Deke Brolin Rhol

by Doug Backus

  “Deke, your eyes,” Deo said.

  “What’s wrong with them?” Deke calmly asked as if nothing had happened.

  Deo looked, but they were normal again. “Ah, nothing, nothing.” Deo answered wondering if he had just seen what he thought he had.

  Deke looked over Deo’s shoulder in disbelief. “Mary? Is that you, Mary?”

  Mary smiled. She was what she had been before she came to this world. She was standing beside a stranger whom Deke had never seen before.

  “Deke, I would like to introduce you to Delca, my paladin.”

  Part Three

  The Final Battle

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  The time had come. All light eventually succumbs to darkness. He controlled the darkness and therefore, he could extinguish the light. With no more light there could only be darkness, and with only darkness he would command the Balance of Five. Without light there would be no growth. This would allow for a new species, a species that would feed off the dark. A species he would create. With him in command, he could give life or take life away, as he saw fit. He in essence would be the almighty, the Creator himself, as he should have been all along.

  Through the life energy of the thousands he had slain, Solharn had finally reached the level of power he needed to bring Rhol to its untimely end, should he have to use it. Solharn had convinced himself that this was his destiny, and it was time to fulfill that destiny. In his mind, the Creator was a fool. He had created the five worlds to evolve together, to balance each other out, thereby creating the Balance of Five. Each planet needed the other in order to thrive, in order to sustain the balance. When one was destroyed, it would weaken the others making them more susceptible to him. In time, he would easily destroy them all. There would be no more balance. The Creator had designed the Balance of Five so that eventually, over time, everyone would live together as equals. Only then would his creation succeed in the way it was meant, and Solharn would not let that happen.

  Solharn would create worlds where only the strong survived. A supreme race where there was no room for the feeble minded or the kind of heart. The inhabitants of Solharn’s worlds would not make their own decisions in order to survive, in order to evolve. He would make those decisions for them. It was the way it should be. It was he who allowed them to live so he would control how they led their lives. This was what Solharn intended, and it was time to start the chain of events that would lead to his supremacy.

  It was true that things had not gone quite as he had planned. First, he lost his eyes within the Lealian army when the Nightstalkers had been discovered. He had regained the advantage however when his soldiers captured Jayden. Jayden had been harder to convert than he would have believed. Only after he had forced Jayden to swallow the dark liquid on two occasions, did he finally become his pawn. That was short lived however; he was discovered quickly by Palto.

  Solharn had been surprised when he looked through Phanthus’s eyes, and saw Palto outside the secret Realm of Solace. He had reacted too quickly when he sent Phanthus and Jayden to destroy him. It had been his plan to have Jayden lead his own armies into oblivion by having Phanthus drop him at the tunnel to Solace. There he would have returned to the Sacred Realm to reunite with Palto. With Jayden in this position, he would have been privy to every move the Lealians and the Pegapires made. He would have defeated them easily. It was an unfortunate event that Jayden was discovered before Solharn had the chance to use him to his advantage.

  Perhaps his biggest disappointment had led to an unanticipated advantage he could never have expected. He had discovered Mary and Delca near Mount Sibileo when they attempted to return the amulet to Elissa, and he had defeated them with ease. He had been furious when he found Mary had somehow sent the Amulet of Rhol back to Earth but it had given him another idea.

  He had forced the girl’s paladin Delca, to swallow his essence and thereby controlled everything she did. Because she was a paladin, he could easily manipulate her body into an exact replica of Mary. When Lorca returned to find her, she had unwittingly returned his pawn to the Realm of Solace. Mary was left deep in the swamps and would soon suffer the fate of a Pintante. This had allowed him the time to gain invaluable information from Kiran. Solharn gained an unexpected further advantage when he learned that Mary was the friend of the boy who would eventually bring the amulet back to Rhol.

