by John Victor
SECRETS OF THE FORTRESS III ‘THE LAW’
By John Victor
Copyright 2015 John Victor
Smashwords Edition
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
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CHAPTER 1
Evalle put the book that she was reading, down. She stared at her cat and her dog. Both cuddled on the chair opposite her. She thought of ten years ago. She had been with everyone she called family.
A new government arose. Everything changed. Nobody rode on horses again. Transformation took place. Technology spread like wild fire. It had no choice but to get to them.
Everyone that possessed magic had been forced out of the land and sent to prison to face what they called THE LAW.
Her father gave up the ghost seven years ago. They were still running away from the police and law enforcement agents. They couldn't leave him behind. Evalle was glad that they had no special way of knowing the people that possessed magic. They would have been caught long ago.
Donald and Justin went into hiding. They could not risk changing in the sight of normal humans that possessed no powers. Ignorance gripped everyone. Evalle felt like strangling the individual that gave this law even though she had never set eyes on him. She dug her fingers into her hair and massaged her scalp gently.
Her only sister, Emily lost contact with her when she was kidnapped. She could not use her powers. Evalle strongly believed that her sister was still alive.
Now, she resided in a miniature bungalow with a cat, Germane and a dog, Douglas that became her companion after frequent visits. No longer did she feel pity for the new government because of their ignorance, now she felt like tearing each and every one of them apart. Bits by Bits.
She hurried into the bathtub. She had spent most of her time thinking. At twenty-eight, all she could do all day was wear something they called Corporate Attire, and go in moving machines to a very big space where many people walked helter-skelter and whispered so as to receive a monthly pay.
She had been queried a lot of times for her late coming. This had been fuelled by her usual thinking about the past. Not letting it go.
Evalle looked at her Mickey-mouse wristwatch. It was 8:42am. Office work started by 9:00 am each day. She rubbed the sponge on her body grudgingly and poured the whole bucket of water over her head. No one talked to her in the office. Except Camilla, a weird girl who nobody talked to.
Evalle could not still picture what was different about the lady. Her freckles, curled hair and massive front teeth, wasn't unusual. Not to talk of the way she smiled which made the teeth more visible. Apart from that, she was beautiful.
Evalle put on her office attire and set to work. Boarding one of the moving machines that managed to stop in front of her. The cloud gathered and covered the morning sun. The day was not going to be friendly. Evalle observed. At the corner of her eyes, a figure in black passed. She was shocked yet scared. She brushed it off, telling herself that it was because of the speed at which the machine moved.
She had been seeing strange things. Nothing as stranger as this. She had no right to interfere. Magic had been lurking around even when it was banned. No normal human will notice. Only the paranormal. They do nothing but shrug their shoulders. No one wanted to be imprisoned.
* * *
Evalle felt thousands of eyes crawling on her skin as she stepped into the large office. She wished her shoes would stop making the clank-clank sound, as the heels made contact with the floor. She hurried to her table. She placed her bag gently on it and set to wok.
The first thing she noticed on it was a letter. She feared what it might contain. She had lost the six previous jobs she had before this one. She tried a little hard to suppress a sigh that wanted to slip out of her lips. It didn’t work. She attracted the attention again. She tore the envelope nd brought out the white sheet of paper. It occurred to her that nobody drops letters on the table, even if it is for resignation. The boss had to call the fellow to his office.
She suppressed another sigh a she opened the letter.
Evalle Grustacia,
Long time, no see. I can’t even believe I am sending this message to you. Okay, I’ll just go straight to the point. You are in danger. The evil is back again. You have to use your powers even though you can’t use it. You must find a way.
What evil is he talking about? The sender didn’t even put his name. How am I supposed to believe this?
She folded the paper within her palms and used magic to create a small fire and burnt it without anybody noticing her. The whole office was vibrating. Voices everywhere. People ramming large books into the desk. Gossips spreading their daily message. Evalle sat calmly and looked at everything. It looked like a market place. Only that the goods were absent.
“Hey.” A familiar voice sang behind her. Nobody does that.
“Camilla.” She said without looking back. “How was your weekend?’’
“Oh, that? It was beautiful.” The lady said, confirming Evalle’s wild guess.
Evalle turned to face her acquaintance, who was busy mustering some words that Evalle couldn’t hear.
Camilla leaned towards Evalle and placed her lips over her ears. “You have to be more careful, you know? I saw you use your magic.”
Evalle’s hairs stood erect. Somebody had seen her. She had been caught. She was going to jail. “Erm… Camilla, would you please keep that as a secret?”
“Oh, sure. I am no chatter-box.” Camilla said as she winked. “I got the strange letter too.” She whispered again, into Evalle’s ears.
Camilla has powers? Unbelievable. The strange girl with the large teeth. What kind of powers would she possess? “You have powers.?”
“Yeah. This is not the place to talk about it. We could meet after office hours. We would leave together to some secluded place.”
