by Jerry Hart
“Watched? From where?”
“The clouds. Nalke has known for a long time where Dargo is. He can even approach it, but can’t step foot on the land. We watched the giants attack, and even I could see Rockne’s magic all over everything. He used compulsion to get the giants to attack the islanders. He allowed them to get through the Village’s barrier.”
I shook my head in denial. “The barrier failed because…I’m not human.”
“You’re an incubus. I know.”
I looked at her quickly. “You know?”
“I didn’t know until the day you died and then returned. The moment that other boy…”
“Died.”
She nodded. “That wasn’t your fault. That was the first time you’d used your power, and it wasn’t under your control.”
“It was the second time, and just because I couldn’t control it doesn’t mean it wasn’t my fault. But, whatever.”
“Don’t ‘whatever’ me. Just listen. The barrier isn’t enhanced by humans. That’s a lie Rockne told everyone to justify the use of humans as guards. It’s all a ruse. The barrier is supposed to keep out anyone who acts as a threat to Rockne or the other residents. The reason it didn’t work is because Rockne allowed them in.”
“To scare the Dargons into joining his cause against Nalke?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“So, Rockne’s the bad guy, not Nalke?”
Shae sighed. “Yes, unfortunately. He killed the Belles because they were onto him. He used Tack as a cover.”
I looked at her from the corners of my eyes. “How do I know Nalke isn’t using you against me, to join his cause? How do I know he isn’t the bad guy?”
She shrugged. “You just have to trust your instincts, Josh.”
I stared at her. I barely knew her, but she had introduced me to the magical world of wizards, dwarves and nature demons. “Why are you telling me this?” I asked.
“I need your help to stop Rockne.”
A tear slid down my cheek. “I don’t want to help.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“I do.” I got up and went back inside, leaving Shae alone on the porch.
* * *
I dreamed about Nalke that night, of course. I had only myself to blame; I didn’t put on the necklace before going to bed. Deep down, I wanted to talk to him. Even though I told Shae I didn’t care, we both knew I was lying. I couldn’t get Dargo out of my mind, and I doubted I ever would.
Nalke showed up as Estevan again. We were in a tornado funnel, spinning a few feet off the ground. I got a little nauseated, and tried to focus on my friend’s face.
“Shae spoke with you?” Nalke asked from Estevan’s lips.
“Yes. What’s going to happen now?”
“We’re going to storm Dargo Island tonight and capture Rockne.”
“You’re going to use Shae?”
“Shae…and someone else.”
I narrowed my eyes, which helped with the nausea. “Who else?”
“An inside man. He took over your job after you quit. He’s been giving us information for two weeks now.”
“Oh.” Something seemed off about the way he told me this. “Who took my job?”
“You’re looking at him.”
I didn’t get it at first. “No! Estevan’s on the island?”
“He knows his grandfather died because of that island. He wants revenge. I contacted him before you left and convinced him to take your vacant spot. I told him he would get vengeance if he helped.”
“If Rockne finds out…” I began.
“He’ll kill your friend, yes,” Nalke finished.
“What can he possibly do that Shae can’t?”
“Nothing. He’s just another soldier in my tiny army. Rockne now has a whole island to fight me and they’ve been preparing for weeks to travel to my realm and kill me. I’m strongest here.”
“What’s stopping you from just washing away the island?” I asked.
“Rockne’s protections. I can view from a distance, but can’t affect the island. Besides, there are a lot of innocent people on Dargo. I’m not a monster.”
“Fine,” I conceded. “Let me wake up so I can help. I’m not going to let Estevan get killed in someone else’s war.”
“It became his war when Rockne killed his grandfather.”
I sighed. “Fine! Let me wake up!”
I woke up and jumped to my feet, quickly putting on my shoes. I barely stopped moving until I got to my truck. It was the fastest I’d ever gotten ready for anything. I drove as fast as possible to Dallas.