  Everything was going as planned as his pawn led both the boy and his paladin to their deaths in the Swamps of Tiqor. When the real Mary eventually found them, Solharn had cursed himself for not destroying her when he had the chance, but he had so loved the idea of her suffering the agony of becoming a Pintante.

  Despite this setback he had been able to manipulate her through her own paladin and to turn Deke and Deo against her. However, she was far more persistent than he had realized. She was able to regain their trust by using the very beast that was meant to kill them. Solharn was beyond contempt when Deke was able to return Mary and her paladin back to their former selves.

  Despite these setbacks, he still had one thing working in his favor. Whenever the boy used the amulet’s power, Solharn could feel him. He was not in control of the boy, but rather he was joined to him in some unusual way. At first, Solharn did not understand the implications of his connection with the boy, but then it came to him. When the boy used the amulet to save Delca, he had absorbed Solharn’s essence from her. Solharn was excited at this revelation. If Deke continued to use his powers without fully understanding them, he would become consumed with darkness. Then Solharn and the boy would be one. Solharn would prefer to see the boy destroyed along with the cursed Amulet of Rhol, but if the boy lived then their union could be a formidable one. Solharn thought it was unlikely that the boy would survive his next plan of attack, but if he did Solharn would savor the power of their union.

  Solharn’s ruse with Delca had failed to destroy Mary, Deke and Deo but at least he knew where they were. He had already summoned Phanthus and an army of Phits to seek them out and destroy them. The remainder of his army would be advancing on Solace.

  He could wait no longer. It was time for him to prepare what would be the end of Rhol. It would take days to perfect his plan, and he would have to focus all of his energy. He doubted it would come to this, but if his armies failed, and if the boy succeeded in finding Elissa, then he would have no choice. When Solharn was finished, this world would be forever night, forever black. The sun, the moon and the stars would forever be gone from sight. The light they shone to sustain life would be unable to penetrate the darkness. Rhol would be barren and cold. Eventually it would be lifeless. Only then would he let it grow again the way it should be, the way he wanted it to be.

  Solharn walked slowly back to the camps. He had left its confines to gather his thoughts in the woods west of where they were positioned. “Get Abednego, now!” Solharn yelled at the first soldier he saw. The soldier had jumped back in fear at the sudden appearance of Solharn, but he quickly gathered himself and ran away as fast as he could in search of Abednego.

  Abednego arrived just as Solharn strolled into the camps. “You summoned me Solharn?”

  Solharn looked down upon Abednego with contempt. “Yes. The time has come for Rhol to feel our wrath. I have matters to attend to which will inevitably assist your armies in the defeat of anyone who dares to fight against me…us. You will take the armies to Solace, and there you will engage the Lealians and the Pegapires, and you will defeat them, Abednego. I have wasted too much energy already relying on your word only to be disappointed in the results. Do not fail me this time.”

  “I will not fail you, Solharn. Our army more than triples theirs. They will not stand a chance…of course any help you might give us would be greatly appreciated.” Abednego groveled looking to the ground.

  Solharn would give them the help they needed; whether they died as a result of it did not matter to him. He had wished to destroy this world without having to use his most powerful weapon. It would weaken him and
it would require almost all of his energy, energy he wished to conserve for the other worlds. He had hoped he could take Rhol without it, by using minimal dark magic. The boy had been right, by utilizing the promise of power and riches to those who would be easily swayed, Solharn had hoped victory would be his against those who had fought alongside Elissa for the freedom of Rhol.

  But the unexpected arrival of the boy from Earth who possessed the Amulet of Rhol led to unfortunate predicaments for Solharn. The boy’s presence filled the surviving warriors of Rhol with renewed hope, it gave them spirit. Moreover, the boy was much more intelligent than Solharn had expected. Already he had learned in some respects how to manage the amulet, and that was dangerous for Solharn.

