Chapter 12
Off to War - Part 2
Though one secret means Baja, a secret and holy place,
a mystery to mankind and two lies, which meant the first
was when Sam and his family were being exiled from Baja
over a lie told by Marcus his brother. And the other lie
was that Bella was not his friend and that she was partners
with Marcus in some way. But there was more to the secret
message of the guardian angels. Sam had yet to put the
remaining pieces together, but he was close to doing so.
Sam had feared that he might have to kill his brother
for Baja to eventually have peace. The army had to move on;
they must defeat the seven wizards of the forest before all
life on Baja was destroyed forever.
The army marched through the forest for hours. Jane
noticed that the plants, vines, trees and shrubs were dying
again, and she knew that evil was not so far away. Oscar
walked in front, to protect the army with his keen senses
he would notify them of danger. Jane let everyone know that
evil would soon be approaching because all of her trees
were still dying and there was no good reason for it.
Sam knelt down to the ground, he could hear the
stomping of horse hooves; they were coming faster and
faster. Oscar ran toward Jane and told her that they must
get off of the main path, an army of riders was coming and
they would not be able to defeat them. Jane let everyone
know to get off of the main path and into a swamp area.
They had to move quickly because the seven wizards
were sending out their riders to capture them. Everyone
immediately went off into a dark swamp area where there was
little light, and it was wet and cold. Suddenly everyone
could hear the loud sounds of the horse riders; they were
coming through the forest at the speed of terror. Trees
were being knocked down and trampled over by the massive
size of the riders and their horses.
The riders were of unknown origins, and came onto the
planet of Baja to seek and destroy. They were made up of
men and women that rode together through the planets
causing havoc and destruction. Somehow these riders made a
deal with the seven wizards, and were now working with them
to destroy Baja. The riders' faces were never seen; they
wore military armor and clothing that had the red glow of
symbols and hieroglyphics.
They had stiff movements, like that of a puppet, and
they dressed all in black and rode massive wild horses. The
horses were made up of tiger and horse blended together. It
seemed as if they had been crossbred with each other.
Therefore, they were great hunters. The Carrot-Tops and
their army were no match for the riders, so they decided to
split up, and made a vow that if anyone got caught not to
give away any information.
As the agreement took place, the swamp began to split
apart, and the wild movement of the water separated the
army. Some went down dark tunnels leading to nowhere, and
others went downstream. Jane and Samantha went down the
dark tunnel, while Red Fox, David and Sam went downstream.
Jane tired to stay close to Sam, but the water was too
rough and they split apart. The Ambassador Forest was new
to everyone, and no one knew where they were going.
Suddenly Oscar caught up with Jane and Samantha, and
they all began to sink down into another part of the
forest. It was as if they were swimming through sand. This
part of the forest was covered in sand, golden sand that
glittered so much that Jane and the few remaining army
fighters with her could not see a thing. Then the forest
opened up again, and spit Jane and the army into a valley
of sand.
As Jane and the fighters tumbled to the ground,
everyone was a little light-headed from the wild ride that
they had just taken. Jane quickly ordered everyone to get
up and stay alert, but there were still a few who were a
little out of it. Once everyone was okay, Samantha and Jane
moved on with their plan, which was to get out of the
Ambassador Forest with the key.
Everyone agreed that this was the only way to save
Baja; no matter what happened, the last person must fight
for honor and to the death to save Baja. As Jane and her
army looked around, everything was made of sand. There were
sand domes, sand houses, mountains made of sand, and there
was even a sand lake. Though the sand moved like water, it
was made up of only sand. The lake was very dangerous, as
Jane and her army soon found out.
One fighter went to simply touch the sand lake, and it
pulled her in; there was nothing anyone could do. The thick
sand soon swallowed up another of Jane's fighters as they
tired to save the first one. The lake was like quicksand;
once it got a hold of your body, there was no letting go.
Jane and her fighters could hear the woman's screams of
terror and fear.