“Okay.” Evalle said as she looked at her remaining colleagues. Some feigned to be straining their ears to listen to the conversation, the others were giggling. The place had grown silent. Evalle dismissed Camilla with the wave of her arm as she gazed at her table, staring into the blank furniture. She couldn’t process the information she just received. The day was going to be a long one indeed.
* * *
The raindrops hit Evalle’s clothes as she walked all the way home, Camilla walking by her side. Both of them kept mute. Evalle stared at Camilla and then looked up again. Her face couldn’t hide the surprise it held after she discovered that the only friend that she managed to make, also possessed magic. Just like herself. She wondered what type of magic would be hidden in that kind of body.
“You are surprised. Aren’t you?” Camilla asked, looking towards Evalle’s direction.
“Yeah, a little.” Evalle lied. She was very surprised. If they had told her in the next century, she wouldn’t still believe it.
They were already approaching her house. Evalle was staring at her house. It was old. She was not used to having visitors in her house. She walked into the house. Camilla followed her in. She was welcomed by Germane. Douglas came behind to greet her. It looked at Camilla, releasing a soft growl. Evalle signaled to it to keep quiet.
Camilla sat on the chair
"What should I offer you?" Evalle asked, knowing fully well that she had nothing to offer.
"Oh thanks. I’m okay." Camilla said
"Okay." Evalle said, settling down on a couch beside Camilla.
"You said you got a letter too. What did yours say?"
"It said I will still have to use my powers to fight something evil and strong."
"Mine said the same. So what type of powers do you possess?" Evalle asked.
"Oh, that. I have wind magic. I am the only one that survived in my clan. Most of them have been killed, the rest are in prison."
"You are very lucky."
"So, what type do you possess?"
"I have all."
"Wait, you are the legendary Evalle? The one that changed history, with her sister."
"Yeah, I am."
"Wow, It's a pleasure meeting you."
"That's funny."
"Where is your sister?" Camilla asked.
"I lost her."
"She's dead?"
"No, when we were running, she was kidnapped."
"That's sad."
"She would have escaped. I trust her."
"Then why don't you look for her?"
Evalle looked surprised. She never thought about looking for her sister. "How do I do that?" She asked.
"Did you guys perform the fusion of powers ritual?" Camilla asked.
"Yes, we did it."
"You can use that to search for her. Communicate with her through telepathy. So she can tell you where she is. Then you will find each other. Without her, your magic will not be very powerful."
"I'll try it. Can I get something for you to drink now?" Evalle said as she watched Camilla rock Germane in her laps. Germane doesn't make friends easily.
"Oh. I'm a little thirsty now. I'll appreciate it." She said as she continued rocking the cat in her laps.
Evalle walked into the kitchen. She placed a kettle of water on the burner. She watched in silence as the water got boiled. She thought of Emily. She was going to see her sister, again. She poured some of the water into a teacup and made coffee.
* * *
Evalle walked Camilla out of the house. She felt really happy. It had been long since she had confided so much in someone. Maybe it was time for a change. Now, the law couldn’t stop them from what they were about to do. It would even permit them. Evalle believed that other possessors of magic around the globe would receive the letter, and the evil will torment the lawmakers.
Who sent the letters? She had seen the strange sight, earlier that morning. She went back to the couch. Germane lay beside her. Douglas watched. She thought once again of her sister. Her husband and her brother-in-law. They were finally going to be back together very soon. She drifted off to sleep.
Evalle saw herself running. She wondered how she got to the battle field. Some people were beside her. She recognized them. A centaur, a wolf-like beast and a lady. Her sister. She looked behind her. An army. They were leading an army. She looked forward again and to her surprise, they were heading into the darkness.
Evalle jumped up from the bed. She wiped off the sweat that was already forming on her head. My sister. I will see her again. And my husband. What were we going to do in the darkness? Evalle didn’t see Camilla. Well, it was an army. She could have been anywhere in the crowd. When next they were alone, she was going to ask Camilla to show her that she truly had magic. She may be lying.
Evalle ran to her room, she could hear sirens from a distance. She heard it regularly, this one seemed to be coming to her house. She looked outside the windows. She saw nothing, darkness. The blaring of the sirens grew louder. She got more frightened. Had Camilla implicated her? Had she been a fool for trusting in someone she barely knew? These questions flooded her mind as she prepared for the worst.
The sirens faded. She stood up and hugged her pets. It was time to contact her sister. Evalle stood up and closed her eyes. Trying to concentrate. The cat meowed. She opened her eyes. Her dog began to bark. They were all looking out of the window. Evalle went to check for what as going on. No cars were packed outside her house. She saw some people loitering, outside the house. Then she heard it. There was a banging at the door.
Evalle quickly picked up her pets. She disappeared. She felt a new surge of power within her. It had been long since she ventured to use. She jumped out of the window as the door was torn down. She could see the people in front of her house. They were not policemen, but thieves. Evalle didn’t try to use her powers against them. There was nothing valuable in her house. She ensured there was nothing of such since she may be on the run at any time. She continued watching them ransack the whole place.