Chapter 26: The Battle Begins
I got on the rail but it refused to move. It didn’t even seem to be operating. I went to the controls and activated the holographic levers. The pink images appeared in front of me and I pulled and pushed the ones I had before. The rail quickly shot forward and I barely had time to brace myself.
The rail felt like it was going a lot faster than it used to, and I wondered if I was driving it correctly. Oh, well, the faster the rail went, the faster I’d get to the island. Right?
Wrong.
It still took “five minutes.” I started slowing down as soon as I reached the waterfall, but it was too late. I braced myself as the rail shot into the station and slammed into a wall.
The next thing I knew, I was on the floor. I got to my feet, feeling dizzy, and walked onto the platform. I checked my cell phone to see it was a little after midnight. It had been nearly an hour since I talked to Nalke. Had the battle begun?
I grabbed a cart and drove to the Village.
When I got there, Estevan stepped out of the gatehouse and greeted me. After all I’d gone through myself, I just couldn’t believe he was here. I wondered what he’d seen during his time on the island.
“Hey, buddy,” he said.
I jumped out of the cart. “I need to get inside, and you need to leave the island.” I wondered if that was even possible after I crashed the rail.
He just shook his head, grinning like a fool. “Not after what Rockne did to my grandpa. I’m not leaving until I see him pay.”
“Rockne will kill you if he finds out the real reason you’re here. Does he even know who you really are?”
“Hell no. He probably wouldn’t have hired me if he knew. Either way, mess is going down pretty soon. Shae and I are going to ambush him and disable his defenses so Nalke can step foot on the island and take over.”
It was my turn to shake my head. “Something’s going to go wrong and we’ll all die.”
“I’m willing to try. You’re such a coward, Josh. You ran away the second things got bad. I’m not going to run away.”
“You didn’t see what I saw!” I yelled. “A friend was killed in front of me by a giant. Another guy melted in front of me and threw me through that window.” I pointed to the repaired window to my left. “You can’t judge me if you haven’t gone through what I did, so shut up.”
I grabbed him and pushed him toward the cart. “Get out of here now! Go to the rail. I’ll help Nalke and Shae.”
He stared at me in shock, and for a second I actually thought he would do as I said. He could tell I meant every word I said, and that this place was more dangerous than he thought. Then, he looked sharply to something behind me.
“Oh, I don’t think anyone’s going anywhere,” a familiar voice said.
I turned and saw Rockne standing there in his sparkly glass suit. His arms were crossed.
“You’re both coming with me,” he added, and waved his arms. Estevan and I were suddenly caught in some kind of invisible binds that lifted us from our feet.
Rockne turned and headed back to his magically repaired house. Estevan and I floated behind him.
Once inside the house, Rockne let us go. We dropped the few feet to the floor. Shae, Victor, Champagne and Astrid stood in the living room with us.
“What’s going on?” I asked everyone.
“Well, I would ask you the s
ame thing,” Rockne replied. “I heard everything you two talked about out there. So, you’ve joined the dark side, Josh? Decided to side with Nalke in this war?”
I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t lie since he’d heard everything anyway, but I was afraid he’d strike me dead if I said yes. I looked at Shae, who seemed as worried as me. Did Rockne hear the part about her being involved? I hoped not.
“I don’t know,” I finally said to Rockne. “He told me you were the one who caused the giants to riot. He said you did it to gain the support of Dargo because you couldn’t take Nalke in his realm on your own.”
“Well, he was right about me not being able to match him in his home turf without help. Do you really think I had anything to do with the giants, Josh?”
“How were they able to get into the Village? They posed a threat and the barrier didn’t stop them. It didn’t stop Tack, either.”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Rockne asked. “The barrier is strongest when a human is at post.” He stepped closer to me. “You’re not human, Josh.”
I suddenly became very angry. “And you’ve known that for a while. Ever since Tack attacked me, at least. Shae told you to get me to the hot tub before I ‘leached’ one of you guys. So, why hire someone who isn’t human? Ernie died that night because of you, Rockne. And you killed the Belles.”