"Move away from the lake," said Samantha as she
quickly secured the area.
Oscar went ahead of the pack to sniff for danger that
might lie ahead. The loss of two fighters weighed heavily
on Jane's heart, and she began to weep. Samantha was there
to quickly console her, telling Jane that she could not cry
in front of her army or they would become weak and never
respect her. Jane quickly wiped away her tears and moved on.
The desert sand was now getting to the fighters; they
were becoming fatigued and began to see things that were
not there. Jane informed Samantha that hysteria might be
breaking out in the army. So Jane and Samantha took Oscar
to search for water or food. All Jane needed was a small
water plant, and she could have it produce enough water to
supply the army. Everyone with a little strength began to
search and dig for a water plant, with no luck.
Most gave up and sat down to catch their breath. The
sand area was an amazing sight to see, but was a harsh
place to live. Yet, at one point in time, this area had
been inhabited by someone; and this made Jane want to
search even more for people. Suddenly Jane saw someone
looking out of one of the dome windows, but when she looked
back, the face had all but disappeared.
Jane went on to see what she had seen. Oscar and
Samantha walked over a large hill, and they got the shock
of their lives. Over the hill lay a large town filled with
people. They had never been seen by anyone before. In all
of Samantha's travels, she had never seen anything like
this; the people were all made of sand! They had the
appearance of a human, but were nothing more than sand.
Jane watched as one of the sand people blended into
the walls and rocks. These people could manipulate their
bodies into anything that had to do with sand. They could
change into rocks, mountains, and even stones. When the
sand people saw Jane, Oscar and Samantha approaching, they
/>
began to hide and turn into objects of sand. Jane began to
speak to the sand people.
"We come in peace," said Jane.
But this did no good, the sand people began to
evaporate into sand. Then suddenly dust and sand began to
fly into the air like a sand storm, pushing and moving
everything around. Jane and the others began to run for
their lives back over the hill, but the sand formed an arm
and grabbed Samantha by the legs. She began to fight and
Oscar jumped into the storm to rescue her. The sand then
dropped Samantha to the ground and formed itself into a
huge dog the size of Oscar, and began to fight Oscar.
"We must go!" said Samantha to Jane.
Jane did not want to leave Oscar, and she painfully
turned away and began to run as Oscar kept the sand
creature occupied. As Jane and Samantha were running, they
stumbled on to a water plant. Jane quickly used her powers
to grow it out of the ground. The water plant flourished
and water began to burst from its leaves and petals.
Jane continued to use her powers to make the plant
bigger and bigger; then she commanded it to send its roots
with water to the remaining fighters over the hills. The
plant obeyed Jane's orders, and sent it roots over the hill
to the remaining fighters who were weary and depleted of
water. The roots burst through the sand, carrying water to
the thirsty. Suddenly the roots shot out of the ground and
sprayed the thirsty fighters with water. They jumped up and
began to cheer for Jane as they regained their strength
from every sip of fresh water.
Meanwhile, over the hill, Jane, Oscar and Samantha
were still battling the sand creature. When Jane saw that
Oscar was in trouble, she took the roots of the water plant
and began to spray water onto the sand creature. This made
the creature soaking wet and it could not move. Its sand
form had now become mud and it was too damp and heavy to
move.
The sand creature fell to the floor, releasing Oscar.
Everyone could hear the loud thumping as chunks of sand
fell to the floor. That was the reason that no water was
stored here, it was death to the sand people. When humans
came, the sand people knew that humans needed water, and
because of this, humans were always frightened away.
Jane wanted to explain to the sand people that the
sand would dry out and everything would be back to normal,
but no one said anything. The sand people came up and
retrieved the body of their beloved that was in big chunks.
A wild sand storm came, and it took away everything that
was made of sand. Jane and the others weren't hurt, but the
sand storm was like a tornado, coming in and picking and
choosing everything in sight.