  The boy was too close to finding Elissa. Of course, he had many obstacles still standing in his way, one of which was Phanthus, but he had outmaneuvered the dragon once before. The second obstacle to the boy’s success would be the Phits; they were seeking him out at this very moment. Still, this did not completely put Solharn’s mind at ease. There was something about this boy that was different. Solharn did not know what it was that separated him from others and for that reason he could not take any more chances on the boy’s resilience. He would not be able to go after the boy himself because it would leave him no time to prepare for what would become of Rhol should his armies fail. But if the worst came to fruition he would have to be prepared.

  His other armies had already succeeded in taking over Beltic. It was nearly at its end. Perhaps he would not need all of his energy to defeat the other worlds. In any event that power would come back in time. No, he had made his decision. He would leave now and prepare for the Darkness, something that would destroy every living thing on the planet.

  With a grin he answered Abednego. “Of course you will have my help, Abednego, but from afar. Rhol will be defeated no matter what happens.”

  “What form of help should we expect Solharn?” Abednego excitedly asked.

  “Do not worry. You will see it coming and when it comes you will know what I speak of, now go! Gather the armies! You must ride and strike out at the very heart of Solace.”

  Solharn rose up into the sky, spinning as he ascended. Abednego breathed a sigh of relief. No longer would he have to look at Solharn. Solharn had become more monstrous with each passing day. He smelled of death. He exuded death. He was beyond evil, beyond compassion, he no longer lived. As Solharn disappeared from Abednego’s sight, Abednego had a sudden realization. Solharn was death, resurrected in the form of a malevolent, dark energy.

  Chapter Thirty

  Deke ran past Deo and embraced Mary with all the strength he could muster.

  “I’m sorry Mary. I should have known when you left the necklace but I was too determined to save Delca…er..you…or I should say the imposter.”

  Delca had not moved. She stood staring at Mary and Deke. “Mary? Where are we? Deke, you can see me?” Delca stammered.

  “It’s a long story, Delca. One I am sure you will be in no hurry to hear. We are in the Swamps of Tiqor and yes, Deke can see you, just as he can see Deo,” said Mary looking around frantically. “We are still in danger here, and are in desperate need of some food and a little rest. We can all talk later but first we have to find refuge from the Tetagorous. Please, follow me and be quiet about it.”

  As the three slowly ambled behind Mary in silence Deke could barely contain himself. He had so many questions and he was sure Delca, who seemed to have no memory of what had transpired, would need some answers, but it would have to wait. Mary was insistent that they walk with as little noise as possible. Who was he to argue? After several hours they crossed a small creek which, unlike the water in the swamps, appeared to be crystal clear.

  The ground that surrounded the creek was dirt rather than mud, and the trees growing around the area were mature unlike the scrub brush in the swamps. Deke began to hear birds chirping as if they were welcoming spring. Little animals jumped from one tree to another, looking down upon them, wary of those whom they thought were invaders to their small forest.

  From a distance the animals appeared to be squirrels, but on closer inspection he could clearly see they weren’t. Most were black, but the odd one was a bright yellow. Their tails were much like a rats and they used it to fling themselves from tree to tree by wrapping it around a branch and then flipping themselves, somersaulting through the air, to reach another one. After they felt they were close enough to get a view of the intruders, they would hang upside down cackling away with their fur standing straight out. Deke was sure this was their way of trying to be intimidating, but it only made them look cuter, like cuddly big balls of fur hanging from a tree. That was until a rather large object bounced off his head.

  “Hey, you little buggers!” he yelled.

  “Quickly! We are upsetting the Chumpralas,” Mary said as she waved the others over to a hole leading into the ground.

  Mary climbed in first followed by Delca, Deke and Deo. No more than a few minutes later they found themselves in a surprisingly large, comfortable home outfitted with all the basic amenities one would require to survive. Mary covered the hole leading in, by draping some canvas over it. She then lit a small lantern and placed it on the table.

  “The Chumpralas,” Mary explained, “are used to me, but they are not particularly fond of anyone else coming into their territory. It took a month before they stopped chirping and throwing nuts at me, but they have served their purpose. You will know in an instant if anyone comes near this place,” Mary explained, half smiling.