A muscle twitched in his face. “All of that is true. I can’t deny your words.”
“What?” Champagne gasped, looking to Rockne sharply. “Tell me that’s not true.”
“Rockne needed to gain the support of everyone against Nalke,” I said. “He killed the Belles because they saw with their power what he was up to. Then he controlled the giants to attack the islanders. That sealed the deal and gained their support.”
Rockne appeared to shake, but it was so slight no one else noticed.
“What I don’t understand is why you need guards for the Village,” I continued. “Or why you hired me, knowing I’m not completely human. Why hire an incubus?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Rockne whispered again. “You’re difficult to kill. If you even get close to dying, you ‘leach’ someone else’s life force. That would be handy, in certain hands.”
I nodded, finally understanding. “But why did you hire Estevan? He’s human.”
“He’s a body. All I need are bodies to add to my army. His grandfather would have been one of my warriors if he hadn’t had a heart attack.”
I felt Estevan’s anger next to me but said nothing to him. “Let him go. You have me now. Estevan’s weak and will probably die a few minutes into the battle anyway.”
“Rockne,” Victor said. “What are you saying? Is this all true? How could you kill the Belles? And Ernie? Mark too, I’ll bet.”
“And the queen, now shut up!” Rockne screamed. “Don’t play innocent. You couldn’t have possibly been that stupid that you didn’t figure this out sooner. Deep down, you knew what I was planning. I know you figured it out, Champagne. You’ve been looking at me funny for a while now. Did you read my emotions or something? I’ve been trying to dethrone Nalke for decades but nothing I did worked. This is the only way to kill him once and for all. Throw everything I have at him, overwhelm him, and then take his head!”
“Why didn’t you just let him come to the island, then?” Shae asked, grabbing Astrid and pulling her close. “Then you could have fought him on your turf.”
“He wouldn’t come on land. He would’ve used the elements to strike at me.”
“But that’s what your suit is for,” Astrid said, speaking for the first time. “He can’t see you in that.”
“The suit doesn’t protect me from a giant wave, honey. I’ve used almost all of my power to shield this place from his attacks.”
Victor suddenly sprang toward Rockne, but the wizard waved a hand and sent him flying on the dining table in the next room. “I didn’t say I don’t have enough power to kill everyone in this room,” he added.
“Nalke isn’t evil,” I said. “He just wants his daughter back. He only wants to defeat you because you’re trying to kill him. Why can’t you two live in peace?”
Rockne stared at me, and it actually looked like he was contemplating my words. Then he said, “Because he’s my brother, and we were destined to destroy each other.”
I would say I was shocked, but I wasn’t. I’d read enough books to recognize a plot twist early on. “Nalke gained the throne and you didn’t,” I guessed.
“And you think I’m jealous,” Rockne guessed. “Well, I suppose I am. He has more power than me. If it hadn’t been for the first war, he would be all-powerful all the time. He would be in all places all the time. He would be the most powerful creature in existence.”
“And when you kill him,” I said, “you will gain all his powers and more.”
“Since I’m the last in our bloodline, no one will be able to dethrone me. I will be the most powerful being forever more.”
“I understand the appeal.”
“Of course you do, Dr. Debelko.”
“How are you going to make all of us do what you say? You had to have used a lot of power controlling the giants. And you said your power is being used up protecting the island.”
“My magic may be weak,” Rockne said with a smile, “but my potion-making skills are still top notch. I used them to control the giants, after all.”
He waved his hand at the dining table and five cups appeared. There was purple liquid inside each one.
“I’m not drinking that,” Estevan said. I gave him a look that shut him up.
“You can either drink my potion and join my army,” Rockne said to him, “or you can die. Like your grandfather.”
I heard Estevan’s knuckles crack as he made fists. I shook my head at him, and he relaxed slightly.