After the storm was over, everything that was made of
sand was gone, and the sand now revealed a hidden temple
that had been hidden for millions of years below the
ground. Jane and her fighters had found the temple because
she got the sand people to move, and with them moving they
left a clue to the world of Baja. Jane and Samantha
summoned her fighters from over the hill. They all came
running, ready to fight; they had now become full of
strength as they once were.
As the fighters came over the hill, their eyes were
set on the beautiful hidden temple, which was made of pure
silver and mercury. The temple was in the form of a round
sphere. There was a very small door opening, and it would
open and close every few minutes. Jane and Samantha watched
and timed the door. As the army came over the hill,
everyone approached the temple together.
It were such an amazing sight to see; there were rings
like Saturn around the sphere, and huge sculptures made of
steel guarded the entrance, from a large snake to a kingsize
dragons. These sculptures were made of the finest
metal and top craftsmanship. The detail work on the temple
was amazing; it had ten planets that circled its atmosphere
way up above.
For some reason, Jane had seen one of these planets
before and began to gaze upon it, but it had not yet come
to her as to where she'd seen it before. Nevertheless, Jane
ordered a few men to stay outside, and a few to go in with
her and Samantha to investigate. As Jane and her fighters
came closer to the temple, it began to glow with the
symbols of Baja. This was something they had recognized
before. As Jane came to the entrance of the temple it read:
"The first temple of Baja, The temple called Azul."
Samantha interrupted Jane and told her that there were
stories about this temple in the library of Baja. This
temple was said to be a myth, and in it lies the true key
to the elders.
"The true key?" said Jane.
Samantha went on to tell Jane that legends had it that
the elders put out a fake key, and the true key to their
existence was hidden in the temple. If the story was true,
then Jane and her family were not responsible for the lost
key of Baja; hope formed in Jane's eyes. Maybe the legend
was true, and that there might be another key that could
awaken the elders and have them save Baja, and clear her
family's name.
Jane kept thinking this to herself, and marched
without fear into the temple of Azul. She and her fighters
timed the door, and waited for the exact moment that the
door would open again. They hurried and jumped into the
doorway before the door closed again. Once inside, the
temple looked as if it was the day it was built; everything
was immaculate. There was no dust or debris inside; there
were solar lights all around. Walking inside was like
walking through a maze; there were twists and turns that
led Jane and her team right back to where they had started.
Jane noticed an unusual painting on the walls; it was
of a man and a little boy crossing a river in a small boat,
and the man was pointing. Jane followed where he was
pointing, and began to test the theory that a message must
be hidden in the picture. It pointed to a huge lever in the
side of a wall. Jane asked Samantha to use her ninja skills
and jump to release the lever. It stood out to Jane
because, in the area, the lever was the only thing adorned
with rubies, gold, and silver. If it was just a lever, it
would not be as nice as this one was. Samantha jumped into
the air, flipped the lever, and suddenly the floor began to
move in a circle. Oscar began to hiss and scratched at the
floor.
"Keep cool," said Jane to Oscar, as everyone waited to
see what this floor was about to reveal.
The floor kept on rotating until it was high in the
air. Suddenly the air began to get thick, and it was harder
to breathe. Most of the fighters were getting lightheaded
and faint; some had nose bleeds, but Jane and Samantha
wanted to see what lay ahead. After a short ride, Saman
tha
and Jane got to their feet and discovered that they were up
above the temple; where the ten planets lay.
It was an amazing sight to see, being on top of a
temple, looking over the ten planets. They looked close
enough that if your hands were stretched out, you could
touch them. Then the dial on the floor tilted over, sending
Jane, Samantha and a few of the fighters flying into a
planet; it was like flying through a hoop of fire. Once in
the planet, Jane and her fighters were faced by a huge rock
monster. The monster had once been tied to chains, as Jane
and her fighters saw the old loose chains dangling from its
hands and legs. The rock monster immediately began to throw
huge stones at the army. It would burp up five to ten rocks
at a time, and then throw them at Jane and her fighters.
