú would remain perfectly safe in its continuously powered shielding spell, courtesy of Bawb and Ara, the pair having spent many hours together refining the spell to ensure there was no chance of it failing. It would be safe, and in the center of the sun.
And as far as they could tell, the spell would be a success, keeping the ship in perfect condition, safe from harm indefinitely by the very Ootaki hair simultaneously powering their enemy’s spells. Anything around it, however, would not be so fortunate.
A flash of light caught all of their attention as it beamed out between the cracks that had formed in the freighter.
“Shit, it’s starting!” Charlie blurted as he saw the crackling glow of a portal begin to break through the hull of the nearly destroyed ship.
At this point, it was really just the remnants of their magic that was holding the outer craft together, and the lead covering of its precious cargo was already beginning to melt away.
And as soon as the first burst of the sun’s rays broke through the dense metal covering, the spell previously contained within, held back to no more than a slow build, would burst forth, super-powered by the energy of the sun as the Ootaki hair sucked it in like a sponge.
“It’s not close enough,” Charlie said. “We’re going to have to give it a push. Bob, do you think your Drookonus––?”
“Already casting,” the Wampeh replied silently as his magic leapt out across the vacuum to the speeding ship.
“I shall assist,” Ara said, pouring her power on top of his, giving the failing craft a final push toward its fiery destination.
Charlie, though less powered than either of his friends, drew deep from within and added what additional magic he could to their casting.
The crumbling ship suddenly leapt forward as if hit from behind with a massive blow. Given the hasty nature of the spells they had cast, that wasn’t too far from the truth.
Magic flashed and pulsed from the Asbrú as the Icarus finally broke to pieces, burning up at the edge of the sun’s blazing reach. The lead shell around the smaller ship contained within turned molten and blew off into space in seconds, the Asbrú blazing with a flash of such magical brightness that even Ara had to turn away.
The light was so intense that Charlie felt like he could still see it through closed eyes, a tinted visor, magical protections, and the back of his head, since he, like his friends, was facing the other direction, shielding his eyes. Finally, after a series of additional flashes that left spots before his closed lids, the light diminished to a far more comfortable glow.
The trio turned their gaze back upon the glowing ship just as it submerged within the body of the sun itself. They caught a quick glimpse of the enormous portal being generated by the craft before it vanished within the flames.
“Holy shit. It’s huge,” Charlie had managed to gasp before the glowing ring submerged into the sun.
It was far larger than they’d anticipated. Large enough for a sizable ship to pass through. And the portal would remain open now, and there was nothing they could do about that. At least not at the moment. But their planet was safe.
Anyone foolish enough to brave the magical transit would find themselves turned to ash the moment they passed through, courtesy of the Earth’s sun. It wasn’t a perfect solution, Charlie had mused when they came up with the plan, but it would suffice.
Of course, it was entirely possible that, eventually, whoever was on the other side would possibly devise some way to protect themselves. To survive the molten core of the sun.
But magic of that scale would take a long, long time to amass. No one had that quantity of Ootaki hair. And given what had already been sent their way within the Asbrú’s hull, whoever had planned this attack had already expended their entire bounty. And that had to be several lifetime’s worth, collected from all corners of their galaxy.
It was an impossibly large amount that had been used to power the attack, and the odds of that quantity being amassed again before they could devise a solution to the problem was slim.
That many Ootaki didn’t even exist, and he knew of no other power source that could manage the feat the attackers had pulled off with the Trojan Horse trick using his old ship. Not again. Not for a long, long time.
So it was that Charlie felt that, for now, they could rest secure in the knowledge that no one could pass through the portal. The invasion had been stopped.
Earth was safe once more.
Chapter Sixty-One
Ara, supercharged with the sun’s power once more, decided to make a little jump from the sun to the moon. The distance required only a minimal expenditure on her part, and the use of her magic felt really good, all the way to her bones.
After that burst of travel magic she hadn’t used in a long, long time, she then took Charlie and Bawb on a little detour, taking her time flying back to Earth.
First, she made a loop around the moon. Then she flew closer and put on a little show for the men and women living on the moon, dropping in low as they passed Dark Side base.
They could see the crew of the facility through the windows, excitedly pressed up against them as they watched the fly-by. Judging by the enthusiasm they could see through the thick glass, there was quite a celebration already underway inside.
But they had other places to be, and festivities of their own to get started.
The mighty Zomoki lifted from the moon’s dusty surface and soared through the void, her magic strong in her body as she easily crossed the space between the moon and Earth, re-entering the planet’s atmosphere with a simple grace.
Once they’d reached a breathable altitude, Charlie cracked the visor on his helmet just a bit, the quick flash of fresh, but cold, air sending his spirits even higher. In a strange way, he supposed, it was a smell of victory. Of his home world, free and secure.
Swinging low over Southern California as they made their approach home, the humans and Chithiid alike stared up at the still-new sight of the massive red dragon soaring through the skies. And this time, it appeared, she had passengers atop her back.
“They don’t even know what just happened,” Charlie said to his friends. “To them it’s only been a minute.”
“True,” Ara agreed. “They were maintained in a perfect stasis spell.” A little chuckle vibrated in Charlie and Bawb’s heads. “I think a few may wonder how the weather so abruptly changed. And where they are, for that matter.”
“Ah, yes. The ones moved for their own protection. There will be a bit of explaining required,” Bawb added. “But tell me, Wise One, how is it I am still linked with you and Charlie like this? The spell has been cast, and the power expended.”
“It is curious,” she agreed. “But I believe there is more at work than merely a residual link from our efforts.”
“You mean Bob’s part of the talk-without-moving-your-lips club now? Like, permanently?”
“It would seem that may very well be the case, Charlie.”
The space-suited human slapped his friend cheerfully on the shoulder. “Awesome, dude. We’re like blood brothers now.”
“You might not be too far from the truth,” Ara said. “We shared our power on a far more intimate level than merely casting with one another. And with the sheer strength of the Ootaki hair Bawb is wielding, I believe a new bond has indeed been formed, similar to what you and I share, Charlie.”
Bawb was silent a long time as they flew closer to home. His suit’s visor was down, so he couldn’t blame it on the wind, but if anyone could see through the tinted material, they’d have noticed his eyes gleaming with unexpected wetness.
“I would very much appreciate it if you would take me to my home,” he said, clearing his throat as emotion welled.
“Of course,” Ara replied, knowing full well his motives even without their new connection.
“Yeah, man. We’ll go do the debrief with Cal. You check in on her,” Charlie added. “And when you two feel like company, Leila and I want you guys to come over for a dinner. A proper family dinner.”
Again, the assassin felt that strange flush of warmth in his chest. Family. A word he’d found so foreign since his youth. A thing of the past. But, he realized, after all the years that had passed, that was the case no more.
“I would like that, Charlie. I would like that very much.”
Even Ara seemed a little choked up with the moment, but she said nothing, merely bee-lining straight for Bawb’s home. She touched down softly, her wings making the cyborgs guarding the property turn away from the gust.
“Thank you, Ara,” he said as he quickly slid to the ground. “I shall contact you all later. I first have some things––”
“Just go see her, Bob!” Charlie ordered with a happy grin.
Bawb nodded to his friends and stepped through his layers of spells and into the waiting arms of his love.
“There you are,” she said happily as he unwrapped the length of her hair from his suit and stepped unencumbered into her embrace. The glistening drops from his eyes finally broke free as he held her tight, not wanting to ever let go again.