  “Are we out of the swamps then Mary?” Deo asked.

  “Not quite, we are on the very outskirts. This has been my home for almost two years now. Ever since Solharn captured and possessed Delca.”

  “Since Solharn did what?” Delca asked with surprise.

  “It is good that you have no memory of it Delca. It was awful. How should I put this? You have been me for the last two years. Do you remember the battle we had to undertake when we reached the bottom of Mount Sibileo?” Mary asked.

  “Yes, we came across a Balane, and to equal its strength you changed me into a Kruntulla. I remember being surprised that you would be able to maintain enough energy to keep me in that form, but you did. I remember going head to head with the beast, but it must have gotten the better of me. I recall plummeting to the ground and then…and then? Strange, that is all I can remember,” Delca responded.

  “Yes, I do not doubt it. You see, you were right. I should never have thought that I was ready to transform you into such a powerful beast, and at the same time remain conscious. I collapsed from exhaustion and that caused you to transform back into your own body. That was why you fell from the air. I tried to run to you, but my legs would not move. I was too weak. Out of nowhere Solharn appeared before me and demanded the amulet. I told him it was gone; little did he know it was hidden less than two feet from where I lay. He was furious. He must have seen me look at you and thought you had it. It was demoralizing when he cackled at me and shook his head before walking over to you. I screamed for you to run, but you were dazed and my cries fell on deaf ears. Solharn grabbed you by the neck and lifted you high in the air. I was sure he was going to break your neck, but that was not his plan. He forced your mouth open and spewed some sort of black liquid down your throat. After that, I watched as he slowly transformed you into me. I was horrified; you were no longer yourself. He carried you over to where I lay and threw you down, ordering you to remain where you were. Then he snatched me off the ground. His fingers felt like icicles, sending shivers up and down my spine, as he lifted me off the ground and gravitated up into the sky. I was terrified, but more so because I thought he would find the amulet which I had now retrieved again. As he pulled me through the air, to what I thought would be my death, I knew I had to give someone else the chance to find it. Kiran had told me how Solharn had dispelled of the amulet originally, so when I spotted Shimmer Lake, or the Blackpool, as we have come to know it now, I
tossed it in. I hoped it would find its way to you Deke, as it should have in the first place.

  He brought me here to this swamp, threw me to the ground and laughed. I thought this was it. He would bury me here so nobody would ever find me, and Delca would go undetected while she posed as me, but I was wrong. He told me that ending my life would be too good for me, that Delca was his now and that she had crossed over to the dark side. He grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and lifted me toward his rotting, decomposing face until it was just inches from mine. His breath smelled of death. No, it was worse than death. It smelled like, like he was death. He told me that Delca was lucky and that I would suffer a far worse fate, that I would suffer the fate of a Pintante.

  I had no idea what this meant until much later but I knew it certainly could not be good. I stared at him waiting for something to happen, but nothing did. He just stared back at me with his black hollow eyes. After a minute or so I could see his lips curl into a cruel smirk, and then he just disappeared leaving me in the middle of what I would soon learn to be the Swamps of Tiqor.”

  “And what became of me?” Delca asked.

  “That question would perhaps be better answered by Deke and Deo, for I did not see you again until I tracked you three down in these very swamps.”

  Delca sat staring in disbelief as they told her what she had done while she was in the form of Mary. Deke described what he believed was her sole purpose, to obtain the amulet and to destroy him in the process. Delca was shocked to learn that she had almost succeeded, but she was grateful that Mary had intervened enabling Deke to save her from Solharn’s grasp.

  Delca was crying as she spoke. “I am so sorry...it feels as if somehow I have betrayed all of you, yet I cannot remember anything.”

  “There is no need for you to be sorry, Delca,” Deke explained trying to console her. “It was not you. You were under Solharn’s control. There was nothing you could have done to prevent it.”