Everyone scattered out of the way. To this creature,
this was nothing more than a game, but to Jane and her
fighters, this was their lives. Everyone split up and tried
to trick the rock monster by running in different patterns,
but the monster had different plans. It burped out rocks
and shaped them into tiny rock monsters for each of Jane's
fighters.
Jane and her team were now in the fight of their
lives. The only way to stop this rock monster was to clog
up its mouth so that it would stop burping up little rock
monsters. Samantha moved in on the large rock monster with
her ninja skills, kicking and punching it in the mouth, but
the monster was affected very little. So the team had to
devise another plan; and they came up with a plan called
divide and conquer.
As the tiny rock monsters were chasing the other
fighters, the fighters came together and crossed paths. By
doing this, they caused the rock monsters to collide with
one another causing a big burst of dust and stone particles
into the air. The huge rock monster began to cry as his
children were destroyed. So he then tried to burp out more
little rock monsters, but Jane and her fighters were not
having it. They all climbed up onto the rock monster,
starting from his feet to his head.
Some fighters tickled his toes and the creature began
to laugh and then stumble. The other army of men continued
to crawl on the creature, causing it to sway in one
direction. As it swayed, it began to fall, and as it fell,
the fighters jumped off, one by one; leaving the creature
to fall on its own. It began to sway heavily, causing it to
stumble quickly.
All of a sudden, the creature fell to its knees with a
loud pounding, shaking the ground and everything around it.
It had landed so hard that its stone structure started to
crack and crumble. Jane ordered all the fighters to take
cover; the creature was about to blow any minute. Just as
the fighters ran for safety, the creature began to break
apart; sending rocks flying into the air, almost knocking
down some of the fighters. The huge creature broke into
tiny pieces, sending pieces of its body into the atmosphere.
"Great job, team," said Samantha.
The fighters began to roar in victory over another
win. But Jane was not that thrilled.
"If this was easy, I would not like to see what hard
looks like," said Jane.
Then a piece of the golden key emerged out of a left
behind stone; it glittered in the sky. Jane quickly went
and picked it up. She and her fighters glanced over the
key; it was so beautiful to gaze upon, the way and manner
by which the key was made took skill and perfection. All
the codes and hieroglyphics of Baja were inlaid on the key,
from the tiniest of details to the large drawings;
everything was done with perfection and care.
Jane quickly wrapped the key in a sack cloth and hid
it away from everyone by placing it in Oscar's pouch.
She whispered in Oscar ear, "Don't let this out of
your sight."
"You have my word," said Oscar.
Then a magical door opened and the fighters with their
leader ran out as quickly as they could. The magical door
led to a dark cellar where there were skeleton bones of
armies who had tried to come and get the magical key. The
elders were smart enough to break the key up into three
pieces. Dead men tell very few tales, as their bones lay on
the cold floor.
Jane looked over the men whose bones lay lifeless, and
noticed that they were all from the Baja royal guards. But,
why was Baja sending men on a secret mission to find a key
that never existed? Jane realized that the reason these men
were on a secret mission was that someone had found out
that the key Sam lost might not have been the key after all.
That's why her family was allowed to come back into
Baja. So therefore someone in high power must know that
they made a mistake, and never informed her and her family.
The one person that came to Jane's mind was Mr. Stewart,
the ruler and caretaker of Baja. Now everything started to
make a whole lot of sense, but Jane had to get the message
to her husband and friends. That meant that she would have
to find them.
As Jane and her fighters were leaving, a skeleton of
an army solider began to move and talk! His bones had dust
all over them; his army uniform that was once pristine and
clean was nothing more than rags. As he walked toward Jane,
his bones began to fall apart, but he managed to catch her
leg. Holding on with all of his might he screamed.
"You have birthed the boy king who would come and save
us; hurry and leave before the dark falls."
And then the solider pointed toward a sealed doorway.