CHAPTER 2
Evalle pulled at her hair. She was glad that she had nothing for them to steal. The night had been a tiring one. They entered the house immediately the thieves went away. Her pet had been co-operative and made no sound. She poured the cornflakes into a bowl of water after giving Germane and Douglas some food. She added milk and a little sugar.
She knew Camilla wasn’t capable of anything bad. She rushed her food into her mouth and went to put on her office attire for the day. She looked in the standing mirror that was in the toilet. She liked how she looked. Stunning. Evalle went out of the house and headed to work, after telling her pets to stay indoors till she arrives.
Evalle decided not to take a bike since it was going to be easier for her to trek so that she doesn’t catch another glimpse of the evil spirit. She hummed to a music she heard on the radio; the last time she entered a bus. Two years ago. She stopped entering public buses since the day they stole her purse. She then vowed to always travel on a motorcycle.
Evalle got close to her office. She could see a lot of cars, packed at the distance. They were all identical. Evalle noticed the lights on top of them. Blue. Red. Police.
She turned back and bean to run. She could hear screams behind her. ‘That’s her.’ Evalle recognized the voice like the back of her palm. Camilla. She looked back and saw Camilla leading the chase. She was also dressed in the same costumes as the others. “She’s a policewoman?” Evalle asked herself as she turned into a sharp bend. She got into a corner and appearance. she then came out. As a woman in her 40s.
Evalle walked out of the corner where she was hiding. She saw some police officers running close to her. “Madam, did you see any young woman, she was running. Black shirt, blue trousers, black shoes.”
“Oh yeah. I saw her go in that direction.” Evalle pointed to her left. They continued their chase after thanking her, she smiled mischievously as she walked forward. She said some few words and became invisible. She hurried home. She had to save her pets. She hopped on a car that was moving to the direction of her home.
When the car was about to pass her home, she jumped down. She looked around. They hadn’t gotten to her house yet. She hurried inside her house and stuffed some clothes into a bag. She was sure that her pets could see her, since they stood beside her. She stooped and picked them up. She went to the window behind the house. They were already arriving. The intruders. She jumped out and landed on her feet.
Evalle knew that she couldn’t go too far while invincible. She opened a portal. They escaped to another world. She felt the portal close behind her.
* * *
Evalle dropped. She looked around her. She wasn’t certain of the place where she was but the only thing that she was sure of was that it was a rural place and there wouldn’t be any police. She felt it weird that it was a new place. She thought she had toured the world. There was still a place. She looked for signs of any living thing. She found none. She looked at Germane and Douglas. They were almost fidgeting beside her. She carried them up and held them in her arms, after adjusting her bag on her shoulders. She withheld the tear that was at the corner of her eyes.
Evalle changed her appearance back to her normal self. She doubted that there would be any one who would recognize her. She could start a new life, She continue to walk forward. The deserted place was getting crowded. From one house to many. People were walking around, selling things, riding bicycles, playing. Evalle looked at the happy village and knew immediately that that was where she belonged. There was no way that the law woul
d reach her. She smiled with satisfaction and kept moving forward. She thought of Camilla.
How did she know what was written in letter? The only way she could have known was that she dropped it there herself. Evalle shook her head at her carelessness. She remembered that everyone was looking at her in the office when she was talking with Camilla. They had planned it all. They knew she had powers. They were looking for the perfect opportunity to arrest her. She thanked God that she was smart enough to run away. She wanted to talk to somebody there. She saw a woman sitting in her stall. Evalle moved swiftly. Nobody seemed to notice her.
The woman sat upright as she saw Evalle approaching her stall. “What can I do for you, ma’am?”
Evalle smiled and replied “I’m looking for a place to stay. I just arrived here.”
“oh, we have only one available house. It’s empty. You came at the right time but you have to see our leader first. He’ll ask you for your passcode and then can you be granted entry.” The woman said with a wide grin plastered across her face.
“What passcode?” Evalle asked, looking confused.
“I cant tell you that. When you get there, you’ll know. If you don’t have it, you will be asked to leave.”
This is harder than I thought. “Where can I find the leader?” Evalle asked.
“It’s not a leader. They are leaders. Generous and nice. They’ll like you. They are at the far end of the village.”
“Okay ma. Thanks.” Evalle said as she hurriedly left the place. She walked faster. She had thrown her little pets into her bag and left it open. The scared creatures didn’t bother to poke out their heads.
Evalle got to the end of the road. Faster than she could ever imagine. She looked around. She saw nothing.
* * *
Three figures approached her. She blinked her eyes, trying to make sure they saw the right thing. Two men and a woman. Evalle waited for them to get to her. She felt an unusual sensation in her body. She felt stronger. More powerful. Like she felt, ten years ago. She anticipated what was coming ahead of her. She hoped it was true. She wanted it to be true. As the figures got closer, it got clearer. She beamed with smiles. The people in front of her stared. Wide-eyed.