“Astrid, dead,” Rockne said, “you’ll stay here. I want to keep you away from Nalke.”
Champagne helped Victor to his feet and they joined Estevan, Shae and me at the table. We took our cups, looked at each other one more time, and then we drank.
* * *
My feet moved without me telling them to. The only things I could control were my eyes, and I used them to see my friends walking in sync with me. We followed Rockne out of the Village. I didn’t know where we were going at first, but then Rockne muttered a spell and we were suddenly in Dargo Plaza. The palace was directly in front of us. The plaza was quiet at this time, and I could hear the waves behind the palace.
Rockne walked up the grand stairs, and the palace’s guards approached him. He spoke with them for a moment, and then one of them stepped inside the palace. When the guard returned, he told Rockne to follow him. The rest of us followed.
Inside the throne room sat Aneela. Her face was painted blue with yellow stripes over her eyes. She was dressed in a black suit, similar to the ones the guards wore. Battle wear?
“The time has come, my queen,” Rockne told her. She nodded.
Then she clapped and the entire room filled with guards. There had to be dozens. Aneela looked at me and I tried to scream, to warn her we were being controlled, but I could only stare back.
She walked up to me and touched my arm. “Are you ready for this?” she asked.
All I could do was widen my eyes. Inside I was screaming. Now I knew how Cormac felt that night. Help me!
“Oh,” she said suddenly, touching my upper lip. “You must be terrified; your nose is bleeding.”
Rockne cleared his throat. “Josh is a capable warrior, and very brave. He’ll be fine; I’ll keep a close eye on him.”
Aneela looked at him, and then back at me. She gave Shae, Victor, Estevan and Champagne quick glances before going back to Estevan. “Who’s this?”
“Josh’s friend,” Rockne quickly replied. “Nalke killed his grandfather, so he was more than happy to join our fight to dethrone Nalke once and for all.”
She nodded her understanding. “The entire island is ready to fight. That’s over two hund
red strong. Do you think that will be enough?”
“More than enough.” Rockne smiled.
Aneela nodded before looking to one of her guards. “Sound the bell,” she ordered. The guard disappeared, and a few minutes later, we heard a bell ring from somewhere above us.
We went back to the courtyard and were met by what appeared to be every islander. Hundreds had his and her faces painted yellow and blue. I couldn’t imagine how we were all supposed to get to Nalke’s realm.
“How do we get to Nalke?” Aneela asked, as if reading my thoughts.
“I can transport us all there, but doing so will require a lot of my power. I would have to lift the protections I’ve bestowed on the island.”
For a moment Aneela stared at Rockne, considering. Then she said, “Do it. Hopefully the island will still be here when we get back.”
Rockne nodded and waved his arms around. The waves grew louder and I imagined the cliff-side highway being drowned in seawater. Rockne then muttered another spell and all I saw was light.
When the light vanished, we were no longer on Dargo.
I looked around and saw we were standing on clouds. They were the brightest things I could see since it was still late. The moon was right behind me, so close I felt I could hit it by throwing a rock.
“Everyone stay close!” Rockne shouted at his army. “The clouds are firm enough to walk on, but you could easily fall over the edge if you’re not careful.”
The thought of falling to my death made my heart race. Would Rockne save me if I fell over the edge? I doubted it. He headed straight ahead, toward a large cloud shaped like a castle.
The closer we got, the more it started to look like an actual castle. The clouds became firmer, though they were still clouds. I was reminded of a dream I’d had as a kid where I lived in the clouds. Everything was made of the stuff. It had been a fun dream, but this was a nightmare. If Nalke died, Rockne would take over and become the most powerful being in the world.
If only Nalke hadn’t been weakened in the last battle.
How had he gotten so easily weakened, though? If he’d been the most powerful being ever, what had been done to him? The only thing I could think of was the spell he put on Shae when she was pregnant with Astrid. That had been the last thing he’d done before he’d grown weak.