This was a little eerie and scary to Jane and her fighters,
but nevertheless, they had to move on. Jane cautiously
looked back at the solider and he was not there anymore. As
Jane looked around, she noticed the soldier's bones walking
away into a bright light.
"Let's get out of here," said Jane.
The fighters quickly broke the seal and moved out the
door leading underground. At first there were no lights or
anything in sight. All that Jane and her fighters could see
was blackness. One fighter lit a match and was frightened
by what he saw. At first they all saw a huge beast, but as
the light got brighter, they realized that it was just a
statue.
Oscar demanded that everyone stop, and they quickly
did. Oscar told Jane that this must be the tunnel and
cities that her mother and other citizens of Baja built for
the coming war. It was so much for Jane to take in; she
began to move very cautiously through the tunnel. As they
came closer and closer, they could hear people talking and
whispering. Jane quickly cautioned her fighters to move
slowly, and that this could be a trap.
As they got to the end of the tunnel, there was a big
barn fire going on. People were chanting and dancing around
a huge
statue; the people almost seemed to be in a place of
worship, and others were going about their daily duties.
From up above, Jane and her fighters were at least twenty
feet up. They did not know how to get down; so Samantha,
without thinking, used her ninja skills to flip and twirl
into the air; landing like a cat on her feet, right in
front of the ceremonial fire.
Some of the people below were impressed, while the
worshipers were very upset that Samantha had ruined their
ceremonial dance. One worshiper began to spit at Samantha,
speaking in a different tongue, and called her a devil and
a hypocrite. Samantha was a tough girl, and demanded to
know who was in charge. One of the worshipers pointed to a
man in a long red robe; it seemed to catch Samantha's eyes
by the way it moved through the air like a snake crawling
on the floor. The robe itself was hypnotizing and jaw
dropping; it glowed with the symbols of Baja and other
symbols no one had ever seen.
"Leader, I need a word with you," said Samantha.
As the figure turned around, Samantha had the shock of
her life; it was Mr. Stewart, the ruler and keeper of Baja.
Mr. Stewart came closer to her, mumbling, "Don't I
know you, young lady?"
"Of course you do, I am Samantha Grey, fighter of the
Carrot-Top family, and what are you doing here?"
The look on Mr. Stewart's face was one of shock and
disbelief. He began to look around the room, secretly
wondering where the others were. Samantha explained that
they were stuck on the ledge up top. Mr. Stewart
immediately summoned the underground citizens to retrieve
the others.
"You have a lot of explaining to do," said Samantha.
"I owe you no explanation," said Mr. Stewart.
Then Jane and a few of her fighters were pushed into
the area where Samantha and Mr. Stewart were having their
private conversation.
"Mr. Stewart! What are you doing here?" said Jane.
Mr. Stewart was in shock to see that it was Jane
Carrot-Top, and began to slur his words. Jane wanted an
explanation, and she wanted it now. To her, the mystery of
the key and why they were let back into Baja was now
solved. But Jane was far from the truth. As Mr. Stewart was
about to explain to Jane and her fighters the situation,
Oscar attacked him, snarling and nipping at his face.
"Don't trust him, he's evil," said Oscar.
Jane began to rub Oscar on the back, letting him know
that she agreed with him, and Oscar quickly jumped off of
Mr. Stewart keeping a close eye on him. After a few minutes
for Mr. Stewart to catch his breath, he took Jane and her
fighters to a large gathering area where they were
introduced as the mother and the fighters of the boy king.
The crowd began to clap, and offered Jane and her
fighters everything that they could imagine, from expensive
jewels to food and clean clothing. But Jane was not into
all of this, and Mr. Stewart began to tell her that this
was the tunnel that her mother and mother-in-law and
father-in-law helped construct. Mr. Stewart let Jane know
that a war was coming and he must make sure that at least a
million people of Baja survived, and the only way to do
that was to set Sam Carrot-Top up as a destructor of Baja,
the evil one. The people of Baja needed a lie to get them
into the mode of saving their planet.
Peter Carrot-top Page 12
